Chapter 388 - 384: Doubt

Chapter 388: Chapter 384: Doubt

"I hope you’re right, Master."

Even Cao Cao, her Plant Pet, couldn’t help but sigh. "I finally understand how lucky we are to live in a peaceful country with a stable government. A place like this is just unimaginable. I wouldn’t be able to stand it for even a minute. It’s terrifying."

"Everything will get better."

After saying this, Gu Nuan Nuan fell silent. She was well aware she couldn’t actually help them, so what was the use of offering words of sympathy? Anything she said would only ring hollow.

Sensing her foul mood, Cao Cao immediately went quiet, not daring to say another word.

They walked for another half hour plus, passing several more villages of varying sizes. The situation in them wasn’t much different from what they’d seen before. Just as the Invisibility Talisman was about to wear off, Cao Cao cried out, "Master, be careful!"

Gu Nuan Nuan nodded. Even without Cao Cao’s warning, her spiritual power had already detected a small, armed group approaching. She glanced around. There was nowhere to hide, but there were plenty of trees. Without hesitation, she nimbly leaped into one. "Take a look around. What’s the situation?"

The range of her spiritual power was limited. To see any farther, she had to rely on Cao Cao.

"Master, a little farther up, there’s an open guard post. After that, there’s a hidden one every short distance. And about a dozen miles behind that, there’s a pretty large encampment. The people in there... well, they have vehicles, tanks, and artillery, plus they’ve dug underground air-raid shelters... A lot of them are carrying Weapons, even kids in their teens. They’re all wearing different kinds of clothes, most of which are old and patched. But even though the clothes aren’t uniform, they all have a very obvious insignia on their right shoulder."

Cao Cao observed carefully for a moment before adding its own take. "They don’t look like any regular army, but this place is guarded so tightly. Hmm, Master, do you think this could be the main garrison for some armed faction? Oh—but I have to say, their morale seems much higher than the people in those villages we passed."

"We have to go around them." Gu Nuan Nuan was purely here for profit; she had zero interest in getting involved with any faction, be it a regular army, an irregular force, or some rebel group. Either way, none of their conflicts had anything to do with her.

"That won’t be easy." Cao Cao shook its head. "They’re guarding the area ahead too tightly. There’s no cover, and there’s a guard post every short stretch, not to mention the constant patrols. Even with your speed, Master, you won’t make it. The only way would be to keep using Invisibility Talismans."

"We can’t keep using Invisibility Talismans; the drain is too high." Gu Nuan Nuan shook her head, her gaze shifting from the main road ahead to the mountains beside it. ’If I’d known it would be like this, we should have just asked one of those other factions,’ she mused. ’Their trade with this region hasn’t stopped, so they must have a safe route into and out of Nan’an Country. Ugh, I was just too confident. I thought we wouldn’t need to, and now, instead of taking a perfectly good shortcut, we’re stumbling around and hitting dead ends. This is a lesson, all right.’

’I really have gotten too confident since my Cultivation improved,’ Gu Nuan Nuan thought, annoyed with herself. ’My ego is getting inflated. If I hadn’t come on this trip, I might never have even realized it was a problem.’

’Jeez, and here I was thinking I could go anywhere in the world. Turns out, even with a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, I’m still not invincible. At the very least, my body can’t withstand a barrage of gunfire and artillery. I could probably block it for a short time with a Magic Treasure, but who knows how long those low-level Magic Treasures would last?’

"What if we circle around through the mountains?" Gu Nuan Nuan wondered, her gaze falling on the rolling mountain range beside them. ’Well, it looks like I can’t avoid trekking through the forest after all,’ she thought.

"Let me check." Cao Cao took a quick look, then reported excitedly, "It’s possible! The area at the foot of the mountain is guarded very heavily, but while there are some patrols on the mountain itself, there are very few, and they’re all concentrated near the base. They don’t go any deeper."

"Alright. In that case, we’ll take the mountain path."

Gu Nuan Nuan waited for the patrol to get a little farther away before she leaped down from the tree. The Invisibility Talisman’s effect had now completely worn off. She stood there for a moment in thought, then took a Jade Pendant from her storage ring and put it on. Nodding with satisfaction, she said, "Alright. You lead the way."

"Okay, Master. Now you just have to alter your voice a bit. That way, even someone who knows you well wouldn’t be able to recognize you if you ran into them." Cao Cao, too, was pleased with Gu Nuan Nuan’s current appearance.

The Jade Pendant Gu Nuan Nuan had taken out wasn’t a Magic Treasure for invisibility. However, it had an incredibly special and useful function: as long as it was worn, the wearer’s figure, features, and clothing would appear completely blurred to outsiders. Unless someone’s cultivation Rank was higher than the wearer’s, it would be impossible for them to even make out the wearer’s gender.

In this world, as long as another Cultivator didn’t show up, no one would be able to see Gu Nuan Nuan’s true face. She hadn’t used it back in her own Alliance for two reasons. First, she hadn’t felt it was necessary. Second, using it while walking through a crowd in broad daylight would be too conspicuous and just look bizarre.

’But things were different here in Nan’an Country. I’m just a passerby anyway, so looking a bit strange isn’t a problem. The important thing is that no one can get a clear look at my face. Especially after seeing how the people in those villages were living, I feel that even if I didn’t use the pendant, my clean and tidy clothes alone would make me stand out like a sore thumb.’

Dodging the patrol, Gu Nuan Nuan moved up the mountain with extreme speed. Although the terrain was unfamiliar, she was no stranger to mountain forests. The moment she entered the woods and breathed in the crisp, clean air, she felt like a fish back in water.

With Cao Cao to guide her, Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t have to worry about losing her way in the forest. As for the wild animals? ’They’re just easy prey,’ she thought. So, she didn’t hold back, collecting every wild rabbit, pheasant, and boar she came across, and even two deer they happened to stumble upon.

The farther she went, the more puzzled she became. ’This forest is clearly full of resources,’ she thought. ’Not only are there far more animal tracks here than in the mountains back home near Zhang Family Village and Lihua Village, but there’s no shortage of wild vegetables and fruits even at the forest’s edge. Why isn’t anyone coming here to gather them?’