The prominent figures only needed to consider the truly important matters every day. As for the other trivial details, they would not empathize with them.
Just like how they could never imagine that there were people who had to wash so many clothes every day for a living, or that people would brave the cold weather in the winter to sell charcoal on the streets for a living.
Therefore, even if those prominent figures knew that the merchant convoy was risking their lives to travel from the North to the South, crossing more than half of the Great Liang Dynasty just to earn meager skygold currency, they would absolutely not empathize with them.
On this journey south, the destination of this merchant convoy was Cang Prefecture, which was adjacent to Wei Prefecture and further north. Setting off from the Divine Capital, it would take about two months to reach the prefectural capital of Cang Prefecture. On this journey south, they were bound to encounter demons on the way, so based on the merchant convoy's past experiences, they had already hired more than ten martial artists as escorts. Most of them were veteran soldiers who had been discharged from the army, possessing some cultivation, but most had average talent. As they got older and were also lacking military achievements, they had no choice but to leave the army. After returning to their hometowns, most of them would choose to serve as guards for wealthy households. Some of the veteran soldiers were unwilling to do so and would instead take on jobs guarding merchant convoys. Although this posed great risks, it was something they were more willing to accept.
As for why those merchant convoys chose these veteran soldiers instead of those cultivators who clearly had higher cultivation levels, it was a matter of cost.
Merchants engaged in business were most concerned about profit.
For this, they were even willing to put themselves in danger.
During the first half month of the convoy's journey south, nothing eventful happened. More than ten experienced martial artists rode southward on horseback. Just the imposing aura emanating from their bodies deterred ordinary people from coveting this convoy. As for the demons, perhaps due to good luck, they had not encountered any thus far.
On the way south, those few martial artists often moved around and hence, they built a good relationship with each other, without any sense of estrangement. On the contrary, the black-clad youth of unknown identity seemed to be perpetually detached from the group; neither close nor distant. It piqued the interest of the old veterans who came from military backgrounds.
The leader of the group was an old martial artist named Han Hu, who was already over fifty years old. His temples were graying and his face was marked with wrinkles. However, his physique remained sturdy. Judging from his face alone, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was sixty years of age. Along the way, Han Hu had actually been paying attention to the black-clad youth. However, being a cautious and observant old martial artist, he gave up on the idea of getting closer to him after sensing that the youth was unwilling to interact too much with the other martial artists. But after half a month had passed and seeing that the road ahead was becoming increasingly difficult to travel, Han Hu had no choice but to change his mind too.
He urged his horse forward, approaching the carriage where the black-clad youth lay. He made eye contact with another robust man, who gently pulled the reins and stepped back.
This way, the convoy continued to advance, while Han Hu also drew closer to that black-clad youth.
Glancing at the youth lying on the carriage with his eyes closed, Han Hu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he opened his mouth before calling out softly, "Young friend."
A form of address that was not too distant nor overly familiar.
The black-clad youth opened his eyes and looked at the weathered face of this old martial artist with graying temples. Even at such a close distance, he could feel the surging aura within the man's body. With each breath, he could discern the old martial artist's solid foundation. However, the flow of qi would stagnate a little when passing through one of the acupoints. He might have sustained a hidden injury when he was young and did not completely treat it back then. It also resulted in his cultivation remaining stagnant for several decades and burdening him with that hidden injury.
After thinking about it, he really did not know how to address the other person, the black-clad youth simply raised his head and smiled.
Han Hu had initially thought that since he rashly spoke up, he would be met with rejection. After all, this teenager had seldom spoken to others over the past half month. But he had not expected that the teenager would react like so after he actually opened his mouth.
"Elder Brother Han, my surname is Chen."
After a brief moment of thought, the black-clad youth quickly responded.
The black-clad youth, was naturally Chen Chao.
Han Hu immediately understood and said softly, "Han Hu. I'm a few years older than Younger Brother Chen. If you don't mind, you can call me Elder Brother Han."
Chen Chao nodded and smiled as he accepted the water pouch he handed over. Tilting his head back, he took a sip. Looking at this scene, Han Hu's expression improved significantly. He had let go of many worries that had plagued him before.
After wiping his mouth, Chen Chao handed the water pouch back and smiled, "Elder Brother, if you have something to say, feel free to speak frankly."
After a moment of hesitation, Han Hu finally spoke, "Previously, I always thought that Younger Brother must be from some prominent household, with someone in your family serving as a military officer in the Great Liang Dynasty. But after observing Younger Brother more closely, I realized that I may have been mistaken. There's a hint of killing intent in Younger Brother's eyes and there's also traces of bloody aura and demonic aura on your body. This must be from killing demons on the battlefield. Could it really be that you returned from the desolate northern region?"
Han Hu had a low cultivation realm, but his pair of old eyes were still considered sharp. He could perceive something unique about Chen Chao.
