Traveling Together

After leaving the ruins of Fenlai City, Lin Qin and Aileen headed south toward the Yulan Empire. Lin Qin chose not to fly, walking alongside Aileen instead. They made leisurely progress, more like they were out sightseeing.

Aileen had gathered herself and was smiling again. She had changed into a blue travel outfit suited for moving about, and tied her long hair simply behind her head, giving her a neat, brisk look. She walked at Lin Qin's side with a light step.

"Where are we going now?" Aileen asked, her tone full of anticipation for their new journey.

"Let's first take a look at the edge of the Chaos Territory," Lin Qin replied. "The powers there are mixed, and news travels fast. We might learn more about the situation on the continent, or hear something about the Dark Church." He paused and glanced at Aileen. "Besides, the complicated environment will be good for your training. It'll help you stabilize your level-seven realm and strive for level eight."

Aileen nodded firmly. "Mm! I'll do my best!" She knew there was a vast gap between her strength and Lin Qin's, but she didn't want to become a burden. Along the way, she had been making the most of every moment to meditate, sensing the much richer Water Element in the air.

"Your spiritual power is growing quickly, and you have a strong affinity for the Water Element," Lin Qin observed, offering an objective assessment. "The key to breaking through to level eight is understanding the nature of magic and further refining your spiritual power. Don't focus only on accumulating magical power."

"I understand." Aileen made a note of it. "My instructor at the Magic Guild said something similar. He said I needed to work harder on 'control' and 'adaptation.'"

As they traveled, they discussed their cultivation experiences. Although Lin Qin primarily practiced the Earth Element, his cultivation was profound, and his understanding of the nature of power far exceeded that of ordinary people. He often pinpointed subtle flaws in Aileen's magical control, giving her tremendous insight. In turn, Aileen's unique perspectives on Water Element magic and her precise control occasionally gave Lin Qin new ideas about how to use power.

Several days later, they entered a vast stretch of hilly terrain. This was already a buffer zone along the border between the Former Holy Alliance and the Yulan Empire. The area was sparsely populated, and they occasionally passed abandoned villages and outposts, signs that it had once been far from peaceful.

That evening, they prepared to camp beneath a sheltered hillside. Lin Qin casually cleared a patch of ground, while Aileen deftly lit a campfire and took rations and fresh water from her Space Ring to prepare dinner.

"According to the map, if we keep going for two more days, we'll reach the Yulan Empire," Aileen said, spreading out the map and studying it by the firelight.

Lin Qin nodded, but his gaze was fixed on the dark outline of the distant hills. His spiritual sense detected faint fluctuations of energy over there—and... the smell of blood.

"Something's happening over there," Lin Qin said.

Aileen immediately grew alert and put away the map. "Should we go take a look?"

"Mm. Stay here and set up a warning barrier." Lin Qin rose. "I'll be right back."

"Be careful." Aileen didn't insist on going with him. She knew that, in an unknown situation like this, her lack of strength might only hold him back. She immediately began chanting softly, setting up a pale blue Water Element warning barrier around their camp.

Lin Qin moved in a flash, seeming to merge with the night as he silently crept toward the energy fluctuations.

After crossing two hills, the sight below made his gaze turn cold. A massacre was unfolding in a small valley. A group of bandits in mismatched leather armor and with savage faces were attacking a small caravan. Most of the caravan's guards had already been killed or wounded. Only a few remained, fighting desperately to protect the several cargo wagons in the middle. Many bodies lay on the ground, the earth stained with blood.

The bandits' leader was a burly man with a scar across his face, wielding a bloodstained cleaver. His strength was about that of a level-seven warrior. He was grinning viciously as he directed his men in the attack. "Kill them! Leave no one alive! The cargo and the women are ours!"

An elderly man who seemed to be in charge of the caravan cried out in despair, "We're from the Violet Merchant Guild of the Yulan Empire! If you lay a hand on us, the guild will never let you get away with it!"

"The Violet Merchant Guild? Ha! Out here in the middle of nowhere, who'll know if we kill you?" Scarface roared with laughter, cutting down a guard who charged at him.

Lin Qin didn't intervene right away. He noticed the curtain of a wagon at the rear of the caravan had lifted slightly, revealing a pair of frightened eyes. They belonged to a little girl who looked to be only ten or so.

Just as Scarface raised his cleaver to finish off the last guard, Lin Qin moved. He didn't show himself; he simply flicked a finger at Scarface from a distance.

A condensed streak of ocher force shot across a hundred meters as if it had teleported, striking Scarface's sword wrist with pinpoint accuracy!

"Crack!" The crisp sound of breaking bone rang out.

"Argh!" Scarface let out a bloodcurdling scream. His cleaver flew from his hand, and he clutched his unnaturally bent wrist, looking around in terror. "Who?! Who attacked me?!"

The other bandits were startled, too. They stopped attacking and looked around warily.

"Get out."

A calm voice, carrying unquestionable authority, seemed to ring in everyone's ears. It held a trace of the spiritual pressure of the Saint Realm. The bandits' faces instantly turned deathly pale, as if a boulder were crushing their chests, making it hard even to breathe.

Scarface bore the brunt of it. He felt his very soul trembling! He instantly understood that he had encountered a powerful enemy he could never hope to resist!

"Retreat! Hurry!" he rasped, fighting through his fear and pain. Then he scrambled out of the valley, rolling and stumbling as he fled. The other bandits came to their senses as if waking from a dream. They dropped their weapons and ran after him in a miserable panic, wishing they had two more legs.

In the blink of an eye, the bandits who had been so ferocious just moments ago had fled without a trace, leaving behind only the wreckage and the shaken survivors of the caravan.

The caravan's manager and the two surviving guards exchanged looks, hardly daring to believe what had happened. They bowed toward the dark woods around them. "Thank you, sir, for saving our lives!"

Lin Qin didn't show himself. He sent his voice to them instead. "Clean up and leave as soon as possible."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, sir!" the manager replied hurriedly. He directed the survivors to tend to their wounds, gather their companions' bodies, and prepare to travel through the night.

Seeing them set to work, Lin Qin quietly returned to camp.

When Aileen saw him, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you all right?"

"It was a group of bandits. I took care of them," Lin Qin said simply.

Looking at his calm face, Aileen knew that, to him, it had been nothing more than a trivial effort. She said softly, "The world's getting more and more unsettled."

Lin Qin nodded. With the Chaos Territory close by, they would only see more scenes of the strong preying on the weak. He glanced at Aileen, who was doing her best to maintain the warning barrier. "Get some rest. We have to travel again tomorrow."

"Mm." Aileen lowered the barrier and sat beside the fire, resuming her meditation. She knew that only by becoming stronger could she truly stand beside Lin Qin through the storms to come, instead of merely being protected by him.

As the night deepened, the hills fell quiet again. Only the occasional crackle of the campfire and the girl's steady breathing broke the silence.