The villagers rested briefly for three hours.
Then Jiang Bairen drove them back to their feet and had them retreat toward the safe point.
They hurried onward for another half day, until the late afternoon. Exhausted in both body and mind, the villagers had no choice but to stop beside a mountain stream to replenish their water.
The spring water was sweet, and the villagers swarmed to both banks of the creek, gulping it down.
Kong Jiao, meanwhile, moved a hundred zhang away from the party. Standing in an area with a broad view, he vigilantly watched for every rustle of wind and blade of grass nearby.
The more the party let down its guard, the less he, as the eyes and ears of the entire group, could relax.
He stuck out his tongue and licked his slightly dry lips. Listening to the tinkling flow of the mountain stream beside him, Kong Jiao's throat grew a little dry as well.
But he cast aside that bit of discomfort.
"Good, we're not far now. Another three or four days, and we'll be there." Kong Jiao glanced into the distance. Even his eyes showed some weariness after silently calculating the distance all this time.
For the past two or three days, he had not dared relax in the slightest.
His mind had remained on high alert nearly all day. The slightest disturbance would make every muscle in his body tense.
Such a state made the body tire easily.
He could normally go seven or eight days without sleep, yet only two days had passed, and his gaze was already weary.
"Luckily, we haven't run into many Blood-Robed Alliance disciples along the way. Looks like my luck does count for something." Just as Kong Jiao was secretly rejoicing over his good fortune,
A