As dusk settled over the winding mountain road...
Yue Buqun, leader of the Huashan Sect and the current martial world alliance chief known as the "Gentleman Sword," was leading the members of the Huashan Sect along a country path, traveling light.
It had been three full days since they left Hangzhou Prefecture and set out on their return journey.
And it wasn't until this afternoon that they had finally managed to leave the boundaries of Hangzhou Prefecture.
They hadn't dared travel by water, much less take the official roads. They were mostly using country lanes and mountain paths, so naturally, they couldn't make much speed.
The Demon Cult's rebellion in Hangzhou was growing increasingly severe, and the imperial court had consequently blockaded the main land and water routes. With so many people, if they took the official roads or traveled by water, they might well be mistaken for troublemakers by the imperial troops—or even surrounded and attacked.
Especially now, when the furious imperial court hated the martial world to the bone. They wouldn't care whether the Huashan Sect was orthodox or part of the Demon Cult!
The weather was decent today, and the surroundings were peaceful. A mountain breeze brushed their faces, bringing with it the chill of late autumn and gradually easing some of the gloom in their hearts left by the turmoil at the martial arts conference three days earlier.
However, the calm didn't last long.
As they continued on and approached a small country tavern, the Huashan Sect's party—several carriages and two or three dozen horses—had no choice but to stop. Everyone's gaze turned toward the road ahead.
Not far ahead, more than a dozen horses were tied up outside a roadside tavern.
They were casually hitched to the wooden posts of the stable, and none bore