Two more days passed. Seeing that Jiang Yan had fully settled in, Morax prepared to set out for the territory of the God of Dust. Since it was Jiang Yan's suggestion, Morax naturally decided to bring him along.
Jiang Yan had no objections. He didn't plan on staying in one place for long anyway. This trip to Guizhong's territory was the perfect chance to scour the land for chests! He had to hurry up and unlock the Wood Human Technique!
"Earthquaker!"
A stone pillar erupted from the ground, instantly shattering a nearby rock formation and revealing a Common Chest hidden inside. Jiang Yan dashed forward and threw it open.
"Let's see what treasures are inside."
"Well... by all logical reasoning, these kinds of chests usually don't contain anything of great value," Morax said with a touch of helplessness.
They had been away from the camp for about a week, and he had essentially become Jiang Yan's tool. He was constantly breaking rock formations and shattering the stones locking the chests.
"You don't get it! The joy of opening chests is the unknown. You don't know what's inside until you open it; that's the fun!" Jiang Yan grinned, feeling his physical constitution improve slightly again. He was full of joy.
"As you wish." Morax had long since given up resisting. Or rather, he had simply gotten used to it.
"HELP!!!"
As they walked through a mountain range, a sudden scream from nearby caught their attention.
"Let's check it out!" Out of instinct, Jiang Yan wanted to go and see the commotion.
On a winding path, a middle-aged man was sprinting forward, clutching a young child in his arms. He tripped over a protruding stone and fell to the ground, and a group of bandits immediately surrounded him.
"Hehe, you run pretty fast for a dog. Cut the crap! Hand over everything valuable immediately!" The bandits sneered as they circled the man, their blades glinting coldly.
The man held his last child tightly, a look of desperate resolve in his eyes. He had a dagger hidden in his sleeve; even if he died, he would take one of them with him!
"Should we save them?" Jiang Yan asked softly.
"Yes. There is a strange feeling coming from him," Morax nodded.
"Then I'll do it. A few petty bandits aren't worth your intervention." Jiang Yan cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.
"Huh? Brat, where the hell did you come from?" The bandits naturally noticed Jiang Yan approaching.
Jiang Yan smiled without a word and pressed his palms together. Then, he slowly extended his arm toward the bandits.
"Speak, you bastard!" Some of the bandits tried to close in on him.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
Several wooden spikes sprouted from Jiang Yan's arm, instantly skewering every bandit in front of him like a kebab.
Blood splattered across the middle-aged man's face. He clutched his child, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Who... who are you?" The man looked at Jiang Yan, who was still smiling after slaughtering the bandits, then at Morax walking slowly behind him.
He didn't relax; if anything, he became even more tense. Was this a case of the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole waited behind? Were these two here to claim the spoils?
If it were the bandits, he still had the will to resist, but these two were far too terrifying. He couldn't even summon the thought of fighting back.
"My name is Jiang Xiaobai, and he's Zhongli," Jiang Yan said with a smile. Before setting out, they had agreed to travel under aliases. Coincidentally, they both chose one.
"What's your name?"
"I... I am Hu Xing," the man stammered, his voice still shaking.
"The surname Hu? Interesting," Morax's voice came from behind. He looked at the man with interest and said:
"If you seek protection, head toward the southwest. Once you reach Mount Tianheng, look for Cloud Retainer and tell her Zhongli sent you."
Morax continued using his alias; he had no intention of revealing his true name.
With that, Jiang Yan and Morax turned to leave. Once they were a good distance away, Jiang Yan turned and asked, "What are you smiling about?"
Ever since they met that man named Hu Xing, Morax hadn't stopped smiling.
"We've found a treasure," Morax said softly, leaving Jiang Yan even more confused.
"You found a treasure just because his name is Hu?"
Morax chuckled and shook his head before explaining. "That man just now... his body contains a bloodline that can communicate with the power of the Underworld. Even the child he was holding had that same feeling."
The power of the Underworld?
Jiang Yan's eyes widened.
Surname: Hu. A bloodline that connects to the Underworld.
Holy crap! Is it really that big of a coincidence?? Isn't that Hu Tao's ancestor?
Jiang Yan looked at Morax with a complicated expression. You didn't just find a treasure. You just secured your own free meal ticket for thousands of years in the future.
"What is with that look?" Morax felt like there was something very off about the way Jiang Yan was staring at him.
"Nothing. Let's go."
Suddenly, a violent tremor erupted from the distance. In an instant, the heavens shook and the earth quaked, nearly knocking Jiang Yan off his feet.
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