Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

Black Wind Ridge is a steep and treacherous mountain, with howling winds and a suffocating atmosphere permeating its forests. Far from any town and uninhabited, it has been both a gathering place for bandits and a refuge for refugees fleeing war. But now, the refugees are oppressed by the bandits and live in dire straits.

Huang Yiming led Qin Yuling, Su Qingyue, Yang Xiu, and Qin Hu through the forests of Black Wind Ridge, his spiritual energy contained and not released, proceeding cautiously, afraid of alerting the bandits. Yang Xiu activated his hidden spiritual root, releasing a faint spiritual energy to sense the surrounding movements and guide the group.

"Brother Ming, there's some noise ahead. It sounds like the cries of refugees and the shouts of bandits." Yang Xiu stopped, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the noise for a moment before speaking to Huang Yiming, his voice full of heartache.

Huang Yiming nodded, his eyes instantly turning cold: "Let's go, let's go take a look."

The group quickened their pace, heading towards the direction of the sound. After passing through a dense forest, the scene before them ignited their fury: in a clearing, dozens of refugees huddled in a corner, ragged and emaciated. The elderly and children were on the verge of death from hunger, their eyes filled with fear and despair. A dozen bandits, wielding steel knives, stood before the refugees, arrogantly shouting and kicking them, occasionally stealing the meager rations they held.

The leader was a burly bandit chief, dressed in black, with a face full of scars and a fierce look in his eyes. He was surrounded by spiritual energy, clearly a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining. Holding a steel knife, he pointed it at the refugees and arrogantly shouted, "Listen up, all of you! If you want to live, hand over your bloodline spiritual roots! Anyone with spiritual roots, come with me, or you'll all starve to death here!"

The refugees trembled with fear, yet none dared to resist. Most of them were ordinary people without the aptitude for cultivation, and even those few with weak spiritual roots were no match for the bandits, forced to endure their oppression.

"These bandits are going too far! How dare they oppress refugees like this!" Qin Yuling's eyes were cold, and the long sword in her hand trembled slightly. She wanted to rush forward, but Huang Yiming stopped her.

"Wait, let's assess the situation first, find out the strength of the bandits, and also find out the whereabouts of the Qingyun Sect's informants," Huang Yiming said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the bandit leader, already having devised a plan.

Qin Hu stood aside, frowned as he looked at the coarse grains in the refugees' hands, and said with disdain, "This stuff is even worse than pig slop. It's pitiful that these people eat it so deliciously." As he spoke, he casually threw the compressed biscuits in his hand on the ground with a look of contempt.

Just then, a child of about five or six years old crawled out from among the refugees. He was ragged, emaciated, and his eyes were full of hunger. He saw the compressed biscuits on the ground, his eyes lit up, and he carefully crawled over, picked up the biscuits, dusted them off, and quickly stuffed them into his mouth, wolfing them down as if afraid someone would steal them.

Seeing this scene, Qin Hu was suddenly shocked. The disdain on his face vanished instantly, replaced by guilt. He remembered how he lived a life of luxury in Qin Family Fortress, with meat at every meal, while these children couldn't even get a full meal and had to scavenge the things he threw away to fill their stomachs.

Qin Hu stepped forward, took out a large bag of compressed biscuits from his backpack, squatted down and handed it to the child, his voice a little hoarse: "Eat up, these are all for you, there's plenty more, I'll get more if you need more."

The child looked up at Qin Hu, his eyes filled with wariness and fear, and dared not reach out to take it.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person, I won't hurt you." Qin Hu's tone softened, and an awkward smile appeared on his face. "I just thought these cookies were too sweet and didn't taste good, that's why I gave them to you, it's not because I was worried about you."

The child looked at Qin Hu, then at the cookies on the ground, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out his little hand to take them, quickly stuffing them into his mouth and wolfing them down.

Looking at the child, Qin Hu felt even more guilty. He turned around and took out all the compressed biscuits and instant noodles from his backpack and distributed them to the refugees, muttering, "Eat up, eat up, I have plenty here. I don't eat this stuff anyway."

Upon seeing this, the refugees gathered around, carefully accepting the food. As they ate, they kowtowed to Qin Hu in gratitude, their eyes filled with thanks.

"Who told you to meddle in my business!" The bandit leader flew into a rage upon seeing this, brandishing his steel knife and charging at Qin Hu. "A mere mortal dares to pretend to be a good person in front of me? Today I'll cripple you!"

Qin Hu's expression changed drastically. He quickly stood up, drew his pistol, pointed it at the bandit leader, and shouted, "Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll shoot you!"

The bandit leader laughed loudly, mocking, "You mortal trash dare to act tough in front of me? Today I'll show you the power of a second-level Qi Refining cultivator!"

"Attack!" Huang Yiming shouted and rushed forward, aiming his pistol at the bandit leader and pulling the trigger. The bullet was infused with rich spiritual energy.

The bandit leader's expression changed, and he quickly circulated his spiritual energy to dodge to the side. The bullet hit a large tree next to him, and the trunk was instantly pierced, leaving a hole.

"Qi Refinement Level 1? Pseudo-spiritual root?" The bandit leader looked at Huang Yiming, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he became arrogant again. "I didn't expect there would be a pseudo-spiritual root cultivator who dared to meddle in my affairs. But Qi Refinement Level 1 isn't even enough to fill my teeth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the bandit leader swung his steel knife at Huang Yiming, the blade whistling through the air with a chilling force. Huang Yiming dodged to the side, simultaneously channeling his spiritual energy to deliver a backhand punch to the bandit leader's chest. The bandit leader screamed and staggered back, his eyes filled with shock—he hadn't expected Huang Yiming to possess such power and such pure spiritual energy.

