Chapter 37

Knowing these people's identities, it became clear why they dared to start a fire and cook in the ancient tomb wasteland at night.

Daring to expose themselves was not because of their strength, but because of their status. As long as the merchants from Youjiao Wharf did not cause trouble in the demon realm, the demons generally would not make things difficult for them. After all, Youjiao Wharf was a place where various items were gathered, and it was a place that demon cultivators liked to visit. It was not wise to offend the merchants of Youjiao Wharf without reason.

The woman in the straw hat walked to a large tree, held the rope hanging from the tree, and sat on a swing, swaying back and forth. Her skirt fluttered with the movement.

For some reason, Y Qing felt that this woman had heavy thoughts. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but mock himself, "What am I thinking about?"

He gathered his thoughts and returned to his original intention. Now that he had confirmed these people's identities, he estimated they would not act rashly towards him.

After carefully weighing the risks, Y Qing took off the spirit rice he was carrying, quietly hid it in the tree, and then darted towards the bonfire clearing, resolutely revealing himself.

Making such a decision was unavoidable; without understanding the environment, it would be difficult to rely on luck to successfully leave the demon realm.

He had to interact with people, and at least the people from Youjiao Wharf were more reasonable than the local demons.

As he leaped out, there was a slight commotion. The three people by the bonfire and the woman on the swing all suddenly turned to look.

Y Qing landed lightly, immediately bowed, and greeted the group.

He kept a low profile, showing that he had no hostile intentions.

The three people by the bonfire quickly stood up, uncertain and suspicious. First, they noticed Y Qing's attire; he only wore an inner garment and no outer coat.

The swing stopped, and the woman in the straw hat tilted her head to stare at Y Qing.

The plump, middle-aged woman had a bold look in her eyes. She rubbed her hands over her eyes, and two streaks of deep blue appeared on her eyelids, as if she had applied some kind of pigment.

Y Qing had learned some worldly experience from his master. Seeing what the woman had applied, he knew she was using a "Blue Demoness" potion, which was refined by demon taming masters.

This potion, once exposed to the air, would easily evaporate. When applied to the eyelids, it allowed the user to see whether a person emitted "human aura" or "demon aura" through the invisible evaporated substance. In simpler terms, it could tell if a person was a demon in disguise.

The effect of the Blue Demoness potion could last for about half an hour. When the light blue color completely disappeared, it meant the effect was gone.

After the woman determined that Y Qing was human and not a demon, she shouted, "Where did you come from, you impolite boy? Why did you dare to intrude on our camp?"

This statement clearly told the other three that the newcomer was human.

Y Qing, now close enough to see the characters on their Youjiao Wharf badges, which read "Miaoqing Hall," knew that these four people came from a shop called "Miaoqing Hall" in Youjiao Wharf. He immediately bowed and said, "I am Zhan Muchun, the newly appointed Jieyuan of Lieshou. I came here out of necessity. If I have caused any disturbance, please forgive me."

He did not use the name "Asheng," first because he did not want these people to remember "Asheng," and second because Asheng's performance in the county examination was not outstanding, whereas the name "Jieyuan Zhan Muchun" was more impressive. A person of value would be safer in such a situation, as valuable people were more likely to be treated well.

Upon hearing this, the four people were all shocked, never expecting to encounter someone of such status in such a place.

The woman in the straw hat also left the swing and walked over to circle Y Qing, examining him curiously. She asked in a gentle voice, "The top scholar of Lieshou's county examination, why are you here?"

Not only did she have a refined demeanor, but her voice was also pleasant. Y Qing's eyes were very curious to see through her veil and see what she looked like. He sighed, "A few days ago, 318 candidates from Lieshou gathered and set out, escorted by over a thousand soldiers. On the way to the ancient tomb wasteland, we were suddenly attacked..."

He briefly described the attack, omitting details that should not be mentioned, such as his escape from the cage and his search for the spirit rice. He only said that he had fled in panic and fallen into a river, floating to this place while holding onto a piece of wood.

The situation he described seemed genuine, and the four people exchanged glances.

The somewhat plump man pondered, "The giant eagles dropping stones... There is a demon cultivator in the ancient tomb wasteland named Gaoyuan, nicknamed 'Eagle King.' He might have been involved in this."

Y Qing observed their reactions and noticed that the woman in the straw hat seemed to be the one in charge. He bowed again and asked, "I have not yet had the honor of learning your names."

The woman in the straw hat spoke softly, "Who we are is not important. Young brother, you are a man of the imperial court, and we are people of the world. You have some cultivation, so you should understand the ways of the world. Isn't it said that those with different paths do not cooperate? Why did you come out at night?"

"Surely you can guess," Y Qing said with a bitter smile, bowing again and pleading, "I am lost in this ancient tomb wasteland. I beg you, can you help me leave? I will be deeply grateful and will repay you handsomely."

