Chapter 9: This County Is Nothing Like I Imagined

Summarizing information from the white snake’s words, Feng Xue took out a drone and began reconnaissance.

But just as the drone rose into the air and projected its feed onto his phone screen, the white snake coiled on Feng Xue’s finger finally understood what this black, dull object was for—and despite being a low-end drone that could only hover twenty to thirty meters, it triggered a startled cry from the white snake—

“A Kongming lantern! The legendary reconnaissance-and-strike Kongming lantern! So you’ve set your altar in the sky! The Fox Immortal Grandma said the higher the altar, the stronger the cultivator’s combat power—you’re truly a formidable cultivator!”

“God damn it, reconnaissance-and-strike…” Feng Xue knew the white snake had misunderstood badly, but he didn’t correct it; instead, he filed away the fact that “this world also had Kongming” in his mind, and silently maintained [Observing Heavenly Lifespan] to scan for possible risks nearby.

He walked for half an hour, and daylight fully broke. After two breaks, he finally spotted a clear road on the screen. To avoid being seen by passersby, he immediately retracted the useless drone, worried about it crashing, then adjusted the solar power bank hanging outside, and jogged over to the roadside to study the road conditions.

“There are wheel ruts, but narrow—probably horse carts or ox carts. Looks like the tech level is low…”

A foreboding feeling rose in Feng Xue’s mind, and he immediately asked the white snake:

“What’s the largest vehicle… I mean, carriage or cart—you’ve heard of?”

“Not sure. Probably a horse cart? The Fox Immortal Grandma said when she was young, she rode in a carriage from a prefect’s household—so elegant, it could even fit a full family banquet inside!”

“Oh damn, this is bad!” Feng Xue’s heart sank. He’d originally thought that if this world had no way to extend lifespan, he’d just gamble and go somewhere else after confirming [Mouth Seal] would work 100%. But now it seemed this world had no luck at all?

Feng Xue’s first thought was to use [Mouth Seal]’s ability to turn the white snake into a vehicle—but even ignoring whether it could become a hundred-ton behemoth, the bigger problem was whether such a transformed white snake would be classified as a vehicle or a living being.

If he used [Gambling on Luck], he couldn’t lock lifespan—if the divine finger didn’t recognize it, someone could die!

“No, no—[Gambling on Luck] doesn’t require a car. Even if this world has no automobiles, a hundred-ton wooden ship must exist somewhere. If not, I’ll just build one myself—it’s only for a single collision, no need to sail far!”

As Feng Xue built up his resolve, he analyzed the road conditions. On dirt paths like this, even if the original intersection was a standard “T” shape, frequent shortcuts by travelers would gradually warp it into a “ Ru ” shape—just by observing the direction of the bend, he could roughly tell which way the target lay.

Though this small path had been abandoned for years, the main road saw constant traffic, and the edge marks remained clear—judging the direction wasn’t difficult.

Budebushuo ， Fengxuezheshentisuzhizhushishiyiban ， Ququshijigongjindefuzhong ， Jiurangtaliangbuyixie ， Daidaoshiyejintouyinyinnengkandaojianzhuwulunkuodeshihou ， Yuanbenkongdangdangdexiaodaoshangyeduochulexiexuxingren 。

They either drove donkey or horse carts, or simply carried shoulder poles; most wore hemp clothing, and those few in cotton were mostly the ones who owned carts.

“Looks like farmers and hunters—today’s market day?”

Feng Xue muttered to himself, but didn’t care how out-of-place his tactical jacket made him look—he stepped forward and followed them. He wasn’t worried about entrance taxes; he’d prepared for cross-world travel, so of course he carried loose silver and gold.

But when he finally saw the city gate tower, he was taken aback.

Unlike his imagined ancient small town, this place looked surprisingly “modern.” Through the gate, he could faintly spot Western-style “little villas,” and the soldiers on guard at the gate carried rifles—though they looked like antiques even from wartime films, they were at least breech-loaders.

“Hmm, probably 19th to early 20th century level? But need to confirm further.”

Feng Xue muttered to himself as he reached the gate. Even though he’d deliberately chosen a dull gray outfit, modern dyeing techniques still made him stand out.

Yet none of his ten carefully rehearsed excuses were needed—the gate guards immediately wore smug, flattering smiles, bowed and gestured for him to enter, didn’t even approach to speak, as if they deemed themselves unworthy to address him—making Feng Xue wonder if they’d mistaken him for some high-ranking figure.

Feng Xue gladly played along, no longer hiding—he openly acted like a city dweller visiting the countryside, strolling freely through the streets.

“Paper money, coins, glass already exists… hmm, martial arts school?”

Feng Xue’s gaze suddenly fixed on a roadside shop with a sign reading “Zhang’s Martial Arts School.” Through its open door, he saw over a dozen vigorous men training—clearly morning practice.

He stepped up to the door and activated [Observing Heavenly Lifespan]. As his focus sharpened, numbers floated into view.

After a quick mental calculation, Feng Xue shook his head:

“Most have forty to fifty more years left… adding their age, that’s long-lived for this era—but still short of what I need. Maybe this school is low-tier; after all, it’s just a rural county. In a xianxia map, it’s a beginner village—no masters expected.”

Muttering to himself, Feng Xue continued walking, [Observing Heavenly Lifespan] still active—when suddenly, a string of numbers flashed in his vision—

“46323”

“Over a hundred years? That’s not normal lifespan!”

Feng Xue turned his gaze and saw two men walking one behind the other. The younger man ahead wore a black suit that looked like he’d mistaken formal evening wear for daily attire; his remaining lifespan was only around forty years. Behind him walked a much bulkier man—his remaining lifespan, over forty thousand days, hovered above his head.

“Bodyguard?”

Feng Xue’s eyes darted around the street, then he approached an old man smoking cheap cigarettes, pulled one from the opened pack, and offered it.

He didn’t smoke himself, but from hanging out in mahjong parlors, he’d learned how to hand out cigarettes—and even after crossing over, he’d brought a few packs, just for moments like this.

The old man didn’t recognize the modern brand, but the refined filter and printed design told him this wasn’t cheap junk. Seeing Feng Xue’s unusual fabric, he hesitated to take it.

Feng Xue forced the cigarette into the old man’s hand and demanded in an unyielding tone:

“Old man, I’ve got a question—what’s the background of the man following that young master over there?”

(End of Chapter)