Chapter 196: Chapter 196: The Journey
“Junior Brother Wang, I’m sorry I can’t accompany you to Nan Shao,”
the morning after arriving in Qian Capital, Fei Xinghe apologetically said to Wang Chen, “I still need to stay here for two days.”
Originally, Fei Xinghe had agreed with Wang Chen that they would travel together to their posts.
He would first take Wang Chen to Nan Shao, and then go to Jing’an himself.
Nan Shao and Jing’an Prefectures were adjacent, and the distance between the prefectural cities was merely four to five hundred miles.
For cultivators, such a distance was considered very close.
Yet, plans could not keep up with changes, and for some reason, Fei Xinghe could not leave temporarily.
Wang Chen didn’t mind the broken promise and didn’t inquire about the reasons, smiling as he said, “No problem, Senior Brother Fei, there will be plenty of time in the future. We’ll get in touch after we assume our posts.”
“Good!”
After saying goodbye to Fei Xinghe, Wang Chen rode a Dragon Piao horse all by himself, heading towards Nan Shao, three thousand seven hundred miles away.
His steed was provided by the Grand Heavenly Master’s mansion of Qian Capital; although it was a mortal beast, it was said to have a trace of dragon beast’s bloodline. It was completely black and magnificently spirited, capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day.
Moreover, it had great endurance.
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In the mortal realm, which was a Spiritless Land, the efficiency of using a single-person flying artifact was greatly reduced, and the mana consumed by cultivators could not be replenished by the spiritual power of the outside world.
Therefore, using a flying artifact as transportation was a last resort and not cost-effective at all.
And the airships of the Four Seas Commerce Association only traveled back and forth between Qian Capital and Cloud Mountain City, with no routes to the prefectural cities below.
For the next part of the journey, Wang Chen could only rely on himself.
Fortunately, the national power of Great Qian was still quite strong, and they had built a Chi Path that ran through the country from north to south over the past hundreds of years.
Therefore, most of the journey ahead should be easy to travel.
In just three days, he had reached Guang’an Prefecture, located to the north of Nan Shao.
Once he crossed Guang’an Prefecture, he would be very close to Nan Shao City.
But upon entering the territory of Guang’an Prefecture, the wide and straight Chi Path became a rugged and steep mountain path.
Wang Chen’s speed slowed down considerably.
Most of Guang’an Prefecture was mountainous, with roads flanked by continuous rolling hills and dense forests.
He wasn’t in a hurry, taking his time to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Since arriving in Qian Capital, Wang Chen’s sense of danger had completely disappeared.
The further south he went, the safer he felt.
His mood became quite cheerful.
And as it was Wang Chen’s first time in Great Qian, he found the customs and culture of the mortal world quite novel.
He decided to treat it as a trip and not put unnecessary pressure on himself.
Two more days passed, and he was not far from the border between Guang’an and Nan Shao.
However, the weather was as unpredictable as the mood of the heavens, with even more uncertain climate changes in the mountains. Just a moment ago, the sky was clear, then suddenly, heavy clouds gathered, and the rumbling sound of thunder reached Wang Chen’s ears.
Splish!
The Dragon Piao horse treading on the mountain path snorted uneasily.
Wang Chen stretched out his hand and patted its neck, saying, “Let’s find somewhere ahead to shelter from the rain.”
Although this splendid horse was a mortal beast, it understood human expressions quite well.
Having traveled two to three thousand miles together, Wang Chen and the horse had already developed considerable rapport.
As the sky grew darker, a violent storm seemed imminent, and Wang Chen couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious.
Though his body was at Great Achievement, and he didn’t fear frost or snow,
getting drenched in the rain in the wilderness would still be a dreadful experience.
Moreover, the temperature in the mountains was low, and the Dragon Piao horse might not be able to endure it.
If this mount fell ill, it would be Wang Chen’s own trouble.
But his luck was good.
He had just turned a mountain ridge when he saw a deserted village beside the forest ahead.
The village wasn’t big, and it was unknown how long it had been abandoned, as most of the houses had already collapsed.
Then it was covered by wild grass and vines.
Such abandoned villages are common throughout Great Qian.
Wang Chen had seen countless such places on his journey.
The only relatively intact building in the abandoned village was a small temple located at the southeast corner of the village.
Before the raindrops began to fall, Wang Chen quickly rode his Dragon Piao horse towards the small temple.
He dismounted in front of the temple, pushed open the half-closed, dilapidated temple doors, and then led his horse inside.
What surprised Wang Chen was that the temple was quite spacious and clean inside, as if someone swept it often, with only some cobwebs in the corners.
The temple was dedicated to Emperor Heaven, with a fire basin positioned in front of the deity’s statue, which was piled high with thick ash.
The traces of burning were obvious.
Clearly, it had been used as a temporary station by passing travelers.
Wang Chen tied the Dragon Piao horse to a wooden post in the corner and provided it with dry fodder and clean water.
The Dragon Piao horse was a fast runner and had an enormous appetite as well.
The Grand Heavenly Master’s residence had supplied him with several hundred pounds of fine fodder, which was just enough to supply the horse for a round trip to Nan Shao.
After eating, Wang Chen fed it a Spirit Peach.
The Dragon Piao horse was quite fond of these peaches, even crushing the peach pit with strong chews before swallowing it down.
After finishing it still wanted more, rubbing its big head against Wang Chen in a cute and pleasing manner.
Wang Chen chuckled and stuffed another peach into its mouth.
Then, he went to prepare his own dinner.
This time, leaving for Great Qian, Wang Chen had brought all his belongings.
A large amount of Spirit Rice, Spirit Fruits, Spiritual Wine, and Monster Beast meat filled a Storage Bag to the brim, more than enough for three years, as long as he didn’t gorge himself recklessly.
“Emperor Heaven’s sage in the heavens above, I, minor cultivator Wang Chen, have trespassed!”
He bowed to the statue of Emperor Heaven, then set up a bonfire in front of the deity’s seat, adding a roasting spit and cooking pot above it.
As the wind and rain raged outside, pounding raindrops pelted the roof tiles relentlessly,
the iron pot on the fire boiled over, with grains of millet and dried beast meat tumbling in it, emitting the fragrance of meat porridge.
Wang Chen then took out a skewer of Monster Bear meat and laid it on the bonfire to roast.
The snow-white bear meat sizzled with fat, and its enticing aroma caused the Dragon Piao horse in the corner to snort continuously.
Saliva dripped out.
Because it had dragon blood in its lineage, it too was a meat eater.
But don’t expect Wang Chen to share with it.
Screech—
Just as Wang Chen picked up a skewer of freshly roasted meat, preparing to feast, the temple doors that he had previously shut were suddenly forced open by someone.
Two figures, one large and one small, stumbled in!
Wang Chen glanced at them and acted as though he hadn’t seen them, continuing to bite into a piece of bear meat.
The deliciously juicy meat was extremely flavorful!
Wang Chen’s perception was incredibly sharp; he had sensed the people approaching the temple doors from outside.
Yet Wang Chen didn’t pay them any attention.
This was the mortal realm, where besides the rare cultivators, the pinnacle of martial force was the Innate Martial Artist.
With Wang Chen’s current strength, even an Innate Martial Artist wielding steel swords and precious blades wouldn’t be able to breach his Heavenly Dragon Vajra body.
Not just one or two people, even if an army of thousands came, he would remain fearless!
The two that burst into the temple obviously didn’t expect it to be occupied by Wang Chen, and they froze for a moment.
The older of the two showed a wary expression, gripping the short sword at his waist.
And he shielded his companion behind him!
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