The twenty-plus burly men responded with shouts and jumped down from their horses, also coming to the big tree to tether their mounts. Some glanced at Uncle Zhong’s group, seeing they were numerous, all silent, and carrying weapons—clearly not easy to provoke—so they didn’t approach to cause trouble. They just gathered together in a group, and soon took out wine and meat from their bundles, eating and drinking heartily.
“Brothers, our trip has brought good fortune—it’s a good omen! Once we enter Haichao Yi, big brother will treat everyone to a fine meal.” A middle-aged man with a full beard suddenly laughed loudly and said in a rough voice.
“It’s all thanks to big brother’s fortune!” The crowd became rowdy, and a particularly shrewd-looking man chimed in: “Big brother has heavenly fortune—just walking along the road, he can find a celestial beauty. We brothers following big brother have accumulated eight lifetimes of good karma.”
“Haha!” Everyone laughed unrestrained. After several rounds of wine, their faces were flushed red. Seeing their own firewood was insufficient and their fire was dying down, emboldened by alcohol, they forgot their earlier wariness of Uncle Zhong’s group. A man in brown robes staggered toward Uncle Zhong’s caravan.
“Hey, brother, lend us some firewood,” the man hiccupped, very rudely slapping a coachman on the shoulder. His strike was quite forceful, but the seemingly thin and frail coachman not only didn’t move, he didn’t even lift his head.
“Damn you, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?” This fierce shout immediately attracted the attention of those twenty-plus drunken troublemakers. The crowd noisily approached, looking ready to fight and cause trouble. In contrast, everyone in the caravan remained seated on the ground, not one person looking up, staring woodenly at the campfire as if those men didn’t exist.
“Honorable warriors, what can I do for you?” The carriage curtain was suddenly lifted, and Uncle Zhong slowly stepped down, wearing blue robes and looking very amiable. He slowly approached and said in a deep voice: “My servants are ignorant and have offended you warriors. How may I be of service?”
“It’s nothing major, just borrowing some firewood from you, but they’re all acting like deaf mutes, clearly not taking us brothers seriously,” the bearded leader suddenly said loudly.
“The warrior has keen insight to see through it at a glance,” Uncle Zhong said with a faint smile.
“Ah? They really are deaf mutes?”
“Yes,” Uncle Zhong nodded with a smile and said in a deep voice: “If you warriors want firewood, please help yourselves. I also have some fine wine here to respectfully offer to you friends.”
Seeing this old man so accommodating, the bearded man felt quite respected and laughed heartily: “Then thank you, old gentleman.”
Without ceremony, he led several subordinates to follow Uncle Zhong to the carriages to get wine. Suddenly catching sight of the carriage wrapped in blue cotton curtains, the bearded man frowned slightly, burped loudly, and muttered in confusion: “Why is it covered so tightly? Is someone sick?”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud—certainly much quieter than his earlier cursing—but the guards who had been sitting on the ground staring straight at the campfire suddenly turned around collectively, their eyes like sharp swords staring coldly at this drunken warrior.
Uncle Zhong’s harmonious expression also instantly turned cold. He slowly turned around, glanced at this group of crude men, and suddenly waved his hand lightly.
It seemed like only an instant—all the men suddenly sprang up from the ground. Before that group of befuddled ruffians could react, they all became souls under the blade. Most terrifying of all, they didn’t even have time to let out a single scream.
In less than half a cup of tea’s time, everything had returned to calm. The eighteen guards threw the corpses of the twenty-plus men into the cold river water in the distance, cleaned up the clearing, and resumed resting where they were. The entire process was silent, like performing a mime show.
“Uncle Zhong,” a guard suddenly approached and said to the old man in a deep voice: “We found a person on those men’s horses.”
“Oh?” Uncle Zhong raised an eyebrow, signaling him to bring the person over.
A blue hood and cloak lay on the ground. Inside was a person in black clothes with disheveled hair, thin clothing, and weak breathing. But once the face was cleaned, one could immediately tell it was a delicate woman. The woman had beautiful eyebrows, a lovely face, graceful and coldly elegant. Wrapped in such tattered clothing, she possessed such beautiful features. The old man’s expression stiffened, then he smiled slightly.
“Child, we truly have fate—this is already the third time we’ve met in one day.”
Uncle Zhong smiled faintly as he smoothed the woman’s disheveled hair. The cotton-curtained carriage suddenly made light tapping sounds. The old man quickly leaned over, and after a while, smiled and said to the guard: “Find some warm clothing for this young lady to wear, then place her in a carriage. Once we enter the city, find someone suitable to care for her properly.”
“Uncle Zhong, are we taking her with us?” The guard’s expression stiffened as he asked in confusion.
“Yes,” Uncle Zhong smiled faintly. “The young master said that if we abandon her again, perhaps this woman could chase us all the way to Qin Kingdom.”
