In the small town, several buildings ten-plus stories high rose above the rest, standing tall like cranes among chickens.
The glass panes looked as though they had not been cleaned in over a decade, coated in murky gray grime.
Inside, the staircase handrails were greasy and blackened with dirt.
A man wearing an unrecognizable military uniform looked at Wen Min and Qi Yuan, letting out a belch. "Old Chen asked me to take you across. No problem with that, but... you have to do what you're told along the way. Understand?"
As the uniformed man spoke, he pulled back his overcoat to reveal a firearm tucked into his waistband.
"No problem!" the burly Wen Min agreed at once.
Qi Yuan said nothing, which served as his assent.
"Also, rules are rules... Hand over your weapons," the uniformed man said, watching the pair.
Without hesitation, Wen Min pulled two handguns from his waist and handed them over.
The man glanced at Qi Yuan. "What about you?"
He looked at Qi Yuan's neat clothes and fair, clean appearance, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
At a glance, Qi Yuan clearly was not a local; he looked more like a pampered young master from a wealthy family.
What was he doing coming out here... riding with smugglers?
"Where's your weapon?"
Qi Yuan pondered for a second, then suddenly grabbed a fistful of thin air and thrust his empty hand toward the man.
"Does this count?"
Wen Min was utterly baffled.
The uniformed man froze, then stared at Qi Yuan. "You didn't bring any weapons on you?"
"As a martial artist, my fists and my legs are my weapons, but... I can't very well hand those over," Qi Yuan said with complete sincerity.
The man had demanded weapons, so he had simply offered a handful of air. As an immortal cultivator, even the ambient air could serve as a weapon. But he possessed far too many weapons and doubted the burly fellow could hold them all, which was why he had merely handed over a handful of air.
"You're actually a martial artist?" The uniformed man chuckled, clearly taking Qi Yuan at his word. "When I was young, I was crazy about martial arts, too. Practiced for half a year, took an injection, and never touched it again."
By an injection, he naturally meant gene medicine.
Speaking with the air of someone who had seen it all, he added, "There's no future in martial arts."
Before Qi Yuan could reply, a man standing behind the uniformed fellow chimed in, "Who says martial arts are useless? Not long ago, a priest from Wugui Kingdom was caught off guard and beaten to death by a martial artist."
At the mention of this, the uniformed man roared with laughter. "That kind of thing won't happen a second time. I might not look like much, but if I ran into those fighters at the martial arts limit, taking them on one-on-one would be a breeze. And if I can't beat him, I'll just put a bullet through his head."
The uniformed man spoke offhandedly.
His words represented the mainstream view of martial arts.
It could not match gene medicine, much less firearms.
About half an hour later, Qi Yuan sat inside Wen Min's vehicle.
The car had undergone a search, and every weapon had been stripped away.
"Once we reach Wugui Kingdom, I'll find an arms dealer and buy some weapons," the burly Wen Min said to Qi Yuan.
Without weapons, saving Carnival was out of the question—they could not even protect themselves.
"No need to buy weapons. They're too flashy, and I won't need them anyway. Once we're in Wugui Kingdom, just take me somewhere with a view of the military camp. Leave the rest to me." Qi Yuan naturally had no use for weapons. Besides, Arch Star had a dizzying variety of firearms, many of which he might not even know how to operate.
Wen Min was stunned and bewildered. After a moment of hesitation, he complied with Qi Yuan's request. "Everything will be as Mr. Qi instructs."
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Could Mr. Qi have an inside man in Wugui Kingdom's military camp who could break the boss out?
He could conceive of no other possibility. It never occurred to him that Qi Yuan truly intended to storm the Wugui military camp single-handedly to retrieve the captive.
The convoy began to move.
Under the uniformed man's lead, the smuggling convoy rolled slowly toward Wugui Kingdom.
With over twenty vehicles in total, the procession made an imposing display, kicking up billowing clouds of dust.
Outside the car windows stretched a murky river and swathes of scorched earth. From time to time, collapsed houses and artillery craters came into view.
Every now and then, drones could be seen cruising through the sky.
Wen Min glanced up at the drones, deep apprehension in his eyes. "If we weren't traveling with this convoy, running into those drones would be certain death. Even if we aren't soldiers from Yuelang Kingdom, if we get killed by a drone, the Wugui soldiers will still count us toward their military merits."
"You're exaggerating. Drones like that? One Kamehameha would wipe them all out. What's dangerous about that?" Qi Yuan looked at the drones, completely unconcerned.
By now, he already possessed the means to protect himself.
