Tap, tap, tap —
The hooves of the horses were fast, and the dust rose from the road in waves.
The 28 riders were travel-worn as they galloped along the main road.
“This road leads to Tong Wu County. Chen Feng’s next stop is most likely here. I wonder if he has committed a crime yet.”
One of the middle-aged martial artists carrying a sword frowned and spoke. This person’s name was Yan Hanjun, and he was the sect master of the Green Lotus Sect. The martial artists called him the “Silver Moon Sword”, and he was quite famous in the southern parts.
“We set off from Ning Tian and chased for more than ten days. We should be able to intercept Chen Feng soon.”
Another burly man with iron rings on his arms spoke. This person was the Sect Master of the Sea Whale Sect, An Dafeng. His nickname was “Iron Hand Blood Shark”, and he was also a famous figure in the southern martial world.
“We’re finally catching up. Let’s kill this person as soon as possible and complete the orders of the lords. Hurry up and go back to report.”
A thin old man with a saber at his waist spoke energetically. This person was the Sect Master of Extreme Celestial Sect, the famed Mystic Void Saber Lu Xilin.
The 28 riders were practically all famous experts of the martial world. They were either the leaders of a sect or famous figures of the martial world.
If a martial arts sect wanted to develop on the right path, they could not avoid currying favor with the nobles and finding an official backer. Therefore, when these martial artists received invitations from several families in Ning Tian, they did not dare to neglect them and treated this job seriously.
After all, any small amount from such a big shot was enough for them to enjoy.
Everyone was quite envious of Shen Sanqiu, who was leading the team. Not only did he curry favor with the nobles of the aristocratic families like them, but he also managed to get close to Perfected Master Windwalker through his disciples. There would be countless benefits waiting for him in the future.
“It’s already late today. We might not be able to reach the county city in time. Let’s find a place to stay first.”
Shen Sanqiu looked up at the gradually turning yellow sky and turned around.
Everyone nodded without any objections.
The group slowed down and conserved their horsepower. After walking for four to five miles, they realized that the main road extended into a dirt road that led to a village inn. Everyone turned in that direction.
After walking for a while, a small shop came into view. It was surrounded by a fence and was quite big.
The sound of drinking and boxing came from the shop. It was quite lively, and it looked like business was booming.
The group led the horses forward, and a waiter quickly came out to welcome them and nodded.
“Esteemed sirs, are you having a rest or staying over for the night?”
“Staying the night. Bring our mounts to the stables and take good care of them.”
Shen Sanqiu nodded.
When the waiter heard this, he hurriedly bowed and said carefully,
“Aiyo, Sirs, you came at the wrong time. Dozens of customers just arrived at the restaurant and occupied most of the rooms. Now, there are only three rooms left. Since there are more than 20 people in your group, it might be a little difficult…”
Seeing that this group of people were probably troublesome martial artists, he lowered his attitude and apologized repeatedly.
Hearing the commotion inside, Shen Sanqiu knew that the waiter was not lying. He asked, “Then are there any other shops nearby?”
The waiter’s tone was troubled, “Sir, we’re the only village shop in a radius of ten miles. There’s a village market more than 20 miles ahead, but it’s getting late. It’ll probably be dark by the time you get there…”
When An Dafeng heard this, he frowned and said, “There’s no need to go through so much trouble. Sect Master Shen, let’s make do here for the night. I’ll get the people inside to share a few of their rooms and give them some silver in return.”
“Sounds good.”
Shen Sanqiu nodded.
“Sir, this…” The waiter was a little anxious.
The group of customers inside were also armed, so they were naturally not easy to deal with. He could not afford to offend either side, afraid that a conflict would break out.
Shen Sanqiu ignored him and asked everyone to tie the horses to the side before striding into the shop.
The lobby was filled with people. They were originally drinking happily, but when they heard someone enter, they turned around.
Shen Sanqiu and the others entered and observed the guests as well.
The shop fell silent for a moment as both sides sized each other up.
Everyone quickly realized that among the group in the shop, there were strong men, as well as sallow and thin farmers. They were all armed and did not look like they were people doing their jobs in society.
Shen Sanqiu glanced around and suddenly found a familiar face in the crowd. He opened his mouth in bewilderment,
“Lin Song? Why are you here?”
“Sect… Sect Master?!”
Lin Song’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was precisely Chen Feng and the others in the shop. They had also decided to find a place to eat and rest, and had just arrived not long ago.
Hearing this, Guo Haishen and the others were surprised and sized up Shen Sanqiu in surprise.
“This is the expert known as the Number One Sword in Jiangchun?”
Fang Zhen sized him up curiously.
Shen Sanqiu could not figure out where this group of people came from. He frowned and stared at Lin Song before berating, “Didn’t you go to Lu River to escort some property? Why haven’t you returned to the sect yet?”
Lin Song came back to his senses and revealed a terrified expression. He subconsciously looked at Chen Feng.
At this moment, Chen Feng turned to face the door and looked at Shen Sanqiu, “You’re the sect master of the Wu Mountain Sect? What a coincidence to meet you here.”
Currently, he was still in placement mode, as Zhou Jing had not personally descended.
Hearing this, Shen Sanqiu and the others could not help but turn to look at him. They realized that this person’s muscles were bulging, and his murderous aura overflowed. His face was quite familiar.
Chen Feng?!
Everyone immediately recognized his facial features, and their expressions changed slightly.
Over the past few days, the various surrounding governments had increased the intensity of Chen Feng’s wanted posters. The accuracy of the wanted portraits had also increased. Now, they were quite similar to Chen Feng, so it was not difficult to recognize him.
The group did not expect to meet their target in the village shop. They quietly looked at each other and secretly exchanged glances.
Shen Sanqiu did not understand why his disciple was with Chen Feng. Could it be that he had fallen into a trap?