Half a day later, Liu Ming once again quietly left the Bai Clan. As soon as he walked out of Lushui City, he summoned a gray cloud and flew off in a certain direction.
As for the matter of him breaking off the engagement with the Mu Clan, it was naturally left to the Bai Clan to handle. This was also part of the deal.
As for the messenger from the Mu Clan, he had no interest in seeing him and didn't want to waste any more time on him.
After all, he had other important matters to attend to.
Seven or eight days later, Liu Ming left the Fengtian County and his whereabouts were unknown.
Two months later, on an official road a few hundred miles away from Xuanjing, the capital of the Da Xuan Country, over thirty black armored knights were slowly escorting three carriages forward.
These black armored knights all wore thick armor and held spears and knives. Their murderous looks indicated that they were the famous Black Tiger Guards of the Da Xuan Country.
One of the armored knights had a light red tassel on his head and carried a light green bow on his back. He was the lieutenant of the Black Tiger Guard.
According to the regulations, a squad of thirty or so people could only be in one squad, but Bodyguard Black had always been stationed at the important towns and fortresses of the various counties. Their sole purpose was to monitor the movements of the soldiers and civilians for the imperial court. Even an ordinary lieutenant was a high-ranking official.
Now that these Black Tiger Guards and the lieutenant had all been sent out to escort these carriages, it could be seen that the owner of the carriages was either rich or noble.
"Sir, it's getting late. We should find a place to rest. If we hurry tomorrow or the day after, we should be able to reach Xuanjing by then." A burly armored soldier in front suddenly turned his horse's head to the lieutenant and said in a low voice.
"Yes, of course I know about this. However, the closest relay station is thirty to forty miles away. Take two men with you and quickly scout ahead. See if there's a suitable place to stay nearby. " The lieutenant replied indifferently. His face was covered by an ice-cold black mask, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
"Yes. Black Bull, Tie Xiaosan, you two follow me to scout ahead. "The sturdy man immediately responded and called out to the other two soldiers behind him.
Immediately, two of the armored soldiers behind him rushed out, and the three of them galloped forward at top speed.
"Lieutenant Du, did something happen?" A magnetic female voice suddenly came from the carriage at the very front.
"Lady Mi, don't worry. I only sent a few of my subordinates to find a place to stay." Hearing this, the lieutenant wearing the black mask turned his head and replied.
"Oh, as long as you're fine. It is all thanks to Lieutenant Du's escort along the way. When we reach Xuanjing, I will definitely reward everyone heavily. "The girl in the carriage seemed to let out a sigh of relief but still spoke with gratitude.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Madam. We are only following the orders of the Domain Chief!" The lieutenant bowed slightly, as if he was unwilling to say anything more.
The woman in the carriage chuckled and also kept her mouth shut.
After the caravan continued to advance for about 15 minutes, the sound of horse hooves rang out again. It was the burly man galloping over.
When he arrived in front of the convoy, he pulled the reins and slowed down his mount.
"Sir Lieutenant, we found an abandoned temple five miles from here. Black Bull and Tie Xiaosan are already there." The burly man arrived in front of the lieutenant and spoke respectfully.
"Very good, you lead the way. Let's go to the temple and rest for the night." Hearing this, the lieutenant spoke without hesitation.
Thus, the caravan sped up and followed the burly man as they started to jog.
15 minutes later, the caravan arrived in front of an earthen temple a few miles away from the main road under the escort of the armored soldiers.
There were two Black Tiger Guard horses outside the temple, as well as a small black carriage. There were also two blue and white mules tied to a wooden pillar outside. They were quietly gnawing on the nearby weeds with their heads lowered.
Inside the earthen temple, there was a flicker of fire and the faint sound of voices could be heard.
"What is going on?" Seeing this, Lieutenant Du's voice sank as he yelled at the burly man beside him.
"Reporting to Lieutenant, when we found this place, there were already two passersby here. However, I have already questioned them. They are going to Xuanjing to find their relatives. One of them is a scholar that doesn't even have the strength to truss a chicken and the other is only a young girl. "The burly man quickly stepped forward and replied.
"Is that so? This matter is very important. Let me take a look at these two first." Lieutenant Du still didn't seem to be at ease. After saying this indifferently, he jumped off his horse and strode into the temple.
He saw that there were two fires, one big and one small, lit in the earthen temple.
Next to the larger fire sat two armored soldiers, one tall and one short. Next to the smaller fire sat a young man wearing a green robe and a skinny girl that looked to be around seven or eight years old.
Although the girl had a delicate appearance, she was sallow and skinny. Moreover, half of her body was leaning against the young man as if she was very attached to the young man.
The young scholar looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and his face was very ordinary. He seemed to be holding a thick book that he didn't know and was reading it with great interest while facing the fire.
When the two armored soldiers next to the fire saw Lieutenant Du walk in, they immediately stood up in shock and hurried over to greet him.
