The wagon wheel once again began to turn.
Shen Qing, along with several others, entered the village.
Shangao Village was secluded, seldom visited by outsiders, especially those who appeared to have a distinguished status.
As he walked into the village, other villagers who had heard the news came to see what was going on.
"Look how handsome he is! His eyes are truly beautiful."
"What material is his clothing made of? It looks all shiny. It’s such a shame that such fine fabric is torn."
"..."
The villagers gathered together, pointing and discussing Shen Qing.
Shen Qing lay on a broken plank, eyes closed, resting his spirit and paying no attention to the villagers.
"Village chief, the guest has arrived."
The village chief removed the smoking pipe from his lips. The glossy pipe shimmered lightly under the sunlight.
He gently caressed the surface of the pipe, shook it under the doorway, and placed it on the stone threshold beside him.
After completing these actions, the village chief slowly stood up and walked over to Shen Qing, examining him from head to toe.
He had been to Jinzhou Province City and had seen the world a bit.
Seeing Shen Qing’s attire and demeanor, he realized that this man was either wealthy or noble and was out of the ordinary.
The village chief tentatively asked, "May I have the honor of knowing your distinguished family name?"
Shen Qing leaned on the plank and his gaze fell on the old man before him, inspecting him in turn.
Although he was slightly injured, his divine sense remained sharp, and he could see that the village chief before him was a common man, his Qi-Blood degenerating, and had never practiced martial arts.
Shen Qing smiled slightly, with a mischievous curvature forming at his lips, "I am simply called Shen."
"So it is Mr. Shen in person." The village chief was very polite and continued probing, "May I ask from where Mr. Shen has arrived to our modest place, and what brings you here? Is there anything we can assist you with?"
Shen Qing, having emerged from a sea of blood on his journey, unintentionally exuded a dominative aura, which made this insightful village chief not take him lightly.
The village chief felt the subtle but present aura of Shen Qing and his attitude became even more respectful.
"I have come from the Capital City and would like to request a night’s lodging in your village."
"Capital City?" The village chief was momentarily stunned; he knew of the place—it was thousands of miles away: "Surely, sir, you jest."
These villagers, living in isolation year-round, knew very little of the outside world and could not even recognize all localities.
Let alone acknowledge the existence of martial masters with the capabilities of reaching the Primordial Spirit Realm or Kongyou Realm.
Such beings were too few and seemed nearly immortal to them.
Shen Qing did not elaborate further or enlighten them.
Seeing Shen Qing’s composed demeanor, the village chief’s heart skipped a beat, wondering if it could be true?
He became somewhat uncertain.
The Capital City was a place where only high-ranking officials and nobles could reside.
This young gentleman before him might be of high stature.
Moreover, observing his movements, which resembled the martial master from the neighboring village, it was clear he had trained in martial arts.
For these ordinary folks, he was not someone they could reckon with.
Immediately, the village chief respectfully said, "As Mr. Shen has traveled from afar and desires to rest in our village, he is indeed a distinguished guest, and it is naturally our duty to offer hospitality."
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"Chen Gouzi."
The called Chen Gouzi stood out from the crowd, his face blank, unsure of the village chief’s intentions.
The village chief said, "Since Mr. Shen came with you, he will stay at your place today. Make sure to take good care of him."
Chen Ergou was a bit stunned, about to object, but seeing the serious expression on the village chief’s face, he swallowed his words.
"Alright, everyone disperse, go back to your homes," the village chief waved his hand to clear the crowd.
The gathered villagers at his doorstep scattered.
Following the instructions, a listless Chen Gouzi led the donkey cart, taking Shen Qing toward a direction in the village.
Along the road, villagers cast curious glances, some approached to greet him while others stood at a distance and watched silently.
Shen Qing ignored them all.
After a while, Chen Gouzi brought Shen Qing in front of an old house.
"Sir, this is my home."
As Chen Gouzi spoke, he hopped off the donkey cart and reached out to assist Shen Qing.
Shen Qing rose from the donkey cart and stepped down.
Chen Gouzi then shouted into the house, "Old woman, tidy up a room."
Upon hearing Chen Gouzi’s call, a dark-skinned village woman came out of the house, followed by a little girl with pigtails, looking to be only three or four years old.
Seeing Shen Qing and noticing his gaze, the little girl timidly hid again.
The village woman, having pulled him aside, spoke urgently, "That vermin is coming tomorrow, what are we going to do about Niuniu?"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened and tears threatened to fall.
Chen Gouzi said nothing further, glanced at the little girl behind the woman, and after a moment of silence, he replied, "We’ll talk about it tomorrow."
Shen Qing, whose mind was entirely focused on cultivation, had little interest in prying into the domestic affairs of Chen Gouzi and his wife.
During the journey here, he had continuously practiced the Six Paths Reincarnation Technique and secretly consumed a spiritual elixir to regain much of his strength, enough to move about, but still insufficient.
He still needed some more time.
Shen Qing walked toward the house, noticing that Chen Gouzi’s home furnishing was extremely simple; a table and several crooked legged stools made up all the furniture.
At the center of the main room, a makeshift altar was built against the wall with yellow clay, atop which sat an incense burner honoring a small yellow flag.
Aside from that, the vast space was left with only dim yellow walls, starkly displaying the poverty.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the home was practically bare.
"Big brother, are you staying at our house?"
The little girl in the main room, with her big dark eyes full of curiosity, asked Shen Qing.
Shen Qing lightly nodded, without making a sound.
Outside, the woman wiped her tears and returned inside, pulling the girl aside and said, "I’ll go make up a bed for you, sir."
"No need, I’ll just sit here for the night."
The woman seemed surprised, she continued to ask, "Would you like something to eat then?"
"Not needed!"
The woman was puzzled by Shen Qing’s behavior.
Whenever government officers from the city visited in the past, they wouldn’t leave without having their fill and causing trouble.
Sometimes, they’d even keep the prettier women to toy with.
She thought Shen Qing would be the same, but he wanted nothing.
This was indeed rare.
Shen Qing didn’t elaborate further; he found a clean spot, sat down cross-legged, and focused on meditating.
Seeing his actions, the woman did not disturb him any further.
After a while, the little girl found a meditation cushion somewhere and brought it to Shen Qing, straining under its size. "Here!"
The cushion, almost larger than her body, seemed to nearly topple her as she struggled with its weight.
Shen Qing looked down at the somewhat tattered but clean cushion, accepted it, and spoke softly, "Thank you."
The little girl asked curiously, "Big brother, they say you’re from Capital City. What place is that?"
"It’s a very distant place," Shen Qing replied patiently.
"Is it fun there?"
Shen Qing said, "It’s not very fun, but there’s a lot to eat. If you went there, you could enjoy candied hawthorns, various cakes, and even meat."
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The little girl’s eyes lit up but dimmed quickly, "I can’t go, I’m going to die tomorrow."