The evening breeze carried lingering heat across the land, sending patches of reeds swaying in gentle waves. In the clear river, a fish broke the surface with a soft splash, blew a bubble, flicked its tail, and disappeared among the water plants.

Upon the flowing water was reflected a stone bridge. On the bridge, a scholar carrying a bookcase upon his back wiped the sweat from his brow, found a place to sit and rest, took out some dried provisions and blew the dust from them before unfolding the map in his hand.

“Ningxia Town should be just ahead.”

The somewhat absent-minded scholar muttered to himself. After finishing half of his ration, he stood and continued toward the town not far ahead.

“Stop right there!”

The sudden roar startled the scholar, who immediately froze in place. A series of pounding footsteps rushed up behind him, and in the blink of an eye several men sprinted past. Three bare-chested warriors brandishing weapons pointed them at a one-armed wandering swordsman wearing a scholar’s gauze cap in the distance.

“Let’s see where you can run now!” “Enough talk! Kill him and take the item—”

The men clashed with loud bangs, weapons crashing together. The scholar’s face turned deathly pale. Trembling, he lifted the hem of his robe and raised a sleeve to shield the side of his face. He simply did not dare watch such a savage battle. His faded blue cloth shoes hurried into a trot as he fled as fast as he could toward the town.

“Once I’m inside the town… once I’m inside, it’ll be fine.”

He repeated the words under his breath several times. Before he had even entered the town, the constant clang of blacksmiths’ hammers reached his ears. Tightening the straps of the bookcase on his back, he nervously glanced around. Greenwood wanderers carrying sabers, swords, spears, and iron lances hurried past, while others gathered in groups of three or five, eyeing passersby as they casually revealed their weapons, cruel smiles curling across their lips.

Over the past few years, Ningxia Town had grown even more prosperous. Merchants traveling north and south often stopped here to hire escorts before continuing toward the cities farther north. Although the Sui Dynasty had enjoyed three years of capable governance and the realm was largely at peace, bands of brigands still hid in the mountains, descending from time to time to rob travelers. As a result, this town—once merely a gathering place for those of the jianghu—had become a place where all manner of people mingled, with no shortage of mountain bandits secretly blending into the crowds.

Curiously enough, however, the mountain nearest the northern side of Ningxia Town was seldom visited. Even the most notorious bandit chiefs from the surrounding peaks dared not approach it lightly, treating the place with the utmost apprehension.

Most of all, there was a dilapidated temple hidden in those mountains. Whenever the words “Ruolan” were mentioned, the townsfolk who had long lived here would invariably change their expressions, turn around, and leave without another word. It had thus become the thing that intrigued outsiders the most.

Within the town stood an inn flying a blue banner embroidered with the words “Immortal’s Arrival.” The scholar, still carrying his bookcase, edged timidly through the doorway. Looking inside, he found the hall packed with drinkers bearing weapons, laughing boisterously and shouting curses. Swallowing hard, he stepped over the threshold but dared go no farther. Instead, he quietly called over a waiter carrying a tray.

“Excuse me, young sir.”

“Oh? Has this guest come for a meal, or will you be staying the night?” The waiter lowered his tray, flicked the towel draped over his shoulder, and gestured for the scholar to come inside. Raising his voice toward the inn’s interior, he called out, “One guest has arrived!”

The scholar hurriedly waved his hands before the waiter could finish shouting. “No, no! I’m not here to eat or stay the night. I’ve come to collect a debt. May I trouble you to tell me whether your proprietor is in?”

The waiter immediately shut his mouth, gave him a sidelong glance, then turned his head toward the back of the inn and shouted, “Proprietor! Someone’s here to collect a debt!!”

Stretching his neck to look inside, the scholar saw a plump, big-eared proprietor behind the counter, wearing a cockscomb-shaped cap and writing in his ledger. Upon hearing the waiter’s shout, the fat proprietor raised his eyes and met the scholar’s gaze. The very next instant, he bent down beneath the counter.

“Proprietor, my surname is Ning. I’ve come to—”

Bang!

A broad-backed butcher’s cleaver slammed down onto the countertop.

The fat proprietor lifted his chin. “Collect a debt?”

Gulp…

The scholar swallowed hard, his eyes darting about. Throughout the common room, every drinker set down his cup and reached for the weapons resting beside the tables, narrowing their eyes as they looked at him with undisguised hostility.

“My apologies! My apologies for disturbing you!”

The scholar hastily cupped his hands in salute and backed out of the inn before turning and fleeing. The bookcase on his back creaked and rattled wildly as he ran, and several books tumbled out with a slap. He stopped, glanced cautiously back at the inn, and, seeing no one in pursuit, hurriedly gathered them up before taking off once more as though flying.

