Hou Mingzhu had always lived in a wealthy family and had only seen ordinary sheep a few times. Seeing these special little mountain goats, she was incredibly excited, as if she had found some rare treasure.
Coincidentally, there were small vendors selling water by the roadside. Ye Tiancheng asked Little Fatty to stop the car. Besides water, there were also fruits, and the group could take this opportunity to rest.
"Brother Ye, can you take me to see the little mountain goats? Those little lambs are so cute."
Hou Mingzhu was overjoyed. This seemed to be the most relaxed moment of their trip. Ye Tiancheng quickly obliged and took Hou Mingzhu to see the little mountain goats. As soon as the little mountain goats saw Hou Mingzhu, they became very friendly and all ran over.
"Brother Ye, these little sheep are so cute, all plump. There must be a lot of delicious food in that big mountain, which is why they are raised so fat."
"Then you play with them for a while longer."
Ye Tiancheng didn't feel much. Ye Tiancheng also liked these cute little animals, but not as crazily as Hou Mingzhu. She held one in her arms as if she didn't want to let go, as if she were going to steal the sheep.
Just then, Lin Xue also came over. Hou Mingzhu finally found a kindred spirit, and the two of them played with the little sheep together, completely captivated.
Ye Tiancheng observed the surrounding terrain from the side. It was vast and green, with a pleasant environment. There were also mountains nearby, and occasionally a few villages with not too many inhabitants, giving a feeling of a paradise.
Just then, the shepherd approached. The man was a bit dark, likely from being exposed to the sun for a long time, and wore minority ethnic clothing.
"Where are you from?"
The young man looked quite gentle, but his Mandarin was not very good, and one had to listen carefully to discern his question.
Since the man had come to ask, Ye Tiancheng couldn't appear too aloof, so he exchanged a few words with him.
After chatting for a while, Little Fatty came to give Ye Tiancheng a melon. "Brother Ye, this melon is especially delicious, sweet and crisp. I've already eaten two. It seems to be grown by local farmers. It's quite tasty, you should try it too."
"Okay, I think this place looks like it has abundant resources."
Ye Tiancheng ate the melon while chatting. After finishing the melon, he thought they shouldn't delay any longer and called Hou Mingzhu and Lin Xue to leave. These two women were truly troublesome.
They were so infatuated with the little black mountain goats that they wished they could take them away. It was only after Ye Tiancheng stopped them that they gave up.
The group continued driving their four-wheeled vehicle. Ye Tiancheng had asked the shepherd boy about the route, and learned of a way known only to locals.
If they followed this main road, there would be a fork ahead. Taking the small path on the left would lead them directly to a small town, and through the town, they could reach their destination.
With the directions, they made good progress. Ye Tiancheng was truly grateful to Hou Mingzhu. If Hou Mingzhu hadn't insisted on seeing those boring little black mountain goats, they wouldn't have received this important information, and they might have taken a detour, adding at least a day to their journey.
Thus, they arrived at the small town before nightfall.
The small town didn't seem very large, but it was quite prosperous. The houses were built with unique characteristics, giving them a national style.
"We can finally find a decent place to stay today. Such a small town must have an inn. This place is very suitable for living."
The group finally breathed a sigh of relief after arriving here. However, as soon as they checked into the only inn in town, a fierce-looking person approached them.
"How strange! There are outsiders in this town. But aren't you too ignorant of the rules? Why did you park your four-wheeled vehicle right at the entrance?"
This person was clearly tanned by the local sun, almost indistinguishable. As the saying goes, the local environment nurtures the local people. The people here indeed looked like they had been exposed to the sun for years, with relatively dark but healthy skin.
"I'm sorry, big brother. I'll move the car immediately. I've inconvenienced you, and I apologize."
Fatty's attitude was still very good because he knew a principle: when you are new to a place, you should be cautious and not give others any reason to find fault.
"Looking at the watch on your hand, it seems quite valuable. I think I saw it on television, and it's worth millions. It must be fake."
The fierce-looking man suddenly noticed the small watch on Hou Mingzhu's hand. Although the watch looked small on the outside, it was actually worth over four million. When it was first released, it was a limited edition, and Hou Mingzhu had someone buy it for her quickly. She liked it and always wore it on her hand. She actually had more expensive ones, but she just preferred this one.
"It's definitely fake. I bought it at an underground mall for only a hundred yuan. This watch is definitely not a famous brand."
To avoid further trouble, Hou Mingzhu lied with her eyes open. The watch was inlaid with diamonds, and it was clearly not ordinary. This was definitely a very valuable watch.
"Right, moving the car won't do. You've already inconvenienced me, so take this watch as compensation." After speaking, the man introduced himself, "My name is Da Qiang. I have some influence in this town. If you want to cause trouble and not compensate, don't expect to stay in this town peacefully."
Hou Mingzhu naturally wouldn't give him such an expensive watch, so she immediately took it off and put it back in her pocket. "That won't do. Although this watch is very cheap, it was given to me by a very important friend and has special meaning. I can't give it to just anyone."
