Chapter 93

The following day, the activity in the Valley of Villains grew even more frenetic.

Chen Shu had slept restlessly. At first, she tossed and turned for hours at the dead of night. Then, after the fifth watch, sleep became altogether impossible—not because her thoughts were disordered. After a long night of shifting about, drowsiness had eventually settled upon her. But just at the hour she felt fatigue sinking in, the inhabitants of the valley began stirring at daybreak.

While the sky was yet dawning—before the new-rising sun had truly broken from the silhouette of the mountains at the horizon—the soldiers laboring to transport rations and equipment and fortify their defenses were already rising early, buckling down to work.

Stealing glances out the small window (its frame still completely devoid of lattice panes), she could see their silhouettes against the sky already brightening into day. Those silhouettes appeared cut out against the landscape, like hollows carved deliberately for their passage. Since the Valley of Villains lay deep in the mountains, these men hurried to and fro along paths leading up and down the slopes—some ascending, others descending. Watching from afar and through the paper-covered window pane, mere inches in dimension, the figures above and below appeared simultaneously superimposed. Their passing shapes intersected with buildings tall and short, near and far, forming a pattern on the window as intricate and pleasing as a paper cutting pattern seen in relief.

Except this pattern was alive—and unpleasantly noisy.

Though these workers didn’t chant boatmen’s songs as sailors did pulling cargo ships past Diancang Pass, they did haul carts laden with one load after another. The carts filled with rations or sandbags passed with modest noise—little more than wheels rattling past right alongside her bed. But carts loaded with arms and iron weapons… they made an awful racket throughout their passage. Their noise could scare off crowing roosters—sending them flapping into flight, never to perch where the clang and clamor of clashing weapons could give them a headache.

Watching, Chen Shu snapped fully awake from that half-conscious state. Within her heart, she seemed to grasp a critical thread—a clue that shook her.

Among these workers, some were soldiers and others were commoners drafted from Fangcheng. Yet regardless of who they were, one fact held steady: whatever supplies they were shifting were headed toward the Valley of Villains’ stores.

Put plainly, wherever the carts and wagons trundled, that place had to serve as one of the valley’s depots. Even if not specifically storing gold, silver, jewels, or pilfered treasures—at the very least, it must be the arsenal for hoarding swords, spears, and weapons.

—And wasn’t the sword she sought precisely a weapon?

The bald man threatened her using those two people, and although he seemed to gain the upper hand momentarily, she was Chen Shu after all. Naturally, she wouldn’t be intimidated by such a brief threat. The previous night, she hadn’t dared to give chase for two reasons: first, she’d been caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, and second, her attention had been fixated on Yun Shen as she tried to decipher his thoughts. Only after arguing with the bald man did she abruptly grasp the deeper implication in Yun Shen’s gaze—

which was that there was no implication at all.

The intention of those from the Valley of Villains was solely to claim Chen Shu herself, to compel her feigned compliance and turn her into an asset for their Vicious Bandits. Given that, merely performing a show of reluctant submission wasn’t a difficult task. Even for someone like Chen Shu, who wasn’t skilled at acting, it wasn’t particularly troublesome.

At least she had managed to survive that night.

Though it seemed she was trapped, the opposite was true. In their need to retain her, the Valley of Villains had unwittingly revealed the most crucial clue—her sword was indeed within the valley. Regardless of anything else, the person who forged the replica must have seen her original sword.

As for the challenge of finding the sword and rescuing people inside the vast Valley of Villains, as long as she proceeded step-by-step, it wouldn’t be difficult.

After all, while it was true that in the hall, Yun Shen and “Zhong Xiao” were under the control of the mob, once they were escorted away and confined in some makeshift prison, their guards would hardly be martial prowess masters or faction leaders. Nor would large numbers of elite guards be assigned. Finding a gap then and “stealing” them out—for Chen Shu, who was by no means a novice at being a “stealthy intruder,” such a task was straightforward.

The sword, however, presented a slightly harder problem compared to locating the living captives—it left fewer tangible traces.

Chen Shu’s fingers trembled faintly beyond her control. She rubbed her nose, casting one last glance at the bustling scene of valley inhabitants captured through the tiny window.

The window was simply too small. Aside from catching glimpses of the higher slopes, she couldn’t tell at all where these people came from, or where they were transporting cart-loads of goods.

An ordinary person might consider tearing the thin paper of the window lattice, or even opening the door and engaging in insincere pleasantries with members of the Valley of Villains to fish for information.

