Chapter 19 Not the time

　　After a small interlude, they returned to the city. When the teacher saw that both of them were safe, he breathed a sigh of relief.

　　The next morning, Zhou Ge bid farewell to the teacher and set out for Beici County.

　　They didn't travel slowly, and despite encountering three heavy rainstorms along the way, they finally arrived that day.

　　It was late summer, early autumn, and they were in the border area of Shaowen. The nearest place to them was called Yangnan Town. In front of the town, the road forked widely, with some paths even wider than the official road. There were no signposts, making it difficult to distinguish which was the official road.

　　There were few shops along the roadside, but they often saw merchants with carts and goods.There are also travelers like them.

　　Zhou Ge took a deep breath, feeling refreshed. As far as the eye could see, there were mountains upon mountains and hills upon hills. Most of them were low hills, with only a few tall mountains.

　　"Is this the place?" he asked.

　　Shen Huan pointed with his sword. "See the two tallest mountains? The one on the east is called East Yangjiao Mountain, and the one on the west is West Yangjiao Mountain. The road between them is called Yangjiao Road. Follow it north for 5 kilometers, and you'll reach the ungoverned land of Yue. It's said that there are monsters there, so few people go past."

　　"This whole area..."

　　"All belongs to Beici County."

　　"It's huge. What about that mountain?" He pointed to a distant tall mountain.

　　"That's Snow Mist Mountain."

　　Zhou Ge looked up and estimated that it was probably over three thousand meters high, or at least two thousand five hundred meters. The mountain range extended east and west, covering an unknown number of miles. The peak was covered in snow, and thick fog shrouded it, which was probably how it got its name.

　　He gathered his courage and said, "Let's go into the city."

　　Shen Huan blocked his way with his sword sheath. "Zhou Ge, I have one more thing to say."

　　"Observe more and act less?"

　　"I've said that more than once, and it's pointless to repeat it. What I want to say is that Zhou Ge has sharp eyes and a clear mind. You must have noticed the deep conflict between me and the disciples of Bailiang along the way. Perhaps..."

　　"Shen, you don't need to worry. It was my decision to come to Beici County, and I'm grateful for your advice."

　　Upon hearing these words, Shen Huan was deeply moved. Most people would have avoided him if they knew he had offended the Flying Star Sect, but Zhou Ge saw it differently. He felt fortunate to have made such a friend and considered the trip worthwhile.

　　"Well said! Let's go into the city and drink our fill at the Zhou Family Tavern. Forward!"

　　They passed through Yangnan Town and continued north. Three days later, they arrived in Muyang Town in the morning.

　　They took the main road through the town and arrived at the county government before noon.

　　In front of the gate, a butler-like figure was greeting guests, while a woman in a light green dress stood by, occasionally saying hello to people coming and going.

　　The woman seemed to sense something and turned around sharply. When she saw the men approaching, a look of joy appeared on her face.

　　She quickly ran over to them and excitedly said, "Brother Shen, you're back." She looked at the person beside Shen Huan and recognized him after a closer look. "You... You..."

　　Shen Huan bowed politely. "Greetings, Miss He."

　　"Don't be so formal. Why are you two together? Isn't he..."

　　Zhou Ge also bowed. "Greetings, Miss He."

　　He Muyu narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "The inquisitor from Xiyue, entering Shaowen's border. What's your purpose here? Speak now!"

　　Zhou Ge secretly said that He Muyu has a completely different attitude towards herself and Shen Huan, and she turns her face faster than she turns a book; Just about to explain, a person ran out of the house, and everyone present knew each other, Ji Yanshi.

　　Ji Yanshi quickly approached and bowed. "Brothers Shen and Zhou, Miss He is a bit rash. Please forgive her. Come in, come in."

　　He Muyu looked somewhat displeased. "Ji Yanshi this is the He residence, not your's residence. You don't need to speak for me."

　　"Miss He, can't you see? He's a friend of Brother Shen's, that's why they're together. They're our guests, and besides, he helped you before."

