The timeline

In this unusual land, only Queen Medusa truly deserved to be called bewitching.

The absolute ruler of the Tagor Desert.

The man and his mount had not escaped her notice. Upon sensing their movements, Medusa had quietly left the sacred city. This was the territory of the Snake-People Tribe, and as its queen, she had a duty to eliminate every potential threat.

But the moment Queen Medusa spotted Chen Cang from afar, she knew she had worried needlessly.

A mere Da Dou Shi posed no threat whatsoever.

Besides, the boy had kept babbling, stressing his background one moment and professing his goodwill toward the Snake-People Tribe the next. All he wanted was to tell her, should she happen to appear, that he was merely passing through and meant no harm.

Queen Medusa did not believe Chen Cang's fabricated lies. Her reason for not attacking was also simple.

If others did not offend her, she would not offend them.

Many people might have scoffed to hear those words from the notoriously fearsome queen of the Snake-People Tribe, but that was indeed how she had always acted.

Besides, that horse-shaped magical beast really was fast.

The reason she had kept following Chen Cang was that the Void Pegasus Beast had piqued her interest.

"An underage Da Dou Shi and a strange Heavenly Horse. It seems the Jia Ma Empire is about to become interesting. Let chaos come. The more chaos, the better..."

Queen Medusa murmured those words, then turned and headed back to the sacred city.

Although she rather wanted to see how great a storm this man and his mount could stir up in the Jia Ma Empire, as queen, she could not leave the Snake-People Tribe whenever she pleased.

At the very least, she had to put everything in order before she could enjoy the spectacle without worry.

Elsewhere.

Just emerging from his delight at crossing the border safely, Chen Cang entered Stone Desert City in the hazy morning light.

It was the largest city near Tagor and served as a barrier against the Snake-People.

Of course, none of that concerned Chen Cang.

He was willing to spend some of his travel time entering the city solely because of two people there.

"Little girl, could you tell me how to get to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group?"

It was still early, and few people were out on the streets. Chen Cang approached a dilapidated house and asked the little girl crouching outside its door for directions.

The Desert Iron Mercenary Group had been founded by Xiao Yan's two elder brothers. Once he met Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, many of the things Chen Cang wanted to know would come to light.

At his question, the thin little girl shrank back, looking somewhat frightened, and said nothing.

Chen Cang took out a gold coin, then reconsidered and offered her several pounds of dried meat instead.

Only with food tempting her did the little girl lower her guard a little.

"N-no... there isn't. I don't know what you mean."

Her unclear answer left Chen Cang helpless. He might as well rely on himself.

Memory reading.

A moment later, Chen Cang understood everything.

There was no mercenary group named Desert Iron here at all!

Stone Desert City was currently the domain of the Sand Mercenary Group and the Storm Mercenary Group.

This was somewhat unexpected. Chen Cang rose and returned to the street, reading the memories of more than a dozen other people.

But without exception, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group did not exist!

That ironclad fact sent thoughts surging through Chen Cang's mind like a rising tide.

He remembered that Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had ventured out into the world and founded the Desert Iron Mercenary Group because something had gone wrong with Xiao Yan's cultivation, setting off a chain reaction.

Since there was no Desert Iron Mercenary Group now, that meant Xiao Yan was still Wutan City's little genius.

In other words, the plot had not yet begun!

Without a doubt, this was good news for Chen Cang.

It meant he had more time and energy to lay certain plans.

"Come on, let's go to Wutan City!"

Eager to confirm where he stood in the timeline, Chen Cang changed his plan to stop by Desert City along the way.

In Desert City, there was a fortuitous opportunity waiting, along with an angel investor.

But that no longer mattered for now. They would not run away, and he would have plenty of time to deal with them later.

That worked out nicely. By then, he would be stronger and more confident about approaching that angel investor.

Mounting the Void Pegasus Beast, Chen Cang rode without pause toward the sprawling mountain range in the distance.

Once he crossed the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Wutan City would be close.

They raced along like the wind, leaving every magical beast alone. By that afternoon, the man and his mount had already crossed from one side of the mountains to the other.

"Over there, horse!"

A small settlement was visible in the distance. Chen Cang patted the Void Pegasus Beast, urging him onward.

He had never been to Wutan City and did not know exactly which direction it lay in. Finding someone to ask for directions and filling in the map in his mind was therefore essential.

As they drew closer, Chen Cang's view grew clearer.

The village was tiny. Even from above, he could see only a few dozen households. Wisps of cooking smoke rose here and there, painting a peaceful scene with the air of a paradise hidden from the world. The sight unconsciously soothed his heart.

Dismounting, Chen Cang walked slowly into the village.

Gradually, his relaxed brows drew into a slight frown.

He discovered that something seemed strange about this little village!

First, every household had its doors and windows tightly shut. As far as he could see, there was not a single person in sight. It was a little too quiet.

Then there was an earthen pit at the far end of the village, where large numbers of dead chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep had been dumped. Their carcasses were blackened all over, and merely looking at them sent a chill through his heart.

Everything made it seem as though an invisible pall hung over the village.

Reason told Chen Cang that of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was best!

He could find someone elsewhere to ask for directions. There was no need to face unknown trouble here.

Yet plans could never keep pace with change.

Just as he mounted the Void Pegasus Beast and prepared to make his escape, an old man dressed in coarse hemp clothing came down a distant mountain path. His skin was dark, deep furrows crisscrossed his face, and his expression was heavy.

Driven by curiosity, Chen Cang read the old man's memories.

The process was easy, indicating that the old man possessed little strength.

Through those memories, Chen Cang also learned the whole story.

This had been an utterly ordinary little village. Its villagers were hardworking and honest, making their living by gathering medicinal herbs. Though they were not wealthy, their lives were fulfilling and content.

Then, last year, a mother and daughter had arrived in the village.

Taking pity on the widowed mother and her fatherless child, the kindhearted villagers had welcomed them and let them settle there.

It was from that very day that strange things began to happen.

Every so often, chickens and ducks in the village would die for no discernible reason.

These incidents grew more and more frequent, spreading from chickens and ducks to cattle and sheep. By now, every last domestic bird and animal in the village had died.

Such uncanny events sent shivers down people's spines.

More and more villagers laid the blame on the mother and daughter. After all, everything had been fine before, and all the trouble had begun only after their arrival.

Only by driving them out could they put an end to it all!

Those voices grew louder and louder. Had the village chief not repeatedly talked them down, they would probably have acted long ago.

And the village chief was this very old man.

Having pieced together the course of events, Chen Cang looked at the old man and silently sighed.

He was kindhearted and honest. Had he done anything wrong?

No.

But from the information Chen Cang possessed, he knew that the villagers' proposal was actually their path to survival!