novelraw Chapter 54: He Must Not Know
Chapter 54: He Must Not Know
Chapter 54: He Must Not Know
The escort agency team, led by Escort Leader Lin, initially believed that after paying the entrance fee in Jin Wu City and purchasing water, firewood, and renting a courtyard within the city, they had exhausted too much of their food supplies. They expected the rest of their journey would require them to tighten their belts and live frugly.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they left Jin Wu City, they started picking up goods along the way.
The path of escape northward was fraught with uncertainties, often depending on divine will and luck. Those who failed were buried along the way.
No one knew how many people perished midway.
This time was no different.
An unpredictable change in weather, coupled with a surge of Evil Creatures, brought an onslaught.
Some teams, lacking in both vigilance and luck, stumbled directly into a swarm attack by the Evil Creatures. They failed to break through the encirclement or reach a safe zone, losing both personnel and supplies.
Wen Gu and his group encountered several such situations on their journey from Jin Wu City towards the Zhao Clan.
While they expressed regret for the fate of these teams, from their own perspective, it brought them joy.The livestock pulling these attacked teams had either fled or been devoured by the Evil Creatures, but the supplies on the carts remained.
The location where these supply carts were left indicated that the people from that team had desperately tried to save themselves but ultimately failed.
Those who faced the swarm attack head-on were generally overrun, rendering most of their supplies unusable.
However, for those attacked amidst the general chaos of the Evil Creatures, many supplies remained intact.
After inspecting and selecting, they loaded edible food and usable goods onto their own team's carts. The abandoned metal weapons were cleansed with fire to ward off evil, rendering them usable again.
Seeing their previously empty carts refilled, an escort whispered to Escort Leader Lin:
"No wonder Scholar Weng urged us to leave the city as soon as possible. While there might have been other concerns within the city, outside, it's truly a place paved with 'gold'! We had to be quick to act!"
The teams that arrived first profited immensely, while those who came later got nothing.
With food secured, their hearts felt at ease.
The members, who had been heavy-hearted and dispirited, were once again invigorated.
The weather grew colder, and with their added warm clothing, their spirits brightened.
The cold signified safety.
Wen Gu thought about the information he gathered in Jin Wu City.
During autumn and winter, the major clans would hold their Autumn Hunts.
This year, due to weather conditions, the Autumn Hunt was postponed, and it would likely be called the Winter Hunt.
He wondered if they would encounter the Zhao Clan's Autumn Hunt army.
However, that was secondary for Wen Gu. He was more curious about whether the cavalry unit he had met earlier had delivered the letter.
Given the cavalry's astuteness, they should have been able to break out of the encirclement before the Evil Creatures gathered.
Had his dear aunt and uncle received the letter he wrote?
The north wind blew southward with murderous intent. The cold air that had previously retreated now aggressively swept south, bringing the chill of frost.
The early winter cold front officially marked the beginning of the Xiànsòu activities in the northern lands.
Migratory birds flew south, but in this peculiar chaotic era, humans at the turn of autumn and winter moved in the opposite direction.
A large number of survivors from the southern lands migrated north. Their destinations were not necessarily uniform, though most had clear objectives. The prominent aristocratic families had already made their choices.
The Xiànsòu activities of the various clans in the northern lands, while clearing out regional threats, also served to welcome these people.
The influential families and magnates from the southern lands, bringing supplies and people, would bolster the strength of these northern clans.
Northern Lands, Du Clan.
A merchant caravan moved along a narrow path.
The terrain here was treacherous and easy to defend. A plank road was built along the cliffs, and soldiers guided them forward. Along the route, one could see deep ravines, where a slight misstep could send one plummeting down.
They had to traverse this perilous area to reach the towns beyond.
The livestock pulling the carts and the heavy cargo took a different route.
Those in the caravan, traveling light along the plank road, felt no frustration. Instead, they experienced a sense of excitement at finally reaching a treasure trove.
This area possessed natural defenses. According to the information gathered, this territory controlled by the Du Clan rarely suffered from swarm attacks by external Evil Creatures.
Furthermore, their merchant guild's boss had also learned that the Du Clan possessed well fire and well salt!
Truly a land of treasure!
In these chaotic times, preserving oneself was paramount, and they sought a stable place to do business!
They had made the right choice coming to the Du Clan!
If one of the six major northern clans were to fall first, it would be another clan!
...
Northern Lands, Qi Clan.
A northward migrating team from a southern aristocratic family, weary from their arduous journey with exhausted people and horses, finally arrived at the Qi Clan's territory. Coincidentally, they witnessed the Xiànsòu army setting off.
The lightly armored cavalry in front were agile and majestic, moving in a vast, formidable, and sharp procession.
Following them were iron cavalry clad in heavy armor, surging like thunder, shaking the very soul!
The ground trembled, and people's hearts quaked. The leader of the aristocratic family looked on with burning eyes.
"I heard the Qi Clan preserves the most cavalry, and they have incorporated many northern tribes with excellent warhorses. Seeing them now, they are indeed extraordinary!"
He also instructed the younger generation of his family: "Keep your eyes on the long term; don't just look at the present, but plan for the future!"
He who possesses cavalry possesses the world!
When the epidemic of evil finally subsides, under the thunder of hooves, the other five clans will be nothing but mere playthings!
...
Northern Lands, Dong Clan.
Another northward migrating team from a southern aristocratic family.