But Chen Shu, rubbing her nose, did neither. Instead, she quietly climbed onto the rooftop.

Dawn within the valley seemed distinct from the world outside. Once above the thatched roof of her hut, she saw the early sun—obscured mere moments before by the ridge—now truly high above the peaks. Its brilliant, blood-like light struck directly upon the chaotic mass of the thatch; here in the valley, this subtly shifting boundary remained unseen by others. In just a short while, it appeared overwhelmed by the honest, gentle daylight, the stark crimson fading slowly until the entire horizon became suffused with mild hues, like ink dropped into water, gradually saturated by the sun.

In an instant, day broke.

The toiling figures became distinctly easier to recognize. Chen Shu picked out two groups: both hauling weapons and armor. Concealing herself between the eaves and trees sprouting within the valley, she trailed these two crowds and located several storage sites for weapons and armor.

These warehouse-like wooden structures were already over half-filled with mountains of equipment. Some layers were covered in dust, while others—evidently recent loot—were piled neatly in the innermost sections.

Preparing to defend the Valley of Villains, even rallying relief for Fangcheng, these scattered armories near the valley mouth primarily stored crudely made, irregular civilian weaponry.

Seizing brief intervals between delivery trips, Chen Shu slipped inside and rummaged for some time. She scoured each armory thoroughly. Only when the sun hung high did she suddenly remember something. Hurriedly tidying the unturned weapons, she sprinted from the warehouse back to her hut—

Sure enough, she had barely returned when the minion sent by the bald man to “check on her” arrived moments later.

Through the door, Chen Shu dismissed the underling whose feigned concern was even clumsier than her own act, merely accepting the delivered meal. Only after he left did she open the door. Somewhat hesitant yet “resolutely,” she gulped down the rushed lunch.

Reflecting on this encounter, she acted more cautiously that afternoon, staying within view of her hut and ostensibly watching the busy workers while seeming lost in thought.

Her prior method seemed unfeasible. While confident of evading detection, her hut stood vacant in the valley, situated right in the thick of traffic. To search again for the sword or the captives, she could likely only try at night—when the bald man couldn’t easily send watchers—or during early dawn before the sun fully rose.

But she wasn’t idle during daylight hours either.

Staring at the emptied, chipped porcelain bowl left to be collected by the next minion, a sudden scheme sparked in Chen Shu’s mind.

——

“You know, if this whole situation hadn’t been orchestrated, her ploy would’ve been quite effective.” Wei Mian held the small dish. After only a few days, the wound on her hand had nearly healed entirely, though a faint scar remained, appearing ever lighter under sunlight than it had when candlelit. “Those scoundrels in the Valley of Villains are traditionally bold but foolish. Their leaders rule strictly by intimidation and brute force, making their underlings similarly daft. That valley houses hundreds—perhaps even a thousand if you count runners and helpers—yet no doubt not one among them was clever enough to think of searching the pots, bowls, and dishes collected from her quarters.”

Even as she spoke, she placed the dish onto the small table before him with a thump. Yun Shen didn’t speak. He glanced at it once before reaching to lift it. He flipped it over. Against the slanted rays of the evening sun filtering into the room, tiny characters etched onto the underside became visible—

“Shu Yun An”.

It was a cunning spot for engraving. Normally, set upon a table, this outer rim would always face downward. Only if someone deliberately bent down to peer underneath might these tiny characters be seen. Under special circumstances when the plate was inverted—whether cleaning it in water or stacking for transport and storage—neither the flow of water nor the contact of another plate would easily reveal such minuscule markings.

Wei Mian’s voice continued.

“…And these ‘guests’— or prisoners—eat off utensils that are all old and worn down, leftovers from years of use. That’s why they’re so shabby. Unless something happened, this plate will be washed tomorrow and sent to another prisoner’s dwelling.” Noticing Yun Shen still examining the dish, she retrieved it, adding, “A pity for you two. One is a ‘valued guest’ of the Valley of Villains, ‘eating well and drinking fine,’ without a care. The other is the valley master himself. Alas, neither of you had the honor of receiving this message she worked so hard to deliver.”

However, as she took hold, Yun Shen’s grip did not loosen in the slightest. Their eyes met, and as if pricked by a thorn, Wei Mian abruptly released her hand and retreated half a step. Giving him an up-and-down glance, she then let out a cold laugh. “You’re not seriously planning to make me stir up trouble with this, are you?”

“Rest assured, the plan we previously agreed upon remains unchanged. I only ask that you return this bowl exactly as it was,” Yun Shen replied. He raised his hand again, this time willingly handing the plate towards Wei Mian.

