201: Chapter 201 Valuable on the Inside, Crude on the Outside

The team stretched out into a long, thin line. At the very front were three Spirit Colts pulling cargo, their broad backs laden with tents, large quantities of dry rations, and various bulky supplies. The triangular flags of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce on the colts' backs snapped loudly in the wind.

When traveling in the cultivation world, a Storage Pouch is certainly convenient, but the space inside is never very large.

Truly valuable spiritual objects, Medicinal Pills, and life-saving trump cards are naturally kept hidden close to the body; but if one were to stuff in cheap, space-consuming items like food and clothing, it would be a complete waste.

Moreover, most of the Guards in the team were in the Qi Refinement Stage and were still far from reaching the state of Inedia where they could survive on wind and dew.

A dozen or so men in their prime needed at least one meal a day. The sheer amount of dry rations consumed along the journey was immense; stuffing it all into Storage Pouches was clearly impractical.

Furthermore, the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce made its living traveling across the land, and its overt display of resources was its brand.

If a team flying the chamber's banner were to wander through the wilderness empty-handed and without baggage, it would only more easily arouse the groundless suspicion of highway robbers.

This strategy of "valuables inside, bulk outside" logically solved the dietary needs of the Qi Refining Cultivators, saved precious storage space, and served as a natural, seasoned disguise.

Behind the Spirit Colts followed a dozen Guards dressed in short, tight-fitting martial attire. Each carried a Magical Artifact at their waist, their steps uniform and synchronized, kicking up a trail of fine yellow dust.

Su Chengyuan walked in the middle of the team, having changed into an inconspicuous gray travel robe. His face had been roughened significantly by the wind and sand.

Beside him was Zhao Shan, who looked at the terrain in the distance and said, "Mr. Su, at this pace, we should reach the outskirts of Xuanhuo Ridge in another month."

When he first met Su Chengyuan, he had called him Brother Wang, but now he had to use the respectful title Mr. Su; after all, they were away from home.

Su Chengyuan nodded without speaking, his gaze sweeping across the rolling hills around them.

After more than a month of long-distance travel, even though they had deliberately avoided risks along the way, the team had truly covered a distance of fifty to sixty thousand li.

After all, they had Spirit Colts that could travel thousands of li a day leading the way, and even the lowest-level Guard in the team had reached the Late Qi Refining Stage. With bodies full of spiritual power, they operated their movement Cultivation Techniques to follow like the wind. Such a shocking speed was something no mule or horse caravan of mortal merchants could ever compare to.

Before departure, Su Cheng had borrowed the internal intelligence channels of the Danding Sect to specifically map out a detailed route for him.

The map meticulously marked all known supply stations and Yao Beast habitats along the way, and even clearly indicated the territories of Sects that needed to be bypassed.

The route took a large detour, nearly thirty percent longer than the straight-line distance, but the safety factor was more than doubled.

Facts proved that Su Cheng's plan was correct; truly troublesome incidents along the way could be counted on one hand.

The first trouble occurred on the twelfth day after leaving the Prefecture City. As the team was passing through a range of barren mountains called Kuwu Ridge, several second-tier Yao Beasts crawled out of their caves to block the road.

The leader was a Red-Tailed Lizard, over three zhang long, with tough scales and breath that could melt rock; it had the cultivation of approximately the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Zhao Shan didn't say a word; he let out a loud shout and immediately summoned his personal high-grade magic tool to meet it head-on.

Li Shi and two other Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Guards also activated their respective high-grade magic tools, moving in unison to flank it with extreme tacit understanding.

Su Chengyuan stood quietly at the back of the team. His son had assigned him four Foundation Establishment Protectors; how could he possibly have a chance to intervene?

All four Foundation Establishment Cultivators were equipped with high-grade magic tools. With such a fully armed lineup leading the way, they essentially cleared paths through mountains and built bridges across waters throughout the journey.

