The group traveled quickly on the road, heading towards Quezhou City.
The further they went, the more people they encountered, and the higher the frequency of encountering frenzied individuals.
They had to rely on each other to get through several riots.
They even encountered bandits who attempted to capture them, but everyone worked together to resist.
They successfully defended the caravan.
The people in their caravan were skilled fighters, and some had learned archery.
With both close combat and ranged fighters, they were a tough nut to crack, leaving others to watch helplessly, unable to easily defeat their caravan.
Although some were injured,
they were treated in time, so no one died.
As spring began,
grass shoots started to emerge everywhere. Many plants previously covered by snow began to grow again, and they changed visibly day by day.
They grew rapidly.
Su Miaomiao would lead everyone to gather medicinal herbs, then wash and dry them. Some were processed, while others were stored properly. Thus, they had accumulated a small supply of medicinal materials on the road, temporarily sufficient.
Wild vegetables and edible mountain produce were all eaten.
They couldn't save any food at all.
There were too many people in the caravan, and everyone needed energy. They couldn't be stingy with food. Fortunately, as spring arrived, food became more abundant. They could sustain themselves with hunted meat and wild vegetables, at least not having to eat their stored provisions every day and using these to supplement their meals.
Among the various caravans, two factions remained. Originally, the Cheng family caravan, the Jin family caravan, and the Shan'ao Village group were not very close. Now, with the addition of the Xue family and Yu family caravans,
instantly,
the people from the Cheng family, Jin family, and Shan'ao Village became closer.
Naturally, they were not as close to the Xue family and the Yu family leaders.
Of course,
their relationship was also closer, but because they had relied on the combat strength of the three caravans along the way, they became even more solicitous. Later, they learned that the three caravans were not fully integrated and still operated independently.
They had also tried to draw closer to one of the three caravans, but later realized it was futile, as the other two caravans also listened to the Cheng family caravan, and it was even led by the Cheng family. The Xue and Yu families could only accept it and began to curry favor with all three, as in this era, having combat strength meant having capability!
Although there were some minor squabbles within each caravan, none led to them splitting up. They resolved their own issues internally, so the journey was harmonious, with no conflicts between the caravans.
Su Miaomiao's life was quite comfortable. She was never hungry, and her childhood friend helped with daily chores, so she didn't have much to worry about. However, when danger arose, her role was significant.
Everyone regarded her with great respect.
The Xue family head and the Yu family head initially saw her as a pampered canary.
Only after witnessing her capabilities did they change their perception of her.
They treated her with courtesy.
*
Another half a month passed in a flash, and they successfully reached Gaojiazhuang.
However, it was already deserted. No one remained in any of the households.
Everyone was quite disappointed.
Without a craftsman to process the good timber, they could only collect some good pieces and continue towards Quezhou City. After traveling for another ten days or so, they finally saw Quezhou City on the mountainside.
Quezhou City was built along a large river, and the moat drew water from the river. At first glance, the city below was majestic. In the morning, there was fog, and it looked truly awe-inspiring.
Everyone craned their necks out of the carts to look.
They were all struck by the scene, and more so by the city of Quezhou. The city walls were so high? They were almost as tall as a small pagoda.
"My heavens, these city walls are much taller than those of our Fengcheng!!"
"Can such tall city walls exist in this world? So high, even if enemy soldiers attack, they probably won't be able to break through! It looks so reassuring!"
"If we can enter inside, we'll truly have no worries about food and clothing!!"
"It's true, it's true. Xue family head and Yu family head didn't lie to us. It's only the fifth watch now, and the sky is still dimly lit, but look over there, the city gates are brightly lit. Such large lanterns are hanging!! It's also bright inside, illuminating half the sky! How strange!!"
The servants and the villagers of Shan'ao Village were astonished, excited, and thrilled, hoping that it was truly peaceful and safe inside, so they could have good days too!
Cheng family head, seeing the magnificent city gate below, was also extremely excited. He exclaimed, "Good! This is truly good! Let's hurry down the mountain!"
He said this and quickly urged everyone to get back into their carts, already impatient.
The Xue family head and the Yu family head were also stunned. They both lamented in unison that they had done business here before, but the city walls were not that high then.
Cheng family head paused his preparations to get into the cart upon hearing this and asked, "The original city walls of Quezhou City were not this high? How can that be? Could it be that they were added later?"
As soon as he finished speaking,
Cheng Hao draped an outer garment over Su Miaomiao and said, "It's not impossible."
He then pointed towards the city walls, signaling everyone to look closely.
Indeed,
small groups of people began to gather there, and then the construction of the city walls continued. The small black figures moving below were people preparing to work. From a distance, they looked like black worker ants.
Working diligently.
Everyone couldn't help but gasp. They were too diligent.
Laifu couldn't help but admire, "Our young master is indeed considerate!"
Su Miaomiao, with her better eyesight, added, "Look closely, there are many makeshift shelters at the bottom of the city walls. They look like residences for these people. And at this hour, the city gates are not open at all. These workers are all going to the city walls from the shelters!"
Even if everyone squinted to look closely, they could only see a general outline and couldn't see that clearly, but they were all awestruck.
Cheng Hao immediately concluded, "It's evident that not everyone can enter. We must go and inquire ourselves. Let's set off."
Everyone chimed in with agreement.
Then, they got back into their carts.
They completed the last short stretch of the journey and successfully arrived at the city gate.
A dark mass of people appeared again. The people in the makeshift shelters near the city gate seemed unfazed. Only a few peeked out, while others numbly continued with their own tasks.
Su Miaomiao could vaguely smell an unpleasant odor from the cart. She thought it was understandable. With so many people living there in a messy condition, it wouldn't be pleasant. Fortunately, it was some distance from the city gate,
so it didn't assault their noses directly.