Chapter 404: “The Test”

The night was deep and vast, as dark as ink. A waning moon hung high in the sky, casting its pale light over the Meng River, making it appear even more winding and shimmering with rippling reflections.

By the riverside, five figures cloaked in black robes gathered. Their silhouettes melded seamlessly with the night, and only when the breeze stirred their robes did their outlines faintly emerge.

“Everyone, have you gathered everything?” asked one of them, a slightly plump man in a low voice.

“All gathered…” the other four replied in unison.

“Good…” The plump man shrugged his shoulders and continued, “Mr. Gu ordered us to hand over part of the gold, silver, and food we collected the first time to Yan Wuyong.”

“Now that we’ve collected a second batch, it’s time to see whether he truly treats the people well.”

“But Mr. Gu didn’t say exactly how to do it. Do any of you have any ideas?”

The moment he finished speaking, the group fell silent. It was clear that matters of testing someone’s character weren’t exactly their strong suit, and no one could think of a good plan right away.

These five black-robed figures were, in fact, each formed from hundreds of Blaze Bugs fused together.

For ease of communication, they had given themselves names: “Blaze One,” “Blaze Two,” and so on, up to “Blaze Five.”

The plump man was “Blaze One.” After a pause, he said, “Forget it, let’s all pitch in ideas…”

Learning they could speak, the Blaze Bugs beneath each robe grew excited and all began talking at once.

In an instant, the once-silent riverbank turned into a lively scene, like a noisy marketplace, buzzing with chatter.

“I think we should disguise ourselves as refugees and try him ourselves, see how Yan Wuyong treats us.”

“No way, Yan Wuyong can see through illusions, and he already knows about us. He’ll definitely recognize us at a glance.”

“Then how about we just ask the villagers and townsfolk? See how he’s treating them?”

“Or maybe use illusion—we disguise ourselves as beautiful damsels in distress and see if Yan Wuyong gets tempted…”

Thousands of Blaze Bugs chirped and chattered, each voicing its opinion. Meanwhile, the five Blaze Bugs acting as their “mouths” remained silent, quietly listening to their companions’ suggestions.

After about half an hour, having eliminated thousands of unreliable ideas, the five finally decided that it was best to ask the locals directly—on the condition that they avoided Yan Wuyong, so he wouldn’t notice them.

Therefore, they couldn’t appear before the people in these black-robed forms. After all, in each county, who knew how many of Yan Wuyong’s spies might be hiding? If they showed themselves, someone might tip him off right away.

So, illusion was a must…

As one of the basic spell techniques, all of the Blaze Bugs had quickly grasped the use of illusions after learning cultivation technique—though some were better at it than others.

Still, as long as they didn’t run into Yan Wuyong himself, tricking the eyes of ordinary townsfolk wouldn’t be a problem.

Without further delay, they acted. Beneath the five black robes, waves of light rippled out, and under the ink-dark moonlight, the five still-standing figures suddenly began to transform, like mirages in the night—dizzying to behold.

The first black-robed figure, once one with the darkness, gradually blurred and then, when the figure came into focus again, he had taken the form of an elderly man.

Next, the second black-robed figure began to change. She spun lightly, her robe swirling like mist. As it dispersed and gathered again, she had transformed into a young, beautiful maiden.

The third black-robed figure gradually swelled in size until he became a chubby young boy.

The fourth displayed a completely different aura—tall and muscular, and in the blink of an eye, he became a brawny middle-aged man.

Lastly, the fifth black-robed figure completed her transformation. She slowly crouched down, her robe creasing as she moved. When it unfolded again, she had become a hunched old woman.

The five of them exchanged a glance and smiled in unison.

The elderly man, Blaze One, picked up a stick from the ground to use as a cane, then stroked his imaginary beard and said,
“Blaze Two, have you ever seen a girl from these troubled times with a face that clean? Smear a little mud on yourself, at least.”

“Oh… good point.” The young woman, Blaze Two, crouched down, scooped some dirt up from the ground, and rubbed it onto her face and body.

After finishing, she pointed at Blaze Three, the chubby youth, and teased,
“Aren’t you a bit too fat? What kind of refugee is that well-fed?”

Blaze Three nodded and, with a flash, shrank into a sallow and skinny boy.

As for Blaze Four, the burly man, and Blaze Five, the old crone, there was nothing too out of place about them after using the illusion spell, so they made no further changes.

“Meet back here tomorrow at midnight. Those heading to inquire in the prefecture cities—don’t go to Heyun Prefecture. Yan Wuyong’s over there,” said Blaze One before turning to leave.

The other four also went off in different directions—some flying, some running…

…

By noon, an old farmer wearing a worn-out straw hat was hunched over, tilling soil in a field.

Just as he straightened up to rest for a moment, he spotted a burly man standing a short distance in front of him.

Instinctively taking a step back, the old farmer raised his iron rake and said warily,
“Boy, what are you sneaking up here for?”

The brawny man cupped his fists and said,
“Old sir, I’m a performer by trade, but with the Great Wu suffering disasters year after year, no one comes to see shows anymore.”

“I heard there’s a Monarch Yan around the Meng River area, said to be a decent man, so I came hoping to join him.”

“But all the things I’ve heard on the way are half-true at best. So I wanted to ask—this Monarch Yan, is he really a good man?”

Hearing this, the old farmer’s furrowed brow relaxed a bit. He drove the rake into the ground and said,
“Do you know that in Great Wu, Monarch Yan is rebelling? Treason’s a capital crime that gets your whole clan executed.”

“I know,” the burly man said, gritting his teeth. “But this Great Wu court treats people like dirt. The common folk can’t survive. If we’re going to starve anyway, better to use what strength we’ve got to help snatch food from the hands of the powerful and feed the people!”

“Good!” The old farmer clapped his hands and handed the rake over.
“You help me turn over this patch of land, and I’ll tell you what kind of man Monarch Yan really is. How about it?”

“No problem!” The brawny man took the rake and started turning the soil with grunts of effort.

Meanwhile, the old farmer sat down on the ground, watching the man’s slightly clumsy movements as he spoke:
“Young man, if you’re here to join Monarch Yan, then you’ve picked the right person… He was born poor, just like us. That land you’re turning? He’s worked land like that himself.”

“Tell me—what kind of man in power would stoop down to pick up a rake and help the common folk till the soil?”