Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Noon the next day.

Zhong Fei and his group arrived at a place less than forty miles from Heyuan Mountain, but for some reason, he had a vague sense of unease.

Suddenly, horses galloped towards them from afar.

Zhong Fei looked up and saw that the person who had come was Xiang Xiong, who had gone out on horseback to scout ahead, and his face was solemn.

"How is it?"

Xiang Xiong said softly, "Brother, things might not be peaceful in Heyuan Mountain."

"I inquired with the locals and learned that two groups of bandits clashed at the foot of Yuanshan Mountain a couple of days ago, resulting in many deaths and even attracting the attention of the Weizhen County government to come and investigate."

"Bandits and bandits unite?"

Zhong Fei frowned slightly.

Xiang Xiong dismounted: "I heard the fight was exceptionally fierce, and the bodies were all thrown into the mountain stream."

Zhong Fei turned his gaze to He Yuanshan: "This is bad. If we run into them, we're in grave danger!"

Xiang Xiong's Adam's apple bobbed: "If we follow the same route, we'll reach Heyuan Mountain tonight. Now..."

Zhong Fei was silent for a moment: "Heyuan Mountain is high and the forests are deep. Recently, there was a bandit attack. I will go and discuss it with my wife. We would rather delay by a day than spend the night in Heyuan Mountain."

After discussing it for a while, Zhong Fei took advantage of the midday break to find Miss Lan.

Miss Lan's real name is Lan Ling'er. After hearing Zhong Fei's words, her pretty brows furrowed slightly, and she went to the carriage to ask Madam He.

Zhong Fei stood outside the car, and soon heard Madam He say to him from inside:

"It's alright if we go a little slower, as long as we get back to Guanxian safely. We'll leave the rest to Master Zhong."

With the lady's permission, Zhong Fei followed her to a flat and sheltered open space.

After clearing away the rubble and weeds, he ordered people to build a simple shed.

He sprinkled the snake and insect repellent powder, and a campsite was set up to provide shelter from the wind and rain.

As night fell, Madam He and Miss Lan had their own carriages to rest in, while the guards and other servants had to make do in the tent for the night.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Zhong Fei led his men to hunt wild rabbits and pheasants. They then lit several bonfires and began cooking.

Around 4:45 PM, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard from afar.

Zhong Fei squinted and looked around, and saw a person riding towards him. When he saw the face clearly, he felt relieved. It was the young man he had met in Dangshan yesterday.

Gao Yuan was also a little confused; he hadn't come specifically to deliver a message to them.

According to the timeline, they should have arrived at Heyuan Mountain, so why are they here?

Judging from the shed they've set up and the fire, they're clearly preparing to spend the night here.

Madam He was helped down from the carriage by Miss Lan.

Gao Yuan looked her over carefully and saw that although she was thirty, she had a dignified appearance.

"Young man, you're no longer performing in Dangshan?"

Gao Yuan smiled upon hearing this: "To be honest, Madam, I am not a local. Yesterday in Dangshan, I ran out of money and had no other choice."

Where are you going?

"The young man is preparing to go to Bozhou to make a living."

Madam He's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then she said gently, "We're going back to Guanxian, which means we're going the same way. Why don't you come with us? It'll be good to have someone to look after you."

"Master Zhong said that bandits fought a battle at the foot of Yuanshan Mountain a couple of days ago. Now that it's getting dark, it might be dangerous for you to travel alone."

Seeing that Gao Yuan remained silent, she frowned and said, "You're out there all alone, unaware of the worries your mother has when her son is away."

Gao Yuan was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

"Young man, if you're not a local, where did you come from?"

Xiang Xiong glanced at the horse Gao Yuan was leading and asked a question.

A horse is not cheap, and Gao Yuan was not seen with a horse yesterday, so how could he not be suspicious?

"A native of Xuzhou."

"Xuzhou?"

Xiang Xiong then asked, "Young brother, you dare to travel alone so far, you must be skilled in martial arts. I underestimated you yesterday in Dangshan. May I ask which school of martial arts you follow?"

"The boy has only learned some casual tricks from the streets; he hasn't even entered the realm of true mastery."

After asking a couple more questions, Xiong received a signal from Zhong Fei to have Gao Yuan tie up his horse and take it into the shed.

But the two men already suspected him and deliberately placed him in a corner.

