Chapter 61: Conscription

Who were the people that the Qingyu Sect captured in one sweep? Liu Xiaolou had a rough idea. They were mostly rogue cultivators who had caught wind of something and come from all over the region around western Xian. The folks from Wulong Mountain, for the most part, weren’t among them. There were even a few disciples from prominent families who had come hoping to take advantage of the Qingyu Sect, only to get caught and lose both themselves and their goods. Of course, with powerful backers like the Zhanglong Sect, the Dongyang Sect, and the Lu family of Mount Tianmu, they didn’t have much to worry about in terms of personal safety. Still, Liu Xiaolou figured the chances of them getting their stuff back were slim. It was a close call. Just thinking about it made Liu Xiaolou break into a cold sweat. If the people from Wulong Mountain had ended up in Qingyu hands, even if the sect didn’t dig up any old grudges, that incident with the raid on the Zhou family estate by Lake Dongting would’ve been enough to get a bunch of heads chopped off. Over the next few days, Sister Qing sent back updates. Qingyu Sect had rounded up seventy or eighty cultivators and locked them up in a stone cave at Ghost Dream Cliff. They even nailed a thick wooden door over the entrance, not letting anyone out for even a moment. Just imagining seventy or eighty people packed into that small cave for days on end, eating, sleeping, doing their business; it made Liu Xiaolou’s skin crawl. How were they even surviving in there? On the night of the fifth day, Liu Xiaolou was in the middle of cultivating when a commotion outside the courtyard startled him. Peeking through the crack in the door, he saw a group of cultivators kick down the house across the way and swarm inside. Sneaking a better look, one of them seemed oddly familiar; pretty sure it was one of the Zang family’s retainers from Ewe Ram Mountain. Last year, when Liu Xiaolo had been harvesting spirit crops on Ewe Ram Mountain, the guy used to wander around all day with a longsword in his arms. Just as he was trying to make sense of it, the same group that had busted into the other house came up to his door, torches in hand. One of them raised his fist and pounded on it hard, making the wooden door shake violently. "Open up! Open the door!" "Hurry up and open. If you don't, we're coming in!" "You few. Climb over the wall and check it out. If there’s anyone inside and the owner tries to run, bring them back!" In a way, the Zang family were Liu Xiaolou’s employers. Every autumn, he and his master would head to Ewe Ram Mountain to work during the harvest. And the Zang family, being part of the Zhanglong Sect, were actually something of an unofficial protector for many rogue cultivators in western Xian. After thinking it over, Liu Xiaolou figured they probably didn’t have any reason to come after him specifically, so he hurried to open the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming! What’s all this in the middle of the night, everyone..." Once the door opened, the group didn’t force their way in. The man in front said, “We’re with the Zhanglong Sect...” Right next to him was that familiar-looking retainer Liu Xiaolou had spotted earlier. He quickly added, “From the Zang family, Ewe Ram Mountain. This is our lord... wait, aren't you. Lord Zang, this is Liu Xiaolou, from Wulong Mountain. He helped with the spirit field harvest last year.” Liu Xiaolou hadn’t expected the man to recognize him. So all that wandering around the fields back then, turns out it wasn’t aimless after all? "Greetings, Lord Zang. You’ve always been a great benefactor to folks like us in western Xian. Thank you for your kindness. Please accept my respects!" This Lord Zang’s full name was Zang Baili. Rumor had it he was a peak-stage Qi Refinement expert. Liu Xiaolou wasn’t about to be disrespectful, so he quickly cupped his hands and bowed with a fist salute. Zang Baili gave a slight nod. “Ah, so you’re one of our western Xian rogue cultivators. What are you doing here?” Liu Xiaolou let out a bitter smile. “It’s all because of the Qingyu Sect... Honestly, I’ve been wrongly accused. I wasn’t involved in that whole Zhou family estate mess. But when the nest falls, no egg is left whole. I had no choice but to lay low here for a while.” “You’re absolutely right,” Zang Baili said solemnly, “when the nest is overturned, how can any egg survive? Western Xian belongs to the people of western Xian. The Qingyu Sect comes from far-off eastern Xian. Now they suddenly show up here, take over like squatters, and refuse to leave. It’s gone too far. Today, we cultivators of western Xian are rising up to demand justice from the Qingyu Sect. It’s not just us from the Zhanglong Sect; our comrades from the Dongyang Sect in southern Xian, and the Lu family of Mount Tianmu in central Xian, are just as outraged and have all come to support the