　　"Hmph, only because I paid him. Fine, I'll let it slide this time since he's a friend of Brother Shen's. Otherwise, I would have asked him some tough questions. Come on, I'll show you the way."

　　The four of them entered the residence. Shen Huan, as a police officer, needed to report on the pursuit of criminals and other matters at the police station, while the other three went to the side hall.

　　Miss He had a straightforward personality and spoke her mind. In the side hall, she grilled Zhou Ge like a criminal, asking where he came from, where he was going, and what he intended to do.

　　Compared to Miss He, Ji Yanshi was much more stable. His inquiries were more indirect, as he tried to gather information by asking questions around the edges.

　　Zhou Ge didn't reveal anything else. He claimed that after the competition, he had a long vacation and came to Huajun County to visit his teacher. He met Shen Huan along the way and decided to take a casual look around and broaden his horizons. They had agreed on this story beforehand, so there were no discrepancies.

　　After listening, Ji Yanshi sighed. "So you came here for a vacation? Zhou Ge, you've come to the wrong place."

　　"The scenery here is beautiful. Why do you say that?"

　　"Sigh... Muyang Town is in trouble. As soon as Miss He and I came back, we heard that a group of bandits had appeared on Fangding Mountain, 1,000 kilometers northeast of the town. These bandits have been burning, killing, looting, and pillaging. There have been seven major incidents in the past six months. You've come to the wrong place at the wrong time."

　　"Bandits? Isn't that nothing for magistrate He?"

　　Miss He jumped off her seat and interrupted. "You don't know anything. Ordinary bandits are no match for my father, even if there were a few more mountains. But this group of bandits is very powerful. Their leader is highly skilled in swordsmanship, on par with the town's garrison commander. Of course, he's still no match for Brother Shen."

　　"So what makes them so powerful?"

　　"Their strength lies in their two deputy leaders. One is the disciple of our eighth martial arts master, named Li He. We can't just dispose of his disciple without careful consideration. The most troublesome part is a male witch among them. He can draw a type of Bingjie talisman. The talismans are hidden all over Fangding Mountain. When soldiers attack the mountain and enter the talisman formation, their weapons become as useless as wooden sticks and can't harm anyone."

　　"Witchcraft?" Zhou Ge seemed excited.

　　"Ah... Zhou Ge, can you break it?"

　　He thought for a moment and quickly came up with a way to counter the talisman. However, he had promised Shen Huan to be cautious and wasn't sure if he should help or not.

　　After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Is witchcraft not prohibited in Shaowen?"

　　"Unlike Xiyue, it's not prohibited here. Zhou Ge, do you have a way to break the talisman?"

　　"Their method is actually quite simple. If the talisman gets wet, it will fall off. You just need to find a foggy day..."

　　Before he could finish, a voice interrupted from outside.

　　"Ji Yanshi, it's pointless for you to say that. Zhou Ge, do you think the bandits are stupid? When they say the talismans are hidden all over Fangding Mountain, it means they're not just stuck on surfaces. They could be put in small wooden boxes and buried somewhere, or even carried by the bandits themselves. It doesn't matter if it's foggy or rainy."

　　Zhou Ge thought for a moment. Breaking the Bingjie talisman was still relatively easy. He could secretly replace the drawn talismans in Fangding Mountain by using ghosts to do the work and take the opportunity to eliminate the male witch who drew them. However, this approach was too high-profile and contradicted his original intentions.

　　"Miss He is right," he conceded.

　　"I knew you couldn't do it," she said dismissively.

　　The conversation then shifted to their respective journeys.

　　After parting ways, Ji Yanshi persuaded Miss He Mu to go home because she had been out for too long and Lord He must be worried.

　　Zhou Ge talked about the competition and what he saw along the way, but most of it was made up.

　　He Muyu leaned against the door frame and listened with a match, hearing the parts of interest to increase his attention, and listening to the parts that were not interested, her eyes glanced out.