Arrival in Hushan Kingdom (Please Follow and Bookmark)

Morning.

Wang Ping woke to the crowing of roosters. Dawn was still a long way off, and the cold wind bit to the bone, but most of the Fishing Village had already risen. They planned to head out to sea after the rain and try their luck.

A little girl in gray hemp clothes ran out from the neighboring courtyard just as Wang Ping opened his eyes. She first gave him a curious look, then fixed her gaze on the Calico Cat beside him.

"Kitty!"

The girl cried out in her childish voice. The sleeping Calico Cat jolted all over, opened its eyes, stretched lazily, and shook its head. Before the girl could run over and hug it, it leaped onto the courtyard wall.

"Meow..."

The Calico Cat gave a smug cry, then vanished after several jumps.

Wang Ping smiled as he watched the cat disappear. The cat already understood human nature, but it would be very difficult for a house cat to Shapeshift. Influenced by human nature, it resisted Shapeshifting.

"I'm hungry..."

The voice in his Spirit Sea interrupted Wang Ping's thoughts. He walked to a Fisherman's home where they were preparing to put out to sea and bought two Live Shrimp meant to lure big fish.

After feeding Yulian, Wang Ping set off once more...

By the time the rosy dawn rose on the horizon, he had reached a Shallow Beach. Several Fishermen were preparing to sail out there. Listening to their work chants as they pushed their boats and watching the crimson glow emerge over the Sea Surface after the rain, Wang Ping sat atop a huge boulder at the Cliff Edge and meditated, cleansing his marrow.

Halfway through his Marrow Cleansing, a caravan slowly approached along the Official Road Wang Ping had traveled earlier. When they saw him meditating, they tacitly lowered their voices. To them, the Azure Purple Light around Wang Ping was thick with immortal aura.

While the caravan passed through this stretch of road, Yulian remained hidden beneath Wang Ping's clothes, her lively eyes unblinking as she watched them. Only after the caravan had gone far away did she return to sleep.

After completing one round of Marrow Cleansing, Wang Ping opened his eyes. He first looked at the dense footprints left by the caravan. This was the same caravan he had encountered in Yuanning County. Wang Ping was familiar with the aura of several of its leaders, and they had all cultivated Qi, standing at the threshold of Qi Refining.

Suddenly, a sea wind came howling in, accompanied by waves rolling across the Sea Surface. The fishing boats that had just sailed out bobbed up and down with the swells. Feeling the chill, Yulian coiled more tightly around Wang Ping's wrist.

When the gale struck Wang Ping, the Qi swirling around him blocked it. Watching the busy Fishermen out at sea, he recalled Daoist Yucheng's instructions. He took out the Dry Rations he had prepared and bit into them. As the food went down, he felt the beauty of this world.

Noon.

Wang Ping encountered that caravan again at a teahouse. They were drawing water beside a Water Well, yet could not bear to spend money on even a cup of tea.

"Bring me a pot of tea." Wang Ping sat on a bench outside the teahouse and called inside.

"Coming right up!" A waiter hurried over to serve him.

A moment later, a pot of tea was brought over. The tea was salty, carrying not only the flavor of tea leaves but also a faint fragrance of dried tangerine peel. It suited those who had traveled long distances.

After draining the pot of tea, Wang Ping was about to rise and continue on his way when one of the caravan's leaders came over, cupped his fists, and said, "Daoist Priest, are you also heading south to Hushan Kingdom?"

Wang Ping smiled. "How could you tell?"

"Our caravan runs the Hushan Kingdom route. Taking dried goods from northern Xia Kingdom to Hushan Kingdom brings the best profits, and bringing Hushan Kingdom's medicinal herbs back north earns another profit. It's just that the road is hard to travel, and a round trip takes at least a year."

"My name is Wu Ping. Those who know me call me Wu Sanlang." Wu Ping introduced himself, then continued, "I've traveled this trade route for nearly fifteen years. The people I encounter most are Daoist Priests going to Hushan Kingdom in search of medicine... There's still another month of travel ahead. If you're willing, we can travel together!"

Wu Ping had said a whole lot beforehand, trying to put on airs with refined words. Alas, he had no learning in his belly. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and state his purpose outright.

"If Boss Wu doesn't mind, I have no objection."

"Mind? How could I mind?"

Traveling with the caravan spared him much trouble. After a month on the road with them, Wang Ping passed through Mozhou Road and Haizhou Road before reaching Huiping City, where Hushan Kingdom met Xia Kingdom.

Over the past month, the weather had gradually warmed. Some of the withered vegetation lining the Official Road had begun to sprout new buds.

The caravan rested in Huiping City for a day.

The next day, Wang Ping entered Hushan Kingdom with the caravan, heading for Sea City, the closest city to Huiping City and also the largest city in Hushan Kingdom.

The moment he entered Hushan Kingdom, Wang Ping sensed the difference. Within Xia Kingdom, one could see traces of the civilized world everywhere along the road. Yet within Hushan Kingdom, one could walk for most of a day without meeting a single person. Dense vegetation spread everywhere, and most paths were muddy tracks.

On the afternoon of their fourth day in Hushan Kingdom, the caravan finally encountered people—but they were bandits!

Among those bandits, Wang Ping saw Shapeshifting monsters with two wild boar heads. They were the leaders of the bandit gang.

Wu Ping was unsurprised. He took two guards with him to talk to the Pig Yao for nearly half a day, then paid five taels of silver in exchange for a decent campsite for the night, as well as some Wild Vegetables scented with spices.

It was only at dinner that Wang Ping learned those people were not bandits, but the guards of the lord ruling this region!

The night passed without a word, and nothing happened.

At first light the next day, the caravan set out again. Before they had traveled for even an hour, Wang Ping saw Sea City, the city the caravan had constantly mentioned and longed for. It lay within a shallow bay, backed by a mountain range thousands of meters high. The city Spread Across most of the mountain range, while streams of seven-colored spiritual light flickered endlessly from its summit.

The guards at the city gate were two Shapeshifting Tiger Demons. They looked far more spirited than the Pig Yao from yesterday, wearing standardized iron armor and holding spears more than three meters long.

Wang Ping's ID Badge was still valid here, but he also had to register in detail and state how long he intended to remain in Hushan Kingdom. In the end, he paid two taels of silver as an entry fee and received a temporary ID Badge that allowed him to travel within Hushan Kingdom.

After passing through the towering City Wall, the first thing Wang Ping smelled was a peculiar fragrance. Then he saw a broad road paved with crushed stone. Rows of buildings lined both sides, their residents mostly ordinary people, though there were also quite a few Lesser Demons.

Turning his head, he could see even more clearly how the orderly rows of buildings stretched up the enormous Mountain Body to the east, making anyone within the city keenly feel its grandeur and magnificence.

"Impressive, isn't it? This city is even larger than Upper Capital. They say there are immortals of the Yuqing Sect at the mountaintop. Oh, right—the Shangdan Sect has a reception point here. Follow this main road straight ahead, and before long you'll see a shop called Shangdan Pharmacy. Go in and ask, and you'll know." Wu Ping pointed down the main road as he explained.

"Thank you, Boss Wu. Let us part ways here."

"Alright!"

Wang Ping bade the caravan farewell and followed Wu Ping's directions along the main road. After walking for about forty-five minutes, he saw a shop marked in Xia Kingdom's script: "Shangdan Pharmacy."

Upon entering the shop, Wang Ping directly revealed his identity to the shopkeeper and explained whom he wished to see.

The shopkeeper's reply was that he should wait three days first.