Chapter 17 Meet the teacher again

　　At dawn, outside Dongning Prefecture, Zhou Ge was leisurely walking his horse. After several days of travel, he was feeling very tired, and it felt good to take a break every now and then.

　　This place is just one prefecture away from his master's location in Huaju Prefecture, and he could reach it in a maximum of two days.

　　As he walked slowly on the road, holding the reins, he occasionally looked at the scenery around him and at the passersby.

　　Turning his head, he saw that Shen Huan looked deeply troubled.

　　"What are you thinking about, Shen Huan?"

　　When he called out, there was no response, so he immediately called out again, "Shen Huan, who are you thinking about?"

　　Shen Huan came back to his senses and said, "Ah...nothing?"

　　"A sweetheart?"

　　Shen Huan blushed to the tips of his ears. "No...no one..."

　　"Miss He the second? It doesn't seem like it. If there is a Miss He the second, there must be a Miss He the first. Could it be Miss He the first?"

　　Shen Huan furrowed his brow slightly: "I have never met Miss He the first, and I have no special relationship with Miss He the second. Ji Yanshi is very close to both sisters."

　　"Oh...so complicated...then who are you thinking about?"

　　"No one, let's keep going."

　　While they were chatting, they heard the sound of horseshoes approaching. Turning around, they saw several horses galloping towards them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

　　The person in front came to a halt near them, dismounted, and asked, "Excuse me, how far is it to Huajun County from here?"

　　The voice was gentle, and after taking a closer look at the person in front of them, Zhou Ge realized that the person had a clear and beautiful face, a very noticeable figure, and was undoubtedly a woman dressed as a man. Looking at the others behind her, they were all the same.

　　What was the same about them was that they all carried a short sword; what was different was that their clothes were all different; what was the same was that they wore feather-patterned belts around their waists.

　　Zhou Ge guessed that it might be the symbol of a certain clan or the crest of a certain family, but he didn't pay much attention to it. "It's one more prefecture away," he replied.

　　"Do you know the Red Feather Villa?"

　　He looked at Shen Huan, who answered straightforwardly: "No."

　　After hearing this, the woman said "Thank you," and then mounted her horse and left.

　　Shen Huan was deep in thought, feeling like he had seen the folded feathered belt somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where or when.

　　Seeing him like this, Zhou Ge's curiosity was piqued again.

　　"Shen Huan, what are you thinking about?"

　　"It feels like I've seen this before, it looks familiar. Forget it, Zhou. Aren't we going to see your teacher? Let's get going."

　　They found a tea stall, had two bowls of tea, and continued on their journey.

　　The following day at noon, the two men entered Huajun County.

　　This place was quite unique. The County consisted of a single town divided into East and West cities, connected by a long white stone bridge.

　　As they approached, they noticed that the stone bridge was quite wide, enough for four carriages to pass side by side. The stones were as white as jade, justifying its name. On both sides of the bridge was another official road, and at both ends and along the sides of the bridge, vendors could be heard shouting out their wares. All the vendors used the same type of cart, laden with goods and topped with a canopy to block out the sun, with a triangular flag hanging beside it. Passersby strolled leisurely.

　　Beneath the bridge flowed a great river, known as the White River, according to the locals. Whether it was Binri City, Green Valley, Changyin Mountain, or Huajun County, all the scenery was pleasant and the climate was like spring all year round. It was only further north that one could distinguish the seasons of winter and summer.

　　The river water was crystal clear, and the flowers and grass on both banks were vibrant. Many idle people sat by the riverside fishing, while young men and women met secretly by the banks.

　　Looking behind them, they could see a large villa amidst the pine and cypress trees on a small hill about thirty meters away. The central section was the largest, probably where guests were received. Upon closer inspection, they noticed two additional wings with mostly residential-style rooms, presumably for guests to rest.

　　At the intersection of several major roads stood a Villa, over nine meters long and at least five meters tall, bearing the four large characters: "Red Feather Villa."

　　Shen Huan, who had seen much in his travels, was not particularly impressed.

　　However, for Zhou Ge, this was the largest villa he had ever seen on his journey thus far, so he stared at it for a long time.

