Chapter 165: Cangjian Peak

Early the next morning, Mu Feng declined Flying Sky Bat’s offers to stay longer or to see them off. He and Jing Wushuang each mounted a tall horse. Using the map given by Flying Sky Bat before they left Jianshui City, they rode out of the city. They headed west, going straight towards the Hengling Mountain Range.

To avoid trouble, both wore large bamboo hats on their heads. They passed by villages without entering, urging their horses forward quickly along the way. They traveled by day, and when it grew dark, they stayed at roadside inns. Perhaps they had completely shaken off their pursuers, or perhaps the Immortal Sword Sect and the Blind Master had truly given up their chase. For the rest of the journey, they never again encountered anyone who seemed suspicious.

After three days, the two finally arrived, covered in dust, at a towering mountain that reached into the clouds. From Jianshui City to here, although the path was full of rolling hills, they could still occasionally see villages. But at the foot of this tall mountain, the real wilderness began. The mountains were high and the forests dense, with no sign of people. The mountain path was rugged, and soon there was no real path at all. Even warhorses could not proceed, so they had to dismount and continue on foot.

Cangjian Peak!

Covered in travel dust, the two finally reached the famous Cangjian Peak.

This place was already at the edge of Jianshui City, and also the southernmost border of the Tongtian Dynasty. Beyond this towering peak lay the uncivilized wildlands, the Hengling Mountain Range that made people throughout the Southern Borderlands turn pale at the mention.

From a distance, the lofty Cangjian Peak looked majestic, grand, and perilously steep. Its peak was covered in snow all year round. Even during the hot summer, cool breezes often blew at the mountain’s base. The cold wind blowing from the icy summit brought a slight chill. The peak was perpetually snow-capped, while the base was strewn with chaotic rocks and barren red soil, where almost no plants grew. Under the cold wind’s blow, it felt particularly desolate.

Surprisingly, right on this barren mountainside stood a lone inn—the Hidden Sword Inn.

Red walls, a thatched roof, and wooden windows—this inn standing on the desolate mountain was almost cruder than any inn the two had ever seen.

Weathered by wind and rain, the red earthen walls had taken on a grayish-black tint. The walls were very rough, and dust would fall with a brushing sound when the wind blew. Worn by time, the once bright red earth had faded. Only the straw mixed into the mud when it was applied seemed completely unchanged.

Hoo…

The night wind was bleak. Mu Feng reined in his panting warhorse and coldly examined this lonely inn under the night sky. A cold gust blew past, and suddenly, from behind him came the sound of chattering teeth. Turning around, he saw Jing Wushuang huddled almost into a ball, shivering from the cold. It seemed that after burning incense and making a wish at the Taoist temple on Western Huashan Mountain in Jianshui City, her health had not improved. Instead, her condition appeared to have worsened.

“Shuang’er, Shuang’er…”

Mu Feng reached out and pulled Jing Wushuang from her horse into his own, using his body to warm her against the cold. Without time to observe carefully, he squeezed his horse’s sides and galloped towards the nearby Hidden Sword Inn, giving up his plan to enter the mountains that night. He originally intended to ask the innkeeper if there was a doctor nearby, so he could take Jing Wushuang to see one immediately. Unexpectedly, before they even rushed into the inn, Jing Wushuang’s shivering body calmed down and returned to normal.

The illness had struck suddenly, coming and going quickly. They didn’t know what was really going on.

“Brother Mu Feng, it’s fine. It was just the strong wind earlier; I caught a slight chill. Don’t worry about Shuang’er’s health. Our main task is important. Let’s stay here for the night, and tomorrow morning, we’ll continue into the mountains!”

Jing Wushuang had a gentle temper but was clever and perceptive. She quickly sensed Mu Feng’s concern. Leaning motionless in his arms, she slowly continued, “If you’re really uneasy, after we leave the Poison Sect, we can return to Jianshui City and find Old Yan. We can ask him to help us find an experienced old doctor for a check-up. But right now, we’re in the wild mountains. Getting anxious won’t help.”

“Alright, Shuang’er. If your body really can’t take it, you must tell me.” Mu Feng nodded and urged his horse onward toward the not-too-distant inn.

