Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 379 - 373 Journey 1

Chapter 379: Chapter 373 Journey 1

The setting sun bathed the landscape in its evening glow.

Over a lake in Central Prefecture, two large men shaped like obese figures were dragging a black carriage, gliding through the air.

The wheels burned with rolling flames, emitting a whooshing scorching sound, sweeping towards the distance. Along the way, the groups of tigers, leopards, and deer by the lake were all startled and scattered.

A few hedgehogs, as large as small elephants, lay prostrate on the ground, daring not to move at all.

Inside the carriage.

In front of a red wooden cabinet, Lin Xin stood by the carriage window in a red robe, overlooking the lake below.

The space inside the entire carriage was quite large, with Wang Peng and two others, along with the little Jade Fox, all inside.

The little Jade Fox was slowly brewing a small pot of Heart Elation Tea that they had acquired from Snow Mountain in the Dao Canon.

Wang Peng and the others were playing chess at a table on one side.

Outside the carriage, one could faintly see a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators guarding by the side, all flying together carried by the Demonic Qi flames stirred by the massive carriage.

"Master, where are we heading next? We’ve already left the Dao Canon Snow Mountain region," the little Jade Fox asked softly.

Lin Xin looked down at the fresh hues mixed with light yellows and greens below, and casually said,

"In Central Prefecture, how many Sects are there now with unique Taoist Intent that we haven’t visited yet?"

"I’ve compiled the data. There are three hundred and sixty-four in total, but this number might not be accurate since there are still many hermit sects that can’t be counted," Wang Peng turned his head to reply. "These pieces of information were obtained through His Highness’s status as the Crown Prince, by mobilizing the information network of the Immortal Nemesis Alliance,"

"Only three hundred and sixty-four..." Lin Xin frowned. "Let’s visit these Sects one by one first, then try to find cultivation geniuses with different self-realized Taoist Intents to see if we can complete the compilation."

"So, the nearest Sect is..." Wang Peng, who had recently joined Lin Xin’s command, was now officially responsible for summarizing intelligence.

This guy was always extremely lucky. Lin Xin also valued him for this reason.

"Five Phenomena Iron Ridge!"

"Let’s make a turn there," Lin Xin ordered.

The massive carriage let out a low roar, made a sharp turn in another direction, and dashed away on a new path.

"Grasping the Taoist Intent, in other words, is essentially stealth learning, learning the martial arts of other Sects, which is a great taboo. Hence, we cannot visit them openly; otherwise, they would surely send their most powerful experts to get rid of us right from the start,"

Lin Xinjian said indifferently.

"We’ll assume a different identity, capture a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators who have strong enough Taoist Intent from the fringe, and that should achieve our goal."

"Indeed, Your Highness is wise!" Wang Peng complimented, though insincerely.

"I guess you mean to say I am devious?" Lin Xin glanced at him.

********************

Wei Lin City, nestled at the heart of a valley surrounded by mountains, is a well-known mountain city in Central Prefecture and also the core station of the Five Phenomena Iron Ridge Sect.

The surroundings were all yellow-brown high mountains and cliffs, steep and precipitous, with only a small circular level ground at the center, topped by a large curving stone column.

Atop the column, a yellow-brown Giant City was built, entirely according to the arc of the stone column, with a large array of buildings and city walls.

From afar within the Giant City, one could still see a gigantic phoenix sculpture at the center, with a faint red light hovering over its head.

"Looks can be deceiving from a distance, the saying couldn’t be more accurate."

At this time, one thousand li away from Wei Lin City, on the top of a cliff.

A group of travelers clad in red robes were slowly approaching the edge of the cliff, gazing forward at the grand stone column of Wei Lin City.

"We have about one thousand three hundred li left, everyone be careful; this area is full of wild animals. Last time I came here, I even encountered a grinding-tooth wolf,"

The leader of the travelers, an older uncle in a red robe, said.

"Everyone get on the cart, there’s still some distance to cover,"

Another person signaled to the others behind him.

The group walked back a distance and just below the cliff, there lined a row of enormously large ox carts.

The ox carts were long enclosed carriages, and through the side windows, one could see they were filled with large boxes of various goods.

The last of the ox carts was empty, not filled with goods but with some travelers who had joined the trip halfway.

The group boarded the carriages and continued to drive the ox carts forward.

The ox carts took a detour around the side, moving along a narrow path carved out of the cliff wall, continually descending.

In one of the middle five carriages, there sat about twenty more people.

Seats were aligned neatly in rows, four per row, almost entirely occupied.

Among the people in red robes earlier, two boarded the last ox cart.

Looking at their appearances, they were a young woman and a boy who still had a childish air. The two had not yet entered the passenger compartment and were standing at the driver’s position quietly conversing.

"We’ll arrive in about three days, and I don’t know why dad insists on setting up a halfway shelter to bring these people with unclear backgrounds," Ling spiritedly complained.

Her eyes were large, always seeming veiled by a layer of mist, and though her features were not particularly pleasing and her skin was roughened from years of outdoor travel, affected by wind and sun,

perhaps because she was a martial artist, her figure was lithe, and her long, well-shaped legs were irresistibly attractive.

