Chapter 582: Bound by the Birth System, Becoming a Winner in Life Chapter 583 Infinite Flow Cannon Fodder (30)

·

·

·

Main Character:

Shen Yao

Qing Zhou

The state where Sheng Dynasty's border lies; the people are fierce, basically everyone is a soldier.

When Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen stepped onto Qing Zhou's territory, the weather was already cold beyond words.

Both were wrapped in thick padded jackets, and the two mules pulling the cart were wrapped round and round with cloth, for fear the mules would fall ill.

"Halt!"

Qing Zhou differs from the other five states; because its geographical location is special enough, there are many inspection checkpoints of all sizes within the region.

Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen happened to encounter one just now; they handed over proof of their identities and paid some long-standing tolls before being allowed to pass.

"But once inside the city, be careful, and don't let certain ill-intentioned people deceive you."

The soldier in charge of this checkpoint lifted his eyelids, speaking carelessly.

Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen naturally dared not refute, nodding to show they absolutely wouldn't believe it; if not for the turmoil in the Capital leaving them nowhere to go, who would willingly travel a thousand li to Qing Zhou to make a living?

The mule cart moved forward, ruthlessly leaving the motionless checkpoint behind.

Shen Yao shrank her neck into the cart compartment, asking Xu Ningchen while requesting a Qing Zhou map from the system.

The two of them only had one relatively abstract map, its contents still a version from decades ago; now that Sheng Dynasty is about to fall, who knows if the villages and towns on the map still exist?

Xu Ningchen planned to take it one step at a time; their escape speed had already surpassed over ninety percent of Sheng Dynasty's people, and if they still failed to pass the checkpoint, one could only say the instance's name shouldn't be New and Old Alternation, but No One Survives.

"First find a village where people live, and ask about the surroundings. The two of us want to pass through the border into a neighboring country, but we also need a guide."

Otherwise, running barefoot, it's easy to be treated as a fat sheep and slaughtered.

Qing Zhou's dilapidation contrasts sharply with Jingzhou's prosperity; it's said that because of regional issues, Qing Zhou has never been favored by Sheng Dynasty, and if not for troops stationed at the border, Sheng Dynasty wouldn't allocate a single large coin.

The mule cart jolted over the pitted dirt road, making Shen Yao wish she could get down and walk.

Xu Ningchen patiently comforted her, and Shen Yao finally relied on high-tech products in her Space Backpack to let her body recover.

"Cooking smoke is rising ahead, someone lives there!"

Xu Ningchen saw the road was impassable, so he simply had the mule cart forge a path. By the time the two, after untold hardships, finally crept into this village of only a few households, the commotion they made had long drawn the villagers' attention.

Qing Zhou's fierce folkways are reflected in every aspect; when Shen Yao saw the villagers facing them, each holding a hoe or sickle, she understood why, until now, Qing Zhou isn't as chaotic as the other five states.

The people living here are all ruthless! They can act without speaking, with action and aggression maxed out.

"Fellow villagers, we are a refugee couple from Jingzhou; we only want to ask about Qing Zhou's situation, with no ill intentions."

Xu Ningchen hurried to explain; there must be no misunderstanding. They had finally met people, and they didn't want to keep traveling without knowing anything.

"You are commoners from Jingzhou? Do you have any proof on you?"

Among the villagers, an elderly person suddenly spoke.

"Yes, yes, yes, they're all here."

Shen Yao handed the proof she had given the inspectors once again to this old man.

The thick stack of proofs recorded their heart-wrenching experiences over these past two months, also showing their words were not false.

The old man nodded, signaling the villagers behind him to put down their weapons.

However, Shen Yao and the other could ask for news, but could not enter the village to stay.

Their village has few people and few fields, barely able to feed themselves; feed two more people? Don't even think about it.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen really had no mind to stay here; first, this place is near Jingzhou and can't be defended, suffering first; second, they want to go to a neighboring country and must press on.

Xu Ningchen stepped forward to communicate privately with the old man, also taking out some scattered silver as payment, only hoping the old man would answer truthfully and not deceive them on this.

For the sake of the scattered silver, the old man answered with utmost effort.

Qing Zhou administers four commanderies and twenty-two counties, with countless towns.

If you want a good life, go to Shaoyang Commandery or Linquan Commandery to settle down; if you want to make a big effort for a good future, go to Lankou Commandery; as for the remaining Yanshan Commandery, it's best not to go unless there's something.

Xu Ningchen's expression shifted slightly, and he inquired about Yanshan Commandery on the side.

