Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Outside the carriage, several guards heard the commotion and quietly approached.

However, since Lanzel did not give the order, they dared not enter directly.

Lan Po's eyes reddened with anxiety.

"Sis, it's not what you think."

"I gave him the money voluntarily; he didn't lie to me."

"Besides, we took his medicine and weapons, so we already owe him something."

"Don't speak!"

Lanzer interrupted her sharply.

"That gun was the reward for saving my life."

"If we hadn't brought him out, he would have been torn to pieces by the aliens!"

Xilun finally spoke: "Are you finished?"

Lanzer paused.

She had expected Xilen to defend herself, or even become angry and embarrassed.

But his voice remained flat, as if the person being grabbed by the collar wasn't him at all.

"What's wrong?"

Lanzer stared at him: "I hit the nail on the head. Nothing to say?"

"The Blue Soul Potion can be considered as payment for saving my life."

Xilun said, "As for the money, it was a loan from her. I will pay it back."

"What will you use to repay me?"

Lanzer laughed in his anger.

"You can barely walk now, and you don't have a single copper coin on you."

"Once we get to Star Ring City, are you going to say again that your family is in trouble and can't come up with the money right now?"

"And then borrow another fifty pounds for travel expenses?"

Xilun frowned slightly.

He rarely argues with people about such pointless issues.

Compared to verbal promises, it's obviously much simpler to provide the money directly after the injury has healed.

"You don't need to worry about me."

Xilun said calmly, "I will leave once I have fully recovered from my injuries."

"As for what I owe you, I will naturally repay it."

As he spoke, his gaze passed over Lanzer's shoulder and looked out of the car.

On the other side of the courtyard, the Thunder Spear, wrapped in strips of cloth, leaned against the wagon where Lanzer was resting.

Two guards were stationed nearby, clearly at her special request.

Xilun added in his mind.

Of course, the weapons will be retrieved as well.

Lanzer followed his gaze and immediately understood what he meant.

She snorted coldly and loosened Xilun's collar.

"That gun is mine now."

"You'd better not get your hands on it."

"Otherwise, even if we get to Star Ring City, I will send you to the police station."

Xilun straightened his collar but did not respond.

What Lanzer hated most was his attitude of not caring about anything.

However, she had taken the other party's Blue Soul Potion, so she felt somewhat guilty, and it was impossible for her to actually kill a seriously injured person in front of her sister.

She could only glare fiercely at Xilun.

"Blue Soul, come out."

"The convoy is about to depart; you still have cargo to check."

Lan Po stood still.

"sister……"

"come out!"

Lanzer turned and stepped out of the covered wagon.

The guards outside the car immediately dispersed, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

Lanpo glanced at her sister's back, then turned back to look at Xilun, her face full of apology.

"sorry."

"My sister isn't a bad person."

"She was just afraid I'd be scammed."

"I know."

Siren sat back down on the hay.

Lan Po bit her lip: "Don't be angry with her."

"no need."

Xilun never loses his temper because of a few words.

It's normal that Lanzer doesn't trust him.

"First release"

If Bruno were to lend his savings to a stranger of unknown origin with a face covered in bruises, he would suspect that the other person had suffered a head injury from a spatial turbulence.

Lan Po breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned to step out of the covered wagon.

The steam engine boiler soon began to roar.

The heavy wheels turned slowly, and the convoy drove out of the courtyard one by one, embarking on the road to Star Ring City.

The carriage kept bumping and jolting.

Xilun leaned against the wooden box, reading his breathing.

The morning's conflict aggravated his injuries, and the pain in his chest was more pronounced than before.

The effects of the ironwood resin have weakened, and the medicinal properties of the red root vine and white star leaf have also been almost exhausted.

At this rate, it will take at least six or seven more days to recover.

During this period, any unexpected event could cause trouble.

Xilun was somewhat frustrated by this.

His injuries hadn't healed, which left him feeling insecure.

He once possessed the power to defeat Tinos, was able to ignore the terrifying water pressure deep within the Blackwater Abyss, and could even briefly resist the remnants of the evil god's consciousness.

Now, they can't even easily deal with an ordinary guard.

He disliked this feeling of losing power.

Around noon, the convoy stopped by the roadside to let the boilers cool down.

The guards dispersed to rest in the surrounding areas.

A moment later, Lan Po lifted the carriage curtain again and quietly slipped inside.

She held a handful of freshly picked grass from the roadside, the leaves still glistening with water droplets.

Xilun opened his eyes.

"What's up?"

Lan Po squatted down in front of him and looked down to examine the scars on his face.

"Is there any way to heal your injuries ahead of schedule?"

Xilun looked at her: "Yes."

Lan Po's eyes lit up.

"What method?"

