The sky was just beginning to lighten, and a sliver of fish-belly white appeared in the east.
The mist over the wilderness thickened, shrouding the distant mountains and the withered grass nearby in a haze.
Jiang Ye's figure, like a wisp of smoke blending into the mist, appeared soundlessly atop a small hill.
He stood behind an old locust tree, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked down at the winding path below.
There, the Su Family's caravan was slowly making its way forward.
A night of rushing onward and bloody fighting had left the once nearly hundred-strong group looking exhausted and ragged.
The women supported one another, their steps unsteady.
The guards' hands had grown sore from gripping their weapons, yet they still forced themselves to keep watch over their surroundings.
Liu Qingshi walked at the head of the group, his back still ramrod straight, but the gloom hanging over him was impossible to conceal.
He walked in silence, without saying a word, like a moving stone statue.
Huang Xiyu followed not far behind him, supported by Liu Yiyi.
Her face was still pale, her eyes full of weariness and fear. Yet when she looked at her husband's back, what showed most in her gaze was concern and heartache.
She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, she only sighed and said nothing.
Liu Yiyi remained vigilant, her cool gaze constantly sweeping across the surrounding wilderness.
Her delicate face held little expression, but a trace of unmistakable self-reproach still gathered between her brows.
Su Yan walked in the middle of the group. Her fitted clothes were likewise stained with blood and dust, but she still did her best to maintain her gentle, composed demeanor, occasionally offering quiet words of comfort to the women around her.
Guo Wei lay on a handcart, his severed arm wrapped in thick bandages. The bleeding had stopped, but his face was still as pale as paper, his eyes tightly shut. Every now and then, he let out a pained groan.
Several Su Family servants stood carefully by his side, ready to change his bandages at any moment.
Su Chen walked near the rear of the group, his expression grave as he counted their numbers and occasionally spoke in low voices with a few stewards.
His brows remained tightly furrowed, his eyes full of worry.
In last night's battle, they had not only lost Guo Wei's arm, but also several members of the clan.
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 the mist as it settled on Liu Qingshi's silent, rigid back.
He could faintly sense the pain and self-reproach suppressed within the man's figure.
"Alas..."
He let out a soft sigh, a complex emotion flashing through his aged eyes.
There was gratitude, guilt, and also a deep sense of helplessness.
He knew that not showing himself was the wisest choice right now.
From the shadows, he could continue protecting Liu Qingshi's family.
More importantly, Liu Yiyi would surely enter the Azure Sky Sect in the future.
And through Wen Yueyao's connections, he had already secured a chance to enter the Azure Sky Sect as the "old man who watches over the medicine."
By then, he could continue to protect the girl he had watched grow up, from the shadows within the sect.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ye slowly suppressed the impulse in his heart and completely gave up on showing himself.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, after that bloody battle on the first night, the Su Family's caravan encountered no more bandits along the way.
They traveled along the official road, where more and more people appeared. There were merchant caravans, as well as many commoners like them who had left the county with their entire families to escape disaster and move to Prefecture City.
As the crowds gathered, the panic that had weighed on everyone's hearts for days finally began to fade.
Before long.
A vast silhouette slowly emerged on the horizon.
At first, it was only a faint shadow at the edge of the sky. As the group pressed on, the shadow grew clearer and more imposing, until it filled their entire field of vision.
"It's Prefecture City!!!"
Someone in the crowd cried out in excitement, their voice breaking as they pointed at the immense black shape stretching between heaven and earth.
It was a truly enormous city.
The city walls stood over ten zhang high, built from massive, gleaming black stones, each several feet across.
No one knew how many years of wind and rain had worn against those stones. Their surfaces were smooth as mirrors, yet they glimmered with a cold light beneath the sun.
From a distance, the entire city seemed like an ancient beast crouching on the plains, silently looking down upon the tiny crowds below, as insignificant as ants.
On the city walls, an arrow tower stood every several zhang. Each tower had three stories, with sweeping eaves and interlocking brackets. Bronze bells hung from the corners of the eaves, chiming clearly in the wind.
The city gates stood open, five zhang high and wide enough for four carriages to pass through abreast.
Above the gate, three bold characters, their strokes as sharp as iron hooks, were deeply engraved on a black stone plaque: "Cloud Ridge Prefecture."
The characters were powerful and vigorous, every stroke as if hacked out by an axe, carrying an air of disdain for all under heaven.
"We've finally made it!!!"
Someone in the crowd burst into tears of joy, crouching on the ground with their face covered and shoulders shaking violently.
Many more stared blankly at the vast city, tears of relief welling in their eyes.
Everyone knew that as long as they passed through those gates, they would be safe.
"Wow... It really is huge."
Even Jiang Ye, concealed in the shadows, could not help but show a trace of astonishment in his aged eyes when he saw the outline of Prefecture City in the distance.
To see the city was to glimpse the sect.
He could already imagine how powerful the Azure Sky Sect, which ruled this city, must be.
The group traveled for another half day before finally reaching the city gate.
The crowd entering the city flowed like a woven stream, forming several long lines that inched forward.
Strangely, despite the crush of people, not a single person dared to cause trouble. Even loud conversations were rare.
On both sides of the gate, a black-armored soldier stood every several zhang.
Each of the soldiers had a steady aura and eyes that concealed their sharpness. They were all martial artists at the Bright Strength level.
And the captain standing in the very center of the gate, responsible for checking people's identities, had bright, keen eyes and an aura that stirred faintly around him. He was clearly a Dark Strength expert.
In front of a squad of "gate officials" like this, even the most arrogant troublemaker had to wait in line obediently.
About half an hour later, the Su Family's group finally passed through the heavy city gates and entered Cloud Ridge Prefecture.
The moment they entered, a rush of clamorous voices washed over them, standing in stark contrast to the silence of the wilderness outside the city.
The streets were broad and even, shops lined both sides, wine-shop banners fluttered, and pedestrians brushed shoulder to shoulder. Vendors' cries, haggling, and children's laughter blended into a lively din.
Standing at the street corner and gazing at the prosperity before them, the group felt as if they had stepped into another world.
"Brother Liu, Brother Guo, you've both had a hard journey!"
Su Chen drew a deep breath, and at last, some color returned to his weary face.
He turned to Liu Qingshi and Guo Wei and clasped his hands solemnly, his gratitude plain to see.
"Come with me to my residence and get some rest first. Then we can decide what to do next!"
"I've bought a house in Prefecture City. It isn't large, but there's more than enough room for everyone."
"Mm, then we'll follow your arrangements, Brother Su." Liu Qingshi nodded slightly. His face still showed little expression, but the brows that had been furrowed for days finally eased a little.
Guo Wei leaned against the handcart, still looking listless, but he managed to nod.
The injury to his severed arm had stabilized, but he had suffered a severe loss of vitality. He would not recover for three to five months at the earliest.
Su Chen knew Prefecture City very well. He led everyone through several streets and alleys, and before long, they arrived in front of a three-courtyard residence.
The house was not large, but it was neat and clean, with enough room to accommodate the whole group.
Jiang Ye followed far behind the group, like an invisible shadow.
He watched Liu Qingshi's family enter the residence with Su Chen, then waited a while to make sure nothing else happened. Only then did he silently approach, committing the residence's location firmly to memory.
He stood in the shadow at the mouth of the alley, gazing at the black-lacquered gate as it slowly closed. A complicated glimmer flashed through his aged eyes.
Then he quietly left.
"I'll go to the Azure Sky Sect first."
He reached into his robes and felt the Black Iron Token, still carrying a faint, delicate fragrance.
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