68: Chapter 68 Boarding the Vehicle and First Exploration

A gentle smile appeared on Gu Yan's face.

He made a "please" gesture toward Leng Yuechan: "In that case, let's go. The camp is not far from here."

After speaking, he took the initiative to turn around and lead the way, leaving his back completely unguarded before this "Fellow Daoist" who had just been full of wariness toward him.

This small detail caused an unusual glimmer to flash within Leng Yuechan's cold, phoenix-like eyes.

She did not say anything more, simply following him in silence.

Soon, the two walked out of the valley.

The Gu Family's massive caravan camp appeared within Leng Yuechan's field of vision.

Dozens of enormous carriages, crafted from sturdy ironwood, surrounded the camp, forming a simple defensive fortification.

Over three hundred burly guards with fierce auras were performing their respective duties. Some were patrolling and keeping watch, some were pitching tents, and others were starting fires to cook.

Although the entire camp was populous, it was orderly and disciplined, acting like a well-trained army!

A flash of astonishment crossed Leng Yuechan's eyes.

She had originally thought that the "Family caravan" Gu Yan spoke of was merely a group of ordinary wealthy merchants on a journey.

Yet she had not expected it to be of such scale! And such an elite force!

Based solely on the strength of this guard unit, it would be enough to... easily sweep through a mundane town like Luoyun Town!

This Gu Family... seemed even less simple than she had imagined.

"Old Ancestor, you have returned!"

Seeing Gu Yan's figure, the guards at the camp entrance immediately bowed in salute, their expressions filled with heartfelt awe and worship.

When they saw that a woman in white, who was pale but whose peerless, celestial beauty could not be concealed, was following behind Gu Yan, their eyes all flashed with amazement. However, they immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look a second time.

"This Miss Yue encountered some trouble on the road and was injured. For the remainder of the journey, she will be traveling with us," Gu Yan instructed calmly. "Pass down the order: everyone is to treat her with courtesy; do not show the slightest negligence."

"Yes, Old Ancestor!"

Gu Yan nodded, then led the still somewhat reserved Leng Yuechan directly toward the most magnificent and spacious golden-silk nanmu carriage in the center of the caravan.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Shen Qingxue, Bai Linger, and Liu Ruyan, who had been waiting there, came out to greet them.

"Husband."

Upon seeing the woman in white behind Gu Yan, whose temperament was as cold and celestial as a fairy, and whose beauty even surpassed Liu Ruyan by three parts, even Shen Qingxue, who was already mentally prepared, couldn't help but feel a flicker of amazement in her eyes.

"Let me introduce you," Gu Yan said with a smile. "This is Miss Yue, a... Fellow Daoist. She encountered some trouble on the road, so I invited her to travel with us for a while."

He then introduced her to Leng Yuechan: "These are my wives."

"Greetings to the ladies," Leng Yuechan said, performing a peer-level salute toward the three, her posture neither servile nor overbearing.

"Miss Yue, you are too polite," Shen Qingxue said with a gentle smile, displaying the graceful demeanor of a mistress. "Since you are a Fellow Daoist of my husband, you are an honored guest of the Gu Family. Since you are severely injured, please, enter the carriage to rest."

She did not ask about the other party's background, nor did she ask what kind of trouble she had encountered.

This perfectly judged warmth and sense of propriety caused a trace of warmth to arise in the heart of Leng Yuechan, who had originally felt slightly uncomfortable with this "meeting the Family" scenario.

"This carriage is where I usually rest; it is quite spacious. If Miss Yue does not mind, please rest here comfortably for the remainder of the journey," Gu Yan said, pointing to the golden-silk nanmu carriage.

Leng Yuechan had originally wanted to decline.

But upon seeing her own disheveled appearance, stained with blood and mud, she ultimately did not say the words.

She did indeed need a quiet, independent space to treat her injuries.

"...Then, many thanks to Patriarch Gu."

She offered her thanks, and then, with Shen Qingxue's support, boarded the seemingly ordinary carriage.

However, the moment the carriage curtain was lowered, the scene inside the carriage caused the Saintess, who had seen grand occasions in the Sect, to have her cold, phoenix-like eyes shrink sharply!

Spacious! It was far more spacious than it looked from the outside, several times over!

Inside the carriage, not only was there a soft couch capable of accommodating three or four people lying down at once, but there was even an independent tea table, a bookshelf, and a dressing table!

This... this is... a Sumeru Space Formation?!

Although it was only the lowest-level small Formation that expanded space by three or four times, Formations were things that only those Formation Masters proficient in the Dao within true, great immortal-cultivating Sects could set up!

A "Family" in a remote region actually... possessed a carriage engraved with a Space Formation?!

Her gaze then fell upon the inner walls of the carriage.

She saw that on the carriage walls, crafted from a single piece of golden-silk nanmu, there was actually engraved a set of complex Formations she had never seen before, yet she could clearly feel they contained the effects of "calming the mind," "soothing the spirit," and "gathering Qi"!

In the corner of the carriage, a burner of unknown incense was lit.

The fragrance was quiet and elegant, and upon smelling it, it actually caused her Sea of Consciousness, which had been somewhat chaotic due to the poison, to... clear up a little!

This... where is this any kind of carriage? This is clearly a... mobile, luxuriously extreme... Cultivate Immortal Cave!

Leng Yuechan's heart was already in turmoil!

Her gaze then inadvertently swept over the low table. There, she saw a few thread-bound ancient books... placed casually.

"Dongtu Continent Geography", "Ten Thousand Beasts Illustrated Handbook: Qi Refining Volume", "Records of Ancient Strange Tales"...

These... these were all precious classics that were priceless in the outside world, only possible to be collected within the Scripture Pavilion of large Sects!

Yet in this man's carriage, they seemed... to be just casual reading material?

All of this completely overturned Leng Yuechan's perception!

This "Gu Family"... this man named "Gu Yan"... just how many... secrets were hidden upon him?

She had originally thought she had just jumped from a wolf's den into a relatively safe sheepfold.

But now it seemed... she had seemingly stumbled into the lair... of a prehistoric Dragon... disguised in sheep's clothing!