Chapter 297 - The Fire ArmyThe caravan continued onward for more than twenty kilometers, and upon seeing that it was already night, they decided to find a small village. Under Xiao Ding"s instructions, they found an open area near the stream to set up camp.
As soon as the caravan stopped, everyone began to get busy. Tents, horses, and fodder were all put in order.
Even the crown prince of the Wind Cloud Country was currently following a few guards around the nearby forest to find firewood. He tied a bundle with hemp rope and quickly carried it back to the base.
A fire was quickly lit in the camp, and not long after, the fragrance of food wafted out.
Even if they were thousands of miles away from home, there were pots, bowls, rice, and vegetables in the caravan, so there was no need to worry about food. Although it was simple cooking, it was still not easy to eat these things in the wild.
The group split into five groups and sat down in a circle around a bonfire. Xiang Yun had originally wanted to sit together with Old Chen and the other guards, but he was pulled by Xiao Ding to sit beside their bonfire.
The Xiao family"s father and daughter, as well as three female family members, two youths, and an old man with a head full of silver hair and long eyebrows. Xiao Ding and even the arrogant Xiao Ling"Er were quite courteous towards this person.
This person was the guest of the Rising Sun Trading Company, Xu Mingshan. The father and daughter of the Xiao Clan respectfully called him Elder Xu, and the two handsome young men in brocade robes were the disciples of Elder Xu. The other three women were the relatives of the Xiao Clan.
Everyone sat around the table, eating and drinking. They were quite satisfied.
However, the only one who was a bit embarra.s.sed was Xiang Yun. He was placed between Xiao Ding and Xiao Ling"Er, so he was not very familiar with the Xiao family"s father and daughter.
Especially the two handsome young disciples sitting next to Elder Xu. When they saw that Xiang Yun was actually sitting next to Xiao Ling"Er, a trace of jealousy appeared in their eyes.The two of them glanced at each other, and one of them, a youth with long narrow eyes, cupped his fists towards Xiang Yun.
"Brother, I am Qing Yun. This is my Junior Martial Brother, Qingshan. I am following Master and the Patriarch north to Tiger City. May I know your esteemed name?"Xiang Yun hurriedly returned the courtesy, "This little brother"s surname is Wei and his name is Little Treasure. I"m heading to the Cold Hills Pa.s.s to join the army."
So, it"s Brother Wei. Please excuse me, this is our master, and I do not need to introduce him further. He is one of the three newly advanced experts of Qingfeng County"s Yan City.
Xiang Yun sized up this old man, seeing that his white eyebrows were shoulder-length, his hair was young, and the sleeves of his clothes fluttered with a hint of sage-like elegance.
However, Xiang Yun could feel through his spiritual will that this person"s cultivation base should be at the early stage of Yellow Cloud. He had seen too many Cloud Warriors of this level in Qin Feng City, and he had even personally killed a Cloud Warrior of the Yellow Cloud Realm.
However, seeing how these people treated Elder Xu with great respect, how Elder Xu pointed at the mountains and pointed at the rivers while chatting with a carefree att.i.tude, it was not good for Xiang Yun to slap the faces of others in front of everyone.
"Aiya, so it"s Elder Xu! Senior"s great name is like a thunderclap piercing the ears of the younger generation. We"ll see today! Immortal Xu really does live up to his reputation!"
Hearing this, Elder Xu"s eyebrows rose slightly. His expression was that of indifference. He had an expression that said "as expected". There was no hint of modesty or shyness in his manner.As for his two "disciples", they were even more so full of pride, looking extremely pleased with themselves. Qing Yun then looked towards Xiang Yun as he deliberately asked this question.
"I can see that Brother Wei is carrying such a mighty greatsword on his back. He must be someone from the martial arts world. I wonder which sect or sect Brother Wei is from, and which senior expert is this?"
"Huh?"
Before Xiang Yun could reply, Xiao Ling`er on the side had already spoken up for him.
"Hehe, he doesn"t even have a master. This sword is just a faked trick to scare those little thieves. If we didn"t meet him and save him, he would have already been turned into a corpse!"
