Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1571 - 1564: Truth and Falsehood Indistinguishable

Chapter 1571: Chapter 1564: Truth and Falsehood Indistinguishable

"The Lingyun Government is now riddled with spies from the Heterogeneous Hall. It’s very dangerous for all the Manor Lords here, so it’s better to go to the Rainbow Government. Only there can we ensure your safety," Wuting Yuan said.

"What exactly does the Heterogeneous Hall do?" Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"It’s an organization that roams among the Nine Streams of the martial world. Its members are mostly the dregs of the Nine Streams, often engaging in wrongdoing and repeatedly violating the imperial laws, scorned by the people," Wuting Yuan replied.

"Then how did they target us?" Cheng Ziang asked, puzzled.

"They probably covet the saints. Although these people belong to the Nine Streams, they do not forget to continue their practice. For them, as long as there is a chance, they wouldn’t give up the opportunity to join the ranks of the Dual Dao. But scum will always be scum; they will resort to any means necessary to achieve their goals," Wuting Yuan said.

"Is that so?" Cheng Ziang asked, feigning shock.

"Of course, how dare I deceive you," Wuting Yuan replied respectfully.

"In that case, the people of the martial world must despise the Heterogeneous Hall, right?" Cheng Ziang continued to ask.

"Naturally," Wuting Yuan nodded.

Cheng Ziang stopped talking and narrowed his eyes at Wuting Yuan. He felt that Wuting Yuan was deceiving him.

From what he had learned so far, the martial world’s view of the Heterogeneous Hall was more one of fear than disdain. Before his death, the All-knowing said that even the official authorities dared not offend the Heterogeneous Hall. It seems, therefore, that the Heterogeneous Hall is not some insignificant organization but a very powerful one that even the authorities fear.

Such a powerful organization could even directly threaten the officials. Logically, it should have been targeted and eradicated by the authorities, as the saying goes, "a tall tree catches the wind." But the situation seems to be that the Heterogeneous Hall hasn’t been targeted by the authorities at all.

This means either the Heterogeneous Hall is indeed very powerful, as the All-knowing said, with an extensive reach, or Cheng Ziang and his party are not fully privy to the whole story. But either explanation clearly contradicts Wuting Yuan’s description.

After some hustle and bustle, the Advance Team along with Luo’er got onto their carriage and, escorted by Wuting Yuan, started down the street towards the city gate.

The men Wuting Yuan brought were all riders, guarding vigilantly to the left and right of the carriage. Although it was early morning, the city was still bustling. With the limited moonlight, Cheng Ziang saw several places where fires were burning.

Wuting Yuan seemed to be in a hurry, constantly urging the Advance Team to quicken their pace. They rode swiftly through the streets and reached the city gate. At that moment, the gates of Lingyun City were wide open; no guards could be seen at the entrance. The carriage, surrounded by the group, quickly left the Lingyun Government, heading towards the Rainbow Government in the northeast.

After leaving the city, their pace did not slow, and they continued to urge the horses forward. It was not until noon that they finally stopped to rest, by which time they were already seventy to eighty kilometers away from the Lingyun Government. That’s when Wuting Yuan halted for a break.

Their preparations were thorough, with ample dry food and water for the journey, including provisions for the Advance Team.

During the rest, Cheng Ziang walked up to Wuting Yuan and asked puzzledly, "Why the rush?"

"The Manor Lord may not be aware, but the sooner we leave, the more we can avoid being targeted by the Heterogeneous Hall. These people are very sneaky," Wuting Yuan explained.

"But with all the racket you made last night, haven’t you already alarmed them?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"The Manor Lord is mistaken. We deliberately attracted their attention to divert them while moving the saints away. Only in this way can you leave the Lingyun Government safely," Wuting Yuan said.

"Heh, a feint attack, then?" Cheng Ziang shrugged and did not continue pressing the matter.

After a brief pause, Cheng Ziang seemed to think of something and curiously asked, "Speaking of which, how are the County Magistrate and the Governor-General doing?"

"Ah, oh, they are very well, very well. Both of them are resting at our place," Wuting Yuan hesitated for a moment, blinking his eyes with a somewhat guilty expression as he spoke.

