The rest of the journey passed in silence.
Finally, around nine in the morning, Lu Yuan arrived at the Guild's estate.
This Guild was called the Five Doctors Guild.
In essence, this Guild was also a type of sect, so naturally, it had its own objects of worship.
After all, to make your way in the world, you had to deal with Xingzi.
One had to worship certain gods to borrow their power.
Otherwise, how could you possibly contend with old Xingzi who had been around for decades, even centuries, after just ten or so years of cultivation?
The Five Doctors Guild worshiped the Five Great Physicians.
There was a historical anecdote behind the name "Five Great Physicians."
It was when the First Emperor went to Mount Tai to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices. When he began his ascent, the sun shone brightly in a clear, vast sky.
But by the time the First Emperor reached the mountainside—despite riding a horse and being carried in a sedan chair—he was exhausted and drenched in sweat.
Just then, the weather took a sudden turn. Dark clouds billowed, and in an instant, the world grew dim as wind, rain, lightning, and thunder assailed them all at once.
The First Emperor was caught unprepared, but he spotted a large pine tree up ahead.
It stood several dozen feet tall, its branches lush and leafy. The crown formed a canopy so thick that no wind or rain could penetrate it, so he hurriedly took shelter beneath it.
His entourage had already fallen into chaos; some scrambled for caves, others for cliffs.
A short while later, the storm passed and the sky cleared. The First Emperor, having been shielded from the elements, wished to reward the pine tree for its service.
The First Emperor thus bestowed upon it the title of "Five Great Physicians."
This Guild worshiped the Five Great Physicians, and so it was called the Five Doctors Guild.
Of course, this world also had a First Emperor and the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai.
However, this world's First Emperor was not named Ying Zheng, and Mount Tai was called Taixing Mountain.
The Guild was a bustling place.
It was a large estate, and though the Guild was neither a Buddhist temple nor a Daoist Temple...
...the air was thick with the smoke of burning incense.
Many villagers came to burn incense and pray for protection.
After all, to the common folk, the Travelers living in the estate were basically gods.
People from all the surrounding villages and towns flocked here, so it was naturally very crowded.
Lu Yuan had thought that by getting an early start, he would be one of the first in line.
But he hadn't expected to still be late.
There were at least a dozen people ahead of him.
Not all of the Guild's Travelers had to accompany people back to their villages.
Some matters could be resolved on the spot.
Others, however, required a Traveler to go in person.
A case like Lu Yuan's, for example.
Lu Yuan stood on his carriage and watched for a moment. 'If I just wait like this,' he thought, 'what if all the Travelers in the Guild leave with other people? Will I have made this trip for nothing, or have to wait here overnight?'
After some thought, Lu Yuan got off the carriage and took a stroll around the Guild's perimeter.
Eventually, he found one of the Guild's attendants and, after slipping him one tael of silver, was led in through a side door.
Sure enough, money talks in any era.
Once inside, things were much simpler.
He explained his situation and respectfully offered another two taels of silver to a Traveler.
In the end, a fat Traveler in his thirties, carrying a long saber, came out with Lu Yuan.
They boarded the carriage together, and the Traveler settled himself inside the cabin.
Lu Yuan, meanwhile, sat outside with the driver.
The Fat Traveler sat inside, gobbling down the food and swilling the cheap wine Lu Yuan had bought in town that morning.
There was nothing to be done.
The people from the Guild were all like this.
Although the Court had ordered them to look after the common folk...
...how they went about it was entirely up to them.
In contrast, the Officials and the Government Office were quite upright these days.
This was mainly because the current Emperor Hongwu was almost identical to the Emperor Hongwu from Earth's history.
He had already executed countless waves of corrupt and incompetent officials.
This was also why Lu Yuan dared to go and buy a shop directly in Taiping City.
'With an Emperor like that, it would be strange if this didn't become a golden age.'
Lu Yuan sat outside, handed a cigarette to the driver beside him, and the two began to chat in low voices.
