This was plausible reasoning.
If we notice the carriages that got attacked and which were unharmed - then there's something clearly out of proportion here.
Even though all carriages were destroyed, only the disciples in the third carriage lost their lives.
The disciples on the other two carriages were technically unharmed, except for the fact that one disciple was killed.
'They were definitely more focused on the third carriage.'
And which carriage was at third when the journey started?
The one in which Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie were seated.
'Is this some indiscernible plot by Yuan Shuchun to take out both Shu Xian and Jun Xie?'
"Everyone, keep your steps lighter."
Yuan Shuchun suddenly whispered as she slowed down.
They were now getting closer to the target.
"Hm?" Suddenly Ye Tian Yun frowned.
He turned his head towards Jun Xie, who too was similarly frowning.
After a few moments, Jun Xie said, "Guys, there's no one."
"What?" Everyone looked at him.
"There's no one there. It seems we were just a few minutes late."
Ye Tian Yun nodded.
He had already sensed the situation ahead, but he didn't wish to take the limelight in this situation.
Shu Xian was not known for his spirit sense.
Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and asked, "Should we search the area? What if it's a trap?"
Jun Xie nodded, "We need to at least look at the surroundings. But all of us shouldn't go out in case there's a hidden enemy who might ambush us."
"Kai Yang, Shu Xian - you both go and have a look." Xiao Ming suddenly said.
Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
There's no point in dropping to his level and arguing with him.
As for Kai Yang, he was another disciple who was part of this mission - and he was also the fifth surviving disciple.
Jun Xie looked at Ye Tian Yun and nodded his head.
Ye Tian Yun shrugged and moved forward.
He had already scanned the area and concluded that there was no enemy.
But he was still alert.
Right now, most of his strength was still locked because of his disguise.
That was also the reason why he missed the ambush from Mo Da and his brothers.
Seeing hesitation on Kai Yan's face, Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and came out in the open.
Slowly, a sword came out from his palm.
To be more specific, it was coming out from the spatial ring around his index finger.
Ye Tian Yun observed everything on the ground.
"They have left." He concluded after a second.
"Yeah, looks like that." Kai Yang added.
Ye Tian Yun turned towards Jun Xie and the group and gestured for them to come out.
"There's no one here. But I am sure whoever it was, he has just left this place not too long ago."
He said once everyone was out in the open.
Jun Xie nodded his head as he observed the fresh footsteps and the burnt fire, which was the source of the smoke they had followed here.
"Brother Fu, what's the closest town from here?"
Fu Kai thought for a moment and said, "It should be Blue Pole Town. Not far from this place, but it will still take us about one more hour to get there."
Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and looked up, "Let's resume the path then. We need to reach the town before noon, or else we will suffer from this humid forest."
"Yeah, this place is already making me sweaty and sticky. Let's get to the town right now."
Everyone nodded and turned around.
They had hoped to encounter someone here, but unfortunately, they were just a few minutes late.
The other party had already left this spot and had disappeared into the forest.
…
After about an hour, everyone finally came close to Blue Pole Town.
"Reaching this place means we have successfully entered the Southern Province and are also out of the Gracious Sword Sect's territory." Qing Shen said.
"Why's it called by this name?" Ye Tian Yun asked.
Blue Pole Town. This was one hell of a weird name.
"Hmm… no specific reason. It's just what people called it, and now we're okay with it." Qing Shen shrugged.
"Let's put a robe, so we don't attract much attention, and also don't show off our identity." Yuan Shuchun remarked.
Xiao Ming nodded, "Yes, there's no need to attract unnecessary trouble. We're already behind schedule."
Ye Tian Yun also agreed on this.
Earlier they were in the carriage and were not planning to stop in the towns or crowded spots, however, now that their transport was destroyed, they had to visit a town to organise themselves once again.
Qing Shen took out a few robes from his spatial ring while saying, "These should be helpful. These are from Fu Clan's trading company."
Everyone nodded, and took the one that fir them right.
These robes were red and orange in color and covered the whole body - including the head.
"Won't these be too eye-catching?" Xiao Ming frowned.
Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, after all, these robes are made to attract everyone's attention. Also, with the symbol of Fu Clan and the color of these symbols, people won't be wary of us."
"This will, in turn, favor us, and we won't be hindered along the way."
"Yes." Qing Shen nodded.
He was quite surprised by Ye Tian Yun's words - 'This guy read my thoughts.'
Once everyone was ready to move, Qing Shen cleared his throat and warned everyone about a few things.
"Guys, this place is the entrance to the Southern Province, so almost all major sects have a place or shop here - therefore, try not to argue with anyone."
"If you bump into anyone, just apologize and leave. No need to be a hero here."
...
A/n: if you find any typos or errors, please let me know through comment.
also, from today, we will be doing three chapters per day.. Currently writing the third chapter.