Chapter 24

Ten riders galloped back, and a man in gray urgently reined in his horse, reporting through the carriage window: "Sir, there is indeed a problem at the Seven Mile Gorge. The cliffs on both sides of the gorge have been secretly hollowed out. If someone pushes from the shadows, the cliffs will collapse in an instant. As for the sides of the gorge, we did not find any suspicious individuals, and we returned quickly to report the situation without conducting a thorough search."

Indeed, there is a problem! Fu Zuoxuan and Jin Hua Hai were both startled, grateful for Jiang Yiniang's alertness, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Fu Zuoxuan suddenly said, "Lock the carriages!"

Following his command, an arrow was shot, its sharp "whoosh" sound slicing through the air above the convoy, signaling the relevant personnel.

Yu Qing, standing on the carriage shaft, turned around and saw the arrow fly over his head.

A man in gray, also a guard from the Sannan Mansion, jumped up at the sound of the arrow. After making the driver get off, he pushed Yu Qing, saying, "Go back and sit down."

Yu Qing had no choice but to sit back in the carriage. The man in gray then lifted the curtain and shouted to those inside, "There's nothing to see outside. Keep your heads and hands away from the windows, or you'll lose them, and no one will be responsible." After confirming that everyone had complied, he stood up, grabbed the top of the carriage, and pulled out a grid-like iron bar. Letting go, it fell shut with a clang, closing the exit of the carriage.

The people inside were startled by the metallic impact and noticed that the iron bars had been pulled out from the roof, and iron grids had also cut down over the windows, sealing them off.

The man in gray, standing on the carriage shaft, took a key from his waist belt, inserted it into the lock above the door, and turned it twice, locking the iron bars in place with the surrounding pins.

The people inside were shocked, and someone shouted, "What do you mean by this?"

The man in gray ignored them, put the key back in his belt, and signaled the driver to get back on. He then returned to his seat.

Yu Qing grabbed the iron bars and shook them, quickly checking around. He found that the four walls of the carriage had been secretly fitted with metal bars, turning the entire carriage into a metal cage. The bars were so fine that only an arm could be extended, effectively imprisoning the group like pigs.

Not only this carriage, but all the carriages in front were also locked in the same way, with many people shouting in protest.

The key issue was that the candidates had no idea why they were being locked up.

The real reason would not be told to them.

Not only them, even the military guards accompanying the convoy were surprised and inquired about what was happening.

The attendants at the back of the convoy looked forward, unsure of what was going on.

Publicly, it was said that all carriages had been reinforced, but in reality, only forty carriages had been specially modified, and only the candidates' carriages had been tampered with.

The lead carriage heard the commotion caused by the locking of the carriages. The escort official, Fu Zuoxuan, said, "Tell the candidates that everything is for their own good. Shouting and making a fuss is unbecoming. Order them to cooperate with the escort, or they will be reported to the governor for severe punishment!"

"Yes, sir!" The subordinate obeyed and went to deliver the message.

Jiang Yiniang had already gone outside due to the commotion, ran to the back of the convoy, and examined the carriages. Seeing that they had been designed this way, he immediately turned back and returned to the lead carriage. Seeing that Fu Zuoxuan and Jin Hua Hai were both calm, he realized that these two must know something he didn't.

Indeed, the two knew something others didn't. The Sannan Mansion had already secretly communicated with Lu Jikui and reached a consensus that, in the event of an emergency during the escort, all candidates would be locked in the carriages, and even if they died, they would die inside, preventing any of their heads from being taken by the demon cultivators.

Jiang Yiniang immediately asked, "Sir Fu, why did the carriages turn into prison cells?"

Fu Zuoxuan calmly replied, "Sir Jiang, it's obvious. The possibility of forcibly taking the candidates' heads from such a strong escort is low, but the possibility of a clever attack is high. Therefore, I believe that, as a precaution, protecting them with steel cages is the best choice."

Jiang Yiniang said sternly, "Sir Fu, if something happens, these candidates will be trapped in the carriages with no chance to escape. There will be no room for flexibility, and they will only be trapped to die!"

