400 Shortcu (2/2)

He suddenly found that he had been staring at her all this time, so immediately turned his head and blushed, embarrassed.

Maid Lotus did not say anything, but she was not angry.

This was just a small episode on the road. After that, regardless of fatigue and drowsiness, they continued to move forward day and night. No one had mood and energy to say a word.

For fifteen days, they only took less than ten short breaks. Finally, after nearly a month, they arrived at their destination - the first checkpoint of the main road in Wushan.

Actually, it was not a checkpoint, but a stockaded village of the tribes. It was especially used to charge toll for the caravans that transported ores and provide accommodation and meals. The cost was not high, but was enough to feed the old and the young in the village.

When they arrived at the village, Gu Shenwei finally understood the ”importance”of the road. This was a canyon with high cliffs on both sides. In the middle, only five or six people could walk side by side.

The canyon was more than 5,000 meters long, and the middle of the valley widened slightly. There were many natural or artificial caves on the wall, which were the homes of the tribe residents.

As long as they were willing, people in the village could use the stones to build a number of checkpoints along the canyon only in a few days, and mere hundreds of people could stop thousands of soldiers and horses.

Gu Shenwei could not think of any ways to break through this obstacle.

Thanks to the shortcut led by Ha Chilie, when they rushed to the village, they did not find killers.

In fact, news that the Dragon King and the army of the Great Snowmountain had entered Wushan was still spreading on the road by the three people who had been behind.

Everything in the village was as usual. Lines of vehicles were parked on the roadside. There were various kinds of ores on it, but mostly iron. They had to be smelted outside the mountains.

The village was small, and there were more businessmen and miners than the locals.

Ha Chilie's attitude towards the Dragon King had undergone major changes from forced obedience to the voluntary loyalty. He knew that the matter was urgent. Because the power of Golden Roc Fort in this area was much larger than that of the Dragon King, he did not rest for a moment, but asked to see the chief immediately.

”The chief here is an old friend of my father and will listen to my advice.”

This was the most ideal plan. Dragon King and Maid Lotus could kill many people, but they had no way to occupy the entire village.

The chief was the fattest person Gu Shenwei had even seen. He was sitting on a soft cushion that was enough to accommodate three people, but had no room.

Compared with his body, his arms were as short and fleshy as a baby.

The chief was trying to open his arms to welcome the arrival of the old friend's son, ”My nephew, how long have you not come to see me? Have you been married? My little daughter has been waiting for you.”

Ha Chilie bowed deeply to the chief, ”I am the guardian of Wushan and the owner of Gulping Wind Gorge. Please accept my best wishes. I have brought my father's greetings and thanks for your years of care of Dongshan Mountain Tribe.”

In Wushan, people had their rules and traditions: When acquaintances met, they must give gifts. However, they were hurrying to leave and had not taken anything, so Ha Chilie offered his own treasured saber.

The chief accepted the gift and recognized that it was a rare weapon. Looking at the tired Ha Chilie who had walked for long time, and the proud man and woman behind him, he immediately understood that the great event was going to happen.

”Ha Chilie, why don't you introduce your friends? Do you think I am not hospitable enough?”

Ha Chilie apologized to the chief, but delayed in revealing the identity of the Dragon King. The Wushan tribes had never been interested in the disputes outside the mountain, but the forces of Golden Roc Fort had infiltrated here. Moreover, it was still a big customer of their ores, so the good impression it got was far more than that of the Great Snowmountain.

If the Dragon King had a little popularity in Wushan, the Great Snowmountain was an entirely strange name.

After recounting the story of the spies of Golden Roc Fort instigating the mine thieves to sneakily attack the tribal coalition forces, Ha Chilie finally spoke the name of the Dragon King.

The chief was very surprised. Like many people who saw the Dragon King for the first time, he looked at Gu Shenwei up and down. It was hard to believe that this pale young man was the head of an army.

But he was more observant than most people. The Dragon King had some temperament in himself, which made him understand that this young man's reputation was not hollow.

The chief tried to move his fat body and pay tribute to the Dragon King, ”Welcome, to you and your army. The Gulping Wind Gorge was a trade route. As long as people follow the rules, no one will be blocked out of the valley. ”

Gu Shenwei nodded slightly. He knew what the ”rules” were, ”We will pay customs duties according to the number of people, which shouldn't be less than 31.25 grams.”

The chief looked very satisfied and then unfolded his arms again, ”The more friends, the better. You have been a friend of us since then. Come and bring good wine and dishes. I want to have a drink with my new friends until we are thoroughly drunk.”

Ha Chilie looked back happily at the Dragon King.

Gu Shenwei had been carefully observing them and found no suspicious signs. The chief and his people seemed to be sincere, but the only person that surprised him was Maid Lotus.

She was as quiet as usual, but Gu Shenwei could feel a little tension from her. This was a signal that there was danger nearby.