Outrider Lu had finished dissecting one of the grasshoppers.
"These materials look pretty basic. That blood isn't qi active enough, could only be used for basic concoctions. Organs, tendons, it all looks too mundane. Disciple Xin, do you agree?"
"Well, it would be nice to gather their eyes and chitin, their meat could be used as a paste ingredient, too. Still, we aren't well-equipped to do it now, and I am not willing to spend my conservants on such cheap ingredients, anyway."
"Understood. I propose we move on. We are close to the Younger Brother Mountain. Think we should camp for the night there and then march towards the Riversong manor."
"Got it, master."
After an exhausting long march, the caravan rested at the foot of the mountain. The scouts picked a secluded, elevated spot, and the group made a campfire.
"Everyone, listen to me!" - Outrider Lu called out to the group. "The air feels heavy, and the dew flowers have closed for the night. A strong rain is coming. Protect your equipment, make sure it doesn't soak through. I'll teach you how to isolate your bags properly. Make sure you don't soak through yourself and catch a cold, we don't need an outbreak in this caravan."
Everyone nodded.
"Strong rain? How strong?" - Xie Taowei inquired.
"No idea. Could be a rainfall, could be a long, moderate rain. This mountain is small, but it is still a mountain. A cold breeze could descend, making hail."
"Fine. We'll endure. Riversong manor isn't too far. Maybe we should rush for it?"
"I'd say it's around seven hours away. We've walked plenty today, if the rain catches us in the open field, we'll have no cover. And if we are ambushed... What are our qi reserves?"
"I am half-spent." - Xie Taowei said. Xin squinted his eyes, then looked at Lei.
"He's lying, right?" - He asked with his eyes.
"Yep." - Lei nodded.
Xie Taowei was probably fully spent, but didn't want to lose face. He could still use spirit stones, but it was costly, and the maximum amount restored daily could be no larger than your natural qi pool. If you absorbed too much qi, your meridians would get stressed and eventually break.
"I am half-spent, too, master. We lack a serious chunk of our battlepower, and there is enemy activity all over the route. Let's rest here, it's a good spot."
The group slept for around five hours, until outrider Lu woke everyone up.
"Wake up, everyone. Stretch and get your belongings, it's time to go."
Tu Qiang stood up and started a light morning exercise.
"Why wake us up early, master?"
"Look up."
Everyone looked at the sky. Or rather, a massive grey cloud, obstructing the sky as far as eye could see.
Xie Taowei stood up, stretched himself and gathered the group.
"We move out now! A forced march to the Riversong manor! Walk fast, stay together, stay alert! Ready?"
"Yes, master!" - Everyone shouted out.
"Good. Let's move."
The group moved through the pass, a small gorge in the eastern side of the mountain, mindful of being attacked from above. Still, nothing like that happened. Once they crossed the mountain, the tension finally dissipated, as it started raining indeed.
A single droplet, followed by a light cold shower, soon escalated into a deluge pouring from the heavens. The wind pressed the yellow grass to the ground, while thunderbolts and lightning roared and danced atop the mountain, behind their backs.
Then the hail came, smashing into their helmets and faces. Some of the hail balls were quail egg sized, and were growing larger every minute.
"I love this!" - Rui Ming shouted out. "Nature plays a beautiful song, reminding us how insignificant we truly are, with our petty squabbles and childish ambitions! We are in an open field, a lightning could strike any of us and we'd just die! We think ourselves heroes of our stories, but..."
"Shut the fuck up! I don't want you to catch a cold, swallowing all this cold air, you retard!" - Xie Taowei shouted, leading the group. It was getting harder to walk, as the earth was getting more and more muddy.
Only Su Xing looked unbothered. He didn't look like he was soaking, he walked effortlessly through the mud, and seemed to enjoy himself as much as Rui Ming did, but for different reasons. His raincoat technique protected him and his equipment, and he was completely dry, enjoying the fresh air.
Several more hours passed, and the group reached a small river.
"It runs pretty fast right now, and it became broader because of the rain! Su Xing, can you walk on water?" - Outrider Lu asked.
"Yes, master. What do you have in mind?"
"You cross the river holding the rope, then I stack two logs and tie them with another rope, and people use it as a standing board to cross the river while pulling on the stretched main rope."
