The morning breeze is quite refreshing.

  Teng Qing Shan was leading more than twenty men marching on the path inside the military camp, with Zhuge Yun, Zhuge Qing and Qing Yu seeing them off by their side.

  "Brother, from here to Chu Prefecture, there are nearly two thousand miles of road, and there are many dangers along the way. You must be careful!" Qing Yu stood beside Tan Qing Shan, her eyes filled with reluctance to part.

  Hong Qing Shan smiled and patted Qing Yu's head: "Little Rain, don't you trust your brother?"

  "My brother is the strongest." Qing Yu immediately raised her chin and said confidently.

  Qing Shan was very willing to make a good start, as for his younger sister Xiao Yu, Qing Yu had joined the Guiyuan Sect not long ago. It had to be admitted that Qing Yu's talent was quite good, and after only seven days of cultivating the Nei Li secret book, she had already produced internal energy within her body. Although it couldn't compare with some prodigies who could cultivate internal energy on the same day, Qing Yu was already fourteen years old after all.

  "Xiao Yun, Qingqing, this time I'm going out, my sister will be troubling you to take care of her." Teng Qing Shan turned his head to look at the two.

  "This goes without saying. However, when you're outside, don't be careless. That Xuyang County is the most chaotic of all counties." Zhuge Yun also instructed.

  As they spoke, Teng Qing Shan and his group had already arrived at the north gate of the Black Armor Army's camp.

  Through the North Gate, Teng Qing Shan saw a lot of goods outside the North Gate. At first glance, there were not many, but he could see eight carts alone.

  "Xiao Yu, you few don't need to see me off." Teng Qing Shan instructed.

  "Uh-huh." Qing Yu also looked at Tan Qinghu, "Brother, listen to me on the road! Don't cause trouble!"

  "Qingshan is the commander-in-chief, of course I have to listen." Teng Qinghu chuckled.

  Zhuge Qing, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but say: "Brother Qingshan, be careful on the road!"

  Hong Qingshan took a glance and nodded with a smile.

  Teng Qinghu saw this and turned his head to look outside the door with a sneer.

  "Let's go, we're out of here!" Ting Qing Shan gave the order.

  Under his command, two centurions and two squads of soldiers led their war horses out of the gate. Only after they had exited did Teng Qing Shan get a clear look at the scene before him: there were ten carts loaded with goods parked here, as well as two spacious horse-drawn carriages, surrounded by nearly a hundred people. The vast majority of them wore armor that resembled snake scales.

  "Haha, this must be Teng Qing Shan. It's been a long time!" An elderly man with white hair came forward to greet him.

  Hong Qing Shan nodded, glanced at the nearly hundred guards and smiled: "Your Zhu family is rich beyond compare, with so many guards. It seems that on the road, my brothers under my command will also have an easy time."

  "This is also some of the manpower of our family's old master, which can't compare to the Black Armor Army!" The old man laughed and said, "Old Wu Tan! Our family's old master is over there!"

  Teng Qing Shan saw a burly man approaching from afar, with two guards following closely behind him.

  "General Teng!" The tall man clasped his hands together and smiled, "I've only been in Jiangning Prefecture for a few days, but I've already heard of General Teng's great name! The youngest and most promising general of the Black Armor Army! I was worried that it would be difficult to meet General Teng. But unexpectedly, Uncle Zhuge has arranged for General Teng to help me escort this shipment! And now I get to meet General Teng ahead of time! My heart is overjoyed!"

  "Is this Lord Zhu Jiuye?" Teng Qing Shan knew his opponent's identity.

  The ninth son of Zhutong, the god of wealth who is as rich as heaven - Zhu Chongshi.

  "What's with this 'Old Ninth' business? You're making me old out of thin air. Even the Tendon Sect looks up to me, just call me Brother and that'll do." said Zhu Chongshi with a smile.

  Teng Qing Shan secretly admired that the God of Wealth, 'Zhu Tong', had a way with educating his son. Zhu Chong Shi's conversation was as gentle as a spring breeze, making people feel comfortable and at ease. Teng Qing Shan disliked encountering those arrogant young masters who thought they were superior to others and ordered people around.

  Teng Qing Shan and Zhu Chong Shi became sworn brothers after their conversation.

  The convoy moved forward soon.

  ……

  After leaving the city gate, they proceeded on the official road, and their speed was slightly faster.

  "Dad, I want to ride a horse!"

  Not long after they set off, a little boy's head popped out of the carriage window and shouted at Zhu Chongshi on horseback.

  "You've never learned how to ride a horse, what are you doing on one? Get back in the carriage with your mother!" Zhu Chongshi shouted.

  The little boy stuck out his tongue and then retreated into the car.

  "Teng Qing Shan was somewhat surprised and asked Zhu Chong Shi, who was walking alongside him, 'Brother Zhu, are you bringing your whole family this time?' 'From here to Chu Prefecture, there will inevitably be dangers along the way. Why not let your wife and children stay behind in their hometown?'"

  "Qingshan brothers, you don't know," Zhu Chongshi said with a smile. "This time I'm bringing my whole family back from overseas. Can't just leave them behind, of course we have to come back together."

  "Abroad?" Tong Qing Shan was somewhat surprised.

  Zhu Chongshi nodded and didn't say much.

  Teng Qing Shan knew that his opponent had a secret, so he changed the subject and asked curiously: "Brother Zhu, I have never been out to sea. What's it like beyond the East Sea?"

  "This East Sea, boundless and endless." Zhu Chongshi sighed, "If you haven't gone out to sea, you'll never know how terrifying the ocean is. In the ocean, there are also many islands. Some islands have no one on them, while others have a large number of people. Some are uncivilized savages. Of course, there are also many of our fellow countrymen who live there."

