Just after they left the city gates.
Every so often, they still saw carts from other escort agencies on the Official Road, carrying goods or passengers.
But after a while,
there were no more passersby.
Only lush trees lined both sides, with the occasional chirp of insects and birds.
Pingcheng occupied a unique location.
Though a great river ran through it from west to east, the city was still surrounded by mountains on all sides.
Easy to defend, hard to attack.
That also made it an ideal place for outlaws to take root.
Or to make themselves kings of the mountains.
That was why this area teemed with bandits.
No matter how the imperial court dealt with them, it could never wipe them out completely.
Perhaps one gang had just been wiped out today, only for a whole new pack to spring up tomorrow like weeds.
The escort cart trundled along, while the Escort Guards worked together.
Even as they chatted,
they kept a careful eye on their surroundings.
The Bone Forging Martial Artist from the Cheng Family was a man of few words. He simply rode in silence behind the cart.
The team had two Bone Forging experts, one at the front and one at the rear.
The Escort Guards couldn't help but relax a little.
Chen Feng rode one horse-length behind Zhang Biao Tou, occasionally asking him questions.
"...Zhang Biao Tou, do you often run into bandits while escorting goods?"
"Not often. Our Changwei Escort Agency has a bit of a reputation. Most bandits won't come near once they see our Escort Banner."
"Some strongholds also believe in taking a little at a time. As long as you pay a toll, they won't make too much trouble for you."
"But once in a while, some foolhardy bandits try to rob us. We just kill them. If they're registered with the authorities, we can even collect a reward."
Zhang Biao Tou patiently explained.
"As an escort agency, we only need to keep a close eye on certain stretches with lots of fierce beasts and watch out for the major bandit gangs."
Chen Feng wore a thoughtful expression as he asked a question he'd been wondering about for a long time:
"Are there Demonic Entities along this road?"
Zhang Biao Tou looked lost in thought.
"There are."
Chen Feng tensed at once.
Zhang Biao Tou continued slowly:
"Demonic Entities are actually quite rare. The demons people talk about in their daily lives are mostly just Exotic Beasts with strange appearances."
"Some beast or bird in the mountains eats a treasure and accidentally stumbles onto the path of cultivation. At most, it becomes a spirit beast."
"But true demons can speak like humans. They're extremely cunning and treacherous!"
Another Escort Guard overheard them and rode closer to ask:
"Like the ones in storybooks?"
Zhang Biao Tou nodded, then shook his head.
At last, he said two words:
"More than that."
"According to legend, speaking like a human and changing their shape are just minor tricks. Some Great Demons can swallow mountains!"
His words drew a chorus of gasps.
Chen Feng caught one particular word.
"According to legend?"
Zhang Biao Tou smiled and explained:
"I've never seen a true Great Demon myself. I only heard people talk about them. There's no need to worry too much about it. There aren't any Great Demons like that within Daliang."
"As for beyond its borders... there are people above us who'll deal with them, right?"
"Beyond Daliang..."
Chen Feng looked thoughtful. Just then, the Original Owner's memories began flipping through his mind like the pages of a book.
To his surprise,
there was not a single scrap of information about what lay beyond Daliang.
He only knew that Daliang was at war everywhere. But who was it fighting...
He had no idea.
"As for Lesser Demons, I've been lucky enough to see a few nearby. I'd guess they drifted here from overseas."
An Escort Guard suddenly cut in:
"Boss, have you ever seen a Fox Spirit?"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
The serious mood quickly eased.
Seeing more and more Escort Guards gathering around him, Zhang Biao Tou immediately put on a stern face and barked:
"Get back to your posts and pay attention to your duties! What are you all crowding around me for? Don't let anything go wrong!"
After being scolded,
the Escort Guards returned to their posts one by one.
They didn't dare talk loudly again.
Chen Feng saw that he couldn't ask anything more, so he rode on in silence, planning to continue the conversation when they stopped to rest.
The Escort Team had crossed who knew how many mountain ridges.
The scenery remained much the same.
The ocher Official Road, the emerald-green woods, the weeds growing wild...