"One Blue Soul Potion."

The expectation on Lan Po's face froze instantly.

Xilun continued, "After taking it, injuries to the skin, flesh, and meridians will heal rapidly."

"Or spend three hundred pounds to buy three Qi-binding potions specifically for Tier 3 Extraordinary Beings."

"One hundred pounds each."

"The Qi-regulating potion can regulate my Qi. Using all three together is enough to restore most of my strength."

Lan Po's mouth opened slightly.

Three hundred pounds.

She had only fifty pounds in savings, which she had already lent to Celion.

As for the Blue Soul Potion...

The medicine had already gone into my sister's stomach.

Lan Po squatted there, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Xilun asked, "What, you need to borrow money from me?"

Lan Po immediately waved his hand.

"No, no, no."

"It's nothing."

"I was just asking casually."

She stood up hurriedly, seemingly feeling embarrassed to leave empty-handed, so she stuffed the handful of grass she had picked into Xilun's hand.

"You should use this herb to heal your wound."

After saying that, she turned and ran out of the covered wagon.

The carriage curtain fell.

Xilun looked down at the grass in his hand and remained silent for a long while.

These are just ordinary grass blades growing by the roadside.

Interspersed among them were a few stalks of alfalfa, but they weren't even considered first-tier materials; at most, they could only provide some hemostasis and tissue regeneration.

Xilun was somewhat depressed.

But he really has no other medicine right now.

He picked out a blade of alfalfa, wiped off the water droplets, and took a bite.

Bitter juice slowly seeped out.

Don't say it.

It does have some effect.

It might allow his injury to recover a few minutes earlier.

The bitter herbal juice spread across the tip of the tongue.

Xilun leaned against the wooden crate, slowly adjusting his breathing.

The steam engine started up again, the boiler spewing out plumes of grayish-white steam, and the heavy wheels rolled over the muddy road, leaving the town far behind.

No one noticed that several figures slowly emerged from the shadows of an abandoned wooden house at the edge of town.

One of them squatted down and touched the wet mud left by the tire tracks.

"Just left."

"Keep up."

As soon as he finished speaking, several shadows quickly disappeared into the roadside woods, hanging far behind the convoy.

They maintained a distance from the convoy at all times, occasionally using the hillsides and bushes to conceal their tracks, clearly very familiar with the tracking.

The guards in the convoy did not notice anything unusual.

Xilun opened his eyes inside the wagon.

His mental state is far from being fully restored, but the Moon Memory Meditation Technique has not completely failed.

Just now, he vaguely sensed a few wisps of malicious energy sweeping past from behind.

It's very light.

It's also very far.

By the time he spread his spiritual energy outwards, those few wisps of energy had already disappeared.

Xiren did not get up immediately.

His meridians are now disordered, and when he exerts his strength even slightly, it feels as if countless fine needles are piercing his body at the same time.

Based solely on a vague sense, it's impossible to determine whether the approaching people are heading towards the convoy or simply traveling the same route as them.

Moreover, what truly concerned Xilun was not those faint human auras.

Instead, a gloomy and fierce life force was lurking in the mountains ahead.

That aura mingled with the mountains and forests, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

The convoy continued forward.

As afternoon approached, the road gradually became rugged, and the low hills on both sides turned into undulating mountain ranges.

The sun was obscured by clouds, and a damp mountain breeze blew through the forest, carrying the smell of rotting leaves and earth.

More than a dozen steam cars stopped one after another.

Several drivers jumped out of the driver's seat to inspect the axles and boiler. Some guards took out maps and gathered around the roadside to discuss the matter.

Lanzer wore a dark gray coat and had the Thunder Spear of Xilun hanging at his waist.

The spear, having undergone the fusion of spiritual energy, was not outwardly ornate, but contained an extremely heavy force of lightning within its shaft.

Lanzel was clearly unable to unleash its true power, using it only as an exceptionally tough Tier 3 weapon.

An old driver pointed to the mountain road and said, "A section of the main road ahead has collapsed. It rained last night, and the mud is too soft. If a dozen or so vehicles go through together, they might get stuck."

"Should we take a detour?" Lanzel asked.

"Going around to the west will add at least two more days to the journey."

The old coachman hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the mountainside: "There's another path that leads over Blackwood Ridge. There are plenty of white star leaves and black tooth roots growing on that mountain. If you pick a batch along the way and resell them in Starring City, you could easily earn two or three hundred pounds."

Several elderly people in the surrounding convoy were clearly tempted.

This convoy looks large, but boiler fuel, vehicle maintenance, and guard salaries are all expenses.

Two or three hundred pounds is not a small amount; it's enough to offset most of the expenses of this trip.

Lanzel did not make a decision immediately.

