Chapter 577: Bound to the Childbearing System and Becoming a Winner in Life Chapter 578 Infinite Flow Cannon Fodder (25)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

With these things in hand, they could move about within Li Yuan Commandery.

To leave Li Yuan Commandery and go farther afield, they would need other things.

But those could all be bought with silver money; the earlier transaction at the government office had opened Xu Ningchen's eyes—with money, nothing was impossible.

The mule cart moved forward all the way, finally reaching Le Shui County City before nightfall.

For safety's sake, Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen went straight to an inn to put up for the night.

Even to sleep more comfortably, Shen Yao unusually spent double the money to book a superior room; since this was not a busy season for inns, the two did not have to be overly careful when checking in.

"Shall we head that way tomorrow morning? Southward?"

Shen Yao took out a simple map, an abstract version bought at a bookshop in Mountain Qing County, marking only areas within the commandery, for maps in ancient times were strategic goods; only the government and military could openly use them, and commoners privately hoarding them was a grave crime.

"First take the road through Le Shui County to Tonglin County," Tonglin County had a water wharf where they could take a boat via the waterway to leave Li Yuan Commandery.

Li Yuan Commandery was not large, with only thirteen county cities under its jurisdiction, but the whole of Qingzhou covered a considerable area, with nine commanderies large and small; Li Yuan Commandery lay at the outermost edge of Qingzhou, unnoticeable and poor besides, a famously broken household of the Sheng Dynasty.

Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen's ultimate destination was naturally the warmer, richer south, and even their destination lay outside the borders of the Sheng Dynasty.

To reach their destination in three months by mule cart was nothing short of scaling the heavens.

So they settled for second best, choosing first to reach the Sheng Dynasty Capital, then decide their next plan according to circumstances.

But to go to the Sheng Dynasty Capital, they had to cross Qingzhou and Pi Zhou.

As for time, if nothing unexpected happened, about a month; once any mishap occurred along the way, they could not estimate it at all.

The light of the lit candle was feeble, its flickering glow illuminating the already small room.

Stifling a yawn, Shen Yao rubbed her eyes, intending to rest; they had hardly rested all day, and tomorrow they had to rise early and spend time on the road, so they needed to quickly restore their spirits to have strength.

Huff

The candle was blown out, and the room plunged into darkness.

…………

"Wake up, we're getting up."

Xu Ningchen nudged Shen Yao beside him, then took the clothes from the wooden stool; the two dressed and rose by the light coming through the window, put on their shoes, and stepped onto the floor.

Since it was still early, no one was in the Da Tang downstairs.

The two ordered several steamed buns and mantou with rice porridge; after eating and drinking their fill, they led the mule onto the road.

There were still many supplies in the space, basically nothing extra needed to be replenished, which also helped them save much time.

Unlike other taskers, whose points were insufficient to purchase spatial equipment and who had to rely on carrying supplies themselves, at such times once any mishap occurred or the weather was too unpredictable, the tasker's survival difficulty would be infinitely heightened.

The mule cart traveled on the official road, the two sitting at the front watching the road conditions and the environment of the surrounding mountains and forests.

From Le Shui County to Tonglin County took two days; they had to camp in the wild no matter what.

For their own safety, they had to find a concealed place to shelter from wind and rain before dark; and because Li Yuan Commandery was remote, even somewhat distant routes had banditry.

The banditry here was not the kind that killed at the drop of a hat, but part-time villagers who liked to jump out and rob, not living in the mountains normally.

After all, besides farming, the source of money for rural villages was only hunting.

Farming brought slow and little money, hunting was dangerous, and robbery with no capital was more addictive.

Besides, as long as they didn't rob too excessively, the gentlemen in the county city wouldn't bother; after all, those who could go out had some family assets.

"There's a broken temple ahead; let's stop at a distance," Shen Yao pointed to a temple hidden by the mountain side, dilapidated but able to shelter from wind and rain.

But for a broken temple like this, there was no need to stay inside; who knew if there might be danger within.

Xu Ningchen pulled the mule cart beneath him, then found a flat place to park.

The cart carried their daily items; after simply setting up, they unloaded the cart from the mule and placed it to one side, and the two took the opportunity to quickly fill their bellies.

Steamed buns still steaming with soy milk; after eating, all the packaging was thrown into the Automatic Trash Can, Shen Yao patted her hands and put the technology product into her backpack, then immediately walked in circles around the mule cart.

The mule was lowering its head chewing its fodder, with a pair of copper-bell large eyes looking at Shen Yao.

Shen Yao:...?