Wei Mian made no move to take it. Her expression shifted several times. “I don’t understand. Are you unaware that every time I enter or leave the Valley of Villains now, my life is at risk? Or are you simply holding a grudge over that conversation at Mijiang Slope, deliberately causing trouble—”

“Even if I did want revenge, could I truly trouble Your Honored Self?” Yun Shen countered. He stood up and breezily pushed open the window. The resplendent glow of the sunset, rivaling the morning sun, finally streamed into the room unobstructed in its entirety. Staring outside, he continued slowly, “Matters have accelerated outside; Xiao Zhong’s movements have sped up too. Hence, the plan we discussed must also likely… Never mind that. If you return this bowl, and Chen Shu discovers it again, surely you can guess what she’ll think?”

“…What else could she possibly think?” Only then did Wei Mian pick up the small plate with her frighteningly thin fingers, giving it a glance. She snorted through her nose and put it back down. “At most, it’s just that it failed to reach the ‘prisoner’ for a coincidence. Reasons for that could be many. Maybe each room uses separate dishes? Or maybe it was simply bad luck…”

She clearly had more to say, but her voice gradually trailed off until the final half of her sentence died in her throat.

Bathed in the warm glow of the twilight, Yun Shen walked back towards the bed. This time, the light fell unmistakably on the writing desk, illuminating more than just the small plate. As Yun Shen walked back to the bed, his finger traced along the desk, inch by inch—sometimes swiftly, sometimes slowly, sometimes wavering, sometimes circling back.

In that instant, a map materialized in thin air under his fingertip.

While others might struggle to decipher what it depicted, Wei Mian could guess immediately. It depicted nothing else but the very map of Yubei she had personally handed Yun Shen, clearly marking various locations, especially around the Valley of Villains and Fangcheng: routes into the valley, potential exits, and the position of watchtowers concealed within the forests.

Yun Shen paused at one particular spot, slowly drawing a circle to encircle it.

The Valley of Villains nestled within a mountain valley, surrounded naturally for the most part by ridges. This terrain differed significantly from Diancang Pass or Yingqiu City, let alone Mengcheng. While both were locations easier to defend than attack, Diancang Pass relied on its towering walls and the relatively narrow entrance flanked by its namesake peaks, plus the Yushui River spanning its boundaries. Among its four gates, two were accessed by water. This meant any attacker needed both naval and land forces, plus familiarity with the mountain paths nearby; if not, even a basic siege was impossible.

The terrain of the Valley of Villains was, in comparison, simpler: mountains encircled it, with a flatter valley in the center. Within this landscape, the valley’s main “gate” was even more defensible than the land and water entrances of Diancang Pass.

Because it had only two entrances. One facing north, the other southwest. Both exits snaked out alongside the mountains like a gap between two fingers. Any troops passing through would be immediately spotted, and the archers or rolling boulders poised on the mountains above could hold off a typical assault even without seasoned veterans.

Yet, while strong in defense, such a location had a vulnerability. If one entrance was breached and attackers reached the flat basin inside, the enemy would find themselves in open ground, seizing the entire Valley of Villains with ease.

Therefore, despite decades of defensive construction within the valley, placing anything truly precious or valuable within its bounds was still unwise.

Should the valley ever fall, the remaining troops within couldn’t retreat to a building inside; their only option would be to withdraw higher into the mountains.

Precisely for this reason, Xiao Zhong had long ago built two or three secret rooms hidden within the surrounding forested mountains. They served both as storage vaults for precious treasures best kept from public view and, in the event of defeat, as temporary sanctuaries for the Valley of Villains’ loosely assembled troops.

This was Yun Shen’s carefully selected “ideal location” – obtained at great cost.

This matter was known to Xiao Zhong, known to Wei Mian, and because the fake sword needed storing there, also known to Yun Shen.

“You mean…” Wei Mian finally said.

“—Perhaps it could also be because ‘I’ was confined on this mountain, not within the valley,” Yun Shen supplied.

“But the plate’s location has nothing to do with where prisoners are held,” Wei Mian countered. “I understand what you’re hinting at, but just this plate alone likely won’t be enough to draw that girl into the trap you’ve set.”

“Hence we need a two-pronged approach,” Yun Shen withdrew his hand again, appearing thoroughly confident about the entire map and the plan itself. He looked up, wearing that same faint smile. “Proceed as originally planned, but put this little plate to work too. If the sword is on the mountain, why can’t the person be on the mountain as well?

