The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 919 Night Town
Although Zhao Chen himself does not possess any "fate"-type supernatural abilities, the "Star Chariot Parts" contain the "Destiny Heavenly Pool," which can absorb all kinds of "calamities" in this area.

He's currently at a low level and might have difficulty controlling those components, but once he reaches the level of supernatural powers, things should change dramatically. He can give it a try then.

After standing at the edge of the village and looking at the "dead ground" for a while, Zhao Chen turned his gaze to the inside of the village.

There are only a dozen or so residents in this village, and each family has relied on sweet potatoes for at least three generations to make a living... After all, the official price of sweet potatoes is so cheap, and they still have to replant them in this barren land, so their income is just enough to survive.

Zhao Chen is no longer as ignorant of the policies of the Great Xia Dynasty as he was when he first transmigrated. He knows that if a family has relied on sweet potatoes and rice as their staple food for more than five generations, they will be forcibly relocated by the government.

As for where they were moved to, it is currently unknown, but there is no record of the people who were taken away ever returning.

This is why, even though starvation deaths are rare in the Great Xia Dynasty due to the existence of sweet potato rice, the countryside remains sparsely populated except for densely populated towns.

"The soul power of these people who have eaten sweet potatoes for three generations is extremely thin. Unless they are nourished with spiritual medicine, it is almost impossible for them to become cultivators..."

"Those people from the fifth generation will probably be listless and numb. Once their innate energy dissipates after birth, they will probably have no spiritual energy left. What use would such people be?"
"Where will they be sent next?"

As he was pondering, Zhao Chen's divine sense was suddenly triggered, as if something in the "dead zone" was spying on him. He quickly expanded the range of his divine sense and searched carefully, but he could not find anything unusual.

At that moment, Zhao Chen's "cowlick" suddenly stood up straight, with the tip of the hair tilting desperately towards Ye Yi.

"Did the monkey also notice something was wrong? And signaled me to leave immediately?"

Zhao Chen was quite "obedient" to this advice. Although he liked excitement and adventure, that was only under the premise of thorough preparation. In the current situation, it was best to "run away"!
With that thought in mind, Zhao Chen quickly released the "Myriad Manifestations Immortal Clouds" and flew into the sky with the demon horse.

……

Deep underground in the "Dead Land," a middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist priest awoke from meditation. He glanced at Zhao Chen, who had flown away, through the void, and frowned slightly.

"This child's fate is somewhat connected to Qingli's; they must have met not long ago..."

"The people Qingli knows in the capital?"

"Hmm, he carries the aura of the 'Flower Goddess,' perhaps he's an old acquaintance of the 'Flower Goddess Sect'..."

With that thought, the man withdrew his gaze and didn't pay much attention. After all, he was just a somewhat special Qi Sha cultivator, not worth him leaving his current state to make calculations or check.

……

Zhao Chen flew for over two hundred miles in one breath until he saw the outline of Ye Yi city in the air before descending and landing on the edge of a small town on the outskirts of the city.

He glanced back in the direction of the "dead zone," and thought to himself with lingering fear, "Looks like my luck has really turned around... In the past, when I encountered such terrifying beings, I would most likely have been captured and 'played' with..."

"Or perhaps this old monster isn't interested in me?"

Zhao Chen patted his chest, knowing that although he was still within the old monster's "observation" range, he was actually safe. After all, cultivators generally didn't extend their divine sense too far. Like Zhao Chen himself, his divine sense now actually had a range exceeding a hundred miles, and even at full power, he could still observe "deadly grounds"... but would he dare to do that?

Even if it were that terrifying being, he wouldn't use it easily, because that would be tantamount to exposing his own location.

Although Qizhou may not have any major powers, that doesn't mean that no experts will pass by!
Since he's hiding in a "deadly place," he's probably someone who can't be seen by others, so naturally he wouldn't risk exposing himself for a nobody.

With a slight sigh of relief, Zhao Chen found a post station that specialized in storing demon horses, handed over the mount he had recently bought to the person in charge, and then walked through the town and entered the capital city of Ye Yi on foot.

Yeyi, nestled between mountains and the sea, was a thriving commercial center and a famous city that never slept in ancient times, hence its name.

Therefore, although it is evening now, Ye Yi is still very lively. All kinds of taverns, teahouses, brothels and theaters are bustling with people and every seat is occupied.

Zhao Chen wandered around the city's famous "commercial district" for almost half an hour before finally finding a hotel with rooms available and checking in.

Then, without even having dinner, he rushed to the dock area, found the special shipping management office, and inquired about the matter of going to Yingzhou.

In fact, although Yeyi is said to be across the sea from Yingzhou, the route from Yeyi to Yingzhou is not a mainstream route, and it can only reach a small southern island outside the main island of Yingzhou.

This island is called Deer Island, and it covers an area of ​​about three counties. It is named after a type of deer with plump and delicious meat that is found there.

The two truly mainstream routes were the Silla route, which was monopolized by several powerful families in the north, and the coastal island chain route, which was monopolized by the Jeong family.

Because it is not "mainstream", the cleanup efforts are less thorough, and sometimes a few sea monsters that have slipped through the island chain defense line may be encountered.

Although these sea monsters are at most at the level of supernatural powers, and most of them are magical powers, their size still makes it highly likely that they will cause ships to capsize.

Even with the dangers, non-mainstream routes remain the first choice for many cultivators. After all, the two mainstream routes are either too expensive and take too long, or they have requirements for identity, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to buy tickets.

Relying on his "money power," Zhao Chen easily learned from the shipping authorities that a passenger and cargo ship would be going to Kashima in five days, so he immediately went to the ticket office and spent 20 guan to buy a first-class ticket.

—Although Zhao Chen can endure hardship, he never compromises his life when he has the means.

After buying the ticket, Zhao Chen casually bought a local evening newspaper in Qizhou on his way back to the hotel. As soon as he opened the first page, he saw the news that "Princess Weihe" was about to go to Yingzhou to offer condolences on behalf of the royal family.

Ming Hongyue was on a political mission, so she naturally had to take the northern route, boarding the ship in Youzhou, passing through Silla, and finally arriving at the central region of Yingzhou Island.

"Speaking of which, it has been quite a while since I've seen Hongyue and Wan'er..."

Putting away the newspaper, Zhao Chen looked up at the bright silver moon in the sky and found himself looking forward to meeting them in Yingzhou.

Having obtained the Nine Netherworld Body, how far away can the Nine Heavens Immortal Body be?
……

(End of this chapter)