147: Chapter 147 The Caravan, Four Months Later
Two days later, Li Qing swam for a while and rested for a while, finally reaching Dongtian City.
This was his first time leaving Shangyun City and coming to a city hundreds of miles away.
As the name suggested, unlike cities like Shangyun City and Ziyun City that contained the word 'Yun', Dongtian City was a border city of Yingtian Prefecture and also on the outskirts of the entire Yun Province, right next to the neighboring Qing Province.
This was the end of the Chiyun River, with countless docks. It served as a junction for both water and land routes, as well as the intersection of two provinces. Consequently, trade was flourishing, and it was a well-known wealthy city in the surrounding area.
According to the information obtained from Zhuang Jin, an Elder of the Qiyun Sect might be standing behind this place.
Li Qing first went to a small town outside the city to change his attire. Relying on the Tortoise Breathing Art, his aura shifted, turning him into an ordinary Mingjin Martial Artist.
A Mingjin Martial Artist might be insignificant to him now, but no matter where one went, they were already considered a person of some standing.
Acting with this identity was neither high-profile nor weak; it was just right.
Inside Dongtian City, Li Qing compared several options and found a caravan heading to Qing Province, paying thirty taels of silver.
Thirty taels of silver was just right for him, and as a 'Mingjin' Martial Artist, he wouldn't attract unwanted greed.
The merchant's surname was Tian, and the caravan's guard captain was his brother-in-law. With a cultivation level at the early stage of An Jin, he was already considered a skilled expert.
This group was transporting a batch of cloth to various cities around Dongtian City, then purchasing local specialties from those cities to bring back to Dongtian City, before using the waterways to transport them to various riverside cities like Shangyun City and Feiyun City.
Liu Li weighed the thirty taels of silver in his hand and nodded.
"Thirty taels of silver to follow us to Qingpan City in Qingshi Prefecture at the easternmost edge of Qing Province. Are you sure?"
Li Qing nodded, giving the reason of seeking relatives.
Liu Li nodded and pointed to the fifteen carriages behind him.
"Look closely, my family has fifteen carriages. The first twelve are all goods. We won't return until we've sold all the goods. Are you really sure you want to come with us?"
He showed his true colors: "If you regret it halfway, the silver won't be refunded!"
Li Qing nodded firmly.
It was only thirty taels of silver, not worth mentioning.
Thus, Li Qing went to the end of the caravan. Aside from the carriage in the middle for the merchant surnamed Tian, there were only two carriages for passengers.
Indeed, besides Li Qing, there were many others heading to Qing Province, though mostly to nearby cities.
Li Qing took a look; the carriages were filled with ordinary commoners who couldn't keep up with the caravan on foot and had to stay in the carriages.
Li Qing simply went and bought a donkey, then hired a passenger from one of the carriages, giving him one tael of silver to drive the donkey and follow the caravan.
As for Li Qing, he lay on the donkey cart, leisurely and relaxed.
Gazing at the drifting white clouds in the sky, Li Qing felt a rare sense of sleepiness.
"Next, I'll take a good rest for a while."
Besides his daily practice of Dragon Gall Power, Three Vibrations Power, and Hidden Needle Hand, he had nothing else to train.
The following days were a rare period of leisure.
As a Fourth Stage of Body Refining Martial Artist, as long as he didn't encounter a Core Formation powerhouse, he was invincible!
Li Qing trailed behind the last carriage, where a pair of siblings were pointing at him and whispering.
Li Qing's ears twitched slightly, and he heard their whispers clearly.
"This person is so strange, he even has second uncle drive the donkey cart for him," the younger sister said.
The older brother covered her mouth, and seeing that Li Qing didn't react, he whispered, "I heard Dad say that this big brother is a Martial Artist!"
"A Martial Artist!"
The sister's eyes widened into circles, and her mouth fell open.
She couldn't imagine that this young man, who was about the same age as her eldest brother, was a Martial Artist.
