Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 435 The convoy heads towards Tianjing

On the day we set off, it was just dawn.

The area at the foot of Yunyin Mountain has become lively.

They didn't choose the flying wooden bird; it was too conspicuous. Tianjing was still the territory of the Immortal Alliance, so they needed to keep a low profile on this trip.

So they chose a car...

Chen Anran looked at the parking lot in front of Xian Shan Fang, where several cars were already running. She glanced at Qi Lan, somewhat speechless, and said, "I told you to keep a low profile, and this is the kind of transportation you chose?"

Qi Lan leaned against one of the cars, a familiar smile playing on her lips.

"Isn't that discreet enough?" She raised an eyebrow. "It took Jiang Yun and the others almost half a month to fix this. It can run, it can defend, and it can carry things. It's much more discreet than those wooden birds."

Chen Anran didn't speak, but simply turned her gaze away and looked into the distance.

Smoke was already rising from the chimneys of the resort.

The aroma of congee wafted from the direction of Xian Shan Fang, mingling with the morning mist and stretching straight across the windless sky. People were walking along the road: farmers carrying hoes, women holding wooden basins, and elderly people leading children.

They started their day as usual.

A month ago, he summoned 500,000 demon soldiers from the rift, which swept across all forces within a thousand miles.

A month later, he will leave here and go to Tianjing, thousands of miles away.

Chen Anran turned around.

Feng Changyuan and Feng Lie were walking towards them. Both were dressed in ancient costumes, looking like ancient scholars, and each held a fan in their hand, truly resembling elegant and refined young gentlemen. The expressions on their faces were hard to decipher, being a mix of excitement and nervousness. Feng Lie followed behind them, his young face filled with undisguised anticipation.

"Fellow Daoist Chen." Feng Changyuan approached, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I've kept you waiting."

Chen Anran nodded, her gaze lingering on him for a moment.

Three years have passed, and Feng Changyuan's cultivation has improved considerably since he first transmigrated. Although he hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, he has already reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage, only lacking a catalyst. Feng Lie is slightly less advanced, at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but he has the advantage of youth and a solid foundation.

"Take them with you." Qi Lan walked up to Chen Anran at some point and lowered her voice, "That old fox Feng Wenzheng is right. When you're traveling, connections are more useful than cultivation."

Chen Anran remained silent.

He certainly knew what Feng Wenzheng was thinking.

But I don't care.

There were quite a few people going this time.

Chen Anran saw Huiming, the Feng brothers, Feng Wenzheng, Jiang Yan, and Daoist Tianbao.

"..." Chen Anran couldn't help but look at Qi Lan again, "There are quite a few people."

Qi Lan blinked and said, "Not many, not even more than ten."

Chen Anran didn't speak, but instead looked at Xiao Ling'er and Wei Yiran not far away. Behind them, there were twenty riders led by Zhou Da. And... Lin Xiaoman.

As luck would have it, Lin Xiaoman saw Wei Yiran as soon as she came out of seclusion and down the mountain.

Seeing Wei Yiran, who looks almost exactly like her "suffering" roommate from back then.

So Lin Xiaoman insisted on coming along no matter what.

Chen Anran didn't care anymore. There were already so many people going, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

When Chen Anran saw Wei Yiran, he paused slightly and then looked away.

"With these twenty or so people added, there are quite a few people now."

Qi Lan laughed heartily, "Who told everyone to want to see an ancient capital?"

………………

By the time the convoy left the foot of Yunyin Mountain, it was already broad daylight.

Three vehicles and more than twenty riders slowly made their way along the newly built road.

Feng Changyuan gripped the steering wheel, his back ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His driving posture was so serious that Feng Lie couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times.

"Brother, why are your hands shaking?"

"It didn't shake." Feng Changyuan said without looking to the side.

"It's shaking." Feng Lie pointed to his hand. "The steering wheel is wobbling."

Feng Changyuan took a deep breath and clenched his fists tighter. He was genuinely nervous. Not because he was afraid of driving, but because of the person in the back seat.

In the rearview mirror, Qi Lan was leaning against the back window, gazing at the scenery outside. Chen Anran sat next to her, his eyes closed, seemingly either asleep or lost in thought.

Feng Changyuan recalled the words his uncle had said to him and Feng Lie before they set off.

"Keep an eye on her." Feng Wenzheng lowered his voice, glancing at Qi Lan. "Keep a close eye on her the whole way."

Feng Lie blinked: "What are you staring at?"

"What are you staring at?" Feng Wenzheng glared at him. "What do you mean, what are you staring at? Can't you see what that woman is thinking?"

Feng Changyuan and Feng Lie exchanged a glance but neither spoke.

Feng Wenzheng sighed and lowered his voice to continue, "Xiao Lu... will come back. Until she does, we need to do what we should do."

Feng Changyuan felt... it was really unnecessary.

Three thousand years... who knows if his sister will ever come back... and asking Chen Anran to wait three thousand years... isn't that going too far...?

Sitting in the car, Feng Changyuan couldn't help but glance at the rearview mirror again.

Qi Lan was still looking out the window when, as if sensing his gaze, she suddenly turned her head and met his eyes directly in the rearview mirror.

Feng Changyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away.

Feng Changyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away.

Qi Lan chuckled.

The laughter was soft, yet it made Feng Changyuan's ears burn.

