Chapter 75: Joining the Team, Setting Out
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Joining the Team, Setting Out
The next day at 7:00 AM, Lu Zhao stopped for a moment before a stall selling Low-Tier Pill Sand.
"Excuse me, do you know where Hu Ming’s team is today?" Lu Zhao asked, his voice calm.
The stall owner was a boy of fifteen or sixteen, his head bowed as he sorted through crimson sand. Hearing the voice, he looked up. Seeing the man’s profound aura, he didn’t dare to be disrespectful and quickly pointed toward a fork in the road to the west. "Senior, Boss Hu and his team are at the entrance to Hundred Beasts Alley today. They’re the ones with the blue banner."
"Thank you." Lu Zhao clasped his hands in a salute.
Lu Zhao arrived at the Hundred Beasts Alleyway and saw a faded indigo banner fluttering in the morning breeze. Behind the stall, a woman in her early twenties was bent over, organizing beast hides. Her practical, tight-fitting clothes outlined an agile figure, and her wheat-colored skin made her eyes seem particularly sharp. Her hair was simply tied up in a bun with a bone pin.
"I am Chen Yuanping." Lu Zhao got straight to the point, his gaze sweeping over the woman as he sensed her Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer aura. "I hear your team is forming a caravan to Bixia Marketplace soon? I wish to travel with you. Might I join?"
The woman looked at Lu Zhao, inwardly startled. ’Late-stage Qi Cultivation! There are only about two hundred people with this level of cultivation in the entire Lin Family Marketplace, and I’ve never seen his face before.’ She cupped her fist and said, "So it’s Mr. Chen. My name is Lin Yao. It is true we’re forming a caravan, and we are indeed short on people. However..." She paused, a perfectly measured look of difficulty on her face. "This matter requires our captain’s personal approval. He’s out on an errand today. If you don’t mind, Mr. Chen, please return here at this time tomorrow, and I will be sure to give you a definite answer."
Lu Zhao nodded, his gaze sweeping past a few decent-quality wolf pelts on the stall. "Thank you for your trouble. I will return tomorrow." With that, he turned and left.
In the southwest corner of the Lin Family Marketplace, a stone house with a small courtyard served as Hu Ming’s team’s base. The metallic scent of blood from the drying beast hides still lingered in the air.
"Brother Hu!" Lin Yao pushed open the main room’s wooden door, speaking rapidly. "A stranger showed up today, called himself Chen Yuanping. He has a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivation and wants to join our caravan to Bixia Marketplace!"
Hu Ming, who was busy processing Demon Beast Materials, paused. "Chen Yuanping?" His thick eyebrows knitted together. ’There’s no one by that name among the well-known late-stage Cultivators in the Marketplace. An outsider?’
"Most likely," Lin Yao nodded. "I told him to come back tomorrow."
Hu Ming set down the materials in his hands and thought for a moment. ’I’ll meet him myself tomorrow.’ He walked to the window and looked out at his team members bustling in the courtyard, his voice low. "Bixia Marketplace is the largest marketplace in Chen Country. The opportunities there are far beyond what Lin Family Marketplace can offer. If we transport this batch of materials there, our profits will more than double. Lin Family Marketplace is just too small."
Lin Yao walked to his side, her expression hesitant, but she spoke anyway. "Brother Hu, are we really going to Bixia Marketplace? Isn’t it fine to just stay in Lin Family Marketplace?"
When Hu Ming heard this, his expression darkened. "Didn’t we already agree? Why are you getting cold feet now that the time has come?"
Lin Yao’s voice grew quiet. "I know. I promised I’d go with you, and I won’t go back on my word. It’s just... I was born and raised here. My parents’ graves are still on the mountain behind the town. If I leave..." Her throat tightened, and she couldn’t continue.
Hu Ming turned, his rough, large hand covering the back of her cool one. The thick calluses on his palm rubbed against her delicate skin. "Ayao, I understand. But in the Cultivation Realm, it’s like rowing a boat upstream. The Spiritual Qi in Lin Family Marketplace is thin and resources are scarce. If we remain trapped here, we’ll have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. Bixia Marketplace is backed by the Bixia Sect; the Spiritual Qi is rich, and the opportunities are endless. Once we’ve established ourselves there, we can come back in glory to repair their graves and erect a new headstone. I’m sure your parents would be gratified in the afterlife."
Lin Yao took a deep breath, forcing back the tears welling in her eyes. She squeezed Hu Ming’s hand tightly in return. "Mm, I know. I won’t bring it up again!"
「The next day at 7:00 AM, Hundred Beasts Alleyway.」
Beneath the indigo banner, Hu Ming stood with his arms crossed, his black, tight-fitting clothes making him appear as straight and tall as a pine tree. Lin Yao stood half a step behind him, her gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd. When Lu Zhao’s figure appeared once more, she said in a low voice, "He’s here."
