Chapter 5

The forbidden zone formed in this corner of the eastern Nanhuang Continent was not very large.

And the ruins that Xu Qing and his group left were located at the edge of the forbidden zone.

This was also the reason why the scavengers were able to reach the city on the first day the sunlight arrived.

So when the sky grew late, they were already about to walk out of the forbidden zone's range.

Although they encountered some alienated beasts on the road, they were quickly resolved by the scavengers' attacks.

Under Xu Qing's observation, he had a judgment in his heart.

He felt that if he were to make a move, among these six scavengers, except for the old man called Lei Dui, he could confront the others.

"They are not cultivators, but their ruthlessness in attacking and their grasp of timing, as well as that attitude of seemingly not caring about death at critical moments, enhance their lethality."

Xu Qing analyzed in his heart, pondering that apart from Lei Dui, he could fight any of the others individually.

If there were two, it wasn't impossible for him, but three together, he feared he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Having this judgment, Xu Qing became increasingly cautious.

At the same time, he also keenly noticed that as they got closer to the outside world, the expressions of those scavengers also relaxed quite a bit.

They even joked with each other on the road from time to time.

Only the old man called Lei Dui had no words throughout the journey.

And the others were also very respectful toward him, which made Xu Qing curious about the old man's identity.

However, this curiosity did not reduce his vigilance; even though they were about to walk out of the forbidden zone, Xu Qing's vigilance remained, and when following these scavengers, he did not get completely close.

Instead, he stayed at a distance in the back, listening to their discussions while cautiously following along.

Until the sky was about to fall completely, as a wave of warmth rushed toward his face, Xu Qing paused his steps, turned his head to look at the wasteland behind him, and then looked at the world ahead.

Between heaven and earth, where he was, there seemed to be an invisible boundary.

Inside the boundary was the newly formed forbidden zone, cold and icy.

Outside the boundary was the normal world, where the earth was returning to spring.

They had walked out of the forbidden zone.

Although it was night outside, the starry sky was brilliant, and he could see the bright moon hanging high.

Although the earth was also desolate, it was far from the coldness of the forbidden zone, and from time to time, he could hear the sounds of normal birds and beasts.

In the grass in the distance, Xu Qing even saw a rabbit, looking at them vigilantly.

All of this made Xu Qing's expression somewhat dazed.

Those scavengers also clearly had their expressions completely relaxed, and even Lei Dui eased his brow.

"Finally walked out; this time it was considered smooth, but whenever possible, I don't want to step half a step into the forbidden zone again."

"Not go to the forbidden zone? In this ghost world, if you want to survive, if you want to live better, you must go to the forbidden zone to fight for your life; sooner or later, I will buy a residency right in a Qixuetong branch city!"

Outside the forbidden zone, these scavengers were clearly relaxed, their words spreading to each other.

Xu Qing remained silent, but listened very carefully; along the way, he had listened to these people's conversations and had already learned a lot of information he hadn't been able to access before.

For example, this Qixuetong, he had heard these scavengers mention it multiple times; it seemed to be a very powerful force.

And the name "Purple Earth" had also been mentioned by them several times.

"You only have this much ambition? There are many Qixuetong branch cities; the nearby Lujiao City is one of them, but the qualifications there aren't something you can buy just because you have enough spirit coins; you also need a recommendation from a Qixuetong disciple. Besides, what is a residency right there? My goal is to obtain the entry qualification for Qixuetong and become a Qixuetong disciple!"

"If you go to Qixuetong, you won't live for three days. Who can't brag? Why don't you say your goal is to head to the overseas Eastern Wanggu Continent? That's where the origin of the human race is."

Xu Qing heard this, and his heart stirred; he had seen the name "Eastern Wanggu" on bamboo slips.

"Eastern Wanggu? If I had the ability to ignore those forbidden items in the sea, do you think I wouldn't go?"

Two of the scavengers seemed to have some verbal conflict, arguing with each other.

Xu Qing pricked up his ears, just about to continue listening to their dialogue to obtain information, when the old man Lei Dui on the side glanced at the two, speaking for the first time on the journey.

"Wanting to go to the Eastern Wanggu Continent is not impossible; there are four methods. You can think about which one suits you."

"First, establish Foundation Establishment within fifteen years of age and become a rare genius. Second, pay three hundred thousand spirit coins to purchase a migration quota from Purple Earth or Qixuetong, or the Litu Sect."

"Third, make outstanding contributions to the human race in alchemy. Fourth, be accepted as a personal disciple by one of the great families of Purple Earth, one of the Peak Masters of Qixuetong, or the Sect Leader of the Litu Sect."

"Oh, there is also a fifth method: become a Treasure Nourisher. Think about it, which one suits you?"

The scavengers fell silent, especially when hearing the fifth method, all of them having unnatural expressions, their eyes revealing fear.

Xu Qing's eyes also narrowed; he had heard the title "Treasure Nourisher."

That was when he was in the slums; he once had a few familiar companions who were taken away by some people dressed in luxury.

It was said they were going to be cultivated to become Treasure Nourishers; at that time, the other children in the slums were still very envious.

So he hesitated for a moment, looked at the old man Lei Dui, and asked softly.

"May I ask... what is a Treasure Nourisher?"

The old man Lei Dui's gaze landed on Xu Qing, speaking calmly.

"Using one's own body to nourish magic treasures, cultivating special techniques, relying on flesh and blood to dilute the alien contamination of the magic treasures, so that the increase in alien quality brought by each use of the magic treasure is eased, in order to continue using it, while the person themselves gradually withers and dies."

