Mage's Cultivation Journey 28

I handled the healing of unconscious martial artists while discussing the details of our plan. After that, they even had time to pack our meager camp and carry the pack nearby, ready to leave.

It took a long time, because I healed not only his open wounds but also his injuries to his meridians. It was a good way to prove my credentials as an expert without coming across as needy.

Another benefit was to examine another martial artist in detail, one who hadn’t been trained in Furious Wind style. I lacked the breadth of knowledge to successfully identify the root of his style, but it had a distinctly earthly direction. It was further confirmation about the function of lungs, which functioned to empower internal energy of every style, and not just wind.

Unfortunately, I had no idea whether that sensation was a part of Earth, Metal, or Wood. Or maybe, it was like Wind, which wasn’t a part of the five core elements. Not something I could figure out here.

“He’s about to wake up,” I warned the kids once the treatment was complete and I started pulling the needles from him. “From now on, follow your roles perfectly.” I turned to Yu Xing. “Kid, like I told you before, you have to take initiative to make decisions on most things. Don’t forget, you’re defying my advice to intervene in a local issue, because you want to prove yourself to your father for the first time.” Then, I turned to the girl. “Keep an eye on him and act as an advisor,” I added.

The identity she kept hidden might be useful when it came to that.

Only after they nodded seriously, I pulled the remaining needles, and our guide — though unaware of his role — woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, I saw a flash of surprise, intense enough to make me believe that he hadn’t expected to wake up.

He opened his mouth, and I prepared to explain why I attacked him, but I didn’t interfere when he stood up.

To my surprise, he knelt in front of me. “Thank you for granting me a life, master,” he said, his tone shockingly sharp.

I looked at him for a moment, letting a flash of annoyance appear on my face before I turned away. An obvious disrespect, but that didn’t even earn a blink. I signaled Yu Xing to take over. “Please be respectful to our guests, steward,” he said.

Amusingly, it finally earned a reaction from our future guide. Fear. “I … This lowly one doesn’t deserve it, young master. I am blessed to have my life saved when I brought trouble to you…” He responded, then his voice faded. He first touched his chest, where his deep wound used to be. Then, I felt his internal energy stir, too soft for it to be an attack.

His eyes widened. He must have realized the state of his meridians.

“Nonsense. It was just a fortunate accident. You didn’t try to set us up for anything,” Yu Xing replied, then turned to me. “Please be respectful to my friends, steward,” he repeated.

I gave a reluctant nod toward him, which seemed to actively terrify him. Maybe I should ease off the disgruntled expert role a bit. I wanted to come across as annoyed, not looking for an excuse to murder. It was probably about my identity as a mysterious expert. Maybe he expected that I would ease my annoyance with murder.

Talk about excessive use of force.

“How are you feeling?” Yu Xing asked. “The steward is supposed to heal you, but—”

There, I intervened. “Young master. I don’t appreciate my professionalism being questioned,” I replied, my voice halfway between proud and petulant. It was once again intentional. I wanted him to know that I was too proud of my work and my reputation to sabotage. It would be useful in the future.

“I feel amazing, young master. Lord steward not only healed my flesh, but also fixed my internal injuries, some of them plaguing me for years, not even the experts of our alliance were able to heal them.”

I hoped it was an exaggeration, as I wanted it to be tempting, but not to a degree that they would try to murder. But, the nature of my expertise should keep me safe.

Only a true moron would force a doctor to heal them.

“I will go and pack our camp, young master,” I said. “Now that we are discovered, we can’t continue your special training here,” I said, implying a great secrecy about his nonexistent secret style, and walked away.

Not too far. With the camp packed, I had the luxury of staying near and listening. I was confident to keep my presence hidden while I listened, but even if I had been detected, my explanation was ready. I stayed away for about half an hour, listening to them chatting.

It was mostly Yu Xing who chatted, with Su Mi only occasionally interjecting with seemingly innocent comments and misguided opinions. I was impressed just how much she was able to reveal with her questioning, making me adjust my opinion about her family, or at least her training.

However, rather than poking into her backstory, I focused on the information they gathered. Some, like the identity and the affiliation of our future guide, were easy to acquire. Hun Chu, was a part of the Iron Mountain Alliance.

Other parts, like Hun Chu revealing the relatively dire situation the alliance was facing without even realizing it, had been more welcome. His discussion revealed how aggressively Azure Blade Union had been targeting them, the ongoing problems with the western passage, the troubles with the Liao family, who decided to ignore long-standing cooperation with Iron Mountain Alliance to some degree for a reason that he was unaware of…

Most of the details had only been revealed due to Su Mi’s careful probing, making me glad that we did not abandon her.

But, I couldn’t stay away forever without making Hun Chu suspicious. After half an hour, I returned, carrying the large pack that represented the full range of our possessions.

“Steward. The situation in Dongxi is even more terrible than I feared. We have to go and help them,” he declared the moment I closed.

Hun Chu was shocked yet pleased, though he said nothing. I paused, looking at them with a deep frown on my face. “What are you talking about exactly, young master?” I asked, keeping my tone flat. Hun Chu shivered in fear again.

I couldn’t help but feel bad for the man, but not enough to change my mind about the plot. We had saved him from certain death. A little discomfort was nothing in comparison.

“After hearing the plight Dongxi is in, I decided to see the situation myself. Maybe even help them,” he explained. A good delivery, but his confidence could use some work.

I stayed silent for a while. “It’s your decision, young master. You’re free to waste your time however you wish. Just don’t forget you have a limited time until the challenge.”

He puffed his chest. “I’m sure my exalted father will be happy to hear I have managed to save the lives of innocent civilians,” he responded.

I didn’t bother to answer, and just gave a disinterested shrug, doing my best to convince Hun Chu that while I represented the real power, I had no intention of exerting it, while Yu Xing wanted to prove himself. Hopefully, it would work as the juicy lever they targeted, allowing us to act with relative freedom.

“Let’s go,” Yu Xing declared. I prepared to follow them, radiating my disinterest over the situation. Hun Chu approached me. “Let me carry the pack, Lord Steward.”

I let him carry it, not even thanking him. Another deliberate display of arrogance to further reinforce my role of turning my nose at everything … so that, once I showed some interest in the local knowledge, they would be enthusiastic to follow it.

As for the bodies, we left them to the beasts, which was apparently another local custom, a fate that was only fitting for traitors, bandits, and other truly disdained figures; enough for it to become a threat worse than death.

On the way back, I maintained a distant silence, not interacting with Hun Chu or the girl. I only talked with Yu Xing, and even then, it was short, chipped replies.

But, that didn’t mean the situation was boring. It allowed me to observe our surroundings, which was alarming. The number of travelers was not only much lower, but any traveler moved far more skittishly, with their hands never straying away from their weapons.

The lack of further refugees had been interesting. Either they had protected the villages and allowed them to return, which was not very likely, or they were forcing them to stay, and Dongxi, likely as a part of the Liao family’s open scheme to force the villagers to sell their lands.

Several times, the patrols tried to stop us, showing that the security was tighter as well, but Hun Chu’s presence worked as a pass. I acted like I hadn’t noticed when he talked with one of the patrols that belonged to the Iron Mountain Alliance, he secretly whispered a report about our approach, and some of the details.

Then, we arrived at the outskirts once again.