Commander Wang and his entourage were the first to enter the passage. Immediately after, with a grand wave of Zhao Xiayang's hand, the disciples of the Qingshui Sect followed closely behind—a formidable group of over twenty people with strong horses and fine armor. Not until all of them had vanished behind the screen of light did the remaining people make their move.
Wary of Commander Wang's deep scheming and anxious about Zhao Xiayang's overwhelming numbers, the middle-aged scholar temporarily banded together with a few lone wanderers so they could huddle together for warmth and look out for one another.
Lu Bei and She Xuan politely declined the middle-aged scholar's invitation to team up. While numbers certainly provided safety, empathy suggested that what the scholar needed wasn't teammates, but cannon fodder to shield him from disaster.
Chapter 53