　　"Shen Huan, what kind of business do you think they do here?" he asked.

　　"Does your teacher live here?" Shen Huan inquired.

　　"Uh... I don't think my teacher mentioned it," Zhou Ge replied.

　　"Right, we should focus on the main task," Shen Huan said.

　　There were quite a few people around, and someone informed them that a few months ago, an elderly man from Xiyue had returned to the west of the East City. They speculated that this could be the person they were looking for.

　　Without wasting any time, they hurried to the East City and found Liang Ran mirror master in a small courtyard surrounded by a fence.

　　Seeing his teacher, Zhou Ge's heart was filled with excitement. He quickened his pace and came to stand before him.

　　"Teacher!" he exclaimed.

　　Liangran saw his disciple arrive alone and guessed the reason for his visit.

　　"You've really come. This is wonderful, wonderful," he said, his voice trembling slightly and his hair appearing to have turned whiter. It seemed that his health was not as good as before.

　　"Yes, I've come," Zhou Ge replied.

　　"And who is this...?" The teacher looked at the young man beside him.

　　Shen Huan bowed and said, "My name is Shen Huan. I am a wandering swordsman from Feng'an Prefecture, Fengrao City. I currently serve as a policeman under Governor He in Muyang, Beichi County. Shen Huan pays his respects to the master."

　　"Ah... He Jing?" the master asked.

　　"No, it's He Xin, the governor," Shen Huan clarified.

　　Upon hearing this, Liangran shook his head helplessly and muttered, "How times have changed... I can no longer keep up. The fact that you're with my disciple means..."

　　"Teacher, Shen Huan has told me more than I wanted to know," Zhou Ge interjected.

　　"Oh? Tell me everything," the master urged.

　　How could Zhou Ge refuse his teacher's request? He recounted the details of his journey, with Shen Huan providing additional information.

　　After listening to their story, the teacher was filled with regret. He never expected that their investigation would lead them to Bai Liang. Although he had been away from Huajun County for decades and was unaware of Bai Liang, he knew his master, the one who had taught Bai Liang, very well.

　　That person resided in the Shengjun Temple on Snow Mist Mountain, north of Beici County. The mountain had eight peaks, and he was the master of the Snow Mist Mountain, Dong Qifeng, the Holy Monarch of the West Peak.

　　Originally, he had seven disciples, but with the addition of Bai Liang as mentioned by Shen Huan, he now had eight disciples in total. Anyone who mentioned them in Shaowen would praise them highly. In particular, his fifth and seventh disciples had sons who served as the left and right national diviners, respectively, assisting the current emperor of Shaowen.

　　Shen Huan had originally planned to tell Zhou Ge this information after they entered Beici County, but he didn't expect his teacher to reveal it first. As a result, he was unsure if their companion would dare to continue.

　　As Zhou Ge listened, the corners of his mouth twitched. He thought to himself, "Even if we investigate Bai Liang, what can we do? Who dares to oppose him? Opposing him means going against the Holy Monarch of the West Peak and the national diviners of Shaowen. If they decide to attack our small country with their mighty army, how long can Xiyue withstand their onslaught?"

　　Shen Huan understood his concerns and said, "Zhou Ge, you can return and report back. I won't tell anyone about your involvement."

　　After much deliberation, Zhou Ge asked, "Teacher, should we continue the investigation?"

　　Liangran was deeply troubled. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Having more strength on our side will increase our chances of success."

　　Recalling his senior brother Shi's words before his departure about the dangers of the emerging cult and its potential to cause widespread harm, Zhou Ge felt a sense of responsibility and determined to fulfill his mission.

　　With this resolve, he said, "Disciple will follow the teacher's instructions."

　　"Good, good. I haven't misinquisitord you," Liangran nodded in satisfaction.

　　At this moment, Shen Huan developed a deep respect for him and said, "Zhou, this journey is treacherous. As before, no matter what you see or hear, pretend as if it never happened."

　　"I understand. I will observe but refrain from taking action or speaking unnecessarily. Thank you, Shen," Zhou Ge replied.