First Arrival in Luofan

The Luofan Kingdom lay in the heart of Linhua Continent. Vast and populous, it was a major nation by population.

Mengka City was a border city of the Luofan Kingdom. It had once been extremely poor and underdeveloped, but with the Black Rock Mountain Range at its back and the completion of the cross-border highway, it had become an essential route for trade between the two countries. These days, it was developing fairly well.

On the outskirts of Mengka City, where it bordered the Black Rock Mountain Range, a group of seven slowly came to a stop.

It was around seven or eight in the morning. The occasional Mengka City Hunter passing by on the way into the mountains to hunt could not help giving them a few extra looks.

All seven wore exhausted expressions. Aside from Liu Wenyin, the other six had ragged clothes, covered in mud and streaked with blood.

"Thank you for escorting us all this way. I've already settled the payment, so let's part ways here."

Liu Wenyin looked at the four Hunters in the group, polite yet distant.

They all had legal identities and could return directly to Mu Kingdom via the cross-border highway, without having to cross the dangerous Black Rock Mountain Range again.

The four exchanged glances, thanked her, and turned to leave.

Before departing, the two Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters covertly glanced at Aunt Yun.

Aunt Yun's hair was now completely white. She was hunched over, her face covered in age spots, looking frail and near death. Yet her eyes remained sharp as swords as she watched the four leave.

Su Ze had originally carried Aunt Yun down the mountain, but halfway down, she said she had recovered enough and insisted on walking by herself.

Su Ze understood her intentions as well. After confirming that she was alright, he set her down.

After the group had been attacked by the Beast Swarm, these four Hunters had not chosen to leave like most of the others. Instead, they had continued escorting Liu Wenyin. They had already passed a test of character and could be considered trustworthy, dutiful people.

But wealth could move the heart. After Aunt Yun revealed the Fifth-Order Marvel, there was no guarantee they would not become greedy.

After all, a Fifth-Order Marvel was priceless. In any nation, it could be regarded as a national treasure. When temptation was great enough, anyone short of a saint might fail to hold firm and yield to the greed in their heart.

Especially those two Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters. They had tested Aunt Yun repeatedly along the way and had clearly developed ulterior motives.

But Aunt Yun had revealed nothing, leaving the two Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters unable to gauge her true condition. They did not dare take the gamble. If Aunt Yun still had the strength to fight, or could use Dream Weaver's Eye one more time in a desperate struggle, they would be finished.

"What about you?" Liu Wenyin looked at Su Ze. "Where are you planning to go?"

"Of course I'm sticking with you, sis."

Su Ze was unfamiliar with the Luofan Kingdom. He intended to follow Liu Wenyin for a while, get a grasp of the situation, and then decide what to do. Besides, there were some things he wanted to ask Liu Wenyin about.

Watching the four Hunters disappear at the edge of his vision, Su Ze said, "I'm just worried they'll bring trouble even after they leave."

Liu Wenyin shook her head. "We'll deal with that when it comes. They did put in a lot of effort along the way, and Aunt Yun isn't in good condition right now. It wouldn't be suitable to fight again."

Aunt Yun's face suddenly turned pale. The light in her eyes swiftly dimmed, and she staggered as she was about to collapse.

Fortunately, Su Ze reacted quickly and caught her.

It turned out Aunt Yun had long since reached the end of her strength. She had merely been forcing herself to hold on the entire way.

"Quick, let's get into the city first."

Afraid that the two Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters might return, Su Ze immediately carried Aunt Yun on his back and hurried away.

Su Ze led Liu Wenyin in a jog for nearly twenty minutes before they finally came across an electric tricycle.

Once they got on, the elderly driver rattled off something incomprehensible. Su Ze tried communicating with him in the Linhua Continent common language, but the man did not know it.

Fortunately, Liu Wenyin was there. After she and the driver exchanged a stream of rapid chatter, she settled on the price and destination.

"You know Luofan too?" Su Ze asked curiously.

"I've studied six languages."

"Impressive."

The tricycle bumped along country roads. The old houses, tangled electrical wires, trash everywhere, packs of stray dogs, and weathered people they saw along the way all proclaimed the poverty and backwardness of this nation.

The Luofan Kingdom was not weak in overall national strength, but its enormous gap between rich and poor was equally famous, ranking first among the six nations.

Every city in the Luofan Kingdom had a designated wealthy district, forbidden territory for the poor, as well as slums that occupied the smallest area yet housed the largest population. Mengka City was no exception.

Su Ze and the others were headed neither for the wealthy district nor the slums, but for an ordinary neighborhood where many middle-class people lived.

After more than two hours of jostling in the tricycle, they finally reached Mengka City proper. They immediately switched to a taxi, and after communicating with the driver, he took them to a bustling street.

"The driver said it's convenient to find both lodging and food here. Many businessmen from Mu Kingdom choose to stay here," Liu Wenyin said.

Su Ze surveyed the street. It was certainly lively, but just as dirty and chaotic as before. The surrounding buildings were also extremely old, making him feel as though he had returned to a rural village from the 1990s in his previous life.

Su Ze and the others were not short on money, but the wealthy district had strict inspections and security checks everywhere. None of them could use their real identities, so they would be unable to move freely there. They could only make do and stay here.

The place was shabby, but it had one advantage: hotels did not require identity registration.

"Let's find somewhere to stay first."

Su Ze and Liu Wenyin asked a few passersby for directions. Before they had asked many people, Su Ze ran into a friendly fellow countryman from Mu Kingdom. At the man's recommendation, the three checked into a nearby hotel.

Though in Su Ze's opinion, it should have been called an inn.

After checking in, Su Ze found his room. It was small, and the furniture was rather old, but at least it was fairly clean.

Liu Wenyin and Aunt Yun were staying next door. They were all too tired and needed a proper rest.

Su Ze took a shower first, changed into clean clothes, then threw himself onto the bed and lay spread-eagled on his back. He let out a deep breath, feeling himself relax from the inside out.

He had finally escaped Mu Kingdom!

To him, Pebble Prison had been a small cage, while Mu Kingdom had been a larger one. He could never eat or sleep in peace while remaining in Mu Kingdom. It was the Zhao Family's home ground, and he always had to worry about being captured by them.

Things were different in the Luofan Kingdom. No matter how powerful the Zhao Family was, its influence was limited to Mu Kingdom. It could not possibly reach that far.

As long as he stayed careful and kept a low profile, the Zhao Family trying to find him in the Luofan Kingdom, the most populous of the six nations, would be like looking for a needle in the sea.

But he was not absolutely safe either. Su Ze had not forgotten that he still had an enemy: the Netherworld Organization.

After Feng Buqing went mad, Su Ze was not sure whether the Netherworld Organization would continue tracking him.

Besides, Su Ze remembered that Zhao Yuanyi had a friend in a high position in the Luofan Kingdom. Originally, Zhao Yuanyi had planned to have Zhao Lingxiao seek refuge with that friend after arriving in the Luofan Kingdom.

It was possible Zhao Yuanyi would use that friend's power to search for him in the Luofan Kingdom.

In the end, if he wanted true safety, he still had to improve his own strength.

But that was for later. Right now, Su Ze only wanted to get a good night's sleep.