'Another hour or two and we should be back. We might even make it back for lunch. I wonder what delicious things my wife is making for lunch.'
Just as Lu Yuan was lost in thought, the Fat Traveler—who had finished gobbling his food inside the carriage like a pig—stuck a greasy, fat hand out.
Heh.
'This guy,' Lu Yuan thought. 'He must have smelled the smoke. He's asking for a cigarette.'
With no other choice, Lu Yuan handed the Fat Traveler a cigarette.
Seeing this, the driver next to him gave Lu Yuan a helpless smile.
There was nothing to be done.
That's just how these people were.
Everyone relied on the Guild to survive. They didn't dare to rob people outright, since the Government Office kept them in check.
But with small things like this, people had no choice but to let them have their way.
After all, they weren't Officials, and people still had to depend on them to survive.
The carriage continued on its way. At some point, the sky began to grow increasingly overcast.
A dark gloom settled over them. It was just past ten in the morning, a time when the sun should have been high in the sky.
Yet now it looked like dusk, and the sky was tinged with a bloody red.
Lu Yuan didn't think much of it. After all, back on Earth, he had lived in a coastal region.
'This kind of weather is pretty common. It was just a sign that a big storm was coming.'
However, the curtain of the carriage cabin was suddenly flung open.
The Fat Traveler stuck his head out, frowning as he gazed east.
"A Da Xingzi has appeared?!"
Da Xingzi?
After the Fat Traveler spoke, the driver beside them froze for a second before exclaiming:
"Oh no!!
That's the direction of the Black Widow's husband's family!!
Did the Black Widow's husband's family come for revenge?!"
Black Widow?!
The Fat Traveler was stunned for a moment, then glared at the driver.
"Madam is here today?"
The driver nodded repeatedly, a panicked look on his face.
"When we were on our way here today, we happened to see the Black...
...we saw Madam's procession heading toward Liu Family Stockade!
Master, should we head back to the estate?!"
'A Xingzi that can cause such a huge commotion is no small matter!! We have to get back and hide, now!'
But who would have thought the Fat Traveler would just glare and say:
"Go back? What do you mean, go back?!
Quick! To Liu Family Stockade!!
If I can help Madam and get her to notice me, a single word from her could get me transferred to the city!"
The Fat Traveler's order to go straight there scared the driver so much that he recoiled, not daring to move.
But the Fat Traveler slapped him on the back of the head.
"I'm here, so what are you afraid of?!
Besides, Madam is surrounded by experts!
We're just going to show our faces and put on a little performance. When this is all over, a single word from her could change our destinies!
What's the matter? You want to be a cart driver for the rest of your life?!"
The Fat Traveler's words reminded the driver of the forty or fifty retainers he had seen on the way, each with a saber at his waist.
'He might be right!'
And the Fat Traveler's question about being a cart driver for life had really hit home.
Gritting his teeth, he immediately steered the horse and carriage toward Liu Family Stockade.
Lu Yuan sat on the side, a look of complete confusion on his face.
'Excuse me, can you let me off first?'
Lu Yuan considered it for a moment but decided not to say anything.
'The Fat Traveler is right,' he thought. 'That Black Widow is surrounded by guards.'
Lu Yuan wasn't going in the hopes of being noticed by the Black Widow.
What Lu Yuan was thinking was...
'...maybe this could trigger the Multiplication Factor.'
But just as the carriage with Lu Yuan and the other two entered the bounds of Liu Family Stockade...
...the horse froze as if scared stiff, refusing to take another step forward.
The Fat Traveler leaped from the carriage, weapon in hand.
Lu Yuan, of course, immediately followed. Since he was already here, it wouldn't make sense not to go and take a look.
However, when Lu Yuan followed the Fat Traveler and got a look...
...he was dumbfounded.
'Holy cow...'
'Those retainers were nothing but a bunch of pretty boys, all show and no go!!'
'Half of them were already down for the count!'