The clattering of the wagon's wheels was the only sound that entered Yi Chen's ears as he lay with his back against the oiled linen that was covering the wagon.

Occasionally, the loud breaths of two horses echoed inside the wagon, but the people sitting inside had long grown used to it.

The rattling of the wagon could also be constantly felt in their bodies, providing a sense of discomfort.

Despite all this, Yi Chen's eyes were closed right now, and a serene expression was visible on his face.

He was sleeping.

More like he forced himself to sleep, and his body obliged, knowing that he wouldn't be having even a wink at night.

Once every hour to an hour and a half, the wagons used to stop to rest the horses for a few minutes. It was only during this short period that Yi Chen used to stay awake and vigilant.

By the time evening had approached, he had almost mastered this art of light sleeping and was starting to feel refreshed.

Neigh!

The wagon was stopped once again, and when Yi Chen opened his eyes, he saw the wagon driver's head turned towards them.

Seeing that everyone was awake and paying attention to him, the driver finally said, "This is Merci Village. It's where we are going to rest tonight before entering the forests tomorrow."

"Oh, alright," the middle-aged man in the wagon responded and was about to exit to look for an inn when he was stopped.

"Ah, before that!" The driver clapped his hand to attract everyone's attention and said, "I'll be requesting fifty bronze notes from all three of you."

"Why? Didn't we already pay you 400 bronze notes?" The man asked with a frown, his voice raised.

Yi Chen's countenance was also not looking any good as he glared at the driver.

"Ah, Sirs, you misunderstand. It must be your first time going to Liu City, so you must not know."

The driver immediately explained his actions, "As you know, to reach Liu City, we'll be needing to go through a forest.

We'll be spending a total of ten days inside this dense forest. Therefore, we need to hire protection from the mercenaries present in this village.

Earlier, this wasn't a usual thing, but with time, bandit attacks across the forest have drastically increased.

Therefore, hiring a wagon full of mercenaries while travelling has become the norm for everyone's safety. We, drivers, are also contributing fifty bronze from our sides."

Hearing the driver's long explanation, a trace of understanding appeared in Yi Chen's eyes.

It was the same with the middle-aged man who soon paid the portion for his father and himself.

Yi Chen took out his portion.

The driver accepted the money and said, "Also, Sirs, I recommend that you buy some tent materials, blankets and mosquito repellent from the market here as we'll be spending the nights in the forest from tomorrow onwards."

"Alright," Yi Chen nodded and soon got out and walked towards the part of the village that was lit the brightest with candle lamps and lanterns.

'I bet that's the market,' he thought to himself while observing the people around.

There were many people wearing leather armour and carrying weapons with them.

Swords, spears, maces…Yi Chen was able to see many different varieties of weapons.

'Ah, so this is basically a mercenary village,' he made the link, thinking back to the driver's words.

It made sense, since this was a village that all wagons had to cross to go to Liu City.

'Then don't tell…' A bad feeling rose in Yi Chen's heart as he headed towards the market.

"You're telling me that this tent material, which I can get for just 50 Bronze in the town, costs 150? Are you bastards playing with me??" A man asked furiously.

"It's the transportation cost, sir. It's the same price everywhere you go," the shopkeeper said as if he had repeated those lines several times.

Seeing this scene, black lines formed on Yi Chen's forehead.

'Just like I had thought…'

A few minutes later, he exited the market with tent material and other necessary items in his hand.

The pouch he was carrying around his waist felt a lot lighter than before.

'Bloody Hyenas!' he raged in his mind as he soon found himself a room in a nearby inn.

Luckily, they were a little merciful and didn't overcharge.

Inside his room, he was currently munching on an item he had bought in a food stall.

Since he saw it being made right in front of his eyes, he was relieved. After finishing it, he went back to sitting cross-legged on the bed and started cultivating.

Another night passed, and when Yi Chen exited the inn the next morning, he yawned widely.

Rubbing the slight tear from the corner of his eye, he bought some food items from the nearby stall and boarded his wagon.

When all the passengers had boarded the three wagons, a new wagon joined them from behind.

From a group of three, they have now become a group of four.

"They are the mercenaries we hired yesterday. The seven of them will be more than enough to protect us in our journey."

The driver said with a sense of relief apparent in his voice.

'I guess this forest is really full of danger, huh? I'll have to be extra careful during the nights then,' Yi Chen thought when he saw his expression.

The next moment, he turned back to glance at the mercenaries who were now discussing some things with the driver who was leading the caravan.

While this was going on, a curious frown appeared on Yi Chen's face.

'Why the hell are they all above forty years? Shouldn't mercenaries be young or at most in their thirties?' he thought to himself, but seeing that all their strength stats were good, he didn't think much of it.

One guard from the last wagon soon went to the leading wagon, and with a shout from ahead, the wagons finally started moving in unison.

As for Yi Chen?

The familiar clattering and rattling of the wagon acted as his lullaby, and he was soon asleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.