Chương 94: 93. DaoDash Guarantees On-Time Delivery Even in Enemy Territory

The road beyond Greenstone narrows as it climbs between two low ridges. Pines crowd the higher slopes, their branches heavy with a thin accumulation of snow. Below them, exposed stone breaks through the earth in long grey shelves. The road itself remains wide enough for two wagons to pass, though the ruts near its edges have hardened into uneven ridges beneath the morning cold. The delivery wagon moves steadily through the center.

Two hired laborers sit at the front beneath layered coats, one holding the reins while the other watches the road ahead. Neither speaks much. They have been told the route is safe, that three cultivators will accompany them, and that the cargo only needs to reach an inn before nightfall. Jun walks several paces ahead of the horses. Mei Lin keeps to the wagon's left, close enough to intervene if anything emerges from the trees.

Wei Chen occupies the right side, though he drifts farther from the wheels whenever the road widens, as if hoping the surrounding forest might offer him something worth fighting. Together, the three form a loose triangle around the wagon. The arrangement is simple, but their spacing remains consistent even when they speak. Jun raises one hand. Ahead, the road passes between a steep bank and a stand of old pines before descending toward the villages beyond the ridge. Nothing marks the location as a border.

No stone pillar carries a sect emblem. No formation shimmers beneath the earth, and no guardhouse stands beside the road. The boundary exists only because Stone River Sect says it does. For years, its disciples have patrolled the surrounding routes, hunted beasts that wander too close to the villages, and escorted merchants through the area during the more dangerous seasons. Several nearby settlements pay for that protection. Over time, service has become custom, and custom has become authority.

Most caravans pass without being questioned. Stone River rarely bothers collecting fees from every cart carrying grain, pottery, or firewood between villages. The inconvenience would earn them more resentment than silver. This time is different. Three figures step onto the road ahead. Jun stops immediately. The lead man wears Stone River's brown-and-grey disciple robes beneath a sleeveless outer coat.

He appears to be in his late twenties, with thick forearms, a flattened nose, and the balanced stance of someone accustomed to fighting without a weapon. His hands hang loose at his sides. Qi Condensation, Eighth Stage. Two younger disciples follow behind him, one on either side. Both have reached the Sixth Stage. The older disciple looks over the escort first. His attention pauses on Jun, moves to Mei Lin, then settles on Wei Chen. Whatever he senses satisfies him.

"You are entering protected territory," he says. Jun's expression remains polite.

"We are delivering goods to the Willow Hearth Inn."

"So?" That answer causes Mei Lin's gaze to sharpen. The laborer holding the reins pulls the horses to a full stop. The second man shifts closer to him on the bench. Jun reaches slowly inside his coat and withdraws the oiled document case.

"The customer paid for direct delivery from the Coiling Dragon Sect. The route and delivery terms are recorded in the agreement." He opens the case and produces the signed contract without approaching. The Stone River disciple does not take it.

"Your agreement is with the innkeeper."

"It includes transport."

"It does not include the road." Jun glances once at the ground beneath his feet, perhaps searching for a marker he already knows is not there.

"This is a public route between Greenstone and the surrounding villages."

"It is a route our sect protects."

"No toll was mentioned when the contract was negotiated."

"Then you should have investigated more carefully." Wei Chen folds his arms. Jun ignores the movement before it can become commentary.

"What fee does Stone River require?" The older disciple finally looks pleased.

"Eight low-grade spirit stones." One of the drivers inhales sharply. That exceeds what many mortal households earn. More importantly, it consumes most of the delivery's expected profit. Paying the fee will turn the contract into a loss. Mei Lin speaks before Wei Chen can.

"Eight stones for one wagon? That is ridiculous, and you know it."

"For passage under Stone River's protection."

"We are already protecting the wagon," Wei Chen says. The older disciple's eyes return to him.

"A Fifth Stage cultivator should be cautious when judging what protection he can provide." Wei Chen's qi stirs. Jun steps half a pace sideways, placing himself more clearly between Wei Chen and the men ahead.

