Chapter 13: 13. Journey through the wilderness
Wang Feng, Bastard Yi, Wu Qiao, Fang Xiuying, Cui Junjie, Ma De. These were the disciples that accepted the escort mission. Wang Feng was the only inner sect disciple amongst them. Fang Xiuying was a tall and muscular woman in her twenties. She was here to take care of Wu Qiao during her first mission. Wu Qiao was a 12 years old girl with bulbous cheeks. There was a gap between her front teeth. She had a slight hint of freckles. She was very excited to be here. Cui Junjie was a haggard-looking man. He looked like he was doing daily grunt work for a living. His oily skin and five o'clock beard painted a picture of a ronin. He was carefully cleaning his sword. Most likely, he couldn't afford a new one if he ever lost it. A classic outer sect disciple that is short of money. Ma De was a spiritual archer.
Yi, Fang Xuiying, Cui Junjie, and Ma De were in the foundation establishment realm. Caravan missions went for overkill because reputation and wealth were at stake. Practitioners breezed thru the escort missions.
Concerns were, however, legitimate. Sometimes unexpected happens, a high-rank beast might show up, someone with an enmity with one of the travelers might set up a trap, bandits might get uppity, World out there was a wild place after all.
Outside of the sect, the group has met the escort agency.
One of the escort agency warriors leaned in and whispered to his friend:
"What are two children doing here? What if they die? The road is treacherous."
His friend leaned in and answered:
"Those are sect disciples. Most likely, They are here to learn. We let them be here so they can be here years later too. It is investing towards the future."
Most people in this world were uneducated. However, they were not dumb. Many folks were capable of recognizing complex things at a glance. In a world where offended cultivators might shred people to ribbons, social adeptness was a must-have.
What uneducated people lacked was the ability to delve into an informed complexity to figure things out. Whenever they are face to face with something they do not understand, they opted out for simple false nonsense explanations instead.
The proper way to talk to ignorant folk was not to patronize them or demean them but to explain things to them only if they wanted to know. This was not Earth. Respect toward expertise was not widespread. Information resources were not scientifically vetted sources. Their sources were "whoever dared to say anything about the subject and made himself taken seriously." Whatever such people said was often accepted, be it true or false. That being said Wang Feng didn't care to correct people when they were wrong. He wasn't someone who liked to argue all the time. Besides, ignorant people could offer other things to society, like their labor force. There was no reason for a person who does worthwhile work diligently to be treated with contempt. For Wang Feng, elite people existed but superior people did not. A genius cultivator might die in a spiritual drought while mortals live on. A smart man might die of depression because he couldn't divert his eyes from the bleakness of a situation while a man that is as dumb as bricks might just suffer thru the calamity and call it a day.
Needless the say Wang Feng had no qualms about befriending the people and treating them with respect. Wang Feng approached the warriors and cupped his fists.
"Wang Feng has met the warriors of the escort agency. I can sense danger and perform pugilist arts."
A middle-aged man with a mustache drooping horseshoe mustache broke away from the crowd and cupped his fist.
"Wan Fan, mortal swordsman, leader of the escorting party, met cultivator. "
Wang Feng relaxed his hands
"Mr.Wan, even though I know a thing or two about fighting, I know nothing about carrying goods and escorting. Looking forward to your guidance about the matter."
Mr.Wan tussled Wang Fengs hair. "What a good kid." He thought.
"Alright, Wang Feng, you can count on me to show you the ropes." Mr.Wan proudly put his hand on his chest.
Wang Feng thanked Mr.Wan
"Thank you, sir. I apologize in advance for the inconvenience I might cause."
With that, Wang Feng's good boy act was complete. He threw a side glance at one of the warriors. This warrior was connected ominously to the entirety of the trading company. He had to keep an eye on the man. Mr.Wan was unaware of the hidden danger. What will that guy use? Will he poison people? Will he leak information on us to someone out there?
Or does he have a sickness? What makes this guy such a threat?
When Wang Feng wanted to divine further, the spiritual qi cost of divining skyrocketed and divination ended up in failure. The most probable explanation was that a gambler was involved and dice thrown had something to do with the danger radiating from the man.
Wang Feng approached Yi.
"Yi, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to play it cool."
Yi the bastard was curious. What was Wang Feng nervous about again?
"Do you see that guy?" Yi nodded. "He is dangerous. I don't know why but he is ominously connected to everybody here. Yi attempted to pull out his sword.
Wang Feng stopped Yi. "Stop, Yi." Wang Feng smirked. "We have to catch him red-handed. That way we will be policers of law instead of murderers."Yi looked at Wang Feng with befuddled eyes. "He is a risk, what do you mean by "wait"? " Wang Feng sighed. "The divination only specifies that harm will come originating from him to everyone else. It might be an infectious disease instead. An infectious disease fulfills the conditions of harm originating from him to affect everyone else. " Yi has put his sword back. "Alright let's do as you say."
Caravan finally departed. Wang Feng's and Yi's eyes were boring a hole into a man's back. Mr. Wan approached Wang Feng. "Feng, look, we might look like we are randomly walking but we actually can take two steps backward and become a military formation. Isn't it cool" Wang Feng once more donned his cutesy role "Yes Mr.Wan, It's awesome!" Proud of himself, Mr.Wan returned to his spot.
Wang Feng leaned toward Yi. "Do you think that guy is incompetent or a coward? Perhaps he escapes, creating a hole in the military formation.". Yi nodded. "That could be it."
Suddenly, there were half a dozen ominous connections stretching toward the woods. Wang Feng approached Mr.Wan. "Six or seven unknown animals are circling us." Mr.Wan knitted his brows. "Probably snatchers or dire snatchers. "
Snatchers were dog-like animals with powerful back legs. These animals specialize in snatching members of a pack. Dire snatchers are the larger members of the same species. These larger members have a high chance of being monsterized beasts. Just as human beings can suffer qi deviation, an animal can suffer qi deviation too. If an animal receives spiritual energy, it doesn't know what to do because it's a dumb animal. Unless it's a pet of a cultivator who controls qi flow on the animal, all cultivating animals develop qi deviation and monsterize.
It's one of the sect's many missions to eradicate such monsters whenever they show up.
Mr.Wan bellowed:
"FORMATION UP!"
All the warriors formed a circle, pointing their spears forward. Together they were like a porcupine. A snatcher reared its head from the bushes. Just as It appeared, it was shot. Ma De's hand was real quick.
Wang Feng has rocketed off using his sticky gecko art. He snatched a snatcher and started choking it on a tree. Before long all the snatchers have been dealt with. Normally, these animals might have been able to snatch a mortal and run away.
Mr. Wan tussled Wang Fengs hair. "You are a natural at this kid"
Wang Feng laughed "Hehe yes I am."
Mr.Wan: "There is an opening straight ahead. We will camp there."
Wang Feng nodded." Understood."
During the camp, the Shape of the ominous karmic ties shifted. It originated from the suspicious man, went thru the water supply, and ended up on people.
"Yi, It's the water. He has done something to the water."
Yi immediately caught the guy. "What did you do to the water?"
The man understood that he was caught.
"It's too late! If you drink the water, you will fall to the sleeping agent, If you don't drink the water you will grow weak from dehydration. Either way, you are all doomed! Ahahahaha! Long live the Demon Sect!"
Yi and Cui Junjie took the man into the woods for interrogation. What they were going to do to the man was not to be done in front of children.
Five minutes later blood-curdling screams could be heard from the woods.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone