Wu Liangchen was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and sighed softly. "I don’t know either."

Wu Liangchen truly didn’t know.

In this world of extraordinary martial arts, high-level Martial Artists never considered ordinary people their equals.

The gap between the two was so vast that it had practically created a reproductive barrier.

And this was the root of countless calamities.

Therefore, the most effective way to change all this was to restrain the greed of these high-level Martial Artists.

But that was far easier said than done.

At least for now, Wu Liangchen lacked the power to change the status quo.

Erya was downcast and didn’t speak for a long time.

Old Man Bai, however, was used to the world’s harsh realities and quickly composed himself.

"Let me drive the cart. You go inside and get some rest."

Old Man Bai felt for his son-in-law. He figured that after killing so many bandits yesterday, Wu Liangchen must be exhausted, so he proactively took the reins.

Wu Liangchen didn’t refuse, climbing back into the carriage, lying down, and falling asleep.

In his slumber, he felt as if his head was resting on something soft, warm, and full, and someone was gently massaging his scalp.

In this state of complete relaxation, Wu Liangchen quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

He slept so soundly that when he suddenly awoke, he found the carriage was still moving, and Erya had fallen asleep leaning against the carriage wall.

It was only then that Wu Liangchen realized he had been using Erya’s lap as a pillow all this time. No wonder it had felt so comfortable.

The inside of the carriage was quite dim. Wu Liangchen sat up quietly, careful not to wake Erya, then slipped out of the carriage.

Outside, the sky was as gloomy as dusk, and the air was terribly oppressive, feeling as if a torrential downpour was imminent.

"What time is it?" Wu Liangchen asked.

"Just past the Hour of Shen," Old Man Bai replied.

The Hour of Shen was around three in the afternoon, and Wu Liangchen couldn’t help but be startled.

"I slept that long?"

"Aye, you slept for quite a while. I was going to wake you for lunch, but Erya said to let you sleep, so I didn’t," Old Man Bai said with a smile.

Wu Liangchen didn’t reply. He stood at the front of the cart and gazed into the distance, where the official road snaked like a giant, slumbering serpent all the way to the horizon.

"Where are we?"

"Another twenty or thirty li and we’ll reach Xiaodian Town!" Old Man Bai said.

Just then, the carriage passed a village, but it was now nothing more than a ruin. The charred, broken walls silently testified to the atrocities that had occurred there.

Wu Liangchen’s expression grew grim.

"Did you run into any trouble on the way?"

"No trouble at all. It’s been a peaceful journey."

Wu Liangchen had actually expected this. After all, no matter how deeply he slept, his instincts as a Martial Artist never wavered. If anything had happened on the road, he would have been jolted awake instantly.

’But this quiet is not a good sign. It means Cyan Cloud Mountain has already made its preparations and might make a move very soon.’

Just then, a fierce wind suddenly kicked up, shaking the trees by the roadside violently. The sky grew even darker.

Not only that, but thunder rumbled in the distance, and sharp flashes of lightning would periodically streak across the sky, quickly branching out to spiderweb across the entire canopy of heaven.

This apocalyptic scene made Old Man Bai’s face turn pale.

"This is bad. It’s a sign of a massive downpour. We need to find high ground to take shelter, quickly."

"I’ll do it!" Wu Liangchen took the reins and spurred the horses toward a set of hills in the distance.

The horses, startled by the thunder, were agitated and restless. Fortunately, Wu Liangchen handled them skillfully, and they soon arrived before the hills. However, the path ahead was blocked by trees, and the carriage couldn’t go up.

Wu Liangchen simply hopped off the cart. He told Old Man Bai to follow behind him with the horses while he acted as a human bulldozer, pushing aside all the trees and boulders blocking their path.

Just as raindrops the size of beans began to fall, the carriage reached the top of one of the hills.

The terrain here was elevated, and more importantly, it was concealed by rocks and boulders. It was completely hidden from the official road below.

Wu Liangchen then covered the two horses with a tarp to prevent them from getting spooked and running off, after which he ducked back into the carriage.

CRASH!

The rain was now coming down furiously. A dense, impenetrable curtain of water fell upon the earth, accompanied by gusts of fierce wind that were truly terrifying.

Thankfully, Wu Liangchen had already surrounded the carriage with boulders, so they didn’t have to worry about it being blown over by the wind.

In addition, the carriage was newly built and well-sealed. So, despite the torrential downpour outside, the interior remained dry and warm.

A sudden, indescribable feeling of warmth filled Bai Erya’s heart.

The heavy rain had turned the carriage into an isolated island, and with her father and her beloved both on this island with her, she felt an overwhelming sense of security.

Wu Liangchen peered through a crack, observing the storm outside. Though the light was as dim as night, he could still clearly see that the low-lying areas in the distance were already submerged, and the rain showed no signs of letting up.

’Thank goodness I had the foresight to move the carriage up to these hills, or we’d be in real trouble.’

Just then, Erya took out the rations they carried with them, and she even produced a flask of wine.

"Brother Xiaowu, you didn’t eat lunch. Hurry and have something to eat."

Wu Liangchen took the jerky and flatbread, slowly eating and drinking from the flask.

Finally, after raging for a while, the storm outside began to subside. Though the rain was still dense, it was at least no longer as terrifying as before.