Chapter Fifteen: Journey to Chichen County

The plump little bird followed, rolling in with Dao Sansheng. It flew inside, and upon seeing Dao Sansheng tumbling on the floor, shot him a look of contempt.

Immediately after, a ten-year-old girl entered. She saw Dao Sansheng rolling on the carpet and burst into laughter.

"So you’re the one Sister Xue’er always talks about. Such a cute child! But this isn’t good behavior. Listen to your sister and come sit nicely by my side," she said, pinching Dao Sansheng’s cheek.

Dao Sansheng was taken aback—she actually thought he was a child! Perhaps being too small had its drawbacks. He had no choice but to behave, obediently sitting quietly in the carriage. Still, Dao Sansheng thought to himself, it had been ages since he’d used the Cultivator’s Mirror. Perhaps now was a good time to see if there was anything interesting around.

He connected his spiritual sense to the immortal mirror and glanced at the carriage, which instantly returned a set of data: "Low-grade magical artifact, ordinary spirit-beast-drawn carriage." Dao Sansheng found this amusing and turned the mirror toward the plump bird.

"First stage spirit beast, juvenile ice phoenix form." It seemed the mirror was quite accurate. Dao Sansheng then turned it toward the little girl: "Qi Refining, seventh level. Gender: female." Dao Sansheng was startled—the little girl was already at the seventh level of Qi Refining!

Before long, Xue’er had boarded the carriage. She and the little girl launched into a lively conversation, leaving Dao Sansheng to himself. He didn’t mind; closing his eyes, he began to meditate, making good use of the journey for cultivation.

Outside, the voices of the medical hall attendants rang out: "Check your belongings. Half a stick of incense’s time—when it’s up, we depart." Dao Sansheng had nothing more to pack; if he took anything else, it would have to be from the medical hall.

"Uncle Huzi, I’ve packed everything, we’re ready to go," Xue’er called out to those outside, poking her head through the curtain.

As she lowered the curtain, the caravan set off at a leisurely pace. Dao Sansheng closed his eyes and meditated, but before long, the convoy was stopped.

"Halt for inspection!" came the shout from outside. The entire group came to a stop, and Xue’er stuck her head out.

"Routine inspection, please cooperate," said the officer blocking the road. He recognized at a glance that this caravan was headed to Chichen County to attend the concubine-taking ceremony of the esteemed philanthropist Li. The local magistrate had also prepared gifts and had just left with a group of men.

This was the fourth caravan they had seen today, all headed to Chichen County for the ceremony. The so-called inspection was nothing more than a pretext—they were simply angling for a little gratuity, knowing full well there were no criminals aboard.

Xue’er directly tossed them a low-grade spirit stone, which the officer accepted with a knowing nod, and quickly signaled his colleagues to let them pass.

The wagons started moving again, slowly making their way out of the town and onto the main road to the county seat. The highway to the county was much broader than the roads leading to other villages.

Xue’er lifted the curtain, gazing out. From time to time, someone would gallop by on a spirit beast, hurrying along the road, and there were other caravans as well—no doubt from other towns, also headed for the ceremony.

It was early July, and the two rows of trees flanking the highway were already tinged with red. Shrubs grew thickly behind the trees, and the road was lined with gullies and slopes. Xue’er watched quietly.

Dao Sansheng, still meditating, stole glances out the window—he had been sitting in meditation for too long and his mind was starting to wander.

So the day wore on, the sun slowly dipping in the west. The land on either side of the road grew flatter, and houses began to appear along the way. After a while, the caravan stopped, and someone called out from outside.

"Everyone out to rest for the night! We’ll continue tomorrow."

The little girl and Xue’er were the first to climb down, followed by Dao Sansheng. The plump bird was already waiting nearby, looking rather impatient after the long journey. As soon as it saw Dao Sansheng, it rushed over.

"Brother, it’s been ages! I missed you. Let’s talk about life, or at least find a way to pass the time."

Before the bird could finish, Dao Sansheng covered its mouth. "Do you see those two beauties beside me? Why would I waste time with you when I could be with them?"

The bird was so frustrated it almost spat blood, then marched straight inside. The group assembled in the main hall, where the innkeeper’s attendant greeted them with a beaming smile.

"Welcome, honored guests! Are you here for dinner or lodging?" he inquired.

"We need both," Xue’er replied. "Preferably a private courtyard, but if not, three top-tier rooms and three regular ones."

The attendant looked troubled. "I’m sorry, but there are no private courtyards left. Only two top-tier rooms remain, and one large woodshed. Would you be able to make do for a night?"

"In such a big inn, only two rooms left? That’s preposterous!" Uncle Huzi bellowed from the hall.

"What do you mean, only two rooms? Didn’t you just say there were none left?" Several other groups gathered around, clamoring.

"I’ll take them, just as you said," Xue’er cut in, handing over two low-grade spirit stones. The attendant led the way upstairs, leaving the medical hall staff in the main hall.

He opened the two rooms. Dao Huichun took the first, and the little girl turned back.

"Why are you two following? I’m staying with Sister Xue’er. You can find your own arrangements. Or do you want to crowd in with us?" Dao Sansheng was about to protest, but the door slammed in his face, nearly catching his nose.

He turned, wanting to call the plump bird, but saw it had already darted into the first room, poking its tongue out at him as it closed the door.

"Didn’t you want to talk about life with the ladies? Sorry, brother, I can’t oblige you," it said, shutting the door mercilessly. Dao Sansheng was left speechless—who knew a joke would be taken so seriously? Suddenly, he realized he had forgotten something.

"Fat Bird! Fat Bird!"

"I’m quite comfortable here, it’s warm. You go enjoy yourself," came the reply.

Dao Sansheng had no choice but to go downstairs and spend the night in the woodshed. But upon descending, he was surprised to find the group had vanished, even the attendant was nowhere to be seen. There were only four or five tables of people in the lobby, all seemingly traveling together, each holding gifts—evidently all on their way to the county seat to present offerings to the philanthropist Li.

Activating his cultivator’s mirror, Dao Sansheng noticed something unusual. The people at four of the tables were all at about the third level of Qi Refining, but at the innermost table, one person was at the fifth level, while the other two were only at the second, and none of them had brought any gifts.

As he was scrutinizing them, the attendant reappeared and approached him.

"If I’m not mistaken, sir, you’re with the guests who just arrived," the attendant said, immediately seeing through the situation; Dao Sansheng had nowhere else to go, having been ousted from upstairs.

"That’s right! What is it? I just came down for some air. By the way, where is the woodshed?"

The attendant gave a knowing smile. "The woodshed is full, but please follow me. There’s a clean spirit beast hayloft in the back, more than enough for one person."

Dao Sansheng followed the attendant, but as soon as he turned, he felt an unsettling gaze fixed on his back.

"Please, sir," the attendant’s voice drew Dao Sansheng back from his unease. He answered and quickly caught up.

Once outside, the feeling vanished completely.

The hayloft was a bit out of the way, located in the inn’s rear courtyard. "Your companions are staying in the woodshed, right next door, connected to the spirit beast stables. If you need to find them tonight, just go over there," the attendant said, pointing the way.