The bumpy freight carriage was filled with bulging sacks and wooden boxes, leaving only a small space in the corner that could barely accommodate three people. The air was filled with the special smell of leather and grain.
The driver was a man of few words, and he was accompanied by two companions. The three of them looked strong, but there was not a trace of Soul Power Wave on them. They were obviously just ordinary businessmen, earning a living by running goods back and forth between the two places.
Luo Can was leaning on the sack behind him, holding several dried medicinal herbs in his hand, comparing them with a yellowed book "Continent Herb Atlas" and comparing them carefully. From time to time, he would pinch off a small piece of medicinal leaves and put it into his mouth to taste. His brows sometimes wrinkled and sometimes relaxed, looking like a wandering doctor who devoted himself to studying medical skills.
Qian Renxue was sitting next to him, holding a thick Martial Soul Theory book and reading it with gusto. Only occasionally when turning the pages, an imperceptible sneer would flash through her eyes - this so-called "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls", in her eyes, was mostly nonsense full of loopholes, just to fit the persona of a "scholar".
Tang Ya sat obediently between the two of them, curiously opening the corner of the car curtain and looking around.
Wearing special glasses, she could clearly see the daggers hidden in the waists of the three drivers. She could also clearly see the deep wrinkles carved by time on the faces of farmers wielding hoes in the fields on the roadside, as well as the children running happily on the field ridges with bare feet.
Along the way, she just looked at the world in front of Ten Thousand Years quietly. Everything here was so real, full of lively fireworks, completely different from the cold words she saw in the classics.
The carriage swayed and stopped all the way. At noon the next day, the driver finally pulled the reins and stopped the carriage beside a roadside tea stall.
"Sir, we plan to repair here all afternoon and then hit the road in the evening." The driver opened the curtain and said respectfully to Luo Can inside.
"Well, thank you for your hard work." Luo Can nodded, put away the herbs and books in his hands, and led Qian Renxue and Tang Ya out of the carriage.
The scale of this tea stall is not small. It supports several large thatched sheds and accommodates many traders coming and going.
The driver and his two companions found a shady corner to sit down, ordered a pot of herbal tea, and while drinking, they discussed in a low voice the route and plans for the subsequent business trip.
Luo Can The three of them also found an empty seat next to them and ordered three bowls of coarse tea. The coarse tea has a faint astringent taste in the mouth, which is not delicious, but it can relieve the travel dust along the way.
He and Qian Renxue drank tea slowly, but also listened attentively to the conversations of the merchants around them.
Soon, a few intermittent conversations caught his attention.
"Have you heard? On the western border, in the area next to the Star Luo Empire, something big happened! The people in several cities were all slaughtered!"
"Hiss! How is this possible? There's no war, so how could such a good person massacre the city? Don't tell me you heard some rumors!"
"Why did I lie to you! This matter has gone viral on the western border! I heard that even Spirit Hall was alerted and sent several elders over to investigate the situation!"
"Have you found out who the murderer is? Who did such a big deal?"
"It's not that easy to find! Not only our Heaven Dou Empire, but the same thing happened over there at the Star Luo Empire! No one was left alive, not even a clue!"
The merchants were talking one after another, their voices full of horror and disbelief.
Luo Can couldn't help but frown slightly as he listened. He didn't expect that the tragedy on the western border would spread so quickly. Moreover, judging from the situation, even the two Titled Douluo elders Spirit Hall sent to investigate have found nothing so far.
"Husband, the tea is cold." Qian Renxue touched his hand lightly and shook his head slightly at him, indicating that he should not pay too much attention.
Luo Can came back to his senses, picked up the bowl, drank the cool tea in one gulp, and at the same time used his soul power to send a message to Qian Renxue: "When our trip is over, we may have to go to the border to have a look. Xue'er, your Angel Martial Soul is most sensitive to this evil smell, can you find the source?"
Qian Renxue nodded slightly and replied with the same voice, "The specific situation can only be judged on the spot, but if it is really the kind of extreme Unorthodox Cultivation Technique that relies on swallowing the essence, blood and soul of living creatures, it will definitely leave an extremely strong and special evil aura. My martial spirit should be able to sense it, but it has been a long time and the aura may have dissipated a lot, so it may not be possible to trace the source."
