Chapter 196
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Chapter 196: The Journey
“Wang Shidi, I regret that I cannot accompany you to South Shao.”
The morning after their arrival in Qianjing, Fei Xinghe expressed his apologies to Wang Chen, “I must remain here for two more days.”
Initially, Fei Xinghe had planned to journey with Wang Chen to their respective posts.
He intended to escort Wang Chen to South Shao before proceeding to Jing’an.
South Shao and Jing’an are neighboring counties, with their capitals merely four to five hundred miles apart.
For cultivators, such a distance is relatively short.
However, as plans often go awry, unforeseen circumstances compelled Fei Xinghe to delay his departure.
Wang Chen, unbothered by the change in plans and without inquiring into the reasons, responded with a smile, “No worries, Brother Fei. There will be ample opportunities in the future. Let’s reconnect once we’ve settled into our posts.”
“Agreed!”
After parting ways with Fei Xinghe, Wang Chen embarked on his solitary journey to South Shao, three thousand seven hundred miles away, astride a dragon steed.
This steed, provided by the Qianjing Grand Celestial Mansion, though a mere mortal beast, was said to carry a hint of dragon lineage. Its glossy black coat was strikingly majestic, and it boasted the capability of traveling a thousand miles a day.
Moreover, its endurance was extraordinary.
The Mortal Realm, a land devoid of spiritual energy, significantly hindered the efficiency of flying artifacts. Additionally, cultivators could not replenish their expended magical power from the ambient spiritual energy.
Thus, resorting to flying artifacts for travel was impractical and a last resort.
Furthermore, the Four Seas Trading Association’s flying ships only shuttled between Qianjing and Yunshan City, with no services to the lesser county capitals.
Consequently, Wang Chen had no choice but to undertake the journey on his own.
Fortunately, Da Qian’s robust infrastructure included a well-maintained north-south thoroughfare built over centuries.
This made the initial leg of his journey relatively straightforward.
In just three days, Wang Chen reached Guangan County, located to the north of South Shao.
Crossing Guangan would bring him close to South Shao City.
However, upon entering Guangan County, the smooth, straight road gave way to rough, steep mountain paths.
Wang Chen’s pace slowed significantly.
Guangan County is predominantly mountainous, with roads winding through rolling hills and dense, verdant forests.
Unhurried, Wang Chen took the time to appreciate the scenic beauty along his route.
Since his arrival in Qianjing, the sense of impending danger that had haunted Wang Chen had completely dissipated.
The further south he traveled, the more secure he felt.
His spirits lifted considerably.
This was Wang Chen’s first visit to Da Qian, and he found the customs and culture of the Mortal Realm intriguingly novel.
He chose to view this journey as a leisurely exploration, free from unnecessary stress.
After two more days, he approached the border between Guangan and South Shao.
Yet, the mountain weather is notoriously fickle. The sky, clear moments before, was suddenly overcast with dark clouds, and the rumbling of thunder echoed in Wang Chen’s ears.
Puff!
The dragon steed galloped along the mountain path and snorted restlessly.
Wang Chen reached out and patted its neck, saying, “Let’s find a place to take shelter from the rain ahead.”
Although this steed was an ordinary beast, it was quite intelligent and responsive.
After traveling two or three thousand miles together, Wang Chen had developed a strong bond with it.
As the sky grew darker and a storm approached, Wang Chen couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
Even though he had already reached the advanced level in body cultivation and was unafraid of frost and snow, being drenched by a heavy downpour in the wild would still be a miserable experience.
Moreover, the temperature in the mountains was low, and the dragon steed might not be able to endure it.
If this mount fell ill, it would be Wang Chen who faced the trouble.
Fortunately, luck was on his side.
Just after rounding a mountain ridge, he spotted a desolate village by the edge of a forest ahead.
The village was not large and had likely been abandoned for a long time, with most of the houses collapsed and overgrown with wild grass and vines.
Such desolate villages were extremely common in Da Qian, and Wang Chen had seen countless ones on his journey.
The only building that was still relatively intact in the village was a small temple located in the southeast corner.
Taking advantage of the fact that the rain had not yet begun to fall, Wang Chen hurriedly guided his dragon steed towards the temple.
He dismounted before the temple, pushed open the half-closed dilapidated temple door, and led the horse inside.
To Wang Chen’s surprise, the temple was quite spacious and surprisingly clean, as if it had been regularly maintained, with only a few cobwebs in the corners.
The temple was dedicated to Huang Tian, and a fire pit was placed in front of the statue, filled with a thick layer of ashes.
The signs of recent grilled meat were evident.
Clearly, travelers passing through had used this place as a temporary rest stop.
Wang Chen tied the dragon steed to a wooden post in the corner and fed it some dry food and fresh water.
The dragon steed, known for its speed, also had a large appetite.
The Grand Celestial Mansion had provided several hundred pounds of high-quality feed, just enough for the journey to South Shao.
After finishing its meal, Wang Chen offered the steed a Spirit Peach.
The dragon steed loved the peach, eagerly chewing the pit and swallowing it whole.
After eating, it still wanted more, nudging Wang Chen with its large head in a cute and affectionate manner.
Wang Chen chuckled and fed it another peach.
Then, he turned to prepare his own dinner.
During his travels in Da Qian, Wang Chen had brought all his belongings with him.
He packed plenty of spiritual rice, spirit fruits, spiritual wine, and magical beast meat into his storage bag, enough to last him three years if he didn’t overindulge.
“Huang Tian, I humbly seek your blessings!”
He bowed before the statue of Huang Tian, then set up a campfire in front of the divine seat, placing his grill and steaming pot over it.
As the wind and rain roared outside, heavy raindrops pattered against the roof.
The water in the iron pot boiled, with spiritual rice and jerky swirling inside, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
Wang Chen took out a skewer of magical bear meat and placed it over the fire to grill.
The white bear meat sizzled and released oil, its delicious smell making the dragon steed in the corner sniff eagerly.
Drool dripped from its mouth.
Since it possessed dragon blood, this creature also enjoyed meat.
But Wang Chen had no intention of sharing with it.
Creak!
Just as Wang Chen picked up the freshly grilled kebabs and prepared to feast, the temple door he had closed earlier was suddenly pushed open with great force.
Two figures—a large one and a small one—stumbled in!
Wang Chen glanced over, pretending not to see them, and bit into the bear meat.
It was delicious and filled his mouth with flavor!
Wang Chen’s perception was sharp, and he had sensed the two approaching before they even reached the temple door.
But he didn’t concern himself with it.
This was the Mortal Realm, and apart from the very few cultivators, the peak of martial power here was the innate martial artists.
With Wang Chen’s current strength, not even an innate martial artist wielding a steel sword could hope to break through his Heavenly Dragon Diamond Body.
It wasn’t just one or two people; even if there were thousands of soldiers, he would still be fearless!
As the two intruders entered the temple, they clearly hadn’t expected that it was already occupied by Wang Chen, and they froze in surprise.
The older of the two displayed a wary expression, gripping the short sword hanging at his waist, and positioned himself protectively in front of his companion!