She had just pulled off her red robe, revealing the tight brown leather armor underneath. The full curves were immediately exposed, and under the cinch of her tiny waist, they appeared even more prominent and proud.

Her leather armor was different from the typical hunter or martial artist’s gear, tightly covering only three key areas: two at the chest and one between the legs. These crucial parts were securely covered, the rest of her skin casually exposed, the vast expanses of her pale flesh softly glowing in the light, inviting one to reach out and gently stroke.

"Every time Ling gets so furious, but dad was originally saved by that passing convoy. If they hadn’t taken the initiative to save our seriously injured dad, our Wolf Shooting Convoy probably wouldn’t exist now," Zhao Ziqiong bitterly smiled as he spoke. Both had grown up in this convoy and were deeply attached to these carts. Yet every time their father took these hitchhiking strangers for free, they worried about the possibility of robbers or people with ill intentions, which is why they took it upon themselves to guard.

"Knowing there’s danger and yet letting them on board, isn’t that asking for trouble?" Ling snorted a few times, pushed open the cart door, and glanced inside.

A refugee couple with two children.

Three strong men, clearly not the type to be simple and faithful believers, all swordsmen.

Several monks wrapped in white headscarves, looking ill and in pain.

And several other men and women who appeared to be travelers from Jianghu. This group was the largest, comprising more than a dozen people.

"We’ll arrive in three days. Keep an eye on your own food and drink. Our team has reached the limit of benevolence and righteousness," Ling said indifferently.

Sitting at the back were a few young people in gray clothes, who did not seem very impressive or forceful, probably aristocratic young ladies and gentlemen who had fallen on hard times. On hearing her voice, they too seemed hesitant, as if wanting to say something but unable to let go of their pride to speak.

"If you have money, you can also buy directly from us," Ling dropped this remark and was about to leave.

"Since your convoy has already brought us this far, why not be thorough with your kindness and just provide some rations to finish it off?"

One of the strong men chuckled.

"Finish off being kind?" A fierce look flashed in Ling’s eyes. "Keep talking nonsense, and roll off the cart yourself!"

"How can you speak like that?!" That strong man suddenly changed color and was about to stand up and roll up his sleeves.

"Thinking of starting a fight?" Ling raised her right fist, a faint and subtle aura briefly flickering over it.

"A cultivator!" The strong man’s expression changed again, his face flushed red, but he no longer dared to make any move.

Lin Xin and the others sitting at the back found this somewhat funny.

Qiuling couldn’t help but laugh out loud, her expression carefree.

"What are you laughing at?! Laugh again and roll off the cart!" Ling’s eyes widened as she stared directly at Qiuling, who was looking down. Wang Peng and the others felt embarrassed to meet her gaze and looked away.

But Qiuling did not back down and met her gaze, her eyes flickering mischievously.

"We are guests who boarded the cart, is this how you treat guests?" she shook her head slightly. "No wonder you’re still without a man at the age of over thirty, probably because of your temper scaring everyone off."

"What do you mean?!" Ling, who usually couldn’t stand hearing such topics, immediately bristled. "If you just want to provoke me, then congratulations, you’ve succeeded!" Her tone became a little lower as a subtle aura slowly emanated from her.

"You, gallivanting around dressed like that, attracting attention, such indecent behavior..."

"Enough Qiuling! Say less!" Rongyan quickly interjected.

"We are here to save..." Qiuling couldn’t help but blurt out, but was sternly silenced with a glance from Wang Peng. She immediately lost her momentum and stopped speaking.

Ling, however, caught the half statement, her eyebrows shooting up.

"You few sprouts? Save what? People? Let me tell you, if dad hadn’t kindly picked you up on the road, like you naive kids, who know nothing but fancy moves, so many of you would’ve died on the way!"

"You don’t know shit!" Qiuling was also fired up. She stood up, ready to argue back at Ling.

"That’s enough." Suddenly, a man’s voice came from the side.

The strong men in the carriage who enjoyed the spectacle, the monks ready to intervene, and other young men and women out experiencing Jianghu, all turned towards this voice.

Somehow, as soon as they heard it, Qiuling was like a deflated eggplant, suddenly pursing her lips and falling silent.

Watching the opposition back down, Ling, persuaded by the boy, coldly huffed.

"Later, you will understand how much this part of the journey has helped you. You’re young and ignorant; I can’t be bothered to argue with you," she said and turned to leave.

But then she heard the woman murmuring again.

"When trouble comes, don’t come asking us for help!"

"Ask for help, my ass!" Ling’s anger surged again, almost causing her to jump up. "I’ve been cultivating for thirteen years, and I’ll ask you for help!? Don’t fucking joke! A bunch of pampered brats who know nothing; I would be no good if you had to just wait to die. A small wolf could damn well mess you up! Stop fucking crossing me!"

Ling had grown up amidst a convoy of protectors and tough men, her swearing was much dirtier compared to Qiuling’s.

Lin Xin at the side was also a bit stunned; the woman who looked so innocent and harmless with her misty almond eyes turned out to have such a fiery tongue. He too was taken aback by the contrast.