Although Zhou Man and his group carried a lot of luggage, Heavy Rain did not expect there to be fabric and gold and silver jewelry inside. He only assumed it was all stuff they needed for their daily life, given how much he had seen them enjoy life over the past month.

At this moment, the people Heavy Rain was talking about were camped not far outside the Small Town.

The desert night was a bit cold. Jin Kui’an took a sip of strong liquor, standing on a sand dune, staring at the distant, scattered lights.

Erge added a log to the fire, patted his hands, and walked over to Jin Kui’an. He also stared intently in that direction and asked, "Do you suspect they’re in there?"

Jin Kui’an took another swig of liquor, trying to suppress the fire in his heart, but found himself getting angrier.

He clutched the liquor flask tightly, expressionless, and said, "Along the way, I’ve been thinking about where exactly we missed them. It wasn’t until we returned to the desert inn that I realized it. At the time, we were in a hurry to catch up with them, so we didn’t stay overnight at the desert inn or enter this Small Town. Instead, we bypassed it and raced ahead on horseback."

"The people at the desert inn said they went into the desert and didn’t turn back or leave, which means our chase route was correct. We found no trace of them along the way, which can only mean we went ahead of them."

Whenever he thought about this, he felt regret burning in his heart. If only he had gone into the Small Town, he might have found them.

Erge had the same suspicion, but... "Are they still in the Small Town now?"

Jin Kui’an said, "It doesn’t matter if they are or not. As long as we can get some information on them, that’s what matters."

He said, "I don’t believe they can disappear into thin air. Once we know when they left, we can roughly deduce where they are now. I’m not afraid of not being able to find them."

He moved his fingers, looking at the distant scattered lights, and said, "Actually, it’s for the best if they’re not in the Small Town. The people in there aren’t easy to deal with."

"Big brother, the bread is done baking."

Jin Kui’an finally turned back to eat dinner. After he turned around, a sand dune in the distance quietly began to move. Two people quietly returned to the Small Town to report.

"...It’s hard to see clearly from a distance, but we listened carefully. There are quite a few people, probably dozens of horses, not a single cart, and no goods on them, but they give off an air of banditry. They definitely don’t look easy to deal with."

The Town Leader drank a bowl of milk tea, frowned, and said, "Why have bandits come here? What, do they want to rob us?"

The scout wasn’t too sure either and said, "Perhaps life outside is rough, so they’ve resorted to desperate measures?"

The Town Leader glanced at him and said, "Go notify the brothers. Tomorrow morning, gather at the town entrance. Tonight, send a couple more teams to keep watch outside. If they get close, sound the alarm immediately."

"Yes."

Jin Kui’an knew the history of the Small Town and also knew that the current leader was a fellow traveler, so he did not do anything to cause misunderstandings. After daylight, he sent someone to shout at the town entrance, stating they were just passing through and wanted to eat breakfast before continuing their journey.

The message made its way up the chain to the Town Leader, who smirked. Who would believe they only came for breakfast?

Nonetheless, the Town Leader allowed people to enter, saying, "Let three of them enter to order. We’ll prepare their meal and send it out."

Three people were enough to talk things over.

Jin Kui’an, who originally planned to inquire about the situation after entering the town, paused, realizing he couldn’t afford to waste time. So he placed a silver ingot on the table, ordered a pile of inexpensive breakfast items, and said, "Brother Wu, I’d like to inquire about something."

The Town Leader glanced at the silver ingot pushed in front of him, smiled, and said, "Sure, sure. Guests of honor, ask whatever you like. As long as I can, I’ll answer."

Jin Kui’an asked, "Did a convoy of over a hundred people come to the town a while ago? Not a merchant caravan, but officials from the court."

He paused for a moment and added, "But there was a small merchant among them."

The Town Leader was a bit surprised in his heart but kept a calm exterior, glancing at the steward, "Was there such a convoy? I haven’t been handling town matters for a while, so I don’t know at the moment. I’ll have someone check. But why are you asking about this?"

He said, "These are people from the government. If something happens to them outside, it might implicate us..."

"Brother Wu, don’t worry. This won’t implicate you. This is our grudge with them."

The Town Leader smiled, turning the teacup in his hand, and asked, "Did they do something wrong to you?"

Jin Kui’an’s expression turned grim, "They took some things from me, and I need to get them back."

The Town Leader twitched his mouth slightly. Fooling no one, if it were other officials, maybe. But how could Zhou Man and that group possibly risk robbery against a bunch of bandits?

It seems they had something Jin Kui’an wanted, which is why he went to such lengths to find them.

The Town Leader pondered briefly. By their schedule, they should have reached Shazhou by now, and Heavy Rain’s group should have already returned halfway.

The Town Leader took a sip of tea, getting a hold of things in his mind.

When the steward returned and whispered a bunch of nonsense into his ear, he solemnly told Jin Kui’an, "There was indeed such a group, but they’ve long since left."

Jin Kui’an asked urgently, "How long have they been gone?"

The Town Leader smiled, saying, "It’s been a long time. They only stopped here for two days, and if you count carefully, they left about thirty days ago. I heard they were headed to the Western Regions, and by now, they must nearly be there."

Jin Kui’an was stunned, "How is that possible? We chased all the way, but we didn’t see them..."

The Town Leader finished his tea, indifferently saying, "Doesn’t that just prove they went far? Brother, your timing’s off by quite a bit. In thirty days, the desert winds have long erased all traces. Unless it’s something special, it’s really unnecessary to search. Or do you plan to chase them all the way to the Western Regions?"

Jin Kui’an’s eyes turned cold, clenching his fists as he said, "I’m already in the Western Regions, so there’s nothing impossible about it."

The Town Leader’s brow twitched, asking, "By the way, brother, where exactly are you from?"

Jin Kui’an pulled a corner of his mouth, saying, "Brother Wu, rest assured, my people and territory are beyond the pass. We won’t be competing for your turf."

The Town Leader: ... Actually, that’s more worrying. By now, those people should have already left the pass, right?

Unlucky indeed, although it has little to do with him.

The Town Leader deliberated, realizing he might lose a long-term partner. Especially since Zhou Man and the others promised to visit him again when they returned from the Western Regions. And by then, they might leave behind a few prescriptions...

Thinking like that, the Town Leader couldn’t be bothered to drag this out anymore. He waved his hand and said, "The people you’re looking for have gone far. I won’t keep you either. There are many young men in the town; they’re all spirited lads. If they get together, something might happen."