Xin understood his idea, but it needed refinement. He chose to speak up.
"Su Xing should then cross back, switch places with the person who held the rope, let them cross and then walk through water again. I also think that crossing the river perpendicularly is not the best idea. Let's make the crossing diagonal, in the direction of the stream."
"Good, kid. The rope should be long enough."
A minute later, Xie Taowei was holding one end of the rope, while Su Xing walked on water with another one. Good qi control for a mortal, Xin thought. This guy is truly talented.
Then outrider Lu held the rope, and Xie Taowei crossed the river, pulling himself forward with his arms, while standing on two wooden logs that master Lu tied together. Master Taowei lost his balance once or twice, and it took some effort to keep him from falling off, as he was a heavy man, in heavy, soaked clothing. He then held the rope, sending Su Xing back.
Then the whole group crossed, and it was a bit harder for them, as they also wore backpacks, unlike master Taowei, who had a spacious bag of holding. Still, there were no incidents, so Su Xing came back, letting Xin, who was previously holding the rope, cross, then walked on water again and rejoined the party.
"Nice work, brother Xing." - Wu Xiaoyun hugged him lightly as they walked.
"Oh, sister, you flatter me, it was just a basic technique."
"To upkeep such a balance amid a rapidly rushing stream, you are being too humble. Not many mortals could repeat that!"
"Not many people would still be mortals, given my talent and background, sister. It's not fair for a middle-aged man to boast about being the strongest man in a playground."
"Shit, are you middle-aged? I'd never tell." - Xin teased him.
"Nah, it's a figure of speech. A saying. I am twenty one." - Wait, did he think I am so stupid that I didn't get his joke? Xin rolled his eyes.
"I get it, man. It's a joke."
"And I get that you get it, I am just joking back, brother. You seem like you'd make a good outrider in the future, brother Xin."
"You'll make a nice ferryman one day, brother Xing."
"Rude." - Wu Xiaoyun whispered under her nose, but Xin could her it with his heightened senses. He looked at her again. He didn't find her attractive, but there was some stoic beauty about her, even as her hair was messy because of the rain. She looked trustworthy and reliable, and had a determined attitude.
"What?" - She looked at him, noticing him staring.
"Nothing." - He answered, and she looked away. He noticed her blush. Weird girl, Xin thought.
Xin kept walking, rain falling on his head like a memory, giving him no choice but to live through it. He envied the heavens, it was so liberating to be able to overflow and spill into rain, instead of just sealing yourself.
The rainfall slowly degraded, becoming an ordinary rain. The earth was more muddy than ever, and it took a long walk, that felt like eternity, until the party, led by Outrider Lu, finally reached the Riversong manor.
Wet, cold, and absolutely beaten. Almost knee-up in mud. The group felt their spirits elevated, but outrider Lu raised his finger. It looked like a regular homestead, protected by basic wooden walls, with several houses inside. The gates, of swing type, were open outwards.
"Wait." - He looked cautious. Xin was tense, too.
"What now?" - Xie Taowei asked. "I trust you wouldn't waste our time, master Lu."
"See any smoke coming from the chimneys? It just rained, they should be heating up the houses, or at least cooking something."
"Maybe the rain, like, extinguished the fire in the fireplaces?" - Su Xing said.
Lei chuckled:
"Are you fucking retarded?"
"What? I am just asking." - Su Xing was confused.
"The fireplace doesn't get wet through the chimney, because..."
"Shut the fuck up! Master Lu, can you use a tree bud again?" - Xie Taowei interrupted.
"I am somewhat low on qi, this method is quite expensive. But let's do this."
He used his technique again, then pointed the finger towards the Riversong manor.
"Quiet. Nothing. Just the wind."
"Not even the horses?" - Xin asked. "We were supposed to get horses here."
"Maybe they are awfully quiet. Easier explanation is that the place is deserted."
"At least four families lived there. Look, we need a place to rest, if there is a raiding party nearby, I'd rather we stayed inside the walls. Let's get inside and investigate."
The group exchanged looks. Yao Nang, Su Xing and Wu Xiaoyun looked nervous, Murong Zhan and Rui Ming looked distant, making it hard to read their expressions, while Xin and Lei looked calm and confident.