“If one weight on the scale isn’t enough, we add another.”

—

That very night, Chen Shu’s focus shifted away from solely tracing the sword’s whereabouts.

First, she realized the sword was definitively not within the valley, at least not in any of the currently accessible storerooms. Searching them again and again was futile.

Second, there were the matters concerning “Zhong Xiao” and Yun Shen.

Logically, a sword was merely an object, easy to hide. Chen Shu wasn’t disheartened by two days of fruitless searching. Hiding something required only covering it with cloth, securing it inside a box, or even burying it in a hole like Liu Mao had tried to do—tricks that could easily fool someone. Only by meticulously searching every inch, turning the entire Valley of Villains upside down, could one confidently assert its disappearance was strange or suspicious.

But two living people were entirely different.

People needed food and water, and required strict guarding.

At least, as far as Chen Shu saw it, the people of the Valley of Villains, amidst their countless tasks, always spared a few petty soldiers. They lingered not far from her door, frequently approaching to ask Chen Shu if she’d reconsidered discussions with their leader, or if she had any other demands she wished conveyed.

The meals, at least twice a day, were properly delivered to her doorstep. Half an hour later, someone would come to collect them—truly “well-treated” and a clear display of the bald man’s “sincere intentions.”

Given this, no matter how outrageous the situation, since the valley’s inhabitants were trying to persuade her and awaited her softening, they would surely spare the lives of those two.

That was precisely why Chen Shu had remained silent for two days, working only in the shadows.

As long as she maintained this standoff with the valley, those two remained “useful.” Though they might eat poorly and lodge poorly, their lives should be safe. That is, even if only to prevent their escape, the valley would surely guard them closely.

Thus, with traces of people present, it ought to be easy to track them down.

Yet after observing the entire day, not only had she failed to spot any Mountain Bandits acting as guards, but the vast mountains and the entire valley—merely a blank space encircled by low peaks depicted as smudges of dark ink on a map—proved so immense up close, its skies nearly obscured, that the minions bustling within were astonishingly busy yet orderly.

From dawn till dusk, it was as if something truly chased after them. Even the ants forming lines in the mud were no different.

And those two, or rather, all those abducted by the Valley of Villains’ bandits, seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.

This was truly peculiar.

Though Chen Shu prided herself on cultivation that could oppose armies of thousands, unafraid to attempt seizing a commander’s head from amidst ten thousand soldiers, she now couldn’t find her targets. Her sword aura surged with nowhere to exert it—how could she even speak of rescue?

The very next day, just as she could no longer restrain herself and was about to confront the bald man for an explanation, the orderly, battle-ready rows of Mountain Bandits finally showed signs of disorder.

As the saying goes, when one path darkens, another brightens. Chen Shu lay hidden in the woods atop the slope flanking the valley entrance, watching carriage after carriage haul construction materials and provisions from Fangcheng, even Yingqiu City, when several carts were stopped right at the valley’s mouth.

The drivers didn’t resemble the practiced soldier-bandits; instead, they seemed like merchants hastily commandeered—trembling and overwhelmed by the endless stream of people flowing past them—bringing their wagons to a halt at the entrance.

During inspection, they knew nothing beyond stammering that these were precious medicinal treasures presented by a certain Lord Wei in the city. So valuable were they, they insisted on handing them personally to the Valley Master of Villains.

But when would the bald man ever be so easily met? At such a critical juncture, in the dim light of dawn, only these lowly, disregarded laborers rose early for their toil. How could a mere sentry make such a decision? Thus the group caused a commotion right at the valley entrance.

Before long, word reached inside the valley. Finally, a general with a swallow-jawed beard and thick whiskers came up to inspect them. He cursed Wei Mian for her insolence before pointing up the mountain and commanding men to guide the wagons upward.

Though the horses had trudged all night, the moment they entered the valley, they seemed infused with fresh vigor, steadily pulling the wagons as they carved through the crowd, trailing behind the lead horse along a rugged mountain path.

The woods grew thick and deep, towering trees nearly swallowing the sky. After running awhile longer, the hour became indistinguishable altogether—had the sun truly risen? The merchant driver yawned helplessly.

Amidst the intertwining crunch of wagon wheels and clopping hooves, a slender figure finally flipped onto the carriage and, taking advantage of the green canopy, nimbly slipped into its covered compartment. Letting out a breath of relief, she let down her long hair that resembled a horse’s tail.

“This mountain road really jolts,” Chen Shu murmured under her breath.