Volume One: The Thousand-Year Stream Chapter 11: The Road to the Southern Sky

Within two hundred miles beyond the pass, all the barbarians had been slaughtered by Sun Zikai. After two days of travel, not a single living creature was encountered.

Sun Zikai noticed that these people were all restless; their minds were elsewhere. Even if they only had to sit in the carriage and enjoy the scenery, they couldn’t stay still.

A dozen or so large wagons loaded with gold and treasures rolled forward, their wheels clattering so loudly it could be heard from three miles away.

“Stop, stop, stop! Time to rest!” someone shouted.

Sun Zikai looked helpless and turned around, saying, “We’ve only traveled two hours, and you want to stop four times? The horses are pulling the carts; you’re not even walking.”

“Hey? You’re standing there talking without a care,” the man retorted. “I’m just worried about my horses. Besides, it’s already noon; time to eat.”

So they stopped without a second thought, completely disregarding Sun Zikai. The polite attitude they had put on at Ansheng Pass before departure was all a facade. After all, who would take a mere twelve-year-old boy seriously?

These people gathered in four or five small groups to eat. Each had their own “team,” except for the young lady, who sat alone in the carriage. Even her servant girls had companions of their own. Sun Zikai realized that everyone here was just hired help for the young lady.

A man approached the young lady’s carriage, lifted the curtain, and smirked, “Miss, after such a long journey, everyone’s spirits are low. You need to think of something.”

The young lady lowered her head, brows furrowed. The man stepped back three feet, and Sun Zikai sensed a surge of energy within the carriage. Moments later, the man stepped forward again, and a gold piece was placed beneath the curtain.

“I’m thanking you on their behalf, Miss,” the man chuckled happily, waving it to his companions, who covered their mouths to stifle laughter.

Sun Zikai walked over and lifted the curtain. The young lady seemed unfazed, clearly expecting what was coming next. Her expression was calm, reminiscent of Sun Zikai’s own demeanor in his youth.

He clicked his tongue and remarked, “Your bracelet can hold that much stuff?”

Startled, the young lady looked up, her eyes clearly anxious. Sun Zikai made a shushing gesture and whispered, “No matter how much money you have, you can’t resist their demands. You don’t need to hire them anymore. I’ll take you to the Dust Sect alone.”

The secret of the young lady’s bracelet had never been discovered. Those hired hands constantly exploited her but never understood how she conjured so much gold. She always claimed it was a spell, and they believed her without question.

The young lady eyed him warily, but Sun Zikai sat down beside the carriage and asked, “My name’s Sun Zikai. What’s yours?”

She had no affection for him and remained silent.

Finding no response, Sun Zikai shrugged and jumped down from the cart.

After resting for over an hour, they were finally ready to move. Soon, Sun Zikai sensed the barbarian energy about ten miles ahead.

He deliberately waited a long time before ordering a change in direction, taking a different road. The others were puzzled, but Sun Zikai said, “If we go forward, we’ll run into barbarians.”

Unexpectedly, instead of fear, excitement coursed through them. They hurriedly led the first carriage and pressed on along the original path.

The leader walked beside Sun Zikai, laughing, “With little hero Sun protecting us, we’re perfectly safe.”

Sun Zikai disliked beating around the bush and bluntly called him out. “You’ve gathered enough gold and want to retreat, right?”

Everyone heard this and chuckled. The man didn’t dodge the question. “You got the big prize. Shouldn’t you thank me?” He pulled a gold piece from his pocket and handed it to Sun Zikai. “Here, it’s your reward. Your old man Yang was smart and reliable; otherwise, you wouldn't be making this money.”

Sun Zikai sighed. “You’re really shameless, taking so much and not even escorting her all the way to the Dust Sect.”

Seeing that the truth was out, nobody pretended anymore. They counted their loot and decided to stop traveling altogether, saying they’d part ways with just a few things.

The young lady in the carriage heard everything clearly. She curled up with her arms wrapped around her legs. The carriage jolted, the curtain fluttered, and the boy looked at her, shrugging as if to say, “See? I told you it’d be like this.” But what could she do? She knew full well their intentions. There were countless sects for cultivation—when had she ever said she wanted to go to the Dust Sect? It was these people who, driven by greed for her gold, forced her to travel so far. A few days ago, she said her gold was almost gone. Now, it was time for her to be abandoned.

There were twenty-four barbarians in total. By the time they finished speaking, the barbarians had already arrived.

Both groups were surprised, but the barbarians reacted first. Young and old alike wielded sharp blades and charged, surrounding the convoy with no gaps.

The hired men were terrified. The leader grabbed Sun Zikai’s shoulder, urgently saying, “Little hero Sun, it’s up to you now.”

