Lin Mo followed Miao Xin and Miao Zhu, along with a Master Feng, forming a party of four setting off towards Thailand. However, due to issues with identity, neither Miao Xin nor Miao Zhu had ID cards; thus, they could only opt for a long-distance bus to travel to the city closest to the lawless zones, named Yongzhou. From a rural area of Yongzhou, they hired local guides to lead them through secret trails to reach the borders of Myanmar.
The journey was neither exceptionally long nor short; it took three days and three nights for Lin Mo and his companions to arrive at the borders of Myanmar, guided by the locals through a secret path.
As a member of the Southeast Asia Nations Alliance, Myanmar was significantly lagging both economically and militarily; its annual GDP equaled roughly the market value of merely one Extraordinary Group. Moreover, it was not until 2011 that the country officially entered the digital age.
This small nation was fragmented by various warlords. The president had already lost all credibility, and the border areas teemed with all sorts of ruthless figures from the Underworld, including warlords, drug lords, and bandits.
"We're twenty li away from Sha Liu Town in Myanmar. I can't take you any further," said the guide, adamantly refusing to go on.
Master Feng handed the guide three thousand yuan, then turned to Lin Mo and asked, "Mr. Lin, should we go in now? I've heard that this area is rife with small warlords and bandits; it's not very safe."
"It's fine, let's go in and take a look," Lin Mo said indifferently.
Throughout the journey, Miao Zhu and Miao Xin didn't converse much with Lin Mo. However, the awkward part was that both women had run out of money. The costs of accommodation, food, and even the guide's fee along the way were all covered by Master Feng.
"Let's eat something; everyone must be hungry by now," Miao Xin said, pulling out four snow-white pills the size of bullets from her bag.
These elixirs were known as Snow Condensing Pills. They were rich in Spiritual Energy, and Miao Xin and Miao Zhu had always sustained themselves on such sustenance, which was beneficial for their cultivation practice.
"Sister, all my Snow Condensing Pills have been consumed, and you must not have many left. Why would you give them away?" Miao Zhu complained somewhat resentfully.
"We've been using their money along the way. Let it be," Miao Xin said helplessly.
Miao Zhu glanced at Lin Mo, who wore an indifferent expression, and snorted softly.
The entire trip was funded by Master Feng. Lin Mo hadn't contributed anything—why should he partake in the rare and precious Snow Condensing Pills treasured by the Miao Xue Divine Palace?
"Eat it. Once you take one pill, you won't need food for two days," said Miao Xin, offering the Snow Condensing Pills to Master Feng and Lin Mo.
Master Feng was overjoyed. To him, spending a little money in exchange for an 'Immortal Pill' was a tremendous bargain. Throughout the journey, he had coveted the elixirs the two young women consumed but felt it inappropriate to outright ask for them.
"Thank you, Miss Miao Xin," Master Feng said with a smile.
Lin Mo, however, shook his head and showed a gentle smile as he said, "No need. Keep it for yourself."
Miao Xin frowned slightly. During this journey, the roles between Master Feng and Lin Mo seemed reversed—it was as if Lin Mo was the master and Master Feng the disciple, with the latter always taking care of the former.
"Don't you need to eat?" Miao Xin asked, not particularly fond of the young man, but she posed the question nonetheless.
"Really, I don't. Keep it for yourselves."
The Spiritual Energy within the elixir was, to Lin Mo, like a drop of water in a bucket. With his current capabilities, he could go without food for half a month.
"Forget it, Sister. Some people simply don't appreciate kindness. Perhaps he'll secretly help himself to food later tonight," Miao Zhu murmured, snorting quietly.
Throughout the trip, Lin Mo's gaze frequently and perhaps unintentionally, drifted over Miao Xin, which was enough to stir a feeling of repulsion in Miao Zhu.
"All right then," conceded Miao Xin when Lin Mo insisted on declining. After she finished taking the Snow Condensing Pill, she cultivated for a few minutes, then stood up and said, "We should set off quickly, after all, the time Master has left me isn't much."
Although Master Feng didn't increase his mana after cultivating, he felt a surge of strength throughout his body and was spirited, which made him somewhat sentimental. Cultivation resources were scarce now, and perhaps only those true Hidden Sects possessed such resources to allow two young girls to cultivate.
"If I had such resources, I wouldn't still be striving to reach my desired realm even in my old age," Master Feng thought, shaking his head.
The group continued to walk toward the front for about an hour when they indeed encountered a small town along the Myanmar border. Though called a town, it was more like a village. The locals seemed quite accustomed to seeing Huaxia people coming from the border and showed no surprise, each simply attending to their own business.
However, among them were several Myanmar people dressed in green uniforms, carrying guns as they patrolled the village, giving off an unsettling vibe.
Sure enough, those Myanmar people carrying guns quickly surrounded them, encircling Lin Mo and the others, roughly twenty or thirty in number.
"What's going on?" Master Feng's face changed slightly.
Miao Xin and Miao Zhu also frowned.
"We've been deceived," Lin Mo said indifferently.
The person who led them here had done so intentionally. From the start, Lin Mo's Divine Sense had spread out, and he knew there were three possible paths through the small towns after crossing the border, but that guide claimed there was only this one. It was clear they were deliberately led astray.
Master Feng, Miao Xin, and Miao Zhu also realized that the guide had intentionally brought them here.
Although the three of them were Magic Users and cultivators, there were dozens of people armed with guns and even bombs here—not something Magicians of their level could contend with.
"I'll make sure that guy pays when I get back," Master Feng said angrily.
A middle-aged man dressed in a green military uniform approached, eyeing Miao Zhu and Miao Xin with a lascivious gleam in his eyes, "It's been a long time since we've had business. Four at once, this could be quite the haul."
He spoke in the Huaxia language, clearly often dealing with Huaxia people, probably in cahoots with the guide, tricking them into a trap to extort money.
"My friends, my name is Razan, and I mean you no harm. But since you're passing through my territory, you ought to leave something behind, right?" Razan said, his gaze lingering on Miao Xin's face, a lecherous glint passing through his eyes.
Under the fractured governance of Myanmar warlords, Razan was a henchman for a warlord known as Moso, who invested in his group. This band was stationed in this small town, specifically to exploit those Huaxia people who came to Myanmar through shady routes.
Moreover, the other party's demeanor was ferocious; it was clear from his hands that he hadn't killed just a few people.
"How much money do you want?" asked Master Feng with a furrowed brow.
Razan knew these people didn't dare to go through official channels to enter Myanmar, and coming through the border indicated they must have committed some crime in Huaxia—carrying a significant amount of cash and jewelry.
"Hand over everything you've got, and I can let you go. But this beauty must stay with me for a few days," Razan declared, causing his men to erupt in raucous laughter.
"Bastard, you dare to insult my senior sister; aren't you afraid we'll kill you?" Miao Zhu's pretty face was covered in anger.
Miao Xin's face was just as cold. As the Snow Fairy of Miao Xue Divine Palace, pure and unsullied, she had never suffered such indignity.
"Whoosh!" In the midst of their anger, a shadow suddenly flitted by, and Razan was sent flying backward with a thud.
(6 more, the excitement continues tomorrow.)