However, under the threat of the narrow-bladed waist knife in Philip Brooks's still-bloody hand, ordinary people dared not provoke this group.

“Let’s go, hurry, if we cut through over there, we’ll reach Guanyin Mouth. Beyond that is Shangwan Street, and behind us is Scorpion Pit. Once we pass Scorpion Pit, we’ll be at Yongqing Gate.”

The skinny, dark-skinned youth was extremely familiar with the roads in Linqing City. He led them through several side alleys in succession, avoiding the gang of rioters dressed as kiln workers who were rampaging and smashing doors along the main street.

“Damn, Yudai Bridge has been taken over by them!” As soon as he poked his head out, the skinny youth immediately shrank back, turning around in panic. “We can’t get through.”

Philip Brooks pressed himself sideways against the wall, signaling to Brian Brooks, who was gasping for breath like a bellows, to stick close to the wall. Nathaniel was even worse, collapsing on the ground and unable to get up.

There were still about ten zhang to Yudai Bridge, but the bridge, more than a zhang wide, was already occupied by a dozen or so rioters with bare chests and white cloth headbands. Among them, two were clearly dressed differently from the others.

Both wore blue robes—one held a knife, the other a sword—but their faces were smeared with a sallow yellow powder, making it impossible to see their true features.

At a glance, Philip Brooks was startled: “White Lotus Sect?”

He had seen the power of these White Lotus bandits in Datong Town.

Outside the city walls of Datong frontier town, there were tens of thousands of White Lotus followers. For years, these people had relied on the Tumet under the control of Anda Khan and Lady San to avoid being hunted by the Great Zhou army, living quite freely, and had become the biggest helpers for the Tartars in breaching the frontier walls.

Now, although Anda Khan was dead, his grandson Cheli Ke and Lady San still controlled the Mongol right wing, sometimes at war, sometimes at peace with the Great Zhou, and used Zhao Quan’s group of White Lotus followers as bargaining chips in negotiations with the Great Zhou.

In his memory, those with some status in the White Lotus outside the frontier dressed just like this—blue robes or white shirts, with a certain air of chivalry and mystique.

“Luo Sect?!” The skinny youth, who had even stuck his head out to look, growled in a low voice.

Philip Brooks's face changed dramatically.

If this was really a White Lotus uprising, then the world would truly be thrown into chaos. But on closer inspection, it didn’t quite seem so. Those two and the other dozen or so clearly weren’t together, and there seemed to be some distance between them. He felt a bit relieved.

If it really was a White Lotus uprising, it wouldn’t be this quiet—they’d have already rallied the masses and surged forth.

Hearing the skinny youth shout “Luo Sect,” Philip Brooks didn’t understand at first and glanced at him, but now wasn’t the time to ask. “What do we do? We can’t get through. Can we take a detour?”

“Then we’ll have to go up to Jiangba Bridge and circle around from Yaowang Temple, but I don’t know if that side is blocked too.” The skinny youth looked frustrated. “If only we’d come a bit earlier, there was no one on the bridge before…”

“Enough, let’s go! No point talking!” Brian Brooks interrupted, waving his hand. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“My surname is Zuo, I’m…” Before the skinny youth could finish, Brian Brooks said, “Uncle You, you take him. Nathaniel and I will follow behind you.”

Philip Brooks gave Brian Brooks a surprised look, amazed at how this young master seemed different now, but didn’t dwell on it. He nodded, “Alright!”

A bit disgruntled that Brian Brooks didn’t even want to hear his full name, the skinny youth glared at him, but didn’t object and nodded, following behind Philip Brooks.

The four of them doubled back, circled out of the alley, and Philip Brooks held the skinny youth back, scanning the surroundings before quickly leading the group across the side street.

Jiangba Bridge hadn’t been blocked yet, but the chaotic flow of people already showed that this area was slipping out of control.

Some citizens who had been watching the situation, seeing the streets in such chaos and no sign of the garrison troops from the brick city, nor a single patrol officer from the prefecture, began to join in the looting.

Especially the kiln workers—many were migrant drifters from other places, and quite a few were even bandits hiding under assumed names.

Just as the group ran across Jiangba Bridge, a team of people and horses surged in from the south, clearly intending to take control of the bridge.

Everyone felt a secret sense of relief and hurriedly rushed from Jiangba Bridge into Jiangba Street.

This area, along with the nearby Yaowang Temple Street, was mostly home to military households who made a living by washing and mending for the garrison, as well as some private brothels serving the soldiers. By now, all doors were tightly shut.

From a secluded alley in the middle of Yaowang Temple, one could reach the area near the Scorpion Pit behind the old The Brooks Family residence.

The Scorpion Pit was actually a large pond, originally a marsh formed decades ago when the Wen River flooded. It covered a hundred or two hundred mu, and the rear wall of the old The Brooks Family residence was built along the edge of the Scorpion Pit.

Circling around the Scorpion Pit would bring them directly to the cross street where the old The Brooks Family residence stood, only a hundred or so steps from Yongqing Avenue.

The Scorpion Pit was a long, narrow marsh, and could be circled from either the north or south.

“Should we go south or north?” As soon as they reached the edge of the Scorpion Pit, Philip Brooks felt much more at ease.