The Tamarisk Spirit

One more step, and the child would have been a smear on the street.

The boy snatched up his rattle drum, coughing incessantly from the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves. His parent finally broke through the crowd, scooped him up, and fled without looking back.

The bystanders began muttering criticisms, but the white-robed rider ignored them, raising his gaze to look directly at Uncle Hao.

Uncle Hao remained expressionless.

Standing beside He Lingchuan, Liu Baobao gave a pointed cough and asked, "Who are you people? Don't you know galloping through the marketplace is punishable by flogging?"

"Who will carry out the punishment?" The white-robed youth sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "You?"

His gaze was as sharp as needles, making Liu Baobao's skin crawl. He shrank back and stammered, "Heishui City has strict laws. Just try galloping a few more steps and see what happens."

The youth dismissed him with a glance and turned his attention to He Lingchuan, as if sensing who was truly in charge.

He Lingchuan offered him a faint smile, but the youth scrutinized him carefully before urging his horse onward.

The gray-clad rider in the rear never once lifted his head.

After this brief commotion, the pair slowed their pace, while the street's onlookers—young and old—watched them disappear around the corner.

They were heading toward the northeastern gate.

Uncle Hao spoke up at the right moment: "Both riders have cultivation. The one in gray, in particular, is hard to gauge. The white-robed youth, however, might have a military background."

He Lingchuan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Uncle Hao, who once slaughtered over ten prominent families in the capital before being enlightened by Daoist masters, now practiced mystic arts and had honed his cultivation to a deep level. As one of the He family's top retainers, his judgment was beyond question. If he said the gray-clad rider was extraordinary, it was no exaggeration.

These two were no ordinary merchants. What were they doing in this remote frontier?

At that moment, several guards from Heishui City's patrol squad arrived at the scene. They questioned the crowd, "What happened here?"

"Two people galloped through the market and nearly trampled a child!" the crowd clamored.

Only two people? The guards were relieved. That meant it wasn't He Lingchuan, the He family's eldest son. Good, good. Their expressions softened until they noticed He Lingchuan leaning out the window to watch the spectacle. One of them quickly greeted him with a smile, "Greetings, Young Master He!"

"Good, very good," He Lingchuan replied with a grin. "Are you here to apprehend them?"

"Of course!" The squad leader declared righteously. "Galloping in the marketplace, defying the law—how dare they? They must be punished!"

He Lingchuan helpfully pointed. "They headed toward the northeastern gate."

The squad leader thanked him and led his men in pursuit.

After they left, Uncle Hao remarked, "Those guards won't be able to detain them."

"I know," He Lingchuan said with a shrug. "Just testing the waters. This is Heishui City—would they dare cause a scene in broad daylight?"

About a quarter of an hour later, the patrol returned empty-handed.

The outcome didn't surprise He Lingchuan, but he still asked, "What happened to them?"

The squad leader, embarrassed to see him still waiting, cleared his throat before explaining, "Those two are under the command of General Yan Zanli, the Conqueror of the North and governor of Xun Prefecture. They showed official fire-sealed documents."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh."

Yan Zanli, the Conqueror of the North, was both the military and civil leader of Xun Prefecture—a position of immense power, far surpassing that of a prefectural governor like He Chunhua. Even the governor of Qiansong County would have to respectfully address Yan as "Your Excellency."

The patrol quickly departed. Liu Baobao, looking uneasy, muttered, "They won't remember me, right?"

"Why would they care about such a trivial matter?" He Lingchuan reassured him with little sincerity. Internally, however, he pondered, Why has Xun Prefecture sent people to Heishui City?

At that moment, two thunderclaps rolled across the sky, loud enough to make ears ring and street dogs howl in fright before they bolted with their tails between their legs.

The locals were unfazed, continuing about their business.

Looking westward, He Lingchuan saw a dark mass of storm clouds churning on the horizon.

A storm was coming.

"A storm is coming." The white-robed youth glanced at the sky and then at the gray-clad figure beside him. "Will this place do?"

The two stood in Hulu Mountain.

The mountain had seven peaks, three of which were bare and rugged, resembling the heads of bald, burly men.

Despite its unremarkable appearance, Hulu Mountain was home to abundant wildlife, including hares, foxes, deer, and occasionally wild boars and wolves.

They stood on a narrow animal trail, having already inspected several nearby caves.

"The land and water here aren't particularly rich, but there's enough life to meet our needs," the gray-clad man said. He produced a purple-gold cudgel with a grotesque beast carved at its head. The beast had bulging eyes and a wide mouth, with four dangling rings at its feet. The base of the cudgel tapered to a sharp point, glinting coldly.

With a flick of his wrist, the one-foot-long cudgel extended into a seven-foot staff.

The gray-clad man drove the staff a foot deep into the ground, letting it stand upright on its own. He then took a green copper coin from the white-robed youth and inserted it into the beast's mouth.

The mouth snapped shut, holding the coin in place. The beast's eyes began to glow red.

The gray-clad man twisted the top of the staff, causing the rings at its base to jingle. At first, the sound seemed chaotic, but it soon fell into a rhythmic pattern, repeating over and over.

Each repetition grew clearer, louder, and carried farther.

The forest, once alive with the calls of birds and insects, fell silent. Only the eerie jingling remained, echoing endlessly.

The white-robed youth took a deep breath. Even with his focus, the sound soon left him dizzy and his heart pounding. He had to break his concentration and stare off at a distant peak to endure it.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a voice filled with exasperation burst forth: "Stop it! Stop that noise!"

The jingling ceased.

The two turned to see a tamarisk tree shaking its branches. The sound seemed to emanate from the rustling leaves.

The tree was gnarled and ancient, its trunk weathered by countless storms. It appeared to be at least three or four centuries old and was the largest tree in the area.

The white-robed youth spoke first. "Are you the local guardian spirit?"

"I am the guardian of Tamarisk Mountain, appointed two hundred years ago. It's now called Hulu Mountain." The spirit's voice, initially halting, grew smoother with each word, like someone regaining their speech after years of silence. "I've been dormant for a long time. Even the local officials couldn't wake me. Who are you?"

Its attention shifted to the copper coin lodged in the beast's mouth. Surprised, it said, "Ah, this is a sacrificial token from the new dynasty… something called… Yuan?"

"Yuan Coin," the gray-clad man corrected, tapping the beast's head. The green copper coin fell neatly into his palm. Observers would notice that it was slightly larger than a standard coin, with a hole at the top for threading.