"No need."
"What is your name? Do you have a travel permit? Where did you come from and where are you going?" Lieutenant Du waved his hand and looked at the scholar a few times before asking coldly.
"Ah, so it's sir. My name is Qian Ming and I am going to Xuanjing to find our relatives with my niece. As for the travel permit, sir, please wait a moment … "When the scholar heard Lieutenant Du's question, he seemed to have woken up from the world of the book. After answering subconsciously, he searched his body and finally took out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it over.
One of the armored soldiers hurried forward and took the paper before turning around and handing it over to Lieutenant Du.
Lieutenant Du only looked at the paper a few times before nodding his head and handing it back to the armored soldier to return to the scholar. Without saying a word, he turned around and walked out of the earthen temple.
After a while, the sound of horses neighing and people shouting could be heard from outside the earthen temple. In an instant, a dozen or so armored soldiers rushed in and began to quickly clean the earthen temple. Then, they brought out many bundles of firewood from who knows where and started a few bonfires.
At this time, a fragrant wind came from outside and a beautiful woman around thirty years old walked in. With one hand, she held onto a boy that looked to be around seven or eight years old. Behind her, there was a coarse female servant and a pretty maid that looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old.
When the beautiful woman and the boy walked into the earthen temple, the female servant immediately took out a snow white animal skin and spread it next to the fire. Then, she placed two low wooden stools for the woman and the boy to sit on. The pretty maid took out a palm sized incense burner and stuck a stick of incense in it before lighting it.
Immediately, a faint smell of sandalwood filled the earthen temple.
After waiting for the other armored soldiers and Lieutenant Du to walk into the earthen temple, an order was given. Other than five or six people standing guard at the entrance of the temple, everyone else began to take off their armor and weapons. It seemed like they were planning on taking a good rest.
After Lieutenant Du took off her helmet, mask, and armor, she turned out to be a beautiful woman with a slender figure and a heroic spirit.
However, there was a faint red scar on the woman's forehead that ruined her appearance. At the same time, her face was abnormally cold, and there wasn't the slightest hint of a smile on her face. She placed a light green bow and a quiver of black arrows by her side before sitting cross-legged across from the beautiful woman and the boy. She stared at the bonfire in silence.
At this time, the other armored soldiers began to take out some rice ball like food from their bodies and began to eat quietly.
The Black Tiger Guards were indeed the elite soldiers of the famous Da Xuan Country. They were all well-trained.
However, on the side of the beautiful woman, the female servant had already left the temple and took out a bamboo basket from the carriage. Then, she took out some exquisite food for the beautiful woman and the boy to eat.
"Lieutenant Du, I have a lot of food here. Why don't you eat some as well?" The beautiful woman took out an exquisite pastry and fed the boy a few mouthfuls. She then glanced at the handsome woman who was still sitting motionlessly across from her and suddenly smiled as she spoke.
"Thank you Lady Mi for your kindness. I have learned a few inedible techniques. Even if I don't eat for two or three days, I will be fine." The handsome woman looked at the beautiful woman and coldly shook her head.
"So that's how it is. Then I won't force you." Seeing this, the beautiful woman didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled and continued to feed the boy.
However, after the boy ate a few more mouthfuls, he shook his head and stopped eating. Instead, he turned his eyes and curiously looked at the girl next to the scholar by the fire.
A piece of piping hot, yellow steamed bun had appeared in the little girl's hand. She bit into it and devoured it with an extremely serious expression.
"Slow down, don't choke." The Confucian scholar was still reading the book in his hand, but when he saw the little girl swallowing with difficulty, he smiled and said. His arm moved, and he took out a leather pouch that was still warm and handed it to the little girl.
"Thank you Brother Ming."
The girl obediently took the leather pouch and poured two mouthfuls into her mouth. Her face was full of smiles.
However, there was a faint fragrance coming from the leather pouch. However, because it was not as thick as the smell of sandalwood, not many people noticed it. However, the beautiful woman who was trying to persuade the boy to eat couldn't help but be startled when she smelled the fragrance. Then, she looked at the leather pouch in the girl's hand with confusion.
"Mister, may I ask what's in the leather pouch …" Lady Mi's eyes flashed a few times and she coughed to say something to the young scholar.
However, at this moment, an ear-piercing screech suddenly came from outside the temple, followed by the sound of something tearing through the air. The Black Tiger Guards standing outside the temple let out a series of blood-curdling screams as a dozen or so arrows shot out from the darkness of the night, piercing through their vitals and causing them to fall to the ground.
At this moment, the Black Tiger Guards that were resting in the temple panicked. Immediately, they didn't put on their armor and grabbed their weapons in their hands, preparing to defend.
Some people even took out a few thick leather shields out of nowhere. With a few flashes, they stood in front of Lady Mi and the boy, protecting them completely.
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