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He looked around, and because it was night, he could only see the dim starlight and couldn’t see very far.

There was no way to find the big bridge to cross the river.

“Timid Turtle, can you help me cross the river?”

This time, Qin Niu had come with assistance. The Diamond Ink Turtle, having reached Grade Five, had already begun to master water manipulation skills.

It was the perfect opportunity to test its water control abilities.

The small turtle was taken out of the basket while the Red-eyed Golden Toad was comfortably sprawled inside, eyes closed in deep sleep.

As soon as Qin Niu placed the Diamond Ink Turtle by the river, it desperately scrambled to climb back onto the bank.

“What are you doing? Do you think this bit of river water could actually drown you?”

Every time he saw its cowardly demeanor, Qin Niu became somewhat irritated.

The little turtle, scolded, hid by his feet, refusing to go into the river.

Logically speaking, a turtle should be happy to see the river.

Because the river is its home.

“Do you want me to throw you into the river?”

Qin Niu bent down, grabbed the little turtle, and pretended he was about to throw it into the river.

He really didn’t understand what this coward was afraid of.

The little turtle, scared, stretched out its limbs, tail, and neck from its shell, struggling incessantly.

“Danger, danger…”

Qin Niu could sense the intermittent signals coming from it. It was communicating with Qin Niu through spiritual connection.

“What’s the danger?”

He questioned the little turtle.

Unexpectedly, by pushing the little turtle to such an extent, it had directly learned to initiate communication with its owner.

Although it was a simple spiritual exchange, it still pleased Qin Niu.

He hadn’t yet grasped beast speech.

Communication with the little turtle and the small water buffalo was very challenging. Only the Red-eyed Golden Toad could barely communicate with him.

This made him quite helpless.

Now that the little turtle was proactively engaging in spiritual communication, it was greatly helpful for his understanding of beast speech.

Seizing the moment, he took the opportunity to engage in deeper communication with the little turtle.

“There’s danger in the river…”

The little turtle, seeing its owner poised to throw it into the river, also did its utmost to communicate with Qin Niu.

Dealing with such an irresponsible owner, it was truly unlucky.

“I’m asking what the danger in the river is?”

“Don’t know… just sense danger!”

The little turtle was progressing very quickly.

Under such extreme pressure, its communication with Qin Niu was becoming smoother and smoother.

What could the danger possibly be?

Qin Niu looked at the turbulent river surface, secretly relieved that he had yet to recklessly enter the water.

Having managed to survive the flood shortly after birth, the little turtle actually had quite decent swimming skills.

If it said there was danger now, it definitely wasn’t afraid of drowning.

The most likely scenario was that there was something in the river.

“Going back to the inn to find a guide might be a good idea,” he thought.

Qin Niu dared not take the risk and went back to the small town.

The landlady of the inn didn’t seem surprised to see him return at all.

“Guest, stay at our inn, I guarantee you won’t regret it. Just a little extra money, and someone will escort you through a safe passage across the border. It’s still early to go now, and you’ll be easily caught. When to leave and which route to take, we are professionals; you’ll understand when the time comes,” she said, smiling as she welcomed him into the inn.

“Haven’t eaten yet, right? We’ve got hot wine and hot dishes, all available.”

She was very pleased to have snagged a customer.

“Bring me five pounds of braised beef and a pot of fine wine.”

Now that he had money, he naturally couldn’t skimp on food.

Cultivators had a great need for meat.

Especially at the Mortal Realm and Acquired Realm stages.

After advancing to the Innate Realm, the demand for food actually began to decrease.

According to his former appetite, he would need at least ten pounds of beef at one meal.

Now, eating only five pounds was quite refined.

“Alright!”

The woman quickly brought over a large plate of cooked beef with chili sauce. The wine, too, was of excellent quality, fragrant and enticing. Drinking it, he found it sweet, potent, like an unrivaled beauty, immensely satisfying.

“How much does it cost to have someone guide me across the border?”

“If it’s just to cross the river, two hundred Wen will suffice. If after crossing the border you need to be taken to a safe place, then the fee is higher, starting at no less than ten Silver Coins,”

The woman was likely the landlady.

Inside the inn was a young man in his twenties serving as the waiter.

“Can 1 leave today?”

“Of course. Leaving around the fourth watch would be most suitable; just pay and there will be someone to take you across then,” she replied.

The fourth watch was equivalent to one to three in the early morning.

The fact that they chose this time to cross the border showed just how professional they were.

This time period was when people were in their deepest sleep of the day. Doing so was probably to avoid inspections by the Nine Insect Gang’s soldiers.

With the two factions at war, the other side would not allow passage to members of the enemy faction.

Sneaking into Nine Insect Gang territory under the cover of night was the best method.

Once they got past the border checkpoints, it should be safe from there on out.

“How much for the beef and wine?”

“Sixty wen in total.”

“Here!”

Qin Niu tossed out two pieces of silver money.

That should be three qian for sure.

When traveling outside, never reveal your wealth.

Inside the inn, many people were still seated at this moment. Some were eating and drinking, chatting away, while others were quietly sipping tea.

Everyone was waiting.

Each of them was full of vigilance towards strangers, never revealing any details easily.

“That’s a little over three qian of silver money, I’ll give you back forty wen.”

After receiving the silver money, the landlady was very pleased.

