The Unwelcome Guest

Jinlan Mine had risen much, much higher than before, making it somewhat inconvenient to leave the village. From the outside, it had originally looked like nothing more than a few low hills, but now it was a range of towering peaks, mountain ridges rolling and stretching for dozens of miles. New changes appeared every day, silently and without a sound.

The Strange Power filling the village still maintained this area. What had once been inconvenient had now become an advantage—a natural forbidden ground for Qi Refining cultivators.

But there were plenty of drawbacks too. For example, there had once been only one entrance and exit at the village entrance, whereas now Jinlan Mountain could be entered from every direction. This made Yu Ziqing feel deeply insecure.

On top of that, when the King of Hungry Ghosts was born, all the Hungry Ghosts across the Wasteland, along with an uncountable number of Starvation Ghosts, had sensed the opening of a new path at that moment. Naturally, they had all chosen transformation without the slightest hesitation.

Thus, like a tide covering the heavens and earth, the Hungry Ghosts had all gathered outside the Jinlan Mountains after these past few days.

They were all waiting for their first almsgiving, and at the same time, coming to worship and thank their king.

When they had been alive, they had all come from impoverished households. That sounded rather obvious—those who were not poor would not have starved to death.

Quite a few of the Hungry Ghosts had even lived during the same period as Yu Ziqing's first starvation to death.

No matter how he looked at it, Yu Ziqing felt that he ought to settle these Hungry Ghosts properly. The most direct and efficient method was naturally what he was doing now.

Using the locust tree branches where the Hungry Ghosts sheltered as a guide, he scattered sweet rain and created vast forests of locust trees most suited for the Hungry Ghosts to inhabit.

They now had places to shelter, no longer needing to suffer the wind, cold, rain, and snow. They could also avoid the pain of hunger inside, while simultaneously becoming the gates guarding Jinlan Mountain and cutting this place off from the outside world.

That could be considered killing two birds with one stone.

The only problem was that surrounding all of Jinlan Mountain, stretching for hundreds of miles, was a massive undertaking. It could not be completed in a day or two. Moreover, only someone possessing the authority of the King of Hungry Ghosts could accomplish such a thing; no one could replace him.

After several days of using the latrine on schedule and diligently scattering sweet rain, Yu Ziqing completely abandoned the idea of going shopping himself. Cècè was finally persuaded by him and stopped keeping her eyes on him, agreeing to take Er Han outside to find food.

After leaving the Jinlan Mountains, Yu Ziqing continued walking outward for some distance. He was leaving behind an area not covered by Strange Power, making it convenient for the villagers to come out and live in the future, as well as to cultivate.

After all, the villagers could not have children at all within the Jinlan Mountains. Old Yang did not know whether they were unable to have children only within that area, or whether it would be impossible even after they came out.

In any case, it was better to leave behind a portion of normal land, just in case.

Besides, land in the Wasteland was worthless. No one wanted it, so they could claim as much as they liked.

Yu Ziqing walked alone across the snow, constantly scattering sweet rain. Vast forests of locust trees rose from the ground wherever he passed.

He did not feel afraid in the slightest, because even he had no idea how many Hungry Ghosts were hidden beneath that thick snow.

Only after he had passed did one Hungry Ghost after another crawl out from beneath the snow. They respectfully bowed and offered their thanks, then each chose a locust tree as a place to shelter.

Of course, Yu Ziqing did not know that Wu Shuangge was faithfully following Cècè's instructions. Aside from making Yu Ziqing use the latrine after counting down twenty thousand numbers, she had also kept her eyes on him without pause, afraid that something might happen before his aftereffects disappeared.

Er Han's whole body steamed with heat. Like a humanoid beast, he raced forward as fast as a powerful arrow, charging across the snow without sinking into it.

Cècè wore a black robe and sped across the snow standing on a wooden board. She looked relaxed and unhurried, yet could still keep pace with Er Han.

The two hurried onward for three days and three nights without stopping, resting only occasionally along the way. At last, they crossed more than three thousand miles and arrived at the border where the Wasteland, Great Li, and Great Qian met.

Though there was still snow on the ground, it was no longer so deep. They could vaguely see some evergreen trees, still carrying a trace of green in this season.

Once they arrived, they slowed down. Er Han's eyes were bloodshot. After running for three days and three nights to get there and back as quickly as possible, his entire body had lost a full circle of weight.

"Sis Cècè, didn't you say before that if we went to Great Li at full speed, we'd arrive in two days? How come we've run for three days? Don't tell me you got lost?"

"Have you forgotten what the Village Chief told you before we left?"

"Listen to you, look more, do as you're told, and keep my stinking mouth shut."

"Then how did you do?"

"I was wrong, Sis Cècè. Don't tell my grandpa when we get back, and don't tell Brother Ziqing either."

Cècè shot Er Han a sidelong glance. This blockhead was not actually stupid; he simply refused to use his brain even a little.

Their village's Jinlan Mountain was indeed closer to Great Li. If they headed due east and traveled at full speed for two days, they could enter Great Li's territory. Within three days, they could find a border town with a somewhat larger population.

But at this time, if two people from the Wasteland ran into Great Li and bought a large amount of grain, do you think the people of Great Li's Shadow Division would be so useless that they would fail to notice them?