Several hearty laughs slowly rang out over the plains. Uncle Zhong looked at the woman’s pale cheeks with a smile and shook his head: “Lucky little one.”
Night gradually deepened.
It rained heavily again at dawn, the weather was gloomy, and the sun was late to show its face. The soldier responsible for guarding the city gate slept a bit longer. By the time he yawned and lazily opened the gate, many citizens waiting to enter the city had already gathered outside. Uncle Zhong smiled and tipped the gatekeeper, then led everyone into this final border fortress of Nan Chu.
Their group had strong horses but no important cargo, yet they continued traveling leisurely. When they could walk, they absolutely wouldn’t trot—like tourists sightseeing, without any sense of urgency.
Though Haichao Yi was a small town, its geographical position was extremely important. As Nan Chu’s northern border stronghold, it had always been a military fortress garrisoning over ten thousand troops. Though the east faced no threat from powerful neighboring countries, heading east from the city led to the continent’s largest wasteland—the Western Black Wasteland. The Western Black Wasteland occupied a rather unique geographical position on the continent, situated between Nan Chu, Eastern Qi, Xichuan, and Northern Qin, connected to the Xiongnu’s only inland passage, with fierce barbarians from Nanjiang frequently causing disturbances in this area, making it always a strategically contested location.
To prevent incursions by the fierce Nanjiang people from the grasslands, Haichao Yi residents had developed a martial culture, with most townspeople practicing martial arts, creating a strong martial atmosphere. Therefore, those with exceptional martial skills often received high treatment and respect. This promoted the establishment of numerous martial schools and fighting stages throughout Haichao Yi. Along their route, they witnessed three different groups holding public martial competitions—truly a spectacular sight.
Besides the flourishing of martial arts, Haichao Yi was also an important commercial prefecture in northern Nan Chu. Bordering the Western Black Wasteland, though occasionally conflicting with the Nanjiang Ludan people of the wasteland, they also frequently engaged in commercial exchange and trade. The import of cattle, sheep, and horses accounted for nearly half the nation’s total. Additionally, since the Nan Chu Empire possessed the continent’s second-largest coastline after Eastern Qi, the salt trade was very developed, bearing nearly one-third of the continent’s fish and salt industry. Like the group led by the man surnamed Yu they met at the tea pavilion, they were commissioned by salt trading companies to transport sea salt to the capital.
Furthermore, since Haichao Yi’s eastern region bordered the coast, many islanders from offshore islands conducted business in Haichao Yi, bringing their local products to exchange for daily necessities like silk, tea, bronze swords, pottery, and medicinal materials.
On the wide street that could accommodate eight Western Black horses riding abreast, pedestrians flowed endlessly—Han people with black eyes, black hair, and yellow skin; tall, dark-skinned Western Black Ludan people filled with Nanjiang’s fierce spirit; and pure-blooded sea-dwelling Qingqiu people with blue beards and hair.
Uncle Zhong’s group stopped before an inn called “Like Returning Home.” Though dawn had broken, two large red lanterns still hung high at the inn’s entrance, radiating warmth. The facade was elegant and refined, with constant foot traffic, clearly indicating prosperous business.
The sharp-eyed waiter inside, seeing this group—though not dressed in luxurious clothing, they were numerous with dignified bearing—quickly ran out smartly, calling repeatedly: “How many guests? Dining or lodging? Our establishment…”
As Uncle Zhong lifted the curtain, the waiter immediately froze, then broke into a smile showing white teeth: “Old gentleman, it’s you! Was your trip smooth?”
Uncle Zhong’s refined face also broke into a smile as he said kindly: “Little Brother, thanks to your auspicious words, it went quite smoothly.”
The waiter smiled: “Will the old gentleman be staying at the inn?”
“Indeed.”
“Please come in quickly.” With continuous hospitality, the waiter was extremely nimble, welcoming everyone inside.
“Young Master, this is our last station. There are no inns for over three hundred li ahead. Let’s rest here,” Uncle Zhong respectfully approached that carriage and said in a deep voice.
A pale, thin hand slowly extended from inside the carriage. Before anyone appeared, a low cough had already emerged: “Uncle Zhong, you go make preparations.”
Though this wasn’t the first time the innkeeper had seen this mysterious guest, he still felt somewhat dizzy. It wasn’t that this person was extraordinarily transcendent or immortal-like. On the contrary, his features were quite ordinary—light eyebrows, slightly elongated phoenix eyes, and a face that wasn’t particularly handsome, instead showing an unnaturally sickly pallor. But whenever this person stood before you, a noble, refined aura naturally flowed out. His moon-white cotton robe seemed born to fit him—perfectly tailored, ethereal, unstained by worldly concerns.