Chapter 187
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Chapter 187: Title
Xue Ming: "Save your breath for walking."
"I need to meditate and recharge my spiritual energy." Li You halted abruptly, planting himself on the dirt path.
People often likened depleted spiritual energy to an empty mana bar in games, jokingly calling its restoration "mana recovery."
Xue Ming settled beside him.
The scarcity became apparent only after prolonged exertion – during meditation, they discovered this world’s spiritual energy was astonishingly faint.
On Blue Star, restoring spiritual energy took mere ten minutes due to their low cultivation levels and limited absorption capacity.
Here, the same process dragged beyond thirty minutes.
This revelation forced them to conserve resources. With such sluggish recovery, exhausting their reserves could prove fatal in emergencies.
After ten minutes of meditation restored about a third of their energy, the pair pressed onward.
Three grueling hours later, twilight revealed the silhouetted ramparts of an ancient city.
Xue Ming checked his phone. "Seven hours total."
They concealed themselves in a copse near the closed city gates, observing increasing foot traffic. From their hideout, patterns emerged.
"These outfits belong in historical dramas," Li You grunted, collapsing onto leaf-strewn ground. Darkness provided cover, the deserted surroundings eliminating witnesses.
"Can’t comprehend a word either."
Passersby’s conversations proved more impenetrable than Zhongxia’s thickest dialects.
"Xue Ming – do we risk entering?"
"Entry’s necessary. The challenge lies in method." Xue Ming stroked his chin. "Our modern clothes scream outsiders. We need local garments first."
"If we can’t speak, we’ll stay silent."
Li You blinked. "Mute act?"
"Better than exposure." Xue Ming clapped his companion’s shoulder. "Until we grasp this world’s rules, we’ll heed the witch’s warnings."
The reference to evil witch Lilith hung unspoken between them.
"Our contract binds her from outright deception. Her warnings imply genuine dangers here."
"You plan, I follow." Li You rolled his eyes. "Thinking’s your specialty."
Dawn’s first light revealed villagers hauling goods toward the awakening city.
"Outlying farmers," Xue Ming deduced. "We’ll trade clothes with stragglers."
As Tier Six and Tier Two cultivators, their original mission had been simple – travel streaming from India. The crisis struck unexpectedly during transit.
Xue Ming’s foresight in keeping his luggage proved crucial. They’d buried nonessentials overnight to avoid suspicion.
When two solitary villagers appeared on the road, the exchanged glance between cultivators signaled action.
Dealing with two unarmed villagers proved effortless for cultivators of Tier Two and tier six.
They knocked the men out swiftly and dragged them into the woods.
"Good heavens, when did this man last wash his hair?" Li You wrinkled his nose at the sallow-faced villager whose dry, knotted locks resembled a bird’s nest.
"Less talking, more changing," Xue Ming urged, reluctantly gathering the coarse garments. "We’ll have complications if they awaken."
After stripping the villagers to their undergarments – a process mercifully concealed by layered ancient clothing – Xue Ming crouched to inspect their possessions. The long sleeves beneath stolen tunics would remain hidden, as tradition dictated. His search yielded two wooden tokens inscribed with archaic Huaxia script.
"Significance?" Li You crouched beside him, curiosity piqued.
"Unclear, but potentially vital." Xue Ming tossed a token to his companion before smearing soil across his cheeks. "Mask your face. Our modern hairstyles must remain visible."
"Since when do men need veils?" Grumbling, Li You nevertheless obeyed, transforming his features into a dirt-streaked canvas.
"Precaution," Xue Ming countered. "Should these peasants alert authorities, or others get captured…"
Nodding, Li You lifted copper coin strings. "Local currency? Do we…"
"Disgraceful," Xue Ming cut in, removing his silver chain. "Twenty-first-century men reduced to banditry during temporal displacement. Consider this fair trade." He placed the gleaming chain in a villager’s palm.
Matching the gesture, Li You removed his pinky’s silver ring. "Compensation eases the conscience." Their modern ethics rebelled against pure theft, though ancient silver might overcompensate for stolen clothes and forty-odd coppers.
After concealing the villagers against a tree trunk – visible protection without full exposure – they departed with cloth bundles containing spare garments and salvageable items. The pathetic clink of meager coins haunted their steps toward civilization.
Approaching the city gates, Xue Ming observed travelers presenting tokens and two coppers each. He counted four coins, heart pounding as guards scrutinized their disheveled appearance. The soldiers’ disdainful wave through the archway sparked silent triumph.
In the safety of a deserted alley, tension dissolved into laughter.
"Behold the mighty calico cat!" Li You jabbed a finger at Xue Ming’s soil-smudged face.
"Says the lumbering bear cub," Xue Ming retorted, eyeing his friend’s broad frame. Their mirth echoed off stone walls, two time-lost souls clinging to humor in an unfamiliar world.
Gazing out at the ancient world’s street scenery, Li You remarked with boyish enthusiasm, "We’re finally here. What’s next?"
"Without understanding the script or language, lacking proper identities – securing food and lodging will be challenging," Xue Ming shook his head, dust settling on his shoulders. "We’ll have to take things one step at a time."
"Where’s that wooden token we took?"
"Here. Why?" Li You passed him the token just in time to see Xue Ming snap both pieces in half with a crisp crack.
"These likely serve as identity cards here. Using stolen ones would be asking for trouble if our victims report to officials." Though not prone to overthinking, Li You wasn’t stupid. These tokens functioned as Identity Cards in this society – impossible for outsiders like them to misuse without consequences.
"So what’s the plan now?"
Xue Ming paused, recalling their entry through the city gates. "Remember the beggars lining the streets?"
"Saw them. Wait – you can’t mean…" Li You’s eyes widened as realization struck.
Nodding, Xue Ming completed his friend’s thought. "Exactly. We’ll join them. Beggars rarely have registered identities, whether in ancient or modern worlds."
"At least in our time people get Identity Cards at birth with DNA in databases. But here?" Xue Ming brushed dirt from his tattered sleeve. "Anyone with proper documents wouldn’t be begging. Plus," he added with a cynical smile, "who scrutinizes beggars? Most find them too repulsive to look at closely."
"This solves our identity problem and handles survival needs."
"…Brother Xue," Li You breathed after stunned silence, watching his lifelong friend’s eyes gleam with familiar recklessness. "You never cease to amaze me."
Xue Ming’s grin flashed white through the grime, the handsome features that once made him Blue Star High’s heartthrob still evident. "How many travelers think to rob first and beg after?"
The absurdity struck them both – Tier Two and tier six Practitioners, formidable enough on Blue Star, reduced to panhandling in this ancient world.
"We’ll start with casual begging. Shouldn’t take long for the local homeless to approach us." Xue Ming strode forward, adding over his shoulder, "Let’s hope their territorial instincts match our world’s homeless persons."
Li You scrambled after, initial resistance fading into bemused acceptance. When else would he experience this? "Wait up, Brother Xue!"
