Chapter 534: Struggle of the Daoist Lineage, The Scholar Uses Writing as Law

The journey to Guiyun City was not exactly peaceful.

They encountered several attempted roadside robberies, but only had to fight once.

The rest of the time, they used the caravan’s name and some toll money to clear the way, making for some close calls but no real danger.

The one time they fought was because the bandits were a group of greenhorns new to the trade. They complained the toll was too little and demanded everything.

Then they were all cut down.

It was true that the caravan only had ten guards, but they were all well-equipped, able-bodied men.

Greenhorns who had just entered the trade were mostly desperate people struggling to survive, so both their combat prowess and their equipment were far inferior.

It was only because harmony is valued in business that they offered the toll money first. A pity the bandits didn’t appreciate the gesture; that’s why they died.

"In three more days, we should reach Guiyun City."

"But this sun... I’m afraid it’s not a good sign." The guard, Wang You, wiped the sweat from his brow, then lifted the waterskin at his waist and took a large gulp.

"I come from a farming background, so I’d say there’s a high chance of a drought," Qi Suian said, also taking a drink from his own waterskin. "By rights, it should be raining this time of year."

"Right now, forget rain—there isn’t even a breeze."

Wang You nodded. "It’s brutal. Our water is almost gone. If we don’t find more soon, we’ll have to stop."

"By the way, what are you planning to do in Guiyun City?"

The two of them had gotten pretty familiar with each other. After all, they’d been on the road for so long, and Qi Suian couldn’t just avoid all social interaction.

That would have been too strange. So, within two days, he had gotten to know everyone in the entire caravan.

"I’m going to seek refuge with relatives. I just can’t survive by farming anymore. Even working as a laborer is better," Qi Suian said, making up an excuse.

In truth, he hadn’t yet thought about what he would do once he got to Guiyun City.

’Making contact with the Extraordinary is a must, but the three Daoist Lineages of the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist families all have their own entry requirements.’

’I can’t get into the academies, and I’ve never had contact with the Buddhist or Daoist families. I’ll have to wait until I get there to find out more.’

"That’s true. It’s better to be born a dog in the city than a person in the countryside," Wang You agreed. "As for me, I’m planning to get married back in the city after this job is done."

The moment those words were out, Qi Suian couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. ’How dare he say something like that?’

’Don’t tell me we’re all jinxed now and none of us will make it back.’

"What... what do you mean by that?" Wang You asked, rather speechless.

"I just didn’t expect someone as young as you to be such a go-getter. I would’ve thought you were already married," Qi Suian said, quickly covering his tracks.

"It’s nothing, really. I just want to earn a little more," Wang You said, a bit embarrassed by the praise.

After all, Qi Suian was still an old bachelor, yet here he was, about to get married. The contrast was stark.

In his eyes, Qi Suian would probably never find a wife in this lifetime.

At his age, he was basically unwanted, especially since Qi Suian was also poor.

"Earning more is good. For your family." Qi Suian figured that since Wang You didn’t have the protagonist’s halo, he probably wouldn’t get into any trouble.

’As for me, my survivor avatar certainly doesn’t have one.’

’As long as there’s no protagonist’s halo, the chance of something bad happening isn’t high.’

But soon enough, the caravan came to a halt.

It seemed something had happened at the front of the column.

"You stay with the caravan. I’ll go up front and see what’s going on." As a guard, it was natural for Wang You to take the lead.

Thus, with his long saber at his side, he hurried toward the front of the caravan.

Seeing this, Qi Suian naturally followed.

When he arrived, he saw a group of people gathered around a large monk.

The monk was unconscious, his face pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

There were no obvious external injuries, just a few scrapes.

This meant he had passed out from internal injuries.

Qi Suian asked around and learned that the monk had been lying in the middle of the road from the start.

The caravan was naturally very respectful of people from the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist families, and they quickly arranged for the unconscious monk to be placed in a carriage.

At the same time, they asked a physician to examine him.

But the physician was gone after less than two minutes, shaking his head as he left, looking as if he couldn’t do anything.

Then Qi Suian sidled over and, after a brief examination, came to a conclusion.

This unconscious monk possessed Extraordinary power. There was energy flowing within his body, and his physical structure was extremely tough.

He had even surpassed the limits of a normal human body.

’According to this world’s energy level classifications, he should be considered a low-ranking member among Extraordinary Beings, not some powerhouse.’

’And right now, his life is hanging by a thread. If he doesn’t get timely medical treatment, he’ll be dead in two days at most.’

Before long, the caravan began to speed up.

"The boss wants to travel day and night. We’re trying to reach Guiyun City by noon tomorrow," Wang You said.

"Is it because of that monk?" Qi Suian naturally knew why. ’They plan to deliver the man to a temple in Guiyun City and use it to build a connection.’

’This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

"Yes. The physician can’t treat him. He said the monk can hold on for three days at most. If he gets help within three days, he might live," Wang You explained.

The man’s estimate had a larger margin of error than Qi Suian’s, but that was normal. After all, how could an ordinary person’s diagnosis of an Extraordinary Being be so precise?

