Chapter 257: Waiting Here

Everyone was startled. Changfeng Goods Depot? The territory of Xiling Horse Band's Xie Guzhou?

Is this Xuan Fu Weng a member of the Horse Band?

Only Tuan Tuan had no idea where this was; she only knew it was her old grandpa's home.

Seeing her follow Xuan Fu Weng inside, Xiao Ningxun and the others were about to step forward, but Xuan Fu Weng didn't look back and casually waved his hand.

All right, you lot, wait outside.

Xiao Ningxun's steps halted, Xiao Ran raised her eyebrows, Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance—how could the miss go in alone with him!

"Old grandpa!" Tuan Tuan immediately objected, grabbing Xuan Wu Weng's big hand: "They're my Third Brother and Ninth Brother, plus my Second Uncle and Seventh Uncle—they're not outsiders! Let them come in too, okay, old grandpa?"

Xiao Ran's eyes lit up; the little speck finally called me Ninth Brother!

Tuan Tuan saw Xuan Fu Weng still wearing a stern face, and kept shaking his arm: "Old grandpa, you're the most generous, right? You're not afraid of others seeing your good stuff!"

Since you can show it to me, you can definitely show it to my family too, right?

"Pfft!" Xuan Fu Weng could no longer hold back and laughed: "You're really a little clever ghost!"

He turned his wheelchair and faced them.

His gaze casually swept over Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran, then sized up Xiao Er and Lu Qi from head to toe: "You've got some skill."

Fine! For the sake of this little friend's golden face, come in.

Everyone walked into Changfeng Goods Depot together, where dozens of staff in work attire were busily inventorying the goods.

Upon reaching the inner hall, Xuan Fu Weng ordered: "All of you, go down."

"Yes."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance; this Xuan Fu Weng's status in the Horse Band seems not low.

The hall's furnishings were rugged; Xuan Fu Weng turned his wheelchair to face the wall, gave it a light push, and the wall swung open, revealing a secret room.

"Come in; you're fortunate to see this today."

They followed him in single file; after walking a short distance, the view opened up: a huge wall was covered with a thick, dark curtain.

"Do you know what's behind this curtain?" Xuan Fu Weng raised his chin slightly. "This is the lifeline of Xibei! Flowing gold and silver! Countless heroes and monsters dream of seeing every inch of its ravines and rivers."

He grabbed the edge of the curtain and yanked it!

"Whoosh—"

The curtain slid down.

In an instant, a huge, precise, lifelike three-dimensional miniature sand table of Xibei appeared before everyone's eyes.

Different-colored soils shaped the rolling hills, silver foil formed the winding rivers, and wooden small bridges, passes, and towns dotted the landscape.

What's more astonishing is that, on some main routes, tiny carriage and boat models actually move, thanks to clever mechanisms, gliding slowly across this vast land.

"Wow—!" Tuan Tuan gasped, mouth agape, stretched out her little hand and pointed at the moving little carriages and boats: "Old grandpa! They move on their own! How amazing! Where are they going?"

"Hahaha! Impressive, right?" Xuan Fu Weng lit his pipe and pointed at the sand table with his long stem.

"Kid, look—where those moving little carriages and boats go, on Xibei's surface, seventy percent of all cargo must travel along the routes marked on Grandpa's table!"

His long pipe stem was like a general's command arrow, sweeping across the sand table, commanding the world:

"These things are my true treasures; others can't learn them."

He looked around and said: "Even if you memorized every road and river on this table, without my Xiling Horse Band's nod, you'd still be unable to move an inch in this territory."

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, deeply knowing his words were no exaggeration.

Even Xiao Ran put away her joking demeanor—these jianghu folks are really not simple!

Lu Qi and Xiao Er nodded silently in agreement—this is the aura fitting a hegemon who controls sixty percent of Xibei's freight.

Lu Qi stepped forward, clasped his fist in salute, and said respectfully: "Senior, this 'living map' is nothing short of miraculous—controlling a thousand miles within a square inch; I admire you."

He took out a Tianji Pavilion token from his bosom and handed it to Xuan Fu Weng: "To be frank, I am Lu Qi, the Mystery Mechanism Envoy of Tianji Pavilion."

"I have a question: we've just met, senior—why would you reveal the Horse Band's secrets to us?"

"Old fox, you're also an old jianghu hand—now the Horse Band is clearly at a disadvantage; what exactly do you want? Speak plainly."

Xuan Fu Weng's expression didn't change as he moved his pipe stem away from the sand table: "So you're the Mystery Mechanism Envoy of Tianji Pavilion? A rare visitor."

He looked around and said: "About half a month ago, Qingzhou Prefecture suddenly saw a self-styled ghost doctor who specialized in treating ailments others couldn't cure; several patients in Qingzhou Prefecture suffering from chronic illnesses were healed by him."

"A few days ago, Xie Guzhou went to visit that ghost doctor for my leg injury—and never returned."

"The Horse Band now lacks a leader and urgently needs outside help."

"I no longer dare to rely on the local jianghu people."

"Those who have come from afar possess supreme skills; just now, this young lady's poison techniques could be called unrivaled in the jianghu, and what's rarer is that you're as close as family and uphold righteousness."

"I've let you all enter this secret room to let you know that the Horse Band's strength still exists!"

"If you can rescue Xie Guzhou, from now on your goods in this Xibei territory will be fully taken care of by the Horse Band—free of charge!"

Everyone suddenly realized—originally, they were waiting right here!

Tuan Tuan listened for a while, then asked: "Old grandpa, is that Xie Guzhou also your family?"

Xuan Fu Weng rubbed her little head and said: "I'm Xie Guzhou's master's uncle—I've watched him grow up. Though not family, I'm even closer than family."

"This Horse Band was forged by his blood and sweat; now that he's in trouble, I will spare no effort to guard it for him, and when he returns, I'll personally clean out those opportunistic looters!"

"I've sent out nearly all the Horse Band's able fighters, yet heard nothing. If it weren't so, the Black Sand Gang wouldn't dare to lay a hand on me."

Tuan Tuan understood: "I get it! Old grandpa is like a big wolf guarding his home! So where should we go to find him?"

Everyone: "……"

"Big wolf? Who's the big wolf?" Xuan Fu Weng blinked.

"But saving lives is urgent—he had no time to ask further; with a soft 'thud' from his long pipe stem, he precisely pointed to a spot on the sand table's edge marked with cinnabar, resembling a fang-shaped hollow."

"Black Wind Hollow. This place—"

"Shh!" His face suddenly changed; he signaled everyone to be silent and listen closely—"No!"

As soon as the words fell, "Boom!!!"

A fierce explosion roared suddenly from the warehouse's front yard, shaking the ground as well.

"You beasts!" Xuan Fu Weng roared, a terrifying glint flashing in Xuan Fu Weng's eyes. With one hand they slapped the wheelchair's armrest, and a gleaming short axe sprang from the side of the chair!

At the same time, a sharp clashing of weapons rang from outside.

"Old Xuan Fu! Come out and die!"

"Today I will flatten your Changfeng Warehouse!"

Lu Qi and Xiao Er rushed to the secret door, peered out through a vent left in the wall, and saw the outside already plunged into chaos—flames flickering, shadows of people darting, clearly many had arrived.

Xiao Ningxun scooped up Tuan Tuan and said, "Senior, what is this?"

Xuan Fu Weng's face was as still as water: "It's the Black Sand Gang! They actually dared to strike right at the door!"

"They must have counted on the lone boat being absent, trying to wipe out my Ma Sect!"