A Guest Does Not Stay

The Jinlan Mine had become much, much higher than before, making it inconvenient to even leave the village. What had once appeared as merely a low hill from the outside was now rows of towering peaks, with mountains undulating and stretching for dozens of miles. Moreover, new changes appeared silently every day.

The anomalous power permeating the village still maintained its range. What was once inconvenient had now become an advantage – a natural forbidden zone for Qi Refining cultivators.

However, there were also many downsides. For instance, there was only one entrance and exit to the village before, but now one could enter the Jinlan Mountain range from all directions. This made Yu Ziqing feel very insecure.

Adding to this, when the King of Hungry Ghosts appeared, all the hungry ghosts and countless starving ghosts across the entire Wasteland felt the opening of a new path at that very moment. Naturally, they all chose to transform without hesitation.

Thus, after these few days, the overwhelming, tide-like wave of hungry ghosts had all piled up outside the Jinlan Mountain range.

They were all waiting for the first alms and, at the same time, to worship and thank their King.

They had all come from poor families in life. This sounded like a platitude, because those who weren't poor wouldn't have starved to death.

Among them were many hungry ghosts from the same period as Yu Ziqing's first starvation.

From any perspective, Yu Ziqing felt he should settle these hungry ghosts. The most direct and efficient method was as it was now.

Using the locust tree branches where the hungry ghosts in the trees resided as a guide, he showered down sweet dew, creating large areas of locust trees most suitable for hungry ghosts to inhabit.

They now had a place to live, no longer suffering from wind, cold, rain, or snow. Within these trees, they could also be protected from hunger. At the same time, they could transform into guardians of the Jinlan Mountain, sealing it off from the outside world.

This was truly killing two birds with one stone.

However, encircling the entire Jinlan Mountain, stretching for hundreds of miles, was a considerable amount of work that couldn't be completed in a day or two. And this was something only someone with the authority of the King of Hungry Ghosts could achieve; no one could replace him.

After a few days, Yu Ziqing used the restroom on time, diligently showering down sweet dew, and finally gave up the idea of personally going to procure supplies. Cècè was finally persuaded and stopped watching him, willing to take Er Han out to find food.

Leaving the Jinlan Mountain range, Yu Ziqing continued outward for a stretch. This was to leave a portion of the area without anomalous power coverage, making it convenient for the villagers to live and cultivate in the future.

After all, within the Jinlan Mountain range, the villagers were fundamentally unable to have offspring. Old Yang was also unsure whether it was within a specific range that they couldn't have children, or if it was impossible even after leaving.

In any case, it was better to leave some normal areas for future contingencies.

Moreover, the land in the Wasteland was worthless and unwanted by anyone, so he could claim as much as he wanted.

Yu Ziqing walked alone in the snow, continuously showering down sweet dew. Vast locust tree forests sprang up as he passed.

He felt no fear at all, because beneath the thick snow, even he didn't know how many hungry ghosts were hidden.

Only after he passed did hungry ghosts emerge from under the snow, respectfully bowing and expressing their gratitude. Then, each chose a locust tree as their dwelling.

Of course, Yu Ziqing was also unaware that Wu Shuangge, strictly adhering to Cècè's instructions, was relentlessly monitoring Yu Ziqing, except for when he needed to use the restroom after counting down twenty thousand, fearing any accidents before the aftereffects disappeared.

Er Han's entire body was emitting heat, like a human beast. He ran like a swift arrow, charging across the snow without sinking.

Meanwhile, Cècè, clad in a black robe and standing on a wooden board, sped through the snow. She appeared relaxed and at ease, yet still managed to keep pace with Er Han.

The two traveled at full speed, three days and three nights without stopping, only taking occasional breaks along the way. They finally crossed a distance of over three thousand miles, reaching the border where the Wasteland, Great Li, and Da Gan intersected.

Upon arrival, although there was still snow on the ground, it was no longer as deep. They could faintly see some evergreen trees, which still retained a touch of green in this season.

Here, they slowed their pace. Er Han's eyes were bloodshot. To get there and back quickly, he had been running for three days and three nights, and had now lost a significant amount of weight.

"Sister Cècè, didn't you say we'd reach Great Li in two days if we went at full speed? How come we've been running for three days? You didn't get lost, did you?"

"Did you forget what the Village Chief told you before we left?"

"I'll listen to you, observe more, do as you say, and keep my mouth shut."

"Then how did you do?"

"I was wrong, Sister Cècè. Don't tell Grandpa or Brother Ziqing when we get back."

Cècè glanced at Er Han. This simpleton wasn't stupid, he just didn't want to use his brain a little.

Their village's Jinlan Mountain was indeed closer to Great Li. They only needed to travel directly east at full speed for two days to enter Great Li's territory, and within three days, they could find a border town with a relatively large population.

But at this time, if two people from the Wasteland went into Great Li's territory to procure a large quantity of grain, could Great Li's Shadow Division be so incompetent as to not notice them?