cause. We’re here to help you take back your home.” Liu Xiaolou was deeply moved. He clapped his hands in praise. “We rogue cultivators have suffered under the Qingyu Sect for so long. Lord Zang, for you to stand up for us; we’re beyond grateful.” Zang Baili quickly waved his hand. “It’s not me who’s standing up for you. My Zang family is under the protection of the Zhanglong Sect. It’s Zhanglong Mountain that’s taking the lead for your sake.” Still, Liu Xiaolou clapped again. “All the same, we won’t forget your kindness, Lord Zang.” “Who owns the house across the way?” asked Zang Baili. “We’ve come in force and plan to base ourselves here in Wunest Town for a while. We’ll need a place to stay.” “The owners of that house are rarely around," Liu Xiaolou replied quickly. “The courtyard’s big, too. You’re welcome to stay there as long as you need, Lord Zang.” Zang Baili nodded and looked toward the retainer beside him. The man pulled a wooden token from his robes and pressed it into Liu Xiaolou’s hand. Liu Xiaolou had no idea what was going on. He looked down at the wooden token. On the front was the word "mobilize," and on the back were the words “Zhanglong Sect.” His face changed instantly. This was a conscription token from the Zhanglong Sect. Five years ago, when Zhanglong had clashed with Gengsang Cave, they issued the same kind of token. His teacher, Master Sanxuan, had received one back then and ended up fighting Gengsang cultivators for over a month. It was exhausting, thankless work. He didn’t get paid a single copper, and he even took a sword wound to the leg. The retainer said, “You’re from Wulong Mountain. Since we’re fighting to reclaim your homeland, you should be the first to step up. You’ll be serving under the Zang family now; just follow Lord Zang’s orders.” Liu Xiaolou opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Zang Baili chuckled, as if offering encouragement, then glanced around Liu Xiaolou’s tiny courtyard. Seeing how cramped it really was, he turned and led the group back across the road to the larger compound. As the door closed behind them, Liu Xiaolou suddenly felt drained. He leaned against it, took a deep breath, and started to think: should he run, or stay? There was no doubt that in all of Jingxiang, the Qingyu Sect sat at the top of the mountain. Whether it was Zhanglong, Dongyang, or even the Lu family of Mount Tianmu; none of them could take Qingyu Sect on alone. But the three sects working together? That was a different story. Qingyu Sect couldn’t win that fight. Still, if he answered the call and went to war, would he even survive it? He had zero experience in battles of this scale. But he had seen the mountain god that the Qingyu Sect once summoned. Just remembering the god-like pressure it gave off, looming over everyone like a force of nature, made his scalp tingle and his chest tighten. If he ran, sure, he could probably avoid the coming war. But after that, there’d be no way he could stay in western Xian. He’d have to leave behind the mountains and rivers he knew, the friends he grew up with, and become a wandering cultivator, drifting like duckweed with no roots. And honestly, he couldn’t even picture that life. Was roaming the world really as easy as it sounded? Besides, this was three sects against one. It was a fight they were bound to win. If he ran now, wouldn’t that be a total waste? He spent the whole night thinking it over and finally decided he’d at least go out and see what was going on. Even if he did end up running, he needed to plan an escape route first. He knew Wunest Town like the back of his hand. It wasn’t a big place; one main street, seven or eight side alleys. To the south was the Wunest River, to the north, the eastern ridges of Wulong Mountain. To the east lay gentler hills. So if he had to escape, it was either through the mountains or into the river. But after walking around town, he realized he might as well forget about it. The place was crawling with cultivators. He had no idea how many had poured in, but they were all from the Zhanglong Sect. Not just the main Zhanglong Mountain, but over a dozen affiliated families and minor sects too, including the Zang family of Ewe Ram Mountain. The entire sect had mobilized. At this point, Wunest Town was completely locked down. Every exit was guarded, not just to keep people out; but to keep people in. If he hadn’t been holding that conscription token, he probably would’ve been arrested already. With no other choice, Liu Xiaolou returned to his little courtyard and got back to cultivating. He focused on breaking through the Daling acupoint as soon as possible. Unlocking even one more acupoint meant more stored true qi. And when it came time to fight for his life, every bit would count. .... If you’re enjoying this web novel and want to see the translation continue, please consider leaving a rating and a review on NovelUpdates. Thanks :)