Chapter 425 The Caravan

Chen Fei ignored Ji Wugou.

He understood his own internal condition well enough, but as for why Ji Wugou was injured too, he had no clue. It was entirely possible the little lady was just pretending, waiting for a chance to get revenge.

Regardless, his top priority now was to figure out where he was and how to recover. After all, he had a ticking time bomb inside his body. If any tribulation-beast detected him in his current state, the only option would be to run for his life—there’d be no second chances.

Power was everything.

Thankfully, while the teleportation formation had been a bit off, at least it dropped him somewhere within the human domain.

—

Mo Qing stared at the man who had just woken up in the mountain pass and was now walking straight toward them. He glanced sideways at Qin Ba-tou.

Qin Ba-tou, hands behind his back, made a subtle hand signal. Immediately, everyone in the caravan tensed up.

Meeting strangers in the Northern Wastes was never a good thing.

Up here, it was common to die, and no one would ever come to avenge you.

The wind and snow would bury all traces.

By the time someone found your body—it might be centuries later.

“Apologies for the disturbance,” Chen Fei said calmly. “Could you tell me where this is?”

Mo Qing hesitated, then replied, “This is forty li outside Zhenbei City. It’ll take about a day’s travel to reach it from here.”

Here, the North had another peculiar trait—

Cultivators couldn’t casually use their qi.

Once the snowstorms kicked up, the cold could freeze qi directly.

The stronger you were, the more danger you’d be in.

So, in the Northern Wastes, everyone relied on walking.

It preserved qi for emergencies and prevented the risk of being frozen alive by your own cultivation.

“Zhenbei City?” Chen Fei raised an eyebrow.

Not bad. It wasn’t far.

Coincidentally, after leaving the Ghost King Hall, his next plan had been to visit the Northern Wastes to search for rare resources needed for his breakthrough.

If not for the Heavenly Silkworm Gu, with his current reserves, a few days of rest would’ve been enough for him to break into the Earth Manifestation Realm.

But now… looking at the endlessly hungry, round-bellied Gu inside him, Chen Fei could only sigh.

One step at a time.

—

Ji Wugou soon arrived behind Chen Fei.

Though her temper was sharp, she was attractive—except for being rather flat.

The caravan members who laid eyes on her all had their expressions subtly change.

Their gazes held undisguised lechery.

Ji Wugou, while inexperienced, was very perceptive.

Compared to the predatory eyes of these strangers, even though Chen Fei was irritating, he never gave her that creepy feeling.

Instinctively, she inched closer to him.

Chen Fei’s gaze turned cold.

He snorted, and with a flick of his finger, a rift split open in the snowy ground in front of him.

Seeing this, Mo Qing and the others paled and immediately retreated.

“Peak Yuan Realm!” Mo Qing instantly gauged Chen Fei’s strength.

He bowed respectfully. “Senior, please forgive us. My subordinates meant no offense. If they’ve offended, I beg your pardon!”

Smooth words wouldn’t work here—only strength mattered.

Chen Fei knew this all too well.

By forcibly channeling qi to project the aura of a peak Yuan Realm expert, he didn’t even need to explain anything—others would fill in the blanks themselves.

Sure enough, after that single show of power, no one dared even glance at Ji Wugou again.

They all lowered their heads in terror.

“I want to go to Zhenbei City,” Chen Fei said casually, tossing them a pouch. “This should cover the cost.”

Over a hundred spirit stones spilled out.

It wasn’t a small amount.

But to Chen Fei, spirit stones had long since lost their appeal.

Even top-grade spirit stones couldn’t move him anymore.

He remembered back in Huangwu City, how he’d nearly died over top-grade spirit stones.

Now it all felt… a bit laughable.

Chen Fei might not care, but Mo Qing and the others sure did.

Their eyes went wide.

A powerful expert who threw money like dirt—this was a big shot.

Who would dare say no?

“It’s our honor to serve, Senior!” Mo Qing said quickly.

“But the sky’s getting dark—we’ll have to wait until morning to head to the city.”

Right now, it wasn’t about whether they’d bring him.

If they dared say no, they’d be dead men walking.

Chen Fei tossing out those spirit stones was a statement:

I’ve paid. You have no say in this.

“Fine,” Chen Fei said, not making things difficult.

He already knew about the Northern Wastes.

Back when he was still in Tianqing Holy Land, he’d done his research.

Mo Qing and his group were Wilderness Seekers—cultivators who roamed the snowy wilderness hunting rare herbs and treasures to trade for massive profits.

No sane person would wander into this hellish terrain without good reason.

To avoid unnecessary attention, Chen Fei didn’t mingle with them.

Instead, he returned to the mountain pass and took out supplies from his storage ring.

Ji Wugou followed without a word.

Maybe it was the presence of outsiders, but she didn’t cry or scream.

She stayed quiet.

Chen Fei was perfectly happy with that.

But her identity still made her a giant walking headache.

Once they reached Zhenbei City, he’d find a way to get rid of her.

He quickly set up camp—pulling out a high-end tent and cooking gear.

Don’t let its thin appearance fool you—this tent was no ordinary tool.

It had been custom-made by Master Dong Feng, who had poured his heart into it.

At first, he thought Chen Fei wouldn’t care for such items, but was surprised when Chen Fei praised it highly.

That praise had made Dong Feng happy for days.

The tent not only insulated and warmed—it also blocked detection.

Exactly as Chen Fei had requested.

Ji Wugou sat quietly in a corner of the tent as Chen Fei began roasting meat.

The aroma quickly filled the space—and Ji Wugou’s stomach growled in protest.

She blushed furiously.

Outside, the scene stunned Mo Qing and the others.

“Qin Ba-tou… what do you think their background is?” Mo Qing asked quietly.

People say comparison is the thief of joy—and right now, they were being robbed blind.

Their tents were just barely windproof.

Chen Fei’s setup looked like a luxurious winter retreat.

Low-key extravagance.

It made their mouths water—especially the smell of that meat.

Qin Ba-tou’s expression turned serious.

He glanced once at Chen Fei’s tent, then quickly looked away.

“No idea who they are.

But I know this much: they’re not people we can afford to offend.

Best to avoid provoking them.

If he wants to kill us, he could do it with ease.”

Mo Qing nodded.

He understood full well.

After some thought, he glanced at their cargo, then grabbed a jar of wine and stood up.

Chen Fei had already sensed his approach.

As Mo Qing neared the tent, Chen Fei’s voice came calmly:

“Come in.”

A slit opened in the tent’s warm, glowing veil.

Mo Qing hurried inside.