Chapter 145

On this bank of the river, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, the only two left, snapped out of their shock and leapt straight from their horses.

They abandoned their mounts, used lightness technique to tread across the surging river, closely following the carriage, and reached the opposite bank without incident.

The black-clad man who had earlier barred passage, along with all his armored soldiers, made no move.

Of course, it wasn't that they didn't want to act—it was that they dared not.

They were simply stunned by the hemp-robed elder who had thrown a horse with one hand, and by the carriage that had flown across the Julu River; they had not reacted in time, and dared not act before such a terrifying martial expert.

Inside the carriage, Hu Rui'an stroked his beard and gazed calmly at Li Musheng.

"Your Highness, do my little tricks still meet your approval?"

Li Musheng glanced at him, then raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Didn't you say you were going to proceed with caution?"

If Hu Rui'an had been the first to fly the carriage across the river, he would have gladly praised him—for pulling off a great stunt.

But with that hemp-robed elder having done it first, his move was merely plagiarism; if you wanted to be generous, it was instant imitation.

Honestly, even his stunt-copying lacks originality—can't he show even a shred of independent initiative?

At this, hearing Li Musheng's question, Hu Rui'an smiled slightly and said:

"Inspired by that senior just now, I merely sought to cross the river swiftly, catch them off guard, and avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Besides, I've already changed my appearance. As long as I don't reveal my identity, I doubt the Zhanlu Shanzhuang's people can recognize me."

Li Musheng said nothing, turning instead to look outside the carriage.

After crossing the Julu River, the scene on this bank was clearly desolate, far less crowded than the opposite shore.

The black-clad man and his armored soldiers, meanwhile, had retreated warily to one side, showing clear suspicion toward Hu Rui'an's group.

As for the hemp-robed elder who had crossed first, he still held the reins of the donkey carrying the girl in pink, and did not leave—he stared toward the carriage driven by Cao Gaoshan.

Clearly, having seen the carriage cross the river, he realized someone powerful was inside, and had decided to observe for now.

At this moment, Captain Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong arrived before the carriage, glanced once at the black-clad men, and both frowned.

"Judging by their armor and standard-issue weapons, they seem to be soldiers from Shengzhou's Da Li garrison—why would they leave their post and come here?"

Hearing this, Hu Rui'an fell into thought for a moment, then finally instructed Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong:

"Go ask them what's going on."

He had originally preferred to mind his own business, but soon they would be heading to Shengzhou to deal with Shengzhou's Governor Zhu Ziming and the local Tianjinwei Division Commander, Vice Prefect Mei Yan.

Now that they encountered these abnormal actions by Shengzhou's garrison, he simply could not ignore it—and he also hoped to learn the current situation in Shengzhou through the black-clad man.

Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong responded and walked toward the black-clad men.

As the two approached the expression solemn black-clad man, about to speak, a thunder of hooves echoed from afar.

Dust swirled like a sandstorm as a group of riders galloped swiftly toward them.

At their head sat a middle-aged man with a rugged face and thick beard.

His intent was clear: he scanned the hemp-robed elder and Cao Gaoshan's carriage, then glanced at Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, before bowing to all in turn.

"Esteemed elders of Wu Lin and martial heroes, I am the steward of Zhanlu Shanzhuang. Today, our Third Young Lady is holding a martial contest to select a husband, and our villa has prepared a banquet to honor all guests from the martial world. If you are not averse, we humbly invite you to join us for wine."

Hearing this, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong frowned slightly, glanced back at the black-clad man, and suddenly understood why he had barred river passage earlier.

At that moment, the hemp-robed elder, holding the donkey's reins with the girl in pink on its back, heard the steward's words and turned to him, speaking clearly:

"Grandfather, I want to eat at the banquet."

The hemp-robed elder tore his gaze from the carriage and nodded gently, then addressed the steward on horseback:

"Then this old man shall trouble you."

At once, the steward bowed deeply, smiling:

"For a senior to grace Zhanlu Shanzhuang with your presence is our utmost honor."

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted to Hu Rui'an, whose face had just appeared through the lifted carriage curtain, and he bowed low:

"Might this elder have any instructions?"

Hu Rui'an waved his hand.

"Since you extend such warm hospitality, we cannot refuse outright—we shall accompany you to your villa."

At these words, the middle-aged man's face lit up. He bowed and saluted, then immediately turned and led his men ahead.

"Please follow me."

Saying this, he wheeled his horse and rode back the way they had come.

Throughout, he never spoke a word to the black-clad men—as if they had never met.

Seeing this, the hemp-robed elder led his donkey forward, while Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong both exchanged puzzled glances, turning toward the carriage.

Hu Rui'an agreeing to go to Zhanlu Shanzhuang? They never expected it—this completely contradicted his cautious demeanor throughout the journey.

Yet they dared not ask him outright, so they followed, filled with doubt.

At that moment, Hu Rui'an turned to look at them and said:

"Finish questioning them, then hurry to catch up."

Saying this, he lowered the carriage curtain and signaled Cao Gaoshan to drive the carriage behind Zhanlu Shanzhuang's party.

Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong both replied and turned again toward the black-clad men.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage.

Before Li Musheng could speak, Hu Rui'an bowed first and explained:

"Your Highness, night is falling, and for dozens of li ahead beyond the Julu River, Zhanlu Shanzhuang is the only place to rest—we may as well pause there to recuperate before continuing."

Hearing this, Li Musheng frowned slightly—he did not believe a word of it.

He had just claimed to have a feud with the villa's lord, yet now he turned around faster than flipping a page and willingly went to the villa—his words contradicted themselves.

And as for traveling under the open sky? That was normal—using it as an excuse was hardly clever.

Of course, Li Musheng wasn't the type to suffer when he didn't have to. Since the mountain villa had fine food to offer, he had no intention of going against Hu Rui'an's wishes and insisting on gnawing on dry rations and steamed buns.

He merely took his time sizing the other party up with a leisurely glance, a look of suspicion on his face, and said:

"Lord Hu, I don't care what you're up to, but if you're planning to stay and take part in the martial-arts tournament to find a husband, I don't have time to waste here keeping you company."

(End of this chapter)