Chapter 129: Bandits?

Once the figures of the two vanished from his sight, Chen Bo looked cautiously to the left and right. Making sure no voyeurs with peculiar fetishes were lurking about, he finally dared to unfasten the bandages around his crotch.

After washing away the pungent black medicinal paste that clung to his entire body, he felt as though his very soul had ascended. Unfortunately, the water in the small river suffered terribly, turning pitch black across a large area—heaven only knows how many fish might be poisoned to death. What a sin, what a heinous sin!

"Ah! This feels marvelous!" Chen Bo finally understood why so many people were so fond of bathing. The sensation of soaking in the water was truly exquisite, especially when taking a cool bath in the dead of summer.

However, it was best to avoid cold water baths immediately after strenuous exercise when one was sweating profusely, as the abrupt transition between hot and cold made catching a cold all too easy.

Chen Bo only bathed; he did not swim. After all, one had to set a good example for the children. There were simply far too many youngsters drowning nowadays, and Chen Bo certainly did not want any little ones trying to imitate him and meeting a watery grave. That would be an even greater sin—far worse than poisoning the fish!

Of course, bathing by the side of the river was inappropriate as well. As a fine transmigrator hailing from the twenty-first century, he ought to act as a role model for the kids, actively promoting positive energy so that the censors above would not ruthlessly strike him down with a single blade someday.

When the father and son of the Zhang family returned, Chen Bo was wrapped in a rather large piece of cloth, which barely sufficed as a makeshift towel.

Zhang Daniu handed over a set of clothes and said, "Brother Chen, these are your garments. See if they fit. If not, I can go and exchange them for another set. Oh, and I bought you a pair of shoes as well."

"I'll leave the clothes right here, so go ahead and change! We'll step outside for now. Just holler if you need anything!"

After expressing his gratitude to Zhang Daniu, Chen Bo put on the outfit. Although the material was somewhat coarse, it fit quite well, and the shoes were remarkably comfortable on his feet.

Having finished his bath, Chen Bo prepared to leave. After all, he still needed to head to Tianyang Academy! It seemed he had already skipped classes for several days, and he wondered how that tigress Yu Shifei would deal with him upon his return.

Would it be bondage? Melted wax? A leather whip? A dog leash? Or... wait a minute, what on earth were all these things, and why didn't he recognize a single one?

Walking back into the medical clinic, Chen Bo saw Zhang Daniu grinding herbs while the elder Zhang sat earnestly studying a volume of medical texts.

Seeing this, Chen Bo decided not to disturb them. He retrieved the *Classic of the Nine Yangs* from his system inventory, pulled out a brush to jot down his personal insights on its cultivation, and quietly placed the book on the table.

Along with it was a farewell letter—though in truth, it consisted of only a few characters. In short, it expressed his deep gratitude for saving his life and explained that leaving behind the *Classic of the Nine Yangs* was his way of repaying the kindness, fulfilling Zhang Daniu's dream of cultivation.

Chen Bo poured as much melodrama into the writing as he possibly could, though alas, with his mediocre literary skills, he was incapable of producing anything that would move people to tears.

With that, Chen Bo slipped quietly out of the clinic. However, once outside, he was completely baffled. At present, he had no idea where he was. If he didn't know his current location, how was he supposed to find his way back?

Should he just guess blindly? That notion was absolute folly; guessing blindly carried a ninety-nine percent chance of getting lost, and given Chen Bo's severe lack of a sense of direction, the probability was undoubtedly a full one hundred percent!

He remembered the system mentioning that many pocket dimensions moved about constantly. Was it possible that he was no longer anywhere near Tianyang City?

Could he have already crossed out of Tianyang Province, or perhaps even left the Great Ning Empire entirely? The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became!

If he had genuinely crossed national borders, returning without taking several years was utterly impossible. Coupled with the fact that his directional handicap was practically maxed out, he would likely never make it back to Tianyang Academy in this lifetime, let alone return to the Great Ning Empire.

Failure to return to the Great Ning Empire meant he would be unable to fulfill his three-year pact with Qin Ruolan when the time came. Consequently, he would face heavenly retribution, be struck by lightning until he was reduced to a pile of ash, and bid farewell to this world once and for all.

At this thought, Chen Bo hurriedly sought out a villager of Zhangjiacun to ask for directions. "Elder, might I ask if this place is part of the Great Ning Empire?"

The person he approached was an old man busy with farm work. Initially, the old peasant was somewhat displeased at being interrupted, but the moment he caught sight of the flask of wine in Chen Bo's hand, that trace of irritation vanished instantly. "That's right," he replied, "this is indeed the Great Ning Empire."

Instead of handing the wine over immediately, Chen Bo continued inquiring, "Then tell me, Elder, are we within the borders of Tianyang Province, or is this some other province?"

"What other province? This is Tianyang Province!" Judging by the old man's eager expression, he was clearly an inveterate drunkard; his eyes shone with such intensity as he gazed at the wine flask that he was practically salivating.

Hearing the old man's reply, Chen Bo finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, he was still within Tianyang Province of the Great Ning Empire, neither in a foreign country nor in another province.

"Then, Elder, do you know which direction I should take to get to Tianyang City?" Chen Bo asked again.

Having been kept in suspense to the point of impatience, the old man pointed in a specific direction and hurriedly replied, "Just keep walking straight along this path, and you'll reach Tianyang City."

After a moment's thought, the old man added, "不过 young man, there are some bandits entrenched along the road from here to Tianyang City. Make sure you don't get waylaid by them before you even reach your destination."

"Bandits?" Chen Bo asked, somewhat puzzled. How could bandits possibly exist in the vicinity of Tianyang City? Were the bandits of this era really that bold, or were the garrison troops of Tianyang City just sitting around doing nothing?

Seeming to read Chen Bo's thoughts, the old man explained, "These bandits? They only dare to be so rampant because they have backing from higher-ups! Word has it that those scoundrels are all dogs kept by those damned aristocratic families in Tianyang City, specially raised to do their dirty work."

"I won't say any more than that, old man; talk too much and it'll bring down a calamity upon my head. Are you really planning to go, young man?" Fond of drink though he was, the old man was fundamentally a warm-hearted and simple folk. Such a person, if placed back on Earth, would probably be treated as an endangered species.

"It's fine! They're just mere bandits!" Chen Bo waved a hand dismissively. He held not a shred of fondness for aristocratic families, though he conveniently forgot that he was now the direct descendant of a minor aristocratic family himself.

He handed the wine to the old man and set off along the path the villager had pointed out.

As for the bandits the old man had mentioned, Chen Bo didn't care in the least. Having already endured so many trials of life and death, he felt nothing toward mere bandits, viewing their numerous throngs as nothing more than a bunch of paper tigers.

Still, it seemed he had already offended quite a few prominent clans within Tianyang City—perhaps he should find a way to make their lives miserable?

As for the characters requested by several readers, it would likely be quite a while before they appeared. After all, the personages you requested simply aren't ready to make their entrance yet. If they were brought out this early, this book would probably wrap up after just over a million words. Please support us with bookmarks and collections! My bookmarks have plummeted from 1024 down to 998—I could just weep.