That Red-Tailed Lizard was only at the level of Mid to Late Foundation Establishment. Facing these four ferocious and well-equipped Foundation Establishment Cultivators, it couldn't display even a shred of its might. It didn't even last ten breaths before being killed by the barrage of Spells and magical light from the artifacts.

The leading Red-Tailed Lizard died on the spot, and the remaining few second-tier Yao Beasts, seeing the situation was dire, immediately fled in terror, disappearing into the old forests on both sides in a flash.

Although the Guards in the rear had also summoned their Medium Grade magic tools, they only had Qi Refinement Stage cultivation after all, and dared not pursue second-tier Yao Beasts beyond their own level.

Since these ferocious beasts had retreated on their own, everyone was more than happy to let them go. They would certainly not rashly venture deep into the forest to court trouble, so they gathered their formation on the spot and remained on high alert.

Zhao Shan, Li Shi, and the others naturally did not pursue. The most important thing for them on this trip was to protect Su Chengyuan's safety; how could they recklessly pursue the beasts and abandon their duties?

Not long after, the beast core, scales, and a section of the tail of the Red-Tailed Lizard were taken and collected by Zhao Shan.

Although these things weren't worth a huge amount of money, collecting enough of them would still be a source of income.

The second time was at a fork in the road a hundred li past Fenglin County, where they ran into four Loose Cultivators who were robbing travelers.

The leader was a bearded man at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, holding a rusty long saber. He stood in the middle of the road, hands on his hips, ordering them to leave behind their money.

Su Chengyuan glanced at him, ignored him, and kept walking.

The bearded man was annoyed. Cursing and swearing, he channeled his spiritual power and slashed a wave of Saber Qi toward the caravan.

Before the Saber Qi could even fly close, Zhao Shan dashed out in one stride. He unleashed his Early Foundation Establishment Stage Spiritual Pressure, and the four Loose Cultivators' legs went weak, causing them to kneel on the spot.

Originally, Zhao Shan intended to tie them up and throw them on the side of the road, calling it a day.

Su Chengyuan stopped him.

"Search their Storage Pouches."

Zhao Shan was stunned for a moment, but followed orders and searched them. The contents of the four Storage Pouches were a motley collection: Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, several low-quality magic tools, and some exquisite jewelry that clearly didn't belong to Loose Cultivators.

Su Chengyuan casually picked up a silver earring from the pile, which was engraved with a delicate crescent moon pattern.

"Where did this come from?"

The bearded man, now released from Zhao Shan's Spiritual Pressure, was kneeling on the ground panting heavily. Hearing the question, he stubbornly retorted, "I picked it up!"

Su Chengyuan crouched down and dangled the earring in front of the bearded man: "The crescent moon pattern is the family crest of the Chen family in Fenglin County. The Chen family has been in the spiritual jewelry business for over a hundred years. If you claim you picked this up on the side of the road, does that mean the girls of the Chen family don't even wear earrings when they go out?"

A few days ago, when the caravan passed through Fenglin County for a rest, he had picked out a few pieces of spiritual jewelry at the Chen family's shop, intending to bring them back for his wife and daughter, Yun Ling. He was quite familiar with this unique crescent moon marking of the Chen family.

Upon hearing this, the bearded man's expression changed drastically.

Su Chengyuan didn't ask a second question. He stood up and gave Zhao Shan a look.

Zhao Shan and Li Shi were very efficient. The four Loose Cultivators were dragged into the forest by the side of the road, and from beginning to end, not a single extra sound emerged.

Afterward, Zhao Shan cleaned up all traces at the scene, and the team continued on their journey.

Li Shi later whispered to Zhao Shan in private: "Mr. Su's style... is actually more decisive than those of us with our background."

Zhao Shan, deeply agreeing, replied: "Vice President, we'd better ask less about Mr. Su's affairs."

Back when he escorted Su Chengyuan to the Prefecture City, Su Chengyuan was just an ordinary Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.

In just a few short years, this Mr. Su, whether in terms of methods or decisiveness, had already far surpassed his former self.

The next morning, the caravan broke camp and continued moving forward. By this time, they had already entered the border region of Canglan Prefecture.