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Join the ServerThe region where the young girl had previously been, Tianjin and Baoding, was called Beizhili. The region where Weiyuan Fortress now stood was called Nurgan Dusi.
The frontier commander and the leader of Nurgan Dusi took this matter seriously. They did not leave it unattended, as it could become an unstable factor threatening the rear defense line.
The Jurchen in this area had grown accustomed to trading with Ming merchants. Merchants bought local specialties and transported them to the prosperous regions of the Ming to sell, while the Jurchen bought grain from the merchants.
A dependence had formed.
Since half a year ago, demons had appeared on this road, constantly attacking merchants along the way. As word spread, fewer and fewer merchants traveled this route. The nearby Jurchen also found it increasingly difficult to obtain grain as before.
What does a person do when hungry? Look for food.
What does a group of hungry people do? Also look for food.
Nurgan Dusi often faced this problem.
Although the imperial court disliked merchants, it still needed them to trade with the Jurchen of Nurgan Dusi to maintain regional stability.
At Fulu Inn, the young girl listened to the post clerk and the innkeeper explain the situation. She gradually understood the problem in this area: there seemed to be a problem that needed to be resolved quickly, otherwise something big, something she didn’t fully understand, would happen.
She hadn’t seen the fiend at the inn yet, so she couldn’t act now.
She stayed one night at the inn, but didn’t see the fiend appear during the night. She didn’t know if the yellow talismans and various folk exorcism items posted in Weiyuan Fortress had worked, or if the fiend’s range of activity didn’t include this place.
Thinking back to what happened that night, the three of them were still terrified.
The innkeeper thanked the young girl repeatedly for her intervention that night.
They believed the fiend hadn’t attacked Weiyuan Fortress because the young girl had acted that night, frightening it so badly that it dared not come here to cause trouble.
The next day, the fiend still hadn’t appeared. The young girl decided to walk the route the middle-aged man had taken, to find the Jurchen village he had mentioned.
It wasn’t hard to find. The soldiers sent by the higher-ups had investigated. It was a half-month’s journey from here along another road.
Of course, that squad of soldiers had also met with disaster. Half died tragically on the return trip. The other half died one by one, until all were dead.
Their manner of death was basically the same.
Just as the young girl planned to leave Weiyuan Fortress today and head north alone to find that village, an important person arrived.
A man in a military robe came, accompanied by a dozen soldiers.
The post clerk of Weiyuan Fortress station was very courteous to the man.
From their conversation, she learned the man was the Assistant Commander of Nurgan Dusi, a high official, the second-in-command of the region.
The soldiers he brought seemed to be elite troops. You could tell from their spirit and their gear.
They had not relaxed despite the long march. They still stood straight and tall.
All of this was quietly explained to the young girl by the innkeeper. He knew she didn’t understand this messy political and military business.
He lowered his voice and continued.
This Assistant Commander could decide the life and death of everyone present. He could arrest anyone he wanted, shut down the shop here, or attack a Jurchen village.
As long as he wanted, he could do it.
Luckily, this Assistant Commander wasn’t particularly foolish. He hadn’t done such things. Even after the fiend appeared on this road, he hadn’t closed Weiyuan Fortress, leaving a way out for those struggling to make a living here.
Although they were a military organization, they understood people’s livelihoods.
The innkeeper gave the Assistant Commander a fairly positive assessment, telling the young girl she could deal with him without worry.
The man dismounted in one fluid motion, landing steadily on the ground.
He pointed in a direction outside the fortress and asked, “Why is there a horse out there? Whose is it?”
The post clerk answered honestly, “It belonged to a merchant who died here. After he died, the horse refused to leave for a long time. It’s been half a year now.”
The Assistant Commander probably already knew this story. Maybe he just wanted a suitable opening. “Why hasn’t anyone taken it? Couldn’t it be added to the station’s stock?”
The post clerk replied, “We tried. The horse wouldn’t have it. It was very agitated, so we let it be.”
The Assistant Commander asked, “Does this horse not know its master is dead?”
The post clerk said, “Beasts perhaps don’t understand human life and death.”
The Assistant Commander said, “If the beast doesn’t understand human affairs, then why does it know to wait here for half a year?”
The post clerk said, “This… I don’t know.”
The Assistant Commander walked over slowly, looking at the young girl standing not far away.
His eyes lit up. She was indeed far more transcendent than the Daoists and monks he had hired before.
Those Daoists and monks had traveled for years, traversing north and south, cultivating an aura of transcendence and gaining some fame among the people. But only when he saw the young girl did he understand what true transcendence meant. He found his previous judgment amusing.
This was probably what they meant by the difference between immortals and mortals.
The Assistant Commander also restrained his pride. He bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly and introduced himself simply.
The young girl imitated his bow but did not introduce herself.
The innkeeper broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly introduced her on her behalf, saying she came from a mysterious immortal realm and was a cultivator.
What was her name?
He thought for a moment but realized he had never asked the young girl her name, nor had she ever spoken to tell anyone.
Quick-witted, he added, “The immortal usually keeps silent and hasn’t revealed her name.”
Thus, the Assistant Commander had to call her “Immortal.”
Based on the testimonies of the innkeeper, the post clerk, and the soldiers guarding the fortress, it was basically confirmed that this young girl’s magical power far exceeded that of the Daoists and monks previously invited.
Although the Daoists and monks couldn’t eliminate the fiend, they had helped extend the lives of the soldiers infected by the fiend for a period of time.
In the Assistant Commander’s view, they had some ability, but not much.
Far less than the miraculous young girl the innkeeper spoke of.
It was said that this young girl had injured the fiend, causing it to flee in panic and not dare to attack.
Even the wandering monk who came to Weiyuan Fortress said there were lingering magical residues here, very dense, as if a great battle had occurred, residual power left after an expert’s fight.
The monk stayed at the inn for a few days to absorb the expert’s residual power and study the traces of the battle. It was said his strength improved. He was very grateful to the predecessor and regretted not being able to thank him in person.
So many people admired the young girl. The Assistant Commander calling her “Immortal” didn’t feel shameful at all.
His purpose in coming today was simple. On one hand, he wanted to see this so-called Immortal with his own eyes and verify if she was real.
The other purpose was to request that the Immortal eliminate the trouble on this road.
If she had any requests, just state them. Whatever could be provided would be provided, whether gold, silver, treasures, or anything else.
The young girl simply shook her head in refusal.
The Assistant Commander thought his offer was too poor. The innkeeper quickly explained on her behalf: the Immortal didn’t need any reward.
The young girl nodded. That was it.
So the Assistant Commander asked a thought-provoking question: “Then… what does the Immortal seek? If not profit, then fame?”
The young girl shook her head again.
The Assistant Commander asked, “Does the Immortal get something from the fiend after killing it?”
The young girl shook her head again.
The Assistant Commander continued, “Is the Immortal seeking revenge?”
The young girl neither nodded nor shook her head. She thought for a long time, then shook her head again.
There was no other meaning. The fiend had killed people, and she wanted to kill the fiend. That was all.
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