Chapter 51: Passing Through the Official Road (Part 2)
Bai Chunsheng felt indignant. He was Bai Chunsheng, a proud and dignified being who stood tall under the heavens. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
—Today, he was going to teach Yan Jingqiu a lesson about what it meant to be a proper person!
Bai Chunsheng was ready to make a fuss.
And so, he did.
Yan Yi pressed Bai Chunsheng down with one hand and raised a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture. Then, he jabbed right at Bai Chunsheng’s weakness with a calm yet pointed remark: “Everyone is watching you.”
Bai Chunsheng, who cared deeply about his image, immediately quieted down.
Standing next to Yan Yi was a cultivator wrapped head to toe in thick veils, their features completely obscured. Their voice was androgynous and carried a hint of amusement. “So it really is just a newly awakened little spirit beast—no wonder it’s so clingy.”
Hearing this, Bai Chunsheng turned his head and looked over. The person was draped in layers of fabric, exuding an air of mystery. There was a distinct sandalwood scent about them, the kind unique to Daoist priests from Tianqing Sect. A sword was strapped to their back. Recalling the information he had read in the Immortal Spirit Register yesterday, it was clear that this person must be a cultivator from Tianqing Sect.
At this realization, Bai Chunsheng momentarily forgot who he was planning to curse first and abruptly fell silent.
He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally choosing to act sensibly and sent a message to Yan Yi via telepathy. “A cultivator from Tianqing Sect. This person is probably heading to the Southern Region as well. Right now, that’s the only place without major factions vying for control—only the Southern Region can accommodate them.”
“Should we follow them?” Yan Yi asked.
Bai Chunsheng thought for a moment before replying, “No need.”
“The people of the Southern Region are all after them. These individuals must already be scared out of their wits. If they realize we’re tailing them, there’s no telling what desperate measures they might take. It’s best to let them go. If they really are headed to the Southern Region, we’ll probably run into them again soon enough.”
Yan Yi glanced at the veiled cultivator. Behind them were three others dressed in identical attire, their genders indiscernible. All were tall, each carrying either a sword or a long blade. Yan Yi didn’t reply directly. Instead, he curved his lips into a faint smile—a half-hearted response to the cultivator’s words.
As the line at the Treasure Pavilion inched forward, the four veiled cultivators eventually vanished into the bustling crowd. Yan Yi, still holding Bai Chunsheng, filled out the necessary forms at the city’s exit formation. After paying the required spirit stones for departure and carriage transport from Bai Chunsheng’s storage pouch, he received two stone tablet-like tokens.
Following Bai Chunsheng’s insistence, Yan Yi spent a mid-tier spirit stone to commission an identity plaque for Bai Chunsheng, which now hung around his neck.
After a short wait, Yan Yi received information about their assigned travel group from the token’s feedback.
Compared to the prosperous Middle Realm, the Southern Region was mountainous, rainy, and far less fertile. This small city served as a transit hub, with countless people passing through on their way to the Middle Realm, but far fewer making the journey south.
A single carriage could hold about fifteen passengers. The nine people already waiting had been stuck for nearly half a month. If no one else joined soon, they would have to scrape together additional funds to cover the remaining seats.
Yan Yi and Bai Chunsheng were fortunate—they arrived just in time. Shortly after they secured their places, four more people arrived to travel south, filling the last available spots.
Upon hearing this, Bai Chunsheng couldn’t help but mutter to himself: Those four must be the suspected Tianqing Sect cultivators we encountered in the Treasure Pavilion’s hall.
Following the direction indicated by the token, the two of them made their way outside the city.
A massive carriage was already waiting there.
Five six-legged, silver-plated, unicorn-like mechanical horses stood in perfect formation. They towered over the average person, their necks encased in chains linked to a copper-wood carriage covered in intricate formation patterns. Seated at the front of the carriage was an expressionless puppet, clearly designed to control its movement.
A man with a slightly yellow complexion and a black hat stood beside the carriage. When he noticed Yan Yi’s curious gaze, he let out a couple of chuckles and pointed at the silver formation inscribed on the copper-wood carriage. “This can withstand three attacks from a cultivator at the Dao Stage. Impressive, isn’t it?”
A badge was pinned to his chest, identifying him as a steward of the Treasure Pavilion.
Then, turning to Yan Yi, he added, “You’re the second-to-last passenger. There’s still one more person to wait for.”
Yan Yi retrieved the two tokens and handed them over before pointing at the lazily sprawled Bai Chunsheng in his arms. “If you’re referring to him, then we’re already complete.”
The steward took the tokens and, after a brief moment of confusion, stepped back to look Yan Yi over, as if doubting whether he had made a mistake. He hesitated before offering a suggestion. “I recall that the Treasure Pavilion sells special space pouches designed to hold spirit pets. They cost far less than renting a carriage seat.”
“I know.”
“But it’s not as comfortable as riding outside.” Yan Yi replied calmly, stroking Bai Chunsheng’s head.
In theory, Bai Chunsheng should have bitten him for that, but after the past two days, he had gotten somewhat used to it, so he simply ignored him.
The steward gave a forced smile. “Didn’t expect you to be so well-off, Daoist friend.”
With a fool willing to overpay, there was no reason to argue. He simply raised his voice and called out, “That’s everyone!”
With a swish, the copper-wood carriage door swung open. The first to step out was a burly man wielding a large saber nearly as tall as himself. He was even taller than Yan Yi, his face lined with scars.
Behind him followed a mother and daughter with delicate features, three rogue cultivators who appeared to be traveling together, and a pair who seemed to be Daoist partners. There was also one unassuming cultivator of mid-stage Nascent Soul level with no discernible affiliation. And, as expected, the four veiled cultivators from the Treasure Pavilion were the last to emerge.