"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"

Gao Yuan had just sat down when he heard a shout, and his stomach started growling.

They split into two groups. The lady was served by Miss Lan, who brought out a food box containing well-preserved braised meat and other meat dishes, as well as flower cakes.

The guards and other servants mainly cooked soup noodles and vegetable porridge, accompanied by pickles, cured meat, and game hunted in the afternoon.

Depend on!

Wow, what a tycoon! Such a lavish feast in the middle of nowhere, I'm so envious... it's outrageous!

He took out the wheat cake, took a small bite, and immediately found it tasted like chewing wax.

Seeing Gao Yuan eating a wheat cake all alone, the woman smiled and called out to him, "Young man, come here."

Miss Lan handed over a soft cushion, and Gao Yuan sat down opposite the woman.

He took the bowl and chopsticks offered to him, thanked the woman, and began to wolf down his food, his cheeks bulging, which made Lan Ling'er giggle.

Gao Yuan stuffed another big mouthful of braised pork, his face beaming with a smile.

Wild fruits and game in the mountains are delicious, but without seasoning, they are bland.

Needless to say, the vegetable and tofu rice at the foot of the restaurant is far superior to the delicious dishes that are packed and preserved from the main restaurant.

"Eat slowly, don't choke, oh, poor child!"

"Young man, what is your surname?"

"My surname is Gao, and the character 'Yuan' is the last character of my name."

"Lofty aspirations? Indeed, it implies lofty ideals; quite good."

Gao Yuan nodded, but his movements were not slow. He didn't stop until he finished his third bowl of rice.

Touching his swollen belly, Gao Yuan grinned at the woman: "This humble one thanks Madam for her hospitality."

"No need to be so polite. Seeing you reminds me of my son at home. You eat as much as my son, but he's not as strong as you, and... he's not as well-mannered as you."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuan realized why the lady of the house had been so caring towards him; she was thinking of her child at home.

"Madam is too modest."

Gao Yuan paused slightly before continuing, "Madam is kind and gentle, which speaks volumes about her family's character. Your son must be a kind and intelligent person."

He responded with a reference to family traditions, subtly praising both the woman and the child, which was very comforting to hear.

"Hehe, your mouth is as sweet as honey, but you speak in such a flowery way. You're not a scholar, do all people in the martial arts world speak like you?"

Seeing Lan Ling'er interrupt, the woman glared at her and said to Gao Yuan, "Don't listen to Lan'er's nonsense. She's never been one to hold back since she was little."

Gao Yuan scratched his head awkwardly.

Then he thought again, judging from the woman's temperament, why would anyone deliberately cause her trouble? He remained puzzled and wanted to get more information out of her.

"May I ask your son's surname?"

Speaking of her child, the woman smiled and said, "My son's surname is Zhu, and his given name is Baokun."

Gao Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he glanced at the woman a few more times: "Yesterday I heard that you returned to Guanxian after visiting your family. Could it be that your husband's family is one of the prominent families in Guanxian, western Sichuan?"

The woman nodded slightly.

Upon hearing her admit it, Gao Yuan's expression changed again.

The Zhu family of Guanxian was a wealthy and powerful family in western Sichuan. It was unexpected that she was from the Zhu family.

Wait, what did she say her child's name was again?

Zhu Baokun?

It can't be such a coincidence.

If it really is this person, then the attack on the woman and her party might be related to Du Lingzi of the Penglai sect.

In the original story, the Penglai Sect and the Qingcheng Sect are sworn enemies. Each sect has its own unique skills and they restrain each other. After dozens of major battles and massacres, in the end, Penglai could not defeat Qingcheng, and Qingcheng could not defeat Penglai either.

The two factions were hostile to each other and plotted against each other. Qingcheng did not accept people from outside Sichuan, and Penglai did not accept people from outside Shandong. They would check the background and household registration of any disciple they accepted, and they would not accept anyone if their accent was slightly off.

It's impossible for either faction to plant spies in each other's camps.

Du Lingzi was plotting revenge when he happened to meet Zhu Baokun, who was skilled in martial arts, in Guanxian. He then devised a plan.

He ordered his men to impersonate notorious bandits, infiltrate various households, and tie up the owners.

After looting extensively, he drew his sword to kill the entire family to silence them, and then attempted to rape two of the family's daughters.