"Our sect will acknowledge a legitimate local fee if it is applied consistently and disclosed before delivery," Jun says.

"Eight low-grade spirit stones demanded after we have entered an unmarked road satisfies neither condition." The older disciple's expression hardens.

"You are speaking as though this is a negotiation."

"It concerns payment. That usually makes it one, does it not?" The younger disciple on the right shifts forward. His feet settle more firmly against the road. The Stone River leader points back toward Greenstone.

"If you will not pay, turn the wagon around."

"The goods have been purchased," Jun says.

"We are obligated to deliver them."

"Not through this road."

"There is no reasonable alternative before nightfall."

"That is not our concern." Jun studies the three disciples. The demand is not intended as a normal toll. If Coiling Dragon pays, the delivery loses money and Stone River establishes the right to tax anything moving through the area. If they turn around, the inn receives nothing and future customers learn that Coiling Dragon cannot guarantee delivery beyond Greenstone. Either outcome accomplishes the same purpose. Mei Lin seems to reach the conclusion at nearly the same moment.

"This isn't about protecting the road," she says. The older disciple does not deny it.

"You have been told the conditions for passage. Take them or leave." Jun folds the contract and returns it to the case.

"We will continue." The two younger Stone River disciples move apart, blocking more of the road.

"No," their leader says.

"You will not." Behind Jun, the horses shift uneasily. One of the drivers tightens his grip on the reins. Mei Lin moves closer to the wagon. Wei Chen steps away from it. The older Stone River disciple rolls one shoulder. Qi spreads through his arms, thickening the air around his fists.

"This is your final warning." Jun's voice remains level.

"We have a lawful delivery, a signed agreement, and no obligation to pay an invented fee. Move aside." The disciple takes one step forward. The road cracks faintly beneath his heel. The younger disciple on the left lunges first. He crosses the distance toward Jun in three quick steps, one hand reaching for the document case while the other draws back to strike. Jun retreats at once, dodging the first blow. Mei Lin moves toward the pursuing disciple as water qi flows around her forearm.

The Stone River disciple's momentum carries him forward. Mei Lin turns with him, guiding the force toward the roadside instead of meeting it directly. Flowing Ripple Counter Art. His foot leaves the road, stumbling at the unexpected technique. Mei Lin stands her ground, withdrawing her sword. Wei Chen grins. The older disciple drives toward him before the smile can widen further. Their fists meet in the space beside the wagon. The impact shakes snow from the nearest pine branches.

The older Stone River disciple's fist drives Wei Chen backward. His boots carve two shallow trenches through the frozen road before Stable Body catches beneath him. Iron Breathing tightens his frame around the impact, spreading the force through his shoulders, ribs, and legs instead of allowing it to collapse his chest. The man's eyes narrow as Wei Chen spits blood to one side and grins through the pain. The road erupts beneath him.

A pillar of compacted earth rises from below, striking toward his ribs while the older disciple advances behind it. One of the Sixth Stage cultivators stamps his heel at the same time. Two earthen walls burst upward between the wagon and the fighting disciples, separating the road into narrow sections. The third wall rises between Mei Lin and Jun. He recognizes it immediately. Divide the battlefield. Restrict movement.

Force opponents into individual exchanges where superior cultivation and hardened bodies decide the result. The three Stone River disciples spread apart without speaking. Each claims a section of the road as naturally as though the terrain has been prepared for them in advance. For an instant, the formation appears complete. c Wei Chen stands alone before the Eighth Stage disciple. Mei Lin faces one of the younger men behind a wall of packed earth. Jun disappears from view on the opposite side.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The Stone River disciples smile.

"Back," Jun calls. Wei Chen obeys immediately. The older disciple's second punch passes through the space where his head had been. Wei Chen plants one foot against the rising earth pillar and throws himself sideways instead of continuing the exchange. He lands near the wagon. The Stone River leader hesitates. Jun's voice comes from beyond the nearest wall.

