The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 213 - 138 Horse Bandits

Chapter 213: Chapter 138 Horse Bandits

"My brother and I missed our lodging, and had to travel through the night. Could we please borrow a fire?"

It was quite common for merchant teams to welcome lone travelers into their camp, especially in the wilderness, as long as the traveler wasn’t worried about being attacked. Seeing that the person on horseback was a young girl accompanied by two kids around seven or eight years old, the burly man had no qualms and jovially welcomed them into the camp.

She turned her head to look back at the way they had come. Perhaps sensing that she had entered a human encampment, and that an attack was now unlikely, the wolf pack that had been following them was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t sure if they had distanced themselves or were hiding nearby, spying on them. But in her view, these opportunists were probably hiding nearby. Wolves are not creatures that give up easily.

Looking at the thirty or so people in the camp now, they were mostly in their prime years, with the oldest probably being the chubby man who had come out to greet her. Their clothes were a mix of colors, and a few were wearing short jackets with the sleeves ripped off. There was not a single emblem on their clothes, yet every one of them had a fierce look in their eyes, somewhat resembling the wild wolves outside.

As she was sizing up the others, they too looked up to scrutinize her. Today, she had put on a loose-fitting costume, concealing her attractive figure. To an outsider, the girl looked very plain with sallow skin, not nearly as noticeable as the twins beside her. Thus, after a few glances, the interest in her waned.

This group didn’t look like a regular merchant team. A normal merchant team would have at least a hundred people, not to mention she hadn’t seen any cargo vehicles or pack animals like mules or donkeys.

Wen Liangyu had learned about the outside situation from Changtian in God Demon Prison, and after a moment’s thought, he said: "How many horses were they riding?"

"Over thirty, all of which are good horses suitable for long-distance running."

Wen Liangyu’s voice carried a sense of urgency: "This is bad. They’re probably horse bandits."

Horse bandits? Ning Xiaoxian had already tied the old horse to the edge of the woods and took a seat by the fire. Upon hearing this, her hand faltered. Noticing this detail, the chubby man turned to ask, "What’s wrong?"

"Ah, it’s nothing! Thank you!" She maintained politeness as the situation was unclear. Her senses were sharper than most, and she could already smell a faint scent of blood in the air, indicating that something unpleasant had happened here before. At least someone had been wounded and had bled.

Now, she somewhat regretted her willfulness. If only she had listened to Changtian earlier, she wouldn’t be in this trouble. She gently caressed the Demon Eye on her chest, as if to apologize.

"Hmm, I’m not angry." What good would being angry do now? Changtian’s voice sounded quite normal: "This blood scent is human, and considering it hasn’t dissipated after such a long time, it’s likely that more than one or two lives have been lost. Wen, assuming these people might be horse bandits, you can’t outrun them. Just wait and see how things unfold." She had barely escaped the jaws of wolves, only to run into a tiger’s den! But there was no rush; he could settle accounts with her once she was safe.

He reminded her pointedly: "Don’t touch any water or food they offer you!" They were outnumbered, and Ning Xiaoxian’s greatest reliance was the God Demon Prison. If she foolishly consumed something that had been tampered with, not even the God Demon Prison could help her.

I know, I’m not stupid! Ning Xiaoxian pouted her lips. Just then, Fatty Ren passed a can of water to her, which she quickly declined by gesturing that she was not thirsty. He didn’t mind and drank it himself, introducing, "My last name is Ren, call me Ren Jianping. Just Old Ren will do."

She was dumbfounded. This fat man, whose length, width, and height were almost equal, actually had such a heroic-sounding name, which was quite comparable to her own alias. Therefore, when she introduced herself with the name "Li Mengxue", the entire camp seemed to quiet down for a moment. Everyone looked at her, then at Fatty Ren, and burst out laughing!

She silently blushed with embarrassment. Fatty Ren’s expression darkened as he chided, "What’s so funny? She’s just a young girl with thin skin; how can you mock her like this?" Although he had the face of Maitreya Buddha and couldn’t look scary even if he tried, the people in the camp were surprisingly obedient; though they still smirked, the laughter was subdued.

Yet this burst of laughter unintentionally narrowed the distance between her and the others. Plus, she really did look very harmless, so the glances they sent her way became a tad more friendly.

Following that, she kept a low profile, cautious and speaking little, trying to avoid drawing attention. The two little bat demons sat on either side of her, acting like guards, keeping her separated from the other men. Her appearance was indeed low-key, but as the saying goes, "After a few years in the army, even a sow can compare to Diao Chan." She had been worried that these rough men would pounce on an ugly duckling with sallow skin, but she didn’t know if it was because they really weren’t interested or if Fatty Ren kept a tight leash. For now, at least, she was safe.