Journey Through Troubled Times, Rules for Travelers

Lu Yuan turned his head and saw a young woman in a green robe, dressed like an ordinary maid, leading horses as she hurried toward him from behind.

She wore a veiled hat, though one could see through its gauze.

Lu Yuan recognized her at a glance.

Yan Nishang's maid, Le Qing.

Le Qing held the reins of three fine horses, all fully saddled and bridled.

A hemp-cloth carriage drawn by two horses followed behind her.

"I finally found you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to report back."

There was a hint of mild complaint in Le Qing's voice.

Yet Lu Yuan paid it no mind, his gaze falling instead upon the horses and carriage.

Still, he feigned confusion. "Miss Le Qing, what does this mean?"

"Young Master Lu, stop pretending. My mistress calculated long ago that you would return to Black Triangle City, so she sent me here to wait for you."

"This map was personally marked by my mistress."

As she spoke, Le Qing took a yellowed scroll from her robes and handed it to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan accepted it.

Then he unfurled the scroll.

It was a detailed map of the route from Black Triangle Mountain to the Outer City of Qingzhou.

The official roads, side paths, mountains, rivers, and streams were all marked with crystal clarity.

It also clearly noted dangerous routes, places where demon beasts appeared, areas plagued by chaotic soldiers and bandits, as well as mountain god temples and places suitable for resting.

The value of this map was absolutely beyond measure in gold or silver.

"The official roads are heavily inspected now, so I don't recommend taking them."

"It would be best to head south along the smaller paths. The places marked with red crosses on the map are the most