The midday sun blazed down, dazzling and harsh. It had taken Su Xin nearly two months to reach Bashu.
He had tossed aside the Flame Steed long ago. In Bashu Circuit, with its mountains and narrow plank roads, the steed was actually slower than Su Xin on foot.
The plank road, wide enough for only three people to walk abreast, was bustling with travelers. Merchants from other circuits knew the Shu roads were treacherous, but the enormous profits to be made in Bashu Circuit were enough to draw them in all the same.
After all, the roads throughout Bashu were difficult to traverse, so merchants had to bring in many of the supplies the circuit needed from the outside world.
And the ordinary weapons forged by Bashu Circuit's swordsmiths also had to be carried elsewhere and sold by merchants like them.
At the end of the plank road lay Jinyang Prefecture, the largest prefecture in Bashu Circuit and the location of the Bashu Circuit Six Fan Sect Headquarters.
As soon as he reached the gates of Jinyang Prefecture, Su Xin sensed several people's gazes settling on him.
He smiled to himself but didn't enter Jinyang Prefecture. Instead, he headed straight west.
The few men waiting at the gates of Jinyang Prefecture were instantly dumbfounded. This man wasn't playing by the rules!
They hurried over to Su Xin and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Su. We are all constables from the Bashu Circuit Six Fan Sect. We came on Lord Qiu's orders to welcome you. A banquet has already been prepared in Jinyang Prefecture to celebrate your arrival."
A faintly amused smile appeared on Su Xin's face. "Then I'm sorry to trouble Lord Qiu. However, I am an Inspection Envoy, responsible for overseeing the Six Fan Sect's affairs throughout the circuit.
"So