Chapter Fourteen: Chaos

"Let's test the results!" Qin Yi began practicing the Yaoguang Footwork within his room.

He noticed that his whole body seemed to have become lighter and more agile; he darted left and right, leaping and bounding as nimbly as a fish in water.

"I'm more than twice as nimble as before!" After finishing his test, Qin Yi was quite satisfied.

"With my current strength, I should be able to protect myself to some extent now."

In a flash, seven days passed.

A little after ten in the morning, in the courtyard of the dormitory building, Qin Yi had just finished practicing the Heavenly Pivot Palm. Without taking a break, he began to rehearse the Yaoguang Footwork once more.

He had only just completed a round when he saw several personal disciples emerge, following behind their master, Wang Qingxuan.

Everyone immediately ceased their training and bowed respectfully. "Master!"

"Shao Jie, is everyone here?" Wang Qingxuan asked.

Zhao Shaojie glanced at the thirty or so new junior brothers before him and replied, "Master, aside from those on duty, everyone else is present."

"Very well. I have an important announcement today. Yesterday, the neighboring Sanjiang County, as well as the two adjacent counties—Tianping and Taihu—simultaneously broke out in rebellion. We don't know if the unrest will spill over into our Jinyuan County. So, effective immediately, our temple leader has declared the mountain sealed. No pilgrims or strangers are to be allowed up the mountain, and patrols are to be strengthened. Should there be any sign of trouble, report it at once. Is that understood?" Wang Qingxuan's tone was grave.

At these words, the group erupted in commotion.

Rebellion and insurgents had always seemed remote, at least a whole county away. No one had expected such turmoil to erupt right next door. How could they not be shocked?

"Master, what is the situation in Sanjiang County now?" someone asked, since it was the only county bordering theirs and thus the closest.

"According to the latest news from last night, by yesterday afternoon, Sanjiang's county seat had already fallen completely. The situation in the surrounding towns and villages is unknown."

A collective gasp followed.

Wang Qingxuan then gave Zhao Shaojie and several other personal disciples a few more instructions before hurrying away.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I'd like to go down the mountain and return home for a bit. My family lives in Cangwu Town, which is rather close to Sanjiang County," Qin Yi approached Senior Brother Zhao and requested.

Zhao Shaojie looked at Qin Yi, hesitated, then said, "You may go, but you must return by tomorrow at the latest."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Qin Yi nodded gratefully.

He then found Zhang Dadao. "Dadao, do you want to go back to Cangwu Town with me? I want to bring my father here to the temple. Cangwu is too close to Sanjiang County; it's not safe anymore."

"Qin Yi, I won't be going back. My whole family moved to Jinyuan's county seat a month ago. You should hurry and bring your father over—I agree, Cangwu isn't safe anymore," Zhang Dadao replied.

"Very well, I'll be on my way then." Qin Yi hadn't expected Zhang Dadao's father to have moved their pork business from the town to the county seat—clearly their fortunes had improved. No wonder Zhang Dadao had been buying those secret medicines to aid his cultivation lately!

Qin Yi didn't head down the mountain right away. First, he made a trip to the administrative office.

Now that Qingwei Temple was sealed to outsiders, he needed to arrange things for his father.

At the administrative office, in the management room:

"Senior Brother, may I ask your name?" Qin Yi bowed politely to the chubby senior brother before him.

"My surname is Qian. What business do you have here?"

"Senior Brother Qian, my name is Qin Yi from the dormitory building. Is the temple still recruiting menial workers?"

"We're not. We've already taken on quite a few menials," Qian replied.

"What? But I want to bring my father over and let him work here. Could you do me a favor?" As he spoke, Qin Yi discreetly slipped his last bit of silver—an ounce—into Qian’s hand.

Senior Brother Qian glanced around to ensure no one was watching, quickly pocketed the silver, and laughed, "Ha! Menial workers—we always have room for one more. Since he's your father, I can certainly make space for him!"

"Senior Brother Qian, with so many menials now, my father shouldn't have to do any hard labor, right?" Qin Yi added.

Qian, showing his tact, replied, "Of course. I'll assign him to an easy post."

"Thank you, Senior Brother! Please give me a pass as well, otherwise it will be difficult for my father to get up the mountain, especially now that the mountain is sealed."

"Just a moment."

Soon, Qin Yi had the pass in hand. He didn't even bother changing clothes and hurried down the mountain.

Qingwei Temple was about sixty li from Cangwu Town. For an ordinary person, the journey would take six hours, but at Qin Yi’s current speed, he would arrive much sooner.

"The uprising in Sanjiang only broke out yesterday; Cangwu Town is about twenty li from the Sanjiang border—it should still be relatively safe for now," Qin Yi thought as he hurried along.

...

Sanjiang County, at the entrance of Rongcang Town.

Peng Shiyong stared westward and said to a man beside him, "Yan San, it's only eight li to the Jinyuan County border, right?"

"Yes, boss!" Yan San replied respectfully.

"How far is the nearest town in Jinyuan County from here?"

"The Rongcang Town border is adjacent to Cangwu Town in Jinyuan, so that's the closest—less than thirty li away!"

"Good. Gather our best men, saddle all the horses, and come with me to Cangwu Town. The rest of you escort the grain back!" Peng Shiyong chuckled.

"Boss, are we going to Cangwu Town to plunder their money and food?" Yan San was startled.

"That's right—it's so close, how could we not?"

"But the chief commander told us to only loot the towns within Sanjiang County. If we cross into Jinyuan—what if..." Yan San's voice trailed off.

"Hmph! With my strength, what could those town constables possibly do? Besides, now that we've rebelled in Sanjiang, the county seat has surely sent troops. If we wait until they arrive, it will be much riskier to raid Jinyuan. Now is the best opportunity!"

"More importantly, my father is the second commander. Pocketing some of this loot only benefits us, doesn't it?" Peng Shiyong sneered.

"Boss, you're absolutely right," Yan San flattered him.

"Let's go!"

Soon, more than twenty riders galloped toward Cangwu Town.

...

By afternoon, Qin Yi finally caught sight of Cangwu Town in the distance.

Along the way, he passed many families moving with all their belongings. Clearly, they too had heard the news from the neighboring county and were trying to escape the flames of war.

As soon as Qin Yi entered the town, he saw crowds fleeing toward him in panic.

"Run! Run for your lives! There's been a killing!"

"What's going on? Where?" Qin Yi grabbed a middle-aged man and asked.

"What do you want..." The man started, but when he saw Qin Yi lift him with ease, he hurriedly explained, "There's been a killing in the north of town! Some bandits broke in to steal food!"