Chapter 66: On the Road

Although they were close to Baozhen, by the time they arrived, it was already pitch dark. The carriage stopped in front of a carriage shop. The guards jumped off the carriage first. When Zhang Xiaohua and his brother didn't understand what was happening, the others also got off the carriage. The young scholar, seeing the two still sitting in the carriage, smiled and said, "Aren't you going to get off to rest and stay overnight? Do you want to spend the night in the carriage?"

Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and asked, "Aren't we going to run all the way to Pingyang City? Why do we need to rest and stay overnight?"

The scholar laughed and said, "Even if we don't need to rest, the horses pulling us do. Otherwise, they'll be exhausted before we reach Pingyang City. Besides, traveling at night is very dangerous. Unless there's an emergency, no one travels at night. This 'Rapid Ride' carriage shop has branches in every town, and the routes and schedules are fixed. We'll rest here tonight. Come on, get off."

Zhang Xiaohua and his brother finally understood. They silently blamed Mr. Liu and Liu Kai for not explaining clearly, making them look foolish. When they got off the carriage and walked into the inn, the others had already found seats and called the waiter to prepare the food. Zhang Xiaohua and his brother were about to find a seat when they saw the scholar waving at them from a corner. They looked at each other and walked over. After they sat down, the scholar poured them two cups of water and said, "Thank you for giving me your seat this afternoon. Let me treat you to dinner tonight, how about it?"

Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand and said, "No need, it was just a small favor. No need to be so polite. Let's each eat our own."

Seeing that the two didn't agree, the scholar didn't insist and called the waiter to order food for himself.

Zhang Xiaohua and the others had never been to a restaurant before, but Mr. Liu had already given them some instructions. They simply ordered some staple foods, looking at the prices, which, although not very expensive, still made them a bit reluctant to spend their silver.

While waiting for the food, the scholar chatted briefly with Zhang Xiaohua and his brother. He learned that the scholar's name was Li Jinfeng, a student at a certain academy in Pingyang City. Zhang Xiaohua asked about the Piaomiao Sect, and Li Jinfeng had heard of it and knew that it was influential in Pingyang City, but he wasn't sure where it was located. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua's disappointed look, Li Jinfeng promised to help them find information about the Piaomiao Sect when they arrived in Pingyang City. Zhang Xiaohua was then happy again.

After the meal, there were ready-made guest rooms and dormitories behind the carriage shop, with different prices. Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu naturally chose the cheapest dormitory, while the others didn't seem to be around, probably finding their own quiet rooms.

The bedding and other items in the dormitory were not very clean, and the smell was quite unpleasant. Many people were already snoring, but Zhang Xiaohua couldn't be picky. He was indeed tired and fell asleep as soon as he lay down. Zhang Xiaohu carefully packed their belongings before lying down to sleep.

In Pingyang City, in the Piaomiao Sect's meeting hall.

Large candles lit the entire hall, making it as bright as daylight.

Ou Peng sat majestically in the central chair, with the Piaomiao Six Tigers and others sitting in two rows below. Many more people stood behind the chairs, and outside the hall, countless members stood straight, indicating a grand occasion.

The people in the meeting hall were whispering to each other, creating a constant hum.

Ou Peng frowned and coughed, and the hall immediately fell silent. Everyone looked at him.

Ou Peng scanned the crowd, his eyes landing on Shangguan Lao Si, and asked, "Shangguan, have all the preparations for the attack on Luoshu Gang been completed?"

Shangguan Lao Si stood up and said, "Reporting to the leader, after nearly two months of careful planning, our elite forces are already in key positions at Luoshu Gang. We just need your order to launch the attack. With our careful planning, we are sure to succeed."

Ou Peng then asked Zhang Chengyue, "How is the recruitment of disciples going?"

Zhang Chengyue hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the leader, in the past two months, we have recruited about four hundred children with martial arts talent, who are being trained by dedicated brothers. With the mobilization of members by Shangguan, the internal personnel are a bit tight, so I have already transferred a large number of people from the Lotus Escort Agency to supplement."

Ou Peng nodded in satisfaction and said, "We must pay attention to the safety of the sect. Don't let the situation be like a mantis catching a cicada while a sparrow is behind. Also, the Lotus Escort Agency needs to quickly replenish its personnel."

Zhang Chengyue replied, "I understand. We started recruiting new members at the beginning of this month."

Ou Peng said, "Good, well done. Chengyue, while we are away, you will temporarily take charge of the sect's affairs. We will leave you with Master Hu. Consult him more often."

