novellhall Chapter 58 The Difficulty of Travel
Chapter 58 The Difficulty of Travel
Traveling far from home is troublesome in any era, though this trouble is relatively inconvenient.
Citizens of the community should only worry about leaving behind personal belongings when they go out, as everything else can be obtained from public service facilities.
However, in the historical context of "Cangcheng," there are far more things to worry about when going out. Transportation, travel expenses, clothing and other necessities, and most importantly, safety—it's common for people to die or disappear on long journeys.
Without a unified, centralized government, there were naturally no official roads connecting the north, south, east, and west. Instead, there were many unpaved paths worn by livestock and farmers, making travel difficult for vehicles and horses.
Almost all the main thoroughfares were commercial roads opened up by the five major merchant guilds through joint investment. To use them, one had to pay for a road permit.
The security situation varies greatly from place to place. Even in the safest city of Tiandu, there are still signs of bandits in the suburbs near the Wulin Alliance's headquarters. One can imagine how rampant the outlaws are in remote and dangerous places all over the country.
These days, for ordinary people, traveling long distances requires hiring bodyguards or knights-errant, or paying to hitch a ride on the caravans of the five major merchant guilds.
The martial world belongs to those who live it; ordinary people are merely nameless silt at the bottom of the lake, providing shelter for plants to take root.
The couple searching for their daughter used to be wealthy, but now they only have a dozen or so copper coins left, which shows how much they have spent on their journey.
Lin Zhuo and his group did not need to purchase travel permits; with the Righteous Men's Iron Plaque of the Righteous Hall, they could travel freely on all trade routes in the world.
Choosing a mode of transportation is also troublesome, as there are no fine horses in Liquan Town, only mules, donkeys, and oxen.
Shu Yuliu happily picked out a gray donkey and named it "Mochou".
Lin Zhuo then bought an oxcart. To be honest, as a city boy from a family with an artificial dome, he knew absolutely nothing about riding. He was proficient in motorbikes, omnidirectional wheels, and trucks, and had even driven tanks a few times. So he had some driving experience, which might be useful for the oxcart.
Another major reason he chose the oxcart was that he had too much luggage: the throne, a small incense burner, a jewelry box, dry food and wine, a change of clothes, and odds and ends such as ropes, tarpaulins, and flint, all for convenience while traveling.
Shu Yuliu can travel light because her team leader, the giant panda, has storage space.
Lin Zhuo and Jin Xiaohu discussed whether they should pool their money to buy a storage bag on the Zongwang Forum. Their combined savings amounted to only one thousand disaster coins, which wasn't enough to buy a large storage item, but it would be sufficient to store valuables.
This independent storage item can be stored in the player's backpack, ensuring both concealment and security. It can also be used to quickly transfer items between players, which is a clever design.
They hit it off immediately and chose a storage ring with a high cost-performance ratio. It was a thumb ring made of spirit jade and cost 599 disaster coins. It could hold up to one zhang (approximately 3.3 cubic meters) of inanimate objects.
The azure-blue trade space-time channel delivered the storage ring. Lin Zhuo held the object and examined it closely, marveling at the craftsmanship of the runes and restrictions engraved on the inner circle of the ring.
With the storage ring as a safe, the oxcart could store more supplies, especially light wine, which was the main beverage.
In this era, it's not easy to get a sip of clean water. Travelers often drink light wine, firstly to kill bacteria and prevent spoilage, and secondly to quench their thirst, relieve fatigue, and replenish energy.
The only one who hadn't prepared anything was Zhu Baixuan. He didn't need a mount or luggage; a gourd and a conical hat were enough for him to travel the world.
"The strong are synonymous with freedom and ease, and the smallest unit of freedom is mastering one's own mind. Among you, Second Brother has already achieved that. The other two are still far from it."
Once everything was ready, everyone returned to the courtyard to rest until dawn. The next morning, they held a farewell banquet at the Yuelai Inn, as they would be separated for a short time.
Shu Yuliu earnestly instructed everyone, like a mother hen, to send more messages in the team channel, to share everything, good or bad, joy or sorrow, and to share it with everyone at breakfast, dinner, and dinner.
Jin Xiaohu grew impatient and pretended to be deaf and dumb, tucking his ears between his fingers.