Hearing the hoofbeats, a clever young attendant came out from afar to greet them. Without needing instructions, he led the two warhorses to the stable to settle them. Mu Feng walked ahead and lifted the cloth curtain hanging over the inn’s door to block the wind. Just as he was about to step inside, his footsteps paused slightly.

This inn looked crude on the outside, but the inside was even cruder. The tables were old and broken, dark from years of use. As for the stools, there weren’t even wooden ones; they were all straw-woven folding stools. Being just crude wouldn’t have been so strange. Surprisingly, for such a remote and simple inn, the main hall was filled with quite a few people.

No one was talking loudly or happily playing drinking games. Each person coldly ate their own meat and drank the wine in front of them. Dozens of people were crammed into the small inn, yet it was almost completely silent. It looked very eerie!

“Merchants from afar, hunters going into the mountains, or…”

With one glance around the strange inn, Mu Feng felt a chill and became more alert inwardly. He and Jing Wushuang sat down in a dark corner. Outwardly, he showed no expression and ordered food from the attendant. Secretly, however, he stirred the Ancestral Sorcerer’s Essence Blood within his body, preparing for the worst.

Eleven tables, twenty-seven people. At the two middle tables, eight big men surrounded a ruddy-faced fat man. They seemed to be a small trade caravan purchasing local products in the border region. At the leftmost table sat three middle-aged men carrying stiff bows and ropes. They were whispering to each other, and their accents sounded a bit like locals from Jianshui. They were probably hunters preparing to enter the mountains. At the rightmost table sat a lone figure in black, wearing a large bamboo hat. From the back, beneath the wide black robe, there was a faintly discernible slender figure. Clearly, it was a woman…

With an impassive sweep of his eyes, Mu Feng secretly memorized the surroundings.

“Strange, why is everyone so quiet, not even making a sound! I’ve traveled north and south for so many years, been to the remotest villages, and I’ve never seen such a weird inn!”

After a few cups of wine, a bearded man at the neighboring table quietly grumbled to his companion.

“Shh, keep your voice down! We’re just here to buy some herbs in the border region. Other matters have nothing to do with us; don’t meddle in others’ business.” The bearded man’s companion had a graying beard and looked shrewd and tough, clearly experienced. After a pause, he whispered into the bearded man’s ear, “Do you know why this place is called Cangjian Peak?”

“Why?” The bearded man looked puzzled and a bit curious.

“Because, once you’re here, you’ve reached the southernmost edge of the Tongtian Dynasty’s territory. Beyond this point lies the uncivilized wildlands, with no one in charge. Besides merchants risking it for money, hunters, and hired guards, who else would dare go further?”

The bearded man’s companion paused, then continued quietly, “Of course, there’s one exception: fugitives with nowhere to go, thugs fleeing their enemies, and masters determined to retreat from the world. Just think, what kind of people are these? No one wants to cause more trouble. Once they cross this mountain, they’ll be cut off from the world, leaving behind all past grievances. That’s why this place is called Cangjian Peak. Here, people hide their swords, conceal their names, identities, and grudges. No one is willing to say much. Understand?”

“Understood. Thanks for the advice, brother. Here, let’s drink!”

…

The two traveling merchants at the neighboring table spoke more and more quietly. Gradually, like the others, they ate their meal in silence. Inside the drafty inn, aside from the attendant’s occasional shouts, it was almost completely quiet.

Cangjian Peak—hiding one’s name, sheathing one’s sword, and retiring from the world. So that’s what it meant!

Mu Feng silently picked up a crispy peanut and put it in his mouth. Outwardly, he showed no expression, but inwardly he suddenly understood the origin of Cangjian Peak’s name. He glanced around the inn again, growing even more cautious.

“Who exactly is this lone Black-clad Woman? A fugitive, a thug fleeing enemies, or a master retiring from the world?”

Mu Feng’s gaze lingered for a moment on the Black-clad Woman sitting at the far right, secretly guessing her identity.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the Black-clad Woman turned and glanced at him, seemingly unintentionally. She wore a large bamboo hat and a veil over her face, making her features blurry. He could only vaguely see a pair of clear, large eyes. There was no anger, nor any particular goodwill. After giving him a faint look, she turned away.