Volume 4: Hidden Battles and Turbulent Times, Chapter 84: The Ancient Tea-Horse Road

The Ancient Tea-Horse Road is the highest, most treacherous, and farthest cultural transmission route in the world. Since ancient times, it has endured countless hardships. Along its length, various statues of gods and Buddhas and religious inscriptions can be found, bearing witness to the passage of time.
In the caves deep in the mountains and beneath steep cliffs, skeletal remains can often be seen; bloodstains remain on many caves, tree hollows, and along the road. Though faded by the passage of years, they will never vanish.
All of this seems to tell the legendary stories of this place like a mournful song. Perhaps older people, sipping butter tea, would tell these stories with a desolate voice…
This was Chu Tianyu’s second time traveling along the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Though his clothes were tattered, he carried two wicker baskets firmly on his back, looking like a poor local porter.
Since embarking on this road, Chu Tianyu noticed that the black dragon within him had suddenly become quiet, attacking less frequently. He tried to turn back, but the black dragon would never allow him to go more than a hundred meters—it would always stir its dragon energy and bring him back to where he started. After trying several times with the same result, he gave up completely.
The absence of the dragon’s attacks was actually a good thing for Chu Tianyu. He no longer had to be suddenly lifted into the air every day, only to land in some remote mountain or swamp, forcing him to constantly find a way out or determine his direction.
The season of Jingzhe was approaching day by day, and the destination the black dragon seemed to be heading toward was likely near. Chu Tianyu and his senior brother Wu Jing agreed that the dragon’s energy was probably in a state of dormancy before an eruption, either gathering strength or avoiding something.
Wu Jing cared deeply for Chu Tianyu, his junior brother. He was a true treasure to Shaolin! Not only did he possess this extraordinary dragon energy, but his mastery of Shaolin martial arts, as described by Zhiyu, was so refined that it could be compared to that of his uncles Xuanji and Xuanyao.
No wonder he was the last disciple of Master Xuanchan, known as the greatest martial arts genius in Shaolin’s history. Ah, thinking of Master Xuanchan—back then, he gave up the position of leader to his master, and everyone didn’t understand why. Now it seems he was pursuing a higher realm in martial arts. Judging from his disciple, Master Xuanchan was likely on the verge of reaching the realm of the Heavenly Way!

Chu Tianyu also had a very good impression of this senior brother he had never met before and agreed to visit Shaolin once the matters here were settled, to reconnect with his roots and meet his uncles and senior brothers to get to know them better.
…
Everything seemed as calm as the weather before a storm. Over the past few days, Chu Tianyu had repeatedly sensed the presence of highly skilled practitioners passing by. Some walked on the ancient paths, while others seemed to move through the gullies on either side. This filled Chu Tianyu with confusion—did they also have some purpose?
In particular, several groups even asked him about Motuo. Chu Tianyu pretended not to understand and acted as if he didn’t speak Mandarin to get by.
In fact, Motuo is the last county in China before the Yarlung Zangbo River flows into India; it is the most remote county in southeastern Tibet and the only county in the country without roads.
When Chu Tianyu and his master went there, Motuo was like an isolated “paradise” far from modern society. Communication with the outside world was only possible during a few months when the autumn snow melted, and the roads in the entire valley area were extremely difficult—glaciers, mudslides, cliffs, steep slopes, and turbulent rivers all intertwined. Some areas still remain untouched by humans.
It was also winter now, with ice and snow everywhere. Why did these people think of going to Motuo? They all seemed to have high skills and often traveled in groups, looking secretive, as if hiding some astonishing secret.
Of course, where there are many skilled practitioners, there are also more conflicts. On the ancient Tea-Horse Road, there used to be few people, with only a few explorers passing by. Unexpectedly, the number of people suddenly increased, and disputes often arose over who could cross a suspension bridge or take a road first.
Chu Tianyu enjoyed watching the chaos. After all, someone like him, a carrier with a load on his back, didn’t draw much attention. Some even bought things from him. Fortunately, Chu Tianyu sometimes roasted snow pheasants and dried small animal meat, which he stored when he couldn’t eat it all—these came in handy now.
For some reason, more and more skilled practitioners kept passing by. Afraid of revealing any clues, Chu Tianyu found a secluded place, took out the items from his two baskets, and buried all the heavy, non-damagable items in a small pit. He easily covered them up and marked the spot. Even Chu Tianyu himself couldn’t spot any flaws at a glance, let alone anyone in this remote area.

Once everything was settled, Chu Tianyu put the remaining pills and valuables into a basket, tightened the straps, and slung it firmly over his back. He knew quite well the value of such small items—having listened to his second master, Xianyun, talk about them often in his early years. Especially this time, as if using them as bait, he had drawn out many reclusive people; even the most ordinary items they carried were artifacts worth over a hundred years. Those hermits and masters who had been slaughtered by the Black Dragon never expected that due to their own greed or evil thoughts, they had unwittingly given gifts to others! Whenever he thought of this, Chu Tianyu would involuntarily shake his head and sigh, “Sigh, I really didn’t want this either! It’s fate, nothing but fate!” Though he joked about it, he actually hadn’t expected there to be so many people with profound cultivation skills in the world—at least two of them had reached the level of his third master. This made him remind himself silently to never be an ignorant fool; in this vast world, there were many capable people, so he needed to be more cautious in the future and not let pride lead to disaster. As Chu Tianyu was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the footsteps of a group of people approaching from behind. From the sound of their footsteps, he could tell they were a group of women, all with considerable cultivation skills. As they walked along the mountain path, they mostly moved by lightly touching their toes to rise off the ground. One of them, in particular, moved without making any sound at all—she must have reached the level of leaving no trace even on snow. Soon, the group appeared in Chu Tianyu’s sight. They glided over like mountain fairies and stopped in front of him. A woman around twenty years old stepped forward and asked, “Excuse me, sir, how do I get to Motuo?” At first, Chu Tianyu was indifferent and wanted to ignore them as usual, pretending to be deaf and mute. But as they got closer, he suddenly saw clearly the face of the woman who seemed to be the leader. He gasped inwardly, thinking, “It can’t be her!”