The entire Road Market was filled with shouts and calls. Some people who had learned to read wrote words and patterns on their wooden boards with charcoal Charcoal Pencil, while they stood behind the boards and waited.
It doesn't matter if you don't recognize the words on the wooden board, you can still see the pictures.
For example, when restaurant waiters and winery workers were looking for jobs, they would draw a rough outline of a wine glass.
Those who sell goods or people directly list the price on the person being sold.
The man looked left and right, and soon stopped in a corner.
"Gathering herbs in the mountains, a round trip to the Red Mountain in a day! We're local hunters, registered with the Government Office, so we can get here quickly!"
"Miao Mountain Red West Gully, come quickly if you want to leave, ten people First Squad, we'll leave when we're full."
"The Zhao Family caravan, destination Central Capital, has three seats remaining. We will depart in four days. Please bring your own food."
"The Tonghe Prefecture is gone, the last one, the very last one! They've come and gone! A group of thirty men, a round trip of one month! Three taels of silver! Bring your own food!"
Behind each wooden sign stood groups of hawkers of different clothes and ages.
The noise initially made the man frown; it was simply too loud.
After going around in circles, he gradually adapted and began to look for the goals he needed.
This man was Zhang Rongfang had already wandered around the city.
After receiving the news about the Golden Wing Tower, his first action was to verify it, and then he went to the Ministry of Justice to ask for leave.
With the Li Family's connections and the recent mass killing of a large number of people, the area is extremely safe.
The brigade readily granted him a week's leave.
After requesting leave, Zhang Rongfang immediately went to Road Market.
He had learned from casual conversations with his subordinates that many of the people in the Road Market were seasoned travelers who had been all over the country. The best way for them to find out about a place was to come here and inquire about it.
But at this point, Zhang Rongfang looked around but couldn't find any way to get to the Seven Counties.
"Anyone going to Huaxin County?" He had no choice but to walk up to a guy who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing some kind of game with a few stones on the ground.
There was a wooden board in front of the man, on which was written that he was going to a place called Jian Nong.
Upon hearing this, the waiter looked up at him.
"That place is inaccessible now; the main road is blocked."
"What about the side path?" Zhang Rongfang asked, frowning.
"A side path? Not many people know about it. Besides, it's a bit dangerous; most people wouldn't dare to take it." The shopkeeper sized up Zhang Rongfang's strong physique, then shook his head.
"But sir, there are also people from the Seven Counties who want to go, but they all have family members there who can't come. If you want to go, you can go and join them."
The man pointed to the side, about ten steps away.
There were several red-painted wooden boards on the stalls there.
On one side of the wooden board, most of the people standing were silent and quiet, forming a stark contrast with the people around them who were shouting and hawking.
Zhang Rongfang walked over and asked.
"Huaxin County? Let's go there!"
The speaker was a thin man with a three-pronged mustache.
His face was gloomy, his hands were tucked into his sleeves and clasped together in front of him.
"The main road is closed now, we can only take the side road, you know that, right?" He looked Zhang Rongfang up and down and asked.
"I know, how do we collect them?" Zhang Rongfang breathed a slight sigh of relief. There weren't many people going to the Seven Counties, and even fewer going to Huaxin County.
Now we've finally found one.
"Ten taels per person," the man with the three-pronged mustache said in a deep voice.
"Ten taels!?" Zhang Rongfang was immediately surprised.
Huaxin County is only three days away from Tanyang by Official Road.
When he came with the caravan, it only cost him three taels of silver per person.
"It's a special time, take it or leave it," the man said impatiently.
Zhang Rongfang glanced at the group of people standing behind the man. Some of them had pale faces and red eyes. Some were holding Prayer Beads and muttering something under their breath. Others were squatting down with their heads down, their expressions unreadable.
"When?" Zhang Rongfang asked.
"We'll set off early tomorrow morning, taking the detour through Qingding Mountain," Sanpouhu replied, his attitude slightly improved, perhaps because he saw that Zhang Rongfang might have financial resources.
Knowing he had to get back within five days, Zhang Rongfang gave up on haggling.
