David James and Little William were a bit hesitant. Just a few days ago, Samuel Howard had gotten into trouble, and now they were being asked to run around again. To be honest, the two of them were worried—once bitten by a snake, you’re afraid of ropes for ten years, as the saying goes. But having been under Samuel Howard’s authority for so long, how could they dare refuse?

“What’s wrong, is there a problem?” Samuel Howard naturally saw through their thoughts. He patted each of them on the shoulder and scolded with a laugh, “You two brats, just because I had one mishap, does that mean I can never leave the city again?”

“Of course not, of course not!” Little William quickly nodded and bowed in response. At the same time, both of them felt they might be making a fuss over nothing. In the past, they’d followed the young master all over the mountains, hunting and riding, and nothing had ever happened. Could it really be that just because the young master had one accident a few days ago, it would happen again?

Right then, Little William said, “Young master, no matter where you go, I, Little Donkey, will always follow you!”

“Mount up, you sycophant!” Samuel Howard scolded with a laugh, swinging himself onto his horse.

Little William’s flattery landed on the horse’s leg instead, and he scratched his head in embarrassment. David James was about to mock him, but Samuel Howard was already riding off, so the two hurried to mount up and follow.

The three of them rode out from the fortress gate. The guards at the gate, seeing it was Samuel Howard, quickly nodded and bowed, and the three sped out of the city in a flash.

Samuel Howard rode his horse, galloping freely. In his previous life, he’d never ridden so wildly—in fact, he’d never ridden a horse at all. The cold wind whipped his face, carrying a few snowflakes. Not only did it not make Samuel Howard feel cold, it actually made him a bit excited.

Along the way, there were basically no people or horses in sight, just vast, wild plains everywhere. To the east of the road were the faint outlines of the Kelan Mountains. Poplar and bell trees stood along the road, most of them stripped of their life-giving green, leaving only bare trunks and branches, standing dry and stark.

By this time, the autumn harvest was long over, the weather was getting colder, and everyone was preparing to hunker down for the winter—no one would come out casually.

There were three roads leading out from Wuzhai Fortress: west, north, and south. Along these roads were several companies and main flag military forts, all under the jurisdiction of Wuzhai Fortress. To the northwest were Xiaohetou Fort, Sancha Fort, and Lijiaping Fort. To the south was Sunjiaping Fort, among others.

The direction Samuel Howard was heading was Liangjiaping Fort. A few li from that fort, by a mountain road, was the valley where his accident had happened. From Liangjiaping Fort, heading further south, was the direction of Kelan Prefecture, which was also the location of the Zhenxi Garrison city.

Besides these military forts, there were also some civilian forts scattered along the road. These were fortresses organized by villagers themselves to protect against bandit raids—one or two, or two or three villages would build a fort together. Larger villages would build their own fort or several forts.

Civilian forts and military forts had similar defensive features, but while military forts prioritized strategic and dangerous locations, civilian forts were mainly for residence and were often built on flat land with ample water and convenient transportation. Generally, the better-funded civilian forts were important centers of trade and exchange.

As Samuel Howard rode past these civilian forts, he could see some children playing outside the walls, and some adults busy nearby. He could also hear the sounds of chickens and dogs from within, adding a sense of life to the surroundings. Compared to the military forts, the civilians here, whether in dress or spirit, seemed more lively than the military households, which made one sigh with emotion.

Outside Liangjiaping Fort, Samuel Howard rested for a while, letting the horses recover before continuing on. Soon, the three arrived at the small path where Samuel Howard had his accident and crossed over.

Samuel Howard dismounted and looked down into the valley beside the road. After a moment, he said to the dismounted David James and Little William, “Dazhong, Little Donkey, you two stand guard here. Remember, don’t let anyone go down.”

David James and Little William didn’t understand why Samuel Howard had come here, but they didn’t dare ask. Hearing this, they became a bit worried. Last time, Samuel Howard had gotten into trouble here—if something happened again, they’d be doomed. David James said anxiously, “Young master, let us go down with you, all right?”

Samuel Howard had come here to look for traces of his crossing, so how could he let others follow? He said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just stand guard here and make sure no one goes down!”

David James and Little William wanted to say more, but Samuel Howard frowned. Seeing that he was about to get angry, they had no choice but to agree. The two drew their waist knives and stood guard by the road, alert, though in this weather, it was unlikely anyone would pass by.

Samuel Howard climbed down into the valley. The way was full of strange rocks and tangled weeds, and the valley must have been in a wind tunnel, as a biting cold wind made Samuel Howard sneeze.

“Damn it!” Samuel Howard cursed, but kept moving, soon reaching the bottom of the valley. In his previous life, he had no idea where exactly Samuel Howard’s accident had happened, but in the old Samuel Howard’s memory, there was a vague impression.

Following that impression, sure enough, in front of a huge boulder was a flat area, with some dried bloodstains on the ground. Beside the boulder were some poplar and bell trees, and a mountain spring flowed past a few poplars, making the sound of running water.