Early the next morning, they were back on the road.

  The Golden Witch presented Bai Guo with a small clay sphere that fit snugly into her hand, a thin piece of rope sticking out of it.

  "Do you remember Cui Shen's Body Dissolving Incense?" She asked, and immediately Bai Guo's hairs stood on end as he realized what this object was.

  "I made this to make it more convenient to use. If you ever need it, light the fuse. After a few breaths it will begin to take effect. Get as far away from it as you can before that happens." She explained. "I can't vouch for the range of this thing, it was different every time I tested it out. I don't need to explain how dangerous this is, right?"

  Bai Guo hesitated. "Master, what would I even do with this? I think I'd just end up hurting myself by accident. I really don't need it..."

  "It's only dangerous when used in the manner I described. Without a flame, it does nothing even if it breaks. Just take it." She insisted. "If there's ever a time when I'm not around to keep you safe, I trust that someone as crafty as you will be able to find an opportunity to use it and get away safely."

  Bai Guo eventually relented, hiding the smoke bomb into his pocket. He remained perpetually on edge because of the little clay ball in his possession.

  As they traveled, the young disciple brought up a matter that had been bothering him ever since they ventured out.

  "Master, I've been meaning to ask about... well, your new companions."

  "Liao Lan has been very helpful." The Golden Witch explained. "Saving you, and some other things... I took her on as a disciple to repay my debts to her."

  Bai Guo shivered just thinking about those two harpies. But this was something he could hardly take any qualms with, as he still owed Liao Lan a great debt. Tolerating their antics was not too much to ask for in exchange.

  "And Shao Luli too?" He asked.

  "She's Liao Lan's disciple. They're practically inseparable. If I took on one, I had to take on the other. I don't really mind having her along, but I don't think she likes me very much..."

  Bai Guo chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, master, I don't think she likes me very much either..."

  "Really? That's surprising."

  "But it's mutual, so I'm not worried about it."

  "May I ask why?" Her confusion seemed genuine.

  Bai Guo hesitated, briefly wondering if he could even justify his impression of her. "Well, how do I put this...? I think the moment we laid eyes on each other, we just knew where we stood. Like dogs and cats."

  "She somewhat reminded me of you." She suddenly said.

  "In what way?" Bai Guo immediately took offense at the insinuation. "Is it just because we're both disciples...?"

  The Golden Witch mused over his question for a while. "Perhaps that's the reason..." She eventually conceded.

  Bai Guo felt that there was more to it, that she simply didn't know how to explain her vague feelings. But he was eager to let the matter drop. Not only was he not at all interested in pursuing this train of thought, but ultimately, his new martial relatives were not his biggest concern.

  Bai Guo breached the more important subject.

  "What about Tao Geming?"

  Her mood immediately turned ever so slightly dour. "He's been helping me find the world's greatest martial artists. That's all."

  "And you've just been letting him do that? Master, he can't be trusted, surely you know that. There's really no telling what he'll ask for in exchange."

  "I know." She sighed. "And it's not like I enjoy having him around. He's such a tiresome little weasel. But the progress we've been making together... It's just not something I can disregard. Without him, I would perhaps end up wasting years on my task. I simply can't keep relying on lucky coincidences to keep bringing me to the right people, as I have been. However, I don't think his intentions are nefarious. If it makes you feel any better, it's not my internal energy method he's after."

  "But then what else could it be?" Bai Guo was puzzled by this revelation, rendered even more suspicious. "It's probably something even worse."

  "I'll deal with it when the time comes." She dismissed the matter.

  Over the next few days, they ventured ever farther east. People at inns and markets spoke at length about the horrors brought about by the Red Tiger bandits and their chief, Song Quan of the Evil Palm. He was a ruthless killer from an older time whom people believed to be long gone, likely killed in obscurity by one of his countless enemies. But he reemerged, and during his current reign of terror, over the course of mere months, he brought untold devastation upon the lands, uprooted several established sects and killed their strongest masters.

  And as their numbers grew, so did the scale of the destruction.

  Many spoke about having to leave their homes behind, searching for a place under a king powerful enough to ward off the horde.

  But most peculiarly, whenever Bai Guo tried to inquire more into the band, the refugees would give him the strangest of looks and take every excuse to leave, if they offered one at all.

  Bai Guo began to suspect that he was not the primary cause of their worries. But when he eyed his golden-haired master, he found her equally confused.

  Even when Bai Guo attempted to question people without her immediate presence, it was as though news of her arrival would spread like wildfire throughout every settlement they came across and rendered the people disinclined to share.

  But then again, keeping in mind who his master was, it wasn't surprising that her presence would rapidly become the talk of every town, Bai Guo thought.

  "Master..." He began, only for her to cut him off with a sigh.

  "I know... You want me to go hide again. Just like when we first met."

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "I'm sorry." Bai Guo apologized. "I know I said that I know where they are, but it was actually just the name of the place, so I do need to learn the directions..."

