The northern highway stretched deep into the night. Even after changing horses for the third time, Lu Yuan did not slow down.
The regent's written orders sent by Qian Renxue had already reached several military relay stations along the way. He needed only to show his token to change horses or consult route registers without obstruction. What truly slowed him down, instead, was the increasingly tangled network of forks the farther north he traveled.
Dragonridge Pass lay on Tiangou's Northern Border. It was hardly a true strategic choke point; the mountains merely drew inward on either side, and after the highway passed between them, it branched off in several directions. Traveling caravans often rested and changed horses nearby, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect maintained an inconspicuous foothold there as well.
When Lu Yuan arrived, there were still more than two hours until the hour of the Dog.
The Seven Treasure disciple assigned to receive him was already waiting in the courtyard. Seeing him enter, he immediately approached. "The message we intercepted earlier has been sent to both the sect and Tiangou, but there's no reply yet. Dragonridge Pass is a little over ten li north of here. Beyond it are three forks, two of which continue north."
Lu Yuan handed his reins to someone nearby, then took out and unfolded the paper he had searched off the messenger earlier.
There were still only three lines on it.
Dragonridge Pass.
Hour of the Dog.
Second squad arrives tonight.
There was no signature or extraneous marking. Clearly, it was meant to convey a single order as quickly as possible, then be destroyed. The messenger had already been detained at the previous outpost, but the second squad would not know that.
Lu Yuan stared at the paper for a while, then