They had previously been pursued by a small group of Evil Creatures, but fortunately, they encountered the Dong Clan's Xiànsòu Army.
Outside their group were some peculiar-looking carts, with thick wooden boards and iron plates attached to one side of the carriage.
It was these strange carts that, while hunting the Evil Creatures, also protected these northward migrants.
The leader of this northward migrating team watched the Dong Clan's Autumn Hunt army around them with great excitement.
"The Dong Clan's war chariots live up to their reputation!"
Dozens of war chariots could be equivalent to thousands of troops!
Cavalry? An outdated concept!
Did they still consider this a normal chaotic world? Both people and horses were flesh and blood!
Facing those Evil Creatures, how could flesh and blood compare to steel?!
...
Northern Lands, Jiang Clan.
Arrows carrying fire streaked through the sky, striking their targets, followed by bursts of fire, clouds of smoke, and the sound of thunderous explosions!
The leader of a newly arrived northward migrating team trembled with excitement. The thought of others choosing different families made him want to laugh out loud.
With such thunderous might, the other five clans were trash!
...
Zhao Clan, Xin Prefecture City.
A small cavalry unit, having traveled a long distance, returned to Xin Prefecture City, dusty and travel-worn.
They came from the southern lands, but they were not among the northward migrants. They were originally from here, but had been sent on a mission to the south.
Now, they had finally returned.
They were the same cavalry squad Wen Gu had encountered earlier.
The letter they carried was not delivered to the incense shop Wen Gu had written about but was sent to another location.
In a rather refined study, a small stack of letters had already accumulated.
An incense burner was lit nearby, and a middle-aged scholar in brown robes sat there, leisurely sipping tea, continuing to open letters.
He read one, then opened the next.
His expression remained largely unchanged throughout, only occasionally smacking his lips, it's unclear if it was due to the content of the letters.
He tossed the letter in his hand aside and reached for the next one.
"Hmm?"
The middle-aged scholar straightened slightly and looked at the picture on the envelope, the recipient's surname, and the address.
Then, he picked up the letter opener and began to open the letter with more caution and deliberation than before.
After opening the envelope, the scholar in brown robes quickly scanned it and re-examined the illustration. He did not scrutinize the content of the letter but carefully repacked it.
He gave a cursory glance at the covers of the unread letters. Seeing no other special ones, he took the letter with the pattern, checked the time, and got up to go elsewhere.
He walked briskly through the corridors and pavilions, arriving at a solemn courtyard. After a brief wait, he was ushered in by a servant.
Inside, a young man sat writing something on paper, his demeanor calm and composed, but his gaze, when it fell upon the scholar, carried an undeniable pressure.
The scholar in brown robes bowed, holding out the letter with both hands, "Young Master, a letter from home!"
The young man's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he took the letter.
Since their Zhao family rose to prominence in the northern lands, a swarm of relatives had appeared, some genuine and some not.
Therefore, specialized personnel were responsible for screening them. Those who reached this point were generally considered to have a higher degree of credible identity.
At this moment, the Young Master of the Zhao Clan's attitude was nonchalant.
Over the past year, even distant relatives had come forward to claim kinship. These were all accounted for; if they had the ability, they would be given important roles.
However, most of these relatives who came were just wastrels who only knew how to open their mouths for food and benefits!
But even wastrels had their uses, so he made separate arrangements for those types of relatives, without needing his parents to intervene.
Upon receiving another letter today, the young man looked at the pattern on the envelope and recalled some matters.
After reading the content of the letter.
Young Master Zhao exclaimed, "Wen family's cousin? He's still alive?!"
At the beginning of the chaotic times, they had also inquired about the Wen family, but the news they received was not good. They had assumed no one was left. His mother had been heartbroken for a long time.
Unexpectedly, there was still someone who had survived!
It was not a major issue. If Wen family's cousin possessed only ordinary talent, it would just be a matter of providing a few extra meals, letting him stay with his mother to keep the elder happy.
However, to send such a letter at this time...
Young Master Zhao's face showed a hint of a smile, and he nodded with satisfaction.
He must have some ability!
Wait!
The smile on Young Master Zhao's face vanished instantly. He looked again at the date written at the end of the letter.
If he remembered correctly, that area had just experienced a swarm attack of Evil Creatures. Was this cousin still alive?
Young Master Zhao specifically summoned the cavalry unit to question them.
He learned that the cavalry had given a warning when they left and also learned about the hundred-person team that his cousin had led.
"That scholar looked a bit frail and was easily trusting,"
This was what one of the cavalry members told Young Master Zhao.
Young Master Zhao became more curious about his cousin.
If one could hold authority within a refugee team of a hundred people in such chaotic times, they must possess some capabilities.
As for the cavalry's impression of Wen Gu, "frail" might be true, but "easily trusting" was questionable, wasn't it?
Young Master Zhao sincerely hoped that his cousin would survive and arrive.
He decided not to inform his mother yet; he would wait a little longer.
He sent messages to the Autumn Hunt team and the people in the important county towns ahead, instructing them to send someone to escort Wen Gu if they encountered him, but without revealing his identity.
After completing these arrangements, Young Master Zhao instructed the scholar in brown robes, "From now on, any letters sent by Cousin Wen should be brought to me immediately."
This frail Cousin Wen must not yet know the current identities of his aunt, uncle, and elder cousin, right?