  "That's fine then." She said. "I won't be far behind, but be careful."

  The most they could do for the time being was to trace back the steps of the fleeing refugees. The closer they drew to their destination, the more terrified they found the local people, the more deserted the towns and the villages. Most were too scared to speak with strangers. And Bai Guo soon realized that, as a young and armed martial artist himself, he quite accurately fit the profile of the average brigand.

  It had taken days before he finally managed to find someone brave enough to speak their mind. He met with a middle-aged man, the sole remaining habitant of a small village.

  "I am Wan Bu. Generations of my Wan family have lived on this land, and I will sooner get cut down by the brigands than be forced off my own property!" He ranted. "I can tell you're not one of them. First of all, you're not speaking to me with a sword in hand. Secondly, those desperados have a type; you've got that civilized, city air to you, I can tell that much. My son left for the big city, and came back years later looking just like you. I can tell."

  After introducing himself, Bai Guo asked of him, "I would appreciate, sir, if you could give me directions to the Red Tiger Mountain."

  "That's their lair!" Wan Bu exclaimed. "It's no big secret where it is, but before I tell you, I must ask, why would you want to go there? Surely you don't mean to join them! They'd chew a city boy like you right up."

  "I am acting on behalf of my master. She wishes to disperse the brigands."

  "That's lunacy!" Wan Bu gasped. "Does your master fancy herself even more skilled than Huang Shi the Miracle Comet? Because that villain Song Quan of the Evil Palm made short work of even him!"

  "Most certainly." Bai Guo had no idea who the defeated man in question was, but still he answered without hesitation.

  "Really? Just who is your master?" The man's interest seemed roused by the young man's confidence. "What kingdom do you two hail from?"

  Bai Guo became somewhat hesitant.

  "I am a member of the Cult of the Golden Witch." He said. "We have no holdings."

  Wan Bu obviously never heard of such an organization. He seemed disappointed. Perhaps upon learning that they held no land he assumed that they couldn't amount to anything special. But a thought struck him suddenly, and he asked, "Golden Witch? Could this witch of yours perhaps have golden hair and golden eyes?"

  "So you have heard of it..." Bai Guo mumbled, deeply confused by the fact that the organization he just made up had somehow been recognized. "That woman is my master."

  "Young man, the bandits rave on and on about that master of yours!" Wan Bu exclaimed. "It's her they're looking for! We thought she didn't exist at all, that Song Quan has gone mad, that he was chasing after something he'd seen in a dream! They've been killing almost everyone who claims not to have heard of her. So it turns out she was real..."

  "They're looking for her...?" Bai Guo found the revelation deeply unsettling. But upon giving it some thought, he realized that it was nothing to be surprised about. That Song Quan probably wanted payback.

  Wan Bu then told him which roads led to Red Tiger Mountain. Once he had fully grasped the path to follow, Bai Guo bowed in gratitude and prepared to take his leave.

  But before he was gone, he asked one last question.

  "Did you ever happen to notice a remarkably young brigand among the band, practically a boy?"

  "I think I know exactly the one you're talking about. I hadn't seen him personally, but I heard from others. There's a boy among them with cut hair, couldn't have been older than twelve. He was at the head of a scouting band of the rogues. Even at his young age, he was killing people left and right like it was nothing, just like the rest of them." Wan Bu shook his head. "That poor child, doomed to live a dog's life."

  Bai Guo's heart grew heavier. He continued the questioning, "Was he in the company of Song Quan?"

  "No. Their leader is rarely seen. And thank the heavens for that."

  "Where was this young man seen last?" Bai Guo asked.

  "May I ask why the special interest in this boy?"

  Bai Guo sighed. "He's a relative. He just... lost his way. I'd like a chance to bring him back."

  Wan Bu nodded and began to explain. "Then I think I can do you one better. If you follow the north road, you'll eventually come across a small town. I visit that place from time to time myself to buy things every now and then. The people there are braver than what we have at our village - they're not leaving their homes behind. But bandit scouts have been sighted in the vicinity already, and battle seems imminent. Your boy will probably be snooping around with the rest of the scouts."

  After one last grateful word, Bai Guo finally left.

  The way the two of them had arranged it, his master would arrive at this empty village in just a couple of hours.

  But as Bai Guo eyed the road to the north, he found himself beset by an inexplicable sense of unease. He wondered if waiting for her was really the best thing to do.

  Though he had set out with his master specifically to make use of her strength, he knew that any situation involving her would be out of his control. And the more Bai Guo thought about that scenario, the less willing he felt to take this risk.

  He realized that the necessity for them to split up may have worked out in his favor. If he was lucky enough to chance upon Chun De, Bai Guo thought, then it would be best if he could speak with her alone. He was worried that there were things he would simply not be able to say in his master's presence.

  Bai Guo made his decision. He rushed off along the northern road.