Chapter 206

The scar-faced man, who had just been about to leave, suddenly froze, his expression deeply conflicted.

Having witnessed the old man in the hemp robe’s power just now, he knew the man was far beyond his ability to provoke.

Thus, he had no desire to entangle himself with the old man, yet now the old man had suddenly made such a demand, leaving him deeply troubled.

The scar-faced man wanted to refuse, but feared angering the old man; yet if he agreed, the old man’s identity and origins were unknown, making his presence a grave hazard.

Just as the scar-faced man hesitated, the sound of galloping hooves and rumbling wheels came from the road behind them.

Instantly, both the scar-faced man and the hemp-robed old man turned to look back.

Soon, the group arrived before them and slowed to a stop.

The hemp-robed old man narrowed his eyes slightly, while Hu Rui’an, seated atop his horse, slowly scanned the scene before bowing to the old man.

“What a coincidence—I never expected to meet you here again.”

At this, the hemp-robed old man raised his hand in return and said:

“Indeed, it’s quite coincidental.”

Logically, the two of them had taken a backroad from Shengzhou to Lancheng, while Hu Rui’an’s party traveled the main road—no matter how you calculated, they should never have met here.

Yet somehow, they had met again.

“May I ask where you’re headed?”

At this, Hu Rui’an suddenly asked.

His gaze swept over the scar-faced man and saw his grim expression—he realized the hemp-robed old man and the man had some issue between them.

Hearing this, the hemp-robed old man fell silent for a moment, then finally replied with three words:

“Luo Shen Peak.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Rui’an narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced back at his carriage.

At that moment, Li Muxian pulled back the curtain, his gaze fixed on the hemp-robed old man and the girl in pink seated atop the mule.

The girl in pink held a white steamed bun in her left hand and a slice of braised beef in her right, her dark eyes glancing sideways at Li Muxian.

“No wonder she’s a glutton—eats wherever she goes.”

Li Muxian chuckled, then turned to the hemp-robed old man and said:

We're also heading to Luo Shen Peak. If it's on the way, we can travel together; if not, then forget it.

With that, Li Muxian merely squinted at the girl, said no more, and dropped the curtain.

Hu Rui’an slowly turned his head and glanced at the hemp-robed old man, but said nothing further.

The hemp-robed old man frowned in thought, when suddenly the scar-faced man looked at him, gritted his teeth, and said:

“Since we’re all heading to Luo Shen Peak to pay respects, it’s best we travel together.”

The scar-faced man, seasoned in the martial world, was skilled at reading expressions—he sensed that though the hemp-robed old man appeared to know Hu Rui’an’s group, he was clearly wary of them.

An enemy of my enemy is my friend; no matter what the old man’s intentions, even if he disliked the idea, he dared not refuse the earlier proposal.

So he decided to muddy the waters—let all three parties travel together, which might at least keep the old man in check.

At this, Hu Rui’an suddenly frowned upon hearing the scar-faced man’s words:

“Pay respects?”

Seeing Hu Rui’an seemed puzzled, the scar-faced man quickly said:

“In five days, it’s the birthday of the Seventh Saint’s peak seat—he’s the one being honored. All major and minor sects in Lancheng will go to Luo Shen Peak to pay tribute; our Xishan Dao Sect is no exception.”

As he spoke, he glanced suspiciously at Hu Rui’an and asked:

“Aren’t you going to Luo Shen Peak for the birthday banquet?”

Hearing this, Hu Rui’an composed himself, his gaze sweeping over the heavily laden carriages ahead, and replied calmly:

“We’re not acquainted with the Seventh Saint’s peak seat—no need to attend the banquet. As for why we’re going…”

He gave the scar-faced man a meaningful look and said:

“You’ll find out when we reach Luo Shen Peak.”

The scar-faced man blinked in surprise, but seeing Hu Rui’an had no intention of revealing anything, he did not press further.

At that moment, the hemp-robed old man and the girl in pink exchanged a barely perceptible glance, then nodded to Hu Rui’an and said:

“If you don’t mind us, an old man and his grandson, being a burden, then traveling together is fine.”

Hearing this, Hu Rui’an gave a slight nod; he did not ask further about the old man’s purpose in going to Luo Shen Peak.

In his view, whether the man was going to pay respects or had other intentions, it mattered little to their party.

After all, their sole goal was to exterminate Luo Shen Peak—this mission meant life or death; there was no time for distractions.

Thus, Hu Rui’an’s group traveled together toward Luo Shen Peak.

Along the way, the scar-faced man from Xishan Dao Sect remained ever wary of the hemp-robed old man and Hu Rui’an’s group.

But after traveling a stretch, he noticed both sides simply pressed forward on their own, exchanging little conversation and showing no unusual behavior—his unease gradually eased.

Yet as they continued onward, drawing closer to the region of Luo Shen Peak, the scar-faced man and the Xishan Dao disciples began to sense something was wrong.

Of course, it wasn’t that they suspected the hemp-robed old man or Hu Rui’an’s group—rather, they felt something was amiss with all of Lancheng.

“Why are there so many Luo Shen Peak disciples all of a sudden?”

The scar-faced man stared ahead at the roadblock and the martial experts clad in Yunfeng black robes standing guard in formation, his heart growing uneasy.

Along the journey, they had encountered several groups of Luo Shen Peak disciples—sometimes a dozen, sometimes dozens.

But each group had rushed past, brimming with lethal intent, ignoring them entirely, pressing forward without pause.

Such a scene was something the scar-faced man had never seen before—Luo Shen Peak’s people had always been aloof, rarely so frantic.

At this, the scar-faced man lowered his gaze, hesitated, then could not help but look toward the hemp-robed old man and Hu Rui’an:

“Has something happened in Lancheng?”

Hearing this, the hemp-robed old man frowned tightly—he too had noticed the strange situation along the way, but had no clue what it meant.

Hu Rui’an’s expression remained calm throughout, yet he knew clearly: the Great Li Tianjinwei had already begun action.

Given Luo Shen Peak’s control over Lancheng, it was nearly impossible for the Tianjinwei to advance silently to the foot of Luo Shen Peak.

Moreover, due to the leak, Luo Shen Peak must have already sensed the Great Li court’s movements—and would certainly have prepared defenses.

Yet now Hu Rui’an was pondering one question: should he follow Li Muxian’s orders and advance alone toward Luo Shen Peak?

Or should he first rendezvous with other Tianjinwei units—or locate the Guard Commander—and attack together?

(End of Chapter)