Chapter Eleven: A Robbery on the Road

The young attendant's words were left unfinished, and both Manager Liu and the attendant inside the carriage fell silent, the only sound was the coach stirring up dust as it sped along.

From their brief exchange, Xiao Wenzi had already confirmed that this world was nothing like the ancient China he knew. Not only had he never heard of a place called He County, but in the China of his memory, it would be impossible for a single village to be three hundred li from the county seat—that distance would span half a provincial capital.

However, whether this was ancient China or not hardly mattered to him now. Being able to ride a free carriage away from Wo Niu Village was a stroke of luck; at least he no longer had to worry about being blocked by cultivators.

Just then, after a long silence, Manager Liu finally spoke: "Sixth, what you said makes sense. Let's not go to He County. We'll detour to Qingtian Town. When we arrive, we'll ask about the price of herbs—if it's suitable, we'll purchase there."

Qingtian Town was not on the main road ahead but required a detour; nonetheless, it was the largest village within a hundred li, with a permanent population of seven or eight thousand, twice the size of Wo Niu Village. Though not as bustling as He County, Qingtian Town lacked nothing in terms of shops and trades, even boasting a security escort agency.

There were two or three pharmacies in Qingtian Town, and they could definitely buy the herbs needed for mosquito-repellent incense and anti-itch ointments, though prices wouldn't be as cheap as in He County. Still, the route to Qingtian Town was not far, and they could return the same day; the road was safe, making it a wise temporary solution.

The attendant felt reassured by the manager's words, gave a prompt reply, and continued to urge the horse forward with his whip.

Xiao Wenzi clung to the silk atop the carriage, observing his surroundings and listening to the pair's idle chatter. He was in no hurry to cultivate. Once immersed in cultivation, he would lose awareness of everything else, and missing the chance to transfer to a departing carriage was a minor issue compared to possibly being taken back to Wo Niu Village.

Last night had yielded considerable gains—enough to exchange for eighteen or nineteen drops of rock-spirit essence. Once safely away from Wo Niu Village, he could find a suitable place to settle and cultivate without haste.

Time passed slowly, and near midday, the carriage entered a bustling large town. Perhaps fortune smiled upon them, for as they arrived in Qingtian Town, the wealthy Qian family happened to have urgent business in He County, hiring several escorts from the Longwind Escort Agency.

Sixth stopped the carriage in front of a pharmacy, and as the two parties crossed paths, Xiao Wenzi, seeing that Manager Qian and his companions were not heading toward Wo Niu Village, wasted no time in activating his inner demon spirit power, fluttering his wings to land atop the red-roofed carriage in their convoy.

Qian family's carriage was drawn by two fine horses, and both its exterior and interior far surpassed Manager Liu's domed coach. It raced forward, barely slower than the escort riders.

Hooves thundered, raising clouds of dust and leaving Qingtian Town far behind.

Perched on the roof, Xiao Wenzi easily saw inside—a corpulent man in brocade robes, while the Longwind Escort Agency guards were not all rough men; there was even a handsome young matron among them.

Some carried long swords, others slung long knives at their sides—clearly martial artists of the secular world.

The employer, Fat Qian, wore a worried expression, frequently urging the convoy to speed up, though what urgent matter pressed him was unclear.

None of this concerned Xiao Wenzi, hitching a ride. He sheltered behind the red silk tassels, avoiding the wind, occasionally distracted by the newly unlocked system currency exchange page.

Nine drops of blood from a first-tier Qi Refining cultivator could be exchanged for one first-tier system coin.

Five first-tier system coins could be exchanged for the second-tier mind technique of the Blood Spirit Grand Method in the Demon Qi realm.

Nine first-tier system coins could be exchanged for a Red Heart, granting the host an extra life to replenish losses after death (limited to Demon Qi realm first-tier life state; cannot be exchanged if nine Red Hearts are already held).

Ten first-tier system coins could be exchanged for one drop of rock-spirit essence...

Fifteen first-tier system coins could be exchanged for one drop of demon spirit dew...

Eighteen first-tier system coins could be exchanged for a low-grade Concealment Talisman.

Note: The Concealment Talisman can shield one's demon aura, preventing detection by cultivators below the fifth tier of Qi Refining; useful for ambushes or escape.

Twenty first-tier system coins could be exchanged for a low-grade Demon Gathering Pill. Note: Demon Gathering Pill contains pure demon spirit power; taking it can help break through early bottlenecks in the Demon Qi realm.

Thirty first-tier system coins could be exchanged for a mid-grade Demon Gathering Stone...

Another dozen items were listed. Though he had long understood that after breaking through to the first tier of Demon Qi realm, his life state had changed and exchanging Red Hearts to replenish life would require drinking the blood of cultivators.

Even so, now that it was confirmed, Xiao Wenzi felt regret—these were true cultivators, and even a rookie at the first tier of Qi Refining would not be easy to deal with.

Yet as a mosquito, if he wished to cultivate and grow, facing cultivators was unavoidable, unless he gave up this mosquito body and reincarnated.

But this time, at least he possessed memories and a reasonably decent system. Reincarnation was too uncertain—what if he ran out of Red Hearts and failed to reincarnate, or simply perished?

Xiao Wenzi had no desire to take such a risk. He would rather stake everything on this life than attempt the uncertain path of reincarnation.

Cultivators? If he was careful, he could surely contend with them. Xiao Wenzi quickly steeled his resolve.

The convoy sped onward. Suddenly, the middle-aged man leading the way reined in his horse, gesturing for the convoy behind to halt.

"What's wrong, elder brother? Is there an ambush?"

Seeing the man listening intently to the dense forest ahead, the faces of several escorts grew serious. The young matron parted her lips, unable to resist asking.

Her voice was gentle, and coupled with her striking figure, were it not for her marital status, many of the men present might have been drawn to her.

Laughter erupted from the woods ahead, a chorus of boisterous guffaws, and then hoofbeats thundered as several dozen men brandishing gleaming broadswords burst out.

"Black Scarf Bandits—it really is them. The rumors were true."

The Black Scarf Bandits were infamous horse thieves in Tianan Prefecture, notorious for robbing the prosperous lands surrounding the prefectural city. Recently, rumor had it they were wanted by the authorities and had fled to this area.

The middle-aged leader of the Longwind Escort Agency had doubted those rumors, but upon seeing the men each with a black strip of cloth tied around their heads, radiating a fierce energy, the blood drained from his face. His teeth chattered as he murmured.

"Correct. I am Second Boss Feng Kui of the Black Scarf Bandits. If you know what's good for you, hand over all your valuables and the woman. If I am in a good mood, I might spare your lives. Otherwise..."

Hearing the escort leader's murmuring, a burly man with a leopard-like face and bristling beard, riding at the front, swung his saber disdainfully and laughed arrogantly.