Thousand Autumn City remained busy for the rest of the day – and night.
Even as the first light of dawn scaled past the tall city walls, there were some who had only just completed their preparations for the upcoming trip, having not slept the entire night.
By now, the vanguard party numbered in the thousands, comprising slaves of all genders and ages. From women in their sixties to boys below ten, they came together as a group that seemed extremely incongruent, to say the least.
Apart from being incongruent, their sheer numbers were also rather shocking, considering the fact that this was effectively a gamble with their lives on the line.
Still, this awkward-looking vanguard party took the lead, with the actual coalition strike force following a short distance behind. Further back, there was a large trailing group that might be even larger than the vanguard party.
Not long after the second Righteous Coalition departed from the city walls, the traders in the trailing party sprang into action.
Many of them accelerated to move in pace with the vanguard party, constantly scuttling around to show their consideration to as many within the party as possible. They kindly offered all sorts of essential items to the excited yet nervous ex-slaves, albeit for a small fee.
And as expected, the members of the vanguard party were more than willing to spend.
This might just be their final few days alive, after all.
Before they knew it, everyone's focus had become much more heavily weighed upon the vanguard party than the actual coalition strike force. Even the cultivators comprising the main strike force started paying more attention to the vanguard party than their peers, though more due to amusement than anything else.
However, there were also some among the trailing group that did not rush forward to sell their wares.
One major reason for that was that there were not only traders in this trailing group. After catching wind of the traders' plans, many civilians and factions thought it was a good idea to tag along as well. After all, as long as they followed the traders in maintaining a safe distance, they should be able to safely obtain first-hand information about what happened during the strike.
The existence of this group also allowed Zhao Yunxiao Two to remain in the trailing group without drawing any suspicions.
Walking with the trailing group, he meticulously observed everyone in the second Righteous Coalition.
Thankfully, just like the various cultivators of the first Righteous Coalition, the current members of the main strike force did not share the same origins. Coupled with the cautionary failure of the first coalition, all of them were constantly scanning their surroundings with their spiritual sense. This once again allowed Zhao Yunxiao Two to extend his spiritual sense without drawing too much attention.
The members of the main strike force were the exact same people whom everyone had expected – Ren Xiexing and the other cultivators who had shared a stage with him yesterday. There were few changes in that regard.
However, he did spot a familiar face among the members of the vanguard party, which caught Zhao Yunxiao slightly by surprise.
That was none other than Xiao Chan – the same servant girl who had been tasked to serve him twice at the Hei Residence.
It was not unexpected that other servants of the Hei Residence had signed up for this, but to think that such a beautiful young lady had also volunteered...
Zhao Yunxiao thought it was a shame. Not because of her exquisite appearances, but because her misunderstood relationship with Zhao Yunxiao should have elevated her status within the Hei Residence. It might not be enough to elevate her to the level of the actual Hei Clan members or even Old Ping, but she should at least already be more highly regarded than most of the other servants.
In his eyes, it was rather unwise to throw that away for this dangerous gamble. Compared to the others, she definitely had more to lose.
But on second thought, perhaps such a view was also one that was made from the top of an ivory tower.
Regardless of what little advantage she had over the others, she was ultimately still a slave.
Perhaps through her encounter with Zhao Yunxiao, she had realised that her life and body would never truly be hers to control as long as she stayed at the Hei Residence that was headed by the prodigal Hei Lao.
If that was her train of thoughts, then it was not completely surprising that Xiao Chan had also volunteered to be a vanguard for the group, wanting to grasp this opportunity to attain freedom. Chances were slim, but Zhao Yunxiao could only hope that Xiao Chan would be lucky enough to survive this ordeal.
That said, Xiao Chan was not the only familiar face he was seeing here.
Similarly walking silently among the trailing group were Fei Qing and his companion Cong Liexian. This time, however, their numerous female companions were nowhere to be seen.
A wise decision.
Zhao Yunxiao did not know what the two of them were up to, but bringing those defenceless young ladies along would definitely be more of a burden than anything else.
In huge contrast to the two of them, who were walking in grim silence, another familiar face was here with huge fanfare.
"Sir Ke, have a sip of this coconut water. This coconut was harvested with my family's special method that greatly amplifies the taste of the fruit!"
"Sir Ke, aren't you tired? Why don't I hold that bag for you?"
"Sir Ke, when would you be free to visit my clan? My doors are always open to welcome you. I'm sure you would be satisfied with the amazing business proposal that I have prepared for you!"
