Originally, Yue Buqun had estimated that it would take Yue Lingshan no more than a month and a half to reach Fuzhou. Even if something unexpected came up along the way, it wouldn't take more than two months.
But!
With Annie, a little glutton who loved eating, drinking, and having fun, now part of the group, there was naturally no shortage of stops along the way. In the end, the three of them had spent a full two and a half months just to reach Fuzhou.
During that time, the Demon Cult's rebels and the imperial army had continued their fierce battles around Hangzhou Prefecture, with both sides winning and losing in turn.
Apparently, the Demon Cult currently had the upper hand?
Over those two months, the Demon Cult had captured several important military strongholds in succession. After seizing all of Hangzhou Prefecture, it had also moved south into Guangxin Prefecture and north into Jiangyin Prefecture, taking the vast, most prosperous stretch of Jiangnan that included Lake Tai, Huangshan, Wuyi Mountain, and Mount Tiantai?
Although the imperial army had temporarily halted the Demon Cult's offensive, the fighting would drag on. It would likely take at least two or three years for either side to claim victory. Putting down the rebellion would be no easy task for the court.
Of course, none of that mattered!
What mattered was that today, Yue Lingshan, Lu Dayou, and Annie, who had happily spent the journey eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves, had finally made it into Fuzhou. Being far from the war zone, the city's defenses were still relatively lax.
As soon as they entered the city, Lu Dayou rode along behind the ox cart loaded with all kinds of game, fruits, and vegetables. He couldn't help but sigh as he followed the cart at