Four black horses pulled an unusually large and long carriage at an impressive speed, expertly guided by Lily from the driver’s seat.
Inside the carriage, Yuan and his wives sat in a relaxed manner, though excitement bubbled within them. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to embark on a journey with their beloved?
Xi Meili nestled on Yuan’s lap, her head resting against his chest, a gentle smile gracing her face. Observing her expression, Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head, amused.
‘What am I going to do with my adorable wife? She always wants to be close to me.’ He sighed, a mixture of exasperation and affection.
Turning his attention to the Monroe sisters, he noticed their somber expressions and sighed again. It was clear they were feeling the weight of leaving their parents behind.
Yuan gently moved Xi Meili to sit beside him and pulled the Monroe sisters into a warm embrace. With a smile, he addressed them,
“You three must be feeling sad about leaving your parents behind, don’t you?”
The Monroe sisters nodded, their faces buried into Yuan’s chest. His smile softened, and he hugged them tenderly, hoping to offer some comfort.
Anna, observing the scene, smiled at the Monroe sisters and shared her own experience, “You three don’t need to worry. I’m sure you’ll get used to living away from home. When I married Yuan’s father back then, I also felt very depressed about staying away from my parents’ home. But gradually, that depression and sadness vanished. I’m sure you three will also get used to it.”
“We understand, Mother-in-law Anna… We’ll try to get used to it,” Rose responded with a smile, wiping away her tears.
“I’m sure you will,” Anna assured, her gaze filled with warmth.
Anna then turned her attention to Lily, who was skillfully driving the carriage, and advised, “Lily, stay vigilant about your surroundings. We’re about to enter the forest, and we may encounter some strong monsters within.”
Grace nodded in agreement, adding, “Indeed, I’ve heard that this forest is quite dangerous. Even Lord Monroe warned us about potential dangers. So, Lily, please be on the lookout for any monsters that may appear before the carriage.”
Lily nodded in response, inwardly chuckling at her mothers’ concern. ‘Geez, do they really have to say this? Of course, I’ll be vigilant for any monsters.’
“You don’t have to worry about it, Moms. I’ll stay vigilant and inform you if I notice any monsters nearby,” Lily assured her two mothers, keeping her focus on driving the carriage, which continued to move at a swift pace.
The road was rugged, causing Yuan and his wives to jostle against each other. Despite the carriage’s larger size, they still felt the discomfort. Yuan couldn’t help but wish for a shock absorber.
‘It would be wonderful if there was a shock absorber installed in this carriage… Unfortunately, this world hasn’t discovered them yet,’ he mused silently. Such a addition would certainly make the journey far more comfortable and enjoyable. 𝒃𝙚𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢
Anna, Grace, and Emma noticed Yuan’s sigh. Emma, curious about his thoughts, inquired, “Yuan, is something the matter? I saw you sighing. Are you feeling uncomfortable riding in the carriage? It’s understandable, considering it’s your first time, after all.”
“You’re not entirely wrong, Emma. I am feeling a bit uncomfortable with all this shaking. However, my sigh was about something else,” Yuan explained.
Anna and Grace exchanged a quick glance, their curiosity piqued. Grace, with a playful grin, teasingly inquired, “So, what are you really sighing about, Darling? Are you thinking about doing something naughty to me, hmm?”
‘Mom Grace! Can’t you think about anything else besides THAT?!’ Yuan thought exasperatedly, his face likely revealing his surprise.
He let out another sigh. “Well, I’m thinking about reducing the carriage’s shaking, which would make our ride more comfortable and enjoyable.”
“Really?! Do you really have a way to make our ride more comfortable?!” Grace’s eyes sparkled with excitement. It was widely known that Grace had a deep appreciation for comfort, so Yuan’s words immediately captured her attention.
“Dear, are you really telling the truth? If you indeed have a way to make the carriage comfortable to ride then the journey will be more fun and enjoyable,” Anna said to Yuan, her voice brimming with excitement. She was genuinely curious about how her son planned to achieve this.
Julie eagerly looked at Yuan and chimed in, “I’m really looking forward to you making this carriage comfortable to ride. I’m tired of feeling all these bumps.”
“Me too!” Ava and Rose nodded in agreement.
However, Yuan was about to dampen their hopes for a smoother ride with his next statement.
“Well, I do have a way to make our ride very comfortable. But unfortunately, I can’t do that yet since we don’t have any steel with us.”
“Steel?!” Everyone exclaimed, their faces a canvas of confusion. The term seemed unfamiliar to them.
“Darling, what do you mean by ‘steel’? It’s the first time I’ve heard about it,” Grace inquired, genuinely curious about her son’s reference to ‘steel’.
Anna nodded in agreement. “Yes, dear, I’m also curious. What is this ‘steel’?”
