The road from Huping County to Sea City was just as Wang Ping remembered it.

Occasionally, he could see Mountain Demons passing through the nearby forests, and the faint scent of blood would drift into his nostrils from time to time.

After walking for about two hours, the pedestrians on the road began to dwindle. As he rounded a bend on a narrow path, he saw six Wolf Demons holding rusty wood-cutting knives. Three of them had lost most of their fur, clearly due to old age.

Of the remaining three, two were female Wolf Demons. Only one, a robust male, stood at the very front, his weapon polished a little brighter than the others.

Their attire was even more shabby—just ragged wolf pelts covering their vitals. However, behind them followed a dozen or so menacing wild wolves, looking ready to charge and kill at any moment.

"They look like they’re about to rob someone, don’t they?" In her current mood, Yu Lian was tempted to cast an ’Ocean Summoning’ on the Wolf Demons, but Wang Ping curbed her impulse.

Facing the Wolf Demons’ stares, Wang Ping slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. He drew it out just enough to reveal a section of the sharp steel, showing off its keen edge to the demons. At the same time, he didn’t break his stride.

In just over a dozen breaths, Wang Ping was standing before the Wolf Demons. The leader, the robust one, glared with his pale yellow eyes, took a step forward, and held out his hand. "Pay tax..." he said in the official tongue of Zhongzhou, though his accent was a bit thick. He then explained, "It’s a new rule of our tribe. Anyone passing through has to pay one tael of silver."

’One tael of silver per person. They’ve really got some nerve.’

Just as Wang Ping was about to say something, the sound of hooves echoed from behind him. It was a large merchant caravan; at a glance, it had at least a hundred people, more than half of whom were guards clad in leather armor.

"Go collect from them first!" Wang Ping stepped aside, ready to watch the show.

Hearing this, the lead Wolf Demon shot him a glare. He looked like he wanted to spit out a few threats, but seeing the approaching caravan, he decisively turned and led his old, weak companions and the pack of wild wolves into the mountain forest behind them.

Wang Ping didn’t want any trouble either. After all, even the heavens have a virtue of cherishing life. He was about to quicken his pace and leave when the sound of hooves came from behind again. Two guards from the caravan, holding long spears, were riding toward him at a startling speed. Wang Ping had no choice but to step off the path and into the woods to get out of their way.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Wang Ping move aside, the two men had no intention of hassling him. They simply shot him a fierce glare, as if warning him to stay put and not move.

’Oh well.’ Wang Ping was used to the friendliness people showed him when he wore his Daoist robes. Now that he had a different identity—a low-ranking Jianghu Traveler from the bottom rung of society—it was only natural that no one would give him a pleasant look.

"Your mood is strange right now," Yu Lian communicated to Wang Ping in his Spirit Sea.

"Human nature is contradictory. They’re not actually in the wrong; this is just the necessary conduct for merchants. In the past, we could talk at length about these matters, about these principles. All those grand theories seem to have taught us what to do. But when it actually happens to you, your perspective changes..."

Wang Ping calmly waited for the merchant caravan to pass, continuing his conversation with Yu Lian in his Spirit Sea. "I’m a little angry. I just feel like they’re looking down on me, and subconsciously, I want to teach them a lesson."

"Are you going to?"

"No. Because right now, I’m just a fledgling Jianghu Traveler."

"What you’re saying... it sounds like something one of those enlightened masters from a folk tale would say... ’Life is cultivation in all its forms.’"

"That’s a load of bullshit!"

"Why?"

"That’s just something used to fool mortals. It’s not talking about *our* kind of cultivation."

"Oh!"

By the time their brief exchange ended, the caravan had passed Wang Ping. A single guard with a long spear brought up the rear, staying vigilant. He was watching Wang Ping for any sudden moves and keeping an eye on the mountain forests on both sides for Demon Race bandits.

Just then, the Wolf Demons who had left earlier emerged from the woods again, apparently intending to collect the tax they had failed to get before.

Wang Ping stepped back onto the road and stared at the approaching Wolf Demons. A flash of malice crossed his eyes. A sharp "SHING" was heard as his steel blade left its sheath. The blade energy it released flickered past in an instant, kicking up a fierce gust of wind. The Wolf Demons only felt a stinging pain on their cheeks before the howls of the wild wolves reached their ears.

SPURT!

Several wild wolves were sliced in half by the passing blade energy.

As blood splattered everywhere, Wang Ping’s brow furrowed slightly. His left hand casually formed a Spell, and he drew in Wood Spirit Qi to conceal his real body. An illusion took his place.

At the same time, the sound of an arrow tearing through the air came from above. Its target was the Wang Ping on the road!

THWUMP.

The arrow struck the middle of the road. Wang Ping had already controlled the illusion to dodge to the side. But just then, several figures leaped out from a distance. They gave the fleeing Wolf Demons a cold glance before chasing after the illusion.

What they didn’t notice was that as they rushed into the forest, an ashen-green Talisman had been placed on each of them.

A dozen or so breaths later, Wang Ping emerged from the forest. Watching the direction the figures had gone, he said, "They must be the people from the border. Their division of labor is really clear. They’ve probably figured out exactly what I’m doing here and all the details of my fake identity."

"Aren’t you all always talking about a ’golden age’? Is this what you call a golden age?" Yu Lian slipped out from his sleeve and blew a breath toward the forest where the Wolf Demons had fled. A stream of Water Spirit Qi shot out, forming two ice spikes that flew deep into the woods. A moment later, the howls of Wolf Demons could be heard.

"You feel like killing, too?"

"I’m just annoyed with them," Yu Lian said. "What about the people who were trying to kill you?"

"For the next four hours, anyone who comes into contact with them will be infected with a new poison I’ve been developing."

"The poison that can erode one’s spiritual sense?"

"Yes."

"That’s good. It’s worse than just killing them."

As they spoke, the two of them got back on the road. Just before nightfall, they saw a large settlement, inhabited by both humans and members of the Demon Race. Outside, there was a particularly large encampment with a sizable market.

This was the place where Wang Ping had rested with a caravan long ago. The small grove that once stood here now had the foundations of a town. As Wang Ping approached, two human guards in chainmail came forward to question him. After checking his identity, they didn’t give him any trouble, even letting him enter without paying a fee.

The most traded goods in the market were still herbs, mostly wild ones.

Wang Ping walked two laps around the market and nearly broke character by spending money.

「The next morning.」

Wang Ping woke up in the small place he had rented in the encampment and left the settlement before the caravans hit the road.

Around noon, with the harsh sun hanging high in the sky, Wang Ping saw Sea City. It was just as he remembered it: seemingly full of life, yet dead and listless.