"Now." Wei Chen inhales. Fire gathers behind his teeth. He bends forward and releases it in a broad plume across the center of the road. The older disciple crosses both arms before his face. Qi coats his skin and hardens the sleeves around his forearms. The flames spread too widely to avoid, but lack the concentration to burn through his defense. That is not their purpose. Mei Lin's sword cuts downward.

Water spills from the blade in a thin silver sheet, races across the road, and crashes against the base of the nearest earthen wall. The packed soil darkens instantly. Cracks appear across its surface as water forces its way between layers that have not yet settled. The Sixth Stage disciple before her drives both palms toward the ground to harden the wall, but its lower half collapses into mud. Mei Lin steps through the opening before the man can retreat. Her sword flashes toward his shoulder.

He catches the flat between his palms, qi coating his fingers, and twists with enough force to tear the weapon from the grip of a weaker cultivator. Mei Lin turns with the motion, flying across the air as she goes with the sword instead of letting go. Water slides across the steel and whips into his eyes. He flinches. Her knee strikes his stomach. The impact fails to fold him, but it drives him back through the ruined wall and into the central road. Wei Chen's fire reaches the water spreading through the air.

Steam explodes between them. A white cloud swallows the road, the wagon, and every disciple within several breaths. Heat rolls outward. The horses rear against their harnesses until one of the laborers pulls them under control. Stone River's disciples lose sight of one another. The walls they raised now divide the steam into narrow corridors.

"Three steps left," Jun calls. Wei Chen moves before the command finishes. A fist tears through the steam where his chest had been. The younger Stone River disciple finds nothing but empty air. Wei Chen's shoulder slams into him from the side and drives him against the softened wall.

"Forward." Mei Lin emerges through the steam behind the older disciple. Her sword strikes the earth coating his back. He turns only for Wei Chen to release another breath of fire into his face. The older man raises his arms too late. The flames wash across his cheek and shoulder, singeing his hair and blackening the edge of his robe.

"AHHH!" The protection around his skin prevents serious injury, but getting roasted alive is far from pleasant. The other Stone River disciples cry out as the edge of the plume catches them as well. When the fire recedes, all three remain standing. Their robes are scorched. Their exposed skin is reddened. Wei Chen looks delighted. The older disciple looks murderous.

"Stay together!" he shouts. The command comes too late. One of the younger disciples hears Jun's voice through the steam.

"Right side. Two breaths." He turns toward it and charges. Earth gathers around his fist as he crosses the broken wall. His strike passes through the white cloud and finds only empty road. Jun is already behind him. One foot hooks around the disciple's ankle. Jun pulls while driving his shoulder into the man's lower back. The Stone River disciple loses his footing. Jun kicks him between the shoulder blades. The blow lacks the force to injure a Sixth Stage cultivator badly, but he is already falling.

It sends him forward into the opening Mei Lin has been waiting for. The flat of her sword strikes the side of his knee and the pommel drives into his temple. He collapses onto the road. Mei Lin steps over him and turns toward the remaining two. The older disciple sees his junior fall. His expression changes. Wei Chen retreats when the pressure shifts toward him. Mei Lin advances whenever Stone River expects her to remain near the wagon.

Jun refuses every direct exchange, appearing only where someone else has already created an opening. A frustrating battle that wears on him.

"ENOUGH!" The older disciple slams both palms together. Earth surges through the road. Two walls rise at once, one cutting Mei Lin away from the fallen disciple while the second drives between Wei Chen and Jun. The remaining Sixth Stage cultivator rushes Mei Lin before the earth has fully settled. She steps back. The younger disciple follows, driving both palms forward. Qi gathers around his forearms as he tries to pin her against the wall his leader has just raised. Mei Lin does not meet him directly.