"I think you're clearly lying. Give it here."
Da Qiang said he was going to forcibly take it. At this moment, Lin Xue used her true qi to immobilize Da Qiang, and he suddenly fainted.
"We can't cause any disturbances here. It's best to use true qi sparingly, otherwise, we'll be discovered by those who are pursuing us."
Ye Tiancheng also felt that Lin Xue's action was justified. Anyone with a sense of justice shouldn't let a thug like Da Qiang go unpunished.
However, after taking action, if they couldn't clean up the mess, it would be quite dire.
"Master, I understand. I couldn't hold back just now. I will use my true qi to cleanse his memory. He won't remember coming to find us, nor will he remember seeing Madam's watch. So, there shouldn't be any more trouble."
It seemed that the last-minute idea was quite thoughtful, and Ye Tiancheng didn't need to worry any further. After resolving the immediate issue, he quickly moved the car and then rested at the inn for the night.
The next morning, Ye Tiancheng went out to explore. He felt that his body had recovered quite a bit. It seemed that the closer they were to their destination, the stronger the suppressive effect on the dark energy would be.
The environment at the destination was not as good as here. After all, there had been some development here, and it was good to eat and sleep well. It was not easy. They decided to rest for a day and then proceed.
Ye Tiancheng wandered around, looking for a place to buy vehicles. It was necessary to replace this four-wheeled vehicle with a more comfortable one. It was rumored that the road ahead would not be easy, and this four-wheeled vehicle would easily make everyone suffer.
He finally found a car dealership that looked quite run-down. Ye Tiancheng haggled for a long time and then drove the four-wheeled vehicle over.
"I can give you at most eight thousand yuan for this car."
"I don't want money, just exchange it for another one. Preferably a minivan with a stable chassis, so it won't be too uncomfortable even on bumpy roads."
"If you want comfort on gravel roads, then it has to be a luxury car, possibly costing millions. Looking at your situation, you probably can't afford it, and asking is probably in vain. Otherwise, I'll give you a Wuling Hongguang. This car is quite practical, and you won't have to add any money. There's a second-hand one here, I'll give it to you directly."
Ye Tiancheng was overjoyed. He didn't expect to have such a great harvest just by casually strolling around. He quickly exchanged the four-wheeled vehicle for a Wuling Hongguang. Now they wouldn't have to drive a four-wheeled vehicle like rustic villagers.
The group was very tired, so they all lay in the hotel, watching TV and relaxing.
By noon, Hou Mingzhu treated everyone to a meal. Hou Mingzhu bringing enough money this time was the most sensible choice. No matter where they went, they could boldly order the most expensive dishes, as they could afford it.
This group ordered a large table of dishes, which stunned even the people nearby.
They wondered how rich these people were, as if they had ordered every signature dish in the restaurant. Four people eating over a dozen dishes was like a banquet, truly a bit exaggerated.
But money makes people willful. Although they were fleeing, they might as well treat it as a vacation. Life is short, and one must seize the day and not live too depressingly.
"The taste is quite good."
These were all local specialties that they hadn't eaten much before, so the taste was a bit unaccustomed. However, upon careful tasting, they found it to be uniquely flavorful. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; since they were here, they should savor the local delicacies.
The group had a hearty meal. After finishing, they took a casual stroll in the woods next to the small town and found quite a few wild mushrooms. This place was truly rich in resources and a good place. No wonder the pure energy was so dense.
The good development here was likely related to its abundant resources. People say that one lives off the mountains and waters, but at least one must be able to rely on them.
There were many mountain delicacies and game here, and even the fish were very plump. It was a suitable place for cultivation and very nourishing.
If Ye Tiancheng could recover his cultivation from when his true qi was scattered, he could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and his future would be limitless.
"Let's treat it as a vacation. Staying here for a while longer will be good for our health."
In fact, all four of them liked this place quite a bit, they just hadn't said it. After wandering around outside for a long time, they felt quite tired, so they returned to the inn for a nap. In the evening, they had another big meal, just like a tourist group here, eating and sightseeing, then sleeping. It was incredibly leisurely.
They had expected everything to go smoothly, and that they would head directly to their destination the next morning, which should only take a few hours to reach. However, an unexpected incident occurred.
Lin Xue had not slept and was on guard duty when she suddenly discovered some little black mountain goats infected with dark energy. These black goats were controlled by the dark energy and were running around wildly, causing quite a commotion.
The street had descended into chaos. Everyone was terrified, thinking that some evil creature had appeared.
Lin Xue used her true qi to suppress the little black mountain goats, restoring them to their original state, and then locked them all in a small courtyard. By the time she finished, it was already dawn.
"Master, Ouyang Xinuo is truly cunning. The effect of the dark energy in this place is already very weak, so they used dark energy to control these small animals to cause a disturbance, which is also a warning to us. It seems we need to leave here quickly. The purifying effect here is still not strong enough."