Pingding Village

The city gates were bathed in the morning sun as the curtain of dawn slowly rose.

Ren Qing and the others packed their bundles and set out from Sanxiang City together.

As they gazed at the lush forests lining the official road, they smeared insect-repellent medicine over themselves. Some even swallowed several strange pills.

Though their destination was not far, they would have to travel through the mountains, so they had to be thoroughly prepared.

This was Ren Qing's first time leaving the city since arriving in this world.

The others were no better off. All of them had been born and raised in Sanxiang City, making Xiao Wu, unexpectedly, the most experienced among them.

Ren Qing took a simple map from his robes. It marked the route to their meeting point, where they would rendezvous with the Forbidden Guards.

Yet they were still far from the true Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone, and the Yamen would not so readily leak information about a Forbidden Zone.

After pondering for a moment, Ren Qing said, "Let's set off first. We'll try to reach Pingding Mountain by nightfall. There's a village there where we can rest."

As a Constable and the oldest Yamen Runner among them, Wang Wen did not place much trust in Ren Qing and could not help repeatedly reminding him.

"You'd better keep a close eye on that map. Don't get us lost."

"We won't."

Ren Qing paid no heed to Wang Wen's opinion and led the group down the official road.

The Fire Workers stayed in the middle of the group, while the constables guarded the front and rear against sudden danger.

Xiao Wu nudged Ren Qing with his elbow and whispered, "Qing Ge'er, we'll be traveling without rest. Will your body be all right?"

Ren Qing shook his head. "What could possibly be wrong? Besides, if all goes smoothly, we'll arrive in two days."

"Mm."

Xiao Wu was still somewhat worried. Ren Qing truly had been in poor health a few days ago; it remained to be seen whether he could hold out.

The group gradually moved farther away from Sanxiang City.

Yet the situation was far from reassuring. Beastly roars could clearly be heard from the woods beside the official road, and movement stirred within the grass as well.

"Officer Ren, there's a corpse..."

The speaker was Guo Qing, another Constable about Ren Qing's age. Being in unfamiliar surroundings clearly made him uncomfortable.

Ren Qing went to inspect the spot Guo Qing had indicated.

He found the corpse lying askew in a mud pit. Its body was sallow and emaciated, dressed in tattered cotton-linen clothes, with multiple blade wounds across its chest and abdomen.

"It should be a bandit's corpse. The soldiers must have chased him here."

Ren Qing was somewhat puzzled. By the look of it, the mountain bandits lived rather meagerly.

Come to think of it, merchant caravans rarely set out from Sanxiang City. The bandits were simply sitting on the mountain and eating it empty—what did they normally live on?

Zhu Ding could not help asking, "Officer, didn't they say all corpses were burned clean?"

Ren Qing explained, "Soldiers do not deal with scattered corpses. Otherwise, it would easily trigger mountain fires that spread without end."

The group suddenly understood and stopped paying attention to the corpse.

Unbeknownst to them, when Ren Qing nudged the corpse aside with his foot, he noticed a large charred patch on its back.

He instinctively followed the trail of blood and looked over. In the pitch-black forest, he could vaguely make out several pairs of blood-red eyes.

They belonged to lean wolves with ash-gray fur.

Mountain wolves were said to be born exceptionally cunning. They could even trail prey for days and nights on end.

"They're truly about to become spirits."

Ren Qing understood that the mountain wolves had likely dragged the corpse out from the forest. They had used it to lure prey, showing just how clever they were.

Naturally, Ren Qing would not allow himself to remain under their watch. While the others were not paying attention, he opened his narrowed eyes and activated the Divine Feet Scripture.

A terrifying aura spread outward. Xiao Wu and the others could not sense it, but the beasts were different.

The wolf pack let out low whimpers and bolted into the forest in blind panic.

The commotion frightened Guo Qing until his whole body trembled.

He hurriedly drew the saber at his waist, only to find it had been a false alarm. The wolf howls gradually faded away from the official road.

Everyone realized that danger had brushed past them, and instinctively felt lingering fear.

After that incident, the group unconsciously quickened their pace. Even at noon, they made do with dry rations in haste.

They wanted to follow Ren Qing's plan and reach the open terrain of Pingding Mountain before dark.

Stealing a moment amid the rush, Ren Qing used the motion of yawning to stuff several Pig Eyes into his stomach with the Strange Mouth. Warmth immediately spread through his entire body.

Mastering the Taotie Method was indeed convenient, though the one year of lifespan it consumed meant his advance to Ghost Envoy Realm would have to be delayed again.

There were gains and losses. At least for now, he was still quite satisfied.

After traveling peacefully along the official road for over an hour, their earlier encounter with the mountain wolves seemed like nothing more than an insignificant interlude.

Soon, a fork appeared in the official road, with an additional path leading into the mountains.

With trepidation, they left the level official road and entered the muddy, difficult mountain path, where countless venomous snakes and savage beasts lay hidden.

They could only be even more cautious.

Ren Qing compared the map several times. Once he confirmed there were no mistakes, Wang Wen gripped his saber and was the first to step into the dense, boundless forest.

The light was blocked by the leaves, while strange sounds drifted faintly from the distance.

Ren Qing occasionally raised his head to check the sun and confirm their direction, lest any deviation cause them to lose their way. He also had to stay alert for approaching beasts.

He had thought his Half-Corpse Realm cultivation would be more than enough to move with ease through the wilds, yet merely maintaining the Double Pupils without pause was already becoming too much for him.

And this was only the mountain range near Sanxiang City. If he went to places littered with Forbidden Zones, he would not survive more than a few days.

Still, for Ren Qing, this was an opportunity to better master his Art.

The group continued deeper into the forest.

When the sun began to set, Pingding Mountain could already be vaguely seen in the distance.

Trees grew in a ring around the mountaintop, but an open patch had been left at its center. More than a dozen thatched huts, no larger than sesame seeds from this distance, stood there.

Most of the villagers in this small mountain village were Hunters. Every few days, they would visit Sanxiang City to sell local goods.

Guo Qing's spirits rose. Once they reached the village, they could rest comfortably for the night and might not even need to eat the dry rations they carried.

Moreover, he had a good relationship with the Hunters in the village. They would occasionally drink together in the city.

"Wait."

Ren Qing called the group to a halt with a strange expression, then found a thick tree and began climbing it.

Xiao Wu opened his mouth wide in shock and uncertainty. Wasn't he supposed to have a Weak Physique?!!

Wang Wen was slightly dissatisfied, but seeing that the others were patiently waiting, he naturally found it difficult to say anything.

Ren Qing ignored them. Standing atop a branch, he gazed toward the mountain village as the Double Pupils spun even faster.

Yet Double-Pupil Users were not adept at seeing great distances. He could only vaguely make out more than a dozen figures walking into the forest from the village.

They then disappeared from sight.

"What is it, Officer?"

Guo Qing could not help calling out. The sky was growing ever darker, and he only wanted to hurry to the village and rest.

"It's nothing."

Ren Qing nimbly jumped down from the tree. Perhaps those villagers had suddenly needed to handle something; they might return to the village shortly.

Besides, it was still better than sleeping out in the deep mountains.

He heightened his vigilance and voluntarily took Guo Qing's place at the front.

After witnessing Ren Qing's skill, the others had no great objections.

As they slowly drew closer, the isolated Pingding Village came into view.