Sun Zikai spread his hands. “You think I can do it?” He shook his head. “Run. What else can we do?”

The leader pointed at the carriage. “There’s a girl inside, loaded with gold and treasures. If you spare our lives, all this stuff is yours. Deal?”

Sun Zikai sneered. Did he really think the barbarians would be swayed by such words? As expected, a young barbarian, about fourteen or fifteen, charged forward and slaughtered two maids first. The others stood dumbfounded. These hired men had planned to abandon the young lady beyond the pass before the barbarians arrived, then live their separate lives. They could have escaped earlier but were blinded by greed, hoping to squeeze out one more gold piece, which led them so deep into danger.

The leader drew a dagger and shouted, “Fight them to the death!” But no one listened. Even he ran away. Within just twenty breaths, all were slain.

The barbarians gathered around the carriage. Sun Zikai lifted the curtain. Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes but did not fall. She bit her lip, trembling, yet her gaze was resilient. She must have had a strong belief sustaining her through the rough journey.

At this moment, Sun Zikai joked, “Young lady, take a look at the situation. Come down quickly—it's quite thrilling.”

Regardless of her wishes, he pulled her down.

The girl saw the corpses of those who had escorted her, strewn about and butchered by the young barbarians. Fear gripped her heart. The barbarians were advancing to kill them both.

Sun Zikai asked, “Given the situation, do you still want to go to the Dust Sect? I think we can head back to Yanming Sect.”

Whether frightened or hesitant, the girl did not answer. Suddenly, a blade swung down. She screamed, but Sun Zikai did not turn. He extended a finger, which halted the blade’s edge.

Seeing her face turn pale, Sun Zikai sighed, raised his hand, snapped the blade in two, and grasped a shard. Then he unleashed a massacre—piercing chests, breaking bones, slitting throats, crushing skulls. Each barbarian fell to a single move, wielded with one hand.

Within moments, all twenty-four barbarians lay dead.

Sun Zikai walked to the rear and loosened the reins of all the horses and carts, setting them free. Then he approached the stunned girl and said, “Take back your gold. You’ll need it later.”

The girl, seeing a boy about her age, was momentarily dazed. After Sun Zikai urged her repeatedly, she finally moved back and, without hesitation, used her bracelet to reclaim all the gold from the wagons.

Sun Zikai clicked his tongue in amazement. That tiny bracelet was like a vast treasure trove, holding all the gold from over a dozen wagons.

He crouched and pulled out the gold and treasures from the hired men’s belongings. The girl approached and handed him a gold piece, saying, “I hire you.”

Sun Zikai refused it calmly. “You’ve already paid me. Put your gold away. One piece of gold can buy many of our lives.” He even returned all the gold he'd just taken back to her.

The girl was surprised by his behavior. She had seen much ugliness along the way, and this sudden glimmer of light felt unreal.

Sun Zikai asked again, “What’s your name?”

The girl hesitated, then said, “My name is Liu Yun.”

“Oh? And your real name?”

“Ah?” She was startled, meeting his calm, clear eyes. After a long pause, she whispered, “Jiang... Jiang Yujin.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Yujin was displeased by his reaction. She had hidden her name carefully across thousands of miles, guarding her identity. Finally, she’d summoned the courage to speak it, only for him to respond like that.

Sun Zikai appeared indifferent. Jiang Yujin lifted her robe, placed her hands on her hips, and challenged, “Do you know who I am?”

“Jiang Yujin.”

“I’m Jiang!”

“In our city, there are hundreds of people surnamed Jiang buried on the hillsides.”

“Oh... I see.” She lowered her head and mocked herself. “So that’s how it is.”

“Do you still want to go to the Dust Sect?”

“Yes!”

“Hey, Yanming Sect is strong too. You just want to cultivate, right? If not, I can teach you.”

The girl was firm. “I want to go. I’ve come this far. Besides...” She lifted her head defiantly. “I already paid.”

Sun Zikai sighed helplessly. He asked her to return the gold, but she couldn’t bear to part with it. That gold could ensure the children at the pass lived well in the city.

“Alright then, let’s set off. I’ll escort you to the Dust Sect.”

The girl sat back in the carriage. Sun Zikai lifted the curtain, sat beside the cart, and urged the driver southward. “Don’t lock yourself in a cage. Come out and see the world—it’s beautiful.”

After hesitating again, the girl shifted and sat beside Sun Zikai. It had been a long time since she had traveled openly on the road. Her eyes brightened, and a smile curved on her lips.

Sun Zikai asked, “How old are you?”

“Twelve, born in March.”

“Oh? Older than me. I’m twelve too, born in August.” Sun Zikai puckered his lips and muttered, “Older than me, huh.”