'You have got to be kidding me.' Looking at the familiar name in front of him, Yang Ze almost wanted to turn around and leave the place, but thinking about how it would be risky and could possibly reveal that he could see others' information, he held back that thought and merely cupped in response.

"It's just what I should have done." With a polite smile, Yang Ze looked around for a while, trying to appear normal before nodding slowly.

"It seems that there is no more danger."

"In that case, I should head on my way."

Although Yang Ze didn't know what she was trying to do or why she was here in the first place, he didn't want to try to find out. In his mind, the less contact he had with this woman, the better it was for him.

Lin Meilin still haven't realised that Yang Ze had seen through her identity a long time ago. Had she known, she would have shed all pretences and captured him before disappearing with him completely.

"Young hero, please wait." What a joke, how could Lin Meilin allow a roasted duck to fly away?

Yang Ze's face twitched upon hearing Lin Meilin's charming voice. His heart was telling him not to turn around and leave as soon as possible. To stay away from this woman as far as possible. Her daughter was already crazy, and the woman wasn't just your typical normal person... She was the Matriarch of the Lin Family and possibly friends with that devil, Yun Ning, who killed her own daughter.

But his mind was telling him that it was a bad idea to ignore her and run away.

In the end, reasoning won over impulse as he took a deep breath and turned around to face the woman behind him.

Those smooth flowing hair, that ample bosom, and those eyes which were enough to topple kingdoms... Even under a disguise, her beauty hasn't diminished in the slightest.

"How can I help you, young lady?" Taking a deep breath, Yang Ze forced a gentle smile on his face as he asked in a soft voice.

"I... I..." Lin Meilin's face was flushed as she seemed to be struggling to come up with words while sneakily stealing a few glances at him. At the moment, she looked like a young lady who had just fallen in love with her benefactor.

Had Yang Ze not known her identity, he would have definitely fallen for this trick. Unfortunately for Lin Meilin and fortunately for Yang Ze, he was aware of the identity of the person in front of him.

"Please give me a chance to properly thank you."

Lin Meilin hurriedly spoke, and, as if thinking that he would misunderstand her, added further...

"I just think that because it is almost night, travelling would be somewhat risky for you."

Yang Ze looked at the sky only to realise that, unknowingly, it was already evening. Even though it wouldn't be night for the next few hours, it would be hard for him to reach a city or village.

Since that was the case... instead of roaming around alone and trying to find a shelter, why not rest her for the time being?

As for Lin Meilin... He couldn't always run away from the troubles, could he? He needed to find out why she was here and what she was planning. He saw her earlier in the Blue Faced tribe, and now here! It can not be a mere coincidence. Besides... she seemed to be waiting particularly for him.

"Okay." Yang Ze simply nodded in response, accepting Lin Meilin's offer of resting in this place.

"Perfect." Lin Meilin's face seemed to be brimming with joy as she excitedly hopped around, gathering a few dried twigs to light up the fire.

The middle-aged man, on the other hand, didn't just stand there. Even though he was afraid after coming back from the gates of hell, it still didn't stop him from clearing the area.

"Young lady..." Looking at the overly excited woman, he called out softly.

"What is it, third uncle?" Lin Meilin merely raised her head with a smile.

"The corpses of the wolves are still here, and in due time, more and more wild beasts will come here due to the smell of blood.

We should leave for a different place.

Lin Meilin thought for a moment before simply nodding in response.

And thus, after riding a bit, the trio made their way away from the bloodied scene.

"Young master... Please taste this fruit."

Inside the carriage, Lin Meilin handed Yang Ze a small, palm-sized fruit that looked like a peach.

Yang Ze didn't refuse her. After taking it, he simply smiled in response, making Lin Meilin blush, who then quickly averted her eyes like a young maiden in love.

Looking at her expressions, Yang Ze couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder. This woman's acting skills were truly extraordinary. A few times, even he was beginning to have doubts whether she was actually Lin Meilin or the system just made a mistake.

Biting the fruit that tasted like an apple, he looked around the simple wooden carriage. Even though it was small in size, almost every essential thing was present inside.

On the floor was a red fur from some unknown beast. And on the corner were a few cloth bags filled with some unknown herbs whose scent had filled the carriage. Besides these, there were also a few small wooden crates containing some food items and spices.

With all these things in place, the already small carriage felt even more congested.

The two of them just sat in silence for a while as the carriage finally came to a stop ten minutes later at a place far away from the previous location.

The middle-aged man then took out tents, arranged some firewood and then spread what seemed like a powder with a pungent smell to keep away the wild animals. It was only after doing that that he signalled Lin Meilin and Yang Ze to come out of the carriage.

Yang Ze looked around before nodding in satisfaction. Right now, they were just a few meters away from the small stream of water, and there weren't any forests or large trees in the vicinity. The only thing around him was a large empty patch of grassland where he could occasionally see a few rabbits jumping up and down.

Lin Meilin didn't disturb him but skillfully took out a few pieces of dry meat and some other rations from the carriage and then began to prepare a meal over the campfire.

Yang Ze too didn't say anything but simply laid a rug onto the ground beside the fire before sitting on it comfortably.

Lin Meilin merely took one glance before deciding to join him and sit beside him while tending to the flame.

"So..." It wasn't until a few more minutes passed that Lin Meilin broke the silence under the crackling of fire.

