Noon.
Xie Jinhuan rode a chestnut steed through the bustling docks, a long spear hanging at its side, his gaze sweeping over the people of every stripe heading north.
There were six days left until the Heroes' Gathering at Three Rivers Crossing. Such a grand Martial Dao event drew countless heroes from north and south. To secure a good spot, most unaffiliated Jianghu travelers had set out early, and there were noticeably more Jianghu folk on both the waterways and the roads.
But not everyone in the Jianghu was a chivalrous hero. Dragons mingled with snakes, and wherever they appeared in large numbers, crimes and gang brawls inevitably followed.
To prevent trouble, the Yamen had posted runners at the ports and crossroads, and begun inspecting rooms at inns and entertainment houses. In just a few days, quite a few unlucky souls had been caught, detained for fifteen days, and fined five thousand copper coins!
So one still had to be careful when staying away from home. No fooling around in the teeth of a storm...
Linghu Qingmo was something of a workaholic. Whenever he had nothing else to do, he went to the Yamen to have a look. Hearing about a disappearance at the docks outside the city, he had volunteered to investigate.
Xie Jinhuan had returned from the Fengyi River that morning and originally planned to visit Fanyun Temple. However, Purple Emblem Mountain intended to summon Fanyun Temple to the Capital City for discussions, and they would only arrive tomorrow. So he had first visited the Lin Household to ask Great Immortal Zisu to refine Adding Oil to the Fire Pills, then accompanied Momo out to take a look.
The two were now following the riverbank, with Coal Ball perched on Linghu Qingmo's shoulder. Seeing so many people rushing