Trouble Begins to Brew

The next day.

As agreed, Lin Yiqing arrived at the entrance of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce before the first quarter of the mao hour to wait for the group to assemble.

The sky was still dark, and the entire street lay shrouded in mist. The faint chill actually made him feel quite refreshed.

By the time Lin Yiqing reached the meeting place, quite a few people had already gathered there.

The chamber of commerce's gates stood wide open, and countless attendants bustled in and out, checking, packing, and loading the goods for transport.

"Nearly thirty Earth Origin Realm experts, more than a dozen Heaven Origin Realm experts, and even several Talisman Masters escorting this shipment. The Wanjin Chamber of Commerce sure is generous."

Watching the people either resting with their eyes closed or chatting and talking among themselves, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

At the thought, he instinctively reached for the Universe Bag at his waist. Inside lay three hundred Yang Origin Stones, the advance payment from the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce for this job.

"Having grain stored at home keeps your heart at ease." Lin Yiqing couldn't help sighing.

It was always good to have resources. Once the escort mission was finished and he received the rest of his payment, he wouldn't have to worry about running short of Yang Origin Pills when buying things.

"Little fellow, stick with me later. Uncle here will protect you!"

A hearty, honest voice sounded from behind him. Lin Yiqing turned around and saw the tall man from the registration desk the other day, looking at him with a broad, simple-minded grin.

"Haha, then I'll have to thank you, Uncle!"

Lin Yiqing's lips lifted slightly as he cupped his hands in thanks. Still, he kept his guard up. When you were away from home, it never hurt to be wary of others.

If the man really was honest and forthright, then all was well. But if he harbored ill intentions, that would be trouble. This was a world where might made right; there were no laws or morals to restrain people.

One moment, they might be chatting and laughing. The next, someone's head could be rolling on the ground.

"My name is Lin Dong. May I ask what I should call you, Uncle?"

Lin Yiqing took the opportunity to strike up a conversation. It wasn't wise to isolate himself from the escort party, and the more information he could gather, the better he could judge the situation.

"I'm Tie Hu, at the mid-stage of the Heaven Origin Realm. I'm from Tie Family Village. When I saw you, I thought of my own boy. He's about your age, but he's no prodigy like you, young master. He's only at the Body Tempering Realm right now."

Tie Hu grinned at Lin Yiqing, happiness shining in his eyes. The others couldn't help feeling envious.

It seemed he had a happy family. But though Tie Hu had spoken without a thought, Lin Yiqing had taken note. Anyone who'd cultivated to the Heaven Origin Realm couldn't be an ordinary person!

Tie Hu was definitely more than he appeared.

"Uncle Tie, then why did you come out to sign on as a temporary guard?"

Lin Yiqing didn't intend to pry into someone else's secrets, so he casually asked a question while his hidden spiritual power continued to observe the people around them.

"Hehe, I wanted to earn some cultivation resources, so my boy wouldn't fall too far behind when he starts cultivating. There aren't any resources in Tie Family Village. There's no point staying there."

Tie Hu smiled at the question, his expression guileless.

"Every parent under heaven has a tender heart. Your child is sure to do great things one day!"

Hearing this, Lin Yiqing couldn't help feeling moved, regardless of whether Tie Hu's words were true.

He thought of his parents in both lifetimes. They had raised him through hardship, but now they were separated from him by two worlds, and he could no longer repay their kindness. Every time he thought of it, tears came to his eyes.

"Steward Xia."

"Good morning, Steward Xia!"

Just then, the crowd parted. Several Heaven Origin Realm experts escorted Steward Xia forward. When he saw Lin Yiqing, he smiled and nodded.

"Set out!"

At his command, the entire caravan sprang into action. Hundreds of horses laden with cargo headed out of the city.

Night fell, and the moonlight flowed like water.

After a full day of high-intensity travel, the entire party was exhausted, but no one dared lower their guard.

The more lax you were, the closer you came to death.

This was a lesson countless people had carved out in blood. The escort team was divided into four groups, two keeping watch while the other two rested. At midnight, they would switch.

