At dawn the next day.
Snow had fallen all night. Only at the start of the morning watch did the wind finally ease.
Chen Mu rode Qishan like the wind and lightning, meeting no further obstacles on the road.
By the first glimmer of morning light, the two of them finally reached the outskirts of Cloud Prefecture City.
Just then, the last few snowflakes fell. The dark clouds parted, revealing the sky.
Chen Mu sent Qishan back into the shadows, then used his movement art to cover the final stretch to the western gate of Cloud Prefecture.
Beneath the City Gate Tower, he and Xiao Wenbin stopped.
"Junior Brother, did Master explain everything clearly before you came?"
At the question, memories flashed through Chen Mu's mind.
Liu Qingcang had given him hurried instructions before he left, handing him only a secret letter and an identity token.
He had told him to go straight to the government offices after entering the city and ask the prefectural governor for troops.
Chen Mu knew none of the details behind it. For now, he only said:
"Let's go in first and see what we can learn."
The two entered through the gate and followed the street.
Cloud Prefecture City was nothing like Everlasting Prosperity Town.
Its streets were broad and its storefronts orderly. Restaurants and teahouses along the way were packed with guests, without a trace of the tension of a border town under lockdown.
They passed the West Market outside the city and reached its busiest street.
No longer a dirt road, it was paved with bluestone bricks and wide enough for eight horses to race abreast.
For sheer width, it rivaled the highways of Chen Mu's previous life.
Pedestrians came and went, while vendors called out without pause.
Many splendid carriages passed