“No need for change, just give me some more beef to take on the road. The meat here tastes quite good.”

Qin Niu figured that forty wen should buy him another five jin of braised beef.

While forty wen may not seem like much, it’s equivalent to four days’ wages for an adult farmer.

Beef is much more expensive than pork, and braised beef shrinks in cooking. Selling it for eight wen per jin is definitely a fair price.

The landlady personally cut five jin of beef for him.

Wrapped in oiled paper.

After Qin Niu took it and weighed it, it seemed more than five jin.

“You sure gave a generous portion, landlady! Hope this won’t cause you a loss?”

“Heh, you’ve got quite a hand there! 1 added an extra jin for you, just a little token.” The landlady said with a smile.

“Many thanks!”

“Enjoy, sir. If you need anything, just call me. It’s still early before the fourth watch, so you can also take a nap on the table. If you prefer something more comfortable, we have rooms available upstairs for thirty wen a night. Whether you stay until midnight or dawn, it’s the same one-night charge.”

The prices were clearly marked.

Qin Niu thought to himself that if those sitting in the inn’s main hall were also refugees, they would likely be reluctant to spend an extra thirty wen on a room, choosing instead to rest in the main hall.

He discreetly watched the crowd: porters, peddlers, all sorts of people.

Most were just ordinary folks.

There were two or three with considerable strength, but he didn’t detect any cultivators from the Innate Realm.

Sensing someone’s cultivation level is generally clearer for high-level cultivators sensing lower-level ones.

If the other person’s cultivation level is higher than one’s own, it’s usually hard to detect.

One might even mistake them for an ordinary person.

For instance, the dwarf who sold him the map had unfathomable strength.

And as for the five ancestors of the Fang Family, there’s even less need to mention.

After having his fill of beef and wine, he felt quite comfortable.

He didn’t go upstairs to rent a room and sleep.

It wasn’t about saving those thirty wen for the room, but instead, he wanted to stay in the main hall to listen in on other people’s conversations. With his Innate Realm cultivation, whether others whispered or spoke softly, he could hear everything clearly.

After some eavesdropping, he roughly understood the basic situation at the border.

The Nine Insect Gang’s main assault wasn’t here, but they had chosen to invade from Dafeng Village by the Black Water River.

The latest news was that the frontline troops of the Black Tiger Gang had suffered heavy casualties.

At least over a thousand were dead or injured.

Moreover, the troops of the Nine Insect Gang were extremely cruel. Men captured by them were used as food to feed insects, and young women were turned into slaves.

The fate of the children captured was even worse, being used directly as cauldrons for breeding insects.

The Nine Insect Gang’s soldiers were described as completely wicked, though it was unclear whether these were actual facts or if the higher-ups of the Black Tiger Gang were vilifying their opponents to spur the public’s will to resist.

Besides the invasion by the Nine Insect Gang, the usually neutral Shennong Sect had also invaded directly from the plains near the Black Water River.

They had already taken over a vast area of fertile land from the Black Tiger Gang.

For the Shennong Sect, land was their treasure.

After all, they specialized in agriculture.

With broader lands, they could grow more crops and support more people.

Once the population base increased, the number of powerful individuals would also rise.

Qin Niu thought to himself that those landlords who had bought land were sure to be crying now.

Land seized by the troops of a rival gang could not be reclaimed by any landlord alone.

This also meant a direct zeroing out of a vast amount of assets.

Normally, just having a hundred acres of good farmland would be enough for generations to live worry-free.

Besides these two pieces of bad news, there was another disadvantageous piece of news: it was said that the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect was in its centennial period of weakness. During this time, the sect would generally not interfere with wars between the various gangs under its jurisdiction.

The Black Tiger Gang, facing two enemies alone, was no match for either gang on its own.

Now with these two gangs joining forces to destroy it, one can imagine the outcome.

Two men dressed as merchants were conversing in whispers.

“Boss Wen, if we flee to the Nine Insect Gang’s territory now, will we be safe?”

“As long as you get a legal identity, it’s very safe. Haven’t you already settled the legal identity issue? Just be at ease. But when we’re crossing the border later, we must be careful of the Nine Insect Gang’s soldiers. If they catch us, they’ll strip us of all our silver money. Our lives will be very difficult then.”

“Shouldn’t we just spend ten taels of silver money to hire someone to escort us to a safe location?”

“Are you stupid or something? Who can truly guarantee absolute safety? Besides, ten taels of silver money is not a small sum, it hurts even me to spend it!”

“That’s true.”

“No matter what, we were lucky to have prepared early. At least we’ll be able to survive after getting there. Those without a legal identity will really suffer. I heard that some landlords and wealthy merchants have already sold their properties and voluntarily started moving to the plains.”

“But what’s the point? Aren’t they still within the realm of the Black Tiger Gang when they move there?”

“You really don’t get it, do you? If they move to the plains, should the Black Tiger Gang really get wiped out, that area will become Shennong Sect territory. The Shennong Sect is much better in its conduct than the Nine Insect Gang; they won’t harm ordinary citizens. Since they have money, once things settle down, they’ll buy land again and live comfortably with a legal status from the Shennong Sect.”

“Smart, that’s really smart! Had we known, we should’ve gotten legal identities from the Shennong Sect. We’ve really lost out this time.”