Chapter 68 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

Eyes from afar

The news of Rễ Bàng Hamlet successfully repelling a large herd of strange animals spread further than Diệp Sương thought. Just two weeks after the battle, a salt merchant stopped by to tell the story at an inn dozens of miles away, adding a few twists but the core remained the same: a small, remote hamlet survived with the help of strange creatures in the deep forest and a girl who had learned to draw spells at a large sect.

That story, as expected, finally reached the ears of those who were keeping a close eye on all unusual fluctuations around the border area.

*

Ngộ Khắc Bình, Khâm Vân Ti's Deputy Supervisor in charge of the western region, rode horseback to Rễ Bàng Hamlet on a foggy morning that had not yet completely cleared, leading four subordinates dressed in strict ash-gray official uniforms. His figure was thin, his eyes as sharp as knives, and he had the demeanor of a person accustomed to probing and drawing quick conclusions.

"I heard there's been a strange incident in this neighborhood recently," he said, his voice polite but cold, standing in the middle of Mr. Bay Nhah's yard, his eyes scanning the faces of the worried neighbors. "An unusually large herd of strange beasts, repelled with the help of unknown creatures. I need to get to the bottom of it."

Mr. Bảy Nhánh stood up, trying to keep his voice calm. "It's just luck, great mandarin. We villagers can defend ourselves, there's nothing worth worrying about for the court."

*

Ngộ Khắc Bình looked at him for a long time, not quite believing it but not in a hurry to question him harshly. "I also heard," he continued, his voice deliberately relaxed as if in a normal conversation, "that a strange girl appeared in the neighborhood about a month ago, knowing how to draw charms in an unorthodox way. Where is she now?"

The whole neighborhood was silent, no one dared to speak up. Diệp Sương, hiding in a tent set up deep in the forest with Miên Trà according to the preparedness plan discussed in advance, heard the entire conversation through the hasty words of a child in the neighborhood who ran in to report the news.

"Maybe it's time," he said, his voice heavy, "for me to face it head-on, instead of having the whole neighborhood lie forever for me."

*

Miên Trà held his hand tightly, her eyes worried. "No way, Ms. Sương. If they catch you, all the effort to build this alliance will collapse."

"But if you hide forever," Diệp Sương replied, her voice low, "you will put the danger on the people who trusted and protected you. I cannot let that happen again, like it happened in Tùng Lĩnh Village."

Lãnh Vũ, arriving just in time after hearing the news from the patrol team, put his hand on its shoulder and stopped it. "There's no need to rush. Let me handle this matter first. That mandarin, even if he has royal power, probably wouldn't dare to risk directly provoking the Vụ Ẩn clan right in the middle of the land we control."

*

Lãnh Vũ, along with several Vụ Ẩn warriors, suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest just as Ngộ Khắc Bình was continuing to question Mr. Bảy Nhánh. Their pale blue eyes flashed in the mist like ghostly flames, causing Ngộ Khắc Bình's subordinates to falter, their hands clutching their weapons.

"You are violating my clan's protected land," Lãnh Vũ said, his voice resounding with majesty. "If you come here with good intentions, I welcome it. But if you come to hunt or threaten people who have allied with my clan, I advise you to think again."

Ngộ Khắc Bình, although surprised, still maintained his outward composure, only slightly frowning. “Hidden Mist Clan,” he muttered, a calculating glint in his eyes. "I just thought it was a folk legend. I didn't expect..."

*

"I don't mean to intrude," Ngộ Khắc Bình said, his voice regaining its usual politeness, although his eyes still could not hide the sharp scrutiny. "I'm just on a mission to investigate abnormalities related to the security of this area, according to orders from above."

"Orders from whom?" Lãnh Vũ asked directly, without hesitation.

Ngộ Khắc Bình paused for a moment before that direct question, then replied, his voice somewhat more reserved. "From Khâm Vân Ti, and partly from concerns conveyed from the Tông Vân Các, regarding an expelled disciple suspected of gathering opposition forces."

*

That answer made Diệp Sương, who was secretly observing through a gap between the tree trunks, clench her fists. She had not expected news of the small alliance to spread so far that it would catch the eye of the very sect that had expelled her. Most likely, behind the investigation order was not genuine concern for security, but Húc Bá Nguyên's familiar hand seeking to suppress any threat that could overturn his case.

Lãnh Vũ, after a tense response, finally let Ngộ Khắc Bình and his subordinates leave without finding any specific evidence, but the Deputy Supervisor's eyes, as he turned and walked away, threw a cold glance towards the forest, making anyone who witnessed it understand that this was not the last time he appeared.

*

Ngộ Khắc Bình did not leave far. About half a day's journey from Rễ Bàng Hamlet, at a small roadside guard post, he stopped, summoned four subordinates closer, his eyes clearly revealing his calculations.

“There is no need to confront those creatures head-on,” he said, his voice low. "I will send a report back to Elder Húc, so he can decide how to handle it. But before that, you guys should secretly probe further to see who else is helping that girl. A small alliance like this, if allowed to grow stronger, will become a much harder thorn to remove." A younger subordinate, who seemed to still have some guilty conscience, asked softly. "Sir, what if that girl is really innocent?"

Ngộ Khắc Bình glanced at him coldly. "It's not our job to judge. Our job is to carry out the above orders, and keep things running smoothly. Remember that."

*

At the same time, at the Tiêu Sa Pass many days away, Tất Bá Kỳ accidentally overheard a conversation between two soldiers about Khâm Vân Ti sending people to investigate a mountainous area in the west, where there were rumors about a girl who had learned to draw spells colluding with strange creatures. His heart tightened, almost immediately certain that it was Diệp Sương.

He quickly found Sầm Nguyên Trạch and expressed his concerns. "If it's really her," he said, his voice urgent, "we have to find a way to break the news so she can be on guard before Húc Bá Nguyên acts more aggressively." Sầm Nguyên Trạch pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I will send a trusted person to scout and find a way to contact. But the road to get there is far away, I'm afraid it will take half a month or more for the news to arrive."

*

That evening, the entire alliance gathered in worry. "We can't keep dodging forever," Diệp Sương said, her voice serious. "If Húc Bá Nguyên is really behind this, he won't stop just because he was stopped once. He will find another way, which could be even more dangerous for everyone here."

"So what are you going to do?" Miên Trà asked, her voice worried.

Diệp Sương looked around at the faces waiting for her answer—Mr. Bảy Nhánh, Ms. Tu, Lãnh Vũ, Du Khinh, and Miên Trà—all the people and races who had placed their trust in her during the past weeks. "I think," she said slowly, "it's time for us to move beyond being defensive and understand more clearly the true scale of what threatens us all, before it forces us to react passively."

*

That night, after everyone had dispersed, Diệp Sương sat alone on the bank of a small stream, took out an old map, and lit a small candle to see clearly. Her eyes rested on the marked points—Tiêu Sa Pass, Thâm Vụ Forest, and now the unusual attention from Khâm Vân Ti toward a land considered too small to concern them.

She remembered what Lãnh Vũ had said the night the old wooden survey stakes were discovered - this was no longer just anyone's business. She folded the map, clasped it tightly in her hand, and an unpleasant premonition arose in her heart: if Khâm Vân Ti was deliberately monitoring a remote area like this closely, perhaps what they were trying to hide was much bigger than anyone in this small alliance had ever imagined.

The candle in front of her gradually faded in the gentle wind blowing through the ravine, its light flickering across her thoughtful face. Diệp Sương sat there until the moon was high overhead, then stood and walked back to the tent with a new determination in her heart: she would not wait for danger to find her again, but would seek out her roots first.