Enter the City! Enter the Sect!

The sky lightened slightly, a hint of fish-belly white appearing in the east.

The mist on the wilderness grew thick, shrouding the distant mountains and the nearby withered grass in a hazy veil.

The figure of Jiang Ye, like a wisp of smoke merging with the fog, appeared silently atop a small hill.

He stood behind an old locust tree, squinting slightly as he gazed at the winding path below the slope.

Down there, the Su Family caravan was moving forward at a slow pace.

A night of rushing and slaughter had left this group, originally nearly a hundred strong, looking exhausted and disheveled.

The womenfolk supported one another, their steps faltering.

The guards' hands, still gripping their weapons, were aching, yet they forced themselves to remain vigilant.

Liu Qingshi walked at the very front of the procession, his back still held straight, yet the gloom enveloping him could not be hidden.

He walked in silence, not uttering a word, like a moving stone statue.

Huang Xiyu followed not far behind him, supported by Liu Yiyi.

Her face remained pale, her eyes filled with exhaustion and terror, yet the gaze she cast toward her husband's back was heavy with heartache and worry.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she only sighed and let the words go unsaid.

Liu Yiyi remained constantly alert, her cold, clear eyes scanning the surrounding wilderness.

There was little expression on her delicate, pretty face, save for the inescapable self-reproach etched between her brows.

Su Yan walked in the middle of the group; her sturdy attire was also stained with blood and dust, yet she still tried her best to maintain a gentle and composed demeanor, occasionally whispering words of comfort to the women beside her.

Guo Wei lay on a flatbed cart, his severed arm wrapped in thick cloth. The bleeding had stopped, but his face remained as pale as paper, his eyes tightly shut, occasionally letting out a few pained groans.

Several Su Family servants stood guard nearby, cautious and ready to change his bandages at any moment.

Su Chen walked toward the rear of the group, his expression grave as he counted the survivors, occasionally speaking in low tones with several stewards.

His brows remained tightly locked, his eyes filled with anxiety.

Last night's battle had not only cost them the arm of Guo Wei but had also claimed the lives of several clansmen.

There were still several days of travel ahead; who knew what else they might encounter.

Jiang Ye stood quietly on the slope, his gaze piercing through the mist to land on the silent, rigid back of Liu Qingshi.

He could vaguely sense the repressed pain and self-reproach emanating from the man's posture.

"Sigh..."

He let out a soft sigh, a complex emotion flickering in his aged eyes.

Within it lay touched feelings, guilt, and a deep, profound sense of helplessness.

He knew that not revealing himself was the wisest choice at this moment.

From the shadows, he could continue to protect the Liu Qingshi family.

More importantly, Liu Yiyi was destined to enter the Azure Sky Sect in the future.

And he, through his connection with Wen Yueyao, had already secured an opportunity to enter the Azure Sky Sect as an "Old Man Medicine."

When that time came, he would be able to continue shielding this girl he had watched grow up from within the sect.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ye slowly suppressed the impulse in his heart and completely abandoned the thought of revealing himself.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, aside from that night of bloody battle, the Su Family caravan did not encounter any bandits along the way.

They walked onto the main imperial road, where the number of people grew steadily—there were merchant caravans, as well as many commoners like them, fleeing disasters and moving their entire families from the county town to the prefecture capital.

As the crowds gathered, the panic that had weighed on everyone's hearts for days finally began to dissipate.

Not long after.

A massive silhouette slowly emerged on the horizon.

At first, it was merely a faint shadow at the edge of the sky, but as the caravan moved forward, the shadow became clearer and more imposing, until it occupied the entire field of vision.

"It's the prefecture capital!!!"

Someone in the crowd cried out, their voice distorted with excitement, pointing at the black, gargantuan shadow that spanned the earth and sky.

It was a true giant city.

The city walls stood over ten zhang high, constructed from massive, polished black stones, each a zhang square.

Those stones had weathered countless years of wind and rain; their surfaces were smooth as mirrors, yet they cast a cold, eerie luster under the sunlight.

