Sky Ox Village

After accepting the gold soul coins, Ning Yao returned the extra portion to the caravan boss.

The boss had clearly not expected Ning Yao to do that. He smiled as he tried to refuse, but his attitude toward Ning Yao had visibly become much more respectful.

In the end, however, he still accepted the gold soul coins.

"Brother Ning Yao, rest assured. Our Blazing Cloud Caravan may not be some major caravan, but when it comes to safety, we don't cut corners at all."

The boss patted his chest and took advantage of breakfast to introduce the caravan to Ning Yao.

He also introduced Ning Yao to the people in the caravan.

"Our caravan has two Soul Ancestors, two Soul Elders, and several Grand Soul Masters holding the fort."

"Now that we have you as well, Ning Yao, our lineup is no less impressive than that of many medium-sized caravans."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that none of our martial souls are particularly strong. After traveling all over for so many years, our coordination is excellent. You understand that one plus one can be greater than two, right?"

The boss confidently introduced his caravan, but when he saw that Ning Yao showed little reaction, a trace of disappointment appeared on his face.

Aside from helping Ning Yao familiarize himself with the caravan in case of unexpected situations later on, there was actually another reason why he had given such a detailed introduction.

He wanted to find a way to recruit Ning Yao into his team. He had wanted to do so for a long time, but healing-type soul masters in this line of work were simply too scarce. Even if he was willing to spend heavily, it was difficult to find anyone willing.

If Ning Yao had shown surprise or any other reaction just now, he was confident that he could persuade him with his silver tongue and gold soul coins. But Ning Yao showing no reaction at all was the hardest situation to deal with.

Looks like there was no chance.

The boss already had a rough idea in his heart.

"By the way, Brother Ning Yao, what is your cultivation level now?"

He asked as he looked at Ning Yao curiously.

When Iron Dragon had come to find him last night, he had only told him that Ning Yao's life aura was very dense. If he was a healing-type soul master, then his level should not be low, but he had not told him exactly how high it was.

He had been curious from the start, but he trusted Iron Dragon, so he had not pressed the matter immediately.

But now, seeing Ning Yao's utterly unfazed expression, he could no longer hold himself back.

In response to his question, Ning Yao merely turned and gave him a smile.

"My cultivation level? Don't worry, it'll definitely be enough for this journey. I won't let anything happen to you."

"..."

The boss fell silent. Could this be another secret?

But the next moment, he saw Ning Yao casually brush his hand over the flowerbed beside them.

In an instant, the flowers beneath Ning Yao's hand, which had been on the verge of withering, became full of vitality. Every one of them bloomed, their vibrant fragrance filling the air.

Seeing this, the boss immediately swallowed all the words that had risen to his throat.

An expert!

He knew Iron Dragon could not possibly have misjudged him. Such a method was absolutely not something a low-level soul master could wield.

"Then, Brother Ning Yao, it's settled."

Rubbing his hands together, the boss smiled at Ning Yao.

Ning Yao said nothing more and simply nodded lightly.

"Don't worry."

It seemed that because news of his identity had only recently been made public, it was still relatively confidential. It should only be circulating among certain higher-ups and had not spread very widely yet.

Not long after breakfast, Ning Yao returned to his carriage and found Iron Dragon already waiting for him.

When he saw Ning Yao, he smiled and waved at him.

"Brother Ning Yao, did you sleep well last night?"

Ning Yao nodded.

"Not bad."

In terms of treatment, this caravan really was quite good. Even out in the wilderness, it was still peaceful.

And if he had not been mistaken, the one keeping watch last night had been Iron Dragon beside him.

"That's good. But tonight, we should be even more comfortable."

Iron Dragon laughed heartily, making Ning Yao somewhat curious.

"What do you mean?"

More comfortable meant...

"If all goes normally, we'll pass by a village around dusk today. Everything has been arranged with the village beforehand, and my family is even there. They'll prepare accommodations for our caravan."

Iron Dragon smiled as he explained.

"I see."

Ning Yao nodded, a look of understanding appearing on his face.

I see.

That was indeed not bad.

For him, it was good to wander about and travel along the way. After all, that was his purpose.

Unburdened by attachments, he traveled the continent and stopped whenever he encountered something that interested him.

As the two chatted, time passed second by second.

Iron Dragon talked a great deal along the way, mostly about his family, and Ning Yao listened with great interest.

It was clear that Iron Dragon was deeply attached to his family.

Having finally gotten the chance to return home with the caravan this time, he was obviously overjoyed.

After all, he would soon see the parents and younger sister he had missed so dearly.

Just like that, dusk soon approached.

Their journey that day went exceptionally smoothly, and they even reached their intended destination two hours ahead of schedule.

It was Iron Dragon's hometown, a small village hidden deep in the mountains.

According to Iron Dragon, quite a few soul masters had lived in the village for generations. The village's location was simply too dangerous, with soul beasts liable to appear nearby at any time. If not for the many soul masters, the village likely would have ceased to exist long ago.

The moment he saw the village, Iron Dragon was the first to rush out.

This time, he took the lead, introducing his village to everyone as he guided them toward the settlement whose outline was already faintly visible.

Everyone gathered around Iron Dragon, except for Ning Yao.

He remained seated in the carriage, resting with his eyes closed.

Soon, following Iron Dragon's lead, they arrived at the village entrance.

At the entrance stood a somewhat weathered plaque.

The large carved words "Sky Ox Village" stretched across it.

"Iron Ox, didn't you say your village was usually lively? Why isn't there a single person here now?"

Behind him, the caravan boss looked at the empty village before walking up and patting Iron Dragon on the shoulder in confusion.

The other caravan members were also somewhat puzzled and began discussing it among themselves.

One of the female soul masters stepped forward and peered into the village with curiosity in her eyes.

"Could it be that you blockhead, Iron Dragon, had everyone prepare a surprise for us?"

"Or did everyone go out? Is there some event in your village today? Didn't you say you had discussed this trip with the village a month in advance?"

Iron Dragon said nothing. He frowned as he stared into the village as well.

"No, that can't be. Nothing like this has ever happened in our village."

"Come on. Let's go in and take a look."