The man in blue ahead let out a light chuckle, looked at Brian Carter, and said, “The world is in chaos now, with magical beasts running rampant and the system collapsing. Aren’t you afraid I might be some villain with ill intentions?”

“Haha, I, Brian Carter, have roamed the cultivation world for over a decade. Though my cultivation is mediocre, I do have some confidence in my ability to judge people. Young hero, your aura is calm and peaceful—someone with such a temperament could never be a truly wicked person.”

Brian Carter laughed heartily as he voiced his guess, then added, “Besides, truly sinister people would avoid the many experts of our Holy Light Empire’s First Sword Sect, established atop Mount Wenjian, if they could. Why would they ever approach on their own?”

The man in blue did not linger his gaze on Brian Carter, but instead walked over to a patch of reeds nearby. After observing for a moment, he selected a particularly robust reed, broke it off, and held it in his hand. Only then did he glance at Brian Carter and nod slightly. “Thank you.”

Seeing the man in blue respond, Brian Carter showed a hint of joy on his face and quickly said, “Young hero, please, come inside the carriage.”

With that, he led the man in blue into the carriage.

This type of commercial carriage had a spacious interior—seating seven or eight people was no problem. At the moment, there were only six people inside; counting the man in blue, that made seven, so it wasn’t crowded.

Of the six people inside, two were clearly guards like Brian Carter.

Qinghong City was about 560 kilometers from Mount Wenjian. Although this carriage performed well, it could only cover around 200 kilometers a day. Including time for meals and rest at night, the journey would take a full three days.

And in these wilds, where magical beasts ran rampant, it was impossible to rest at night without someone keeping watch. Naturally, this meant some would be sleep-deprived and shifts were necessary.

Besides the two guards, the other four were split into two groups.

One group of three consisted of a middle-aged man, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, and a woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six dressed as a guard. Their relationship was likely that of father, daughter, and bodyguard.

The other was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen. Judging by his appearance and attire, he had the bearing of a young hero, with a fine steel sword at his side—though his true strength was unknown.

The arrival of the man in blue did not cause much stir inside the carriage. After the two guards nodded to him, they resumed resting. The middle-aged man seemed to want to exchange pleasantries with the man in blue, but seeing the two guards with their eyes closed, he refrained from disturbing them and simply nodded in greeting. The others glanced at him a few times, then paid him no further attention.

The carriage paused for a moment, then set off again.

Under the vigilant watch of the four guards, they passed the eight kilometers of Yandang Lake without incident.

“Whew.”

Once they left the Yandang Lake area, the four guards outside the carriage visibly breathed a sigh of relief, their tense expressions relaxing considerably.

“The succession ceremony for the leader of our Holy Light Empire’s First Sword Sect—Linmen Sword Sect—is about to take place. Lately, many experts have been traveling this road, and the powerful magical beasts have been cleared out several times. Otherwise, Yandang Lake would never be this peaceful.”

“Next, there’s only the Level Two danger zone, Liangye Forest. But that forest is regularly swept by disciples from Linmen Sword Sect on Mount Wenjian. By now, the title of ‘Level Two danger zone’ is probably just in name—the mid-level magical beasts are mostly gone, and it’s mostly low-level ones left.”

Having left Yandang Lake, the four guards relaxed and began to chat.

“Even though the magical beasts in Liangye Forest are often cleared out by the many young heroes of Linmen Sword Sect, that forest is still vast—over two hundred square kilometers. Even if we’re just passing by the edge, we can’t take it lightly. I, Brian Carter, survive in the wilds by being cautious. If I hadn’t always stayed vigilant, I’d probably have ended up like those seniors from the sect—dead in the wilderness. You all remember this: just because our recent trips have gone smoothly doesn’t mean you can let your guard down.”

“Yes, senior brother.”

“Understood, Boss Carter.”

“Yes.”

The three guards nearby quickly responded.

A moment later, the young guard who called Brian Carter “senior brother” quietly moved closer to him and whispered, “Senior brother, why did we let that man on the carriage? He didn’t even pay the fare, we…”

“Don’t speak nonsense!”

Seeing Brian Carter’s stern expression, the young guard dared not say more and quickly agreed.