"The boss is certainly thinking ahead. If he really saves this monk, he’s probably secured a future of wealth and prosperity," Qi Suian said, though he was also aware of another problem.

The monk’s injuries were so severe that he couldn’t have caused them himself; he must have been wounded by an enemy.

If it wasn’t a case of mutual destruction or a pyrrhic victory, it meant the enemy was likely on their way.

Once the pursuer arrived, Qi Suian estimated that not a single person in the entire caravan would be left alive.

"Forget about wealth and prosperity," Wang You said, his face clouded with worry. "The person who could injure this monk is no ordinary person either."

"They must be from one of the Confucian, Buddhist, or Daoist families. Our ten guards alone definitely won’t be enough to protect anyone."

"Once they arrive... sigh..." Wang You sighed, feeling helpless.

Everyone had a working brain. A moment’s thought was enough to understand how great the risk was.

But the boss was insistent, and there was nothing they could do. They were taking his money, and he commanded a lot of respect. A few words from them weren’t going to change his mind.

So, everyone could only grit their teeth and hurry toward Guiyun City.

"Don’t worry so much. The man has already been saved. It’s too late to say anything now."

"Might as well think about what’s for dinner," Qi Suian said, completely unconcerned.

For no other reason than the fact that the pursuer had already arrived.

"All of you, stop!" a voice suddenly called out.

Everyone present stopped in their tracks involuntarily.

It wasn’t that they were being obedient; the voice carried a power that influenced the mind, enhancing its persuasiveness and compelling listeners to obey.

Qi Suian’s survivor avatar also stopped. Without the support of his main body’s power, it was naturally brought under control.

Then, a scholar in a long gown appeared at the head of the caravan. The caravan master immediately went to communicate with him.

As one of the guards, Wang You also arrived right away.

The two sides exchanged words. The scholar demanded they hand over the monk, but the boss refused, declaring that saving a life was a great merit.

Fortunately, this scholar didn’t resort to violence at the first disagreement. Instead, he first tried to persuade them with reason and appeals to emotion.

Seeing that the situation was turning bad, Qi Suian stealthily slipped into the carriage where the monk was.

’They’ll never reach an agreement. A conflict is inevitable.’

So Qi Suian decided to provide some timely help. That way, he could use the monk to get direct access to the system of the Extraordinary.

But trying to sneak one Extraordinary Being away from right under the nose of another, who was quite powerful himself, was no small feat.

Luckily, he wasn’t really an ordinary person. He directly used his main body’s power to assist.

Under this cover, he quickly spirited the man away.

Throughout the process, no one noticed anything amiss.

"Move! Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit," the scholar said, clearly infuriated by the caravan master.

’You’re afraid of offending the Buddhist Family, but you’re not afraid of offending my Confucian Family?’

This shout made everyone in the caravan involuntarily part to form a path.

But they quickly came to their senses and once again blocked the scholar’s way.

They were banking on the fact that he wouldn’t kill them; otherwise, they would never dare do this.

"I’ll tell you one last time: this is a conflict between Daoist Lineages."

"If you don’t move, I will be forced to act." Seeing that words were useless, the scholar stopped talking.

At this, many of the people began to hesitate.

"Sword!" Striking while the iron was hot, the scholar took up his brush and wrote a single word in the air.

The ink word quickly transformed in mid-air, becoming an Ink Sword that circled around him.

After witnessing this scene, everyone present immediately cleared a path.

They wouldn’t listen to polite persuasion, but they were certainly afraid of violence.

"Which carriage is he in?" the scholar asked.

No one dared to speak, but someone subconsciously glanced toward the carriage.

The scholar instantly got the hint. The Ink Sword immediately shot forward and pierced through the carriage.

However, nothing happened. Seeing this, the scholar rushed over, flung open the carriage door, and saw that the inside was completely empty. There was nothing there.

"He actually escaped," the scholar muttered, his expression shifting as frustration welled up inside him.

In the end, all he could do was toss down an ingot of silver. "This is to pay for the carriage."

After speaking, he once again took up his brush, wrote the word for "float" in the air, and then his entire body rose into the sky, leaving the caravan behind.

At that moment, the caravan master wanted to cry but had no tears. The frustration in his heart was simply overwhelming.

He hadn’t delivered the monk, and he had offended the scholar.

The other party probably wouldn’t pursue the matter with them too seriously, but in the end, it was still a huge loss.

"Boss, are we still heading straight for Guiyun City?" a steward asked.

The caravan master rolled his eyes. "The hell we are. We’re going back to the original route."

Then, after everyone packed up, they set off for the next town to rest, resupply, and sell their goods.

Wang You, however, was a little puzzled. He hadn’t seen Qi Suian.

But he didn’t pay it too much mind. There were a lot of people in the caravan; who knew where he had hidden just now? He was probably shooting the breeze with someone at the back of the column.

’He couldn’t have just vanished without a trace, right? We didn’t even run into any real danger. How could something like that happen?’