Lao Huihui had sensed it for some time already.
Mr. Bai's strength did not stop at Xiaolangdi.
Xiaolangdi was nothing more than a naval base. It had no vast farmland, no major commerce, no way to endlessly support thousands of cavalry on its own. Yet supplies kept flowing. Grain, fodder, equipment, all arriving with unsettling precision.
That meant only one thing.
Someone far more powerful was standing behind Mr. Bai.
Lao Huihui had guessed there was a backer. What he had not imagined was that the backer would be this terrifying.
This force clearly had enormous ambitions. It might even rival the Chuǎng King himself. But unlike the Chuǎng King's crude, grassroots rebellion, these people moved with discipline, order, and an almost frightening sense of planning.
After weighing it carefully, Lao Huihui made a decision.
He had to see it with his own eyes.
Three thousand elite cavalry set out immediately, beginning the most grueling march of their campaign.
They were all cavalry, and mountains were the natural enemy of horses. Steep slopes tore at hooves. Loose rocks injured legs. Every step forward came with losses. Warhorses limped. Soldiers clenched their teeth and said nothing.
But stopping was not an option.
If they slowed down, the imperial armies would close in from all sides.
So they endured.
They crossed Pingding Mountain, skirted Zhaoping Lake, and forced their way through Yaoshan, Baiyun Mountain, and Funiu Mountain. All the while, imperial troops chased them relentlessly.
Zuo Liangyu, burning with hatred and desperate for revenge, pursued them harder than anyone. Yet even he was forced to give up in the end. The terrain was too brutal. If even Zuo Liangyu could not continue, the rest of the imperial detachments stood no chance.
At last, Lao Huihui shook them all off and entered Shangnan County's territory.
Following the intelligence officer's instructions, he deliberately avoided the county town and surrounding villages. The army slipped into Yinyang Gully, north of Shangnan County.
By this point, exhaustion had reached its limit.
Men collapsed the moment they dismounted. Provisions were nearly gone. If aid did not arrive soon, Lao Huihui would have no choice but to return to the old ways, storming cities and looting government granaries.
He sent out a scout.
The man dressed himself as a common hunter and slipped out of the gully alone, heading straight for Shangnan County town.
When he reached the barracks of Luo Xi, the Shangnan military commander, he barely had to speak before he was escorted inside.
Luo Xi personally received him.
"Lao Huihui is at Yinyang Gully?" Luo Xi asked.
"Yes," the scout replied. "We urgently need provisions."
As the words left his mouth, his heart tightened. If Luo Xi turned out to be an enemy, this visit would doom the entire army. Not only would supplies fail to arrive, imperial troops would follow close behind.
That would be a dead end.
Luo Xi laughed softly. "The Dao Xuan Tianzun already gave instructions. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
He waved his hand. "The supplies are prepared. I will dispatch the convoy immediately. You can lead them back."
The scout's eyes lit up.
Still, he remained cautious.
If what followed him was not a supply convoy but an army, he would become the man who betrayed his own general.
An hour later, his doubts vanished.
What Luo Xi sent was exactly what he promised. Cart after cart of grain. Each wagon escorted by only two soldiers. No hidden troops. No ambush.
This force posed no threat at all to three thousand elite cavalry.
Only then did the scout finally relax and lead the convoy into Yinyang Gully.
When the grain was unloaded and stacked before him, Lao Huihui at last lowered his guard.
His trust in Mr. Bai, and in the power behind him, deepened.
"Good," Lao Huihui said. "We advance through Shangluo Pass and head for Xi'an."
With a single command, the cavalry turned west.
They had not gone far when something caught everyone's attention.
Below the mountain, a gray road cut cleanly through Shangluo Pass, stretching toward Wuguan Pass. It was wide, hard, and unnaturally smooth. Merchants filled it. Vehicles of every kind moved along it. And among the carts were massive iron vehicles carrying loads that would have been impossible before.
Lao Huihui and his men stared in silence.
"How did the official road become like this?"
"What kind of road is that?"
"And those iron carts… they're moving on their own?"
Lao Huihui's expression hardened. "Be careful. Shangluo Pass is no longer what we remember. The changes here are too great."
They did not dare step onto the road.
Instead, they led their horses through the forests beside it, moving parallel until Wuguan Pass came into view.
Colorful banners flew atop the walls.
Lao Huihui's eyes widened. "The Dao Xuan Tianzun's banners."
Joy surged through him. "Wuguan belongs to them."
He immediately sent a scout ahead.
Not long after, the gates of Wuguan Pass opened. Soldiers emerged, their chests embroidered with the image of the Dao Xuan Tianzun. They moved with crisp efficiency, blocking the official road several li in both directions.
Merchants and travelers were halted. A perfect vacuum zone formed in front of the pass.
Under the guidance of the Wuguan garrison, Lao Huihui's army passed through safely and entered Shaanxi territory. The moment they were through, they turned away from the road and disappeared back into the forests.
Only after they vanished did the soldiers lift the blockade.
The road resumed its flow as if nothing had happened.
From the mountains, Lao Huihui watched carts and iron vehicles roll past once more. His heart was filled with awe.
"This group's organizational ability is terrifying," he murmured. "They sealed off several li of official road and let us pass without a single soul noticing. Even the imperial court cannot manage this."
His subordinates nodded.
"When the court blocks roads, soldiers slack off," one said. "They take bribes, let people through, and the blockade turns into a joke."
Lao Huihui exhaled slowly. "These people grow more inscrutable by the day. Let's move on. Tianzhu Mountain."
They marched on.
Before long, Tianzhu Mountain came into view.
What they saw shocked them.
Temples dotted the slopes. Houses clustered along paths. Factories hummed. Farmland spread across the lower reaches. This was not a desolate hideout at all.
It was lively.
Too lively.
Lao Huihui frowned. "Stationing us rebels here? Aren't they afraid the people will leak information?"
As he pondered this, an old man rode toward them. His posture was straight, his movements steady. He laughed warmly as he approached.
"I am Luo Xi's father," the old man said.
Lao Huihui clasped his hands. "Old General Luo."
The old man laughed. "The Dao Xuan Tianzun has entrusted Tianzhu Mountain to this old man for now. Since you have arrived, I will handle all arrangements."
Lao Huihui followed him.
At the foot of Tianzhu Mountain stood a massive estate, Luo Xi's ancestral home. A mountain path wound upward beside it. At the entrance stood an enormous gate.
Upon it were written six large characters.
Tianzhu Mountain Labor Reform Camp