The reason Yu Ziqing had the entire village begin Body Refining was for a plan to relocate the whole village. Without everyone reaching the second tier of Body Refining as a foundation, it would have been impossible for so many people to successfully traverse thousands of miles of frozen Wasteland together.

Only someone with Er Han's innate talent for Body Refining, a human beast, had a ten-tenths chance of surviving the journey.

Now, the plan for mass relocation was naturally abandoned due to the excessively high risks. They could only send a few people out to find ways to procure various food supplies.

And the best method was naturally to go to a more chaotic place where they wouldn't be easily noticed.

Heading northeast, the border between Great Zhen and Great Li was an option, but not the best one. It wasn't chaotic enough there, and at this season, there wouldn't be much grain.

So, there was only another option: head slightly east-southeast to the border of Great Li and Da Gan. After following the border line for a short distance, they would reach a small country, Kuihou Kingdom, sandwiched between Great Li and Da Gan, with little presence.

Kuihou Kingdom was bordered by the Hengduan Mountains to the north and the dangerous Nu River to the south, separating the two major northern and southern countries. Most importantly, Kuihou Kingdom had no precious resources. Its only notable feature was its abundance of courtesans.

Da Gan and Great Li couldn't stand the thought of the other occupying Kuihou Kingdom, and they were also happy to have a buffer zone in between. Otherwise, it would lead to a fully connected national border, a connecting range stretching for tens of thousands of miles, which neither side would likely prefer.

For the past hundred years, conflicts between Great Li and Da Gan had been confined to the border. It was possible that while they were discussing friendly trade, small-scale conflicts were simultaneously occurring somewhere along the border.

The scope had never expanded, and the buffer zones in between had contributed to this to some extent.

The place they were going now was not far from the Wasteland, at the junction of Great Li, Da Gan, and Kuihou Kingdom.

Given its geographical location and the fact that neither Great Li nor Da Gan had deployed large armies to suppress it, it was naturally a melting pot of all sorts of people, with all kinds of shady characters being the most prevalent.

At this season, southern Da Gan had just completed a bountiful harvest. Finding a middleman there to buy enough grain for a year for several hundred people wouldn't be considered anything noteworthy.

What needed attention was buying some items Old Yang required. Old Yang was trying to figure out if he could re-cultivate the Jinlan Mushroom. Without this special local product, the cultivation speed of the villagers would plummet to one percent of its original rate, and that would be considered them having good talent.

Few of these miserable folks could afford to eat spiritual medicine of the third or fourth grade as a regular meal when they were replenishing their strength.

If he needed to buy so many things, Cècè wouldn't dare to go into Great Li's territory. Doing so would be like spitting in the face of the Shadow Division.

He had plenty of money and things that could be used as currency. When trading with Da Gan in the past, Da Gan had given him a lot. The Village Chief was far-sighted and kept everything he didn't need, never expecting it to be useful now.

Cècè, with Er Han, who clearly wasn't an ordinary person, followed the border for another two days. After regaining some energy and stamina, they finally reached their destination.

As dusk approached, the small town, viewed from afar, was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

In the archway of the city gate, the gate itself had been dismantled at some point. People were constantly coming and going, and not a single one was ordinary. Many even exuded a strong aura of malevolence, with a considerable scent of blood about them.

Cècè led Er Han into the city, turning left and right until they reached an inn. He knocked and entered.

Er Han had a gut full of questions but dared not ask.

He could only watch as Cècè skillfully checked them into the inn, found the proprietor, and handed him a piece of metal that shimmered with a purplish-gold hue. He asked the proprietor to buy some materials he needed, all from Old Yang's list. The items were so varied and random that no one could possibly figure out what they were for.

The next day, Cècè took him to a real estate agency to purchase enough grain to feed several hundred people for a year.

Er Han watched as Cècè waved his hand, and the mountains of grain vanished. He continued to hold his tongue, afraid to ask.

Afterward, they switched to another establishment and bought a large quantity of beef.

They went to a different place for each purchase.

After spending a day procuring food, they returned to the inn as night fell.

"Guests, most of the items you requested have been bought. There are just a few that are temporarily unavailable, but they should be here tomorrow..." The innkeeper delivered the purchased goods, letting Cècè check them one by one.

After checking, Cècè waved his hand, collecting everything. He glanced at the innkeeper expressionlessly.

"If you don't understand the rules of running an inn, then why are you running one?"

With that, Cècè didn't stay. He immediately left with Er Han.

The innkeeper's expression shifted slightly, but he said nothing.

There was a rule here: guests do not stay guests. An inn could not detain guests, or it would be breaking the rules. This rule existed because, over the years, many people had tested it with their own blood.

Of course, the rules of a place like this were just for show.

If you could open an inn in a place like this, you weren't running a black market operation. How could you make money just by running an inn? It wouldn't even be enough for daily bribes.

Cècè led Er Han away from the town.

After leaving the city, Cècè finally spoke the first words to Er Han of the day.

"For the rest of the journey, if we encounter anyone, do not say a word. Kill them on sight, leave no one alive. If we can't win, run directly towards Great Li, not towards home."