The brother's eyes flickered; just now, this Martial Artist had given his second uncle one tael of silver!
Being so generous, it seemed he was also quite kind...
He had a sudden inspiration and took a small jar out of his robe.
"This was honey he had gathered, originally intended for his cousin, but if he could sell it for a high price..."
He summoned his courage, jumped off the slowly moving carriage, and went to his second uncle, his eyes constantly drifting toward Li Qing.
The second uncle saw what he meant and shook his head.
This person might look kind, but he wasn't necessarily so; it was better not to provoke him.
Just then, the young man sat up.
"I smell the fragrance of honey."
He looked at the boy. "Three hundred wen, will you sell it?"
The boy's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "I'll sell it!"
In this world, beekeeping technology was mature; it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have intended it as a gift for his cousin.
Li Qing took the small jar and was about to eat some when he heard a slight noise.
His lips curled.
'Damn, my first time out and I run into mountain bandits.'
Li Qing put down the jar and made an excuse to relieve himself. Silently, he dealt with a group of mountain bandits.
Returning to the donkey cart, he saw that his bundle and honey were still there, untouched.
Although his true treasures were on his person, Li Qing still felt a bit of goodwill.
He suddenly felt a surge of interest.
"Young man, I see you have a good bone structure. Are you interested in practicing martial arts?"
Many martial arts halls in Shangyun City were destroyed during the last upheaval. Li Qing had memorized some legacies afterward; since there were no successors left, it didn't matter if he taught them to others.
Before the boy could react, his second uncle driving the donkey cart immediately turned around and said excitedly, "Yes, he is!"
Thus, as Li Qing traveled, he sowed many seeds of kindness.
He even earned the nickname 'Donkey Cart Immortal'.
...
Time flew by, and four months later.
On this day, Li Qing arrived a hundred miles away from a city.
As soon as he arrived in this region, he felt the air become more humid.
Combined with the hot and humid weather, the attire of the passersby was more open and bold, quite different from the local style in Yun Province.
Li Qing had grown accustomed to this exotic atmosphere over the past few days.
The person driving the carriage for Li Qing was a Mingjin Martial Artist with a ruined face named Zeng Du.
This was someone he had saved just as he entered Jiao Province. At the time, the man's face was severely burned, his body was covered in saber wounds, and he was on the verge of death.
Subsequently, Li Qing dealt with his mortal enemy, a group of mountain bandits.
From then on, the man followed Li Qing's lead, driving the donkey cart for him, which saved some money. His terrifying appearance also served as a deterrent to many ill-intentioned thieves.
Indeed, after four months, Li Qing finally reached the borders of Jiao Province.
This place was near the East Sea, and the air was humid. Due to the climate, it became muggy and damp, which he found quite difficult to adapt to at first.
Li Qing discovered that the folk customs in this area were quite fierce, and there were many mountain strongholds.
"Young master, we've reached Huanglin City," Zeng Du said, his voice hoarse.
Li Qing stood up and looked at the tall city gate not far away.
Huanglin City was a city within Canglong Prefecture, adjacent to the Canglong Prefecture Capital.
After a long and exhausting journey, he was finally only one step away from his destination.
He said slowly, "In that case, let's settle down in Huanglin City first."
His Dragon Gall Power was only three days away from Perfection. Coupled with being in an unfamiliar place, he planned to wait a few days before going to the Canglong Prefecture Capital.
Before that, he intended to Cultivate his secret techniques while gathering information.
He said slowly, "In these two days, find out some specific information about the Dragon Snake Sect and what their reputation is like."
Zeng Du nodded. "Yes!"
He was somewhat excited. Ever since the only time Li Qing had made a move for him, he had thought Li Qing was an An Jin Major Achievement Martial Artist.
But looking at this posture, Li Qing must be at the Huajin Realm!
Li Qing glanced at him. Now that he had arrived here, there was no need to hide his Realm anymore.
Moreover, his strength was far more than just this!