"So, you’re saying with all this commotion, these two main figures from the Lingyun Government weren’t present for such an issue – which act are we witnessing here?" Cheng Ziang said.

"Both of them have important matters to attend to, and thus, couldn’t come to extend an invitation personally. Hence, they have sent me to invite you. Please forgive us," Wuting Yuan said with clasped hands.

After eating some dry food and resting for a short while, a noisy disturbance suddenly emerged from the roadside bushes, accompanied by the sound of clashing weapons. Seeing this, Wuting Yuan hastily waved his hands and said to Cheng Ziang and the others, "They have caught up with us. All Manor Lords, please get into the carriage and hurry along immediately; we will protect you with our lives if we must."

"We should help too since they are after us," Cheng Ziang asked purposely.

"No, there’s no need for your assistance. Just leave it to us. Please get on the road immediately and make haste to the Rainbow Government," Wuting Yuan said, waving his hand.

Although skeptical of his words, Cheng Ziang thought it over and did not wish to cause more trouble, so he agreed to the request and boarded the horse carriage under the escort of the riders. Soon, the sounds of shouting and clanging followed behind them.

"They really are like lingering spirits..." Hu Daoke said, frowning as he stared at the bushes behind the carriage.

"Heh, lingering spirits..." Cheng Ziang suddenly let out a cold laugh and shook his head incessantly.

They continued along the imperial road for over twenty kilometers, crossing through a dense forest. The trees here were extraordinarily tall, at times obscuring the sky. The thick gravel road was covered by dense layers of leaves; despite regular clearing, a thickness of ten centimeters had accumulated.

Just when everyone thought they were safe, a piercing whistle suddenly sounded from within the forest, followed by a flurry of crossbow bolts. Riders hit by the bolts fell from their horses, and several went down in an instant.

"Ambush! Don’t worry about them; hurry through here," a rider who seemed to be the leader drew his sword and commanded his disoriented riders.

But as soon as he finished speaking, an arrow pierced through his throat, and he fell from his horse without a sound, perishing shortly after.

Strangely enough, the crossbow bolts seemed targeted only at the riders. Although Cheng Ziang and the others were sitting outside the carriage, they were unharmed; the bolts seemed to intentionally avoid the carriage.

The attack lasted for over thirty seconds, and soon the riders were either dead or had fled, leaving the lonely carriage standing still.

The Advance Team did nothing during this time because they also noticed the bolts weren’t targeting them, so they simply stopped in their tracks to avoid the random arrows.

Not long after, a masked man in black emerged from the forest. He came before the group, bowed, and said, "Do not be deceived, Manor Lords. Wuting Yuan seeks to harm you. Please turn back now, and don’t proceed further."

"Who are you?" Cheng Ziang asked warily.

"We are subordinates of the Luzun Tai Government, commanded to protect you, Manor Lords. We did not expect to encounter you on the road," the man in black replied.

"Where have you and the Luzun Tai Government gone to?" Cheng Ziang asked, taken aback.

"To answer the Manor Lord, Luzun Tai Government is currently confined by the Wuting Clan’s people and cannot free themselves. Predicting that the Wuting Clan would target you, Luzun Tai Government dispatched us to protect you," the man in black said.

"But Wuting Yuan said he too was acting on the orders of Luzun Hong. Which of you is lying?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Manor Lord, the Wuting Clan covets the Saint’s power and thus seeks to harm the Saint. This is absolutely true. Please, do not be misled by Wuting Yuan," the man in black urgently explained.

"Hmm..." After listening to the man, Cheng Ziang tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "Good, we also wish to go to the Rainbow Government. You might as well protect us on our way there."

"Manor Lord, the Rainbow Government is the Wuting Clan’s territory; it is not advisable to go there," the man in black urgently advised.

"Why must we take sides between you and them? We have our own matters to attend to; why should we listen to you?" Cheng Ziang said righteously, "I don’t want to meddle in your conflicts. Now, we’re heading to the Rainbow Government and then will continue northward, eventually reaching Shengyuan Prefecture. I don’t know the nature of your troubles, but I do know that if you insist on hindering us, then you will become our enemy."