Stranger Danger

Carefree Mountain Range was a massive mountain range that spanned hundreds of kilometers from one end to another. Located between Tian Yong and Northern Xinjiang, it was a natural barrier that kept the two prefectures separate.

There was a saying regarding Carefree Mountain Range that went something like this: The Carefree Celestial lives on Carefree Mountain Range, and those beneath the mountains pray for peace.

Legend says that a thousand years ago, after the You Dynasty had fallen into decline, countless warlords waged war for power, fame and glory. The world was in chaos, and the people were suffering.

Noticing the abundance of the southern lands, the northern warlords decided to invade them and lead their armies south. When a celestial who was passing through the area saw this, he decided to raise a massive mountain range from the ground and stopped the invasion dead in its tracks. Countless people were saved and were able to live carefree lives as a result.

In order to commemorate this celestial, the people decided to name the mountain “Carefree Mountain Range” and build a shrine named “Carefree Shrine” for him. They called him the “Carefree Celestial”. That was how the quote: “The Carefree Celestial lives on Carefree Mountain Range, and those beneath the mountains pray for peace” came to be.

Of course, the story was just a legend. It was impossible to say if it was real. One thing for certain, it was a symbol of the people’s yearning for a peaceful and carefree life.

At the foot of Carefree Mountain Range was a huge pass named Carefree Pass. Pass through its gates, and you would have officially entered Northern Xinjiang.

To the north of Carefree Pass lay sixteen commanderies, to its south lay the Country of Heaven[1] itself. Someone who passed through Carefree Pass would be able to travel straight to the heart of Chu. That was why Carefree Pass was also considered the final frontier between northern Chu and its enemies.

In the 16th year of the Yuanyou era, after Emperor Yuanyou had passed away, Chu was embroiled in civil war because the late emperor’s nine sons were fighting each other for the throne. Yan seized this opportunity to raise a million soldiers and stormed Qing Wu, Xuan Hua, Huai Shuo, Bei You and more territories of Northern Xinjiang. It wasn’t long before they were threatening the heart of Chu itself.

At a critical moment, with just an advantageous terrain, thirty thousand soldiers and a hundred thousand untrained militia, Li Liren, guard commander of Carefree Pass, somehow held the pass for a little over ten days until reinforcements finally arrived to beat back the Yan army of one million. In the end, the Country of Heaven was saved from being ravaged by the flames of war.

Had the Yan army succeeded in breaching Carefree Pass, they would be free to roam anywhere they pleased and conquer everything in their sight. They could even make a beeline straight for the capital of Chu. The consequences would’ve been unimaginable.

Since then, all future emperors of Chu learned from their predecessor’s lesson and stationed a significant amount of troops at Carefree Pass. They also developed it into a military stronghold.

Carefree Pass became more important than after the Heavenly Martial Emperor ascended the throne of Yan. Overflowing with ambition, the emperor was like a starving beast eyeing the delicious piece of meat that was Chu. He constantly created all sorts of conflict and chaos at the borders of Northern Xinjiang in hopes of starting a new war, and in response, Emperor Jin Run stationed a significant amount of troops in the commanderies and passes of Northern Xinjiang as well.

Although Carefree Pass wasn’t located at the frontier, it still enjoyed a ludicrous amount of troops due to the significance of its location. If rumors were to be believed, the small pass had a standing army of one hundred thousand and reserve troops of fifty thousand.

Of course, the security in Carefree Pass was very tight since it was a military stronghold. For starters, everyone who wishes to pass through it must own a travel pass.

Inside the Garrison Office of Carefree Pass, a man was sitting at the seat of honor and listening to his aide’s report. After the report was complete, he waved his subordinate away and rubbed his forehead in irritation, muttering, “Damn it all. Why do I have to look for some random person when I’m busy enough already? How troublesome.”

The man was in his forties. He had a muscular figure and a dark shade of skin that was distinct to a man of northern Chu.

He was the commandant of Carefree Pass, Deng Quan, and his responsibility entailed patrolling the pass, keeping safety and order, interrogating and processing everyone who enters or leaves Carefree Pass and so on.

His position wasn’t high, but he wielded a lot of authority. He also earned a sizable income despite not having to do much.

Deng Quan wasn’t having a good time lately, however. He couldn’t sleep well, he couldn’t eat well, he couldn’t even drink well or fuck the women of Wind and Moon without being burdened in the mind.

It was because he recently received an order to investigate every person who wished to pass through Carefree Pass into Northern Xinjiang carefully. Specifically, he was to look out for a man named Ye Qing.

There was just a teensy-weensy problem with the order. One, the higher-ups had no idea if the guy was alive or dead. Two, they had no idea how long the order would stand.

“When will this finally be over?”

Suddenly, an icy voice rang from the inner hall. “From the moment you enter the Intelligence Department, you don’t complain about life or death. You should still remember the rules, no?”

Startled, Deng Quan shot to his feet. He gathered his energies and grabbed his saber from the table, yelling, “Who are you?”

“Spirits and demons watch the monsters in the morning...”

The icy voice rang once more.