"What is the young hero doing in a place like this?"

"...." Yang Ze didn't know how to reply to this question. And just when he was wondering what he should tell her, Lin Meilin spoke further.

"I mean, you don't have any mount or any bag on you. And judging by the dust on your clothes, you must have been travelling for a long time."

"Are you perhaps lost?"

"No." Although Yang Ze didn't know what she was trying to accomplish, he decided to play along for the moment.

It was time for him to know more about this world and what this woman was planning. He couldn't always stay passive and in the dark.

As for living peacefully and alone... This beautiful idea of his was shattered the moment he got together with Cang Yue. His future was bound to be full of troubles, so it was better to be prepared for any uncertainties.

And Lin Meilin... the woman who was with Cang Yue's mother... She was the one he needed to be most wary of. Instead of running away or ignoring her, it was much better to accompany her and find out anything that could possibly help both him and Cang Yue in the long term.

"You don't like to speak too much?" Lin Meilin simply smiled at Yang Ze, who seemed to be lost in his train of thought, before fanning the flame while stirring the pot above it.

"Um!" Coming out of his trance, Yang Ze merely shook his head with a smile before gazing deeply at Lin Meilin's side face that was covered in a veil.

"What about you?"

"What are you doing here?" Yang Ze wanted to hear her excuse.

"Me!?" Lin Meilin merely pointed towards her before speaking in a soft voice.

"I am here with my third uncle to escort the herbs."

Speaking till here, a sudden realisation seemed to hit her as she hurriedly patted her forehead before turning around to face Yang Ze, before giving him a bow.

"How silly of me... I even forgot to give you my introduction."

"I am Huan Caiyi, and my family is from Lianfeng town."

"From generation to generation, we have worked as herb gatherers and have a small family business."

"Usually, it is my father and second uncle who would go to sell the herbs, but because they were busy with something else, this year's escort mission fell upon me."

"I see." Yang Ze merely nodded in response, even though he didn't believe a single thing she said.

"....."

"....."

"....."

"What?" Yang Ze couldn't help but ask when he saw Lin Meilin looking at him intently as if wanting to say something, but afraid of doing so.

"It would be great if I could know the name of the person who saved us." Biting her lips, Lin Meilin asked in a soft voice that was filled with irresistible charm.

"Yang Ze." Yang Ze didn't think too much about it. There was no need to give him his false name to someone who already knew his identity. He might as well save himself from the embarrassment of doing so.

"Yang Ze..." Lin Meilin muttered the name as she gently stirred the pot. "Such a nice name."

"You think?" Yang Ze almost wanted to laugh out loud, but held back.

"Can you tell me one thing?" This time, it was Yagn Ze who asked the question.

"From the looks of it, both of you are mortal."

"Why would you even travel without a cultivator?"

"About that..." Lin Meilin seemed to be full of hesitation as her eyes darted around, as if embarrassed to say anything.

"No harm in telling him." It was at this moment that the middle-aged man, the so-called third uncle of Lin Meilin, arrived near them, holding a large pile of dry wood before placing it on the ground, just beside the campfire.

"It is because our family doesn't have any cultivators and honestly... we aren't wealthy enough to hire one."

"This is why we are heading to the Tianxu trade zone to see if these herbs of ours could fetch a good amount of money."

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, the middle-aged man took out the leather water jug from his waist before gulping down one mouthful after another.

The moment Tianxu Trade Zone was mentioned, Yang Ze's eyes narrowed into slits as his breathing almost came to a halt.

He gazed deeply at the woman beside him in shock.

When he first saw her, he was expecting her to be making some kind of scheme. But he never thought that she would be aware of where he was going. And not only that, she even planned accordingly in such a short span of time.

By now, Yang Ze was fully sure that her target this time was him. As for why... the only reason that came to his mind was because of Cang Yue.

"By the way... where are you going, young hero?" It was at this moment that Lin Meilin asked with a gentle smile.

"I..." Yang Ze hesitated for a while. He even thought about turning around and heading back to the Sword Sect and cancelling this small journey of his. But thinking about how the spiritwing was dying and needed his help, he gritted his teeth and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Tianxu Trade Zone."

"My, my..." Lin Meilin immediately perked her ears as she looked at him in shock with her watery eyes. "What a surprise."

On the other side, the middle-aged man too was taken aback, not expecting their destination to be the same.

"In that case, why don't you come with us?" Lin Meilin asked gently before adding further.

"Judging by your current condition, you don't have an entrance token, and without it, it will take you a lot of time and effort to get in."

"In that case, why not come with us?"

Reaching inside her robe, Lin Meilin took out a small exquisite token that had the word 'Tianxu' carved upon it.

"Besides..." She looked at the middle-aged man beside her.

"We could use some help as well."

"After all... the road ahead might be full of danger."

Yang Ze didn't know whether she was warning him not to leave them behind or just simply stating the fact. Yes, the road ahead was not safe, but with his current strength, he was sure that he could travel at ease.

But...

Looking at Lin Meilin sitting beside him, who was looking at him with a harmless smile, Yang Ze merely exhaled a mouthful of air before nodding in response.

"Good."

With a smile, Lin Meilin simply poured the pottage into a small wooden bowl before handing it over to Yang Ze.

"Here's to our long journey ahead."

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