I am a demonic cultivator, not a capitalist with a conscience.

Chapter 126 Hoping for Your Safe Return (26)

April 11th, sunny.

It has been three days since we set off from Wangma.

The journey started off smoothly; we could see roads and people along the way, and we were able to replenish our water and food supplies, so the journey wasn't too tiring.

Moreover, Wang Ma felt that he was in exceptionally good condition, walking briskly and without feeling tired at all.

However, the journey has not been going smoothly since yesterday.

In order to bypass the regional lock, he made a grand vow at the temple of the Wood Star Lord, sought divine revelation, and prepared to go to Tianyuan under the guise of pilgrimage.

Subsequently, the temple keeper of the Wood Star Lord was deeply moved and accepted a thousand coins as incense money from him, giving him a planned route to follow to Tianyuan.

Except for the very beginning and the very end, this route bypasses existing roads and avoids villages and towns along the way, making the entire journey arduous.

Inside the tent, Wang Ma estimated the time by looking at the food residue in his stomach and found that it was about 7:10 a.m., with an error margin of five minutes.

As he crawled out of the tent, he saw that the ground outside was covered with caterpillars the size of his palm, each with brown downy hairs, like a carpet spread across the forest grass.

These caterpillars are a common natural disaster for mulberry trees. The abundant woody energy nourishes the mulberry trees, but it also nourishes the insect pests that feed on the trees.

When these insects multiply explosively due to abundant food, and realize that the nearby food cannot support their numbers, they begin a large-scale migration, devouring everything in their path.

But now, all those insects are dead.

The Trapper Type III, which had been working all night, had only a shallow layer of mana stored inside. After putting the metal lump away and into his backpack, Wang Ma packed his belongings and then said to Bai Ze, who was fast asleep beside him, "Let's go, Bai Ze."

Stretching and rubbing his eyes, little Bai Ze said, "So early?"

"Hmm, the area we're about to pass through might have level two insect infestations, so we need to hurry. Insect infestations aren't so bad, but snakes would be a real problem. Who do you think should come out for this part of the journey?"

"Porcupines and parrots, they're good for scouting."

Nodding, Wang Ma activated his external manifestation, and the porcupine and parrot immediately appeared outside and began to scout the way for Wang Shi.

With two more companions, Wang Ma felt much more at ease.

The illusions that appear outwardly can't be as magical as those in a dream, but they can still help explore the path ahead, detect traps, and help Wang Shi find a suitable way.

In addition, they can help locate nearby mythical beasts, which are then captured by the King Horse.

In Wang Ma's eyes, they were no longer the ethereal illusions in "The Record of Mountains and Seas," but his real-life companions.

Holding the machete, he continued on his way in the direction indicated by the Wood Star Lord, and arrived at the destination he was scheduled to reach that day at noon.

The porcupine said there were no pests nearby, while the parrot told him that there wasn't much moisture in the air and the chances of it raining were low.

So, Wang Ma sat down next to the spring, released Di Jiang to sing for him to rest, and then started recording his own check-in video.

The reason for recording this video is simple: in case I die, at least others will know where I died.

"I am Wang Ma, and today is the third day of my pilgrimage. I have now reached the outskirts of Tieyue Ridge, and my goal for today is to cross this mountain range." "You cannot stay overnight here. Listen to me, I am a lumberjack. The secondary pests here are mosquitoes, leeches, and subcutaneous egg-laying flies. The first two suck blood, and the last one lays eggs under the skin. Once parasitized by their eggs, you cannot heal yourself because those insects burrow very deep; you must use tweezers to remove the eggs."

"Mosquitoes and leeches suck blood, and you don't feel it when they do. A little bit is fine, but too much will cause blood loss, and then you might end up lying here."

"But there are some good things here too. See this? These are mushrooms. I don't know what they're called, but they're really delicious. They taste like jelly. My mouth felt a little numb after eating them, so I guess I got poisoned. But it's okay, I'm a sports student, I'm not afraid."

Wang Ma doesn't have a specific style; he just says whatever comes to mind.

Moreover, to reduce the risk of being blocked, he didn't say where he was going or what he was going to do; he only said that he was going on a pilgrimage.

At the same time, he did not put the video on popular video platforms, but on Ah Zhan, a platform that was almost declining but still supported by Xingjun.

In order to leave a mark on himself and to avoid being blocked, he had to conceal a lot of information.

However, he was a lumberjack who had been cutting down trees here since graduating from high school, and had been doing so for ten years. He had long since figured out everything in the forest.

So, although others didn't know where he was going, his understanding of Lin Zi gradually helped him accumulate some popularity and gain some traffic on the site.

Especially when he says he is a sports student and a lumberjack, corresponding comments will appear on the video, which has gradually become a meme.

After recording a ten-minute video, Wang Ma uploaded it and then saw new private messages appear in his website's backend.

[Dear Mr. Wang Ma, this is the official account of Azhan. We have noticed that your video data is steadily increasing, which is a very positive sign. To further promote your videos, we sincerely invite you to sign a contract with Azhan and become a contracted author. Author benefits are as follows: ...]

Wang Ma did not finish reading the letter and directly rejected the other party's request.

He didn't keep the video to make money, but to commemorate the occasion.

Looking back on my 28 years, I spent the first 18 years training and honing my skills at a sports high school, and the last 10 years cutting down trees in the forest, living a very "serious" life.

If nothing unexpected happens, his life should be like everyone else's: cutting down trees, getting married, having children, and then slowly dying.

Looking back, those twenty-eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it seems they haven't left any impression at all.

Only during these three days did he feel truly alive.

Wangma glanced at Bai Ze, the porcupine, and the parrot, who were drinking water with him but hadn't actually drunk anything, and smiled gently.

Although all three are illusory, at this moment, they are more real than anything else.

Just before setting off, he glanced at his inbox one last time. Among the many messages, one stood out.

"Go for it, Wang Ma. Make sure you come back safely."

Upon seeing this private message, Wang Ma smiled again.

Beyond the clouds, beyond the mountains, a tavern owner was thinking of him, which filled Wang Ma with strength and determination.

He filled the kettle with water and set off on his journey again.

(End of this chapter)