Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 158 Trouble comes from the mouth
Changjun, located in the eastern part of Youzhou, has been a relatively prosperous place since ancient times, serving as a key hub connecting Hanzhou and Zhujun to Bojun in the East Sea.

Unfortunately, due to the recent war in the southwest, the Northern Barbarians have requisitioned several official roads to transport supplies by ship, which has not only strained people's livelihoods but also made everyone a little uneasy due to the constant movement of troops.

Fortunately, they finally withdrew in the last few days. I heard it's because the situation in the southwest is gradually stabilizing and the intensity of the fighting has begun to decrease significantly.

Those caravans that originally had to take numbers and queue to pass through finally set off one by one, carrying goods from Dongzhou overseas.

Of course, not all of them were caravans; there were also some wandering martial artists who had been stranded here.

Several young men and women from Bo County's Ao City got up early today, preparing to head west to continue their family's customary training in Youzhou.

The He family of Aocheng is a well-known family in the martial arts world. As a family tradition, their influence is limited to Aocheng. They cannot compare to those famous sects, but they are still high and mighty enough for ordinary people.

Moreover, with the passing of generations, the family training has become less rigorous. This time, in addition to the three younger members of the family (two men and one woman), there was also an older brother of the same generation and a clan uncle in his forties accompanying them.

The older He Chen, leading two horses, watched his younger sister He Yuan weaving through the market, jumping around and picking out trinkets. He covered his forehead in exasperation: "She's practically on a sightseeing trip."

Beside He Chen were two boys, around fifteen or sixteen years old, with bright smiles on their faces, both trying to reassure their older brother: "It's alright, isn't Uncle Liang here too?"

He Liang followed a few steps behind them. This uncle was of average build and had a very clean-cut appearance. Judging from his appearance, he was at most in his early thirties.

But in reality, he was already a forty-four-year-old expert at the Refining Cauldron Realm.

Hearing his two younger brothers' words, He Chen was not relieved at all; instead, the worry between his brows became even more pronounced.

He turned to look at He Liang, his eyes questioning.

He Liang could only sigh and shake his head without saying a word.

They left the city at a leisurely pace, and the group of five mounted their horses and finally made it some distance.

They barely made it to the town where they had planned to stay as dusk was falling.

After settling the horses at the inn and checking into their rooms, He Chen and He Liang exchanged a weary glance as he watched his younger siblings energetically run and jump upstairs.

The two ordered some food and drinks and found a corner in the lobby to sit down.

He Chen took a sip from his cup, and the heavy burden on his mind was finally lifted a little: "At this rate, it will probably take us quite a few more days to get to Zhu County."

He Liang first pressed his hand down, then turned his head and scanned the inn with his eyes.

The inn in the small town wasn't crowded; it was mostly filled with weary merchants and travelers, with a few scattered individuals dressed as江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people from the martial arts world).

What caught the eye was a thin man wearing a red turban, but he was sitting far away.

He Liang then put down his hand and said, "Cheng Zhatu was a deer-carrying warrior. He led a whole team of Black Sheep, including that rising star named Ye Lu. They just disappeared without a trace. This is definitely not a big deal. I reckon the higher-ups won't just send our He family. We don't need to rush. We should prioritize protecting our identities."

He Chen's hand, holding chopsticks, moved across several plates of snacks, his expression worried: "Zhu Jun's arrest of Su Shi a while ago caused quite a stir, and now this has led to such a big espionage case... This is a very complicated situation."

Espionage cases are inherently the most intricate and complex cases. If they happen to involve Master Su, then the situation becomes even more complicated and impossible to unravel.

He Chen was silent for a moment before asking the question that was on his mind most: "Won't this bring trouble to the He family?"

He Liang was not without worry, but being older and having seen more of the world, he could only advise him: "Our He family was also unknown back then. The reason we have such prestige in Aocheng today is entirely due to the secret help of the Northern Barbarians, Heishi. Assisting them in pulling in the Jianghu spy network was part of the deal. If you say that going to Zhu County will cause trouble... well, our He family can afford to offend Heishi."

Heishi, the intelligence agency of the Northern Barbarians, is a force that the He family cannot afford to deal with, not to mention its seven warriors at the Transformation Realm. He Liang comforted them, "Don't worry too much. At our level, we should focus on reconnaissance and not get too entangled in this."

He Chen turned to look at the inn's stairs, thinking of his younger siblings who had been skipping up the stairs earlier: "Uncle Liang, it's not that I'm afraid of suffering myself, I just feel that there's no need to use the family training as a pretext to hide our whereabouts and involve Yuan'er and the others. Why bother?"

We've already arrived in Changjun, so saying these things now is pointless and just venting.

He Liang picked up his cup and clinked it with He Chen's: "Don't worry too much. Doesn't Yuan'er still have the Two Life Plate magic artifact that your mother gave her to protect her?"

He Chen also sighed, raised his glass and clinked it with his uncle's: "I hope everything goes well."

Anyway, that group of people has been missing for more than a month. A Transformation Realm cultivator, and there's been no news for more than a month. Even if they are found, they'll most likely just be skeletons.

The uncle and nephew tried to drown their sorrows in alcohol, but they dared not drink too much. They had to carry out the task assigned by Hei Shi, even if it was just a formality.

Soon, they paid for the drinks and went upstairs to their room.

This grumbling about espionage was only discussed briefly at a corner table, and the conversation was so quiet that even the closest drinker couldn't hear it.

However, after the two left, the gaunt, red-turbaned man in the distance revealed a chilling smile.

Zhu Jun, Su Shi, the Two Life Plate magic weapon... Hey, although we lost our previous prey, we still had some unexpected gains.

……

The next day, the five members of the He family set off early, continuing their journey on horseback.

Because of the recent closure, the official road was a bit crowded. The He family members, being people of the martial arts world, didn't hesitate much before turning onto the side road.

After a morning of fast-paced riding, the younger sister, He Yuan, was the first to give up. She started to throw a tantrum and insisted on resting for a while.

He Chen agreed, and the group of five found a shady spot to dismount and rest.

Originally, it was just a short break, but He Yuan, who was going on a long trip for the first time, was excited about everything and insisted that He Chen start a fire so she could try out what camping was like.

He Chen couldn't refuse his sister, so he had to start a fire on the spot.

Well, I did rush this morning, so it's okay to slow down this afternoon.

Just as he was thinking this, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the road.

A man riding a brown horse came from the direction they had come from, and as he approached the roadside, he pulled on the reins and stopped.

He Chen was a little surprised; he hadn't expected that someone else had chosen the same route as them.

But He Liang frowned, his eyes wary.

He had seen the man on horseback at the inn yesterday.

He was a thin, red-turbaned man riding a horse, his head slightly tilted back, revealing a large, hooked nose and narrow, droopy eyes.

Without any pleasantries or pleasantries, he rode on his horse and immediately uttered:
"Prove my supernatural powers."

(End of this chapter)