Yu Ziqing had made the entire village begin Body Refining precisely for the plan to move the whole village away. Without everyone having at least the foundation of the second stage of Body Refining, it would have been impossible for so many people to migrate together across thousands of miles of freezing Wasteland.

The only person with a ten-out-of-ten chance of surviving the journey was someone like Er Han, a natural Body Refining prodigy and a humanoid beast.

Now that the plan to move the whole village away had naturally been abandoned, the risks involved were simply too high. They could only send a few people out to find ways to purchase various foods.

The best method was naturally to go somewhere more chaotic, where they would not easily attract attention.

Heading northeast to the border between Great Zhen and Great Li was one option, but not the best one. It was not chaotic enough, and this season, there would not be much grain there either.

That left only another choice: heading slightly southeast to the border between Great Li and Great Qian. Following the border onward, they would soon reach a small country sandwiched between Great Li and Great Qian, one that attracted little attention—the Kuihou Kingdom.

The Kuihou Kingdom had the Hengduan Mountains to its north and the dangerous Raging River to its south, separating the two great nations. Most importantly, the Kuihou Kingdom had no rare resources. Its only notable feature was that it produced an abundance of famous courtesans.

Neither Great Qian nor Great Li could stand seeing the other occupy the Kuihou Kingdom, and both were happy to have a buffer zone in the middle. Otherwise, their borders would be fully connected, stretching for more than ten thousand miles at a stretch—a border neither side would likely enjoy.

For the past hundred years, conflicts between Great Li and Great Qian had remained concentrated along the border. Perhaps they would be speaking of friendly trade on this side while a small-scale clash was occurring somewhere along the border at the same time.

The fact that the conflict had never expanded owed something to the several buffer zones between them.

Their destination was the place not far from the Wasteland where Great Li, Great Qian, and the Kuihou Kingdom met.

With its geographical position, and with neither Great Li nor Great Qian stationing any great army there to suppress the area, it was naturally a jumble of fish and dragons, with people from all three religions and nine schools of thought. The most numerous were naturally all sorts of disreputable characters.

This season, the southern part of Great Qian had just completed a harvest. Finding a middleman there and buying enough grain to feed several hundred people for a year would definitely not count as anything worth noticing.

What they needed to pay attention to was purchasing some of the things Old Yang needed. Old Yang was trying to see whether he could grow Jinlan Mushrooms again. Without this special local product, the villagers' Body Refining speed would plummet to one percent of what it had been. Even calling them talented would be flattering them.

These poor wretches did not have many who were extravagant enough to eat third- or fourth-grade spirit medicines as meals while replenishing themselves.

With so many things to buy, how could Cècè dare to go into Great Li? If they really did that, they would practically be riding on the Shadow Division's face and mocking them.

They had plenty of money and things that could be used as money. Great Qian had given them quite a lot during their previous trade. The Village Chief had always thought far ahead and kept it all even when it was of no use. Who would have thought it would truly come in handy now?

Cècè brought Er Han, who was obviously no ordinary person, along the border for another two days. After recovering some energy and strength, they finally arrived at their destination.

The sky was growing dark. From far away, the small town was brightly lit and incredibly lively.

Inside the city gate passage, even the city gates had been dismantled at some point. People streamed in and out without end, and not one of them was ordinary. Quite a few even carried dense Killing Intent, along with a heavy stench of blood.

Cècè brought Er Han into the town, turned left and right several times, and arrived at an inn, where she knocked and entered.

Er Han was bursting with questions, but he did not dare ask.

He could only watch as Cècè skillfully checked them into the inn, found the proprietor, and tossed him a piece of purple-gold metal. She had him purchase some materials they needed, all from Old Yang's list. There was a jumble of everything on it, so she was not afraid of anyone figuring anything out.

The next day, Cècè brought him to a broker's shop and purchased enough grain to feed several hundred people for a year.

Er Han watched as Cècè waved her hand, and the mountain of grain vanished. He continued to hold his tongue and did not dare ask.

After that, they changed locations again and purchased a huge amount of beef.

Every time they bought something, they changed to another shop.

They spent the entire day buying food. By the time darkness fell, they finally returned to the inn.

"Guest, we've basically bought everything you requested. There are just a few items we don't have yet. They should arrive tomorrow..." The proprietor delivered the purchased goods and had Cècè check them one by one.

After finishing the inspection, Cècè waved her hand and took everything away. She looked at the proprietor expressionlessly.

"You run an inn without knowing the rules. What kind of inn are you running?"

After leaving that remark behind, Cècè did not stay either. She immediately took Er Han and left.

The proprietor's expression changed slightly, but he said nothing.

There was a rule here called "guests do not retain guests." An inn could not try to keep its guests, or it would be breaking the rules. Such a rule existed because, over the years, quite a few people had verified it with their blood.

Of course, in a ghostly place like this, rules only needed to be heard and then forgotten.

If someone could open an inn in a place like this, how could it not be a black shop? Otherwise, what ability would they have to run one? How much money could they make from merely running an inn? It would not even be enough for their daily bribes.

Cècè took Er Han away from the town.

Only after they had left the city did Cècè speak her first words to Er Han that day.

"From here on, don't say a single word to anyone we meet. Kill them directly, and leave none alive. If we can't beat them, run to Great Li immediately. Don't run home."