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The commoners at the bottom live the hardest lives, with the weakest ability to withstand risks.

At the slightest disturbance, many ordinary people lack even the ability to escape.

Men like these two, who looked like merchants, were a cut above the rest among the commoners; at least they could play both sides. Not only did they have legal identities with the Black Tiger Gang, but they also secretly held valid identities with the Nine Insect Gang.

In modern terms, that would be akin to having dual citizenship.

Some who couldn’t secure legal identities from other factions and had a small amount of money foresaw the changes early. They sold their assets and moved to the areas most likely to be taken over by the Shennong Sect.

After a stable transition, they’d still be able to purchase land and live a good life.

The most tormented must be the impoverished, ordinary folks without money or connections.

Faced with the onset of war or disaster, they could only gamble with their lives. Compared to these people, Qin Niu was one of the few who had managed to break free.

With his strength and cultivation level, he believed that he could fare well in any faction’s territory.

Time passed bit by bit, and it was soon the fourth watch of the night.

About thirty-seven or thirty-eight people had gathered inside the inn, some with families in tow, going to the Nine Insect Gang to seek refuge with relatives; others were alone.

Then, another seven or eight people came down from the guest rooms on the second floor.

“Is everyone ready?”

The landlady had changed into a set of black tight-fitting clothes and was holding a precious sword in a sharkskin sheath, with a large bundle strapped to her back.

This outfit left everyone stunned.

Was she playing multiple roles all by herself?

“We’ve been ready for a while! Just waiting for the guide to come!”

Let’s go! Keep close to me! And remember, you must keep quiet; otherwise, we all get into trouble if hassle crops up,” the landlady warned everyone, then leaped out as she opened the inn’s main door.

She revealed an unexpectedly impressive physical agility.

Qin Niu felt his horizons broadening.

Appearances can be deceiving; who would have thought that an innkeeper, who looked like an aging woman on the surface, would possess noteworthy strength behind the scenes.

Turns out she was quite the moneymaker.

The fee for guiding one person was 200 wen; for ten people, that was 2000 wen, the equivalent of Two Silver Money.

With a total of forty-six or forty-seven people here, guiding them once would mean more than nine silver ingots in income.

And that didn’t include the money spent by guests in her inn.

Indeed, every surviving store had its own ways to earn wealth.

The crowd followed closely behind her, moving forward in the dark.

No one dared to make a sound.

They were like a ghost army.

Before long, they arrived at the great river’s edge.

Qin Niu had been here once before but hadn’t found where the bridge was.

He definitely wouldn’t dare venture into the river.

If something could scare the Diamond Ink Turtle that much, it meant the creatures in the water were extremely fearsome.

Under her lead, everyone stopped at a point where the river was relatively narrow.

Because the river narrower here, the current seemed much more rapid.

“Line up, I’ll escort each one of you across the river. Remember, don’t fall into the river, or it means certain death,” she announced before unwrapping the large bundle on her back, pulling out a long rope.

This rope seemed to be specially made. Its exact material was unclear, but it felt exceptionally sturdy.

It was also relatively lightweight.

The color was brown with a slight hint of gold.

Upon extracting this large bundle of rope, she nimbly climbed up a large tree and secured one end of the rope around the trunk.

Then, from the shadows, she carried over a small boat.

This boat was custom-made, its bottom covered in a thin layer of copper while wooden on the side. The bow was pointed, and the stern was flat.

It looked as though a boat had been cut into two, and this was just the front half.

The width of the small boat was barely over one meter, with a length of less than two meters—compact and agile. Judging by its size, carrying an adult of moderate weight might risk sinking it.

She moved the boat to the riverbank, then fitted it with two oars. After placing the rope on the boat, she tied the rope’s end to a metal ring at the stern. Once everything was set, she didn’t immediately let the boat into the water.

Instead, she retrieved a large bag from the bundle that seemed quite heavy.

Qin Niu smelled blood.

It was probably crushed meat, mixed with other substances, exuding a strange scent.

“Pipi, come out!”

With her call, a small monkey emerged.

It was less than a foot tall, wearing a little vest. Its face was covered in white fur, somewhat resembling the legendary white-faced monkey.

But the white-faced monkey was much larger than this one.

This little monkey radiated intelligence.

After appearing, it glanced at Qin Niu fearfully, then shrank back into the landlady’s arms.

The landlady looked at Qin Niu with a touch of surprise but said nothing further.

Qin Niu had a Grade Seven Golden Toad with him, and the little monkey must have sensed its aura, hence its apprehension.

Grade Five Beast Pets were already rare.

Grade Six Beast Pets were even scarcer.

And those reaching Grade Seven were exceptionally few.

A Grade Seven Beast Pet was no ordinary commodity; like a human in the Innate Realm, it represented a being of some status and strength.

The landlady took off a hooded cloak from her back and put it on, securely guarding her head and face.

The little monkey and the bag of bloody food were placed inside the boat.

She started by throwing two handfuls of crushed meat into the river.

Suddenly, the water erupted with crackling sounds, and the two areas where the meat landed roiled like boiling water.

