Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Wu’an County

In the evening, the trade caravan paused to rest and lit several bonfires by the official road.

Li Boxiong and his light cavalry stayed together.

Chen Tang continued to sit around a small fire with the fat old man, Qingmu, and Zhiwei, not joining the others’ lively chats.

During this time, Qingmu noticed that Li Boxiong had a particularly special attitude toward Chen Tang, prompting his curiosity and subtle inquiries.

Chen Tang either smiled without speaking or diverted the topic.

After chatting for quite a while, Qingmu failed to gather any useful information.

Mei Nianzhi, along with the wealthy and prominent individuals, first went to toast with Li Boxiong, then brought people over to Chen Tang.

After the daytime incident, except for those few who had previously clashed with Chen Tang, the general impression among the wealthy toward Chen Tang had greatly improved.

Additionally, Chen Tang had saved them earlier in the day, leading many to come over to express their gratitude.

Chen Tang had little interest in these matters, so he casually dealt with them and sent them off.

“Hall Master Mei, please stay.”

At last, Chen Tang stopped Mei Nianzhi.

Chen Tang asked, “What does Hall Master Mei think about the Snow Thieves that appeared today?”

Mei Nianzhi pondered for a moment and shook his head.

But he could sense an underlying meaning in Chen Tang’s words and asked, “What does my nephew think?”

“I’m not sure,”

Chen Tang shook his head and said, “I just have a feeling these Snow Thieves seem to be targeting the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall.”

Mei Nianzhi’s brow furrowed.

Mei Yingxue was half-believing, half-doubting and said, “That shouldn’t be. We have no animosity with these Snow Thieves. Why would they target us?”

Mei Nianzhi frowned and said, “Nephew, with what you say, I do have that feeling as well, but I’ve never met these Snow Thieves, so why would they focus on us?”

Chen Tang had a vague guess but wasn’t sure.

According to Meng Liangyu, the Black Water Gang wanted complete control of Changze County.

Besides eliminating the Evil Wolf Gang, their second target would be the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall.

If these Snow Thieves were connected to the Black Water Gang, then the ambush today was likely aimed at the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall.

Chen Tang advised, “Changze County might experience upheaval; by then, even the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall may not be spared. Hall Master Mei should prepare early.”

“Nephew, by upheaval, do you mean…”

Mei Nianzhi was startled.

Chen Tang did not answer but only said, “We are heading to Wu’an County this time and plan to settle down there.”

Previously, he had discussed this with his family.

After the Lantern Festival, the Black Water Gang’s influence was expected to take over all of Changze County.

Staying in Changze County, it would be hard to completely avoid the eyes and ears of the Black Water Gang.

The fat old man naturally wholeheartedly agreed.

Chen Tang’s house was too small.

The four of them living together was very inconvenient, and he and Chen Tang had to lay floor mats in the outer room.

Moreover, Changze County was lacking in delicious food and wine.

It was just right to move to Wu’an County for a bigger house.

“Are you all moving away?”

Mei Yingxue showed a trace of loss in her eyes.

Recently, she had been frequently visiting Chen Tang’s house, getting used to being with Chen Tang and his cousin, little Zhiwei.

In the future, being separated by distance would make meeting much harder.

Qingmu said, “It’s something Chen Tang discussed with us before leaving. We haven’t had the chance to tell you yet, sister. If you want to maintain easy contact in the future, you might as well move to Wu’an County too.”

“I…”

Mei Yingxue looked toward her father.

Such a matter was not something she could decide on.

Mei Nianzhi gently shook his head and smiled bitterly, “The Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall has been in Changze County for years, and our relatives are all there, making it difficult to move.”

“As a Ninth Grade in Changze County, I still hold some renown, but given my age and declining strength, making a name in Wu’an County would be tough.”

With that said, Chen Tang chose not to say more.

Everyone dispersed.

Nothing happened that night.

The next morning, the caravan set out, likely to reach Wu’an County by the closing of the city gates today.

Under Li Boxiong’s escort, the journey went relatively smoothly.

Before sunset, they could already see the walls of Wu’an County in the distance. Li Boxiong did not continue escorting, bid farewell to Chen Tang and the others, and departed with his men.

At the city gate, the caravan was stopped by guards on both sides who meticulously checked everyone’s travel documents and the goods carried by the convoy.

“Apologies, everyone. With the Lantern Festival approaching, we must be thorough to prevent bandits from infiltrating the city,”

the leading guard explained to Mei Nianzhi.

Recognizing the officer’s rank, Mei Nianzhi realized he was the Centurion guarding the city gate of Wu’an County and responded with a smile, “Thank you, Centurion, and all the brothers in the army, rightly so.”

As he spoke, Mei Nianzhi discreetly offered a few broken silver pieces from his sleeve to the Centurion.

The Centurion placed his hands behind his back, shaking his head to decline.

Mei Nianzhi lightly coughed, not insisting further.

“Was there an attack?”

The Centurion, noticing some knife marks and uncleaned bloodstains on the caravan’s wagons, frowned and asked.

“Yes,”

Mei Nianzhi replied, “Fortunately, a righteous man arrived in time…”

The two exchanged a few words at the city gate.

Generally, in Qian Country, the movement of commoners is restricted, partly to control population flow and prevent refugee uprisings.

To travel, one needs a travel document explaining the reason.

Of course, these restrictions apply mainly to the average folk, whereas members of noble families and powerful aristocrats can disregard them.

City guards usually know better than to obstruct such individuals.

As for Jianghu people, they rely on their own methods to navigate their paths.

Without an official travel document, entering the city openly would be challenging.

Thanks to Meng Liangyu’s arrangements, travel documents for Chen Tang and his companions were prepared in advance.

As the city gate guards inspected the caravan, Chen Tang sat at the front of a wagon, surveying the setup of guards and patrolling sentries on Wu’an County’s walls, memorizing them quietly.

Wu’an County’s walls were around ten meters high, equating to about three or four stories in his past-life calculations.

A month ago, he wouldn’t have been able to scale such height.

But now, things have changed.

After lingering at the city gate for a while, the caravan encountered no issues and was allowed to proceed into the city following the guards’ gestures.

Upon entering the city, each household within the caravan dispersed, setting a return date to reunite for the journey back.

“Let’s find an inn to stay in. Tomorrow is the fourteenth of the first lunar month, so we’ll walk around the commandery to get familiar,”

Mei Nianzhi suggested. “The day after tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and the day for Martial Artists to establish their ranks. If there’s nothing pressing, nephew, join us just for the fun of it.”

“Sure,”

Chen Tang replied casually.

Tired from the journey, they found an inn nearby to rest temporarily.

As night fell, the city gates closed.

After dinner, everyone retired early.

The three days’ journey of over two hundred li left them weary; though they rested along the way, it was uncomfortable and far from restful.

Now in Wu’an County, they could finally enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.

However, Chen Tang did not rest. He left the inn alone, heading to the alleyways near the city gate before curfew began, continuing to observe the guard arrangements on and around the city walls.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep