After wrapping up the conversation about Weixuela, I hurriedly prepared a quick meal and finished eating, as it was already late at night.
It was amazing how food kept pouring into Weixuela's mouth, who had been starving for days. When I asked her, flustered, if she always ate like that, the servants, who seemed used to it, replied that Weixuela always ate that way.
Thinking back, I realized that on the first day, she kept picking up potatoes, so she must have always been a big eater.
It wasn't just that her mouth had grown; it seemed like several people's mouths had grown. I thought we would need to buy a lot of snacks along the way.
The moonlight reflected on the stream.
We set up camp by the stream for the night, but the spring breeze felt colder than usual.
Around midnight, the guards started preparing to take turns keeping watch.
It was a tough job, as they had to keep an eye on the surroundings, hanging a magic barrier around the tent and being ready for any unexpected situations.
As I sat there looking at the moon, Wulian approached.
"Master, it's time to go inside. The weather is getting cold."
"Even if it gets cold, I'll still be warmer than the guards."
Due to the influence of my cultivation technique, I felt cool rather than cold. I sat there blankly by the campfire.
Weixuela came running out of the tent, having received something from the servants. She was holding a bowl of dumplings.
Suddenly, where did these dumplings come from?
They were steaming, looking freshly steamed. How did she manage to steam them here?
"The sisters said to share them with the brothers!"
It turned out she had prepared these as a midnight snack for the guards.
As Weixuela distributed the dumplings, the guards smiled widely.
Weixuela's appearance was a powerful weapon. Even in her previous life, when she was fully grown, there were people who lost their concentration during sparring because they were distracted by her looks. Would it be any different now?
After distributing the dumplings to everyone, Weixuela sat down next to me.
"Master, I brought you a bigger one."
With a bright smile, Weixuela handed me two dumplings.
I took the dumplings and said,
"Can you not sleep? We need to wake up early tomorrow."
We had a schedule to follow, so we needed to start as soon as the sun came up the next day. It would be better to get some sleep now.
"Master, you're not sleeping either."
"…Well, I'm fine."
I was fine because I had some cultivation techniques, but Weixuela, who was not yet a martial artist, might find it difficult.
I took a bite of the dumpling. It was soft and moist, and dumplings were indeed great.
The cold wind grew stronger. Wulian stretched and stood up. I also needed to go back to the carriage, so I gently pushed Weixuela's back.
"Go inside quickly. If you can't wake up tomorrow, I'll leave you behind."
"Sniff… That's too much."
"The dumplings were delicious."
I stuffed the remaining dumpling into my mouth and went into the carriage to sleep.
******************
"This place is really far."
It had been four days since we left the mansion to head to Sichuan.
During this time, we rode in the carriage during the day and camped at night.
I also practiced my cultivation technique whenever I had a chance, but there was no significant growth.
Cultivation was not something that suddenly improved with a sudden enlightenment; it required patience.
"…Putting aside the journey here, what about the return trip?"
It would probably be just as difficult. How could I endure it?
Moreover, the road was rough, and the carriage couldn't move fast.
As a result, I had been looking at the outside scenery endlessly.
"Master!"
"What is it?"
"Look over there. Over there! It's a squirrel!"
Following Weixuela's words, I looked at the trees and saw a squirrel eating acorns.
"Sure, it's a squirrel…."
"It's so cute!"
That was pretty much the extent of our conversations during the journey.
For example, she said that sweets were better than potatoes, that eating an eagle was tougher than expected, and that wild boars were not as tasty as regular pigs. Thinking about it, why were all the topics about food?
Pointing to a squirrel and saying it was cute, I felt a chill and asked,
Finally, I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"Have you ever eaten a squirrel?"
Weixuela looked at me with a strange expression.
"Master… Even if I wanted to, I can't eat a squirrel."
She looked at me as if I were a fool, which made me feel very wronged.
You said you ate an eagle, so why can't you eat a squirrel?
Feeling annoyed, I snatched a sweet from Weixuela and ate it.
"Ah… Ahhh!"
Weixuela's eyes widened when she saw this.
She stood there with her mouth open, looking increasingly shocked.
It was as if she had heard that the world was going to end tomorrow.
Seeing her make that face, I felt a bit relieved.
"How can you…."
"You should stop eating sweets. Look at your face, it's getting round."
"It's not round!"
"Ask the others. Is it not?"
"Hongwa, am I getting round!?"
Hongwa, the servant who was listening to our conversation and laughing, stiffened when she heard Weixuela's question.
Then she slowly turned her head away from Weixuela.
She couldn't bring herself to answer and ran away.
Seeing this, Weixuela's expression changed from shock to resignation.
"I am… round…."
"Yes, you are round."
With my final blow, Weixuela lost her spirit and leaned against the wall, closing her mouth.
Honestly, Weixuela's face wasn't like a steamed bun. She had just gained a bit of weight compared to when I first met her.
'But, you did gain weight, right?'
Thanks to Weixuela's reduced talk, I could enjoy a moment of peace.
Looking at the scenery outside, I thought about what was to come.
'Things need to go well.'