At this point, they're clearly trying to raise the price, so there's not much to say.
He promptly paid the deposit, obtained the agreed location, exchanged names, and then got up to leave.
He doesn't know what his master and senior brother's situation is when he goes back, so he has to make all sorts of preparations.
*** Huaxin County.
Inside a residential house.
Two groups of burly, armed men were facing off.
The two leaders sat motionless at opposite ends of a wooden table.
The man on the left is a middle-aged man with a thick, white beard, wearing a shiny black leather armor, with a curved sword hanging at his waist. He has a scar running from top to bottom over his right eye, which almost blinded him.
This person is Zhao Yueting, the person in charge of Sea Dragon in Huaxin County.
Standing behind him were Sea Dragon's most elite core members in Huaxin County.
The man sitting opposite him was Red Dog King, the intelligence chief who had come all the way from Tanyang.
Red Dog King is already over thirty years old.
Because its skin is slightly reddish all over and it has very little hair on its head, it looks like a stray dog that is losing its fur, so people call it the Red Dog King.
This man is Hu Xi People, and he has a large group of fellow Hu Xi People working together to support him. He makes a living by selling intelligence.
The reason for coming here was naturally to gather more intelligence, and also to sell more intelligence to the Ling Ting Garrison.
Fortune favors the bold, and intelligence is most valuable in times like these.
"Well? Have you found out anything about this group of rebels?" Zhao Yueting asked in a deep voice.
He was assigned here to investigate the Rebel Army's logistical vulnerabilities, and has been doing so for over a month.
Unfortunately, progress is still extremely slow.
"Hehe, if I hadn't broken through, would I have invited you to this place for a trade?" Red Dog King took the Dry Tobacco handed to him by his subordinate, carefully lit it with a flint, and took a deep drag.
He waited until the tobacco turned a red dot before putting it down and leisurely exhaling the smoke.
"Not only have I uncovered logistical leads, but I've also found you the most crucial intelligence. I guarantee you'll get a promotion and a fortune when you get back!"
Zhao Yueting's heart skipped a beat, but he remained unmoved. Red Dog King had always had this exaggerated style, and he was used to it.
"Tell me your thoughts? The price remains the same."
"Alright." Red Dog King nodded. "This rebel army calls itself the Zhenyong Army. Of its six leaders, three are from the Han Family who are in charge of military affairs, and the Han Family also provides some of the supplies out of their own pockets. You should know that, right?"
"Of course." Zhao Yueting nodded.
"Also, Huaxin County is located behind the Seven Counties. Hey, guess which power has the most grain here?"
"You mean...?" Zhao Yueting's expression changed slightly.
"It's the one you're thinking of," Red Dog King laughed. "How about it? This time, I'll give you another breakthrough, but your Sea Dragon has to do me a favor!"
"It depends on how expensive the gift you're giving me is," Zhao Yueting said in a deep voice.
"Good." Red Dog King laughed. "Your Sea Dragon is good enough. We've been cooperating for so many years, I trust you."
He moved closer and leaned down.
"The person in charge of the logistics and supplies for the rebel army was Zhang Xuan, the Merit Transfer Master the Qinghe Temple, and his son Zhang Xintai."
"It's him!?" Zhao Yueting's face darkened. "Zhang Xuan is at least Fourth Grade expert, and in his youth he was Fifth Grade Master. Plus, with the rebel army protecting him, even if we find out it's him, it won't mean much. So, what's the breakthrough you're talking about?"
"I've discovered that within the rebel army, there are also people who are dissatisfied with Zhang Xuan and want to take action against him."
Red Dog King smiled mysteriously.
"And coincidentally, that person had an excellent relationship with Zhang Xuan, and was also one of the leaders in the chaotic army."
"You mean, that person wants to surrender?" Zhao Yueting immediately understood.
"Exactly! We just need to wait for him to create an opportunity."
"Another strange thing is that Zhang Xuan's son, Zhang Xintai, should have just gotten married not long ago, but the Yang Family, whose bride he married Yang Hongyan, has now disappeared without a trace," Red Dog King continued.
