Imperial Astronomy Bureau Squad Leader! Arriving at Baihe County!

Two days later.

Fan Wu looked at the slightly low city walls ahead and knew he had arrived at Baihe County. It was a county town he needed to pass through on his way to the Southern Commandery Prefecture, and he also needed to resupply here.

Baihe County was clearly much livelier than Prison Dragon County.

Outside the county town, many vendors were shouting and hawking their wares.

There were also some people dressed as yamen runners, maintaining order outside.

However.

The moment Fan Wu stood there...

The scene gradually quieted down.

Compared to the people around him, his stature was too imposing. Coupled with the aura he unintentionally exuded, like that of a ferocious beast, it made others tremble and recoil with just a glance.

Even though he was wearing a Daoist robe, at first glance, he looked more like a murderer!

The kind who could kill without batting an eye.

The yamen runners of Baihe County, intimidated by his presence...

Swallowed nervously.

Finally...

A young yamen runner, with a bandaged ear and clearly injured, mustered his courage and shouted, "S-stop! Where are you from, and what do you want in our Baihe County!?"

Fan Wu turned his head slightly, glancing at him with calm, unperturbed eyes.

"Hiss!!!"

The yamen runner, upon being looked at by Fan Wu, couldn't help but gasp sharply.

He felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, and his scalp tingled.

Terrified, he quickly took two steps back.

As if afraid that if he retreated any slower, his head would be crushed with bare hands.

Fan Wu didn't answer his question. He seemed to ponder for a moment where he stood.

Then, leading the Old Green Ox, he began to advance...

Step by step.

His tall, robust, and imposing figure seemed to block out the distant morning light, casting the young yamen runner who had spoken into shadow.

An immense pressure immediately washed over him, making the young yamen runner's legs go weak as noodles.

The young yamen runner, terrified, kept retreating.

He forgot to even draw the saber at his side.

Only when his back hit the city wall...

Was he finally unable to retreat any further.

"Wh-what do you want? This is Baihe County, my... my brothers are all here! Don't do anything rash! Please... please don't do anything rash!"

The yamen runner's trembling voice was almost choked with sobs.

He claimed his "brothers" were all here.

The problem was...

The remaining few Baihe County yamen runners dared not approach!

"Didn't you want to ask what I'm doing here?" Fan Wu lowered his head slightly, looking down at the yamen runner, who didn't even reach his chest in height, and asked in a flat tone.

"I-I won't ask anymore, I won't ask!" Cold sweat streamed down the yamen runner's forehead. He forced a smile, "I, I saw that you, Great Hero, must be a truly good person. I, I just wanted to say hello to you, Great Hero."

"Not asking anymore?" Fan Wu frowned.

He had walked over because he saw the yamen runner's bandaged ear, clearly injured.

He thought that if he answered from further away, the fellow might not hear clearly.

It might cause some misunderstanding or trouble.

So, he wanted to get closer to explain his intentions.

After all, Fan Wu's intentions were not difficult to state.

He was merely passing through this place and planned to go in to buy some things and rest and resupply.

Unexpectedly, the young yamen runner, for some reason, was so terrified that he kept retreating, almost wetting himself.

This left Fan Wu speechless, yet he had no choice but to follow step by step.

And now...

He said he wasn't asking anymore?

"Baffling," Fan Wu muttered these four words and, leading the Old Green Ox, entered Baihe County on his own.

After Fan Wu's retreating figure gradually disappeared from his sight.

His back pressed tightly against the city wall, the young yamen runner wished he could merge into it. He finally sat down on the ground as if he had been drained of all strength.

He was utterly terrified!

The other yamen runners outside Baihe County also found their courage at this moment.

They jogged over one by one.

One of the older yamen runners, seeing that the young man was unharmed, let out a slow sigh of relief and said earnestly, "Kid, you've got some nerve! How could you dare provoke someone that fierce? You only get half a tael of silver a month, what are you risking your life for?!"

Just as the young yamen runner trembled, trying to say something, the sound of dense hoofbeats came from not far away.

Then they saw...

A convoy of escorts flying the flag of the "Huwei Escort Agency," pulling carts and carriages, was heading towards Baihe County.

Those escorts, armed and with sharp eyes...

They looked like they were not to be trifled with!

The dust-covered escorts, seeing Baihe County within reach, all breathed a sigh of relief as if a great burden had been lifted.

"We're finally here..." Squad Leader Lin reacted the same way. His nerves had been incredibly taut for the past two days, fearing they would encounter any more anomalous events.

If they had met another evil ghost on the road, he felt his heart couldn't take any more shocks.

Thankfully, the past two days had been uneventful.

"Sir, we've arrived at Baihe County. But we didn't see Daoist Master Fan. He might have entered ahead of us," Squad Leader Lin said respectfully to Xie Jiuyi inside the carriage.

Xie Jiuyi's voice came out, "Just deliver the goods to the branch of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau in Baihe County."

"Yes, sir!" Squad Leader Lin nodded.

Their group entered Baihe County without anyone stopping them.

This was because the Huwei Escort Agency's reputation in Baihe County...

Was considered somewhat well-known.

Meanwhile.

Inside Baihe County.

Fan Wu, leading an old green ox down the road, attracted quite a bit of attention from passersby.

Fan Wu was already accustomed to this.

Back in Prison Dragon County, he was also the kind of person who would draw everyone's gaze the moment he stepped out.

He completely ignored the stares of shock or fear from those around him.

After walking in Baihe County for a while.

He finally spotted an inn.

It had to be said.

Baihe County was much more prosperous than Prison Dragon County. This inn was the largest he had seen in this world, and much bigger than the ghostly inn from the past two nights.

A waiter standing in front of the inn, seeing Fan Wu approaching, was about to smile and welcome a customer.

However...

As Fan Wu got closer, the inn waiter's head involuntarily tilted higher and higher.

Until he had to look up to see.

"G-guest, do you need me... to help you take this ox to the back of the inn?" The waiter, suppressing an inexplicable sense of pressure, forced a stiff smile and asked weakly, "May I help you?"

"Mm," Fan Wu replied. "Take it to the back of the inn and give it some grass to eat. You don't need to tie it up; it's intelligent and won't run away."

"Y-yes!" The waiter nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice, and scurried off to lead the old green ox.

Fan Wu withdrew his gaze.

He walked into the inn.

There were quite a few guests inside. Fortunately, they were all living people, not supernatural entities, nor Great Venerables.

Otherwise...

Fan Wu felt he might have to slaughter his way through again!

"Hmm?!"

However.

The attribute information above one person's head in the inn caught Fan Wu's attention.

[Imperial Astronomy Bureau Squad Leader -- Vitality: 329 -- Strength: 8.5 -- Skill: Dragon Elephant Body Protection Skill, Hundred Killings Divine Path Technique, Seven Seals of Demon Suppression, Imperial Astronomy Bureau 16th Edition Comprehensive Talisman Guide]