Visiting the Sichuan Tangmen was just an excuse. I needed to think about the Jinchuanlian and Jixianmen.
How much time would it take to find the secret cave?
At most, three days? The time was much tighter than expected. The only information I had was the area where it was discovered and the surrounding environment.
If I couldn't find the secret cave, I was half-considering just spreading it around the open world.
If not, I needed to find a way to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Jixianmen or other evil sects, especially those who had turned into demons.
If I found the secret cave? I would think about it when the time came.
'The food in the supply cart is also running low.'
The road was rougher than expected, and it rained on the second day, so we were further from our initial target.
...It's not because Weixuela eats so much. Probably not.
I stuck my head out of the carriage and asked Wulian,
"Wulian, how long will it take for the road to improve?"
"According to the driver, it will take another hour at this speed."
"Really, walking might be faster."
If I could, I would just leave everything behind and run, but my body would tire out in half an hour, and I was also concerned about the gifts for the Tangmen.
"Ha ha…"
Wulian, who had been laughing awkwardly, suddenly had a sharp expression.
I asked, sensing something was wrong,
"What's the matter?"
"Stop."
There was no answer.
His voice was tense. The group immediately stopped.
I also felt something was off and raised my cultivation.
I sensed a strange presence. I couldn't help but smile.
It was the presence of a demon.
"I was wondering why it's been so peaceful for days."
"There aren't many. I'll take care of them quickly, so please rest."
It was a message to stay put and not come out like last time.
I also didn't want to hold a magic stone and risk something happening like last time, so I planned to just sit this one out.
Fortunately, it wasn't a demon gate.
If I had to be precise, it was the leftover from a closed demon gate.
The approaching presence was quick. Were they targeting us? But something seemed off.
Swoosh.
A strange sound came from the bushes.
Wulian and the guards had already drawn their swords, ready to strike at any moment.
Soon, something burst through the bushes and charged at us.
-Boom!
Before I could identify it, Wulian's sword sliced through it.
Squish, Thud!
The creature, a bear-like demon, fell to the ground with a dull thud. It was a Green Trunk Bear.
I always thought it looked like a bear, but comparing it to Elder Li, it was indeed similar.
Green Trunk Bear.
Like the Green Horned Dog, it was a low-level demon that emerged from a demon gate.
"This one…."
Wulian frowned as he looked at it.
"There are other wounds besides the ones I inflicted."
"Hmm?"
Checking it, I found another sword wound besides the one Wulian had inflicted.
The strange movements I sensed were probably because they were running from someone?
A demon from a human?
That was a ridiculous idea.
Creatures with only the instinct to kill…? Moreover, the presence of the demons was gradually disappearing.
Something else was killing them one by one from behind.
It was fast and getting closer to us.
Wulian, surprised by the unexpected situation, quickly prepared to face the enemy with the guards.
The approaching presence burst through the bushes without hesitation.
-Boom!
It was a Green Trunk Bear, like before.
Swish!
A sword energy cut through the bear's head.
Thud!
Blue blood flowed from the fallen bear.
Wulian, ignoring the dead demon, focused on the other side of the bushes.
After a moment, Wulian called out,
"Who are you? Identify yourself!"
Someone immediately appeared from the bushes in response to Wulian's call.
It was a person holding a sword. I wanted to see their face, but they were covered in a cloak, making it impossible to see.
The only thing I could tell was that they were a woman based on their figure.
She approached us with light steps.
I noticed the blue martial uniform she was wearing, which had leaves and dust stuck to it, indicating a long journey.
She slowly sheathed her sword and approached us calmly, but Wulian still had his sword drawn, pointing it at her.
When she was close enough, she removed her cloak, revealing her face.
One of the guards gasped when they saw her face.
She looked to be in her late teens, older than me.
Her white hair and matching pale skin, a straight nose, and lively lips.
Putting it all together, she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the world.
She slowly looked at Wulian and spoke.
"I'm sorry. I was traveling alone and couldn't handle them properly."
"Alone…? You were handling these demons alone?"
"I usually have bad luck. This time, a demon gate appeared right in front of me. I managed to catch some, but a few escaped."
"Demons… ran away…?"
"Maybe it's because of my family's martial arts… It keeps happening."
While Wulian was talking to her,
I couldn't help but be shocked by her face.
It wasn't because of her beauty.
I noticed a small white inscription on the bottom of her blue martial uniform.
Nangong.
"Damn…."
I couldn't help but curse.
There were only a few people who could wear that inscription on their martial uniform and walk around in the Central Plains.
Especially a woman with such an appearance, there could only be one.
'Why is this crazy woman here?'
Cold sweat trickled down, and I slowly wiped it away.
I knew her well.
In this life, we might not know each other, but in my previous life, it was different.
She was someone I didn't want to be involved with more than anyone I had met in this life.
'Can someone have this much bad luck?'
I tried to calm my racing heart. This wasn't excitement; it was fear.
The woman spoke to Wulian in a cold voice.
"My name is Nangong Bia. Are you heading to Sichuan?"
Hearing her name, I closed my eyes tightly. As expected, it was as I thought.
I couldn't help but hold my breath at her next words.