Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Caravan

Page 1/3

The forest lay silent, with trees of varying heights densely blocking the patch of sky overhead. Their interwoven branches stretched out luxuriantly, as if trembling leaves had woven a vast expanse of emerald clouds. On this drizzling night, the beasts roaming beneath remained untouched by the rain, shielded by the canopy above.

“Awooo!”

The tranquil summer night was shattered by a mournful wolf’s howl, carrying a profound sorrow within its long, haunting cry.

Amidst the dense forest, a white wolf dashed at full speed. For some unknown reason, it ran alone, with no pack beside it. Its wolfish eyes bore no hint of bloodthirsty ferocity, only a defeated despair and gut-wrenching terror as it fled.

Its pure white fur was stained with fresh blood, two long wounds on its back oozing relentlessly with each desperate stride. Its snarling grimace revealed the excruciating pain as the wounds tore open anew.

Finally, it halted and glanced back anxiously, searching for any pursuers.

Glowing emerald eyes scanned the darkness but detected no approaching danger.

Just as it let down its guard and crouched to lick a small wound on its foreleg, its nose suddenly twitched sharply.

Ignoring the blood streaming from its injuries, it rose and looked upward toward a towering tree.

A dagger flew swiftly from above, as fast as lightning, aimed directly at its forehead in an instant.

“Awooo!”

The white wolf barely managed to utter its final cry before the dagger pierced through its skull, embedding itself in the ground behind it. Blood slowly dripped to the earth.

The forest sank back into silence.

A figure leapt down from the treetops, the light, dark robes fluttering in the breeze, adding an ethereal grace.

The figure shot another dagger into the air, seemingly tethered to a faint silk thread. The dagger twirled along the thread, like a spider weaving silk, arcing through the air before landing beside the wolf’s corpse.

He first picked up the bloodstained dagger, then tugged hard on the branch holding the silk thread, severing it with a sharp snap.

Just as the man raised a wine skin to his lips, a jade pendant on his chest glowed with an emerald light, and a cold voice echoed in his mind: “Feeling better? I see you’ve slain quite a few living creatures lately. There’s no need to find excuses to do these meaningless things.”

Since parting with Gu Fanshuang, Su Bai had grown increasingly neglectful of his cultivation. Qu Qiuzhuo thought he was merely troubled in his heart and would recover soon.

But unexpectedly, Su Bai had been hunting living creatures recklessly, nearly losing his life several times.

At first, he claimed it was to hone his combat skills, but later it became sheer madness.

Fortunately, his Zhenbing Profound Skill offered exceptional protection; otherwise, he might have perished countless times.

“You’re wasting yourself like this, achieving nothing. You haven’t even reached the Heart Protection stage, yet you sulk and do these futile deeds,” Qu Qiuzhuo scolded harshly.

“I warn you, Su Bai, if you continue down this path of decay, sooner or later you’ll watch Gu Fanshuang die before your eyes. Then you’ll be nothing but a pitiful wretch, powerless to stop your friends and loved ones from perishing one by one!”

He shouted fiercely, “Enough!”

The wine skin flew from his hand, smashing against a tree and shattering.

Qu Qiuzhuo’s tone softened slightly as he continued, “I know it hasn’t been easy for you to come this far, but the path you’ve chosen is fated. If you don’t persevere, you’ll be torn to pieces by the ferocious beasts behind you. Countless have died on this road—don’t follow their footsteps.”

Su Bai hung his head silently, his handsome face streaked with blood, his white robes stained crimson.

His current state was not solely because of Gu Fanshuang’s departure, but the long-standing pressure had overwhelmed his emotions.

These days of wanton slaughter were not only to master his technique but also a way to release his inner turmoil.

Qu Qiuzhuo sensed the timing was right and reprimanded Su Bai.

One truly consumed by rage cannot be reasoned with; those who can be reasoned with are never truly furious.

After Qu Qiuzhuo finished speaking, Su Bai slowly lifted his head to gaze at the sky veiled by the forest canopy. A raindrop fell from a leaf’s tip, landing on his forehead.