Her sword cuts across the wall instead. Water gathers along the blade and sinks into the packed earth. The surface darkens. A second slash opens a shallow groove across its base. Then a third strikes lower, widening the softened line until muddy water begins leaking through. He lunges. Mei Lin pivots aside and lets his fist pass her shoulder. Her sword turns in the same motion, striking the side of his wrist and guiding the blow into the weakened wall. The impact cracks through the damp earth.

Jun appears on the disciple's opposite side.

"Again!" Mei Lin drives a burst of water into the fracture while Jun kicks the back of the man's knee. His stance collapses. He drops low enough for Mei Lin's pommel to strike his jaw. Wei Chen comes through the steam from the other side. The younger disciple turns toward him on instinct. Wei Chen's fist slams into his chest before he can recover. The Sixth Stage cultivator leaves the ground and crashes onto his back.

Jun steps in immediately, one heel pinning the man's wrist while Mei Lin's sword settles beneath his chin.

"Stay down," she says. Across the broken road, the older disciple forces his way around the second wall. He sees both juniors on the ground. His face twists.

"You—" Mei Lin pulls her sword free and turns toward the wall beside them. The water she drove into its base has continued spreading. Mud runs through the cracks. What had risen as a solid barrier now leans slightly toward the center of the road. Jun follows her gaze.

"Left side," he says. Wei Chen moves without asking why. He plants both hands against the wall and shoves. For one breath, nothing happens. Then the softened foundation gives way. The older disciple looks up. His eyes widen as the entire slab of packed earth falls toward him. He throws both arms overhead and catches it. The impact drives him to one knee. Stone cracks beneath him.

Mud and broken earth spill across his shoulders as he strains beneath the weight, qi surging through his arms to keep the wall from crushing him. He succeeds until Jun circles behind the fallen slab and strikes low, his blade cutting across the older disciple's ankle at the exact moment the man shifts his weight to throw the wall aside. The reinforced flesh resists the edge, but his footing breaks. His knee slips. The wall crashes lower across his shoulder and drives him sideways.

Wei Chen clears the broken earth in two strides. The older disciple tears one arm free and starts to rise. Wei Chen's fist swings in a wide, ugly arc. It catches him across the jaw. The impact lifts him from beneath the collapsing wall and sends him tumbling through the mud. He lands several paces away and does not immediately rise. Three blades point toward them. Mei Lin's sword rests near the throat of the disciple beneath Wei Chen.

Jun's short blade hovers beside the older man's ankle, close to the same tendon he struck moments earlier. Wei Chen has drawn his own weapon at some point during the final exchange, though the expression on his face suggests he would prefer to continue using his fists. The older Stone River disciple looks from one blade to the next. None of Coiling Dragon's disciples appears unharmed. Wei Chen's breathing is heavy, and one side of his chest has begun to bruise beneath his robes.

Mei Lin's sword arm trembles faintly from repeatedly redirecting stronger blows. Jun has mud across one sleeve and blood at the corner of his mouth. They are still standing. Mei Lin speaks first.

"Take them and leave." The older man's jaw tightens.

"You think this settles anything?"

"No," Mei Lin says.

"But remaining here will make it worse." Her sword does not move. The man glances toward the wagon, then toward the road behind it. The two laborers remain frozen on the bench, staring at the broken walls and scorched earth with wide eyes. Stone River has already lost the fight. If merchants begin repeating that three of its disciples were defeated while attempting to collect an invented toll, the loss will extend beyond bruises. The older disciple forces himself upright. Jun steps back far enough to allow it.

Wei Chen removes his boot from the younger man's chest with visible reluctance. Stone River's leader lifts the unconscious disciple over one shoulder. The remaining junior rises unsteadily, one hand covering his mouth.

"This isn't over," the leader says. Wei Chen opens his mouth.

"Big talk from the ones who lost to a Fifth Stage cultivator!" The man doesn't respond, only gritting his teeth. The three Stone River disciples retreat toward the bend in the road. None turns his back completely until the drifting steam and trees begin to hide them. Mei Lin keeps her sword raised until their footsteps disappear. Only then does Jun exhale.