"Yuling, Xiuer, you two go and keep those bandits occupied; Qingyue, you keep them occupied from a distance and launch a precise attack, don't let any of the bandits escape!" Huang Yiming quickly issued the order.

"Alright!" the three women responded in unison and immediately took action. Qin Yuling drew her sword and charged towards the bandits. The sword flashed, each strike carrying a sharp aura, instantly felling one of the bandits. Yang Xiu activated her hidden spiritual root, releasing a weak amount of spiritual energy to assist Qin Yuling in increasing the speed of her spiritual energy circulation and her defensive capabilities. Su Qingyue quickly set up her rifle, aimed at the bandits, and lightly pulled the trigger. With each shot, a bandit fell to the ground.

Qin Hu held his pistol to the bandit leader, occasionally pulling the trigger. Although his aim was poor, he was able to restrain the leader's movements, preventing him from concentrating on dealing with Huang Yiming.

Huang Yiming and the bandit leader were locked in a fierce battle, exchanging blows. The bandit leader was a Qi Refining Level 2 cultivator, with more concentrated spiritual energy than Huang Yiming. However, Huang Yiming's spiritual energy was purer, and with the aid of modern equipment, his spiritual energy circulated extremely quickly, making his movements more agile, and he gradually gained the upper hand.

The bandit leader grew increasingly panicked. He couldn't believe that he, a Qi Refining Level 2 cultivator, was no match for a Qi Refining Level 1 pseudo-spiritual root cultivator. He tried to escape, but Huang Yiming held him tightly, making it impossible for him to break free.

"Who exactly are you? Why is your pseudo-spiritual root so strong?" the bandit leader roared, his eyes filled with despair.

Huang Yiming's eyes were cold. He did not answer the question. Taking advantage of the bandit leader's distraction, he dodged the attack and hit the bandit leader's dantian with a backhand shot. With a crack, the bandit leader's dantian was shattered, his spiritual energy dissipated instantly, and his cultivation was completely destroyed.

The bandit leader screamed and fell to the ground, his face filled with despair. The bandits, seeing this, turned pale with fright, their previous arrogance vanished, and they all turned to flee, but were stopped by Qin Yuling, Su Qingyue, and Yang Xiu, who knocked them down one by one and made them kneel in surrender.

Huang Yiming walked up to the refugees and looked at them gently, saying, "Fellow villagers, the bandits have been defeated by us, and you will no longer have to suffer oppression. My name is Huang Yiming, and I promise to provide you with food and protection, and to establish a safe haven in Black Wind Ridge, so that you will no longer have to wander and suffer from hunger."

Upon hearing this, the refugees knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude, their cries echoing through the air, their eyes filled with thanks and hope. "Thank you, Young Master Huang! Thank you, Young Master Huang!"

"Get up, we are all pitiful people, we can only survive by supporting each other." Huang Yiming quickly helped everyone up, his tone still gentle.

Looking at the plight of the refugees, Yang Xiu recalled her own turbulent childhood and couldn't help but shed tears. Orphaned at a young age, she wandered from place to place, suffering oppression. If she hadn't met Huang Yiming, she probably would not be alive today.

Huang Yiming noticed Yang Xiu's emotions, gently patted her shoulder, and comforted her tenderly, "Xiu'er, don't be sad. We will protect these refugees from now on, and we will also protect you. We will never let you suffer again."

Qin Yuling also walked to Yang Xiu's side and said softly, "Xiu'er, don't be sad. We will work together to make these refugees live a good life."

Su Qingyue silently noted down the refugees' needs and said softly, "Next time I transport supplies from the city, I will bring more food, clothing, and medicine so that everyone can have enough to eat and wear and recover from their injuries."

The three women comforted and supported each other, their bond growing stronger. The previous subtle tension had dissipated, replaced by a deep sisterly affection. Looking at the three women before him, Huang Yiming felt a surge of warmth in his heart, further solidifying his resolve to protect them and the refugees.

Just then, Huang Yiming's gaze fell on a refugee—this person was dressed in black, his eyes were evasive, and he faintly exuded the spiritual energy fluctuations of the Qingyun Sect. He also had a Qingyun Sect token hanging at his waist.

Huang Yiming felt a chill in his heart: Sure enough, there were Qingyun Sect spies hidden among the bandits! He walked slowly and calmly to the refugee, wanting to ask him about his identity and the movements of Qingyun Sect.

Just then, Su Qingyue's phone rang. She took it out and answered, her face instantly turning deathly pale. After hanging up, she anxiously told Huang Yiming, "Yiming, something terrible has happened! Our trading company in the city is being maliciously suppressed by our competitor, Zhao Lei. He's spreading rumors that our jewelry and medicinal herbs are counterfeit, causing us to lose customers, default on payments, and even have our goods intercepted. We've suffered huge losses!"

Huang Yiming's expression changed drastically. The Urban Trading Company was something he and Su Qingyue had painstakingly built; it was an important channel for trade between the two worlds and a key support for him to obtain modern resources and aid his cultivation. Now, it had been maliciously suppressed by Zhao Lei, resulting in heavy losses!

Caught between the Qingyun Sect's spies in Black Wind Ridge and a commercial crisis in the city, Huang Yiming was in a dilemma. He knew that neither the spies nor the crisis could be ignored; a new crisis was about to unfold.