Chapter 6: The Caravan (Part 1)

Eagle Demon flew to the treetops, paused for a moment, then landed. Smiling, he said, “It’s a horse caravan, seems to be merchants’ caravan. There are quite a few guards. They ride ordinary horses, not magic horses, so they shouldn’t pose a threat to us. It’s a good chance to talk to them and ask about the situation here.”
There were about a hundred horses, and among them were also some camel-like beasts—specialized magic beasts trained for carrying goods. They resembled elephants but lacked trunks and tusks. Their bodies were huge, with thick limbs, and wooden racks were placed on them, loaded with goods.
A string of bells hung around the beasts’ necks, making a tinkling sound as they moved.
Guo Shier and the others stood in the middle of the road, curiously watching the caravan. None of them landed on the ground; instead, they hovered about a meter above it.
When the caravan turned around a grove of trees, it immediately spotted Guo Shier and the others, causing chaos. Soon, three riders rushed over on their horses—three burly men dressed as guards. When they were still about a hundred meters away from Guo Shier and the others, the three began to rein in their horses and slow down. Seriously, these three were hovering in midair—obviously powerful figures.
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, might people misunderstand us like this… as bandits?”
Eagle Demon shook his head. “Bandits? Bandits wouldn’t let them notice at all. By the time they got up close… they’d be done for. We certainly wouldn’t stand right in front of them so openly. Hmph, back in the day…”
Luo Zhan laughed and said, “Eagle, I know you’re a bandit from the grasslands, having robbed people your whole life.”
Eagle Demon snapped, “Damn it, Old Luo, stop talking nonsense! It was half my life! Ever since I followed Shier, I haven’t done it again. What, do you want to give it a try this time?”
The three men approached cautiously, filled with doubt. With their limited experience, they had never seen anyone hover in the air. Moreover, these three wore gorgeous clothes and exuded an extraordinary aura. Their attire was completely unlike anything local—both in style and fabric—clearly indicating they weren’t from around here.
Sitting on their horses, the three men felt uneasy. The leader pulled on the reins and moved his horse a few steps forward, saying, “Excuse me, sir… friends, could you give us some advice…” He didn’t know what to say—these three men exerted too much pressure on him.
Eagle Demon stepped forward and said, “Don’t worry. We mean no harm. We’re just unfamiliar with this place and want to ask some questions. Who’s in charge here? Have him come meet us.”

With the strength of these three, they could practically dominate any continent. As long as they didn’t encounter experts with altars, there was no danger at all. So, the Eagle Demon’s words were quite polite.
The man leading them already had sweat beads on his forehead—the pressure from the Eagle Demon was immense; he could barely stay seated on his horse. Subconsciously, he said, “Yes… my lord.” He turned his horse around and said, “Let’s go back and report!”
A moment later, the caravan stopped. Seven or eight horses rushed over, and a middle-aged man stepped forward. “My lord, what are your orders? I am the leader of this caravan… Chen Yuxian,” he said respectfully as he dismounted.
Guo Shier landed on the ground, while the Eagle Demon flew forward and landed in front of Chen Yuxian, scaring him into stepping back a few steps. Having been in business for decades, this was the first time he had seen someone so powerful—someone who could fly. He realized this must be a high-level professional. His own group also had professionals, but they were all low-level, and he had never seen a flying professional before.
The Eagle Demon said, “Don’t be nervous. If we had malicious intentions, we wouldn’t go through such trouble.” In other words, if they had bad intentions, they could just attack directly without needing to speak first.
Chen Yuxian, who had traveled far and wide, understood what the Eagle Demon meant. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he said respectfully, “Yes, please, my lords, come and sit.”
A few caravan members spread thick animal skins on the ground for Guo Shier and the others to sit on.
Guo Shier didn’t refuse. Although sitting on the road seemed strange, he didn’t care. There might not be anyone passing by here for days, so sitting on the road wouldn’t cause any traffic issues.
Chen Yuxian sat down as well and said, “My lords, feel free to ask any questions. As long as I know the answer… I will never hide it.” When traveling, one had to be cautious. With his judgment, these three definitely couldn’t be offended.
The Eagle Demon asked, “Where is this?”
Guo Shier added, “What continent is this?”
Chen Yuxian was at a loss. How could he know what continent this was? He was just a merchant, not a professional. Even if he were a low-level professional, he wouldn’t know either, as they never left this continent. With a wry smile, he said, “What continent… I don’t know. This is the Xinghuai Great Forest. We’re from Da Wu City.”
The Eagle Demon nodded and asked, “Where are you going?”
Chen Yuxian replied, “We’re going to Dong City to buy some furs and mountain goods along the way, then sell some daily necessities.”
Luo Zhan asked, “Are there any powerful mutated talisman beasts in this area?”

Chen Yuxian was startled and shook his head repeatedly. “No, there are no mutated talisman beasts here! Otherwise, we wouldn’t dare take this path…” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Although there are no mutated talisman beasts, the wild beasts and ordinary talisman beasts here are also very fierce. If we’re unlucky, we might encounter bandits.”

