The scarred man, who had just been about to leave, froze in his tracks, his expression becoming deeply conflicted.
Having seen what the hemp-robed elderly man was capable of, he knew full well the man was not someone he could afford to provoke.
He had no wish to become further entangled with him, but now that the man had put forward this request, he found himself in a very difficult position.
The scarred man wanted to refuse, yet feared it would anger him. And if he agreed, the man's background and origins were unknown, which made keeping him close a significant liability.
While the scarred man was still hesitating, the sound of galloping hooves and rolling wheels came from down the main road behind them.
Both the scarred man and the hemp-robed elderly man turned to look at the same time.
Very shortly, a group of travelers arrived near them and slowly came to a stop.
The hemp-robed elderly man's eyes narrowed slightly, while Hu Rui'an, seated on horseback, swept a look over the scene and then folded his hands in a bow toward the elderly man, saying, "What a coincidence. I did not expect to meet you here of all places."
Hearing this, the hemp-robed elderly man raised a hand in return, saying, "Quite a coincidence indeed."
And yet here they were.
"Where might you be headed?" Hu Rui'an asked suddenly.
His gaze passed over the scarred man, and from the look on the man's face, he could tell there had been some friction between the scarred man and the hemp-robed elderly man.
At the question, the hemp-robed elderly man was silent for a moment, but in the end replied with three words, "Falling God Peak."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an narrowed his eyes slightly, then glanced back at the carriage behind him.
Li Musheng reached up and lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze moving to the hemp-robed elderly man and then to the little girl in pink sitting on the mule.
The little girl in pink was holding a white steamed bun in her left hand and a piece of braised beef in her right, and her dark eyes were already sliding sideways to look back at Li Musheng.
"A little glutton through and through. Eating wherever she goes."
Li Musheng let out a light laugh, then looked at the hemp-robed elderly man and said, "As it happens, we are also heading to Falling God Peak. If it is on your way you are welcome to travel with us. If you would rather not, that is fine too."
With that, Li Musheng cast one more glance at the little girl and said no more, dropping the curtain.
Hu Rui'an slowly turned his head and looked at the hemp-robed elderly man, saying nothing further.
The hemp-robed elderly man furrowed his brow in thought, and at that moment the scarred man glanced at him, then suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Since all of us are heading to Falling God Peak for the celebration, traveling together is naturally the best arrangement."
The scarred man was a seasoned traveler of the martial world and knew well how to read a situation. He could sense that although the hemp-robed elderly man appeared to be acquainted with Hu Rui'an's group, he was clearly somewhat wary of them.
An enemy of one's enemy was a friend. Whatever the hemp-robed elderly man's intentions might be, regardless of his own reluctance, the scarred man did not dare refuse the proposal made earlier.
So he simply decided to muddy the waters, putting all three parties on the road together. That way, at least to some extent, they could keep each other in check.
When Hu Rui'an heard the scarred man's words, he suddenly furrowed his brow, "A birthday celebration?"
Seeing that Hu Rui'an seemed puzzled, the scarred man quickly said, "In five days it will be the birthday of the Seven Saints Peak Master. All the sects in Lan Province large and small will be going to Falling God Peak to pay their respects. Our Tin Mountain Blade Sect is naturally no exception."
Then he looked at Hu Rui'an with a somewhat suspicious expression and said, "Could it be that you are not going to Falling God Peak to attend the birthday banquet?"
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an composed his expression and let his gaze sweep across the heavily laden carts ahead. He said without any change of tone, "We are not particularly well acquainted with the Seven Saints Peak Master. There would be no point in attending the banquet. As for what we are going there to do..."
He gave the scarred man a meaningful look and said, "Once you reach Falling God Peak, you will know soon enough."
The scarred man's expression faltered slightly, but seeing that Hu Rui'an had no intention of revealing anything more, he did not press further.
At that moment, the hemp-robed elderly man and the little girl in pink exchanged an almost imperceptible glance, then the elderly man gave Hu Rui'an a nod, saying, "Since you do not mind this old one and his granddaughter slowing things down, traveling together is agreeable."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an gave a slight nod, and he did not continue asking about the hemp-robed elderly man's reasons for going to Falling God Peak.
In his view, whether the man was going to pay his respects at the birthday celebration or had some other purpose, it had little bearing on their own group.
After all, they had only one purpose, and that was to destroy Falling God Peak. This journey was a matter of life or death, and there was truly no attention to spare for anything else.
And so Hu Rui'an and the others set out together with the others toward Falling God Peak.
Along the way, the scarred man of the Tin Mountain Blade Sect remained guarded toward both the hemp-robed elderly man and Hu Rui'an's group throughout.
But after traveling for a stretch, he found that both parties were simply focused on moving forward, with little exchange between them and nothing unusual in their behavior, and the tension in his heart gradually eased.
However, as they continued onward and drew closer and closer to the region where Falling God Peak was located, both the scarred man and the Tin Mountain Blade Sect disciples began to sense that something was not right.
They did not feel it was the hemp-robed elderly man or Hu Rui'an's group that was wrong. It was that something seemed to be wrong with Lan Province itself.
"Why have there suddenly been so many Falling God Peak disciples about?"
The scarred man looked toward the roadblock set up at the junction ahead, where a group of martial artists in dark cloud-peak robes stood ready and waiting, and felt a growing unease in his heart.
Throughout the journey they had encountered several groups of Falling God Peak disciples, sometimes ten or more, sometimes several dozen.
Yet every group had been moving in a hurry and radiating killing intent, paying no attention to anyone else and simply pressing forward.
The scarred man had never seen anything like this before. Falling God Peak's people had always conducted themselves with an air of superiority, and it was rare to see them in such an urgent and agitated state.
He withdrew his gaze, hesitated for a moment, then could not help but look toward the hemp-robed elderly man and Hu Rui'an, saying, "Has something happened in Lan Province?"
Hearing this, the hemp-robed elderly man furrowed his brow in thought. He had naturally seen the same things along the road, but had no particular understanding of what lay behind it.
Hu Rui'an's expression remained calm throughout, though inwardly he understood clearly that the Great Li Tianjin Guards had already begun to act.
Given the control Falling God Peak held over the Lan Province region, it was essentially impossible for the Tianjin Guards to advance to the foot of Falling God Peak without being noticed.
What was more, because of the earlier leak of information, Falling God Peak had in all likelihood been aware of the Great Li court's intentions for some time and could not have failed to make preparations.
What Hu Rui'an was turning over in his mind at that moment, however, was a different question. Should he now follow Li Musheng's instructions and press forward alone toward Falling God Peak? Or should he first link up with other Tianjin Guards forces, or locate Commander Fu, before advancing on Falling God Peak together?