NOVEL NEXT Chapter 117: Mist
Chapter 117: Mist
With her large sword strapped to her back, Jiang Xianyu rode a tall horse at the front of the caravan. Her beauty was striking, but her stature was imposing, making the tall horse seem a bit small under her.
Behind her followed a long line of over thirty carts of goods, each manned by a driver and escorted by two mounted guards.
At the rear of the caravan were nearly twenty followers. Perhaps due to the laughter Xu Lian had inadvertently caused earlier, the group had grown closer, chatting in small groups as they walked.
Among them, the plainly dressed elderly man and the young man in the robe were the most popular.
Both of them had reached the level of Bright Strength, and in this world, strength was the best calling card. Everyone wanted to get close to them, hoping for their assistance in case of danger.
I am Bright Strength Rank, ninth stage, and yet you all ignore me… Xu Lian thought to himself as he silently rode his black horse at the back of the group.
He had deliberately positioned himself at the very end of the caravan, recalling an old saying from his hometown: The front doesn’t bite, the back doesn’t bite, but the middle does. He hadn’t believed in such sayings before, but in this strange and perilous world, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
The caravan moved at a leisurely pace, stopping every hour or so to rest the horses. They encountered numerous bandits and thieves along the way, but the sight of the armed group sent them fleeing in fear. They also came across some fierce beasts and birds, which the group casually dispatched, roasting them for a crispy meal.
As night fell, the caravan made camp. The guards took turns standing guard and patrolling the area. It was clear that this was no ordinary group of merchants – they were well trained, almost like a military unit. In fact, there were no ordinary merchant caravans in this world, as such groups simply couldn’t survive.
Noticing that everyone except for him had brought a tent, Xu Lian realized that he had been careless. He gathered some dry grass and planned to make a makeshift bed.
“Little brother,” a female cultivator called out to him, lifting the flap of her tent and smiling. “If you don’t mind, you can share my tent.”
Xu Lian hesitated for a moment, then glanced at her. She was decent looking and he didn’t want to reject her kindness, so he accepted. Situations like this were common in this world. No one knew what tomorrow would bring, or if there would even be a tomorrow, so casual encounters between male and female cultivators were normal.
The next morning, Xu Lian woke up feeling a bit disappointed. He hadn’t seen any increase in “favorability,” though he hadn’t really expected it. But when the female cultivator woke up, her first words made his expression darken. “Thirty Spirit Stones, please.”
What he had thought was a moment of connection turned out to be just a transaction. “Thirty Spirit Stones is a bit steep,” Xu Lian said. “It’s equivalent to one and a half Condensation Pills.”
The female cultivator gave him an angry look. “Be honest with yourself. Wasn’t it worth thirty Spirit Stones?”
Xu Lian thought for a moment, then took out thirty Spirit Stones and placed them down before leaving the tent.
The others were already up and eating dry rations. When they saw him come out of the female cultivator’s tent, they laughed but said nothing. Jiang Xianyu also paused for a moment before calmly saying, “Hurry up and eat. We’ll be leaving soon.”
Xu Lian washed up at a small stream and the caravan set off again. He mounted his black horse and followed, eating his dry rations as he rode.
And so the journey continued, with stops and starts.
Five days later, the mood of the group grew more and more tense. Xu Lian knew that they must be approaching Misty Ghost Mountain.
“Everyone, stay close. We’re about to enter Misty Ghost Mountain,” Jiang Xianyu called from the front of the caravan. She rode back to inspect the group, stopping briefly at Xu Lian’s rear.
“Misty Ghost Mountain is known for its illusions. No matter what happens or what you see, don’t believe it. Don’t attack the illusions recklessly, or you might end up harming your companions – or yourself.”
Jiang Xianyu’s words were directed squarely at Xu Lian and were clearly meant for him, as he was the only one in the group who was venturing out for the first time and was unfamiliar with such dangers.
The people around Xu Lian subtly distanced themselves from him, evidently wary that he might act recklessly upon seeing the illusions and accidentally harm them.
Xu Lian nodded. “I understand.”
Jiang Xianyu said nothing more and returned to the front of the caravan.
The caravan traveled another ten miles or so.
Xu Lian saw a vast expanse of white mist shrouding the mountains ahead. Occasionally, an eerie laughter could be heard from within the mountains. Everyone was silent, even the horses, as they moved forward silently.
Xu Lian’s body tensed, and his hand instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword. Remembering Jiang Xianyu’s warning, he slowly released it, silently reminding himself that it was all an illusion and that he should avoid acting rashly.
Gradually, the caravan entered the thick white fog.
Visibility was extremely low, limited to just a few feet around them. Xu Lian kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, following the group closely.
Suddenly, the caravan in front of him disappeared into the fog, leaving him alone in complete silence.
Xu Lian remained calm, maintaining his current pace and rhythm. He didn’t urge his horse to speed up to catch up with the group, as doing so might cause chaos in the formation of the caravan.
His black horse suddenly turned its head and grinned menacingly at him.
Damn it… Xu Lian almost couldn’t resist drawing his sword to decapitate the horse.
The black horse began galloping wildly, the wind whistling past his ears.
Illusion! Illusion! Xu Lian reminded himself. He didn’t pull the reins to slow down the horse. Because this was an illusion, the horse was actually moving at its normal speed. If he slowed down, he would lose the caravan and be left alone in Misty Ghost Mountain, with dire consequences.
Sure enough, after a while, the horse’s speed returned to normal, and Xu Lian saw the caravan in front of him once again.
Jiang Xianyu rode back from the front of the caravan to Xu Lian’s position. “Are you alright?” she asked.
Xu Lian shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Jiang Xianyu then ordered, “It will take us a while to get out of Misty Ghost Mountain. Everyone, stop and take some rations.”
The caravan stopped and the group silently began to eat their dry rations.
Xu Lian was about to stop as well when he suddenly realized that something was wrong!
Earlier, when they entered Misty Ghost Mountain, Jiang Xianyu hadn’t mentioned anything about stopping to rest inside. If they were supposed to stop, she would have informed them beforehand.
Was this Jiang Xianyu, who had just ordered them to stop, real? And was the caravan in front of them, eating rations, real? Or were they all illusions?
Xu Lian felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
What if the real Jiang Xianyu and the caravan were still moving forward? If he followed this illusion and stopped here to eat the rations… the consequences would be unthinkable.
So Xu Lian didn’t stop. Ignoring Jiang Xianyu and the caravan eating rations, he continued to ride forward alone.
“Where are you going?” Jiang Xianyu called after him.
The rest of the caravan also looked at him strangely, unable to hold back their laughter.
“Does this boy think we are illusions?”
“It’s possible…”
Xu Lian felt a tingle on his scalp. He was completely confused. Was this an illusion or not? What if it wasn’t? Would he be going forward alone?
These illusions are incredibly strong. I have to trust my instincts, Xu Lian thought, gritting his teeth. He left the caravan behind, which had stopped to eat rations, and continued on alone.