  Teng Qing Shan nodded silently.

  Having been in Guiyuan Sect for so long, Teng Qing Shan also had some understanding of the geography of this world.

  The nine provinces are vast and broad, with millions of children.

  In the west of Kyushu, that is the desert land, occasionally oases, and there are many small countries in the Western Regions.

  In the north, there is a vast grassland, and further north, it is the North Sea.

  In the East, it is the vast Eastern Sea.

  In the south of Kyushu, known as 'Nan'gu', 'Nanman', and 'Man'gu', there are countless venomous snakes and ferocious beasts in the endless wilderness. It can be said that it is a forbidden zone for humans! Because there are too many infinite dangers, even some terrifying monsters. However, legend has it... Many warriors pursue martial arts and go to Nan'gu' for ascetic practice. In Nan'gu', there are also many secret books and treasures left behind by warriors who died there.

  But...

  The most prosperous and richest place, with the most masters and sects, is still the Nine Provinces!

  Those small islands overseas and tiny countries in the Western Regions are fundamentally no match for the top-notch experts on the Nine Provinces' mainland.

  "People living on the overseas islands are very poor." Zhu Chongshi sighed, "After drifting around various islands abroad for several years, I never want to go out to sea again in my life."

  "Brother Zhu, drifting overseas, is it for business?" Tan Qing Shan asked.

  "Doing business is one reason, and another reason is that I've always wanted to travel the world since I was young." Zhu Chongshi sighed, "The Western Regions' deserts and various countries, I had visited them all before I turned 20. That wilderness, it's actually quite close to our Yangzhou! Just south of Yangzhou! To be honest, there's nothing much to see, just various small hills and mountains, a large number of ancient trees that have been growing for who knows how many years, as well as various poisonous snakes, insects, and ferocious beasts. I lingered on the outskirts of the wilderness for over a month, exchanging stories with some martial artists who ventured in, but didn't go any further."

  Zhu Chongshi looked around and laughed: "After traveling for so long, our nine states are still the most prosperous."

  ……

  Teng Qing Shan must be acknowledged!

  He had previously expected it to be too good, the team's progress was slower than he had imagined! Although those trucks were pulled by horses, this official road was all dirt roads. There were too many potholes, stones, and clods of earth. The speed at which the truck advanced was naturally very slow.

  It's estimated that a person can keep up with the speed of a cargo truck by jogging.

  One day, they probably advanced about 120 miles.

  After a long and arduous journey, Teng Qing Shan and his group crossed two provincial borders. On the eleventh day of their rush, they finally entered Xuyang Province.

  ……

  Wow!

  The weather was fine earlier, but suddenly strong winds rose, dark clouds gathered, thunder rumbled, and then came a torrential rain! The heavy downpour made the vehicles on the road extremely miserable.

  "What a big rain! It would be great if there was a place to take shelter around." Zhu Chongshi said with a bitter smile.

  The rain came down, and this dirt road became muddy. The speed of the convoy's advance was naturally slower. Moreover, being pounded by this torrential rain wasn't comfortable either.

  "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...

  Those black-armored soldiers wearing heavy armor made a crashing sound as raindrops hit them.

  "Green Mountain." Teng Qinghuo rode beside him, "Haha, let you wear heavy armor, you didn't wear it, look, now you're all wet." Teng Qinghuo and the others were fully clad in heavy armor, only their faces and hands exposed. The neck area also had a protective collar that perfectly blocked out the rainwater, preventing them from getting wet.

  Hong Qingshan smiled.

  The twenty-three black-armored soldiers, including Teng Qing Shan, all wore full heavy armor according to orders, except for Teng Qing Shan, who only wore the inner armor, leg guards and arm guards, with everything else left uncovered. To Teng Qing Shan... this heavy iron armor, in terms of defensive power alone, was probably not even as good as his own body!

  Moreover, if wearing a full set of heavy armor, it will affect flexibility and many other aspects.

  "Brother Zhu, there's no place to hide from the rain around here, let's just bear with it. This summer, the heavy rains come and go quickly! However... you should also alert your men. We're now entering Xuyang County. Xuyang County is a very chaotic county. There are many horse bandits. The reputation of my Black Armor Army may not be enough to intimidate the crazy horse bandits of Xuyang County!"

  "Hmm." Zhu Chongshi also nodded seriously.

  The Black Armor Army can march horizontally in Jiangning Prefecture.

  In other counties, it depends on how many Black Armor Army you have. If there are few people, others won't mind destroying you together. As long as your hands and feet are clean and don't leave any handles, you'll be fine.

  ……

  Hong Qing Shan's guess was not wrong, just as their convoy had just entered the border of Xuyang County for a short time, their news was learned by a group of horse bandits with no small power inside Xuyang County.

  "Get out of the way, all of you get out of the way!"

  A lean one-eyed man was running towards a nearby house, cursing and shouting in his mouth.

  "Fourth Master!" The two men at the entrance of the mansion immediately smiled and greeted him.

  "Big catch! Big catch!" The lean, one-eyed man pushed open the door and shouted loudly, "There's a fat sheep! A big fat sheep!"

  "What's all the commotion about!" he bellowed.

  A bald-headed man with a bare upper body walked out of the hall, his chest bearing two ferocious scars. At this moment, he looked at the thin and lean one-eyed man with dissatisfaction: "Xiao Si, you said there was a fat sheep? Ordinary things, let the younger brothers do them."

  "What a big deal! This time it's absolutely a huge transaction! You have to make the final decision, Big Boss!" The thin, one-eyed man's eyes shone brightly, "That merchant caravan has even hired people from the Black Armor Army of the Return to Origin Sect to protect their goods!"

  "Oh?" The bald man's eyes lit up, "Black Armor Army? How many men?"

  （）