The party entered through the gates. Master Lu examined the hinges and bolts.
"I don't see any signs of forcible entry. Hmmm..."
"Master, the stables look empty." - Xin pointed to the distance. Rain dropping and the slaps of muddy footsteps were the only sounds in the homestead, creating an eerie atmosphere.
"Investigate the houses. Be mindful of an ambush." - Xie Taowei ordered.
Wu Lei and Rui Ming entered one of the smaller houses.
"An oven. Several beds, a bunch of sleeping beds, a table, two empty chests." - Lei reported.
"I don't see any tableware. Someone either stole or relocated it." - Rui Ming added.
"Shit, the weather is getting worse again."
Xin called out from the street.
"Guys, try and find the cellar! I'll check the stables."
Xin entered the stables. They were flooded lightly, and there was a big puddle near the entrance. Still, there was nothing unusual there. Hay, manure, stalls and troughs. And a complete absence of horses. Xin got on his knees and checked the stalls.
There were human footsteps, of different sizes. All of these were made by humans in sandals. There were some dents in the ground made by hooves. Wait, this set of tracks is much deeper. It could only get this deep if the animal stood on its back legs. And it's right near the wall.
Something scared the creature, and made it back off. That's it. Xin found a small dropping of blood, under a small rag patch. He licked it. Belongs to a horse, not fresh. At least a day old.
"Got some blood, master!" - Xin shouted.
"The cellars are all empty!" - Murong Zhan reported. "Grain and cabbages are untouched, but I don't see anything valuable."
Outrider Lu nodded and entered the stables.
"Report."
"Fighting. Blood is at least a day old. Something scared the horse and killed it, it stood against the wall on its back legs."
"Someone moved the horses out, without leaving any tracks? Suspicious."
"That's not doable with mundane methods."
"Technique? Dao shard? Innate monster ability? A rank three cultivator sucking them into the core?"
"Possibly. You know what else concerns me?"
"How little blood there is?"
"Correct, disciple. Someone cleaned it up. And the tracks, too. The blood you found is an oversight. What's that rag?" - He pointed at a small cloth that the wind trapped between the wall and the water trough.
"It's not blooded. Think it's important?"
Outrider Lu took it from Xin's hands and sniffed it.
"Looks worn. Human body smell. Think it was a back pocket, look at the seam here. The person probably got caught on something and it fell off. Given the fresh body smell, I think it's related to the incident."
"So, is it a perpetrator or the victim?"
"I lean perpetrator, but can't be too sure."
"What do we do now?"
"Let me look a bit more. Wait outside, I'll be right back."
In five minutes, master Xie Taowei called everyone to gather near the biggest building of the manor that used to serve as an inn.
"Manor, my ass. Peasant fucks add some ornaments on their front gates and think they aren't a farmstead anymore. Pathetic, if you ask me." - Lei was chatting with Xin already.
"Eh, these people probably died, I wouldn't bash their architectural taste now."
"Yeah... Shit sucks."
Xie Taowei ignored their discussion, waiting for master Lu to come up.
"Please report."
"Someone killed the horses in the stables. At least some humans were involved. This someone also covered tracks up with some qi methods. They are somewhat competent, but not extremely competent. Or were in the rush. The houses are robbed of valuables, there are no signs of struggle."
"Master, if I may?" - Wu Xiaoyun asked. Master Lu nodded. "There were signs of fighting in the house I checked. The table was upside down, and one of the table legs was broken. Someone leaned on it, it broke and fell."
"So, there was at least some fighting. Or fleeing. We'll have to take another look, but we have a general understanding of what happened."
"Got it. Listen here, everyone." - Master Taowei's voice was extremely stern. "This situation looks dangerous, I doubt the people just stood up and left. They were either killed and robbed, or captured, probably to be sold into slavery. Might be some demonic cultivators, might be nomads. We'll take a rest here, but let's stay vigilant. Whatever happened to them, might happen to us. Stay vigilant."
"Please rest, master. We need you to properly restore, you are our main battle asset." - Tu Qiang said.
"You... Whatever, I agree. Master Qiang, disciple Zhan, stand guard, you exerted yourself the least. Everyone else, get to rest."
Everyone bowed and performed a martial gesture, then headed into the inn.