Are you really trying to cultivate immortality? Something feels off.

"Let's ride horses then," Xie Weixing said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "It'll look incredibly cool."

Several people looked over.

"Let's use a carriage. What if it rains? The journey is long, and we'll have to spend the night. It'll be nice to have a place to rest," Yu Xintang said, taking out a magical artifact from her storage ring and showing it off. "Penglai Spiritual Protection. It's impervious to ordinary swords and blades, and immune to water and fire. It's a great tool for robbing and stealing when you're out and about."

Everyone: ...

Your Penglai is truly comprehensive.

"We have a carriage, but who will ride it?" Xie Weixing asked curiously. "We can't just run around aimlessly, can we?"

"Two people per group, me and my senior sister, you and Xiaolong," Yu Xintang quickly glanced at Tan Suiting beside her, "take turns riding. Xiao She is a medicine cultivator, so she can stay in the vehicle."

Shen Chunri was happy to slack off: "Hehe, okay, okay."

Xie Weixing raised an eyebrow, feeling that Yu Xintang was messing with him, but he couldn't very well say that he didn't want to be in a group with Tan Suiting.

I just wanted to calm down; it's not like we're going to cut ties completely. If I deliberately bring it up, it would seem like I'm being intentional.

"How is it?" Yu Xintang hugged Tan Suiting. "No objections, right?"

Xie remained silent.

Nie Zhao glanced at the two arguing silently and hummed in agreement.

Tan Suiting remained silent, but was embraced by him, who gave him a thumbs up.

*

Yangzhi Pass was originally a shortcut, not an official road in the traditional sense. Furthermore, it bordered Qingzhou, and to the north lay the desert and the Demon Realm, making it a no-man's-land, which was quite awkward.

However, precisely because it is the place where the three realms meet, trade is extremely developed and it is famously prosperous.

Nie Zhao had visited the city before on his way home, and it was a scene of peace and prosperity.

……

"Senior sister," Yu Xintang's temples twitched involuntarily, "this is the prosperous land you spoke of?"

Xie Weixing poked his head out of the carriage, looking completely dumbfounded, and cursed, "What the hell is this place?"

The once bustling city was now littered with corpses. The roads were lined with dilapidated houses and shops, and emaciated people huddled on the ground, already mummified corpses.

"It's the plague." Shen Chunri squatted down, looked at a corpse, and looked up after making a preliminary judgment.

Tan Suiting, who had unknowingly lifted the embroidered curtain, frowned slightly: "More than that."

Shen Chunri's expression was not good: "Look at the shops around here, they all show signs of being vandalized, and many people have knife wounds. There must be thieves who took advantage of the chaos to commit crimes."

As the leader of this operation, Nie Zhao immediately dismounted, while Yu Xintang remained seated on the horse.

"All personnel on high alert."

She spoke, tilting her head to look up at Yu Xintang, as if to say, "Aren't you going to come down and wait to die?"

Yu Xintang paused, then spoke cautiously and with extreme disgust, "The ground here is really too dirty. This is the first time I've worn this dress, can I not get off?"

Nie Zhao looked at him, and after a long while, calmly said, "Do you want to be beaten to death by me right now?"

Yu Xintang dismounted swiftly.

He quickly tied the hem of his clothes together, the knots resembling lanterns.

Tan Suiting's lips twitched slightly.

Anyway, this was the first time he had ever seen this kind of outfit in his life, and he wondered if he would ever see it again in his next life.

The group slowed down and walked forward, with the maidservant knowingly staying at the very back.

Yangzhi Pass is practically a dead end.

In the end, Yu Xintang couldn't bear to watch anymore and slowly turned her gaze back.

The maidservant, clutching a small knife for self-defense, spoke tremulously, "I've heard others mention that Yangzhi Pass was struck by a plague a year ago, but it was quickly brought under control. However, it was then attacked by bandits. Those bandits were a group of vicious prisoners who were being sent to the Demon Realm to perform hard labor. Unexpectedly, they slaughtered the entire escorting force and joined other prisoners to become bandits. They burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities, causing the plague that Yangzhi Pass should have suppressed to break out again."

She paused for a moment: "But this area has always been the territory of the Northern Imperial Guard, and as for the rest... I don't know anything about it."

"Northern Imperial Guard?" Xie Weixing asked in confusion, "What is that? It sounds kind of stupid."

"The Northern Imperial Guard governs half of Qingzhou, along with Yangzhi Pass on the edge," Tan Suiting explained. "The Chief of the Guard is very mysterious. I've heard that he has profound cultivation, but few people have ever seen his true face."

[So I actively answered all of my senior's questions.]

[The Immortal Cultivation World's Bean Bun Has Arrived]

[Young Master Long, you listen to gossip and talk about gossip.]

"If he's so good, how come he can't kill the bandits?" Xie Weixing asked in confusion. "Did he use all his energy on bragging?"

"Do you think killing bandits is as easy as spouting nonsense like you do?" Shen Chunri's irritated voice came from behind. "Leaving aside their skill level, just their sheer number is enough to give anyone a headache. Moreover, they are unpredictable; they can rob a place and then disappear without a trace."

While cautiously observing her surroundings, Yu Xintang said, "If we encounter anyone from the Northern Imperial Guard, we must avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Our top priority right now is to go to Chidi. Besides, the leader of the Northern Imperial Guard is always mysterious and unpredictable. I guess he might be able to fight my junior uncle to a draw."

Xie Weixing pondered for a while, then subconsciously tried to turn his head to ask Tan Suiting a question. But he stopped just as he was about to use his neck, and turned to Nie Zhao beside him with a slightly stiff expression: "Senior Sister, is she really that strong? She can't even handle bandits. I feel like she's just average."

Nie Zhao ignored him.

Shen Chunri said, "Xie Kunkun, you're all brawn and no brains."

"Hey, Snake Young Master, one day it will be your turn to call others simple-minded," Xie Weixing said casually. "Keep up the act with me, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential.'"

That's incredibly despicable.

"What did you say? Are you insulting me?"

The two of them are still arguing at a time like this.

"Shut up," Nie Zhao said calmly. "If you want to die, I'll send you all on your way later."

The group fell silent; even the wind seemed to rustle.

Suddenly, Tan Suiting, who had been silent all along, perked up and shouted, "Get down!"

The group reacted quickly and did as instructed.

Only the maid, who did not know martial arts, was stunned for a moment before Shen Chunri grabbed her shoulder and pressed her down hard.

Xie Weixing braced himself with one hand on the ground, his whole body lowered and crouching, with the sharp sound of a sword blade cutting through the air above him.

Yu Xintang remained calm, casually setting up a magic circle with her fingers interlaced.

Nie Zhao raised his head, his ears twitching slightly, and roared in a low voice, "The North! They're here!"

The magical artifacts were drawn almost simultaneously. The dragon scales surged, wrapping around Xie Weixing's wrist and the tail of the artifact wrapped around Tan Suiting's shoulder.

The group stared intently at the billowing smoke and dust of the dead bodies ahead.

One leg stepped out first, and a man dressed as a villager, his face covered in blood and gore, walked towards them with a blank expression, not slow at all.

Shen Chunri exclaimed in surprise: "A corpse?"

Nie Zhao's heart sank.