Chapter 132 — The Eastern Road
CHAPTER 132
The Eastern Road
“A fine horse for a fine young master!” Ma Shun said, patting the animal's neck.
The horse turned and tried to bite his sleeve. Shi Feng looked at the seller. Ma Shun was at Qi Condensation, with yellow teeth and a smile that survived almost anything except a reasonable price.
“It agrees with half of that,” Shi Feng said.
“High spirits,” Ma Shun replied. “A very useful quality on the road.”
Shi Feng checked its legs, teeth, and breathing. The dark horse was healthy, ordinary, and strong enough for the journey if he didn't ride it foolishly. That was all he needed.
He paid a fair sum. Ma Shun tried to add a blessing charm for safe travel. Shi Feng pointed at the same charm hanging above three broken wheels in the yard.
The blessing stayed with its owner.
By the time Shi Feng reached the eastern gate, people crowded the road beneath Great Liang's banners. The official party gathered beside the guardhouse, with carriages, hired escorts, and more luggage than several families could use in a month.
He guided his horse around the edge. His own supplies rested in the ring, leaving only a plain saddlebag where others could see it.
Wen Shou checked his name and token.
“Independent travel confirmed,” Wen Shou said. “The reporting date hasn't changed.”
“Neither has my answer,” Shi Feng replied.
The official nodded and handed back the token. Behind him, a servant began arguing that a fifth trunk wasn't really luggage because it only held clothing. Shi Feng left them to settle that profound question.
The eastern residence's carriage arrived with six mounted guards. Two were at Foundation Establishment. Their presence cleared a path before anyone saw the crown prince's face.
“His Highness!”
“The first-ranked candidate!”
“Great Liang's pride!”
The cheers rose quickly. Sima Yu stepped from the carriage in pale gold robes, smiling as if the whole road belonged to his morning walk.
His late Foundation Establishment cultivation was stronger than most young candidates in the kingdom. That wasn't what made Shi Feng watch him carefully. A man who sent others to kill could smile just as pleasantly after they failed.
Sima Yu saw him beside the gate and approached within the guards' view.
“Young Master Shi travels lightly,” Sima Yu said. “No place with the Ling clan?”
“I have a horse,” Shi Feng replied.
“A useful substitute for good company,” Sima Yu said.
“Sometimes an improvement,” Shi Feng replied.
The prince's smile tightened. The nearest guard looked angry but kept his hand away from his weapon. This was a public departure, not a quiet place to carry out an order.
Sima Yu stepped half a pace closer to the stirrup, pitching his voice beneath the rattle of the baggage carts so only Shi Feng could hear.
“Guo Zhen was careless in a storehouse, Cao Wenshu was old, and Zheng Jian never knew when to wait,” Sima Yu said, his smile never leaving his lips. “The mountain passes to Qingyun City cross three borders, Brother Shi. Men who ride alone don't always reach the registration hall.”
Shi Feng looked straight into the prince's eyes. Guo Zhen's wire, Cao Wenshu's sword at the signal fort, Zheng Jian's crossbow in the timber yard—every shadow wore the same gold crest.
“Send whoever you can spare on the road, Your Highness,” Shi Feng said quietly. “What doesn't finish me in the mountains, I will settle with you in person on the Qingyun City platform—where your household guards can't step onto the stone.”
Sima Yu's smile turned to ice for a single breath before he smoothed his sleeve and turned back toward the royal carriage.
“Then ride carefully, third representative,” Sima Yu said.
The prince walked away. Shi Feng didn't mistake the exchange for peace, and he didn't chase him through an official escort to stage a fight on someone else's terms. The regional arena would give them a different place to stand.
He intended to use it.
Ling Qingzhu waited beside the Ling carriage, with Ling Rong checking the last provision boxes. Her violet robe, white veil and black hair drew as much attention as the royal banners.
She saw Shi Feng and stopped speaking.
He looked at her. The words from yesterday returned before either greeted the other. His heart still felt exhausted, and seeing her didn't make it less so.
She came a few steps toward him, then stopped instead of reaching for his sleeve.
“You're leaving now?” Ling Qingzhu asked.
“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.
“We'll leave after the official party,” Ling Qingzhu said.
He nodded. She was a qualified candidate too. Her journey didn't end because their home emptied, and he wouldn't ask her to abandon it to prove remorse.
“Take care on the road,” Ling Qingzhu said.
“You too,” Shi Feng replied.
She looked at the horse, searching for something else to say. Then her eyes caught the violet purse string when he shifted his robe.
He didn't hide it. He didn't make it an invitation either.
Ling Rong approached and bowed. His face was carefully neutral, but he didn't ask Shi Feng to ride in the carriage again.
“The clan will report its arrival through the Qingyun City office,” Ling Rong said. “If your route changes, the same office can carry a message.”
“I'll remember,” Shi Feng replied.
The steward withdrew. Ling Qingzhu remained for one more breath, then stepped aside to let him pass.
That small act cost her more than arguing would've. Shi Feng saw it and felt the ache return. He mounted and guided the horse through the gate.
Outside the capital, the road widened between dry fields. The cheers faded behind him. For the first stretch, he listened to the horse's hooves and didn't look back.
He wanted to. That was the truth. He imagined her standing beside the carriage, watching until he disappeared.
Looking back wouldn't tell him what to do with that image.
Shi Feng thought, Keep going. Not because he stopped caring, and not because the tournament would conveniently erase it. He had a place to reach and a cultivation path that didn't end at a rented courtyard.
A few miles beyond the gate, the horse shied at a cart carrying clattering iron pots. Shi Feng loosened the reins instead of dragging its head around. The animal settled once the cart passed.
It was a horse, not a refined artifact. Pouring his qi into it wouldn't turn it into a flying sword or make a foolish pace sensible. He let it find a steady rhythm and saved the faster stretches for open road.
At a low bridge, two men argued over whose cart should cross first. One claimed his master's goods mattered more. The other said his master's mother was waiting and surely outranked a box of wine.
Shi Feng rode through the shallow stream beside them. The water barely reached the horse's knees.
The men stopped arguing long enough to watch him reach the other bank. Then one began explaining why he'd intended to do the same thing.
Shi Feng didn't turn back to listen. Once, he would've enjoyed telling Ling Qingzhu that story over supper. The thought arrived without warning and left the next stretch of road painfully quiet.
He let himself miss her. Pretending he didn't would be another lie, and he had no audience to satisfy out here.
When the horse slowed, he dismounted and walked beside it for a while. His own body needed less rest than the animal. The change gave him something simple to attend to besides memory.
At the first crossing, a tea seller pointed toward the main eastern road. Shi Feng paid for water, checked the horse's saddle, and studied the mountains ahead.
Qingyun City lay beyond them. Candidates from many kingdoms were already travelling there, each convinced that their own name deserved to be heard.
He checked the medicine case in his ring, then tightened the saddle strap and mounted again. Enough recovery pills, sound equipment, and a clear reporting date. He could take care of the journey without borrowing anyone's protection.
Great Liang was behind him. Far back along the dust cloud of the eastern road, two unbadged outriders detached themselves from the royal convoy's rear guard to keep his trail in sight—and Shi Feng rested one hand lightly on his scabbard, welcoming the first stretch of mountain stone where he wouldn't have to hold back.