About three more hours passed before the car finally stopped at a small town.

The soldier walked up to Qi Yuan's window and knocked.

"My job ends here. Contact me if you want to go out, but the price is a bit steep." With a knowing look, he gestured toward a chaotic crowd not far off. "Same as what those people over there are paying."

Then, the soldier turned and walked away.

Qi Yuan looked toward the commotion. The crowd was a jumble of old and young, some in rags, some in bright clothes.

Wen Min explained, "Most of them aren't Guiran. With the war on, they're desperate to get out of Wugui Country. The smuggling convoys are their only option. They couldn’t afford the fare and had nothing worth trading, so they tried to pay with other things."

Qi Yuan curiously scanned the crowd. "Let's go take a closer look."

Though surprised, Wen Min didn't hesitate to steer the car toward the crowd. Sure enough, as soon as they drew near, people surged toward them from all sides, hands reaching as if to pry the car doors open.

Their voices flooded in from outside.

"Take me with you, please, I'm begging you!"

"My daughter is beautiful. She'll serve you the whole way. Just take us out of here!"

"I have money!"

"Antiques, genuine relics, a thousand years old!"

They shouted, their gazes raw with desperation.

They were mostly either migrant workers or illegal immigrants. Some had it even worse, taken in by force. With Wugui Country being deeply hostile to outsiders, life was miserable for anyone who wasn't Guiran. Coupled with the war, things had grown even darker. Sometimes, Wugui's forces would round up a batch of them to pad their kill counts.

For these people, staying in Wugui was akin to waiting on a chopping block.

Wen Min watched them and let out a long, quiet sigh. "You'd never see this online. Us Qin Yuan Kingdom people, we'd never see how bad things are for people like this."

Some of them were born into the wrong place. Their fate was sealed before they ever had a chance.

Wugui was a religious state, but faith wasn't a passport. Without Guiran blood in their veins, they were lesser beings. Any day, a fanatic could decide your blood was better used soaking cloth for a tree.

The car crept forward slowly.

Qi Yuan's heart was still as deep water. "Stop the car."

The car halted and the noise surged. Stragglers rushed over all at once.

"Sir, please!"

Wen Min's voice boomed, cutting through the clamor. "Back off!"

The crowd fell back. They'd recognised the car had come in with the smugglers' convoy. People like that had power. These men could kill them all and no one would lift a finger.

Qi Yuan scanned the crowd and spotted a dark-skinned boy who appeared no older than eleven or twelve. He was holding the hand of a seven- or eight-year-old girl. Both of them were filthy, the girl's hair matted like it hadn't been washed in months.

He studied them, something flickering in his eyes. "Do you want to leave Wugui?"

The boy's eyes lit up, then clouded just as quickly with fear and wariness.

"Yes... sir. I-I don't have money, but I'm strong and obedient. I can work for free." Yaji said nervously.

Even as he spoke, he shifted to shield the little girl behind him, afraid that Qi Yuan would be the sort of man with unspeakable tastes.

Qi Yuan said what he'd come to say, "I can get you both out. But I'll need a little of your blood."

He'd noticed that in this world, certain people had something unusual about their blood. Wu Qi was one. This boy and the little girl were another.

Though, since he hadn’t studied Wu Qi’s blood, he didn’t know what made it so special. Meanwhile, the siblings shared the same bloodline as Qi Yuan. Their blood could be worth studying to break through in Martial Dao.

Neither the siblings nor Wen Min had any idea what Qi Yuan meant.

The boy hesitated then nodded firmly, hunching forward. "Alright!"

Whatever the terms, leaving Wugui Country was the safest thing to do. Their parents had been taken away recently to serve as kills on someone's tally. Who knew when it would be their turn? Following this car was the only thread of hope they had.

The dark-skinned boy gazed at Qi Yuan with deep gratitude. The little girl was too scared to meet Qi Yuan's gaze.

"Anything you want to bring, grab it," said Qi Yuan.

The boy had a large bundle on his back. It was everything their family owned. He moved it to his shoulders as he held his little sister's hand. "Nothing else."

"Get in."

Yaji pulled his sister along without a moment's hesitation.

Wen Min's car had three rows of seats. The siblings took the back row.

With a respectful expression, Yaji recited the phrase Wugui Country people loved most, "Wu God bless you! You are the most generous of men!"

Though he wasn’t a believer of the Wu Cult, learning that phrase was a prerequisite to survive in Wugui Country.

Qi Yuan smiled. "If I decide to kill the Yang Spirit in Taihuang Palace, can the Wu God protect me?"

He was the force behind the Great Calamity, the most powerful enemy Qi Yuan faced in Canglan.

Yaji went blank, no idea how to answer.

It was the filthy little girl who piped up. "I heard the Wu God is very powerful. They say he can run with a mountain on his back, so probably yes!"

Growing up in Wugui Country, even she'd absorbed stories of the Wu God's might.

Qi Yuan laughed. "That’s all made up, and it isn’t even all that impressive. Running with a mountain on your back is a bit weak for a god."

He'd noticed that people in this world were remarkably pragmatic. Even their tall tales didn't aim high. No one's invented god dared claim omnipotence. He couldn't tell whether that was pure pragmatism or something deeper.

Yaji didn't quite follow Qi Yuan's meaning. He stared out the window, his heart a little more at peace. Quietly, he asked, "Sir, when will we leave Wugui Country?"

It was his greatest wish. In this foreign land, his little sister was all the family he had left. He didn't dare think about revenge. For those who barely scraped by, revenge was a luxury they couldn't afford.

"Once I've picked up a friend," Qi Yuan answered easily.

Wen Min said nothing.

He still didn’t know why Qi Yuan had brought the two children aboard, or what gave him the nerve to waltz into a military camp.

The car drove on. Wen Min stopped once to refuel, then pushed the speed as high as it would go. The navigation guided them steadily toward the military camp. The drones overhead grew more frequent, but none seemed the least bit interested in a vehicle inside the country's borders.