"Check the drivers." Mei Lin returns to the wagon. Wei Chen watches the road for several breaths longer before lowering his weapon. The laborers are frightened but uninjured. One of the horses has strained against its harness, though the wagon and cargo remain intact. Jun retrieves the fallen document case from the mud and wipes it against his sleeve. They clear enough mud and shattered earth from the road for the wagon to pass.

Jun reorganizes the formation before they continue, placing Mei Lin ahead and keeping Wei Chen closer to the rear wheels in case Stone River returns. The wagon rolls past the remains of the earthen walls. One of the drivers keeps glancing over his shoulder at the road behind them. The other leans closer, whispering beneath the creak of the wheels. The first driver looks toward Wei Chen, who walks beside the rear wheel with his hands clasped behind his back. Wei Chen's shoulders rise slightly.

The drivers lower their voices, though not enough to hide the continued discussion. They begin reconstructing the fight for one another despite both having witnessed it from the same bench. Each retelling makes the steam thicker, the earthen walls taller, and Wei Chen's final punch strong enough to send the Stone River leader twice the distance he actually traveled. Wei Chen presses his lips together. His efforts to suppress his smile make it worse.

The corners of his mouth twitch whenever the drivers mention the Fifth Stage cultivator who held back someone three stages above him.

"You are enjoying this far too much," Mei Lin says.

"I'm just happy that we finished the mission."

"You shouted at them after they were already leaving."

"They needed to understand the result." Jun continues ahead of the wagon, though his pace has slowed enough for the others to remain within easy speaking distance. He keeps one hand near the oiled document case and occasionally looks toward the tree line. Wei Chen watches him for several breaths before moving closer. He nudges Jun's arm. Jun looks at him.

"Doesn't it feel good?" Jun faces forward again.

"We protected the cargo. Nothing more." Wei Chen steps around a frozen rut.

"Come on. That was the first time we fought disciples from another sect." He leans closer.

"And we won." Mei Lin glances back.

"You are saying that as if we defeated a major sect."

"They were stronger than us. Didn't you mention they were from a bigger sect than us?" Jun's expression remains composed, but some of the tension has left his shoulders. His thumb brushes a smear of dried mud from the document case. For several steps, Jun says nothing. Then the corner of his mouth lifts. The smile disappears almost immediately. Wei Chen sees it anyway.

"There! Haha!" Jun's face returns to its usual seriousness.

"Continue watching the rear." Wei Chen moves back toward the wagon, openly grinning now. Mei Lin shakes her head, but she cannot entirely hide her own satisfaction. The trembling in her sword arm has eased. She keeps flexing her fingers around the hilt, remembering each exchange and where the next one could have been cleaner. The formation settles around the wagon again, the laborers continue whispering.

By the time the road begins descending toward the next village, the story has already become one in which three young Coiling Dragon disciples entered Stone River territory, refused an impossible toll, and defeated cultivators several stages above them without losing a single jar of preserved meat. None of the disciples corrects them. Far above the road, a pine branch bends beneath a weight the snow does not explain. Ling'er watches the wagon pass below.

Her presence remains folded inward until even the birds nesting nearby fail to notice her. She has followed since before the delivery left the mountain, moving between treetops and ridges while the disciples believed themselves alone. Master had not ordered her to come. He had also not ordered her to remain behind. She studies the three disciples as they continue down the road before breathing out softly.

"... They have a lot to learn." A quiet smile touches her face. She looks toward the wagon once more. There is no reason to intervene. The cargo is intact, the disciples remain alert, and the nearest Stone River cultivators are retreating in the opposite direction. Ling'er steps from the branch. Snow drifts through the empty space where she stood.

'Master will want to know that they succeeded. Perhaps there will be a celebration.' By the time the nearest flake reaches the ground, she is already crossing the ridge toward Coiling Dragon.