Jin Hua Hai interjected, "Sir Jiang, you are exaggerating. If we can't protect them, how can they escape from this area? If we can't protect them, they will only have one path to death. Using steel cages will first protect them, and if the worst happens, the cages will prevent the demons from easily taking their heads. If the demons can't achieve their goal, they can't escape, and that will be the time for us to strike!"

Jiang Yiniang instantly understood. If the situation got out of control, not only would the demons not succeed, but the candidates' lives would be used as bait!

This was no small matter. He didn't believe that these two could make such a big decision, and the fact that the carriages were clearly prepared in advance made him realize that this was an order from above.

Seeing his silence, Fu Zuoxuan said, "Gentlemen, we need to make a quick decision. I need to hear your opinions."

Jin Hua Hai said sternly, "In my opinion, we should have our people from the Sannan Mansion guard both sides of the gorge to prevent the demons from pushing the cliffs, and then the main force should quickly pass through."

Fu Zuoxuan did not comment and looked at the other, "Sir Jiang, what is your opinion?"

Jiang Yiniang shook his head slightly, "My opinion is to turn the convoy around. We should not delay. Immediately turn the rear into the front and quickly retreat, leaving this area where the fog is getting thicker as soon as possible."

Jin Hua Hai's tone became serious, "Sir Jiang, do you mean that over a hundred people from the Sannan Mansion, fifty great archers from Liezhou, and over a thousand guards should be scared off by a group of demons? You can afford to lose face, but the Sannan Mansion cannot!"

Jiang Yiniang said, "Brother, are you still concerned about your reputation? War is not fought like this! I ask you, the gorge is seven miles long. Even if all the people from the Sannan Mansion are deployed, can they defend the entire gorge? Can they scare the demons into inaction? Brother, confidence is good, but there's no need to be overconfident. The demons are not blind; they know the Sannan Mansion is involved in the escort. If they dare to set up an ambush here, they are not afraid of the Sannan Mansion.

The seven-mile-long gorge cannot be defended without any gaps by the Sannan Mansion, especially with the fog as cover. Even if everyone goes all out, it won't work. The demons only need to knock down one section of the cliff, and the entire convoy will be blocked. If the cliffs behind are also knocked down, the consequences will be far beyond the Sannan Mansion's reputation."

Upon hearing this, Fu Zuoxuan's face changed, and Jin Hua Hai's face tightened, but he remained silent.

Jiang Yiniang continued, "If there were no fog, with fifty great archers, the other side would not dare to act. The fog clearly nullifies the threat of the fifty great archers. Why didn't the other side release the fog around the station where we spent the night? Nighttime plus fog would make it easier to act. Clearly, it's because the advance forces prevented them from setting up and scared them off.

Therefore, it is certain that such a large area of fog cannot be summoned at will. The fog is here because it was prepared in advance. If we retreat immediately, as long as we leave this foggy area, the other side will not be able to easily use the fog to deceive us. At that time, with the threat of fifty great archers, the other side may not dare to act.

As long as the other side does not act, we will have time to investigate the fog. When the time comes, the person who created the fog will be the one to fear, and I don't believe they will stay and not escape. Basically, as long as we leave this foggy area, the demons will miss their chance to act. Sir Fu, Brother Jin, I am now worried that the demons may not let the convoy retreat."

Hearing this, Fu Zuoxuan no longer asked for Jin Hua Hai's opinion. Knowing who was speaking more sensibly and with the situation being urgent, he directly ordered, "Follow Sir Jiang's advice. Turn the rear into the front and retreat as quickly as possible!"

Jin Hua Hai remained silent and did not object this time.

The rear became the front, and the candidates and attendants in the carriages were all anxious. The escort forces were clearly entering a combat state.

Although Yu Qing did not know the specific situation, he could tell from the scene that the problem was serious. He gripped the iron bars and shook them again.

If something happened, he needed to find a way out. Being trapped in the carriage was not an option. If demons attacked, there would be no place to hide, and it would be humiliating for the Linglong Sect's leader to be trapped and killed.

The iron bars were solid and hard to bend. His eyes fell on the waist of the guard in gray, who clearly had the key to open the prison carriage.

However, it was obvious that asking for help would be useless, as the guard would not open the door.

With no immediate solution, and the situation not being absolutely dire, he dared not act rashly, as he might be killed by the Sannan Mansion before the demons. He could