Only to see the old man look embarrassed as he said Yanshan Commandery's governor was too greedy, and no one could control him; people living in Yanshan Commandery fled helplessly in large numbers, and those left were commoners who couldn't leave, getting by day by day.

"Young man, this old man sees you are capable; fleeing here all the way hasn't been easy.

If you can leave, leave as much as possible; this Qing Zhou..." The old man shook his head, obviously not wanting to say more.

Seeing this, Xu Ningchen didn't ask further; touching on the old man's heartache, skipping it appropriately was good for both of them.

The mule cart didn't stay long in this unknown small village; gradually, the village's shadow behind them faded, simply disappearing from their sight.

Traveling is always lonely, but fortunately they two can keep each other company.

The outside temperature, after experiencing a sharp drop, appropriately slowed its pace.

The two now had a clear destination: Lankou Commandery.

Shen Yao, from the Qing Zhou map provided by the system, discovered Lankou Commandery wasn't near them; at the current mule cart speed, it would take about ten days.

"Counting the cost of finding people and some arrangements after entering the neighboring country," their remaining time would just barely be enough.

Shen Yao pinched her fingers, always feeling that this three-month survival mission had been played by them as a wandering mission; other taskers find a place to hide and wait to clear the level, but only the two of them run in all directions.

Right now they are still running.

However, Qing Zhou is vast and sparsely populated, and most fields are unsuitable for planting, leading to Qing Zhou being unable to support too many people; those with connections, whether going to a neighboring country or other states, won't stay in Qing Zhou to muddle through.

As a result, they drove the mule cart for several days without encountering a single inhabited village, not even a channel to learn news.

"The road on the left, and the right leads to Shaoyang Commandery."

Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen studied the map for a long while, finally relying on the system prompt to confirm which route led to Lankou Commandery.

Holding a whip to drive the mule beneath him, Xu Ningchen drove the mule cart slowly along a small path where weeds had grown half a meter high and the road was barely visible.

"Help!"

A cry for help carried by the wind came from the distant forest, intermittent and indistinct; considering the two's strength and the remaining time, Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen got down from the cart to save the person.

It was a hunter who had fallen into a trap!

Looking young, with a tender face and short stature, he was already in a state of breathing out more than breathing in.

Hurriedly pulling the man out of the trap, feeding him water and applying medicine, when this young hunter opened his eyes, he saw two very unfamiliar faces right in front of him.

Hunter:...

"Many, many thanks to the two of you for saving me, I, I am from Yu Family Village, my name is Yu Zhixin."

However, after introducing himself with two sentences, Yu Zhixin's complexion, which had just recovered with difficulty, turned pale and bloodless once again.

Seeing this, Shen Yao took out a waterskin and handed it to Xu Ningchen beside her.

Xu Ningchen handed the waterskin to Yu Zhixin's mouth, and glanced at the wound wrapped in gauze, which was slightly oozing blood and needed professional treatment.

"Brother Yu, is Yu Family Village far from here? My wife and I are not professional doctors; your wound still needs to be treated as soon as possible."

"Yu Family Village is not far from here, it's only half a day's journey on foot, but with my current body," Yu Zhixin smiled bitterly, fixing his gaze on Xu Ningchen, and could only hope the other party would send him back.

Xu Ningchen:...

Doing something like watching someone die without saving them was possible, but unless it was absolutely unavoidable, neither of them would do it.

For now, the two of them were relatively safe, and judging from this person's tone and demeanor, he didn't seem like a bandit intentionally deceiving people.

Since that was the case, seeing him off was no problem; they could also inquire about some news along the way.

Standing up to support Yu Zhixin back to where the mule cart was, Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen saw the deed through to the end, driving the cart for half an hour to send him back to Yu Family Village.

Compared to the first unknown village they had briefly interacted with before, Yu Family Village was clearly a large village.

Before they even reached Yu Zhixin's village entrance home, the noise of the mule cart had already alarmed many villagers.

In the territory of Qingzhou, once a stranger appeared in a village, it would arouse the villagers' vigilance.

Indeed, a group of people hurried over and surrounded the mule cart, after which the village chief spoke up to probe, "The two of you, do you have business in our Yu Family Village?"

Xu Ningchen nodded, and together with Shen Yao, pulled back the curtain outside the cart compartment, revealing Yu Zhixin lying inside.

"Not to hide it from you, sir, this Brother Yu claims to be from Yu Family Village, fell into a trap and suffered some injuries; we husband and wife happened to pass by and brought him back."

Yu Zhixin spoke at the right moment, blood continuously seeping from his shoulder wrapped in white cloth, frightening the village chief into a shiver, and he hurriedly had the villagers call the village's old doctor.

