NOVPUBAt this moment, a winding caravan stretching over ten miles was swiftly advancing at a steady pace on the wide road.
This group was quite peculiar, comprised of ragged beggars, wealthy merchants, old people, and children.
At the rear of the caravan, a few horse-drawn carriages, each powered by eight horses, were following at an unhurried pace.
The compartments of the carriages were extremely large, capable of accommodating over ten people.
From one of the carriages came a slightly delighted voice:
"I did not expect Junior Brother Wang to be knowledgeable about mortal governance. Indeed, with the road so smooth, our progress has sped up considerably. I suspect we will soon be able to safely escort these mortals to the capital of the West Sea Country, thereby completing our mission on Fengyu Mountain."
"Senior Brother Ji jests. I just read a lot of miscellaneous books and indulge in wild thoughts. It just so happened that the opportunity presented itself."
Wang Ba’s modest voice could be heard from inside the carriage.
Soon, the curtain of the carriage window was lifted from the inside, revealing the scene within.
Xi Wushang, Ji Yuan, Liang Zhongkang, Tao Ruyi... all disciples of the Wanxiang Sect, were sitting inside the luxurious, spacious carriage, cheerfully chatting away.
After all, they were cultivators with strong willpower, so they quickly recuperated from the previous Feather Serpent battle.
However, protecting the mortals turned out to be lighter work than expected.
Along the way, they encountered only one Foundation Establishment Competitor from Tupi Continent, who Qin Lingxiao, having only recently developed his saber energy, handled as a test for himself.
For the rest of the journey, they faced no other difficulties.
After Wang Ba proposed using Magic Tools to build a straight, solid, and wide road starting from Haitou County, the speed of the mortal caravan increased substantially.
What would have originally taken half a month now would only take five or six days.
Hearing Ji Yuan’s praise, Liang Zhongkang sighed and glanced at Wang Ba, who was articulately speaking, feeling ashamed that he had intended to challenge such a person before.
"Even studying mortal governance... Such distractions will only hinder one’s progress. He doubtless won’t achieve Golden Core status. My earlier desire to challenge him was merely a result of Ruan Ziyin’s provocatory words."
He shook his head secretly.
However, he did not voice these disparagements.
Perhaps having experienced life-threatening danger, he felt matured, much more so than his previous self who would have been unable to resist mocking. But now he simply chuckled inwardly, feeling it beneath him to say anything.
"This sense... Ruan Ziyin and Ji Jian surely won’t understand. Alas, we’re clearly drawing a line."
Liang Zhongkang’s eyes brimmed with lament.
As soon as he returned to the Sect, he planned to make one concerted effort to reach the Golden Core stage. From that point forward, the gap between them would only widen.
Those old friends, once worthy adversaries, would probably not even be qualified to stand before him.
Of course, not to mention... Liang Zhongkang glanced at the other Wanxiang Sect disciples in the carriage.
Besides his two Martial Uncles, Xi Wushang and Ji Yuan, it was unlikely that the others would have an opportunity to spend as much time with him after today.
"Martial Uncle Liang, would you like some roasted chicken?"
A chubby figure suddenly appeared in front of Liang Zhongkang, asking expectantly.
The rich aroma of the chicken, a mix of roasted chicken skin and the savory meat, floated to Liang Zhongkang, causing him to involuntarily twitch his nose.
However, looking at fat Tao Ruyi, he suddenly remembered the awkward figure rushing towards him that day in the Sect, giving him a feeling of revulsion. Suppressing his inner desires, he pushed Tao Ruyi away with a disdainful face:
"No, thank you. I am not inclined to indulge in such trivial pleasures."
Upon hearing this, a look of disappointment flashed across Tao Ruyi’s face. But he quickly forced a smile, nodding:
"Alright, alright."
He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Zhen Boen next to him, his eyes shimmering, whispering: "Senior Brother Zhen, would you like some roasted chicken? I also have some fruit jam."
Zhen Boen had smelled the roasted chicken, but had overheard Liang Zhongkang’s previous conversation, and feared being labeled indulgent. He replied with a smile:
"Thank you, but I’ve abstained from food. I don’t need these..."
The brightness just ignited in Tao Ruyi’s eyes immediately dimmed.
He then turned to Lou Yi of Qianliu Peak.
However, seeing that the latter seemed to be cultivating with his eyes closed, he didn’t dare to disturb him.
Just then, a clear voice across from him chirped like an oriole:
"Senior Brother Tao, could you give me some of your jam?"
The voice wasn’t loud, but it caused both Ji Yuan and Wang Ba, who were deep in conversation, to jump in surprise.
Tao Ruyi stared at Zhou Luye, a disciple of Baihua Peak, across from him. Witnessing her smiling at him, he felt somewhat taken aback.
Without thinking, he quickly wiped his hands on his robe, took out a set of food boxes from his sleeve, carefully passed the censer in the middle, and handed them to Zhou Luye.
"Um... Junior Sister Zhou, there’s osmanthus flavored, there’s ’return-soul-fragrant’ flavored, and there’s ’seven-leaf-liquorice’ flavored..."
Zhou Luye looked at the myriad of jams and desserts in the food box, her eyes glowing:
"So cute!"
Tao Ruyi paused, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment.
"Doesn’t she like to eat them?"
Just then, a voice chuckled: "Tao Ruyi, any more roasted chicken left?"
Hearing this, Tao Ruyi turned around to see Wang Ba looking at him with a smile.