The woman in the straw hat replied, "We have our own business to attend to and cannot afford to be delayed for your sake. Besides, whether you are lost or not, you have intruded into the demon realm. Since you have broken the fifty-mile agreement, anyone in the demon realm can rightfully cause you trouble. If we take you with us, we would be inviting trouble. We are not harming you and are not making a fuss, which is already helping you. Don't think too much about it; find your own way out."

Business? Y Qing mused. What business could merchants from Youjiao Wharf have in the ancient tomb wasteland?

Since she had said so much, he could not force the issue, but there was one thing he had to ask. "Allow me to be bold again. Since you are well-versed in the ancient tomb wasteland, you must have a map. If you have an extra one, could you give it to me? If I can escape, I will repay you handsomely!"

The woman in the straw hat was quite straightforward. She reached into her cloak, pulled out a sheepskin map from her waist, and tossed it to him.

Y Qing caught it, feeling the warmth of her hand. He saw that it was indeed a map of the ancient tomb wasteland and bowed deeply to the four people, expressing his gratitude.

Not wanting to disturb them further, he glanced at the woman in the straw hat's half-covered face, wanting to ask her to remove her veil but not daring to do so.

He felt a slight stirring in his heart but mocked himself internally. She was someone who could establish herself in Youjiao Wharf, while he was just a commoner fighting for a few thousand taels of silver. No matter how beautiful she was, she was not someone he could aspire to.

The woman in the straw hat seemed to read his thoughts and smiled playfully.

Y Qing felt that she was looking at him like a child, nodded slightly, and turned to leave. He retrieved his bag of spirit rice from the bushes and disappeared into the night.

The woman in the straw hat gave a signal to the two men beside her, and they quickly followed Y Qing into the night.

At that moment, the plump woman sighed, "Miss, it seems the temptation of the 'Nieling Pill' is quite strong. Someone dared to directly attack the escort team of the Sina House. This boy probably doesn't know; he was carrying millions of taels of silver, running around recklessly, as if daring us to take it!"

The woman in the straw hat replied, "If what he said is true, such a talented and capable Jieyuan is rare. It would be a pity for him to end up here. But if we don't take it, it will benefit others in the ancient tomb wasteland. If we confirm it's true, we might as well take it as a favor."

The plump woman nodded, understanding her meaning. Such a large sum of money suddenly appearing was unsettling. What if it was a trap? They needed to be sure before taking action.

Y Qing returned to his hiding place after crossing the river in the dark.

Xu Fei, who was guarding the cave entrance, asked, "How did it go?"

Y Qing replied, "You wouldn't understand. Rest for now, and we'll talk about it tomorrow." He didn't think it was necessary to tell Xu Fei about the people from Youjiao Wharf, as it would only complicate things and lead to endless questions.

Xu Fei followed his advice and rested. Y Qing let him rest for a while before taking over.

The next morning, after meditating for two hours, Y Qing emerged from the cave. The insect-like creature outside the cave greeted him, "Master Asheng."

Y Qing nodded, took out the sheepskin map, climbed to the top of the mountain, and compared the surrounding terrain to determine his location and plan the best route to leave the demon realm.

Xu Fei and the insect-like creature also climbed the mountain and gathered around the map, surprised that Y Qing had already obtained it.

Standing on the mountain top, the three of them did not realize that someone had quietly entered their overnight camp and was searching the cave.

The ancient tomb wasteland was vast, and the map could only provide a rough outline of the terrain. It was difficult to mark all the details of the wasteland. After a while, they could not find any landmarks in the surrounding area. There were many rivers nearby, but they could not be used as reliable references, so they could not determine their exact location.

However, with the map in hand, they could estimate their location based on the approximate site of the attack and the river's flow rate.

The three of them descended the mountain, planning to find a landmark on the map. Only by finding a reference point could they determine their exact location and plan the best route to leave.

As they passed the cave where they had spent the night, they only glanced at it, not intending to stay. They had come with nothing and had nothing to pack.

Just as they passed the cave, a woman's voice called out, "Zhan Muchun."

Xu Fei and the insect-like creature turned to look, and Y Qing's heart skipped a beat. He recognized the voice and slowly turned around, seeing the woman in the straw hat slowly walk out of the cave, the same beautiful woman who had given him the map the previous night.

In broad daylight, she looked even more radiant.

Zhan Muchun? Xu Fei was skeptical, wondering if he had heard wrong. Was this woman calling the name of the Jieyuan, Zhan Muchun?

The woman in the straw hat stood at the cave entrance, staring at Y Qing with a smile. "Please stop. I couldn't figure it out all night. Should I call you Zhan Muchun or Master Asheng?"