Heavenly Dao Divine Realm, December 4, the 17th year of Yuanping…
After nearly three months of arduous journey, Yan Liqiang and the Sihai Escort Agency finally arrived in Laizhou. At this time, Laizhou had already welcomed the first snowfall in the winter of the 17th year of Yuanping, and the temperature dropped sharply.
The goose-feather-like snow mixed with the cold wind rushed towards him and blew on his face, just like being cut by an ice knife. Yan Liqiang, who was riding on the rhino horse, pulled up his mask a little to prevent the cold snowflakes and cold air from penetrating into his collar. Even without touching it with his hands, Yan Liqiang could feel a layer of crystal snowflakes on his eyelashes.
Yan Liqiang was wearing gloves while riding on a horse. He only held the reins with one hand, while his other hand kept clenching into a fist, then opening it, then clenching into a fist again, and opening it again, repeating this cycle over and over again. After doing this for a while, he changed hands, freeing up the hand holding the reins, and let that hand start repeating the movements of clenching and opening a fist.
In this cold weather, only in this way can you keep your fingers and arms flexible at all times and prevent your fingers from becoming stiff. Then, when you encounter danger, you can draw the bow as quickly as possible and maintain the accuracy of your archery - this is the experience Yan Liqiang summed up along the way.
There were few people on the official road. The snow had accumulated to a depth of more than a foot. The rhinoceros horses were moving slowly and heavily. The team walked weakly. Dozens of days of running around and the various obstacles on the road had already exhausted everyone in the team. Both mentally and physically, everyone was close to the limit. Fortunately, although there were many dangers and difficulties on the way, under the protection of the strong bow in Yan Liqiang's hand, the team did not lose any more people. Only a few escorts were injured, but none of them were in danger of life.
"Everyone cheer up, we will try to reach Su'an City before dark today, and tomorrow we can go back to Jianshen Sect..." Yan Liqiang, who was walking in the front of the team, turned around and shouted, giving everyone a shot of chicken blood and stimulants.
At this time, Yan Liqiang's position in the team was completely different from when he was in Jinling. He was definitely the core and leader of the team. The escorts in several teams looked at Yan Liqiang as they looked at the escort leaders before. Just like now, Yan Liqiang shouted, and Wang Hui and other escorts followed suit, "Come on, come on, don't give up here..."
Several escorts shouted, and the silent team slowly became alert again.
Before returning to Laizhou, everyone was thinking about coming back. But when they really got back, apart from being exhausted and suddenly relaxed, no one felt excited at all. If there was any excitement, it was only a sense of relaxation after surviving a calamity, and an indescribable complex feeling - how spectacular the team was when it went out a few months ago, but unexpectedly only a few people came back today. The chaos in various parts of the Han Empire that they saw along the way, as well as various rumors and news that they didn't know whether they were true or false, cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.
The group continued walking on the official road for a while. Just after turning an intersection, they saw that there was an extra checkpoint on the official road ahead.
Yan Liqiang remembered that when he left Laizhou a few months ago, he also took this road. There was no checkpoint here. He didn't know why there were two more watchtowers now. There were some chevaux de frise piled on the road outside the watchtowers, and a horizontal wooden beam was used in the middle of the chevaux de frise to block the official road.
The people guarding the checkpoint also discovered Yan Liqiang and his group approaching the checkpoint. A group of people who were hiding in the sentry tower next to the checkpoint came out one after another with weapons in hand, looking quite vigilant.
"What's going on? Why is there an extra checkpoint ahead..." Wang Huihe rode on his rhino horse and trotted forward two steps. He came in front of Yan Liqiang and asked Yan Liqiang's opinion, "How about I go over and take a look first? Everyone wait here..."
Along the way, everyone was nervous because of the endless situations and accidents. The White Lotus Sect, bandits, local tyrants, and unrestrained soldiers suddenly appeared from everywhere. It was okay near the city, but as soon as they got away from the city, there were people setting up checkpoints, robbing people, and killing people. It was chaos everywhere, so when they saw the checkpoint ahead, the nerves of several escort masters in the escort agency and everyone in the team suddenly tensed up.
Yan Liqiang had quietly taken off the gloves on both hands. He pinched his fingers, then moved the bow bag containing the bow and arrow to the side, placing it in a more convenient position, and then squinted his eyes to look at the checkpoint and the environment on both sides of the road. "No need, they have already seen us, so let's go together. If we are cautious, it will make them uneasy and more alert, and maybe something will happen. This is already Laizhou territory, only a few hundred miles away from the gate of the Sword God Sect. The Sword God Sect should not allow anyone to mess around in Laizhou, so just follow my instructions later!"
"good!"