"Everyone is too kind, but let's focus on the matter at hand," Ke Huofen flashed his usual amiable smile as he answered the traders crowding around him. "Lives are at stake here. In comparison, anything else can be discussed at a later date."
"Sir Ke is the one who is too kind. To think that after hearing about our situation, you would come to our aid at such short notice."
"I might not be a native of the city, but I have still enjoyed your warm hospitality for a full year. After learning that my friends here are in need, how can I just stay out of the matter? In fact, I am a little embarrassed at the current situation. It is a shame that the notice is too short. Otherwise, I could have tapped on my connections to bring along far more reinforcements," Ke Huofen shook his head regretfully.
"It is already amazing enough that you are able to call upon this many reinforcements at such short notice. Please don't blame yourself."
Indeed, Ke Huofen's entourage could not be considered lacking. Behind his horse, a group of fifteen men had a distinguished air about them as they rode in pace. But unlike Ke Huofen's luxurious attire, they were all wearing battle robes that emphasised their aura as seasoned warriors.
"They sure look intimidating, but why are they here instead of riding with the main strike force? Isn't that a little strange?" one of the traders remarked.
"Hush! Don't speak carelessly if you are unaware of the details!" another chided him immediately. "Sir Ke did speak to Sir Ren about joining the main strike force, but he was turned down by those greedy mercenaries who were more concerned about losing their share of the loot."
"There is no need to blame them. It doesn't matter who does the job, as long as it gets done," Ke Huofen mediated. "If the main strike force can handle it themselves, then that is actually for the best. In the end, safety is the most important thing here, so there is no reason to vie for the rewards. We are just coming along in case something unexpected happens."
"How wise. Those selfish mercenaries can never compare to Sir Ke's magnanimity!"
"As expected of Sir Ke!"
Scanning over Ke Huofen's entourage with his spiritual sense, Zhao Yunxiao could tell that they were no ordinary people. Judging from their posture and demeanour, even if they were not cultivators, they should still be extremely battle-hardened warriors!
Not bad.
The stronger this second coalition was, the higher the chances of wiping out the Scarlet Leaf Sect outfit at Blueflag Mountain. It was just rather unfortunate that they could not work together with the main strike force; otherwise, their chances at victory would only be that much higher!
Of course, Zhao Yunxiao was not going to tactlessly intervene and ask them to work together.
Instead, he simply observed silently as part of the trailing group, blending in with the rest as the second Righteous Coalition continued on their march.
Blueflag Mountain was around half a day's journey away from Thousand Autumn City. But with the relatively slower pace of the slaves, many of whom had never walked this much in a single sitting, this journey ended up taking much longer than usual.
Despite departing from Thousand Autumn City at dawn, the sun was already almost setting by the time they arrived at the foot of the mountain.
"This is as far as I can lead you," the soldier sent to act as a guide promptly pointed to a narrow path. "This path leads deeper into the mountain. Turn left at the first crossroad, and you will soon spot a cave to your right."
"This..."
Be it the slaves in the vanguard party, the other members of the main strike force, or even the members of the trailing group, all eyes turned towards Ren Xiexing. It had never been officially decided, but at some point, all of them had come to regard him as the leader of the coalition.
Now, it was up to him to decide on their next step.
"Thank you for your assistance until now," Ren Xiexing nodded towards the soldier. "We will take it from here. Please wait for our good news."
"All the best," the soldier stepped aside to open up the path.
"Well then, we have two choices," Ren Xiexing turned towards the other members of the strike force. "Either we rest up from our long journey and strike when we are recovered, or we strike right now to avoid any further complications. I'd prefer the latter. What about everyone else?"
"I share your sentiments, Fellow Cultivator Ren."
"Me too."
"Let's not drag this out unnecessarily. Let's just do this and leave."
After Ren Xiexing stated his preference, the other cultivators quickly echoed his view. Then again, they would likely have made the same decision regardless. This entire journey had been at the pace of the slaves; therefore, the cultivators were not only not at all tired, but many of them were also bored out of their minds.
All of them wanted to get on with the main event. After all, that was the entire reason why they had decided to come along this time!
"Since there are no objections, let's go pluck some Scarlet Leaves!" Ren Xiexing grinned. "Vanguard party, you heard what our guide said. This is the final push. Once it is over, all of you will officially be free men and women! Now then, let's get this over and done with!"
"Y-Yes!"
On his cue, the vanguard party nervously led the way, streaming into the narrow mountain path with the main strike force following closely behind.
As for the trailing party that Zhao Yunxiao was in, they remained outside the narrow path, cautiously watching on as the rest of the coalition gradually disappeared into the depths of Blueflag Mountain.