The water churned, continuously lifting dense ripples.

Qin Niu focused his eyes to take a closer look, vaguely making out shadows moving under the roiling waves.

The small ones were only the size of a finger, while the larger ones were as big as a human palm.

They were fish, a dense mass offish.

And they were meat eaters.

They tore frantically at the scraps of flesh.

Once he saw the truth, Qin Niu couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.

However, the old boss lady adeptly shouldered the boat and went straight into the water. Almost flying into the river with the boat.

As soon as the small boat touched the water, the old boss lady immediately began to vigorously paddle, propelling the boat forward like an arrow released from its bow.

The little monkey sitting in the boat quickly scattered handfuls of minced meat to both sides.

The distance it threw was just right, each time the boat had not yet arrived when the meat it tossed went into the river.

The next second, the small boat reached the empty space in the middle where the monkey had scattered the meat.

In this way, the pair, one human and one monkey, worked together seamlessly. The small boat was able to safely navigate through the turbulent river waters.

It all seemed easy, but Qin Niu knew very well that a slight mistake could mean the destruction of the boat and loss of life.

Not long ago, he had thought the old boss lady’s business of guiding people was extremely profitable, but now it seemed that she was indeed risking her life to earn money. Charging only Two Silver Money per person was already very generous.

When the small boat reached the middle of the great river, a towering wave surged up.

Everyone involuntarily held their breath.

Just when everyone expected the worst, that the boat would flip, incredibly it did not overturn in the waves.

A black head slowly rose from the churning waters.

The old boss lady took an object from her package and tossed it out.

With his Innate Realm skills, Qin Niu had better eyesight than the average person. He barely made out that the object the old boss lady threw was a pig’s head.

The black head on the water caught the pig’s head in one bite and then swallowed it.

Its large head slowly sank back into the water.

What kind of water monster was this?

Its head was much larger than a normal bucket, easily big enough to swallow a person whole in one gulp.

Not long before, Qin Niu had thought of swimming across, but now, seeing the water monster reveal its head, his entire body shuddered.

If he had truly gone into the water, by now he would most likely have become the monster’s meal.

Seeing it easily devour such a large pig’s head, as if eating a snack, was terrifying.

Swallowing a person in the river would certainly not pose much of a problem for it.

The old boss lady’s boat was now just a small, faint black dot, due to approaching the opposite riverbank.

Too great a distance, coupled with the dark sky, made it difficult for everyone to see clearly.

Moments later, the old boss lady’s boat reached the shore.

Qin Niu let out a sigh of relief.

Although it was the old boss lady risking her life crossing the river, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling anxious for her.

Earning such guide money was definitely not easy.

After all, if it were up to Qin Niu to risk his own life for such a sum, he would never agree.

The old boss lady must have practiced countless times, her boating skills were top-notch. Moreover, from the moment the small boat hit the water to crossing the river and reaching the other bank, the entire process was executed in one go.

After reaching the shore, she seemed to be strenuously pulling the rope taut.

She secured the other end of the rope to the opposite side of the river.

Then after a while, she astonishingly slid back across the river surface on the rope.

In effect, she had temporarily created a zip line between the two banks.

Alright, next, one by one, I will ensure each of you crosses the river safely,” she said.

She started to fasten specially made rope clips to people, escorting them across the river.

Although this section of the river was narrow, it was definitely over a hundred meters wide.

A rope used as a zip line across such a wide expanse of river, carrying the weight of two adults without a hitch, was certainly not ordinary rope.

The first guest, under her escort, successfully glided to the other side on the rope.

When she returned, she brought back the small boat from the opposite riverbank.

This was her livelihood, naturally she treasured it greatly.

One by one, the guests were transported to the opposite bank. Soon, it was Qin Niu’s turn.

Gliding over the river on the rope, he was about ten meters above the water.

“Why is it necessary to wear a cloak to protect your head and face when sailing across the river?” Qin Niu asked the old boss lady while following her to the opposite bank.

‘There are terrifying mosquitoes on the river surface. Being bitten by them causes itching and pain, swelling up into huge bumps that take over seven days to subside,” she replied.

That explained it.

“So, aren’t we afraid of being bitten while crossing now?” he asked.

“Those bloodsucking mosquitoes can’t fly very high. I set the slide rope this high, so we don’t have to worry about bites,” she explained.

Certainly the work of a professional.

There were many secrets involved that outsiders simply weren’t aware of.

“That black thing in the middle of the river…” Qin Niu began.

“Don’t speak of it, or be careful it might get angry,” the old boss lady said sternly.

Qin Niu quickly shut his mouth. His curiosity about the black head, the water monster, persisted. Could there really be a River God in this world?

He and the old boss lady safely slid to the other shore.

“Alright, just climb down this tree and you’ll be fine. Remember, it’s best not to go that direction. As long as you successfully leave this river bank by five miles before dawn, you will be safe,” she instructed after arriving.

Having said that, she took the rope clip off him, then kicked off from the tree trunk and swiftly slid back to the opposite bank..