Hu Ming’s gaze locked onto Lu Zhao, sensing his profound and stable aura, his Magical Power circulating smoothly and without obstruction. He thought to himself, ’He really is a genuine Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Cultivator.’
"Mr. Chen." Hu Ming was the first to cup his fist in a salute, his smile hearty. "I am Hu Ming. I heard from Ayao yesterday that you’re interested in traveling with us?"
Lu Zhao returned the salute, his words concise. "That’s right. I’m also headed to Bixia Marketplace. There’s safety in numbers."
"You’re a straightforward man, Mr. Chen!" Hu Ming’s smile didn’t waver, but his tone suddenly shifted. "Forgive my presumption, but you don’t seem to be from our Biyun County, do you?"
Lu Zhao looked up, his gaze as calm as still water. "You have a good eye, Captain Hu. What, does your team only accept local Cultivators?"
"Hahaha, you jest, Mr. Chen!" Hu Ming’s laughter boomed. "When you’re away from home, it never hurts to be a little extra cautious. Please don’t take offense. It’s just that this journey is long and fraught with unknowable dangers, and I am responsible for the several dozen lives in my team. May I ask where you hail from, Mr. Chen? Are you going to Bixia Marketplace to visit friends, or...?"
"A traveling merchant from Northern Plains County. Chen Yuanping." Lu Zhao stated the identity he had prepared, his tone even. "I’m going to Bixia Marketplace to cultivate, of course. I was just passing through when I heard Captain Hu was recruiting, so I thought I’d join a group to save myself some trouble."
’Northern Plains County?’ Hu Ming’s mind raced. ’Northern Plains County is thousands of miles away. For him to cross several counties alone with only a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivation... either he’s hiding his true cultivation, or his strength is extraordinary. Either way, he’s worth recruiting.’
His smile widened. "I see! Mr. Chen has come from afar. It was I who was rude. With your profound cultivation, it is our honor to have you join the caravan!" His tone shifted. "However, when a caravan travels through the wilderness, encounters with Demon Beasts and Tribulation Cultivators are unavoidable. If we run into danger, I wonder if you would be willing to lend a hand and fight off our common enemies, Mr. Chen?"
Lu Zhao looked up and met Hu Ming’s gaze directly. "I only seek to arrive safely in Bixia Marketplace. If we encounter a perilous situation that endangers my life, I will naturally do my best. But if the situation is hopeless..." He paused, his voice still calm. "...I will prioritize my own survival."
’A glint flashed in Hu Ming’s eyes. The answer seemed selfish, but it was far more believable than empty promises. Wanderers have always been pragmatic, seeking fortune and avoiding disaster. This man’s frankness actually lessened his suspicion.’
"Excellent! A man of frank words!" Hu Ming clapped his hands and laughed. "In that case, on behalf of the caravan, I welcome you, Mr. Chen! Given your profound cultivation, we’ll waive the five-Spirit Stone Guard Fee. Six days from now, at 7:00 AM, we will gather on time at the north gate of the Marketplace to depart for Bixia Marketplace!"
"A deal. But I have one question. It seems your caravan is planning to take a shortcut. I wonder where you’re planning to cross." Lu Zhao fixed his eyes on Hu Ming.
"You’re well-informed, Mr. Chen." A hint of gravity appeared in Hu Ming’s eyes, but he didn’t intend to hide it. "The Celestial Ridge Mountain Range. There are rumors of a Tier Two Demon Beast there, but no one has actually seen it for the last few hundred years. Even if there was one, it would have been killed off by someone or died of old age by now. If we go around it, the journey will take several more months, so we..."
Hu Ming didn’t finish, but his meaning was perfectly clear. Lu Zhao thought of his own map, which showed no Tier Two Demon Beasts in the Celestial Ridge Mountain Range, and found himself believing Hu Ming’s words a little more.
Lu Zhao nodded, said no more, and turned to disappear into the crowd.
Once Lu Zhao’s figure had vanished, Lin Yao whispered, "Brother Hu, his origins are unknown and his cultivation is high. Could he be a threat to us...?"
Hu Ming gazed in the direction Lu Zhao had disappeared. "It’s precisely because his cultivation is high that we must bring him along. The road from Biyun County to Bixia County is a treacherous journey of thousands of miles. When we cross the Celestial Ridge Mountain Range, we’ll encounter more than just one or two Tier One Late Stage Demon Beasts. At a critical moment, one Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Cultivator is worth several at the Mid-stage Qi Cultivation. As for his origins, are the others who joined our caravan any better?"
He turned, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yao’s still-worried face, and his tone softened. "Ayao, go inform the others. We leave in six days. Tell them to prepare the necessary Talismans, Pills, and backup Magical Artifacts. Not a single item can be overlooked! This trip must be a success. Failure is not an option!"
"Yes!" Lin Yao nodded firmly, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes replaced by determination.