“Hahaha—!”

The spectacle sent the entire inn into roaring laughter. Men from every walk of the jianghu pounded the tables. “That bookworm actually thought he could collect debts!”

“That’s right! If he’s afraid of dying, he shouldn’t have come!” “Hehe, we might as well rob him.”

“Rob a penniless scholar? Strip him naked, and you still wouldn’t get a few taels’ worth.”

“Hey, hey, don’t underestimate scholars. If the proprietor hears you, he’ll throw you right out.”

The remark instantly silenced the surrounding tables.

A group of outlaws drinking nearby slapped the scabbard of a saber and snorted, turning to the speaker.

“What? Saying ‘scholar’ can get a man into trouble?”

At the neighboring table, a burly man shook open his robe, revealing the tattoo across his shoulder. Leaning slightly forward, he narrowed his eyes.

“Then why don’t you try it? Do you know why this inn is called ‘Immortal’s Arrival’?”

The proprietor, who had been keeping the accounts, looked up, set down his brush, and walked out from behind the counter with a beaming smile. Cupping his hands toward both tables, he said, “Eat, eat. When you’re away from home, harmony brings prosperity. If you want to know how this inn got its name, just ask me. There’s no need for anyone to lose their temper.”

The tattooed man gave a snort, straightened himself, and resumed drinking and eating. The men at the other table also rested their hands on their sabers before turning back toward the proprietor.

“The fellow just now said not to underestimate scholars, or the proprietor would throw me out. What’s that supposed to mean? My escort company is from another province. This is my first time in Ningxia Town, so I’d appreciate it if the proprietor could enlighten us.”

As he spoke, he clasped his saber and cupped his fists in apology, making amends for nearly drawing his weapon moments earlier.

The fat proprietor was a businessman through and through. Chuckling, he returned the salute and casually took a seat at the men’s table. He knew full well that those who lived by the blade appreciated this sort of treatment the most.

“My good sir, you wouldn’t know. Three years ago, a scholar who was truly an Immortal came to our town. Ah, what a handsome gentleman he was—graceful, refined, and elegant beyond compare. Every gesture carried an immortal bearing. One glance was enough to tell he possessed the divine power to move mountains and overturn seas. Even the old mangy donkey he led was vigorous and majestic, full of imposing dignity. Behind him followed a beautiful young woman with her hands bound, and he came to lodge at my inn.”

Whenever the fat proprietor recounted this tale, he always found a new way to tell it, never repeating himself. His listeners invariably ended up completely dumbfounded.

Fortunately, the greenwood man recovered quickly. After a moment’s thought, he frowned and seized upon the questionable part.

“You could tell he possessed immortal arts?”

“Heh, of course—” The fat proprietor slapped the table before abruptly changing his tune. “—I couldn’t.”

Rising from the bench, he waved a chubby hand as he continued,

“Then again, honored guest, you wouldn’t know. That Immortal truly manifested his divine might back then. It happened at Lanruo Temple up in the mountains—that place was haunted by demons. The Immortal simply led his old donkey inside. Then, before long, the entire night sky blazed as bright as day. Thunder roared, and lightning flashed without end. It was terrifying. Back then, several fellows from this town planned to rob the Immortal, but they ran back halfway and told everyone what had happened. They saw it all with their own eyes.”

“What became of those men?”

“Them? Naturally, they followed the Immortal to wander the mortal world.”

“Sounds more like a band of charlatans putting on a show to fool you.”

The moment he heard that, the fat proprietor was no longer pleased. He had already started back toward the counter, but now he turned around again. His voice rose several degrees as he jabbed a finger repeatedly against the greenwood man’s table.

“Those fellows used to drink at my inn all the time back then. How could I not know what sort of people they were?”

“Then why did you chase that scholar away just now?”

“Because he came to collect a debt, not because he was an Immortal. Those are two entirely different things.”

The fat proprietor waved a hand dismissively, clasped both hands behind his back, and walked to the entrance. Looking outside, he muttered, “It’s getting dark. Why’s that coward running toward the mountains?”

Far in the distance, the scholar with the bookcase seemed to have stopped and asked someone for directions before hurriedly leaving the town and making for the mountain road to the north.

Just as the proprietor was wondering about it, a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

“Proprietor, do you happen to have any vacant rooms left?” “That’s right. The four of us have come to spend the night. We’re not here to collect any debts.”

The fat proprietor turned his gaze.

Standing beneath the eaves outside were four scholars of varying heights, each carrying a bookcase on his back. They grinned broadly, teeth showing, as they cupped their hands toward him in greeting.

“What kind of luck is this today? I just sent one scholar packing, and now four more have shown up!”