Looking from afar, the entire city resembled an ancient beast dormant on the plains, silently looking down upon the crowd of people, who appeared as insignificant as ants at its feet.

Atop the city walls, an arrow tower stood every few zhang. The towers were three stories high with flying eaves and bracket sets, from which copper bells hung, emitting clear, crisp sounds in the wind.

The city gate stood wide open, five zhang high and wide enough for four carriages to pass through side-by-side.

Above the gate, three large characters, written with the force of iron and silver, were deeply engraved into a black stone plaque—"Cloud Ridge Prefecture."

The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, every stroke appearing as if carved by a blade or axe, exuding an air of dominance that looked down upon the world.

"We're finally going to make it!!!"

Someone in the crowd wept with joy, covering their face as they crouched on the ground, their shoulders shaking violently.

More people stared blankly at the massive city, tears of survival welling up in their eyes.

Everyone knew that as long as they stepped through those city gates, they would be safe.

"Hiss... this is truly massive."

Even Jiang Ye, hidden in the shadows, felt a flicker of shock in his aged eyes as he gazed at the silhouette of the prefecture city in the distance.

To see the city was to see the sect.

He could already imagine just how formidable the Azure Sky Sect, which controlled this prefecture city, must be.

The procession moved forward for another half-day before finally arriving at the city gates.

The flow of people entering the city was like a tapestry, forming several long lines that crawled forward at a snail's pace.

Strangely, despite the crowded lines, not a single person dared to cause trouble; even loud shouting was a rarity.

This was because every few paces on both sides of the gate stood a soldier clad in black armor.

Each of these soldiers possessed a steady aura, their eyes containing a restrained, sharp light—they were all martial artists with the strength of Bright Strength.

As for the captain standing in the center of the gate, responsible for verifying identities, his eyes were particularly piercing, and his aura surged faintly; he was clearly an expert of Dark Strength.

In front of such a team of "gatekeepers," even the most arrogant troublemaker had to obediently wait in line.

About half an hour later, the Su Family's group finally passed through the heavy city gates and stepped into Cloud Ridge Prefecture.

The moment they entered, a wave of clamorous noise rushed toward them, forming a sharp contrast to the silence of the wilderness outside.

The streets were wide and smooth, lined with shops and fluttering wine banners. Pedestrians rubbed shoulders, and the sounds of hawking, bargaining, and children playing wove together into a scene of extraordinary liveliness.

Standing at the street corner and gazing at the bustling sight, the group felt as if they had returned from another lifetime.

"Brother Liu, Brother Guo, you have worked hard along this journey!"

Su Chen took a deep breath, and his weary face finally radiated a hint of vitality.

He turned to Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei, cupping his hands solemnly, his gratitude evident in his expression.

"Follow me to my residence to rest and settle down first, then we can plan our next steps!"

"I purchased a house in the prefecture city; although it isn't large, it is more than enough to accommodate everyone."

"Very well, we shall follow Brother Su's arrangements." Liu Qingshi nodded slightly. His face remained expressionless, but the brow he had kept furrowed for days finally relaxed a little.

Guo Wei leaned against the wooden cart, his expression still listless, but he managed a nod as well.

The injury on his severed arm had stabilized, but his vitality had been severely damaged; he wouldn't be able to recover for at least three to five months.

Su Chen was extremely familiar with the prefecture city and led the group through several streets and alleys, arriving shortly before a three-courtyard residence.

The house was not large, but it was clean and tidy, sufficient to house the entire group.

Jiang Ye followed far behind the procession like an invisible shadow.

He watched as Liu Qingshi's family entered the residence with Su Chen, waiting a moment longer to ensure there were no further developments before approaching silently to commit the address of the residence to memory.

He stood in the shadows of the alley, watching the black-lacquered gate slowly close, a complex light flashing in his aged eyes.

Then, he quietly departed.

"I shall head to the Azure Sky Sect first."

He reached into his robes and touched the Black Iron Token, which still carried a faint, lingering fragrance.