Relying on Yu Zhixin's influence, Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen successfully entered Yu Family Village.

From the outside, one thought this was just an ordinary village, but once inside, Shen Yao noticed there was more to it than met the eye, truly surprising her; it turned out that the people of Qingzhou could own weapons!

"Cough cough, just for ordinary practice, our Yu Family Village is surrounded by mountain forests on all sides, and wild beasts often come down from the mountains to harass us," the village chief was old and not honest; what he said made the young people lower their heads one after another.

Xu Ningchen cooperated with the village chief to gloss over the matter of weapons, following him in mentioning that he came from Jingzhou, wanted to make a living in Lankou Commandery, and didn't know how far Yu Family Village was from Lankou Commandery, so they could set out at the right time.

After hearing this, the village chief looked surprised, and glanced at Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen's attire, "You two are planning to go to Chu State?"

Bordering the Sheng Dynasty was Chu State, also the neighboring country they kept mentioning.

Xu Ningchen neither admitted nor denied, just smiled faintly.

Village Chief:...

"Youngster, considering you were willing to save that Yu brat, this old man reminds you: don't go to Lankou Commandery; these four commanderies of Qingzhou are all the same now."

The last sentence, the village chief's voice was very faint; if not for Xu Ningchen and the other's bodies having undergone point enhancement in the Infinite World, they wouldn't have heard it at all.

Huh?

How did it feel like they still had some secrets? Was the news they had gathered before outdated?

Shen Yao called out to the system; the system in her mind was also at a loss, having been very well-behaved lately, often lying in the host's mind playing dead without making a sound.

If it weren't for the system being an artificial intelligence, merely a compiled program, with no possibility of aging or being scrapped, Shen Yao would have suspected the system suddenly fell ill like a human.

System:...

"Host, the system doesn't know either," the system innocently circled the four commanderies mentioned by the village chief quickly, even spending some energy to speed up.

Hmm, on the surface there seemed to be no problem; it was just that the common people in the commandery city all had worried faces, perhaps they had encountered some corrupt officials again.

"Sir, my wife and I have no close friends in Qingzhou; please help us clear up our doubts."

Xu Ningchen finished speaking, then took out some silver from his sleeve and handed it to the village chief.

When asking someone for news, how could one not pay a price? Moreover, judging from this village chief's words and logic, this person should know quite a bit of inside information, which was crucial for these two newcomers who had just stepped into Qingzhou.

The village chief looked at the silver handed to him, refused several times, and finally accepted it.

Hmm

He had rarely encountered such two young people of good character before; moreover, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.

Persuading himself in his heart, the village chief signaled the two to leave with him first; as for the injured Yu Zhixin, with the village's old doctor present, nothing would happen.

"Right here."

The village chief led them to a secluded place, with a serious tone, "Nowadays in Qingzhou's four commanderies, once you step in, it's extremely difficult to get out."

Why is that?

Could it be that the people inside declared themselves kings? That couldn't be right either.

As Qingzhou borders Chu State, even if they dared to declare themselves kings today, tomorrow they would be crushed by the great army.

Moreover, those who can serve as officials in Qingzhou are all unlucky ghosts who have offended the big shots of the Sheng Dynasty; do they think exile to the border is just talk? The border in ancient times did not represent the stability and freedom of modern society.

"Qingzhou's four commanderies have seen some inexplicable situations," the village chief also couldn't describe this problem well; after all, although ancient people were superstitious, they were not stupid.

"It's best not to step into the scope of the four commanderies; inside there are demons and monsters that eat people's hearts and livers!"

The village chief's last two sentences directly increased the intensity for Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen.

Hmm, demons and monsters!

Looks like the talismans they practiced have their use after all.

But before their talismans can be used, they need to find out what exactly happened in the Qingzhou Si Jun.

After thanking the Village Chief for the reminder, the two decisively rested one night at Yu Family Village, and after visiting Yu Zhixin, who had been re-treated, the next day they left riding in a Lu Che.

Shen Yao hid in the Che Xiang to interrogate the system, clearly intending to probe for information.

System:...

The system really found no problem with all sorts of probing, it's just that the common people of the Si Jun are a bit strange and weird—what demons and monsters have been involved these past few years? But they didn't join a Regular Instance? Surely this Instance isn't turning into a Supernatural Instance?

'Perhaps this Instance was originally a Supernatural Instance, merely restricted by special means of the Infinite World, making us think it's a Regular Instance.'

Previously in Xining County, they followed the Old Taoist to learn Talisman Drawing, and because strange legends circulated in the county, they seized the opportunity.

Nowadays in the Qingzhou Si Jun, who knows—it might be another new opportunity!