Before long, the team finished lighting the fire and began preparing ingredients for cooking.
Zhang Rongfang patted his robe, found a shady spot, and sat down cross-legged to rest.
The Official Road they were on was now located on the mountainside deep in the mountains.
The convoy was surrounded by steep gray mountain walls on one side and high cliffs on the other.
The location Zhang Rongfang found was under an old pine tree between the Official Road and the mountain cliff.
The ground beneath the pine tree was covered with a thick layer of fallen Pine Needles, a mixture of withered yellow and dark green, interspersed with other leaves and branches, making it soft and comfortable to walk on.
He sat cross-legged and gazed into the distance below the cliff.
In the distance, below the mountains, lies a large lake.
The lake surface was a bluish-black color, shrouded in a misty haze, obscuring the details.
Further away, the lake, green mountains, and clouds merge into one, creating distinct layers from bottom to top.
Zhang Rongfang took a deep breath and felt the air was clear and the warm breeze was blowing, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.
Looking out over the vast lake below the cliffs, he felt a sense of expansive comfort.
Feeling elated, Zhang Rongfang decided to use up all the Attribute Points he had saved up over the past month.
In one month, he accumulated four attribute points. He could then upgrade the level of the External Medicine by one more level.
Close your eyes, enter a meditative state, and adjust your state.
Then add a little more.
Spiritual practice is so easy, simple, and natural.
With a series of faint cracking sounds, Zhang Rongfang felt changes happening all over his body once again.
My body felt heavier again.
The people standing nearby were initially a little surprised, but later they realized that this kind of noise would happen every now and then.
The three of them assumed it was due to Zhang Rongfang's special martial arts training. However, the training state of this martial arts was very similar to the state of the body when stimulated by External Medicine.
No one would have guessed that Zhang Rongfang wasn't actually practicing martial arts, but was genuinely trying to break through to a higher level. A short while later, after his condition stabilized...
"Speaking of which, Brother Chen Han, how long was the interval between each dose of your External Medicine back then?" Zhang Rongfang asked.
Chen Han stayed right behind him, protecting him closely.
When asked, he recalled for a moment.
"It should be once a year. Of course, not everyone can reach nine Nine External Medicines. Most people can't continue after five times."
After five attempts, another hurdle arises. Once you break through it, you can smoothly enter the Internal Method.
If we can't break through, we'll stop here. We'll consider praying to the Worship God.
"Is five times a threshold?" Zhang Rongfang understood.
"To be precise, many of the Super Grade are only successful once with External Medicine. After that, their potential is exhausted."
These kinds of Super Grade are almost always sent to various places to Guardian affairs. "Chen Han replied.
"Those who can break through the External Medicine Super Grade once, or even two to five times, are already quite strong. With proper coordination, even I can only handle two of them."
Experts at this level are generally high-ranking members of major factions.
"Brother Chen, do you know how many Super Grade experts our Great Dao Sect has?" Zhang Rongfang couldn't help but ask curiously.
"This..." Chen Han frowned slightly. "I don't know, but according to standard configuration, each province and each route should have at least one Super Grade."
"That's a lot," Zhang Rongfang remarked.
The Great Ling has one main body, four deputy bodies, and five major powers. He had some free time during this period and roughly calculated them according to the map.
The territory of the Great Ling was discovered to be roughly equivalent to one and a half to two China in a previous life.
Its sheer size and the complexity of its ethnic groups are unimaginable.
Great Capital was only the capital of the Suzerain State; the other four vassal states also had similar capitals.
The main area of influence of the Great Dao Sect was within the Suzerain State.
The other four sub-states have not spread much; they are mainly Buddhist School and True One Sect, as well as other religious sects.
A rough calculation shows that the Great Dao Sect has three digits of Super Grade.
"But Daozi, don't worry. In the Great Capital, Super Grade is nothing special, but in other places, a Super Grade person is usually someone in power who wouldn't easily risk their life."
"Even if Citong is the number one port in the Number One Under Heaven, with strength far exceeding that of ordinary cities, it is impossible for it to be as exaggerated as Great Capital." Chen Han said in a deep voice.
He thought Zhang Rongfang was worried about what to do once they arrived in Citong.
"That would be best," Zhang Rongfang nodded.
Just then, a sobbing sound suddenly came from the Official Road ahead.
The cries of a woman and a child are gradually approaching.
Zhang Rongfang squinted and looked ahead.
But then they saw First Squad people dressed in tattered clothes slowly walking along the winding Official Road in the opposite direction from them.
The group consisted of more than ten people, including five women, two children, and the rest were elderly.
Their clothes, though seemingly made of decent material, were filthy, tattered, and torn into pieces, hanging on their bodies like rags.
"They've been robbed," someone in the convoy whispered.
Zhang Rongfang also noticed that these people all had injuries, some of which were even inflamed and suppurating.