Chen Chao shook his head and smiled, "Elder Brother is half correct."
Seeing Chen Chao abruptly cut off his sentence, Han Hu naturally understood that there were some things that could not be said. So he quickly changed the subject and started talking about other matters.
The first conversation between the two of them, in the end, they both did not say what was deep in their hearts before ending it there.
Afterward, Han Hu rode forward to speak with the leader of the merchant convoy about something. Either way, he paid no more attention to Chen Chao.
Chen Chao did not mind either. He simply lay in the carriage, feeling a bit bored.
As the sun set in the west, the daylight gradually dimmed.
Narrowing his eyes, Chen Chao glanced at the mountains and forests on both sides of the official road, his expression turning somewhat grim.
As expected, that night, they encountered an attack from demons. Several demons leaped out from the forest, all of them were demons commonly found in the Great Liang Dynasty.
Their cultivation realms were not high, but their numbers were extremely high.
At a glance, there were at least a dozen of them.
Those dozen over demons rushed out. Han Hu shouted loudly and more than ten martial artists went up to confront them.
A great battle took place in the night.
……
……
It was not an evenly-matched battle, and soon, Han Hu's side gained the upper hand. When Chen Chao smashed a demon with a single punch, Han Hu's group had already started cleaning up the battlefield.
This sudden but expected demon attack quickly came to an end. Apart from two martial artists who suffered minor injuries, everyone else was safe and sound.
The merchant convoy then proceeded for several miles and took a temporary rest in a dilapidated mountain god temple.
It was also built during the previous dynasty but had been left abandoned and fallen into ruin.
After a simple tidying up of the courtyard, everyone rested here for the time being.
Several fires were quickly lit in the courtyard.
As the night wore on, the frightened merchants dared not sleep. However, by the second half of the night, their eyes could no longer stay open, and they fell into a deep slumber while leaning against each other.
On this night, the martial artists inevitably became more cautious.
During the night watch, they paired up. Originally, Han Hu did not include Chen Chao. But in the end, Chen Chao took the initiative to stand up and keep watch with Han Hu.
A tired-looking Han Hu coughed a few times in front of the fire, causing sparks to fly up. Then he took a small gourd from his waist. After uncorking it, he placed it on his lips and took a sip. Then, his complexion visibly turned rosier.
Seeing Chen Chao looking his way, he raised the gourd in his hand, shaking it, and said, "It's not good wine, but it gives that burning sensation in your throat. Want to try?"
Chen Chao smiled and took it, taking a sip. His face immediately turned red and he struggled not to spit it out. After swallowing it, he said rather self-deprecatingly, "Almost spat it out."
Han Hu smiled faintly, paying no mind as he said, "Everyone's like that the first time. Once you get used to drinking... cough cough... it'll get much better."
Chen Chao brought the wine gourd to his lips again and took another sip. This time, it was noticeably better than before, although his face still turned slightly flushed.
He handed the wine gourd back and said, "Elder Brother, you got sustained injuries when you were younger, right? The injuries didn't fully heal, so you feel a slight pain when qi passes through your acupuncture point. Actually, it's also not that there aren't ways to nourish your body..."
Chen Chao looked at Han Hu and spoke about many things. During the days when Xie Nandu was preparing for the literary exam, he read many books with Xie Nandu, and those books naturally contained numerous methods on how to nourish one's body.
Han Hu widened his eyes and quickly memorized the contents seriously. In the end, he looked at Chen Chao with gratitude, "This elder brother underestimated Younger Brother."
Chen Chao waved his hand and shook his head as he said, "It's just a coincidence. Elder Brother, don't worry about it."
Han Hu lowered his voice and asked softly again, "Younger Brother, are you really not from the North?"
Chen Chao smiled and looked at him, not saying a word.
Han Hu smiled apologetically.
Chen Chao reached out and warmed his hands by the fire, saying softly, "Does it make a difference whether I come from the North or not?"
Han Hu shook his head and laughed. "To be honest, this Elder Brother was once in the Northern Army, so I feel a special connection to the brothers on that Great Wall, even if I haven't met them."
"Just saying, as long as Younger Brother comes from there, no matter what your current identity is, this Elder Brother can entrust my life to you. I can't trust others, but if Younger Brother comes from that place, I trust you with all my heart."
Han Hu's eyes were firm and decisive, without any hesitation when he was talking.
To a veteran like him, the most difficult thing in recent years was not the hardships of life, but the absence of the things they wanted to do when they were young, which made their entire body feel listless.
Sometimes they would wake up in the middle of the night and subconsciously reach for the saber next to them.
Chen Chao suddenly asked, "Those days must have been exhausting, right?"
Han Hu glanced at Chen Chao.
"On that Great Wall, although we faced the possibility of death every day, just the thought that there were so many people behind us guarding it made us not feel tired, no matter how exhausted we were."