The only things that could pose a threat to him were missiles and higher-tier weaponry.
Wen Min had grown accustomed to Qi Yuan's peculiar way of talking. He forced a smile. "Then your Kamehameha had better hit harder than bullets, Mr. Qi. Ordinary bullets won't bring those drones down."
The car sped forward. Occasional rumbles of artillery fire reached their ears.
Wen Min explained that this was likely cross-border artillery duels between Yuelang and Wugui.
Roughly two hours later, the convoy arrived at a Wugui Kingdom checkpoint.
A squad of Wugui soldiers was stationed here.
Well-equipped and clad in body armor, the soldiers inspected the convoy.
The inspection dragged on for half an hour before they were finally cleared to proceed.
Once through, Wen Min let out a sigh of relief, though anxiety lingered in his chest. "Everything rests on you now, Mr. Qi."
Entering Wugui Kingdom was one thing, but getting back out was far from simple.
The smugglers were only responsible for bringing them in, not taking them back.
"Hmm..." Qi Yuan took a deep breath. Looking out the window, he asked curiously, "What are those red cloths hanging from the trees? Are the trees... all Young Pioneers?"
Wen Min blinked in confusion, then explained, "That's a ritual of the Guiran people's holy faith. A red cloth tied to a tree signifies that the area is under the protection of the Wu God."
Wugui Kingdom was a religious state where spiritual authority superseded royal authority.
The kingdom's holy faith was called the Wu Religion, and the deity they worshiped was the Wu God.
Over ninety percent of the population in Wugui Kingdom were believers in the Wu God.
The scriptures of the Wu God contained a strict commandment: all heretics must be hanged from trees.
Of course, in a civilized era, the Wu Religion still cared about appearances and did not openly persecute others on a massive scale.
Only certain fanatical zealots carried out such persecution.
They would butcher heretics, drain them of every drop of blood, dye cloths red with the blood, and tie them to the branches.
As a result, some of the red cloths hanging from the trees were ordinary fabric, while others were steeped in the blood of heretics.
Once inside Wugui territory, the sight of red cloths on trees became commonplace.
About three hours later, the convoy finally halted in a small town.
The uniformed man walked up to Qi Yuan's car and tapped on the window. "My job was to bring you here. If you want to get out, contact me. But the price... well, it's pretty steep, same as for that bunch over there."
As he spoke, he pointed toward a chaotic crowd gathered not far away.
Having delivered his message, he turned and walked off.
Qi Yuan looked toward the bustling crowd. Among them were the elderly, the young, and small children.
Some wore tattered rags, while others were dressed in fine attire.
Wen Min explained, "Most of them aren't Guiran. They're foreigners trying to flee Wugui Kingdom. With war breaking out, they want to get out of here. They don't have many options, so smuggling convoys are their only hope. But most of them can't afford the fare and have to barter whatever they have. Many don't even have anything left to offer."
Qi Yuan scanned the crowd, a look of curiosity in his eyes.
"Come on, let's take a look."
Wen Min was surprised, but complied without hesitation, steering the car toward the crowd.
Sure enough, as they drew near, hands reached out from all directions, clawing at the doors as if trying to pry them open.
Desperate voices filtered through the glass.
"Take me with you, please!"
"My daughter is beautiful! She can serve you the whole way, just get us out of here!"
"I have money!"
"Antiques! Millennia-old relics!"
People shouted, their eyes brimming with raw desperation.
Most of them were not Guiran, having entered Wugui Kingdom for labor or through illegal immigration.
Others had met a far crueler fate, having been abducted and brought here.
Wugui Kingdom was fiercely xenophobic, and life was miserable for outsiders.
With the war against Yuelang Kingdom currently underway, Wugui forces occasionally rounded up and slaughtered groups of foreigners simply to pad their casualty numbers.
Living in Wugui Kingdom, they were like lambs awaiting slaughter.
Witnessing the scene, Wen Min could not help but sigh. "You won't see scenes like this on the internet. The people back home in Qinyuan Kingdom... they never see how miserable these people have it."
For many of them, being born was a mistake in itself, their fates sealed from the start.
Although Wugui was a religious nation, conversion did not make one an insider.
Without Guiran blood, you were inherently inferior.
At any moment, zealots might drain your blood, dye a cloth red, and tie it to a branch.
The car crawled forward.
Qi Yuan's heart remained as still as stagnant water, barely stirred.
"Stop the car."
The car came to a halt.
A cacophony of voices surged forward.
Desperate refugees crowded around. "Boss!"
"Get back!" Wen Min barked in a booming voice.
Instantly, the refugees stopped clamoring.