Some had lost an arm, and one child had one eye covered with a cloth, still slowly bleeding.
These people have clearly not received medical treatment for some time.
In addition, Zhang Rongfang noticed that most of the elderly people among these people were wearing black clothes.
Not only that, they also mostly wore light green hats.
Princess Yongxiang's entourage made no move upon seeing this.
Several people lowered their heads, unable to bear to look.
Especially those children, one little boy was only seven or eight years old, and one of his eyes was damaged.
Another little girl, about five years old, had a hole the size of an egg on her shoulder. The hole had almost rotted through her shoulder, and you could see the dark red flesh inside.
She looked completely bewildered, clutching the hem of her mother's clothes with her dirty little hands.
"That looks like an arrow wound that's festering," A Yi whispered.
He had seen wounds like this before.
Zhang Rongfang sighed and nodded.
Then they saw the group of people come to the convoy, and one by one they knelt down and kowtowed silently.
The two most seriously injured children were pushed to the front row and made to kneel on the ground.
These people kowtowed and bowed, their voices trembling with sobs as they spoke in some dialect, or perhaps a difficult-to-understand Great Ling.
Zhang Rongfang realized they were asking for help.
He glanced at the princess's entourage ahead; two people wanted to go out, but were held back by their companions.
"Why is the convoy unwilling to provide assistance? They only want to give us some medicine and food," Zhang Rongfang asked in surprise.
He was a kind person and couldn't bear to see such a scene.
It's best to eliminate adversaries completely.
Why not show a shred of pity to someone who has no conflict of interest?
"It should be that Princess Yongxiang dislikes these people's status," Chen Han replied.
"Identity?" Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly. "What identity? You can tell someone's identity after only a few dozen breaths?"
"Before the Great Ling Heavenly Garment Pavilion issued a complete set of regulations on clothing colors, there were already rules," Chen Han said. "In the households of prostitutes, family members were only allowed to wear black clothes and green hats. No other colors of clothing were allowed. Otherwise, if they were found out, their property would be confiscated and they would be whipped dozens of times. It was a very strict law."
Zhang Rongfang was slightly taken aback.
He suddenly remembered that the ancient times in his previous life seemed to have the same rules.
So this is the origin of the term "cuckold's hat"? "Even if they are Brothel Household, many things are not of their own free will. Why can't we help them in this predicament?" Zhang Rongfang shook his head and sighed.
"Daozi is right," Chen Han nodded.
"A Er, go and bring them some medicine and food," Zhang Rongfang instructed.
"Yes." A Er was the most silent of the three, but also the most honest. He did whatever he was told to do and never complained.
Zhang Rongfang and his companions didn't have enough food and medicine, and they quickly ran out.
So A Er requested to purchase the items from the Princess's Caravan.
But I was rejected.
Fortunately, the group didn't pester them. After receiving some help, they were extremely grateful and kowtowed many times to Zhang Rongfang. They then asked for his name and where he came from, carefully noted it down, and then got up to continue their journey.
Until the group completely left and disappeared at the end of the road.
Zhang Rongfang looked away.
Meanwhile, the princess had already prepared the rice, vegetables, and soup.
A young maid, carrying a large dark red food box, approached Zhang Rongfang.
"Lord Zhang, this is a meal bestowed upon us by my princess. Your food was given to those beggars before, so it probably isn't enough now."
"Then thank you very much, Princess." Zhang Rongfang cupped his hands and gestured for A Er to step forward and take the food box.
After A Er took it, he carried it to Zhang Rongfang's side and gently opened it.
The food box is divided into four layers, one layer for each person.
The interior was divided into four evenly spaced sections, serving three dishes and one meal.
Braised lion's head meatballs, lychee pork, and steamed mandarin fish.
It's all meat and vegetables.
The mandarin fish was extremely fresh. Scallion and soy sauce were poured over the cut fish meat, and a rich, mellow aroma emanated from the tender white cuts.
It looks appetizing.
Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly and took a deep sniff.
I always felt there was a very faint other smell in this dish.
That seemed to be the aroma of some kind of spice.
If his alchemy skills hadn't already reached a considerable level, comparable to an ordinary Pill Master, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect this scent at all.
However, after checking the Attribute Panel, the health didn't change, so it's obviously not poisonous.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Rongfang tossed his food to Chen Han, who was standing to the side.
I asked him to eat it all.
He then took out Grain Avoidance Pill and ate it.
"Isn't Daozi hungry? It's not good to just eat Grain Avoidance Pill, is it?" Chen Han asked doubtfully.
"It's nothing, I think it tastes good, and it saves time too," Zhang Rongfang replied with a smile.
Before long, the food was completely devoured.
Chen Han and his two companions were the last ones to finish. They packed up the food boxes and were about to deliver them.
The maid from before came over again and took the food box from A Er.
This time, the maid seemed to be wearing a special fragrance, rich and intense.
The aura immediately drifted over to Zhang Rongfang.