"In addition, I also found out that Zhang Xuan took on a disciple named Zhang Rongfang some time ago. Now Zhang Rongfang has also disappeared without a trace."
I suspect these people were all arranged to go to some safe place.
"Yang Hongyan, if Zhang Rongfang is talking about safe places, which of these Seven Counties is the safest?" Zhao Yueting gently shook his head.
"Don't worry, I've already investigated the Yang Family. Yang Family 've always run a small business in the county, sourcing their goods from Tanyang, and their hometown is in Xuyang Town. It's basically one of those three places. I'll follow this line and eventually find some clues."
Red Dog King laughed, "At that time, we'll arrest them from both sides. If we can't deal with Zhang Xuan directly, we'll threaten his daughter-in-law's family and his apprentice's lives from another angle. There's always a way we can succeed."
Zhao Yueting smiled and nodded, feeling relieved.
This so-called Zhenyong Army was destined to fail from the very beginning.
"When does he plan to make his move?"
"The date is set for three days from now. He will come looking for us with Zhang Xuan's head then," Red Dog King laughed.
***The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
The gates of Tanyang City slowly opened.
A small group of people mingled with the procession leaving the city, lined up to have their Wen Die checked, and then left the city gate.
The team consisted of six people, including Zhang Rongfang.
The leader was Chen Guocao, and another woman Xiao Huan.
The two appeared to be a couple. Chen Guocao was thin and frail, while Xiao Huan was large and burly, with an arm that could fit as long as her husband's leg.
The other three were the same three that Zhang Rongfang had met before.
Once outside the city, no one in the group spoke. After carefully checking their luggage, they left the main road and turned left into a side street.
They had been traveling since morning until almost noon before finally stopping by a stream to fetch water and rest.
The team leader Chen Guocao, and his wife sat down alone on one side, while the remaining four rested separately.
Nobody had the time or inclination to pay attention to anyone else.
At this time, spending a large sum of money to return to Huaxin, everyone's anxiety and worry were almost palpable.
Zhang Rongfang also took out a hard-boiled egg from his bundle, peeled it, and ate it, occasionally taking a sip of milk tea.
This milk tea has a lot of sugar, Little Rice, and black glutinous rice added.
It tastes rich and fragrant, not much different from the milk tea I ate in my past life. In fact, it's much richer. It's perfect for satisfying hunger and replenishing nutrients.
He frowned, considering what Huaxin County should do.
What exactly is the situation over there? What measures have the Righteous Army taken against the County Town? How can we quickly find our master and fellow disciples? These are all things we need to consider in advance.
Chen Guocao and Xiao Huan, a married couple, sat not far away, next to a large rock, munching on scallion pancakes.
"How far are we?" Xiao Huan asked.
"It's still early. Even if the shortcut is faster, we won't get there until at least tomorrow night," Chen Guocao shook his head.
"Where should we start a fire?" Xiao Huan rubbed her hands together, feeling a bit cold.
"She'll give birth in a little while at the Next Return Gully, don't rush," Chen Guocao replied impatiently.
"All right."
The two then fell silent and each ate a pancake from their water pouch.
After resting for a while, the group continued on their journey.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen Guocao led the way, with the rest of the people following behind.
No one noticed that the couple were exchanging glances as they walked.
From the very beginning, these two had planned to use the pretense of guiding the way as a pretext to swindle exorbitant travel fees.
After all, Huaxin County was currently in turmoil and rebellion, and human life was cheap. Going there would be suicide. The two had planned to leave Tanyang, but they didn't have enough money for the journey. So they came up with a plan to do a big job, then take advantage of the opportunity to escape while they were in the wilderness, and use the money they had swindled to start a new life elsewhere.
And most importantly.
Neither of them actually knew how to get to Huaxin County.
They had no idea about any small road leading to Huaxin County.
They simply aimed in the general direction and followed a path they had taken before when gathering herbs.
Anyway, they don't know the way, and these idiots behind them are even less likely to know.
As long as the general direction is roughly right, you can just do a haphazard job and call it a day.