Yuan internally berated himself. ‘It seems that this world hasn’t produced any steel yet. What should I do now? How can I explain to them about steel when it hasn’t even been discovered in this world? I shouldn’t have spoken so casually. Sigh!’
He began to explain, “Well, I read about it in an old book back in my previous home. It was mentioned that when we process iron in a special way, it turns into steel. Compared to iron, steel is roughly a thousand times stronger and doesn’t easily bend.”
Yuan carefully crafted a story about learning about steel from an old book, avoiding any mention of his previous life in the modern world. It wasn’t the right time to reveal that secret.
Anna, Grace, Emma, Rose, Julie, and Ava were shocked by Yuan’s explanation. They looked at him with wide-eyed astonishment. Meanwhile, Xi Meili, with her ancestral memories and extensive knowledge, wasn’t taken aback. She was aware of things unknown to this world.
In the realm of cultivation, there were metals far superior to steel. Compared to those, steel was considered relatively mundane.
“T-Thousand times stronger than iron?! Are you joking with us?!” Ava exclaimed in disbelief. The idea that steel could be so much stronger than iron seemed impossible to her. How could something made from iron turn out to be stronger than iron? It defied her understanding.
“Believe it or not, but it’s the truth… And besides, it’s not that easy to produce steel from iron. The process requires some rare and hard-to-come-by ingredients,” Yuan explained, shaking his head. He couldn’t force them to believe if they were skeptical.
Julie let out a long sigh. “It seems our hope for a comfortable ride has vanished. It’s a shame that producing steel is really so complicated.”
“We couldn’t agree more…” Grace nodded in agreement with Julie, wearing a wistful smile.
A short while later, Lily, from her position at the driver’s seat, noticed a few small carriages up ahead. They were surrounded by a group of goblins, and nearby lay the corpses of unfortunate travelers.
“Mom, Yuan, there’s a group of goblins ahead. They seem to be attacking some travelers’ carriages. I can also see dead bodies around,” Lily shouted, bringing the carriage to an abrupt halt upon seeing the danger ahead.
“What?! Monsters?!” The occupants of the carriage immediately became serious. The sudden stop was unexpected, and everyone braced themselves for trouble.
Yuan and his wives swiftly drew their weapons, except for Rose, Julie, and Ava. Rose lacked offensive techniques and a weapon, while Julie and Ava hadn’t yet become cultivators.
Just as Yuan was about to address Rose, Julie, and Ava, a translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
<Ding!>
?A mission has been assigned to the host?
?Mission: Kill the group of monsters and save the survivors ahead.?
?Number of monsters: 30 normal goblins, 10 hobgoblins, 3 goblin lords.?
?Difficulty: High?
?Reward: 120 SP, an Earth rank Sword?
?Time Limit: 1 hour?
?Mission: The lives of the survivors would be lost.?
<Will the host accept this mission?>
<Yes/No>
‘Finally, the system remembered to assign a mission to me. I was starting to think it wouldn’t generate any missions today,’ Yuan thought, looking at the translucent system window.
‘This mission seems easy to complete, but why is its difficulty level set to high? It must be because I have to save the survivors before those monsters harm them,’ Yuan reasoned.
Without much deliberation, he accepted the mission, then turned to his wives with a wide grin on his face.
“You guys wait for me here in the carriage, I’ll take care of the monsters real soon,” Yuan assured, leaping out of the carriage.
“Be careful and don’t underestimate those monsters. They may be weak, but they’re more clever than most humans,” Anna cautioned, her concern evident.
Yuan smiled at his mother. “Just wait here, okay? Those pathetic vermin are nothing to me.”
Lily observed her brother as he approached the goblins. “Little Yuan, do you want me to back you up?”
“No need, Big Sis. I’ll end their lives as fast as possible and save the survivors, if they’re alive at this point,” Yuan responded, lifting his hand parallel to the ground. Suddenly, his soul weapon, Empyreal Oblivion, materialized in his grasp.
“Buddy, let’s have some fun…!” Yuan exclaimed to his sword, his voice filled with excitement. Holding the sword, he felt a surge of energy and anticipation. A wide grin spread across his face.
Whoosh! Yuan propelled himself towards the group of goblins at a tremendous speed. Before the monsters even realized his presence, Yuan swung his sword, targeting their necks.
“One Sword One Strike!” A massive blue sword arc cleaved through the group of goblins. It cut down more than ten of them and continued on, striking a nearby tree. The impact brought the tree crashing down, instantly crushing a hobgoblin.
“Amazing! He’s so powerful!” Rose, Julie, and Ava were awestruck by the display of Yuan’s strength.
Roar! Roar!
Grrrrr!
The remaining goblins snapped out of their daze, roaring at Yuan with a mix of rage and hatred for the loss of their comrades.