After the order was passed down, the entire team perked up. Zhao Huipeng and Gu Zexuan, who were originally following Yan Liqiang, rode their horses to Yan Liqiang's side without saying a word and took a guarded stance.
"Stop, dismount and be inspected..." When there were still 50 steps to the checkpoint, a flare arrow was shot from the sentry tower and landed on the ground seven or eight meters in front of Yan Liqiang. Someone on the sentry tower also shouted.
Yan Liqiang raised his hand, and the whole team stopped. Then Yan Liqiang was the first to get off his horse, pulled down his mask, exposed his face, and walked towards the checkpoint with a crunching sound on the thick snow. The people behind Yan Liqiang also got off their horses one by one, leading their rhinoceros horses and walking over.
As Yan Liqiang walked, he looked at the dozens of people guarding the checkpoint. Those people were fully armed and armored and looked like soldiers. However, the clothes they wore were somewhat different from the regular military uniforms of the Han Empire. The uniforms of the regular soldiers of the Han Empire were red or dark red, while the uniforms of the soldiers guarding the checkpoints were black. This made Yan Liqiang a little confused, but from their appearance and temperament, these soldiers guarding the checkpoints did not look like bandits and bullies who blocked the road, which made Yan Liqiang feel a little relieved.
"Where are you from and what are you doing in Laizhou?" A man who looked like a leader with a long sword on his waist at the checkpoint looked at Yan Liqiang who was walking over and asked loudly.
"We are from the Sword God Sect!" Based on his experience along the way, Yan Liqiang first reported the mountain gate to intimidate the other party, so that the other party would not dare to act rashly, "We came from Jinling and want to return to the Sword God Sect!"
“What? You are also from the Sword God Sect, but are you carrying the Sword God Sect’s identity badge?” The man who looked like a leader was stunned.
Also? Why is it also
Yan Liqiang muttered in his heart, but still took out his identity badge as an outer disciple of the Sword God Sect so that the other party could see it clearly.
"Ah, yes, yes, it is indeed the badge of the Sword God Sect, we are all one family!" Hearing the man say this, everyone relaxed at once, but Yan Liqiang felt even more puzzled and had a vague guess - could it be that the checkpoint in front of them was set up by the Sword God Sect
At this moment, a soldier beside the leader-like man seemed to remember something. After looking at Yan Liqiang and others, he quickly leaned over and whispered something in the leader's ear.
"By the way, you said you came from Jinling City. Did you encounter the Sword God Sect's Four Seas Escort Agency team along the way?"
"If the Sihai Escort Agency had not sent an escort team to Jinling City a few months ago, we would be the Sihai Escort Agency team returning from Jinling City!" Yan Liqiang put away his badge and said calmly.
"Ah..." The leader-like man suddenly widened his eyes in astonishment. After carefully looking at Yan Liqiang for a few times, he suddenly became alert and asked, "Is your escort leader surnamed Feng?"
"Yes, our escort leader is surnamed Feng!"
As soon as Yan Liqiang finished speaking, the leader-like man almost jumped up and quickly ordered a sergeant next to him, "Hurry up and inform the people that the Sihai Escort Agency's escort team to Jinling is back..."
"How is this going?"
"Please don't be surprised. We have been informed before that if the team led by Leader Feng of the Sihai Escort Agency comes back, we will immediately notify the sect!" In the blink of an eye, the attitude of the man who looked like a leader towards Yan Liqiang and others suddenly became several times better.
"Are you also from the Sword God Sect?" Yan Liqiang asked curiously.
"Yes, now the entire Laizhou has been taken over by our Sword God Sect..." the man who looked like a leader answered proudly.
As soon as the little leader finished speaking, a fluttering sound came from the roof of a nearby watchtower. A message pigeon suddenly flew up from the roof of the watchtower and flew quickly into the distance. In just a few breaths, it disappeared in the wind and snow.
Although he had made some guesses before and had seen various chaos along the way, Yan Liqiang couldn't help but feel a little shocked when he heard the little leader in front of him say that the Sword God Sect had taken over the entire Laizhou. What did this mean? This meant that the current situation in the Han Empire was so chaotic and disorderly that it was unimaginable. That was why a super sect like the Sword God Sect would directly take over the entire Laizhou with strong means and no longer care about the face of the court - if there was still a court now...
…
Two hours later, Yan Liqiang and his group met a team of cavalrymen who came from Su'an City to greet them halfway. After they introduced their identities to each other, the team of cavalrymen escorted Yan Liqiang and his group back to Su'an City.
It was only after they met the cavalry that escorted them that everyone in Yan Liqiang's team finally relaxed and felt like they were home...
(End of this chapter)