After a long silence, Su Bai spoke softly, “I’m sorry. I failed to steady my mind and wasted much time.”

Qu Qiuzhuo did not press further but comforted him, “It’s alright. At least you haven’t wasted your efforts entirely. Tonight, break through to the Heart Protection stage quickly—you’ve prepared enough.”

“Hmm,” Su Bai nodded slightly in agreement.

Composing himself, Su Bai dragged the wolf’s corpse and headed toward a distant spot.

After searching for a while, he stopped at a mountain cave.

Page 2/3

Su Bai surveyed the cave surroundings and, confirming no beasts threatened him, casually tossed the wolf’s body aside. Then he glanced at the jade pendant and asked, “I’ve cleared the wolves here. Shall I prepare to break through in this spot?”

“Do as you please. It’s not like I’m the one breaking through,” Qu Qiuzhuo replied casually. “I only teach you cultivation, not your nanny.”

Su Bai twitched his mouth, thinking this old woman still held a grudge. “You’re really responsible, huh?”

“Thanks for the compliment,” Qu Qiuzhuo replied with a mocking smile through the pendant.

Su Bai ignored her, sweeping the dust clean with a wave of his sleeve before finding a relatively clean spot to sit cross-legged.

Qu Qiuzhuo’s voice then echoed faintly in the pendant, instructing him on the Zhenbing Profound Skill’s method.

Su Bai followed her guidance, circulating his energy. His internal power flowed continuously, and a frigid aura formed a circle around his body.

Water particles in the air solidified into tiny ice fragments, falling to the ground.

His body was encased in a layer of frost, which gradually climbed upward, transforming him into an icy figure—an ice sculpture from afar.

“The Zhenbing Profound Skill is powerful with astonishing defense, but it has drawbacks. First, once a month you must dissipate the energy to remove the cold poison inside. Second, each realm advancement brings immense pain,” Qu Qiuzhuo’s voice resonated in his mind, helping him brace against the ice’s torment.

“I understand,” Su Bai thought, now able to converse silently with Qu Qiuzhuo.

Cold poison assaulted him in waves, his body trembling uncontrollably. He struggled to stabilize the raging internal energy but with little success, forcing him to consume energy constantly to suppress the violent profound cold.

Two hours later,

A mouse poked its little nose out of the cave, then stretched its head, looking around cautiously. Seeing no enemies, it scurried out to forage.

The mouse sniffed left then right, its large eyes occasionally glancing upward for threats.

Moving forward, it suddenly bumped into something hard.

Looking up, the mouse saw something pale and exuding a chilling aura. Just as it grew curious, a hissing sound whispered near its ear.

“Squeak!”

The mouse was about to flee when its vision blacked out.

A three-foot-long blue-spotted pit viper opened its mouth wide, swallowing the mouse whole. After swallowing, it opened its mouth as if belching contentedly.

Coiling into a circle, the flat-headed serpent looked toward Su Bai, its tongue flicking repeatedly, waiting for his awakening.

An incense stick’s time passed.

A slender ray of sunlight pierced through a gap in the leaves, shining upon the chilly pit viper.

Feeling the morning light, the small snake stretched its neck.

At that moment, Su Bai’s body trembled sharply. His eyes, closed all night, slowly opened, pupils glowing with a faint purple light, complementing his strikingly handsome and enchanting visage.

He reached out to take the snake, which climbed up his arm to rest on his shoulder. Then he stood, stretching his stiff limbs, his body crackling sharply.

“No wonder you said this profound skill would enhance my defense. Every time I cultivate, it nearly kills me, but it really does refine the body,” Su Bai muttered, recalling his recent cultivation and breakthrough with some helplessness.

“If you think cultivating this skill comes without consequences, there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Qu Qiuzhuo’s disdainful voice piped up.

Su Bai remained silent but communicated internally: “I can endure these, but isn’t that monthly energy dissipation and poison removal a bit too much...?”

Qu Qiuzhuo suddenly fell silent, arousing Su Bai’s curiosity.

“You know how to solve it but are just torturing me on purpose, aren’t you? Typical old woman,” he teased.