Zhang Chengyue bowed in agreement.

Ou Peng turned to Hu Lao Da and said, "Brother, will you stay behind to oversee the rear?"

Hu Lao Da smiled and said, "Sure, I need to rest my old bones anyway."

Then, Ou Peng stood up and said to everyone, "Since everything is arranged, let's issue the order. We will start the attack on Luoshu Gang now. Once we take Luoshui, the Piaomiao Sect will become a top-tier sect."

With that, he waved his hand, and the people in the meeting hall began to busy themselves, passing the same order to different places: "Begin the attack!"

Then, Ou Peng smiled at his fellow disciples and the second-generation disciples and said, "Let's go and see what cards Luoshui Gang has to resist us."

With that, he led the way out of the meeting hall.

On the square outside the meeting hall, horses were already prepared. Everyone followed Ou Peng on horseback, and they set off under the cover of night.

In the "Rapid Ride" carriage shop in Baozhen, the people who had been traveling all day were sound asleep, snoring loudly, a spectacular sight.

Suddenly, in the quiet night sky, there came shouts, the sound of weapons clashing, and faintly, the sound of punches and kicks. The people whose dreams were disturbed were very angry. With sleepy eyes, they hadn't even opened the windows when someone with a fiery temper started cursing, "Which little brat is being so restless, daring to disturb our sleep? Do you want to die?"

This curse echoed loudly in the night, traveling far. Zhang Xiaohu was also awakened. Before he could sit up, he heard a "whoosh" and then a "bang." Something was nailed to the pillar inside the room. In the bright moonlight, everyone saw that it was an arrow that had shot in through the window. Everyone was suddenly wide awake.

At this moment, a voice from outside shouted, "The Evil Tiger Gang is handling business here. Unrelated people should not get involved. Those who want to sleep, sleep. Those who don't want to sleep, shut your mouths."

Instantly, many people quickly covered their mouths, their eyes showing fear.

The fighting outside continued. Finally, unable to resist their curiosity, some people secretly peeked out of the windows, while others looked through the holes in the walls. On the street outside, two groups were fighting. Some had weapons, some were bare-handed, and the fighting was intense, with occasional cries of pain. Although there was moonlight, it wasn't very clear. After a while, one side seemed to be losing, and someone whistled. A group of people scattered and fled the street, and a few used light skills to run over the roofs of the carriage shop, scaring everyone into hiding in the dark. When the people were far away, they cautiously peeked out again. The street was now quiet, but there were many dark shadows scattered in the middle of the street, which seemed to be uncollected bodies. However, no one dared to verify this. A timid person whispered, "It's over. Quickly close the window and go back to sleep."

A bold person said, "Let's wait and see if anyone will come to collect the bodies."

Zhang Xiaohu also saw this through the hole in the wall. He silently walked back to his bed, looking at Zhang Xiaohua, who was still sleeping soundly. He thought to himself, "Ignorance is indeed bliss. Is this the world of martial arts? Is this the cruel world I want to enter after learning martial arts?"

Zhang Xiaohu thought about these things and slowly fell asleep. The other people in the dormitory were talking excitedly, but they eventually fell silent.

The next morning, the sky was overcast, but Zhang Xiaohua still woke up on time. Seeing Zhang Xiaohu's slightly red eyes and the listless expressions of the others, he learned about what had happened last night. When Zhang Xiaohua and the others went out to the street, it had already been cleaned up, leaving no trace of the events. Only the arrow in the pillar of the dormitory could prove that something unusual had happened last night.

The people staying at the carriage shop came from all directions, and after breakfast, they went their separate ways.

When Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua got on the carriage, they found that the two elderly people who had been on the carriage the previous day were not there. Instead, there was a middle-aged man in scholar's attire.

The carriage, driven by the coachman, still ran smoothly. Zhang Xiaohua, bored, continued to look at the scenery outside, while the scholar and the young scholar were chatting happily, though Zhang Xiaohua didn't understand much of what they were saying.

Zhang Xiaohu, who had been very excited the previous day, was unusually quiet today. Zhang Xiaohua thought his brother hadn't slept well, but he didn't know that Zhang Xiaohu was thinking about what he had seen last night and about their future.

The spacious carriage continued to speed towards Pingyang City. The people on the carriage changed several times, but only Zhang Xiaohua and his brother, the young scholar Li Jinfeng, and the guard remained. By noon, they had reached another town. According to the guard, this was the last place to rest. After the afternoon, the carriage would complete its final leg and arrive in Pingyang City.