Lin Yiqing was in the first group to rest. Perhaps Steward Xia had given the order; no one in the escort team gave him a hard time.

"I was worried someone might bully you."

Tie Hu scratched his head as he spoke to Lin Yiqing. Lin Yiqing was the youngest in the group, and many who hadn't seen what happened when he signed up were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Yet no one in the entire group dared step forward. Even the people from the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce treated him with great courtesy. Plenty of people noticed this strange scene.

"You're a simple-minded fellow. Young Lin is no ordinary person. Haven't you seen how courteously all the leaders treat him?"

The speaker was an old man of about fifty, dressed very plainly, with a tobacco pipe in his hand. Wisps of white smoke curled from its long stem, making him look just like a country farmer.

No one knew the old man's real name. The only thing recorded about him was his nickname: Old Smoke Ghost.

"Oh, really? I didn't notice. I just thought young Lin looked handsome."

Tie Hu scratched his head and spoke in a deep, muffled voice. He was honest by nature and rarely paid attention to such things.

"Senior Old Smoke Ghost, please don't get the wrong idea. I'm just an ordinary person. There's nothing mysterious about me."

Lin Yiqing smiled and shook his head. He knew the other man had grown suspicious because of Steward Xia's attitude toward him.

Old Smoke Ghost chuckled and said nothing more. If someone didn't want to reveal anything, pressing them for details would just be tactless.

"Have something to eat, everyone."

Just then, one of the two men and one woman Lin Yiqing had seen a few days earlier walked over with some food. He'd been left with a deep impression of the three.

"Zhou Han, give some to the brothers nearby."

The red-clad woman named Qianqian suddenly spoke to the man.

At her words, he quickly handed the food he was holding to the people around him.

White-flour flatbread with black strips of dried meat: the escort party's dinner was simple and unadorned.

Those with profound cultivation could gradually go without food, but most of the people in this group probably hadn't reached that point.

"Come on, little brother. Have some dried meat."

Zhou Han kept smiling, looking extremely friendly as he held out the dried meat to Lin Yiqing, who sat beside the fire.

"Go on, young Lin, take it. You need to eat more meat to grow taller. Everyone else took some. Wouldn't it be awkward if you didn't?"

Beside them, Old Smoke Ghost took a puff from his pipe, exhaled a mouthful of white smoke, and spoke with a blissful expression.

Lin Yiqing studied the two men carefully before accepting the dried meat and examining it in his hand. He didn't take a bite. His instincts told him something was wrong.

At once, Lin Yiqing grew more alert. He'd originally intended to refuse Zhou Han's offer, but then Old Smoke Ghost had joined in. Not wanting to stand out, he'd taken it.

He activated Origin Qi Vision. Faint wisps of purple smoke clung to the dried meat in his hand. There was clearly something wrong with it; someone had tampered with it.

His pupils contracted sharply. It looked like trouble was coming that night.

Lin Yiqing discreetly spread out his spiritual power. Quite a few people had already started eating, but most still looked uncertain, covertly inspecting the food in their hands.

"Uncle Tie, give me your food! Eat this instead."

Lin Yiqing snatched the dried meat from Tie Hu and took a flatbread from his Universe Bag to hand him.

Tie Hu froze, seemingly unable to understand why Lin Yiqing had snatched his dried meat.

Old Smoke Ghost suddenly kicked him. Tie Hu's face darkened, and he was about to berate the old man when he saw him push the dried meat into the dirt beneath his foot.

Tie Hu immediately calmed down. He might have been simple and honest, but he wasn't a fool. Seeing their little exchange, he naturally realized something was amiss.

Lin Yiqing gave Old Smoke Ghost a long look. If he hadn't grown suspicious and spotted the problem with Origin Qi Vision, things would have been troublesome.

Although, given his cautious nature, he might not have eaten the dried meat anyway, anyone who hadn't accepted it would be in the most danger if a melee broke out.

He had his cheat. But how had the other man found out?