"Daoist! Daoist up ahead! Daoist, please wait!"
The escort convoy behind him caught up, and the man called Lieutenant Lin still sounded fairly polite as he shouted from behind Fan Wu, "Um... Daoist, please wait!!!"
Fan Wu stopped.
He turned around.
The leading escort in the convoy cupped his hands toward him and said, "My surname is Lin. I'm the escort chief of the Huwei Escort Agency!"
"What is it?" Fan Wu replied blandly, without the slightest emotion.
Lieutenant Lin felt a little awkward.
The broad-shouldered Daoist before him seemed to have an air that kept strangers at a distance.
For a moment, he did not know what to say.
As it happened, the curtain of the carriage was pulled open again, and a somewhat pleasant voice drifted out lazily: "The vast blood energy on your person is truly astonishing. I never expected to encounter a cultivator in a place like this."
"I'm an Imperial Astronomy Bureau Lieutenant. I was adopted by the Imperial Astronomy Bureau when I was young, so you could say I inherited my teachings from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau. I specialize in techniques for killing ghosts and eliminating demons."
The speaker immediately revealed some of his own information, as though he had no defenses against strangers.
In fact, Fan Wu did not need him to introduce himself.
He could already tell who he was.
He also knew some of the man's information.
Imperial Astronomy Bureau Battalion Officer--Fate: 299--Strength: 7.7--Skills: Hundred Killings Divine Path Technique, Seven Demon-Subduing Seals, Complete Collection of Basic Talismans, Imperial Astronomy Bureau, Sixteenth Edition
The man had not lied. He truly was an Imperial Astronomy Bureau Battalion Officer, and he really did know techniques for killing ghosts and eliminating demons.
Moreover, his attributes were extremely high.
Among all the living people Fan Wu had encountered, this man's [Fate] and [Strength] attributes were second only to Xuan Shizi, who had been possessed by the Great Venerable!
"Just an ordinary Daoist, a disciple of the Old Heavenly Master of Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery." Fan Wu dragged his fraudulent master out as a shield.
That fraudulent master of his, who had already been dead for many days...
Perhaps this was the only use he had left.
"Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery?"
The other man had clearly never heard of Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery.
After all... Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery was only famous within Prison Dragon County. Outside it, the place was just an unknown, run-down monastery.
And in truth, it really was a run-down monastery. There was not a single true Daoist in the entire monastery.
"Daoist, you should be heading to Baihe County, right?" the other man asked again.
Fan Wu gave a slight nod.
"Ha! What a coincidence. We happen to be heading the same way." With a very pleasant voice, the man said something that made the corner of Fan Wu's mouth twitch.
Fan Wu did not want to have too much to do with anyone from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau.
Based on his shallow understanding of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, its people were somewhat like a special group of constables...
Or perhaps more like the Embroidered Uniform Guards from history in his previous life.
Getting entangled with people like that would definitely bring endless trouble.
Besides, speaking with a man whose voice sounded so much like a woman's coquettish whine...
Fan Wu found it extremely strange.
Especially since he noticed that this Imperial Astronomy Bureau Battalion Officer seemed to be studying him with a curious gaze.
It made Fan Wu feel uncomfortable all over.
Damn!!!
Fan Wu remembered that the County Magistrate of Prison Dragon County had once explained to him... that the Imperial Astronomy Bureau was full of strange people.
Now he had truly broadened his horizons.
At the very least, in Fan Wu's eyes, the fellow before him was extremely strange!
He did not continue chatting with the man. He could not be bothered to ask what exactly the other party was transporting.
After turning around, Fan Wu led Old Green Ox onward by himself.
The Imperial Astronomy Bureau Battalion Officer did not take this to heart, as though he had long since grown accustomed to being treated this way. After pulling the carriage curtain shut, he did not speak again.
The convoy also began moving.
"Chief, why didn't that Daoist pay any attention to the Imperial Astronomy Bureau lord?" Beside Lieutenant Lin, a young escort lowered his voice and asked quietly, "Could it be that he doesn't know what the Imperial Astronomy Bureau represents? And the lord doesn't seem to mind that the Daoist ignored him either. What's going on?!"
Lieutenant Lin shot him a glance. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Perhaps that Daoist is quite capable, and even when facing an Imperial Astronomy Bureau lord, he has confidence of his own."
"Stop overthinking it. Since the Imperial Astronomy Bureau lord was so polite to him, that Daoist must be far from ordinary!"
"Those of us who escort goods for a living need good skills and courage, but we also need to know how to read the situation!"
"..."
The sky...
Darkened soon after.
The escorts of the Huwei Escort Agency had traveled for most of the day without stopping. Although they had remained on horseback instead of walking, being jolted around for half a day had left them thoroughly battered!
Even Lieutenant Lin, an old hand who had spent many years escorting goods, felt somewhat fatigued.
But unfortunately... there was no suitable place to stop nearby.
They could only light their torches and prepare to continue traveling through the darkness ahead of schedule.
Lieutenant Lin watched Fan Wu leading the ox ahead, unable to keep from clicking his tongue inwardly: This strange Daoist has walked on two legs for most of the day. Could he really not be tired at all?
Most outrageous of all, Fan Wu had walked on two legs while somehow maintaining the same pace as the convoy!
This shocked Lieutenant Lin even more... Could this man be made of iron?
Time passed by, second after second.
Night quietly descended!
A group of exhausted escorts held their torches as they traveled. Every one of them looked even more tense than they had during the day, and, without any need for discussion, they edged closer to the carriage of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau Battalion Officer.
It seemed that only by staying near that Imperial Astronomy Bureau lord, who had the ability to kill ghosts and subdue demons, could they feel even a little safe.
After all, in this World of Gods and Anomalies, walking through the wilderness at night...
Was extremely dangerous!
If they encountered some demon or ghost, they would be utterly screwed!
"Moo~"
With everyone's nerves stretched taut, Old Green Ox's call gave the escorts a terrible fright.
Before they could even calm their pounding hearts... they discovered that there was actually a light shining not far ahead!
"Chief! There seems to be a shop ahead!" one of the escorts hurriedly said. "We can rest there for a while!"
"Wait... something isn't right." Lieutenant Lin's brows drew tightly together as he said, "How could there be a shop here?"
This was not his first time traveling this road. As an experienced escort chief, how could he risk taking a road he had never traveled before?
"I escorted goods along this road just a few months ago. There wasn't a single shop in sight then!" Lieutenant Lin spoke cautiously. "Besides, not many traveling merchants use this road. What kind of person would open a shop here? Wouldn't they lose money hand over fist?"
His words jolted everyone awake.
That was right!
Who would open a shop in this godforsaken place?
On an ordinary day, this place might not even see ten people pass through from morning to night.
What fool would choose to open a shop here?
Something was very wrong!
Unable to make up his mind, Lieutenant Lin turned around and addressed the Imperial Astronomy Bureau Battalion Officer inside the carriage. "My lord, there's something strange up ahead. Should we... Hmm?!"
At that moment, Lieutenant Lin's eyes widened.
His gaze passed over the carriage, over the escorts, and over the goods they were transporting...
And looked behind them.
Lieutenant Lin secretly swallowed.
A bone-chilling cold surged straight up his spine, leaving his entire body ice-cold!!
"My lord, the road we came by is gone!!"
Lieutenant Lin cried out in alarm.
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