The city gate was silhouetted by the morning sun as the prelude to dawn gradually unfolded.
Ren Qing and the others carried their packs and walked out of Sanxiang City together.
Looking at the lush green trees beside the official road, they applied insect repellent to their bodies, with some even swallowing a few strange pills.
Although the destination wasn't far, they still had to take mountain paths, so thorough preparations were necessary.
This was Ren Qing's first time leaving the city since arriving in this world.
The others weren't much better off, all being native to Sanxiang City, making Xiao Wu the most experienced among them.
Ren Qing took out a simple map from his pocket, marked with the route to the rendezvous point where they would meet the Restraint Officers.
However, they were still far from the actual Disaster Dispelling Forbidden Zone, and the yamen wouldn't so easily disclose information about forbidden zones.
After some thought, Ren Qing said: "Let's set off first. We'll try to reach Flat Top Mountain by nightfall, there's a village there where we can rest."
Wang Wen, as a constable and the oldest yamen runner present, didn't trust Ren Qing and repeatedly cautioned him:
"Make sure you read the map correctly. Don't get us lost."
"No mistakes."
Ren Qing paid no mind to Wang Wen's attitude and directed the group along the official road.
The Corpse Burners stayed in the middle of the group, with constables at the front and rear to guard against sudden dangers.
Xiao Wu nudged Ren Qing with his elbow and whispered: "Brother Qing, we'll be traveling continuously, are you sure your body can handle it?"
Ren Qing shook his head: "No problem at all. Besides, if all goes well, we'll arrive in two days."
"Mm."
Xiao Wu remained somewhat worried. After all, Ren Qing's health had indeed been poor just days ago, it remained to be seen whether he could endure.
The group gradually moved further from Sanxiang City.
But the situation wasn't optimistic. The woods beside the official road clearly echoed with beastly roars, and there were even movements in the grass.
"Runner Ren, there's a corpse..."
The speaker was Guo Qing, another constable about Ren Qing's age who seemed quite uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment.
Ren Qing went to check the spot Guo Qing indicated.
He found a corpse lying askew in a mud pit, emaciated, wearing tattered linen clothes, with multiple knife wounds on the chest and abdomen.
"Probably the corpse of a bandit, chased here by soldiers."
Ren Qing felt slightly puzzled. It seemed the bandits lived rather impoverished lives.
On second thought, it made sense. Caravans rarely set out from Sanxiang City, leaving the bandits to exhaust their resources. How did they usually survive?
Zhu Ding couldn't help asking: "Runner, didn't they say all corpses were burned clean?"
Ren Qing explained: "Soldiers won't deal with scattered corpses, it could easily start continuous mountain fires."
Everyone had a sudden realization and stopped paying attention to the corpse.
Unbeknownst to them, when Ren Qing nudged the corpse aside with his foot, he noticed large patches of scorch marks on its back.
Subconsciously following the blood trail, he saw pairs of blood-red eyes faintly visible in the dark mountain forest.
They were gray-furred, lean wolves.
Legend said mountain wolves were cunning by nature, even following prey for days and nights.
"Really becoming spirits..."
Ren Qing realized the corpse had probably been dragged here by the wolves as bait, their intelligence was evident.
Naturally, Ren Qing couldn't allow himself to be targeted. While the others weren't looking, he opened his narrowed eyes and activated the Divine Leg Sutra.
A terrifying aura spread out. While Xiao Wu and the others couldn't sense it, the beasts certainly could.
The wolf pack whimpered and fled chaotically into the forest.
The commotion scared Guo Qing into trembling all over.
He frantically drew the sword at his waist, only to find it was a false alarm as the wolf cries gradually faded away from the official road.
Everyone realized danger had brushed past them and instinctively felt a belated fear.
After this incident, the group unconsciously picked up their pace, hastily eating dry rations even at noon.
They wanted to reach the open terrain of Flat Top Mountain before dark, as Ren Qing had said.
Ren Qing stole a moment of leisure. Under the guise of yawning, he used his alternate mouth to stuff some pig eyes into his stomach, warmth immediately spreading through his body.
Mastering the Taotie Method was indeed convenient, though the one-year lifespan cost meant delaying advancement to Ghost Envoy realm again.
There were pros and cons, but he was quite satisfied for now.
After walking uneventfully along the official road for over an hour, the earlier wolf encounter seemed like just an insignificant episode.
Soon the road forked, with a new path leading into the forest.
They nervously left the flat official road for the muddy, difficult mountain path, which hid countless venomous snakes and fierce beasts.
They could only proceed with even greater caution.
After cross-checking the map several times, Wang Wen took the lead into the boundless dense forest, sword in hand.
Light was blocked by leaves, and strange sounds could be heard faintly in the distance.
Ren Qing periodically checked the sun's position to avoid going astray, while also watching for approaching beasts.
He had thought his Ghost Envoy realm cultivation would make wilderness travel effortless, but continuously operating his double pupils was already becoming exhausting.
And this was just the mountains near Sanxiang City, in areas riddled with forbidden zones, one wouldn't survive days.
But for Ren Qing, this was an opportunity to better master his techniques.
As the sun set,
Flat Top Mountain came hazily into view.
Trees grew around the mountain's summit, leaving a clearing at the center with a dozen sesame-seed-sized thatched huts.
This small village's residents were mostly hunters who came to Sanxiang City every few days to sell local goods.
Guo Qing's spirits lifted. Once they reached the village, they could rest comfortably for the night and wouldn't have to eat their dry rations.
Moreover, he was on good terms with the village hunters and occasionally drank with them in the city.
"Wait a moment."
Ren Qing stopped the group with a strange expression, then climbed a thick tree.
Wang Wen was somewhat displeased, but seeing the others waiting patiently, he couldn't very well complain.
Xiao Wu was astonished, what happened to being physically weak?!
Ignoring them, Ren Qing stood on a high branch looking toward the village, his double pupils rotating even faster.
But the Double Pupil Bearer wasn't suited for long-distance vision. He could only vaguely make out a dozen figures entering the forest from the village.
Then they disappeared.
"What's wrong, Runner?"
Guo Qing couldn't help calling out. With night approaching, he just wanted to reach the village quickly.
"Nothing."
Ren Qing nimbly jumped down. Perhaps the villagers had some sudden business and would return shortly.
At any rate, it was better than camping in the mountains.
He heightened his vigilance and took Guo Qing's place at the front.
Having seen Ren Qing's agility, the others had no major objections.
As they slowly drew closer, the isolated Flat Top Mountain village came into view.