Beyond the mountains, there were still more mountains.
The only thing that had changed was the sun's position in the sky.
It was now noon.
As the Escort Team traveled, they occasionally passed through villages.
Chen Feng noticed
that some were run-down and lifeless, seemingly abandoned for years. Others still had people living in them, but the villagers all wore numb expressions.
Just like the Slums in the city.
They weren't far from Pingcheng.
Chen Feng knew that these villagers either belonged to the "lords" in the city
or to some major bandit gang.
They belonged only to themselves.
The group urged their horses onward and reached a somewhat larger village just before dusk.
It was called Zhang Village.
Unlike the villages they had passed along the way, the people here looked relatively healthy.
They weren't sallow and gaunt.
The village offered the Escort Team food and lodging, so Chen Feng and the others rested here and replenished their supplies.
Escort missions forbade traveling at night.
It was better to lose a little time than to stumble blindly over mountain paths in the dark.
Zhang Biao Tou seemed quite familiar with the villagers here and greeted quite a few of them.
After spending some silver,
the group rested here for the night.
Their first day had passed without incident.
At dawn on the second day, the group got up while the sky was still dim, packed their things, and set off early.
They continued on their way.
Zhang Biao Tou had traveled the route between Pingcheng and Nanxun Town many times. He knew it like the back of his hand.
If they didn't run into bad weather,
they'd reach their destination in about four days.
But if it rained, there was no telling how long they might be delayed.
From then on, they traveled, reached a village, replenished their supplies and rested, then repeated the cycle.
For three days straight,
there were no bandits and no Fierce Beasts.
The journey was uneventful; everything went smoothly.
Even the Experience Points they gained from escorting goods dwindled to almost nothing.
With their destination close at hand, the group gradually let down their guard.
Through the evening chats and the exchanges and teamwork on the road, Chen Feng had also grown familiar with everyone.
On the final day,
though they were already close to Nanxun Town,
the sun was nearly setting, so Zhang Biao Tou still decided to halt the carts and let everyone rest.
He was adamant that they wouldn't travel at night.
It was the only night in those four days that they stayed outdoors.
They found an open patch of ground, lit a campfire, tethered the horses, and grabbed whatever grass they could find to use as bedding.
The cold wind howled.
The mountains had a wide gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures.
The fire provided little warmth.
Fortunately, everyone was a Martial Artist with vigorous Qi Blood. Even if they sat some distance from the fire, they wouldn't feel cold.
Everyone gathered around the fire. A few outgoing Escort Guards were boasting and trading jabs.
The more reserved ones, like Chen Feng,
just listened with a smile.
From time to time, he poked the branches and dry grass in the fire, letting more air reach the coals below.
Chen Feng's eyes occasionally drifted toward the back of the Escort Cart in the distance.
A silent figure sat there, hidden alone in the shadows.
He seemed completely out of place among the others.
It was the Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist from the Cheng Family.
Over the past few days, Chen Feng had seen how little he spoke.
Every now and then, he'd exchange a few words with Zhang Biao Tou, but as soon as anyone else approached, he'd fall silent and say nothing more.
It was very strange.
It truly made Chen Feng suspicious.
As night wore on,
Zhang Biao Tou began to grow sleepy.
He sensed that something was amiss, but then thought it over.
Perhaps his nerves had been stretched tight for days, worrying about something going wrong, and now he was simply exhausted.
So he decided to get a good night's rest. He didn't want to be sluggish the next day and make a mistake at the last moment.
Zhang Biao Tou picked two of the more capable Blood Refining Realm Escort Guards and told them to take turns keeping Night Watch.
Chen Feng was strong enough, but as a newcomer, he wasn't among Zhang Biao Tou's considerations.
After giving his instructions, Zhang Biao Tou hurried off to sleep.
The others were feeling a little tired too.
They straightened out their Grass Mats and lay down one after another.
Only the campfire remained, flickering alone in the night and crackling now and then.
No one knew how much time had passed.
While everyone slept,
a figure crept about, making barely a sound, and moved toward where Chen Feng lay, guided by the fire's faint glow.
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