Early morning on the ninth day.
A carriage left the Earth Pill Sect, slowly heading toward the border Great Wall.
This time, the carriage did not stop inside the Great Wall, but went straight through the gateway.
Chen Shi'an slipped Zheng Bimeng an Origin-Strength Pill, saying that his sect had ordered him to visit the temporary market in the Desolate Ruins to buy a large quantity of things found only there, and that he needed the carriage.
Chen Shi'an had kept Zheng Bimeng well fed these past few days, so he let him through without asking much.
Once through the gateway, Chen Shi'an told the driver, "It's dangerous in the Desolate Ruins. I'll go to the temporary market alone. You head back first."
The driver could not have asked for anything better.
Chen Shi'an called a farewell to Zheng Bimeng and slowly drove the carriage deeper into the Desolate Ruins.
Once they were far from the border Great Wall, the carriage door opened. An old man with a black beard and a lean face poked his head out and said quietly:
"Jing Yuan, this carriage is too slow. Let's leave it behind and walk."
The old man was none other than Ba Dashan's senior fellow disciple, the Earth Pill Sect's grand elder and Desolate Suppression City's foremost Alchemist, Zu Qingyan.
Ba Dashan also poked his head out. "We can't spend too long on this trip. Walking would be faster than taking the carriage."
Chen Shi'an replied with a smile, "Master, Senior Uncle, don't be impatient just yet. We'll still need the carriage for the return trip. I need to find somewhere safe to hide it.
"It's not much farther. Another few li, and we can leave the carriage."
Hearing this, Zu Qingyan and Ba Dashan nodded and shut the door.