Luo Can nodded without saying anything else. After paying for the tea, he took the two of them back on the carriage and continued to pick up herbal medicine and medical books, maintaining the persona of a wandering doctor.
In the evening, the driver, who had had enough rest, drove the carriage back on the road.
Two more days passed unknowingly in the bumpy carriage. This morning, from a distance, the outline of Nuoding City finally appeared in everyone's field of vision.
"Three guests, Nuoding City is here!" The driver pulled the reins and shouted into the carriage.
"I know, thank you." Luo Can responded, leading Qian Renxue and Tang Ya out of the carriage.
After paying three more Copper Soul Coins as a thank you gift, Luo Can took the two of them and walked slowly towards the city gate of Nuoding City.
The Nuoding City in front of us is not that big in scale. The city wall is only seven or eight meters high and is made of gray-brown boulders. It looks quite old and the walls are covered with dark green moss.
The city gate is wide open, and the flow of people in and out is not dense. Most of them are farmers pushing carts, sellers carrying burdens, and a few travellers.
The guard guarding the gate wore standard leather armor and held a long gun in his arms. He leaned against the city gate and yawned. He only glanced at the passers-by casually and did not conduct careful inspection at all. He seemed very relaxed.
The three of them followed the sparse flow of people and entered Nuoding City smoothly.
The scene inside the city is completely different from that outside the city.
There is a flat stone road at your feet. There are scattered houses on both sides of the street, with a unique style that combines Chinese and Western styles. Both sides of the street are filled with various shops. The sound of tinkering can be heard from the blacksmith shop. A dazzling array of daily necessities is hung at the door of the grocery store. The street is full of people and full of fireworks.
Most of the pedestrians on the street are wearing simple coarse clothes. Occasionally, you can see one or two people wearing decent gowns and wearing Spirit Master badges on their chests walking by. The passers-by around them will immediately cast their eyes with envy or awe, and step aside to give way.
Although the scale and grandeur of Nuoding City are far from comparable to that of an imperial city like Heaven Dou City, compared to Yaowang Town where Luo Can started, it is still much more prosperous and organized, at least somewhat like a big city.
The three of them walked and stopped, and not long after, they came to a medicinal shop facing the street.
There is a plaque hanging on the door of the store with five big characters written on it: Luo's Herb Shop.
The business of the shop seems to be quite good, and if you look up from here, you can clearly see the outline of the Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy wall, so from time to time you can see students wearing college uniforms coming in to buy medicine.
"Come on, let's go in and take a look." Luo Can said to Qian Renxue with a smile.
"Yeah." Qian Renxue nodded lightly.
The three of them opened the door curtain and walked into the medicine shop. The space inside was larger than Yaowang Town's main store. All kinds of medicines were neatly stacked on the shelves. Many customers in the store were selecting medicines, which looked very lively.
Soon, Luo Can's eyes fell on the familiar figure behind the counter.
Bai Chen was standing in front of the counter, facing a middle-aged man in rich clothes, selling several finished medicines in an orderly manner, from healing medicines and anthelmintic medicines to Beast-Repelling Powder and Spirit-Calming Pill, all of which were introduced in great detail.
"Sir, your caravan sets out from Nuoding City to go to the Star Luo Empire border. It must pass through two Spirit Beast forests on the way. These kinds of patent medicines can be used together to effectively avoid the harassment of low-level Spirit Beast. Even if you are accidentally injured, you can stabilize the injury as soon as possible..."
He talked to the businessman for a long time. Although the middle-aged businessman had a look of excitement on his face, he did not make an immediate decision. In the end, he just bought some basic anthelmintics and healing medicine in small batches, then turned and left.
Bai Chen looked at his leaving figure, shook his head helplessly, turned around and walked back to the counter. As soon as he raised his head, he saw the three Luo Can walking to the counter.
He immediately showed a professional smile, bowed and asked, "Sir, do you need anything? Luo's Herb Shop is at your service wholeheartedly."