Chapter 51

Perhaps it was the sound of the horsemen galloping outside the carriage that made the curtain of the carriage Zhu Lingwu was sitting in lift again.

Zhu Lingwu, holding the white fox in his arms, looked out with a slight sense of boredom. The sky was growing dark, and there was nothing much to see.

The mountain wind rustled the wild trees by the roadside, and occasionally the strange cries of birds and beasts could be heard, which would make one feel a chill from the inside even without the cold wind.

In the carriage, the three maids Chuyang, Xiayang, and Qiuyang each found a place to sit and rest. After a day of travel, they were also quite tired.

Perhaps it was the sound that caught his attention. Liangcai, who was originally wrapped in a thick coat and huddled along the edge of Zhu Lingwu’s carriage, lifted the hood covering his head and looked at Zhu Lingwu through the window.

"Liangcai, go ask Master Liu how much longer it will take to reach the station. The sky is getting dark; can we arrive before nightfall?"

Seeing Liangcai peeking at him, Zhu Lingwu casually gave him a task. Being cooped up in the carriage all day was quite boring. Although he could practice the Nine Turn Lightning Body Technique, without enough Baghdad batteries, he could only circulate his qi and blood through the meridians and acupoints he had already opened in the small and large cycles.

The bumpy state of the carriage was not suitable for practice. If something went wrong, it would be a loss.

Now, there wasn't much for Zhu Lingwu to do on the carriage. He couldn't have Xiayang sing all day. The songs he heard earlier were interesting at first, but after a while, they became monotonous.

As the sky grew dark, Zhu Lingwu couldn't help but think of the words the masked pharmacist had mouthed. This thought made him feel uneasy.

At the current speed of the convoy, even if the masked pharmacist used some magic to catch up, he could easily do so by nightfall. If the masked pharmacist had any real skills, he could kill them all at night and return to Tongshan County, and no one would suspect him. It would be considered an attack by a monster.

"Alas!"

Zhu Lingwu sighed inwardly. Who could blame him for his lack of strength?

The masked pharmacist didn't dare to act in Tongshan County, probably because of Zhu Junyan and the restrictions in the county office. The masked pharmacist likely lacked the confidence to counter these official protections.

Now that Zhu Lingwu had left Tongshan County, he naturally became the best target for the masked pharmacist.

In the convoy escorting Zhu Lingwu back to Chilong Prefecture, there were no cultivators. If the masked pharmacist really had powerful cultivation skills, he might not be able to kill all five or six thousand people, but killing Liu Ping and the private soldiers guarding Zhu Lingwu would be easy.

Zhu Lingwu originally thought that by leaving, he would no longer have any connection with the masked pharmacist, and the matter would be over. But now he couldn't understand why the masked pharmacist was so determined to target him.

Fortunately, Zhu Lingwu was prepared. Thinking of this, his fingers couldn't help but move slightly, and a few electric arcs flickered between them.

This newly acquired ability to control electricity might be his only reliance, but it was limited by the lack of power sources.

Liangcai, hearing Zhu Lingwu's words, quickly agreed and, pulling his coat, jumped off the carriage and ran to the front of the convoy. As the leader of the entire convoy, Liu Ping was riding at the front, leading the way.

After a while, Liu Ping rode over, controlling his warhorse to ride alongside the carriage. He bowed and said to Zhu Lingwu, "Young Master, it's about half an hour to Yeliu Station. I've already sent someone to prepare. Yeliu Station should be ready. When you arrive, you can take a hot bath and have some hot food!"

"Oh, that's good! By the way, Master Liu, how do the people in these stations survive in such wild mountains? Aren't they afraid of wild beasts, bandits, and monsters?"

Zhu Lingwu looked at the surroundings, and this question indeed came to mind. It was truly difficult for people to survive here. He wasn't afraid of much, but he was afraid of monsters.

The station attendants in these stations were probably just ordinary people. Even adventurers skilled in martial arts wouldn't dare to live in such places for long.

"Yes, Young Master, you're right. Living as a station attendant in such a wilderness is indeed not easy!"

Liu Ping first nodded in agreement, but then a smile appeared on his face. He continued, "However, most of the station attendants here, except for the station master, are convicts sent here for military service. They originally committed serious crimes. Coming here means living by fate. Some can return after their time, while others stay here for life!"

"I see! But even if they are convicts sent here, not all of them have the ability to survive. It would be better to be executed directly, at least the family can find the body and bury it. Living in such a place, they might die without anyone knowing where their bodies are."

Zhu Lingwu understood this. He had read about convicts being sent to military service in history books from his original world, but he never knew what happened to them after they were sent.

Now it seemed that in this world, at least some people were sent to such wild mountains and served as station attendants.

In Zhu Lingwu's view, being sent to military service might not be better than being executed. Being executed directly at least allowed the family to find the body and bury it. Being sent to military service, they might die without anyone knowing where their bodies were.

"Hehe, Young Master, you're not familiar with the ways of the world. Yes, the lives of these convicts sent to military service are determined by fate, but at least they have a chance to live. As for monsters, these stations have protective talismans. If ordinary mountain spirits or monsters attack the station, the station master can activate the talismans to protect the station. So, the station attendants only need to guard against wild beasts and bandits, and they can survive. Living is better than dying, and living gives them a chance to turn things around!"

Liu Ping patiently explained to Zhu Lingwu outside the carriage. He was a seasoned traveler and knew a lot about these matters. The station masters relied on these protections to manage the convicts.

"Also, these convicts sent to military service might not be content with their punishment. In such remote stations, if the station master and attendants collude, they might turn an official station into a black inn. So, solitary travelers dare not stay at such remote stations easily. Only large convoys like ours dare to stay. Young Master, you don't need to be too concerned about these attendants; instead, be cautious and don't be easily deceived by their words."

In such remote stations, although there are official station masters to supervise the attendants, over time, the station masters are often assimilated by the convicts. Therefore, many remote stations have turned into black inns and should not be stayed in easily...