The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

The girl in the pale yellow dress beside the old man also bowed gracefully: "I am Lin Zhiwei, thank you for saving my life, Immortal Master."

Cui Yi waved his hand and said, "You two don't need to be so polite. I didn't save you on the way; I was just doing it for a reward from the Qinglin County government."

Upon hearing the words "Qinglin County Government Office," the old man's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I have a favor to ask. Immortal Master, your magic is so powerful, could you allow us to travel with you? We will only feel safe to set off with you by our side!"

"The Liuyun Chamber of Commerce will certainly not let you, Immortal Master, work for nothing. As long as you escort us to Qinglin County, I can offer you two hundred taels of silver as a reward!"

"Furthermore, I can also testify to the Immortal Master's slaying of the tiger demon, and assist the Immortal Master in handling the reward matters at the Qinglin County government office. The Liuyun Chamber of Commerce has considerable influence in the Eastern Region and can save the Immortal Master a lot of trouble."

Cui Yi had an idea. He was originally going back to Qinglin County to hand in his mission, and escorting them along the way would not only earn him extra income, but also kill two birds with one stone.

"We can't say we're powerful enough, but since we're going the same way, escorting you is certainly an option."

Lin Songshan was overjoyed upon hearing this and repeatedly said, "Thank you for your mercy, Immortal Master!"

The three drivers were relieved to see Cui Yi agree, and their faces finally regained some color.

Fifteen minutes later.

The three drivers had already efficiently tidied up the overturned goods on the ground, and even given their injuries a simple bandage.

They even thoughtfully tied the tiger demon's head to the top of the carriage for Cui Yi, making it look like part of the carriage's decoration from a distance.

Inside the train carriage.

Cui Yi didn't talk to the old man and the young man, but silently operated the Qi-inducing technique to restore his true energy.

The spiritual energy in the air was shockingly thin, but the pure life essence that the Floating Pagoda had just fed back and transformed seemed to have a subtle nourishing effect on the recovery of true energy.

Only when the true qi in his dantian and dantian was much fuller did Cui Yi slowly open his eyes.

And as he opened his eyes, he met Lin Zhiwei's unwavering gaze.

Lin Zhiwei trembled like a startled deer, her fair cheeks flushing red instantly, as if she had been caught doing something wrong. Her eyes darted away immediately.

Seeing this, Lin Songshan chuckled softly twice before speaking to ease the awkwardness.

"Where is the Immortal Master from? Is he also from Qinglin County?"

Cui Yi nodded and replied, "You're too kind, sir. There's no need to call me Immortal Master. My name is Cui Yi, and I'm from Cui Family Village in Qinglin County."

Upon hearing Cui Yi introduce himself, the old man's smile became even more genuine: "I never expected that such a small place as Qinglin County could produce such a promising young cultivator as Brother Cui."

"To be honest, my purpose in coming here is not simply to deliver goods."

"The head of the household learned a vague piece of information from a friendly immortal master: the area surrounding Qinglin County may soon show signs of great fortune!"

"The reason I've come here is to inquire about news of this great fortune."

Atmospheric transport?

Cui Yi raised an eyebrow slightly; having read countless fantasy novels, he was quite familiar with these three words.

How could a small border town be associated with great fortune?

"Is Manager Lin telling me all this because he wants me to help him gather information?"

"Of course not."

Lin Songshan smiled and shook his head: "The caravan will return to Donghai City in three days. At that time, I would like to trouble you, Immortal Master, to escort us."

"As for the compensation, it will naturally be more than it is today!"

"Donghai City...?"

After pondering for a while, Cui Yi asked, "Does your esteemed merchant guild sell any cultivation techniques or martial arts skills?"

Lin Songshan was a shrewd man, and he could tell that Cui Yi was more interested in martial arts techniques than silver. So he immediately changed his tune and said, "Yes, if Brother Cui needs it, I can change the reward for escorting him from silver to martial arts techniques."

"However, my authority is limited, and I can only provide you with Yellow-rank cultivation techniques and martial arts skills at most."

"That's enough."

Cui Yi agreed without much thought. "Manager Lin, I have another question. The Liuyun Chamber of Commerce must be quite large to have been established in the East China Sea, so why..."

"Why not hire a cultivator to escort them?"

When this question was raised, Lin Songshan simply sighed heavily: "Brother Cui, you may not know this, but the Liuyun Chamber of Commerce is not managed by only me."

"Each manager has accumulated their own network of contacts, and what the Chamber of Commerce wants is this competitive relationship between us."

"I'm not afraid to admit it, young man, but since I took over as manager, I've only managed to win over three cultivators."

"And they are now scattered along various escort routes, and there is a severe shortage of manpower. They originally thought that Qinglin County was not dangerous, but who knew that they would encounter a monster."

Cui Yi suddenly realized that the management style of the Liuyun Chamber of Commerce was quite advanced!

It's similar to a company with different departments, and these departments have to be self-sufficient on their own.

He was wondering why a manager of a chamber of commerce would personally come to inquire about information.

It turns out... it was because they didn't have the resources.

After several conversations, the three of them became somewhat acquainted, and the outline of Qinglin County in the distance became clearer and clearer.

Although it was already close to evening, there were still quite a few people active on the streets.

The sudden appearance of the unfamiliar carriage and the banner of the merchant guild quickly attracted the attention of many people, especially the huge head tied to the roof of the carriage, which was truly shocking.

"Look! What's that on that vehicle?!"

"My God... that shape is a head?! What kind of head is that big?!"

"Blood! It's still dripping! It was just chopped off!"

"I can see the fur is from a tiger! But isn't there a red scar on its forehead?"

"What red scars! Those are called 'fierce marks,' just like the old folks say, only ferocious beasts that have become demonic beasts have these marks!"

"Hiss... Could it be that man-eating monster from Black Wind Ridge? It's dead? Who killed it?!"

"Thank heavens! Which heroes have rid us of this scourge?!"

"Hero! The hero who vanquished demons has returned!"

It's unclear who first shouted "Hero!", but the cry was immediately met with a thunderous response!

The previously timid crowd stopped retreating and instead spontaneously surged forward, crowding both sides of the road where the carriage was traveling.

Cui Yi was a little stunned by this scene. He never expected that the people of Qinglin County would have such a strong reaction.

The crowd escorting the carriage was barely stopped by the yamen runners when they reached the entrance of the Qinglin County government office, which was already packed with a dense crowd of people.

The yamen runners had no idea what was going on, so they scrambled in to report that hundreds or even thousands of people had gathered outside the yamen, and the crowd was in agitated, and there was a fear that chaos might break out!

This startled the county magistrate, who was handling official business in the yamen. While adjusting his official hat, he said in a trembling voice, "Could it be...could it be that the notice urging the payment of autumn grain has aroused public anger?"

"Or perhaps the monsters of Black Wind Ridge have come out to wreak havoc again, forcing the people to come to the government office to cry and plead their case?"

"It's over, it's all over! I've studied hard for over a decade and finally managed to get a minor official position, and now I'm going to die here in Qinglin County!"