Dozens of guards in light armor, armed with sharp blades, surrounded a carriage as they rode tall steeds, clip-clopping along a narrow, winding mountain path.
All around lay open wilderness, with precipitous mountains, vanished birds in flight, and spirit monkeys scrambling along the cliffs. The air was thick with the breath of nature.
This was also the last road through the border counties of Liang Prefecture. Once they passed this place and traveled another twenty li northwest, they would reach the outskirts of Lingwu City—though only its fringe villages and towns. To enter Lingwu City itself, they would still need to take a boat across the Wu River.
The journey had been peaceful and smooth overall. With such formidable, imposing warriors and their chilling weapons, even bandits and mounted outlaws were unwilling to provoke them lightly, afraid they would be biting off more than they could chew.
Still, none of them found the journey dull, especially the warriors. Whenever they rested, they practiced martial arts at Meng Zhao's side, and he would usually offer them a few pointers, from which they benefited greatly.
In terms of the martial world, Meng Zhao rivaled a grandmaster martial artist. His wisdom was as deep and vast as an abyssal sea; from his lofty vantage point, a few words were enough to point out the disharmonies in these martial artists' cultivation, allowing them to change their habits and improve their progress. Though not quite advancing a thousand miles in a day, their gains were still abundant.
Some of the warriors even hoped this road would never end. Perhaps then their martial arts would soar all the way forward, and even advancing into the Innate realm might not be impossible.
"Stop!"
An order came from within the carriage. The guards on horseback immediately pulled tight