Shen Yao blinked, then looked up at the not-far-off broken temple; the light in the sky had already dimmed, making the broken temple built by the mountain side seem inexplicably dark, very much like a horror movie scene.

Touching her chin, Shen Yao went back and poked Xu Ningchen, who was resting with eyes closed.

Hmm?

"That broken temple, could it be strange?" Shen Yao said softly, then, feeling very guilty, turned back and took a fierce look.

Xu Ningchen accordingly stood up, and after pondering for a moment, simply pulled Shen Yao back onto the mule cart and moved forward a distance.

Huh?

"Farther away; if something happens, we can still run."

Xu Ningchen said it very seriously, then once again set up the things he had put away.

Shen Yao belatedly said oh, and followed the arrangement to have the system in her mind do work.

System:...

When the system came back, it went tsk tsk tsk without stopping, as if it had discovered some novel thing.

Shen Yao rolled her eyes, lay down beside Xu Ningchen just about to sleep, when she heard the system, unable to hold back, mention that other people had entered the broken temple to rest.

"Oh, then they really have courage," the ancients should be even more superstitious; daring to spend the night in a broken temple in the wild ridge—that was the place most likely to have trouble.

"The escort agency's delivery job, over a dozen sturdy men; isn't it said that abundant yang energy can deter all sorts of petty villains?" The system said those people perfectly fit.

"In this world, are there things that fear yang energy?" They were in a Regular Instance, not a ghostly instance.

"It's the end of a dynasty, with natural disasters and man-made calamities; it's only normal for all sorts of monsters and demons to show up right from the start."

Shen Yao: "... Where is that normal? Unless the instance has been forcibly upgraded."

Shen Yao and the System bickered in her mind, her thoughts turning chaotic, and she slowly fell asleep.

She thought she would sleep straight through to broad daylight, but unexpectedly, she was woken up in the middle of the night.

Mmph.

Saying she was "woken up" isn't quite right, because the spot where their mule cart was parked was still a distance from the ruined temple; even if the noise there was deafening, it shouldn't have reached Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen.

But who told Shen Yao to have a cheat? The System screamed like a pig being slaughtered, yelling non-stop at the top of its lungs. The racket gave Shen Yao a splitting headache, making it impossible not to wake up.

When Shen Yao woke up, she nudged Xu Ningchen, who had his eyes closed beside her.

"Something happened?"

Xu Ningchen opened his eyes instinctively, staring at the pitch-black sky outside. He didn't get angry; instead, he became even more alert.

Shen Yao rubbed her forehead with one hand while pointing toward the ruined temple with the other. "I've been feeling uneasy tonight, kept having nightmares."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ningchen decisively hitched the mule back to the shaft, pulled Shen Yao up, and prepared to leave without another word.

Shen Yao:...

Since Xu Ningchen didn't press for details, Shen Yao was happy to save herself the trouble of explaining.

However, Shen Yao still said they should wait until dawn to leave slowly. There were people staying in the ruined temple; they might run into them on the road and get some information.

System:...

"Host, I'm afraid none of those people will make it out alive." The ruined temple in the night was like a monster gaping its maw, swallowing every single person whole.

"You have such wishful thinking, Host, but you don't consider—given how eerie that temple is—who could possibly escape with their life."

"So what if they can't escape? We have no intention of turning back anyway."

No matter what strangeness that ruined temple holds, it can't do anything to the two of us.

Shen Yao just didn't understand: they clearly entered a standard instance, so why did the System make it sound like the ruined temple was a horror instance?

The mule cart set off again. The two sat in the compartment, driving while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Pitch dark, insufficient light.

The two of them drove the mule cart along the not-so-wide official road, still feeling a lingering fear.

Fortunately, their luck held. They traveled for half the night without encountering any trouble. When the sky finally grew bright, the two yawned and decided to stay in the compartment to rest a bit and recover their energy.

Breakfast was also eaten in the compartment, including the water and fodder the mule needed.

Only when the sun was high in the sky did Xu Ningchen drive the mule cart forward.

The System had already told Shen Yao the final outcome of the ruined temple in her mind: all ten-odd strong men had entered and none escaped. They all lay dead in twisted heaps, faces contorted in terror, god knows what they suffered before death.

Shen Yao rested her chin on her hand, discussing the difference between standard instances and horror instances.

"If we accidentally fall into one, and manage to clear it, would our points increase?"

"That... probably not. Your core mission is to survive for three months."

The System smacked its lips, thinking the Host should stop dreaming about horror instances and focus on reaching the Sheng Dynasty capital first.

