At a certain distance away from the Northern Town, a carriage was traveling at great speed. It was moving towards the town and seemed to be coming from the direction of Wu Lim City.
The Carriage was being pulled by four black stallions that looked robust and hearty. Every step of theirs made a loud clopping sound that traveled far. The carriage was lightly decorated, yet still looked elegant. A man dressed in the clothes of an official was sitting at its helm and was driving it.
Four more men dressed in black clothes and large straw hats were following the carriage from behind. They were riding similar looking horses and seemed to be traveling at the same speed as the carriage so as to keep up with it.
Inside the carriage, four more people were currently sitting. Except for one person, all of them seemed to be extremely alert, and they were wearing featureless masks. Out of the four persons, only one person was was a woman and she had a veil on her face that hid her features.
This Woman was currently sitting in a meditative posture and seemed to be cultivating. The carriage driver that was sitting at the front of the carriage turned to the back and knocked on the front window of the carriage.
One of the masked men sitting inside the carriage opened the window and looked at the carriage driver.
"We're about to enter the town." The carriage driver said.
"Anything abnormal?" The masked man asked.
"Fortunately, nothing. Except for the absence of the snow today, everything seems normal." The carriage driver answered.
The masked man nodded and closed the front window. The closed eyes of the veiled woman trembled for a moment before returning to normal.
The carriage soon reached the southern entrance of the Northern town and was halted by the guards. The four men that were following behind it also stopped in tandem. The guard who stopped the carriage came forward and looked at the carriage.
"All the people that are inside the carriage, come out and show us your faces." The guard ordered.
The man who was the carriage driver paid no heed to his words and simply withdrew a small bronze plate from his sleeves. He then held it out for the guards to see. The guard came close and used the lamp he was carrying to illuminate and observe the bronze plate.
The instant the guard saw the bronze plate, he tensed up and cupped his hands in salute.
"Greetings to the High officials. This lowly one could not recognize your magnificence thus made a mistake, please forgive this lowly guard." The guard spoke with the utmost respect while bowing his head.
The other guards that were standing around too joined him and greeted them with a salute.
"Greetings to the High officials!" The guards shouted in unison.
A single knock came from inside the carriage and the driver understood it. The carriage driver then just gestured with his hand for the guards to clear the road. The guards instantly understood this and opened the gate. They then moved to the side and bowed their head while saluting.
The carriage driver flicked the reins, and the carriage started moving again. The carriage moved at a slower speed than before, after entering the town, and continued on. While on their way, they saw multiple guards running around busily.
The men inside the carriage seemed to have noticed the sound as they opened the windows to look outside. They saw the abnormal amount of guards and became concerned.
"Is this what we are here for?" One of the masked spoke.
The closed eyes of the woman sitting inside the carriage trembled once again as her lips gently moved.
"Don't bother and just hurry for now." The veiled woman spoke with an indifferent tone.
All the masked men immediately nodded, and the driver seemed to have heard this as well. The driver then cracked the whip in his hand, urging the horses to run. The carriage picked up speed and rushed through the streets.
A couple of minutes later, the carriage once again slowed down as it entered a narrow alley. The alley was just wide enough to let the carriage barely pass. The carriage then came to a halt in front of an old shop that did not have a sign board.
The veiled woman sitting in the carriage opened her eyes and gestured to the masked men. The driver of the carriage jumped down from it and went to the side to open its door. One of the masked men first alighted from the carriage, looked around, and pointed with his hands to the exits of the alley. The other four black-robed men that were following the carriage instantly understood the orders and split into two pairs and stood at the two ends of the alley, preventing anyone from entering.
Everyone then alighted from the carriage, with the veiled woman being the last person. They then walked up to the door of the shop and knocked on it in a certain pattern. Unlike before, there was no delay in opening the door, as it instantly opened.
The old woman who was in charge of the shop greeted the visitors by saluting with cupped hands and stood at the side as they walked inside. She did not speak anything, and the men did not expect anything either.
The Veiled woman walked into the shop and looked around for a second before walking into the next room immediately. Two of the masked men stayed in the shop while the other two followed her. They smoothly opened the hidden entrance of the safe house and walked downstairs.
They reached the bottom of the stairs soon and opened the door that was standing in their way. As soon as they opened it, a brightly lit room appeared in front of them. A few people were already waiting for them in two files.
They were all standing as they looked at the woman and shouted in unison.
"Greetings to the mistress!"