"Ling"er!" Don"t be rude. "
Xiao Ding suddenly smacked the huge rock next to him, causing a m.u.f.fled bang to ring out. Anger appeared in his eyes.
Although Xiao Ling"Er"s cultivation was higher than her father"s, when she saw that Xiao Ding was really angry, she didn"t dare to say anything more. She only looked at Xiang Yun with hostility.When Qingyun and Qingshan saw this, they looked at each other and were secretly delighted.
So this person was just a harmless piece of trash. Seeing that Xiao Ding was angry over Xiang Yun, reprimanding Xiao Ling"Er, the two people who had fallen in love with Xiao Ling"Er immediately felt their hearts stir.
Qing Yun stood up and advised, "Leader, please don"t blame Ling Er. Ling Er has always been straightforward since she was young. Although her words weren"t pleasing to the ears, it wasn"t wrong. It was indeed you two who saved Brother Wei"s life."
Qingshan, who was standing at the side, also smiled and said, "That"s right. Someone like Brother Wei who is alone and doesn"t have the ability to protect himself, if we were to travel alone, I"m afraid that even his bones would feel cold, right Brother Wei?"Teng Qingshan cast a gaze full of ill intentions at Xiang Yun. The contempt in his words was clear without a doubt.
Xiang Yun had long since seen through that these two fellows were no good. Upon hearing these words, which were clearly filled with ridicule, Xiang Yun"s expression did not change; he actually did not have the mood to make a fuss about it.From the looks of it, these two"s aura was just at the Five Clouds Realm, and their aura was weak and faltering. With one glance, it was obvious that their foundation was unstable, and they forcefully relied on drugs to raise their cultivation.
In fact, even if this" Immortal Xu "Xiang Yun were to secretly observe this person"s aura, he would only be able to match up to the Rainbow Sect Elder Duan Xun, who he had defeated twice back in the Green h.e.l.lish Mountain. If Xiang Yun were to use his full strength, he would definitely be able to defeat this person within three moves.
Xiang Yun saw the Master and disciple pair"s perspective, just like the Master and disciple pair saw Xiang Yun. The difference was like the difference between cloud and mud, yet inverted from top to bottom …
"Brother Qingshan is right. This is just a small trick. If I were to travel alone, it would be very difficult for me to reach the Cold Mountain Pa.s.s. Therefore, I have to rely on everyone"s care for this journey."
"Haha …" Hearing Xiang Yun"s words of praise, both Teng Qingshan and Qing Yun laughed complacently as they spoke.
Sigh, this is just a small matter. However, I just heard that Brother Wei wants to go to the Cold City Pa.s.s to join the army, so it"s not easy to be a soldier there. I heard that just the new recruit training alone will kill many people.
"Judging from Brother Wei"s aura, he"s probably not a Cloud Warrior. Isn"t it too dangerous to join the army?"
"Ah, it"s not as dangerous as being a soldier riding on a horse. I happen to have some connections in the barracks at the Cold City Pa.s.s, so I sent Brother Wei to be the head of the army. Every day, I only light a fire to cook and eat until I"m full of food and wear warm clothes. How great is that. After all, people like you are cannon fodder when you enter the battlefield."
It was as if Qing Yun had purposely wanted to embarra.s.s Xiang Yun, so his voice was very loud. Everyone present could hear him clearly, causing the entire audience to burst into laughter!
"Haha!"
"That"s right, it"s good to be in the head of the army of fire.""Brother Wei, if you don"t mind messing around in the army camp, you can count us in as well!"
Although no one had any ill intentions, they still followed his actions out of habit and jeered at him. When Qingshan saw this, he revealed a playful smile, waiting to see how Xiang Yun would embarra.s.s himself.
However, Xiang Yun"s reaction was beyond their expectations. Not only was the latter not angry, but he was smiling as he raised a cup of wine, gesturing to the crowd around him."Haha, thank you everyone for your kind intentions. The Fire Legion is indeed quite good. At the very least, I am not afraid of losing my life."
"Haha!" Everyone once again roared with laughter.
