The Missing Caravan Escorts

The stone fortress was simply furnished. Apart from the talismans on the walls, there were only stone tables, stone chairs, and stone beds.

Yue Zhenqiao sat on a stone chair. He picked up his waterskin to moisten his throat, then began explaining everything to Lin Yu and Li Nian.

"Neither of you heroines knows this, but around Chen Family Fortress on Double Saw Mountain are five large Fire Hell towns: Guzhen Town, Willow Town, Xian Town, Xi Town, and Qi Town. They lie almost directly along the routes people have to take, and were once among the best stopping points for merchant caravans and escort caravans. After all, even the nearest Five Springs Village is half a day away by a regular caravan."

"Even if we hadn't encountered an accident like we did today, using Chen Family Fortress as a place to stop and rest through noon would still have been a decent route arrangement."

"More than ten years ago, when I was still a brash young escort who had just entered the profession, my master told me that Chen Family Fortress had been a very lively stopping point in its younger days. At noon, there would often be three or four merchant caravans and escort caravans gathered here at once."

"But that heyday is gone now, naturally because... starting more than ten years ago, Chen Family Fortress became somewhat 'unlucky.'"

Yue Zhenqiao glanced out the window and lowered his voice.

"At first, one or two out of every ten merchant caravans and escort caravans that passed through and camped here would suffer some kind of mishap. Members would vanish for no apparent reason, or goods would disappear. In short, it was said that once a group entered 'Chen Family Fortress,' there was a chance that people would be missing