Chapter 684: Inquiry
Editor: Atlas Studios

They had taken byways along the way, but there were five hidden checkpoints. Sensing that something was wrong, Qi Haoran walked to Sanglin Ji’s side calmly. He asked in a low voice, “Do you have to pass so many checkpoints every time you come?”

Equally bewildered, Sanglin Ji replied in a low voice, “In the past, there were only three checkpoints, and they were all very relaxed. As long as there was a guide leading the way, there was almost no need to check the convoy.”

Sanglin Ji was a little uneasy, worried that they would be discovered. This was not Great Qi. No matter how powerful Qi Haoran was, there was nothing he could do. Once they were discovered, the hundred-odd men would not be able to protect Qi Haoran.

“Don’t be nervous. Relax.” Seeing that his back was stiff, Qi Haoran reminded him softly, “I don’t think it’s because they discovered us. Probably something happened in Dali.”

Those people had set up checkpoints mainly to check if there was hidden stuff among their goods. They were also forbidden to walk around. In just half a day’s time, the guide had already reminded them four times not to walk around and not to stray from the convoy. Clearly, they were guarding against them.

They didn’t want anyone to know about what was going on in Dali.

Qi Haoran’s eyes lit up. He was not afraid that something had happened in Dali, but that it was totally uneventful. Only when something happened would they have a chance to take advantage of it.

“Third Prince, we’ll be there in an hour.” The guide rode his horse to the Third Prince’s side and said with a smile.

Qi Haoran took two steps back and lowered his head. As he looked no different from Sanglin Ji’s other guards, the guide did not notice him at all and only looked at Sanglin Ji seriously.

Only then did Sanglin Ji notice that this path seemed to be slightly different from the ones he had walked before. Although it looked similar, if one did not pay attention, they might not notice the difference.

Sanglin Ji’s expression was a little ugly as he questioned, “Why didn’t you tell us in advance that the location has been changed?”

The guide said with a smile nonchalantly, “Third Prince, don’t mind this. We only changed the location for safety’s sake. However, although the location has changed, the distance isn’t far.”

“Are you saying that our dealings have been discovered?”

“No, no, Third Prince, don’t worry. It’s just a routine procedure. There’s nothing unusual. Besides, with my master’s influence, even if someone finds out, no one will dare to say anything.”

Only then did Sanglin Ji remain silent. However, he was still very displeased. As Qi Haoran’s guide, he actually didn’t realize that the route had changed and had to wait for the Dali guide to tell him. He didn’t know if the Prince would blame him.

Next, Sanglin Ji began to pay attention to the route carefully. However, he realized that he could still remember it at first. When he thought about it again after a certain period of time, he realized that there was only one path in his mind. Sanglin Ji’s expression immediately turned a little ugly, and he forcefully suppressed the urge to turn around to look at Qi Haoran.

Qi Haoran lowered his head. There was not much expression on his face, but his heart was actually a little heavy. He had also discovered the abnormality on the road. He carefully recalled the road he had walked on and his expression became even more solemn. It was not that they could not remember the route, but the scenery and signs on the road seemed to appear repeatedly in a regular pattern. This made them feel that they had been moving forward, but when they thought about it, they would realize that the road they had walked on was not special. It seemed like they had been walking the same path for a while. Moreover, those intersections should have been specially set up at specific spots. They had secretly set up a certain Eight Trigrams Array, so that the travelers could not remember the direction and intersection when they tried to recall it.

However, was there a need to be so serious about smuggling with Qiannan? Or was this terrain formed naturally?

Qi Haoran quietly observed the surrounding terrain. An hour later, they turned a corner and entered a valley. Everything suddenly became clear in front of them. In front of them were tents arranged horizontally and vertically. There was a roadblock at the entrance of the valley and soldiers were guarding it. In addition, there were soldiers patrolling around and inside the valley with sabers.

This was obviously a stationed army. How was it a smuggling trade caravan?

Qi Haoran looked at Sanglin Ji and saw that his face had also sunk. His heart could not help but sink.

Sanglin Ji gripped the reins tightly and reined in his horse. He questioned the guide unhappily, “What’s the meaning of this? In the past, transactions weren’t like this. You actually got the army involved this time?”

The guide said with a smile, “Third Prince, don’t be nervous. These are all our master’s men. Recently, bandits have indeed been rampant in this area. Our master sent soldiers to protect your trade caravan to ensure your safety. Don’t worry, they’re only responsible for our safety and will never participate in our transactions. Nothing changes.”

As if to verify the guide’s words, a middle-aged man led two people out of the valley. When he saw Sanglin Ji, he hurriedly welcomed him with a smile and cupped his hands. “You’re the Third Prince of the Bisha Tribe? Nice to meet you. You’re finally here.”

When Sanglin Ji saw the middle-aged man’s expression soften, he returned the greeting on his horse and said, “So it’s the Third Boss. Are you in charge this time? However, this welcome ceremony is too special.”

Sanglin Ji looked at the campsite, not hiding his displeasure.

Third Boss hurriedly said with a smile, “This is all out of necessity. Third Prince, please forgive me. I know that you’re leading the team this time, so I specially brought good rice wine from Dali. I’ve been waiting here for you to give you my apologies upon your arrival.”

Sanglin Ji pursed his lips. Although he was still dissatisfied, since he had already come this far, he naturally could not turn around and leave. Therefore, he could only wave his hand to let the convoy enter the valley.

Only after entering did one realize just how big it was inside. From the outside, one would think that the camp was occupied by white tents. However, after entering, they could see that there were huge gaps between the tents. There were many carts parked inside, all covered with sackcloth. Clearly, other convoys had already arrived.

While Sanglin Ji and the Third Boss were discussing business, a ‘lowly guard’ like Qi Haoran was not qualified to follow them. Hence, he could only follow the convoy to arrange the goods they had brought. There were soldiers patrolling around them. Although the patrolling soldiers did not stare straight at them, the scouts Qi Haoran brought naturally could sense that they were all being watched.

When two people approached Qi Haoran quietly, he said in a low voice, “Get our men to spread out and think of a way to check out the goods of the other trade caravans. Let’s see if we can draw the topographical map of the valley and the defense layout, focusing on the supply routes and main roads.”

The two of them agreed in a low voice and turned around to carry a bag of goods from the cart to the Bisha Miao stockade’s storeroom. The rest of the goods that were not suitable to be dismantled were left on the cart and guarded by the Miao stockade.

Qi Haoran’s eyes slid across the people present. After a team of soldiers patrolled this place again, he appeared behind a tent in the blink of an eye and sneaked towards the main tent.

When he was young, he had set up his own camp for the first time as an assistant commander, setting it up simply like how it was done in the West Camp. Later on, Ah Ling only spent less than 15 minutes before she managed to sneak into his main tent.

Assassination and counter-assassination, infiltration and counter-infiltration had once been the game he and Ah Ling played the most and the best. As a result, his defense was the tightest and most difficult to conquer in the entire army. Similarly, his infiltration ability could not be underestimated. It was just that he’d never had the opportunity to deploy this skill in the past. This time, he could finally test his skills.