When Xiao Ling`er saw this, the disdain in her eyes became even stronger as she said in a low voice: "Mud can"t help me!"
Qing Yun and Qing Shan looked at Xiang Yun sideways, as if they were looking at a lowly ant. There was even no need to talk about that Old Immortal Xu. He narrowed his eyes and ignored the mundane matters, appearing like an immortal!
Only Xiao Ding had a worried look on his face with faint dissatisfaction as he looked apologetically at Xiang Yun.That night, Xiang Yun, Old Chen, and a few other guards who were relatively close to each other all slept in a tent. When everyone was peacefully asleep, Xiang Yun also slept with his eyes closed, looking just like the rest of them.
However, what was different from everyone else was that three feet away from Xiang Yun"s forehead, there was an invisible cyclone that was constantly spinning and compressing. At first it was the size of a funnel, but as it continued to spin and compress, it became thinner and thinner, gradually taking the shape of a cone.
At the same time, the corners of the sleeping Xiang Yun"s lips curled up as he thought in his heart, "It seems that it won"t be long before I"ll be able to see through the "Illusionary G.o.d Cone"!"
At the same time, within a circular tent close to the stream, the candles were still burning and there were still sounds of conversation.
"Elder Xu, whether or not we can safely cross the Second King Mountain and stop that swarm of bandits will all depend on you!" The father and daughter of the Xiao family stood up at the same time and sent the sage-like Elder Xu out of the tent.
"Rest a.s.sured, Patriarch. Eldest Miss, a swarm of bandits is just a motley crew. With this old man in charge of the caravan and Eldest Miss as a heroic hero, we will definitely be able to safely pa.s.s through Second King"s Mountain!"
"Many thanks, Elder Xu. Please go back and rest well."
After Old Immortal Xu left, Xiao Ling"Er consoled the father and daughter pair as they returned to their tents.
"Dad, don"t worry. No matter how powerful the bandits of the Second King Mountain are, they are just a motley crowd like Elder Xu said. Even if it"s just her daughter, she can handle it.
"Ah …" Xiao Ding sighed and shook his head, "I don"t know why, but the closer I get to the Second King Mountain, the more uneasy I feel. I keep having the feeling that this journey would not be that simple."
"Moreover, our company"s financial resources are limited. Now that we have been robbed three times in a row, the losses of the goods and the expenses to pacify the victims have been reduced by almost half. The situation in Tiger City is not looking good."
"Sigh … I"ve invested all of my money into this batch of herbs. If we can"t successfully deliver them to the Tiger City and sell them to the barbarian buyers, I"m afraid our Rising Sun Trading Company will no longer exist!"
Hearing that, Xiao Ling"Er"s expression became serious.
"Ling Er, take this." Suddenly, Xiao Ding took out an earthen yellow talisman with a faint glow and handed it to Xiao Ling"Er.
"What is this?"
"This is the Earth Spirit Formation Talisman, one of the few treasures that I have obtained from operating my business over the past few years." This is the Earth Spirit Formation Talisman, one of the few good things that I have obtained through running my business over the past few years."Dad, what are you giving this to me for? Just keep it."
"Father is old and in terms of strength, he is not as powerful as you. It is better to place this talisman on you. Recently, Father has been feeling uneasy and has a bad premonition. I can only relax a little bit if I give this to you."Xiao Ling"Er could only accept the talisman. She then looked at her father with a determined gaze. "Father, you can rest a.s.sured that I will definitely bring the carriage to the Tiger City!"
Xiao Ding looked at his daughter who was in high spirits and couldn"t help but smile. "Your father believes in you.""Oh yeah, daughter, Brother Wei, you should be more polite to him in the future."
"Mm, dad, about this, daughter is really curious. Why do you care so much about Wei Xiaobao? I know you"re kind, but he"s just an ordinary person after all. He"s just a burden to us, so why should I consider his feelings?"
Xiao Ding shook his head when he heard this. His expression was solemn as he looked at his daughter and spoke.
"Little girl, I don"t know why, but I have a feeling that this Brother Wei isn"t as simple as we imagined him to be. This is something that I had an intuition of from the first moment I saw him!"