Chapter Ten: Catching a Ride

“Damn it, the Wang father and son actually went to seek out a cultivator. It seems this place is no longer safe.” Although Xiao Wenzi had yet to encounter a cultivator in this world, he knew enough to be wary; with his meager cultivation, any halfway competent expert would see through him at once. Of all the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was the best—putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Wang family before the cultivator’s arrival was the safest course.

But relying on his tiny mosquito wings alone, how far could he possibly escape in two or three days? It was unlikely he could fly beyond the range of a cultivator’s spiritual perception. The best solution was to find a free ride—perhaps a carriage or mule cart heading out of the town.

However, night had already fallen. No one would be traveling at this hour. After some thought, Xiao Wenzi decided on one last heist before slipping away from the Wang household to look for his opportunity.

As darkness settled, with the madam, the young lady, and the servants having only just gone to bed, a small mosquito quietly approached them. The paper newly replaced on the window lattice was once again torn open with a soft rip. The lingering scent of mugwort inside did little to deter him tonight—he showed no mercy whatsoever.

Having broken through to a higher cultivation level, his proboscis was now longer and sharper, striking accurately and ruthlessly into blood vessels. Blood flowed into him like a spring, swiftly converted into system coins.

“Wake up! The demon mosquito is here!”

With the master and young master absent from the residence, the servants, awoken by bites, could only rouse their companions in the room, fumbling for fire chains to light the lamps and keep watch over one another.

Amid the commotion, more shouts rang out—clearly, others were being bitten as well. Having advanced to the middle stage of the first layer of the Demonic Qi Realm, Xiao Wenzi’s flight and feeding speed had increased dramatically. In the blink of an eye, he could fill three or four blood icons.

So, by the time the servants managed to light the dim oil lamps—there were no candles in their quarters—he had already absorbed enough blood to exchange for eight or nine system coins.

Taking advantage of the limited light, Xiao Wenzi spread his wings and flew to another room.

He repeated his tactics, tossing the household into chaos. Once the servants were too frightened to sleep, he left their quarters and headed for the maids’ rooms in the inner chambers.

“It itches—it's that demon mosquito! He’s back!”

“Damn it, my face—my beautiful face is all swollen!”

Soon, the maids were in an uproar, calling out for the madams and young ladies. The entire Wang household was ablaze with light, and no one dared sleep easily again.

But after a sleepless night and a day’s labor ahead, it was impossible to stay vigilant for long. Within two hours, the servants and maids began to nod off.

This was exactly Xiao Wenzi’s intention—once they fell deeply asleep, even if bitten, they would not wake in time.

Seizing the moment, he visited them one by one, leaving behind countless itchy welts and taking away a good deal of blood for system coins.

As dawn broke, Xiao Wenzi withdrew his proboscis from the neck of Wang’s concubine, checked the nearly four hundred system coins he had amassed, and, satisfied, took flight from the Wang household toward the outskirts of Wo Niu Village.

“This is the place—this road leads out of the village. If I’m lucky, I should be able to find a carriage today…”

To the northwest and northeast of Wo Niu Village lay hills; to the south, fertile fields. Only one official road led to the county town.

Having almost exhausted his strength, Xiao Wenzi finally flew over a thousand meters by daybreak, landing on a shrub by the roadside.

Breaking through to the middle stage of the Demonic Qi Realm’s first layer and the strengthening of his body from the Blood Spirit Method made this possible; otherwise, he’d have needed dozens of rests to cover the distance.

He hadn’t used any demon spirit power, just raw stamina, preserving his energy for when a carriage or mule cart might pass by—he’d need every bit to leap aboard a fast-moving ride. Otherwise, missing that chance due to exhaustion would be unforgivable.

Gripping a leaf with his foreclaws and four hind legs, Xiao Wenzi both cultivated to recover his strength and kept a vigilant watch.

By fortunate coincidence, today happened to be the day Manager Liu from Healing Gourd Hall was heading out to buy medicinal herbs. Xiao Wenzi didn’t have to wait long before a carriage rolled into view.

He didn’t know Manager Liu, nor the young driver, but the wide wooden roof of the log carriage was the perfect free “luxury” ride.

At the precise moment when the carriage passed his bush, Xiao Wenzi beat his wings furiously, soared across several meters, and landed steadily atop the carriage roof.

With a crack of the whip and a shout, the horse sped up, leaving Wo Niu Village far behind.

“Manager, do you think there really is a demon mosquito in Wo Niu Village? It sounds terribly strange—the rumors say even the Wang family’s servants and ladies have been bitten badly…”

Once they were well away from the village, the young driver couldn’t help glancing back and asking Manager Liu in the carriage.

“My boy, what’s so bad about a demon mosquito causing trouble? Don’t you see how well our Healing Gourd Hall has been doing these past days? All the mosquito-repelling herbs and ointments have sold out. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be making this special trip to He County…”

Manager Liu stroked his long whiskers, his face beaming with satisfaction.

Just as he said, rumors had run wild in Wo Niu Village. Not only had the Wang family bought large quantities of mosquito repellents, but ordinary villagers unaffected by the trouble were also buying them. They’d made a tidy profit.

As for initial worries about the demon mosquito, those had long been cast aside in the face of profit. After all, the demon mosquito had only targeted the Wang household and left Healing Gourd Hall alone.

“That’s true, Manager. But I heard the Wang family has gone to invite an immortal. If the demon mosquito gets caught, won’t all the repellent herbs we bought be unsellable…”

Business was booming, and the young driver would also benefit. What he feared was a sudden reversal of fortune.

“Hmm… That’s why, even if we don’t rest today, we have to finish the journey to He County. Once the horses are rested tonight, we’ll hurry back overnight tomorrow.”

Manager Liu’s words left the young driver a little stunned. He smacked his lips and replied, “But Manager, He County is nearly three hundred li from Wo Niu Village. It’ll be hard to make it before curfew and the gates close. And if we don’t travel with a larger caravan, what if we run into bandits on the road? I heard horse thieves have been operating near us…”