Xu Qing's eyes shrank, and for a long while, he couldn't speak, falling into silence.

The crowd also seemed to have lost the desire to talk because of the three words "Treasure Nourisher," walking silently in the dark night.

Until they left the forbidden zone for some distance, on a plain, Lei Dui chose to set up camp.

Unlike the forbidden zone, the camp outside, besides the tents themselves, also had a lit bonfire.

As the fire burned, the warmth in the surroundings grew stronger, and these scavengers also sat around the bonfire, each taking out food to roast, gradually filling the air with fragrance.

Looking at their food, Xu Qing swallowed his saliva, sitting in the distance and taking out half a piece of hard dried meat from his leather pouch, putting it in his mouth and tearing at it forcefully.

Lei Dui by the bonfire swept his gaze over, stood up, and walked to Xu Qing.

As Xu Qing suddenly looked up, Lei Dui threw over a leather pouch, inside which were a few hot steamed buns.

The moment he saw these buns, Xu Qing's eyes went straight; enduring the impulse, he spoke in a low voice.

"Thank you."

Lei Dui said nothing, returning to the bonfire, where a scavenger beside him laughed and spoke.

"Lei Dui, why be so good to this kid?"

"We are all pitiful people; meeting is fate. Help if you can."

There were three buns, very hot in his hand.

Xu Qing hesitated for a moment, seeing the crowd by the fire also eating the same buns, so he first pretended to take a bite, observing those scavengers, and after finding they remained as usual after a long while, he endured for a long time before really taking a small bite, holding it in his mouth and waiting for a moment.

Having confirmed there was no harm, he only then slowly chewed until it was sparse, slowly swallowing.

After waiting for a long time and confirming again there was no harm, his heart relaxed, and he could no longer hold back, eating a whole one in big mouthfuls.

Then he hesitated for a moment, and ate the second one in small mouthfuls as well.

Although his stomach was still hungry, he still wrapped up the last bun, carefully placing it in his leather pouch, as if placing a treasure.

Soon the sky grew later, and the scavengers returned to their tents one after another; Lei Dui, like yesterday, handed the sleeping bag to him, saying a sentence before leaving.

"It's yours."

Xu Qing looked up, looked at Lei Dui, and suddenly spoke.

"Why?"

"What why? Three buns, one sleeping bag... no why. If you have the heart, get me something to eat later." Lei Dui turned around and walked toward his tent.

"What do you like to eat?"

"Me?" Lei Dui stood by the tent and thought for a moment.

"Snakes, that stuff tastes pretty good." After speaking, he walked into the tent.

Xu Qing held the sleeping bag, looked at Lei Dui's tent for a long time, nodded heavily, and crawled into the sleeping bag, closing his eyes.

But he did not fall asleep immediately, instead silently operating the Sea Mountain Technique while closing his eyes; this had already become his habit.

Even though it was icy cold while cultivating, he did not give up in the slightest, seizing every moment to strive to cultivate.

Especially today, what Lei Dui said about establishing Foundation Establishment before fifteen; although he did not compare himself to the kind of genius in the other party's words, he still had some thoughts in his heart.

"I am fourteen this year..." Xu Qing muttered, continuing to cultivate.

Just like that, time passed slowly, and soon five days passed.

Xu Qing followed these scavengers, crossing mountains and walking through grasslands.

Three people left halfway, which also confirmed Xu Qing's previous judgment; these people were temporarily combined.

Until the seventh day, after the two knife-wielding scavengers also left, only Xu Qing and Lei Dui remained.

That night, under a mountain, by the bonfire, the old man Lei Dui looked at Xu Qing, who had finished eating the bun in small mouthfuls and carefully put away the other half, speaking slowly.

"Child, tomorrow at noon, we can reach our destination; that is where I live, a gathering camp for scavengers."

Xu Qing looked up at the old man.

The old man looked into the distance and continued to speak.

"Scavenger camps are often built next to forbidden zones, so outside the camp on the other side of the mountain, there is also a forbidden zone."

"Compared to the newly formed forbidden zone you were in before, that place has existed for a long time; inside, there are not only fierce beasts but also dangerous places, and the alien quality is extremely rich. Ordinary people who go in for a day without coming out will definitely die, and even for me, I can only support myself for seven days inside."

"But that place produces Seven-Leaf Grass, which is a necessary item for refining White Elixirs."

"White Elixirs are the basic elixirs used by cultivators to resolve their own alien quality, so usually many outsiders come here; they cherish their lives and are not familiar with the geography, so they rarely go to pick them personally, instead spending spirit coins to let local scavengers go in to pick them."

When the old man said this, he looked at Xu Qing.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"You mean that the local scavengers in the camp are all desperate people; for money, they can do anything."

Xu Qing heard about the White Elixirs and their efficacy, narrowed his eyes, pondered, and spoke softly.

The old man Lei Dui revealed a look of surprise in his eyes and smiled.

"Your answer is partially correct; what I want to tell you is that the rule of the scavenger camp is survival of the fittest, strength is supreme."

"But at least it is a place to live, and there is a market, a place for buying and selling daily necessities, and sometimes there are even merchant caravans coming, so the houses inside each have no small value."

"Therefore, it is not that anyone can enter just by saying so; every new face who wants to obtain the right to reside needs to experience a beast trial; this is the rule set by the Camp Master."

"And you, if you pass successfully, I can allow you to reside at my place for a fee." The old man looked at Xu Qing and spoke slowly.