"Let's scout ahead first."

Four guards carrying weapons entered the forest.

About half an hour later, they returned one after another.

"The road is passable."

"Several animal footprints were found, but they were all from common mountain beasts, with no traces of any other species."

"There are indeed many medicinal herbs halfway up the mountain."

Upon hearing these words, everyone visibly relaxed.

Lanzer looked around: "Does anyone else have a problem with this?"

Xilun lifted the curtain and stepped out of the covered wagon.

Sitting still for long periods is bad for blood circulation. He steadied himself by holding onto the edge of the carriage, his face still somewhat pale.

"We can't leave."

People nearby all looked over at the same time.

Lanzer's brows furrowed immediately.

Blue Soul jumped out of another car and quickly walked to Xilun's side.

"What did you find?"

"Danger."

Xilun gazed into the depths of the mountains and forests.

The Moon Memory Meditation Technique made his mind much sharper than that of other extraordinary individuals of the same level.

Even though he was seriously injured at this moment, the dangerous instinct stemming from countless life-and-death battles had not disappeared.

That fierce aura was hidden on the mountainside.

Very strong.

It has even come close to the Extreme Beast King he encountered in the Blackwater Abyss.

Lanzer asked in a deep voice, "What danger?"

"A mutant."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Where is the strength?"

"At least at the third level of the extreme realm."

The surroundings fell silent for a moment.

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

The man who had been leading the scouts couldn't help but say, "We've walked more than two miles and haven't found any feces, nests, or claw marks. Third-tier extreme-realm mutants are usually quite large; it's impossible for them to leave without a trace."

The other person looked at Xilun's pale face with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"You say there's danger in the mountains, but you need evidence, right?"

Xilun shook his head.

"no."

Lanzer sneered, "Then what makes you so sure?"

"Feel."

As soon as those two words were uttered, the expressions of the people nearby immediately turned strange.

Someone lowered their head to arrange their weapons, but a slight smirk crept across their face.

It was just a feeling all along.

A wounded soldier lying in the carriage, barely able to walk, suddenly ran out and claimed that there were Tier 3 Extreme Realm mutants in the mountains, but he couldn't produce any evidence.

What's the difference between this and talking nonsense?

The guards who had scouted ahead were even more dissatisfied. They had risked venturing into the mountains for half an hour to investigate, only to be outdone by a casual remark from someone sitting in the carriage.

Lanzer's gaze was icy.

"If you are afraid, you can stay here and wait."

"The convoy won't take two extra days off just because of your baseless remark."

Xilun glanced at her but did not continue arguing.

He has already given the reminders he needed to.

Whether these people believe it or not is none of his business.

Lan Po did not leave immediately.

She looked at the dark woods in the distance, then glanced at Xilun, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

For some reason, she always felt that Xilun wasn't lying.

That calmness wasn't something he was deliberately feigning.

It's more like he already knows what's in the mountains, but doesn't care whether others believe him.

"Get ready to go into the mountains."

Lanzer gave the order.

The guards boarded the steam wagons, while several heavier freight wagons were positioned in the center. The convoy slowly made its way into the mountains along a path overgrown with weeds.

The mountain road was too narrow for steam cars to travel side by side.

The branches and leaves on both sides grew increasingly dense, blocking out most of the sunlight. The tires rolled over the dry branches, making a series of crisp sounds, and every now and then, startled birds would swoop down from the forest into the sky.

Lan Po did not return to her sister's side.

She quietly slowed her pace and followed beside Xiren.

"Did you notice something?"

Xilun did not stop.

"It's not something I can see."

"It is perception."

Lan Po lowered his voice: "Is there really a Tier 3 Extreme Realm mutant?"

"There should be."

Xilun briefly sensed the lingering scent in the mountain breeze.

"It is very good at concealment. Its scent blends into the forest, making it difficult for ordinary people to distinguish it."

"If I were in my prime, I could try to kill it."

"But it will also cause some trouble."

Lan Po paused in his steps.

Just how strong is that alien species that caused trouble even during the height of Xilun's power?

She hesitated and asked, "Can you handle it now?"

"cannot."

Xilun's answer was very direct.

Lan Po's face turned slightly pale, and he immediately turned and ran to the front of the group.

Not long after, Lanzer's low, reprimanding voice came from ahead.

"He has no evidence, and you're just joining in the nonsense?"

"Sis, he was very serious."

"Scammers can be quite serious when they're trying to scam money!"

"But what if it's true?"

Lan Ze'er's expression darkened.

"Blue Soul, have you forgotten how those fifty pounds of yours disappeared?"

"You believe everything he says. Today he says there are strange creatures in the mountains, tomorrow will he say pirates will attack us, and make you hand over your caravan to him too?"