Early the next morning, Hu Ma, accompanied by Zhou Datong and others, washed their faces, ate and drank their fill, and then hastily set out on their journey.
He had calculated the distance. Given that he, Zhou Datong, and the others were all Shousui men with fast legs, barring any delays or wrong turns, they could reach Mancang Town before sunset.
Thus, they had agreed to eat their fill in the morning and not stop at midday. As they were a group of young men accustomed to daily mountain running, this naturally posed no problem. They didn't even ride horses but hurried over together.
It was fortunate they hadn't brought Li. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with the group.
They crossed mountains and ridges. In this era, roads were scarce, but Hu Ma had asked for directions the day before, so they avoided unnecessary detours. As the sun was about to set, they crested a hill and saw a tidy village on the plains ahead, nestled in the twilight haze.
