Four riders galloped down the long street, shattering the thin frost and heading straight for the city gate.
Not far beyond the gate, two small donkeys ambled side by side along the roadside. On one sat a little girl in red with her hair in dangling tufts; on the other rode a cool, pale young woman in plain clothes, her eyes covered by a strip of black silk.
Lu Chen rode past at a gallop, his gaze sweeping the roadside. The Blind Girl, her eyes wrapped in black silk, seemed to sense him. She abruptly turned her head, and their eyes met.
Judging by the direction they were traveling, they were headed for Jiaoguo. Lu Chen understood: they really were from the Divine Catcher Gate.
He gave them no further thought and focused on riding. They galloped all the way, stopping only briefly along the route to water the horses and replenish their supplies.
The road they took through Seven Crows Mountain was closer to Jiaoguo than the grain route the Jin Family's caravan usually traveled.
But the road wound through deep mountains and dense forests, where bandits ran rampant. Most merchants avoided it. Only martial artists confident in their skills and eager to save time would travel this way. Even bandits usually thought twice before provoking someone riding alone with such a formidable air.
Lu Chen and the other three—Ah Qi, Wu Tianming, and Dazhuang—rode in silence. They pressed on at speed and finally reached an inn outside Jiaoguo Trading Port before nightfall.
Wu Tianming glanced at the sky, then at Dazhuang and Lu Chen. "We won't make it into the city today. Should we settle in here for the night?"
Dazhuang nodded.
Lu Chen looked at the dim yellow light spilling through the inn's windows and replied simply,