They recognized that this vehicle had entered alongside the smuggling convoy.
People with that kind of clout had immense backing.
If they killed a few refugees, no one would hold them accountable.
Qi Yuan swept his gaze over the crowd until his eyes settled on a dark-skinned youth.
The boy looked no older than eleven or twelve.
He was holding the hand of a little girl whose face was smudged with grime and whose hair looked unwashed for months.
She appeared to be only seven or eight.
Qi Yuan watched them, a spark of interest in his eyes.
"Do you two want to leave Wugui?" he asked the boy and the little girl.
Hearing Qi Yuan's question, a flash of excitement erupted in the boy's eyes, quickly followed by fear and vigilance.
"Yes... sir. I... I don't have money, but I'm strong and obedient. I can work off the books," the youth, Yaji, stammered nervously. As he spoke, he pulled the little girl behind him, terrified that Qi Yuan harbored twisted intentions.
"I can take you out, but... I'll need a bit of your blood."
Qi Yuan stated his terms.
He had discovered that quite a few people in this world possessed peculiar blood.
Wu Qi was one example.
And so were this boy and the little girl.
Of course, their peculiarities were distinct.
Qi Yuan had yet to study Wu Qi's anomaly, so he was unsure of its nature. But the boy and the little girl's blood was clearly special—it shared the same ancestral origin as Qi Yuan's own bloodline.
If Qi Yuan wished to break through the martial arts limit and elevate his martial talent, their blood... was worth studying and putting to use.
Qi Yuan's demand puzzled not only the siblings, but Wen Min as well.
The boy hesitated briefly, then nodded vigorously, hunching his back respectfully. "Alright!"
Whatever the case, getting away from this place was their safest bet.
Not long ago, their parents had been dragged off to serve as military merits.
It was only a matter of time before their turn came.
Now, following this car out of Wugui Kingdom was their only chance at survival.
Looking at Qi Yuan, the dark-skinned youth wore an expression of profound gratitude.
The filthy little girl remained timid, not daring to meet Qi Yuan's gaze.
"Do you have any belongings? Bring them along," Qi Yuan said.
The youth carried a large bundle on his back while holding his sister's hand. That single bundle held everything they owned in the world. "No, sir."
"Alright. Get in."
The dark-skinned boy did not hesitate, pulling his sister into the car.
Wen Min was driving a three-row vehicle.
The boy and his sister took seats in the back row. With a respectful expression, the boy uttered the blessing favored most by people in Wugui Kingdom.
"May the Wu God bless you!"
"You are the most generous person!"
Yaji was not a follower of the Wu Religion, but to survive in Wugui Kingdom, knowing how to invoke the Wu God's blessing was a necessity.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan chuckled. "If I want to kill the Yang God of Taihuang Palace, can the Wu God protect me then?"
The Yang God of Taihuang Palace was the mastermind behind the Great Tribulation, and Qi Yuan's most formidable adversary in the Canglan Realm at this stage.
Yaji froze, at a loss for how to respond.
The dirty little girl spoke up instead. "I heard them say the Wu God is amazing. He can run while carrying an entire mountain on his back! He should... he should be able to bless you!"
Growing up in Wugui Kingdom, she had naturally been fed stories of the Wu God's great power.
Qi Yuan laughed. "All made up, and they didn't even bother inventing a stronger god. Running while carrying a single mountain... that's rather weak."
Qi Yuan found that the people of this world were remarkably pragmatic.
Even when fabricating myths, they kept them grounded.
When inventing a deity, they did not even dare claim omnipotence.
He wondered whether this was sheer pragmatism, or if there was a deeper reason behind it.
The youth, Yaji, did not quite understand Qi Yuan's words. Looking out the window, his racing heart settled down considerably. He asked timidly, "Sir... when are we leaving Wugui?"
Leaving Wugui Kingdom was his greatest wish.
In this foreign land, he had no family left except his little sister.
As for revenge, it was out of the question.
For small fry like them who struggled merely to survive, seeking vengeance was unthinkable.
"After I pick up a friend, we'll go," Qi Yuan replied casually.
Wen Min drove in silence.
He could not fathom why Qi Yuan had brought these two children along.
Nor could he fathom what trump card Qi Yuan possessed that gave him the nerve to stride into a military camp and bring his boss back.
The car sped forward. Wen Min stopped once to refuel before pushing the vehicle to top speed.
Following the navigation system, the car raced toward the location of the military camp.
More and more drones appeared in the sky overhead.
For now, however, the drones paid no heed to a vehicle traveling within their own borders.
Chapter 301