Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly caught movement in the snow ahead to his right out of the corner of his eye.
At first, he thought some small animal was searching for food, but when a hand and a head emerged from the snow at the same time, his eyes widened as he stared at the figure.
He was not the only one. The people ahead of and behind him noticed it too. The snow-covered figure pressed a finger against his lips, which had turned purple from the cold, signaling for silence. Then he looked around to either side. After making sure no Northern Barbarians were patrolling nearby, he suddenly called softly, "Clear!"
Soon, eleven people crawled out of the snowdrift and quickly slipped into the line. Their clothes were ragged, their hair disheveled, and chains identical to everyone else's hung around their necks. They looked every bit like beggars.
Their way of joining the line was peculiar, but before long, even passing patrols failed to notice anything amiss, as though the eleven extra people had been there all along.
Once the patrol had left, Wang Hao could no longer hold back. He quietly asked Yu Guangguang in front of him, "Who are you? Why would you walk right into the net?"
Seemingly hoping to win Yu Guangguang's trust, Wang Hao volunteered his identity. "I'm a Centurion under General Lu of the Shenzhou Army. My name is Wang Hao. Don't worry. Since we're all from Shenzhou, I'll never report you. I swear to heaven!"
Perhaps somewhat irritated by his chatter, Yu Guangguang merely replied coolly, "Don't go poking into things you shouldn't ask about. If you want to live, keep your mouth shut."
The line stumbled along and finally reached the outskirts of Wumeng City. The