Chapter 1780: Chapter 1780

"Those people are utterly heartless, what won’t they do?" The old man still seemed intent on persuading you.

"Alright, you don’t need to persuade me, just tell me the way. If those robbers encounter me, they won’t know who’s really in trouble."

You had a considerable amount of confidence in your own strength.

Seeing your resolve, the old man just let out a long sigh and then told you the way to Zhen Ding.

After figuring out the route, you turned and walked away. After a few steps, you suddenly thought of something, turned back, and asked the old man, "Old man, you mentioned Changshan earlier. Is Zhen Ding close to Changshan?"

"Zhen Ding is Changshan."

You smiled, and upon mentioning Changshan, you couldn’t help but think of the celebrated and loyal Changshan Zhao Zilong.

Of course, you didn’t have any thought of recruiting Zhao Zilong under your command in your mind; you didn’t think you had the charisma or ability for that. All that talk of a dragon’s presence shaking, with a domineering aura, was just nonsense from novels. The reason you thought of Zhao Yun was simply to see what kind of person this legendary hero was.

Zhen Ding was definitely your next destination!

Bidding farewell to the old man and woman, you left the village alone. At the village entrance, you saw those two children again. Seeing these boys whose courage did not match their age, you couldn’t help but feel emotional, thinking that it was only in such times that boys like these could be born. If they were at this age in modern times, they’d likely just aimlessly live day by day.

You patted each of them on the head and smiled, "Little ones, work hard, and you’ll definitely make something of yourselves in the future!"

"You’re the little one, I’m about to be a dad soon!"

One of the younger boys glared at you, and his words caused you to stumble a few steps forward. You didn’t turn back but lifted your hand with a bitter smile. In reality, you were a father in the real world too, and you thought to yourself that once this was over, it would be time to return home to spend time with your child. Of course, being the ruler of a nation, with many wives and concubines, you should also work hard to expand and strengthen your own family.

However, living in these chaotic times, even though you had the means to survive, you could still unwittingly run into danger.

You understood the world’s cruelty more than anyone, and to fulfill the promise with the Empress, you must do whatever it takes, using all possible means!

The route the old man pointed you to was the official road, equating to modern-day provincial or national roads. Caravans and convoys often transported goods along these roads, and during your journey, you encountered a convoy bearing the Zhen family’s flag. This convoy was large, with at least twenty-plus carts for cargo transportation, and though the people accompanying them couldn’t be precisely counted, it seemed over three hundred, and more than fifty were armed guards.

For someone traveling alone like you, such a large convoy would not consider you as any concern. Therefore, even though you followed behind, they didn’t try to stop you.

Feeling bored, you opened up and asked a young man nearby, who seemed about seventeen or eighteen, "Brother, where are you headed?"

"We’re naturally headed to Wuji." The young man replied casually.

"But Wuji and Changshan aren’t in the same direction, right?" To avoid getting on the wrong path, you asked again.

The young man shook his head, clearly not very familiar with the geography as he had just left his hometown, "That, I’m not really sure."

Overhearing your conversation, an older man laughed and said, "Wuji and Changshan are indeed in different directions, but for now, following us isn’t wrong. We’ll likely part ways come evening. If you’re going to Changshan, head northwest, whereas Wuji is to the east."

Relieved that you were on the right path, you smiled and cupped your hands towards the man, "Thank you!"

"We’re all travelers; it’s not easy for anyone out here, and we try to help where we can." The man nodded, "By the way, brother, your accent doesn’t sound like you’re from Yan Province, is it?"

"Well, I’m from Yang Zhou."

Your hometown was Yuhang, but in this world’s terms, it would be Yang Zhou.

The man seemed satisfied with your response and didn’t speak further; actually, the question earlier was a little test.

Even though the Sen Luo Eye was sealed, your skill in reading people surpassed most, and since they were wary of you, you knew better than to make more contact to avoid arousing their suspicion.

Once you knew the route, you deliberately distanced yourself from the convoy. Only after they were out of sight did you resume walking forward at a leisurely pace.

The convoy was making good time, and since you had slowed down deliberately, you were not expected to see them again. However, you soon caught sight of the convoy’s banner once more.

Just as you started to wonder, shouts emerged from the woods on both sides of the road, swiftly followed by arrows flying from the thickets. The convoy was caught off guard, and in an instant, dozens were down, most hit by arrows and rendered incapable of combat.

You simply crossed your arms and leaned against a tree trunk, expressionless as you watched ahead. This matter had nothing to do with you, and you weren’t planning to intervene; after all, they didn’t think of you as a good person anyway.

However, the convoy’s guards weren’t slow to respond, quickly organizing a defense and handing out knives to the ordinary members. But in your eyes, those members were trembling when holding the knives, with some barely able to hold them, let alone fight or fend off the mountain bandits.

"Brothers, surround them!" A rough voice came from the thickets, and a large batch of armed mountain bandits emerged from both sides of the road, numbering over a hundred and looking fierce.

As the convoy was surrounded, a middle-aged man finally stepped out, cupping his fists towards the bandits, "Gentlemen, I am the guard commander of the Wuji Zhen family. We’ve paid the road money each year on time, why attack us today?"

"That money wasn’t paid to me, and do you think that little money can feed my hundreds?" A robust man descended from the slope as he spoke, with a big blade resting on his shoulder, looking impressive.

The middle-aged man quickly stepped forward, pulling a gold bar from his bosom and placing it in the robust man’s hand, smiling ingratiatingly, "Mighty warrior, everything is negotiable."

The robust man weighed the gold bar in his hand and suddenly burst into loud laughter, "Good! Good!"

The middle-aged man, thinking this would amicably resolve matters, also started laughing.

However, the robust man’s laughter abruptly ceased, and he sliced down fiercely with his big blade, sending the middle-aged man’s head flying over ten meters, landing at your feet. Even in death, the middle-aged man’s smile remained unchanged, forever frozen in that moment. Googlᴇ search novel⚑fire.net