Surprisingly, Qu Qiuzhuo did not snap back but hesitated before saying, “There is indeed a solution, but it’s not yet time for you to know.”

Before she could speak further, Su Bai finished her sentence for her: “Everything is already arranged. When the time comes, I’ll naturally encounter it. Right?”

He even threw in a cheeky retort.

Qu Qiuzhuo refused to admit defeat, immediately firing back, “Hmph! Your tongue’s getting sharper. Didn’t expect you to have a knack for chatter.”

“What are your plans now?” she asked. “You said someone in the Blood River Tower has betrayed your whereabouts? Returning there now only invites trouble.”

Su Bai smiled wryly and shook his head. “Looking at the current situation, I really do have to return to the Blood River Tower.”

“Oh? Why?” Qu Qiuzhuo asked, puzzled.

Unexpectedly, Su Bai imitated her tone: “Even if I told you now, it wouldn’t help. One day, you’ll understand.”

“You brat! You need a good beating every three days, don’t you?”

Su Bai stifled a laugh, thinking: Qu Qiuzhuo breaks down daily.

But after just a couple of chuckles, he composed himself and looked across the endless forest, pressing his lips together. “The road ahead is long. Half a year isn’t nearly enough.”

Fortunately, the horses in this world could travel a thousand miles a day. Su Bai had killed several barbarians and acquired horses, though most had been used as food.

Cultivation required great energy, so food was a pressing issue; thus, he kept only one horse as a mount.

However, traversing the forest slowed the horse considerably. It took three full days to circle out of the dense woods.

When he finally crossed the mountain and saw a city in the distance, he breathed a long sigh of relief. “At last, I can rest in a city. These days, I’ve been living like a wild man. I wonder what the others’ final assessments are like.”

After some effort, he entered the city and immediately sought out an inn. But feeling his empty pockets, he frowned: Poverty had left his pockets cleaner than his face.

Outwardly, he appeared a refined gentleman; in reality, he was a poor, miserable soul.

With no choice, Su Bai found a small tea stall to sit, spending three coins to refill a pot of tea, then bought two steamed buns from a nearby vendor.

As he nibbled the buns and sipped tea, he pondered his next steps: “I can’t just rush along the road without food. If I starve, my cultivation progress will suffer.”

Just then, the tea stall owner exclaimed in surprise, “Hey! Look! It seems to be the Shang family’s caravan!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd turned their eyes toward the city gate.

Su Bai, of course, did the same, catching sight of the caravan’s full grandeur.

The caravan was unlike any he had seen: a line of large, thoroughbred horses the size of giant jeeps, one after another, loaded with goods and people steadily moving forward. Behind them, sturdy Kui beasts pulled carts.

Large spider-sized carriages carried a person each, guarding the caravan’s safety.

Scattered individuals drove horses, mules, and ox carts or carried bamboo baskets and packs, trailing the main group.

Many watching the caravan hurried home to prepare.

“It’s been three years since the Shang family’s caravan came here!”

“Yes, only the Shang family can muster such a grand caravan.”

“Hopefully, the goods will be valued. If I can sell something, at least I’ll get a dozen taels of silver.”

“I wonder what they’ve brought from the south. Must buy it all quickly and then rake in a fortune!”

………

The caravan was like a god of wealth finally appearing; people flocked eagerly to trade and buy goods.

“Hey, what are you thinking?” Qu Qiuzhuo’s voice sounded. She saw Su Bai’s absent-minded expression and wondered what he was contemplating.

“You’re not planning to rob such a large caravan, are you?”

“Do I look like that kind of person?” Su Bai whined, dropping his face.

“Hard to say,” Qu Qiuzhuo shrugged, disbelief clear in her tone.

“Seriously, I think applying as a bodyguard for the caravan is a good idea. They’re heading south, which suits me perfectly. I can get a ride and have time to cultivate.”

Now that he had reached the Heart Protection stage, Su Bai was confident he could secure the position.

“Good idea, but the caravan moves too slowly. With only four and a half months left, you probably won’t make it in time.”

“That’s a problem, but I can always earn enough money here before leaving.”

With that, Su Bai rose and headed toward the caravan.

Page 3/3