Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 495, 494: An Unprecedented Grand Event
The convoy was far slower than the six vehicles on foot above.

The journey from Zhenqiu City to Duoyun City took Feng Xiuhu and his group five days and five nights—or five days and six nights if you count the first night.

At first, Feng Xiuhu was a little embarrassed to keep occupying Liu Weisen's carriage, so after a peaceful night's sleep, he went back to sit in a cart. But later, he couldn't stand the jolting anymore, so he silently sat back in the cart.

Liu Weisen was a smart man. He could tell that Feng Xiuhu and Shunzi were not ordinary people, and he could guess that they were intentionally hiding their identities, but he never tried to get information out of them, and he didn't even steer the conversation in that direction.

Along the way, they encountered many treasure hunting teams of all kinds, which were not difficult to distinguish.

Grassroots teams are often small, consisting of people carrying loads or pulling carts, and their first instinct when encountering other teams is to avoid them.

The bandit group descending the mountain had a strong sense of unruliness, with each member carrying a sword at their waist. When other groups approached, they would all glare at them with fierce eyes.

Or, like Liu Weisen's team, they might be treasure hunting teams funded by wealthy families. These teams are actually the easiest to distinguish – besides having a large number of people and abundant resources, they often hang finely made banners with their surnames or the names of their businesses on them.

The closer you get to Fallen Cloud City, the more treasure-hunting teams you'll encounter.

Even Shunzi noticed something amiss and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why are they all heading to Fallen Cloud City? Do these people all have the real map? Have they also deciphered the riddle poem?"

Liu Weisen shook his head silently and explained, "We don't need real maps or to solve the puzzles. As long as a few people with real maps head towards Fallen Cloud City, more people will naturally follow."

Most of these teams didn't have a real map, and they might not even know the riddle poem, but they certainly understood one thing—follow whoever has the answer.

This principle is much simpler than solving the riddle poem.

So when the caravan arrived in Fallen Cloud City that day, they were greeted by an unprecedented spectacle.

When Liu Dashanren's convoy was still half a mile from the city gate, it could no longer go any further and was completely overwhelmed by the unprecedented crowds and carriages.

Looking out the window of the carriage, Liu Weisen was taken aback by the bustling scene before him.

Flags fluttered, a mixed bag of people.

All sorts of flags were stuck or hung everywhere—at the city gates, on the low walls, and even among the branches of old trees by the roadside.

Some were from established families and merchant guilds, while many others came from bandit groups—they carried a piece of cloth on a pole with illegible names scrawled in ink, simple yet ostentatious.

People gathered under each flag, their eyes filled with either wariness or ill intent.

The processions of wealthy families were relatively more orderly, with guards leading the way, shouting and trying to clear the way.

Meanwhile, the bandits, with their chests exposed or tattoos showing, gathered together, talking and laughing loudly while spewing vulgarities. Their eyes scanned the surroundings like those of hawks, as if assessing potential rivals and easy prey.

But the largest group in the crowd was still the ordinary people. They carried their bags, their faces filled with dreamy anticipation, discussing in small groups the details of the treasure map in their hands, whose authenticity they did not yet know. Their voices became shrill with excitement.

The vendors in Fallen Cloud City were also quite shrewd. They pushed carts and carried baskets, weaving nimbly through the crowd, hawking tea, dry food, straw sandals, and even treasure maps that were supposedly genuine. Their business was surprisingly booming.

The roads are completely paralyzed.

Ornately decorated carriages, mule caravans carrying supplies, simple wheelbarrows, and a few rare black cars that kept blaring their horns were all crammed together.

The drivers cursed impatiently, and the animals occasionally let out restless braying.

The entire city gate area was like an overcrowded can, with each slow movement accompanied by even greater chaos and noise.

Feng Xiuhu poked his head out of the window on the other side. As soon as his face appeared, a foul odor hit him. It was a strange and strong smell, almost suffocating, of dust kicked up by countless feet, mixed with the smell of livestock manure, human sweat, greasy smell from food stalls, and grass from the roadside fields.

Feng Xiuhu quickly glanced around. Not far away, several burly men, clearly from some village, with short axes at their waists, were glaring at a merchant caravan, the atmosphere tense.

Further afield, some people have even set up tents by the roadside, indicating their intention to stay there long-term.

Another group was squeezed together with Liu Weisen's group, and Feng Xiuhu glanced at the man in the carriage who was studying the map with a serious expression.

Feng Xiuhu craned his neck to peek at it and shouted, "Don't look, that's fake."

The man in the carriage looked up in surprise, but Feng Xiuhu had already pulled his head back in.

Even with his excellent self-control, Liu Weisen felt a surge of anxiety at the sight before him: "How can there be so many people? When will we be able to get into the city?"

"So what you're worried about is the convoy not being able to enter the city?"

Feng Xiuhu asked in surprise.

Liu Weisen was taken aback: "Otherwise what?"

Feng Xiuhu shook his head: "If I were you, I would just leave the caravan camped outside the city. Judging from the situation, the government will definitely intervene and control it. Even if it gets a long queue, the caravan may not be allowed to pass."

Liu Weisen nodded silently: "That makes sense."

Feng Xiuhu patted him on the shoulder: "What I mean is, don't worry about the caravan for now. That's not what you should be worried about—the treasure map came from Chen Dejin, and you're probably not the only one who knows about it, right?"

Liu Weisen was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly: "You mean—"

Without saying a word, Feng Xiuhu pulled Liu Weisen off the carriage: "We have to hurry. If someone else beats Chen Dejin to it, you won't have anything to do with finding the treasure."

Liu Weisen had already realized what was happening. He immediately summoned Steward Zhang, handed over the arrangements for the convoy, and then prepared to go into the city first to find Chen Dejin.

Shunzi wanted to follow, but Feng Xiuhu stopped him and ordered, "Take a few people and go directly to the Empress's Shrine to wait for us."

Shunzi didn't know Feng Xiuhu's intentions, but he didn't ask any questions and simply nodded in agreement.

Although there was no one to clear the way, Feng Xiuhu was no slouch either. He led Liu Weisen through the crowd and soon they reached the city gate.

Sure enough, there were police officers blocking the way at the city gate.

This is also the biggest reason for traffic congestion.

Moreover, the conditions under which these police officers allowed the treasure hunt to proceed were quite interesting—they didn't stop every treasure hunting team.

If it is a wealthy family or a business association, they can be allowed to pass directly as long as they show proof of their identity as the host.

If it is a bandit group, they will be strictly searched. Anyone carrying firearms will not be allowed to enter the city, but as long as they voluntarily hand over their firearms and pay a "deposit", they can be allowed to enter the city.

As for teams made up of ordinary people, it's even simpler—just say you're there to find treasure, and they'll throw you and your belongings out without a second thought.

As a result, the grassroots queue behind them all learned their lesson and started saying they were there to visit relatives and sell goods, never saying they were there to search for treasure.

However, this is not entirely safe. After all, the police are not stupid. They are most strict in searching these kinds of people. Once they find shovels, compasses, or other items in the packages, they will conduct another thorough interrogation. If the answer is slightly wrong, they will be driven out of the city.

(End of this chapter)