As the oxcart rolled out of the town and into the wilderness in the early morning, the vast and fresh air from all directions blew in, and Lin Zhuo, a city bumpkin who had never left the man-made dome, couldn't help but feel invigorated.
He had never been so immersed in the wild and unrestrained natural world. Even immersive holographic projections always felt distorted by a layer of data simulation. Only in moments like these did he suddenly realize that he, too, was an animal.
No matter how many hardships and obstacles there are along the way, consider it a form of spiritual practice. This shift in mindset and broadening of perspective are important ways for Qigong masters to accumulate inner strength.
Many things are hard to imagine in terms of texture unless you've seen them with your own eyes and touched them with your own hands, and even harder to wholeheartedly believe in them.
Just like when Lin Zhuo was gathering his true energy, he could imagine birds because he had observed them in the zoo, and he could imagine guns and cannons because he had operated them in college, but he couldn't imagine things from various virtual works.
As for "Supreme Dragon Transformation," he didn't imagine a specific dragon race from mythology, but rather a supreme spiritual projection of his inner self. Every intelligent life has a Supreme Spirit, and Lin Zhuo simply forced it to be described as a true dragon.
Jin Xiaohu lay on the cow's back, his tail swaying gently. "Finally, I'm away from that woman. I feel like she's looking at cats with increasing disrespect! You're much less of a worry, and you're especially good at fighting. This journey must have been very comfortable for you."
All the journeys started off quite happily, with messages flying around the team channel.
Shu Yuliu is the kind of person who loves beauty and will find a good angle to take pictures of any roadside flowers and plants, and then add a sentence or two of sentimental captions after taking the pictures.
Jin Xiaohu kept asking questions, pressing for the meaning of these words. Shu Yuliu stammered and couldn't explain, so he simply got angry and told the cat to shut up.
Lin Zhuo grew tired of the slow-moving scenery and, taking advantage of the stable oxcart, closed his eyes and began to meditate on the Dharma seat. Jin Xiaohu, however, couldn't learn from him; the bumpy road made it impossible for him to calm his mind, so he was put in charge of keeping watch and scouting.
As the day went by, Lin Zhuo's internal meridians became more and more perfect. However, Shu Yuliu was quite resentful that he hadn't spoken to her and tried to summon his soul in the channel.
"Second Brother, may your soul return!"
As dusk fell, the oxcart drove into a bustling city and rested for the night.
The next morning, Lin Zhu went to the carriage shop to exchange the oxcart for a two-horse carriage, which was faster, but it was more troublesome to take care of two horses.
So they spent a lot of money to hire a coachman who dared to travel alone with the wandering martial arts practitioners.
After the carriage carried them ten miles out of the city into a desolate area, a group of highway robbers suddenly appeared from the side of the road.
The bandits were overjoyed to see that he was all alone.
"You brat, hand over your gold and silver, and we'll spare your life!"
Lin Zhuo was overjoyed to see such a group of wild monsters.
"You pigs and dogs, aren't you just here to die?"
He rushed forward and, without regard for anything else, unleashed two powerful strikes of the "Clumsy Dragon Falls to Earth." The bandit leaders who were the first to be hit, despite their considerable martial arts skills, were not even able to keep their bodies intact; they were scattered all over the ground like firecrackers.
The rest fled in terror.
Lin Zhuo was not about to give up. He chased after them, swung his chain hammer, and with his inner energy, the soft rope stretched into a spear shaft, and the soft weapon turned into a long weapon. With one lash, he ended the life of a thief.
After the killing was over, they returned to the carriage, dragged the coachman down, and interrogated him: "I never owed you any money, so why did you secretly invite bandits to harm someone?"
"Grandpa, spare my life! I still have a family to support!"
Although Lin Zhuo killed with great gusto, his eyes remained clear and he did not lose his temper.
He immediately used his profound inner energy to coerce and interrogate the man, and learned that he was a habitual offender who had harmed countless wanderers in the martial arts world. His so-called family consisted of nothing more than a few lovers in a brothel.
"You scoundrel, how dare you lie!" Lin Zhuo slapped the man's head away with a dark face.
Jin Xiaohu crossed his arms and sighed, "If you kill him, we'll have to take care of these two horses ourselves."
Having gained a little practical combat experience, Lin Zhuo wasn't dissatisfied and replied with a smile, "It's just a bit troublesome, but at least these two guys are honest and straightforward, without any schemes or tricks."