Deng Quan subconsciously replied, “Sprites and fairies watch the nine provinces at night.”

“Sprite Thirty Six greets you, my lord!”

The couplet was a code that only the intelligencer and their handler would know, and “Sprite 36” was his code name.

There were four ranks among the intelligencers of the Intelligence Department: Spirit, Demon, Sprite and Fairy, and Deng Quan was a Sprite-rank intelligencer.

36 was just a number to separate him from the other Intelligencers. It didn’t mean that he was the thirty-sixth Sprite-rank intelligencer. Moreover, all Sprite-rank intelligencers were equal in status. Barring exceptional circumstances, they usually didn’t communicate with each other and kept unaware of each other’s existence.

All Sprite-rank intelligencers answered to Sprite 1, and only Sprite 1 knew everyone’s identity. Therefore, the person speaking to him right now was most likely Sprite 1, his superior. He was most likely the one who gave him the order to look for Ye Qing as well.

The icy voice said, “As a member of the Intelligence Department, you must never forget who you are and what your duties are. If you are found to be derelict in your duties, then you will be punished by our rules. Understand?”

“Perfectly, my lord. Please forgive me,” Deng Quan bowed his head and replied fearfully.

“This is your first and last chance. Don’t fail me again.” Sprite 1 continued, “How goes the investigation? Did you find anyone suspicious?”

Deng Quan answered, “No, my lord. There were some suspicious people, but I can confirm that none of them are Ye Qing.”

“Understood, but don’t let your guard down,” Sprite 1 said.

“As you command,” Deng Quan responded before hesitating a little. “Can I say something, my lord?”

Sprite 1 commanded, “Speak.”

Deng Quan took a moment to consider his words. “Assuming that Ye Qing is still alive, how do we know that he will pass through Carefree Pass to enter Northern Xinjiang?”

Sprite 1 answered, “A total of five prefectures borders Tian Yong such as Northern Xinjiang, Long Xi, He Dong and so on. Every single one of these territories besides Northern Xinjiang are close to the capital and firmly under the control of the imperial court. If Ye Qing wishes to survive, he can only depart for prefectures far away from the imperial court such as Northern Xinjiang, Tian Liang, Jian Nan and more. That’s because these places have complex power structures and an abundance of all sorts of factions. Since Northern Xinjiang borders Tian Yong, it should be his top choice.”

“Second, Ye Qing might be connected to the Corpse Ship. The Corpse Shp could appear on any body of water, and it so happens that Yong River originates from Carefree Mountain Range. That is why I have good reason to believe that Ye Qing has already arrived at Carefree Mountain, and why we need to be especially alert for the next few days to come.”

“I see. Thank you for answering my questions, my lord.” Deng Quan clasped his hands in salute. A short silence later, he asked another question, “Do we have a specific timeframe, my lord? I’m worried that someone might notice something wrong with my behavior and discover my identity.”

His identity as an intelligencer of the Intelligence Department was one that could never see the light. If he was exposed, not only would he lose his position, he might even be executed for his troubles.

Be it in the court or the jianghu, absolutely no one liked a spy in their midst.

“Don’t worry. It won’t take too long.” Sprite 1 answered, “What I said are just conjectures. If Ye Qing really is connected to the Corpse Ship, he has the option to escape to a place we couldn’t even dream of. He could be traveling in the opposite direction, he might already be inside Northern Xinjiang, or he might already be dead. That said, that is no excuse to be negligent.”

“You’re a responsible and diligent person, my lord. Color me impressed,” replied Deng Quan while mentally sighing in relief. He felt a lot less stressed now that he knew that this situation wouldn’t last forever.

“If you find anything, you know what to do. Find me at Wind and Moon, and I will speak with you,” Sprite 1 instructed before saying, “We keep the peace of the world and observe the rise and fall of the nine provinces.”

“We slay the evils of the Four Seas and protect the people’s happiness.”

Deng Quan clasped his hands and replied solemnly, “Until another day.”

“Take care.”

When the voice subsided, Deng Quan found that the inner hall was completely empty. Clearly, Sprite 1 was gone like a phantom.

“Men!” Deng Quan called out while massaging his forehead.

“Your orders, my lord?” A subordinate stepped into the room.

“Assistant Commander Cui, tell the men to increase security and investigate anyone who enters or leaves Carefree Pass carefully. Don’t hesitate to report to me as soon as you find someone suspicious.”

“As you command.” The assistant commander didn’t understand why, but he left to carry out his order without asking anything.

After the assistant commander was gone, Deng Quan muttered under his breath, “Ye Qing... what a pain in the ass... the reason I became an intelligencer is to protect my country, my family and the people, not to get saddled with stupid shit like this.”

A savage expression flitted across his face. “If you’re dead, then whatever. But if you’re alive, I’ll make you regret making my life miserable, Ye Qing.”

He didn’t know that Ye Qing hadn’t come to Carefree Pass.

Instead, Ye Qing had climbed up Carefree Mountain Range and paid the Carefree Shrine a visit.

1. meaning the center of Chu. In our world, it’s referring to Chengdu. Like I said the author uses many real life references. ☜

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om