The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

On the eastern continent of the Floating Life Continent, at the border between the Qi Kingdom and the Western Shu Kingdom, lies a place called the Black Forest.

Shi Chuan, the third son of Shi Qingfeng, the head of the Shi family, led a group of people to the north of the Black Forest. They planned to enter the Black Forest from north to south.

If you look closely, you'll see that the one leading the way is actually a black tiger.

Their journey will take them into the northern Black Forest in search of the legendary Sleepless Tribe, who are said to be hiding there.

……

After leaving the woods on the western outskirts of Guangzhou, Luo Yifei and his two companions traveled to Chenzhou City in the northern region of the Southern Han Kingdom.

After disguising themselves, the group entered Changxinglou, the largest restaurant and inn in the city, which was also where Ji Mi disguised himself as Qi Yuan to come to Chenzhou.

Behind the restaurant, a large area of ​​land was occupied by inns, with small courtyards scattered in a well-organized manner.

The three of them did not enter through the main entrance of the restaurant, but instead went in through the backyard of the inn.

"The smallest room, the quietest one." Qi Yuan handed a bag of silver to the gatekeeper.

"There's a small house in the bamboo grove by the river, but it hasn't been cleaned yet. Would you three consider moving to a bigger one?" the doorman replied with a smile.

"A bigger one is fine, but it has to be quiet. We don't want to be disturbed," Qi Yuan said to the gatekeeper.

"The quietest room is the one in the northwest corner, but there's not much of a view there. Just a grassy area and two ginkgo trees," the doorman continued in response.

“Okay, that’s the place,” Qi Yuan replied.

"Alright, gentlemen, please get in the car," the doorman said to the three of them.

Luo Yifei followed Qi Yuan into the carriage and couldn't help but marvel at how different this big city was. This was no ordinary inn; even outdoor campsites on Earth didn't have such a large area.

Soon, the three arrived at the house in the northwest corner. Qi Yuan handed the driver some loose silver and said, "I want to hear what's going on in Freedom City. Please make the necessary arrangements."

The coachman agreed and drove the carriage away.

Entering the house, Luo Yifei asked, puzzled, "Didn't we already buy information in Xuwen County? The lives of ordinary people haven't changed much, it's just that there's been a major reshuffle of officials. Is it still necessary for us to buy information?"

"Something's not right, it's too calm." Qi Yuan said this only once, and then said nothing more.

A short while later, an old man arrived, knocked on the door, and sat down at Qi Yuan's gesture.

"A, B, C, D, which type of information do you need, sir?" the old man asked bluntly.

Qi Yuan's answer to "Grade A" was also very straightforward.

The old man handed over a thick stack of envelopes and said, "Fifty taels."

Luo Yifei was shocked; this amount of money could buy a small courtyard on An Island.

Qi Yuan calmly handed over a silver note, which the old man accepted before turning and leaving.

Qi Yuan opened the envelope, and the three of them read it together.

"Black Tiger." Qi Yuan read the words aloud as he looked at the paper, memories from a few months ago flooding his mind.

At that time, they had just escaped from Free City and, in order to evade the pursuers of the Eastern Wu Kingdom, they detoured into the Black Forest of the Western Shu Kingdom.

……

"Is there no other way but through this primeval forest?" Ji Mi asked.

"Didn't we agree to split into three groups and meet up in Lanting County? You insisted on coming along." That was Qiao Zhi's reply.

When the group met in the tunnels of Freedom City, their original plan was to split into three groups after leaving the city: Han Yue, Hua Xi, and Wei Er would take a detour around the west side of the Black Forest; Qi Yuan, Qing Wei, and Qiao Zhi would walk along the edge of the Black Forest; and San Mu, Ji Mi, and Bi Li would travel by waterway from the east side of the Black Forest.

"It's alright, I'm here." It was Qi Yuan who spoke.

Qi Yuan, Qingwei, Qiao Zhi, Sanmu, Ji Mi, and Bili, a group of six, walked into the depths of the forest.

The surrounding area was full of trees, the tallest of which were arborescent trees, and overgrown with weeds. There were also all sorts of plants I didn't know the names of, and strange-looking insects crawling, jumping, or wriggling on the leaves.

Bili saw a long, thin insect that left behind a trail of blood-red slime, which made him want to vomit. He didn't want to look anymore, but unfortunately, the forest was full of these insects.

Occasionally, rabbits or deer of unknown species would be startled and run past. The six people carefully traversed the forest.

Suddenly, Ji Mi stopped because, glancing to his left, he saw a black tiger staring at him.

Everyone stopped, and they all saw the black tiger. Qi Yuan gripped his sword hilt, ready to strike at any moment.

The six men stared at the black tiger. The birds in the trees fell silent, and only a few insects made a faint sound.

In an instant, the black tiger raised its left paw, and Qi Yuan had already drawn his sword, pointing it in the tiger's direction. But at that very moment, Qi Yuan felt a cold glint in the black tiger's eyes as it shot towards him, and his heart trembled.

Black Tiger then lowered its left paw, raised its right paw, turned, and quietly left. Six people remained motionless until Black Tiger's figure had long since disappeared from sight.

After waiting a while longer and confirming that there was no danger, Qi Yuan led everyone to continue their journey.

“I really never imagined that there would be a pure black tiger in this world.” It was Bili who spoke.

“The Black Tiger is an ancient divine creature, the totem of the Black Tiger Kingdom,” Qiao Zhi replied. “However, legend has it that they went extinct a thousand years ago.”

"Let's hurry on our way, it's getting dark, let's find a place to camp," Qi Yuan, who was walking at the front, said to the other five people.

Before nightfall, Qi Yuan led the group to a relatively safe place, where they set up camp.

As dawn breaks, the forest is filled with the melodious chirping of hundreds of birds.

Qi Yuan slowly opened his eyes, reaching to his left. "Where's my sword?" he suddenly asked, standing up. The other five people were also startled awake.

“My jade pendant.” Ji Mi habitually touched her chest.

The six people looked at each other and began to check their own belongings.

“My parchment scroll is gone too.” Bili checked the inside of his backpack.

“My straw hat,” Sanmu said.

Qiao Zhi looked at Qi Yuan with the "token".

“I’m not missing anything,” Qingwei said softly.

"Ha, ha, ha." Laughter came from outside the tent. The six people hurriedly stepped out of the tent. An old man with white hair stood in front of them, "You dare to enter the forest like this?"

"You." Qi Yuan was about to speak when he saw a black tiger quietly emerge from behind the old man—the very same black tiger they had seen yesterday.

It lay down beside the old man, not looking at the six of them, but casually scratching its head with its paw. Then it opened its mouth, its teeth glistening with saliva. The six men just watched, no one speaking.

"Don't worry, Yao won't hurt you," the old man said with a smile.

“Senior, we will be passing through this place on our journey. We were unaware that you lived in seclusion here. We hope you will forgive us.” It was Qi Yuan who spoke.

Qi Yuan had now clearly seen what Ji Mi had mentioned last night—it was a small hut.

“First, am I that old? Second, you're not in a hurry, you're on the run. Third, if I hadn't been so forgiving, you would all be dead by now. Fourth, my seclusion ends today.” The old man continued to smile at them.

Black Tiger then walked towards the small house behind the tree. "Come on, since you're here, come inside and sit down," the old man said, before heading towards the small house on his own.

The six people were left standing there, stunned.