In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

Night swallowed the wilderness, and the dangers in the darkness increased exponentially, with the roars of ferocious beasts echoing from afar from time to time.

The surviving villagers sat around the flickering campfire, each one pale-faced. Some children huddled tightly in the arms of adults, who comforted them, their faces filled with uncertainty about the future.

In the past, with the presence of the sacrificial spirits, they could sleep peacefully at home. Now that the sacrificial spirits are gone, they have no idea how to resist the ferocious beasts in this wilderness.

The horrific scene of the village's destruction during the day was still vivid in their minds. The guardian spirit of the village had perished, and the entire village had been burned to ashes. Hundreds of villagers had been slaughtered, leaving only a dozen or so survivors. All that remained amidst the broken walls and ruins was charred blackness. Their former home had been reduced to a desolate wasteland.

Shi Geng sat to one side, calmly turning the meat on the grill. The flames licked the meat, making a sizzling sound.

The Great Wilderness is a place where the strong prey on the weak, and such tragedies are not uncommon. Some encounter ferocious beasts passing by, or are conquered and annexed by powerful tribes. The lives of ordinary people in this Great Wilderness are as worthless as grass.

The campfire crackled, and the old man's cloudy gaze lingered on Shi Geng, his heart in turmoil. After several hesitations, he slowly moved closer.

He hunched over, his voice hoarse and apprehensive: "Young master, I have a favor to ask."

Shi Geng nodded slightly and gestured for the old man to sit down.

The old man took a deep breath, sat down shakily, and said, "Young master, the Great Wilderness is dangerous. Without the protection of the Spirit Master, we cannot survive here at all. Therefore, I would like to humbly request that you escort us to Qingshan Town, which is a thousand miles away."

Shi Geng frowned. The Great Wilderness was full of dangerous places and dangers. He could deal with the crisis if he traveled alone, but if he was with a bunch of burdens, he would have to take care of everything and his actions would be restricted.

Seeing Shi Geng hesitate, the old man quickly said, "As long as you can take us to Qingshan Town, I am willing to give you this as a reward."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes with great care, as if he were holding a priceless treasure, and slowly took out a tattered piece of animal hide.

The animal hide was dark in color, covered with patterns of varying depths, and the edges had been worn down by time, with a faint, ancient glow.

The old man held the animal hide in both hands, his face filled with anxiety, and handed it to Shi Geng.

Shi Gen shook his head, intending to refuse outright. In his view, what good things could a small village possibly have?

But when his gaze inadvertently swept over the animal hide in the old man's hand, he couldn't help but be stunned. The animal hide was tattered and jagged, clearly torn apart by someone. The piece in the old man's hand was just a fragment.

"This animal hide..."

Shi Geng's voice carried a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation. He could sense an unusual aura emanating from the animal hide, extremely powerful yet subtle, which he would hardly have noticed had his perception not been so keen.

Seeing Shi Geng's interest in the animal hide, the old man's eyes flashed with joy, and he quickly explained, "Young master, this has been passed down in our village for generations and has been treasured for almost a thousand years."

Shi Geng raised an eyebrow. Ancient ruins? He took the animal hide and examined it carefully.

Although the animal hide was tattered, the patterns on it were exceptionally fine, faintly outlining a complex design that seemed to conceal some kind of secret.

"That's interesting."

Shi Geng's voice carried a hint of surprise. He had just tried it with force, and the animal hide was not damaged at all.

With his current physical strength, he could crush not just a piece of animal hide, but even a mountain. Yet, even with half his strength, the hide showed no signs of tearing, demonstrating its extraordinary nature.

Upon seeing this, the old man was overjoyed and quickly said, "Young master, as long as you agree to take us to Qingshan Town, this treasure map is yours now."

A hint of reluctance flashed in the old man's eyes, but in the end he made up his mind. The village where he used to live had been completely destroyed, and the spirit that protected them had also perished.

Staying here is tantamount to waiting for death; only by traveling thousands of miles to Qingshan Town can we have a glimmer of hope.

The survivors were mostly the elderly, women, children, and a large number of naive children. The journey was fraught with ferocious beasts and demonic birds. If they were to travel on their own, they would probably not be able to make it more than a hundred miles before becoming food for the beasts.

The only way to preserve the village's future is to have this powerful child escort them to Qingshan Town. As for the treasure map passed down through generations, their village has studied it for so many years without finding any clues, so they might as well use it as payment.

Shi Geng pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I promise you."

The old man nodded excitedly when Shi Geng agreed, saying, "Thank you, young master, thank you, young master."

Shi Gen smiled slightly. This animal hide was quite extraordinary. If he could unlock the secret of this animal hide, it might bring him unexpected gains. As for escorting these villagers to Qingshan Town, that was not a problem. It would just mean going to Butian Pavilion a little later.

Thinking of this, Shi Geng immediately changed his itinerary, deciding to send the villagers to Qingshan Town before going to Butian Pavilion.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Shi Geng's promise. The huge weight on his heart was finally lifted. He stood up and gently comforted the bewildered villagers. He then announced his decision to go to Qingshan Town in front of everyone, so that everyone could prepare to set off in advance.

Upon hearing that they were being taken to Qingshan Town, a glimmer of hope appeared in the bewildered eyes of the remaining villagers.

Early the next morning, Shi Geng led the villagers to Qingshan Town.

Along the way, they carefully avoided the territories and dangerous places of those powerful beasts. Although their speed was a bit slower, they were safe and sound all the way. Even when they occasionally encountered beasts attacking them, they were cleanly and swiftly killed.

After several days of travel, the group finally arrived at Qingshan Town. The town was not large, only a few miles in circumference, and the guardian spirit of the place was a mighty golden eagle, and the entire Qingshan Town relied on its protection.

Looking at the town of Qingshan before him, the old man finally felt relieved. He quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply to Shi Geng, and said with deep gratitude, "Thank you so much for protecting us all the way. If it weren't for you, we old, weak, women and children would never have made it this far. We will never forget your great kindness."

Shi Geng waved his hand: "No need to be polite. Now that I have arrived safely, I should be leaving. Until we meet again."

After saying that, Shi Geng soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

For him, this escort was nothing more than a pre-arranged transaction; once it was over, he would walk away without much lingering attachment.