Guo Shier asked, “We’re not familiar with the roads here. How long will it take to reach Dong City?”

Chen Yuxian replied, “It takes about forty days to get from here to Dong City. If we ride fast horses, it’s only around twenty days. Our caravan moves slowly.”

Guo Shier asked, “Hmm, can we join your caravan?”

Chen Yuxian was stunned. How could he dare refuse? Merchants were usually skillful at handling such situations. He smiled and said, “I’d be honored.” Then he turned around and called, “Xiao Erzi! Erzi! Come here… bring three good horses.”

Guo Shier nodded, satisfied with Chen Yuxian’s attitude. He tossed him a small silk bag. It wasn’t a bag for storing talismans but just an ordinary silk bag containing a hundred gold talisman coins. He said, “Here, this is for our three of us as food money.”

Chen Yuxian opened the silk bag and took out a gold talisman coin, shocked. His voice changed as he exclaimed, “Gold talisman coins!”

Guo Shier asked, “Can’t they be used?”

Chen Yuxian quickly replied, “Yes… they can be used!” His voice trembled. He knew that gold talisman coins were from outside the region but were considered hard currency locally, even more valuable than the local talisman coins. He had seen gold talisman coins before, though they looked a bit different from these. But gold talisman coins were still gold talisman coins, with great intrinsic value.

Counting them, there were a hundred gold talisman coins in total. Even if he combined all the goods he was transporting, he couldn’t possibly exchange them for a hundred gold talisman coins. Chen Yuxian’s palms sweated, and his heart pounded wildly. He had seen gold talisman coins before, but the generosity of these three people made it feel unreal.

Chen Yuxian gritted his teeth and said, “Sir, that’s too much…”

Ying Mo said casually, “If it’s too much, keep it. Consider it a reward for you.”

Chen Yuxian breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Then thank you.” He stood up and called, “Xiao Erzi, hurry up! Bring the horses here. Oh, and give my horse to the sir too!”

The three of them successfully joined the caravan.

Under Chen Yuxian’s guidance, the caravan set off again.

The horse that Guo Shier rode was Chen Yuxian’s—a large black horse said to have the bloodline of talisman horses, known for its fierce temper. But to Chen Yuxian’s surprise, Guo Shier simply patted the horse’s head, and the fierce horse became as obedient as a grandson, even rubbing its head against Guo Shier affectionately.

The caravan moved at a fast pace. Despite carrying so much cargo, the camels could run as fast as horses, with the constant ringing of bells accompanying them along the way.
Guo Shier asked curiously, “Chen Yuxian, are there many caravans here?”
Chen Yuxian replied respectfully, “Many. Our caravan is considered medium-sized. There are also larger caravans that consist of thousands of people and horses each time they set out. They can hire highly skilled professionals to travel along dangerous routes to distant cities, earning much more than we do.”
Eagle Demon asked, “Are there many professionals here?”
Chen Yuxian shook his head. “Not many.”
Eagle Demon was surprised. “Are the cities here controlled by professional families?”
Chen Yuxian said, “There are no families here. Professionals are essentially the city’s professional soldiers. All professionals are trained by the city’s military force, known as the City Guard. Only those who come from the military are hired by caravans or wealthy individuals.”
Guo Shier asked, “Do professionals hold a high status here?”
Chen Yuxian replied, “Professionals do hold a high status, but those at lower levels have a status similar to that of merchants.”
Guo Shier hadn’t paid much attention to such things for a long time. For them, reaching the rank of a high-level Great Sage was the pinnacle of a professional’s career. As for those who built altars, they belonged to another system—super professionals—who, whether in families or sects, were beyond ordinary clans and organizations.
Eagle Demon shook his head. “There are no professional families here. Then are there any professional sects or organizations?”
Chen Yuxian said, “No… well, it’s hard to say there aren’t any. Just the cities I’ve been to… none.” After all, he wasn’t as experienced as professionals due to his limited scope of activity.
Realizing he couldn’t get more information, Guo Shier said, “There’s a village not far ahead.”
Chen Yuxian exclaimed in surprise, “Yes, it’s Xiaomu Village. It’s a hunter’s village. Our caravan goes there to buy furs and other goods from the mountains, so we need to stay there for a day to rest.”
Guo Shier nodded and continued walking with the caravan. His mood gradually calmed down as the pace was slow. He let out a sigh, and his eyes became clearer. Eagle Demon kept watching him and asked, “Shier, what’s wrong?”

Guo Shier said, “We’ve been rushing all the way; we were too hasty. Hehe, maybe we’ve been away from the crowd for too long, constantly adventuring in secret realms, which has affected our mindset. Even if we’re eager to go home, we shouldn’t act like this. Uncle Eagle Demon, thank you. I plan to stay for a while to calm down completely.”