Chapter 34: The Western Road

Room Three’s owner returned before sunset.

Lin Yuan noticed because the man had only left Blackstone that morning.

He entered Wandering Cloud Tavern with dust covering the lower half of his robes and walked directly to his usual table.

Su Mei brought him water.

"Back already?"

The cultivator emptied half the cup before answering.

"Changed my mind."

Lin Yuan was carrying a plate toward another table. He set it down, then stopped beside the man.

"About going west?"

"About how far west I wanted to go."

"Problem?"

"Beasts."

Lin Yuan waited.

The cultivator leaned back.

"I left the main road after noon. There’s a trail I usually take toward the broken hills."

"You’ve used it before?"

"Several times."

"And?"

"I didn’t reach the hills."

He took another drink.

"Too many fresh tracks."

"One pack?"

"That’s what I thought at first."

The man shook his head.

"Wolves. Something with hooves. At least one larger beast I couldn’t identify."

"Did you see any of them?"

"Two Ashfang Wolves from a distance."

"Only two?"

"Only two I could see."

Lin Yuan glanced at the man’s sword.

"No fight?"

"I rented this room for a month. I’d like to use it for more than three days."

Reasonable.

The cultivator picked up his cup.

"I’m staying around Blackstone for a while."

Lin Yuan nodded and returned to work.

Hunters had already mentioned increased beast activity around the broken hills. One cultivator turning back wasn’t enough to tell him much.

But he remembered it.

The next group arrived shortly before noon the following day.

Five hunters came from the western road.

Their storage bags seemed full enough, but none looked particularly pleased about it.

One man’s sleeve had been torn near the shoulder. There was dried blood beneath it, though he moved his arm normally.

They went to Duan He’s Beast Materials first.

By the time they entered Wandering Cloud Tavern, they had already sold part of their harvest.

"Food," the leader said.

"Anything hot."

Xiao Lan brought water while Lin Yuan started cooking.

The hunters spoke quietly at first.

Several minutes later, Duan He entered the tavern and pulled out an empty chair at their table.

"You came back early."

The leader looked at him.

"You keeping track now?"

"I buy what you bring back. Of course I’m keeping track."

"Then you already know we found plenty."

"I also know you normally stay out longer when you find plenty."

The hunter drank some water.

Duan He waited.

Eventually, the man sighed.

"The broken hills are getting strange."

Lin Yuan heard him from the kitchen.

He kept working.

Duan He leaned forward.

"Strange how?"

"Too many beasts moving through the same areas."

"That’s been happening for weeks."

"Not like this."

Another hunter joined in.

"We found Ashfang Wolf tracks around a ridge yesterday morning."

Duan He shrugged.

"That’s not unusual."

"We found Ironback Boar signs on the other side."

Duan He paused.

"Fresh?"

"Very."

The hunter leader nodded.

"Both."

Lin Yuan brought a dish to the table.

"That unusual?"

The leader answered.

"They don’t normally stay that close."

"Territory?"

"Usually."

The younger hunter leaned forward.

"That’s what bothered us. We followed the wolf tracks for a while."

Duan He looked at him.

"Why?"

"We’re hunters."

"Fair."

The younger man continued.

"The tracks weren’t circling hunting ground. They kept going east."

Lin Yuan stopped.

"Toward the road?"

"More or less."

"What about the boars?"

"Same direction."

Duan He frowned.

"Could be coincidence."

"Could be."

The hunter leader picked up his chopsticks.

"Then we found another set farther north."

"What kind?"

"Couldn’t identify it."

"Also east?"

"Yes."

Duan He looked between them.

"Different beasts, all moving east?"

"That’s what we saw."

"Why?"

The younger hunter shook his head.

"Don’t know. But it looked less like they were going somewhere and more like they were leaving something."

The table became quiet.

Lin Yuan returned to the kitchen.

One report could be wrong.

Several from different groups were harder to dismiss.

The hunters stayed one night.

The next morning, they left for Green River City rather than returning west.

Before leaving, their leader stopped near the counter.

"You get many travelers heading the other way?"

"Every day."

"Should warn them."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"Is the main road dangerous?"

"Not yet."

"Not yet?"

The hunter rubbed the torn section of his sleeve.

"We were off the road when we ran into trouble."