He frowned slightly, feeling that the scent was a little too strong.
Just then, Zhang Rongfang suddenly realized that something was wrong.
The three people beside him, including Chen Han, seemed to slow down their movements!
Not only them, but also the Princess's Caravan and others not far away.
Most of them were wobbling; something was wrong.
"Poison!?"
Zhang Rongfang immediately sensed something was wrong and looked at the maid who was carrying the food box.
The woman smiled slightly, and her muscles rapidly expanded.
Her dress ripped, and her previously delicate and elegant face suddenly revealed prominent veins and blood vessels.
His height increased from 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters.
The arms and legs rapidly expanded and grew larger.
"Die!!"
Boom! A small crater appeared in the ground as the maid swooped forward, her hands outstretched like Eagle Claw, her sharp fingers emitting shrill cries as she grabbed at Zhang Rongfang's head.
This move is extremely fast. If it hits, Zhang Rongfang's head will explode like a watermelon in the blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, this tactic failed.
The claw landed a short distance in front of Zhang Rongfang.
Zhang Rongfang turned and ran, disappearing more than ten meters away in the blink of an eye.
And at that very moment.
Chen Han, who was standing to the side, finally reacted, let out a low roar, and stepped forward to block.
Thud! The maid's claws slammed into Chen Han's chest, but only managed to break the outer layer of skin.
As Spirit Vein, his entire body has already become much stronger and his defense is extremely high. Unless you use heavy weapons or firearms, ordinary moves can't do much damage at all.
But before Chen Han could even catch his breath...
Bang! With a muffled thud, he was shot in the head, leaving a bloody hole in the right side of his face.
A circular hole pierced through the skull, through which the gray mountain wall in the distance behind could be clearly seen.
That maid even had a gun!
She raised her hand and aimed at Zhang Rongfang, but before she could fire again, A Yi suddenly rushed up from the side and struck him hard on the right arm.
With a crisp crack, the arm broke.
The woman was preoccupied with dealing with Chen Han and didn't notice A Yi's attack, and was injured on the spot.
She screamed and tried to switch hands to hold the gun, but it was too late.
Chen Han grabbed her by the throat, took the gun, and lifted her up.
"Daozi, what should we do?" He turned to look at Zhang Rongfang, whose gunshot wound on his head was rapidly healing, filled with fine silver threads, and restored to its original state.
Just now, because of the poison, he was a few breaths slower, which almost caused a serious mistake.
Now that I've come to my senses, I'm suddenly filled with lingering fear.
Zhang Rongfang also filled with lingering fear.
The woman's speed was faster than A Er's; she was at least a master of External Medicine applied three times.
This expert attacked suddenly, while the others were still impaired by the poison. Fortunately, I handled it well and acted convincingly.
If they succeed, I will have no choice but to reveal my true strength to counter them.
At that time, I simply won't be able to explain how I was able to go from one External Medicine to five External Medicine in such a short period of time.
Thinking of this, Zhang Rongfang's eyes turned cold as he looked at the woman who was still struggling.
"Kill him."
Chen Han immediately tightened his grip, intending to crush the woman's neck.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Chen Han like lightning, pointing with one hand.
A tremendous force surged forth, causing Chen Han's arm to go limp and weaken.
The woman was also freed and fell to the ground.
"Greetings, Princess." Chen Han was about to retaliate when he saw that the person standing in front of him was Princess Yongxiang, who was wearing a purple dress. He immediately clasped his hands in greeting.
"What is the Princess's intention?" Zhang Rongfang frowned. "This person suddenly attempted to assassinate me; he should have been killed on the spot. Why are you stopping me?"
Princess Yongxiang glanced at the maid.
"We couldn't find the source of the Black-Clad Man before, but now that we've finally caught one alive, we can follow the clues and find the real culprit."
"Killing him like this would just kill off the trail again!"
Zhang Rongfang stared intently at the other person, but felt that Yong Xiang's eyes were cold and sharp, and he could not see any other deeper meaning.
"I was the one this woman tried to assassinate. If anyone should be asking questions, it should be me."
"This person is lurking in my caravan, and it is only right that I, the princess, should personally interrogate him. What? Do you have a problem with that?" Yong Xiang's tone suddenly dropped.
Their eyes met, and they paused for a few breaths.
Zhang Rongfang suddenly smiled.
"Since the princess insists, I will comply. However, I would like to ask the princess to investigate thoroughly and give me a clear answer."
"Okay." Princess Yongxiang grabbed the maid's shoulder, turned around and tapped a few times, disappearing in the blink of an eye at the end of the Official Road not far away.
Thanks for the donation from last week's "Children's Hot Discussion 1"! I've been feeling really out of sorts lately without the chapter comments. Without all the hilarious comments from my readers, it's seriously affecting my Old Gun and my flow. Hope it gets unblocked soon! Sigh... /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~