Xue Baochai could not help saying, "Should we take a detour?"
"What's there to fear? There are so many of us. Even if there's danger ahead, it won't be enough to stop us."
"It's already dark. If we miss this town, we'll have no choice but to sleep out in the wilderness."
The young masters from the aristocratic families all chimed in.
Wanyan Chongjie snorted from the side. "If you're afraid, leave on your own. We'll go in and stay there ourselves." Without waiting for a response, she directly signaled for the Jin Dynasty party to enter the town.
Ouyang Feng said nothing and coolly followed. With his reputation as the Western Venom, unless the place was packed with Grandmasters, he had nothing to fear even if it was a dragon's den or tiger's lair.
And even if there were Grandmasters... wasn't Song Qingshu still behind them?
Having been slighted by the Jurchen, the hot-blooded young nobles naturally could not stand it. They clamored to follow them in. Xue Baochai frowned, but ultimately agreed. First, she was indeed angered by the Jurchen's attitude; second, she and the Yellow-robed Woman were disguised as men, and sleeping in the open would be inconvenient after all.
Song Qingshu shrugged. Naturally, he did not care either way.
The group entered the town. Not a single household along the road had its lights on. Only a few tattered lanterns by the roadside cast dim, murky yellow glows.
Xue Baochai said curiously, "It feels as though the townspeople encountered something terrifying and all fled for refuge."
Lü Shidao said gravely, "It looks like the desolation left after a war." Having lived in Xiangyang for years, he had seen many such scenes. After every major battle, villages and towns would be reduced to ruins like this.
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