"Treat them with courtesy three times?"
The vanguard officer was dismissive inwardly when he heard this. Though he was a military man, he knew the ways of government offices very well. If the soldiers they had fought against had come, perhaps he would have shown some restraint. But those officials were mostly concerned with preserving the black gauze hats atop their heads, ever inclined toward appeasement. Even if they took the chance to bully others, it amounted to nothing.
Yet Qiu Yan naturally carried an imposing aura when he spoke, cowing the vanguard officer. The man muttered to himself, but outwardly he had no choice but to give some response, leading Qiu Yan and the others into the stronghold.
At once, the entire stronghold, draped in white mourning cloth, came into view.
Many of those walking through the stronghold wore hemp robes as well, though they still carried weapons in their hands. They hurried to and fro, and most showed surprise when they saw the vanguard officer and his group.
Besides them, quite a few men in ordinary clothes or strange attire had settled about the area.
The stronghold had formed a complete system of its own. Not only did it have tea stalls for travelers to rest at, it even had taverns and inns. Those dressed in ordinary clothes were scattered through the tea stalls, taverns, and inn halls.
Qiu Yan looked around, taking in every sight. Sharp glints flashed in his eyes from time to time as he observed the shifts in everyone's Fortune. He understood a few things: those dressed in mourning hemp were the stronghold's Original Edition forces, while those in ordinary clothes and strange attire were martial wanderers gathered from all corners of the world. At his side, Ding Guan leaned closer and murmured, "There