"What happened?"

"One Ashfang Wolf."

Lin Yuan glanced at his shoulder.

"That did this?"

"I was careless."

"Then the main road is still open."

"As far as I know."

The hunter adjusted his storage bag.

"I’m not saying close it. Just tell people not to wander too far."

That was reasonable.

After the group left, Lin Yuan went outside.

The old roadside sign still stood near the tavern.

Food — Water — Wine — Rooms

He brought out another wooden board.

Su Mei noticed him carrying it.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a sign."

"For what?"

Lin Yuan took out a brush.

A few minutes later, he placed the new board where travelers approaching from the east would see it.

WESTERN ROAD NOTICE

Increased Spirit Beast Activity

Main Road Passable

Avoid Leaving the Road

Su Mei read it.

"Very exciting."

"It’s a warning."

"You could add a skull."

"No."

"Two skulls?"

Lin Yuan put the brush away.

Su Mei smiled and returned inside.

The first people to stop because of the sign arrived that afternoon.

Three cultivators traveling west slowed near the tavern.

One walked over and read the notice.

"How bad?"

Lin Yuan was carrying a sack of grain from a wagon.

"Several hunting groups have turned back."

"Main road safe?"

"That’s what they’re reporting."

The cultivator looked west.

"We were planning to leave the road tomorrow."

"Then I’d ask the hunters inside before you do."

"There are hunters here?"

"Two tables."

The man looked toward the tavern.

"We’ll eat."

Lin Yuan continued carrying the grain.

By the time he returned, all three had gone inside.

They stayed for nearly an hour.

When they came out, their plan had changed.

"We’ll keep to the main road," one said.

Lin Yuan nodded.

They left before sunset.

The warning remained beside the road.

Over the next two days, nothing dramatic happened.

Caravans still arrived from both directions.

Hunters still passed through Blackstone.

Duan He continued buying beast materials, and Qiao sold supplies to cultivators preparing to head west.

But more travelers stopped to read Lin Yuan’s sign.

Some asked questions.

A few changed their routes.

One pair of hunters decided to wait at the tavern until another group arrived so they could travel west together.

For Lin Yuan, that was enough reason to leave the warning where it was.

On the third evening, he stood beside the Spirit-Touched Well with a bucket in one hand.

Something moved along the western road.

Lin Yuan looked up.

A small caravan was approaching.

Two wagons.

Four Ironhoof Beasts.

Nothing unusual.

Then he noticed how quickly they were moving.

The lead driver didn’t slow until the wagons were almost beside the tavern.

"Rooms?" he called.

Lin Yuan set down the bucket.

"Two available."

"We’ll take both."

The second wagon stopped.

Three cultivators climbed down.

One immediately looked back toward the western road.

Lin Yuan noticed.

"Problem?"

The driver jumped from his seat.

"Maybe."

"What happened?"

"We saw beasts."

"On the road?"

"No."

The man pointed west.

"South of it."

"What kind?"

"Couldn’t tell from that distance."

"How many?"

The driver looked toward the others.

"At least a dozen."

Lin Yuan’s expression changed slightly.

"A pack?"

"Didn’t look like one."

"What do you mean?"

"Different sizes."

Another cultivator joined them.

"Some were running."

"Toward you?"

"No."

"Toward the road?"

The cultivator shook his head.

"East."

Lin Yuan looked past them.

The western road stretched into the fading light.

"Ashfang Wolves?"

"Maybe one or two."

"What else?"

"Something large. A few smaller beasts. They were too far away."

"They were together?"

"Not exactly."

The driver thought for a moment.

"More like they were all going the same way."

"Did they chase each other?"

"No."

The caravan hadn’t been close enough to identify most of them, and Lin Yuan wasn’t going to build an answer from guesses.

"How far away?"

"A few hours west."

Lin Yuan looked toward the road again.

"Anyone attacked?"

"No."

"Then get your beasts into the stable."

The driver nodded.

"Already planned to."

The caravan members began carrying their things toward the tavern.

Lin Yuan remained outside.

The earlier reports had come from hunters deep in the broken hills.

This group had seen the movement near the road.

Near Blackstone.

Lin Yuan’s gaze moved to the warning board.

Main Road Passable.

For now, that was still true.

He picked up the bucket and returned to the well.