The carriage didn't arrive at what they called Tonglin County until evening.

They found a decently decorated inn to stay at, ordered some hot dishes and rice to fill their bellies, and finally took a refreshing bath.

Lying on the comfortable bed with eyes closed, Shen Yao let out a comfortable sigh.

Xu Ningchen ruined Shen Yao's good mood by mentioning that today's temperature was a bit unusual.

Because they had been rushing on the road, Shen Yao hadn't noticed these things. But hearing Xu Ningchen bring it up, she suddenly realized.

That's right.

Today's temperature was higher than yesterday's. At noon, it was so hot they sweated through their clothes; even at night, they slept with the windows open.

You have to remember, it's barely been spring; summer shouldn't arrive for another two months.

"We're not short on supplies in our space, but we can stock up on some medicinal herbs in advance."

In hot weather, people easily get heatstroke; herbs that clear heat and relieve summer heat are very popular.

Usually, when they were in Willow Tree Village, they relied on the village doctor for help. Now that they've left home, they can only figure it out themselves.

Nothing unexpected happened during the night's sleep. Incidents like the ruined temple only happen in the wilderness; such strangeness rarely appears in populated areas.

After getting up in the morning, they ordered a table of food as usual. Shen Yao thought the inn's cooking was good, so she simply ordered a second table and had it packed to go.

Then they led the mule cart away, wandering around the pharmacies and general stores in Tonglin County.

They bought quite a lot of miscellaneous items, storing them separately in their two spaces.

Afterward, they went to the Tonglin County dock and confirmed there was a ship to Pi Prefecture departing that afternoon. The fare was expensive per person; counting their mule cart, it came to nearly ten taels of silver.

No choice. Shen Yao had to take out a beautiful silver bracelet from her space to pawn at a pawnshop for silver. Luckily, she still had a few such silver items in her space, so she wasn't worried about running out.

The remaining silver was stored away in the space, and the two waited for the afternoon to board and depart.

Their destination was Xining County in Pi Prefecture, located on the border of Pi Prefecture.

Shen Yao had long been prepared for the fact that even after entering Pi Prefecture, they would still have to travel by mule cart. Ancient times were just this inconvenient. But by now, they had left Qingzhou, and she believed that even if there were natural or man-made disasters, they would have more confidence than others.

Afternoon arrived.

The two handed over their wooden tokens and boarded the passenger ship. As for the mule and carriage, the crew would take care of them; once they paid the fare, they didn't need to worry much.

Ten taels have ten taels' worth of benefits. Cheaper fares exist for two taels, but that would be too much suffering; the two of them didn't want to live hard lives for the time being.

Creak—

The door to the second-floor cabin was pushed open. Shen Yao walked to the bed and sat down, then pushed open a small window nearby to look at the scenery outside.

The ship moved, slowly leaving the dock and heading into the distance.

This trip would take about ten days, if nothing unexpected happens.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao raised her hand to cover Xu Ningchen's mouth; she was afraid right now that if he said two words, because at times like this they would always run into bad luck.

Xu Ningchen:...

"I asked the shop assistant on the ship; this time period is the easiest to travel," no rain, and they wouldn't run into trouble.

"But the weather is gradually getting hotter," the temperature is unusual; who can guarantee that past experience still applies nowadays.

"At worst we'll just row the boat ourselves," there are boats in the Space Backpack, it just doesn't fit the characteristics of this world.

"Hopefully we won't have to go that far," unless it's a matter of life and death, breaking persona is something they must keep this Persona tightly wrapped around their lives otherwise.

Life on the ship is even more barren than on land; at least on land they can run and jump, but once on board, their activity range is just this small.

Considering Shen Yao's identity makes it inconvenient for the General Manager to show up often, most of the time Xu Ningchen goes out to socialize, while Shen Yao stays in the Room chatting idly with the system.

All the gossip the system heard recently was told to the Host to relieve boredom, but the ship is only so big, and most inside are men; the topics they chat about can be heard to reveal cocoons.

'Sigh'

'Sigh'

The system and Shen Yao, Person and System as one, sighed together; it really isn't their fault, the ship has been sailing for more than seven days, and no secret can withstand the system's nagging.

Xu Ningchen pushed open the door, saw Shen Yao lying on the bed, and hurriedly pulled her up, "The Steward said it will rain tonight; we should be more alert when we sleep."

Shen Yao blinked, "Something will happen?"

Xu Ningchen pursed his lips, "Possibly; there are Water Bandits on the water, and they love to go out on rainy days."