Chapter 140: Chapter 140 Clues Chapter 140: Chapter 140 Clues At that time, the refugees waiting in line to cross the bridge were stopped six zhang away, and the Ninth Guard had lined up a neat row of troops in front of the large bridge. They held broadswords in their hands, with a few inches of the blades gleaming slightly, and the edges of the swords emitted a cold light in the morning sun.

Intimidated by the Ninth Guard’s show of force, the refugees obediently queued up and waited for permission to cross. The scene was eerily quiet.

This was the scene that Ah Dao saw upon arrival at the front.

In order to get a clearer view, he forcefully pushed off the ground with his feet, leapt onto a branch of a large tree, and stood at a vantage point to continue monitoring the situation below.

In the blink of an eye, the Mao Hour arrived.

The Ninth Guard, stationed at the head of the bridge, sheathed their broadswords and retreated neatly to both sides of the bridge.

After taking their positions, they signaled to the refugees that they could start crossing the bridge.

The refugees, upon receiving the signal, pushed forward incessantly, but in contrast to their urgency, the Ninth Guard counted the heads at a leisurely pace.

They only allowed two hundred people onto the bridge at a time.

There was no choice; this was just an ordinary wooden bridge, and the wooden structure spanning the river had already been eroded by time and was on the verge of collapse, unable to bear the weight of tens of thousands of people all at once.

Thus, during this period, both the Xuanwei Army and the Ninth Guard were deliberately controlling the number of people crossing the bridge.

Every time, only two hundred people were allowed on the bridge, and another two hundred were permitted every quarter of an hour.

The only difference was, when the Xuanwei Army was in control, the bridge was open all day, allowing more than ten thousand people to cross daily.

However, once the Ninth Guard imposed time restrictions, no more than about two thousand people could cross each day.

Just as the crowd was lining up to cross the bridge in an orderly fashion, suddenly, from both sides, five to six hundred people surged forward, boldly squeezing onto the bridge.

Indeed, the Ninth Guard, just as the refugees had said, did nothing to stop them and even counted them as part of the crowd.

It was as if they meant, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re in line or cutting, as long as you reach me, you count as one person; I don’t care about anything else.”

Witnessing this, Ah Dao finally understood why those refugees were still lingering there, unable to cross the bridge until now.

It turns out it was because of these line-cutters, who seemed to make up the majority of the crowd.

Yet, despite the complaints of the refugees, those cutting in line pretended not to hear, and those responsible for maintaining order acted as if they saw nothing. If the weaker groups complained further, they would even be pushed back to the end of the line, so people could only accept their fate.

A shichen hurriedly passed by, and the Ninth Guard once again positioned themselves with swords at the ready, guarding the entrance to the bridge. The refugees could only shake their heads and sigh as they looked at the nearly reachable North-South Bridge.

Taking advantage of the refugees not having turned back yet, Ah Dao left first.

Little did he know, after Ah Dao departed, Bai Junjun also jumped down from another tree.

As it turned out, Bai Junjun had arrived here even earlier. It was a good thing Ah Dao had not chosen the tree she was in; otherwise, an awkward encounter would have ensued.

Bai Junjun let out a low breath of relief and then made her way back.

She had been wondering about the efficiency of the Ninth Guard since yesterday; even if they were allowing fewer people to pass, the line shouldn’t have been completely still.

Now, after some investigation, she finally understood the situation.

It seemed, crossing this bridge wouldn’t be easy.

Bai Junjun frowned and quietly returned to camp.

At that time, Li Wenli was also in the horse carriage, listening to Ah Dao’s report on the situation.

After Ah Dao finished speaking, Li Wenli’s mind began racing.

“Did you get a good look at the faces of those cutting in line?”

“It was too dark to see clearly, but judging by their body shapes and silhouettes, they seemed to be mostly fit adult men.”

“All five to six hundred of them?”

“Yes,” Ah Dao nodded with certainty. “They cut in from the flanks and skillfully blended in with the refugees. Those guards from the Ninth Guard didn’t interfere. As long as someone reached the front, they were allowed to pass.”

Li Wenli’s brow furrowed: “I fear it’s not a matter of them not intervening, but rather they are intentionally disregarding it.”

Everyone was startled: “What do you mean by that?”