Chapter 44: Entering the City! Joining the Sect!

The dawn light was slightly bright, and the east was tinged with a touch of fish-belly white.

The fog on the wilderness grew thicker, shrouding the distant mountains and the nearby withered grass in a haze.

Jiang Ye's figure, like a wisp of light smoke merging into the fog, appeared silently on a small hillside.

He stood behind an old locust tree, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at the winding path under the slope.

There, the Su family's team was moving forward slowly.

A night of rushing and fighting made this team of nearly a hundred people look tired and miserable.

The women supported each other, walking with difficulty.

The hands of the guards holding weapons were already sore, but they still held on to guard the surroundings.

Liu Qingshi walked at the very front of the team, his back still straight, but the haze covering his body could not be hidden at all.

He walked silently, without saying a word, like a moving stone statue.

Huang Xiyu followed not far behind him, supported by Liu Yiyi.

Her face was still pale, her eyes full of fatigue and fear, but in the gaze looking at her husband's back, there was more heartache and worry.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she just sighed and said nothing.

Liu Yiyi always remained alert, her cold eyes constantly scanning the surrounding wilderness.

There was not much expression on that exquisite pretty face, only a trace of irrepressible self-blame gathered between her brows.

Su Yan walked in the middle of the team, her martial attire also stained with blood and dust, but she still tried her best to maintain that gentle and composed appearance, occasionally comforting the women around her softly.

Guo Wei lay on a flatbed cart, thick cloth wrapped around his severed arm, the blood had stopped, but his face was still as pale as paper, his eyes closed, occasionally making a few painful groans.

Several Su family servants guarded carefully on the side, ready to change the medicine at any time.

Su Chen walked in the back section of the team, counting the number of people with a solemn expression, occasionally talking to several stewards in a low voice.

His brows were always tightly locked, his eyes full of worry.

That battle last night not only broke Guo Wei's arm but also lost several clansmen.

There were still several days of journey ahead; who knows what they would encounter.

Jiang Ye stood quietly on the slope, his gaze passing through the fog and landing on Liu Qingshi's silent and stiff back.

He could faintly feel the suppressed pain and self-blame in the other party's back.

"Sigh..."

He sighed softly, a complex emotion flashing in his aged eyes.

In it, there was emotion, guilt, and a trace of deep helplessness.

He knew that not appearing was the wisest choice at this moment.

From the dark, he could continue to protect Liu Qingshi's family.

More importantly, Liu Yiyi would definitely enter the Profound Heaven Sect in the future.

And he, having already obtained the opportunity to enter the Profound Heaven Sect as an "old man guarding herbs" through Wen Yueyao's relationship.

At that time, he could continue to secretly protect this girl he watched grow up within that sect.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ye slowly suppressed the impulse in his heart and completely dispelled the idea of appearing.

Three days passed quickly.

Fortunately, apart from that night of bloody battle, the Su family's team did not encounter any bandits along the way.

They walked on the official road, and there were more and more people, including merchant teams and many people like them who were moving from the county city to the prefecture city to avoid disaster.

As the crowd gathered, the panic that had been pressing on everyone's hearts for several days finally slowly dissipated.

Not long after.

A huge outline slowly emerged on the horizon.

At first, it was just a faint shadow on the edge of the sky, but as the team moved forward, the shadow became clearer and more majestic, until it occupied the entire field of vision.

"It's the prefecture city!!!"

Someone in the crowd shouted in excitement, their voice changing, pointing at the black giant shadow spanning between heaven and earth in the distance.

That was a real giant city.

The city wall was more than ten zhang high, built from black, shiny giant stones, each a zhang square.

Those giant stones didn't know how many years of wind and rain they had experienced, their surfaces smooth as mirrors, yet gleaming with cold luster under the sun.

Looking from afar, the entire city was like an ancient giant beast crouching on the plain, silently looking down at the crowd as small as ants at its feet.

On the city wall, every few zhang stood an arrow tower, three stories high, with flying eaves and bucket arches, and copper bells hanging from the eaves, making a clear sound in the wind.

The city gate was wide open, five zhang high and wide enough for four carriages to pass side by side.

Above the gate, three large characters with iron-painted silver hooks were deeply engraved on the black stone plaque—"Yunling Prefecture".

The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, every stroke like a saber slash or axe chisel, exuding a domineering spirit that looked down on the world.

"We are finally arriving!!!"

Someone in the crowd wept with joy, covering their face and squatting on the ground, their shoulders shaking violently.

More people stared blankly at the giant city, tears of surviving a disaster welling up in their eyes.

Everyone knew that as long as they stepped through that city gate, they would be safe.

"Hiss... this is really big."

Even Jiang Ye, who was hiding in the dark, saw the outline of the prefecture city in the distance, and a look of surprise appeared in his aged eyes.

Seeing the city is like seeing the sect.

He could already imagine how powerful the Profound Heaven Sect that controlled this prefecture city was.

The team walked for another half a day and finally arrived at the city gate.

The flow of people entering the city was like weaving, lining up in several long dragons, slowly squirming forward.

Strangely, in such a crowded team, no one dared to cause trouble, and even loud noise was rare.

Because on both sides of the city gate, every few zhang stood a soldier wearing black armor.

Those soldiers all had steady breathing, their eyes containing hidden brilliance, and they were all martial artists with Ming Force strength.

And the captain standing in the very center of the city gate, responsible for verifying identities, had eyes that were even more bright and spirited, his surrounding aura faintly surging, clearly a Hidden Force expert.

In front of such a team of "city gate officials", even the most arrogant troublemaker had to obediently line up.

About half an hour later, the Su family's team finally passed through the heavy city gate and stepped into Yunling Prefecture.

The moment they entered the city, a clamor of human voices rushed toward them, forming a sharp contrast with the silence of the wilderness outside the city.

The streets were wide and flat, shops stood on both sides, wine flags fluttered, pedestrians rubbed shoulders, and the sounds of hawking, bargaining, and children's play intertwined, making it extremely lively.

Everyone stood at the street corner, looking at the prosperity in their eyes, and actually had a feeling of being in another world.

"Brother Liu, Brother Guo, you have worked hard all the way!"

Su Chen took a heavy breath, and a bit of brilliance finally radiated from his tired face.

He turned to Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei and bowed solemnly, his gratitude overflowing.

"Follow me to the residence to rest and settle down first, then make further plans!"

"I bought a residence in the prefecture city; although it's not big, it's more than enough to settle everyone."

"Hmm, then listen to Brother Su's arrangement." Liu Qingshi nodded slightly, his face still expressionless, but the brows that had been tightly locked for several days finally relaxed a bit.

Guo Wei leaned on the flatbed cart, his expression still listless, but he also nodded reluctantly.

The injury on his severed arm had stabilized, but his vitality was greatly damaged, and he wouldn't recover for three to five months.

Su Chen was extremely familiar with the prefecture city, leading everyone through several streets and alleys, and not long after, they arrived in front of a three-entry residence.

The house was not big, but it was cleaned and tidy, enough to settle this group of people.

Jiang Ye followed far behind the team, like an invisible shadow.

He watched Liu Qingshi's family enter the residence with Su Chen, waited for a while, confirmed there were no more changes, and then approached silently, firmly remembering the address of the residence.

He stood in the shadow of the alley, looking at the black-lacquered gate that was slowly closing, a complex light flashing in his aged eyes.

Immediately, he left quietly.

"I'll go to the Profound Heaven Sect first."

He reached into his bosom and touched the black iron token that still carried a faint fragrance.