The four people whom Yan Yi and Bai Chunsheng had encountered earlier in the Treasure Pavilion’s hall were indeed here. They were the last to descend.
When they saw Yan Yi, they were visibly taken aback. The man leading the group smiled and said, “What a coincidence. I didn’t expect you to be heading to the Southern Region as well.”
Then, shifting the conversation, he glanced at the sword hanging from Yan Yi’s waist and probed, “What are you going to the Southern Region for?”
Yan Yi nodded slightly and replied in a calm tone, “The Middle Realm is in chaos now. The Southern Region is more peaceful.”
He was telling the truth but naturally avoided answering the man’s real question. The Southern Region was indeed peaceful, but that wasn’t why he was going there.
The man assumed Yan Yi was bringing his family along to seek refuge and chuckled. “The Southern Region is indeed much safer than the Middle Realm. If you settle down there, you’ll probably be able to focus on your cultivation in peace.”
Listening to this, Bai Chunsheng let out a quiet scoff in his mind and sent a message to Yan Yi: “Stay close to them. I might be able to figure out who this guy is. He’s a big fish from Tianqing Sect. My guess is that they’re all disciples from Yuhan Peak.”
Although he couldn’t gauge their cultivation levels, surviving the repeated sieges against Tianqing Sect meant they were either incredibly strong or exceptionally weak. These four were dressed in identical robes and carried themselves with strict discipline—clearly, they belonged to the former category. Their aloof tone only reinforced the likelihood that they were from Yuhan Peak.
Meanwhile, the other small groups remained strangers to one another. Bai Chunsheng noticed some people secretly communicating through voice transmissions, but outwardly, they all maintained a quiet and composed demeanor.
The steward who had gathered them pointed at the puppet sitting at the front of the carriage and opened its back, revealing a completely transparent stone inside.
He demonstrated how to operate it. “This is the magical device that controls the carriage. You all should discuss who will hold it.”
“From here to the Southern Region, if you rely solely on the carriage, it will take nearly half a month. However, when we reach the next city—far more prosperous than this place—if you have spirit stones on hand, you might be able to use their teleportation array. That would save a significant amount of time.”
The steward placed the magical device back into the puppet and said, “What happens next is up to you. My job here is done.” With a wave of his hand and a smile, he turned toward the city and called out, “Safe travels.”
Bai Chunsheng could clearly feel the probing gazes sweeping back and forth—not directed at him, but at Yan Yi. The steward’s final words had put considerable pressure on the group. The cost of using a teleportation array was exorbitant, beyond the means of ordinary cultivators. In other words, most of the people here would have to travel the entire way to the Southern Region by carriage.
That was nearly half a month—more than enough time for many things to happen.
If something went wrong along the way, and they were forced off the carriage…
Situations like that were common in long journeys. Whoever controlled the carriage’s magical device would hold considerable power for the rest of the trip.
Bai Chunsheng lifted his head and noticed that the people around him had all become wary, discreetly eyeing one another with caution.
The first to step forward was a burly man, who introduced himself. “I’m a rogue cultivator from the East Sea. I originally came to the Middle Realm hoping to take a gamble amidst the chaos, but with all the powerful factions fighting for dominance, my cultivation isn’t nearly high enough to qualify. The East Sea is too far away for me to return, so I just want to find a safe place to cultivate for a while.”
Though he called it a self-introduction, he didn’t say a single word about his actual cultivation level or background.
Bai Chunsheng figured this man’s supposed plan of retreating to the Southern Region for cultivation was a lie. More likely, he had caused trouble in the Middle Realm and needed to hide there. Bai Chunsheng felt a flicker of disdain but, after some thought, realized that when it came to causing trouble, no one in this group could compare to him and Yan Yi. For a moment, he had nothing to say. He found himself frustrated, wondering how he had ended up in such a situation.
Damn Yan Jingqiu. Damn Bo Yan.
The rogue cultivator from the East Sea rambled on before finally getting to the point. “The road to the Southern Region is fraught with danger.”
“…The magical device should be held by the person with the highest cultivation level among us.”
As he spoke, he subtly glanced at the others standing nearby. His cultivation had reached the late stage of the Dao Realm, and he was a skilled blade cultivator. No one here should be stronger than him.
His real intent was clear: he was trying to pressure the others into handing the device over to him.
The world no longer categorized people as demonic cultivators, but cruelty and ruthlessness were still ingrained in their bones. If someone else held the magical device, it would mean placing their life in another person’s hands for the next half-month. There was no way he would allow that—he couldn’t trust anyone else.
The rogue cultivator’s words aligned perfectly with what the four cultivators from Tianqing Sect had in mind.
Jiang Ji, her breathtaking beauty partially veiled behind layers of misty silk, curved her lips into a smile, the deep red of her lipstick accentuating the motion.
Bai Chunsheng was also weighing the risks. The Tianqing Sect disciples’ cultivation levels were hard to gauge—it would be best to quietly figure out their identities first. Standing out too soon would only attract suspicion.
…Of course, if Bai Chunsheng could guess their identities, then they could also guess his.
If that happened, it would be dangerous.
But letting this group continue to size each other up would be a waste of time.
Bai Chunsheng turned to Yan Yi, wanting to discuss their next move. “Should we take the device?”
Yan Yi responded completely off-topic. “Alright.”
Then, without hesitation, he strode straight to the puppet, retrieved the magical device, and, as if it was only natural, turned to the remaining thirteen stunned people. “Get in. I’m in a hurry.”
—In a hurry, indeed.
Jiang Ji was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Yan Yi.
Author’s Note:
Extremely wealthy young master—Bai Chunsheng
The shameless freeloader—Yan Jingqiu
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