"Young Master Feng," Qi Lan said slowly, "how many times have you been spying on me along the way? Let me count: once when we left the mountain gate, once when we turned the corner, once when we crossed that stone bridge, and just now, that's four times."

Feng Changyuan gripped the steering wheel tighter and said dryly, "I didn't peek."

"You didn't peek?" Qi Lan raised an eyebrow. "Then I must have seen wrong?"

"You...you've mistaken me for someone else."

Feng Lie was suppressing a laugh, his shoulders shrugging.

Feng Changyuan glared at him fiercely.

Qi Lan didn't expose her, but just chuckled again and looked out the window once more.

………………

The atmosphere in the second car was much more lively than in the first car.

Master Tianbao sat in the passenger seat, almost leaning half his body out of the window, muttering incessantly, "This road, this road is so bumpy! Fatty Jiang, what kind of car are you driving? Can't you be a little more careful?"

Jiang Yan gripped the steering wheel, his chubby face beaming with his usual smile: "Master Tianbao, please don't be so picky. This car was personally tuned by my youngest son. Anyone else would have been shaken to pieces by now."

"Bullshit!" Master Tianbao twitched his beard. "Back when I was learning martial arts at the Maoshan Sect, what mountain paths didn't I traverse? This little bump is nothing! I'm saying your skills are lacking!"

"Yes, yes, I can't, but you can." Jiang Yan wasn't annoyed, still smiling. "Why don't you drive?"

Master Tianbao opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

He can't drive.

In the back seat, Feng Wen was sitting by the window, gazing at the fields rushing past outside, lost in thought.

Jiang Yan glanced at him in the rearview mirror and chuckled, "Brother Feng, what are you thinking about?"

Feng Wenzheng sighed, "I didn't think about anything, I just thought of Wen Yuan and Feng Yue, as well as the other two elders and members of my clan. They originally wanted to come along, but I persuaded them not to."

Jiang Yan chuckled and said, "Persuade them? You must have offered them quite a few benefits, right?"

Feng Wenzheng's lips twitched.

Upon hearing Feng Wenzheng's words, Master Tianbao paused in stroking his beard, then suddenly chuckled.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember." He leaned back, squinting his eyes. "Back when I transmigrated, I regretted not bringing more disciples and grand-disciples with me. With so many people in the Maoshan Sect, I could have just picked a dozen or so capable ones to establish their own sect here. That would have saved so much trouble."

Jiang Yan gripped the steering wheel, a mischievous glint in his small eyes: "So, do you regret it now?"

"Regret my ass!" Master Tianbao twitched his beard. "Now that I think about it, I'm so glad I didn't bring it. If I had, I'd be worried sick right now."

Feng Wenzheng wanted to refute, but then felt that he couldn't refute these words.

Jiang Yan laughed out loud, his chubby face twitching: "Master Tianbao is right. Our Jiang family is the same. We didn't bring many people, but even so, I still feel anxious. If we brought a whole family, we really wouldn't be able to live like this three thousand years ago."

"Exactly, exactly." Daoist Tianbao nodded repeatedly. "That's why sometimes having fewer people has its advantages. Look at those surrendered cultivators, hundreds of them. How much trouble is it to manage them? We have to make them work and temper their tempers, guard against any troublemakers, and think about how to arrange things in the future. We, on the other hand, can each manage our own area. It's so much easier and more efficient."

Feng Wenzheng sighed and looked out the window: "That's true, but sometimes I still feel there aren't enough people. For the Feng family to stand up, it needs people. Chang Yuan and Lie Ge'er's generation can't hold it up yet, and I don't know where the next generation will be."

"What's the rush?" Master Tianbao waved his hand. "Three thousand years is a long time, take your time. Besides, aren't there still Chen's heavenly soldiers and generals? Once things have stabilized in a while, we can select some of the better-behaved disciples from those who surrendered and recruit them."

Jiang Yan nodded: "Master Tianbao is right. Three thousand years ago, the one thing we had in abundance was people. The key was whether we could establish a firm foothold."

Feng Wenzheng remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

………………

The atmosphere was much quieter in the third car.

Lin Xiaoman gripped the steering wheel, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Her driving posture was even more formal than Feng Changyuan's, to the point of being somewhat stiff.

His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, his shoulders tense, as if he were ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any moment.

She was indeed nervous.

It wasn't because of driving. She had learned to drive and had no problem on the road. She was nervous about the person in the back seat.

In the rearview mirror, Wei Yiran sat by the window, watching the scenery rushing past outside, her profile as still as a porcelain doll.

Lin Xiaoman glanced at it only once before quickly looking away.

so similar.

"Benefactor Lin."

A voice came from the passenger seat, gentle and deep.

Lin Xiaoman snapped out of her daze and glanced at him sideways.

Huiming sat in the passenger seat, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his eyes slightly lowered, fiddling with the sandalwood prayer beads. He didn't look at her, but gazed ahead, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Concentrate while driving," Huiming said. "If you're distracted, accidents are likely to happen."

Lin Xiaoman opened her mouth as if to say something, but only hummed in response before turning her gaze back to the road.

This was the first time she had ever ridden in a car like this.

No, it should be said that this was her first time riding in a carriage. There were carriages in the General's Mansion, which she had ridden in before, but they were bumpy and swaying, and her back would ache after only a short distance. But this "iron box" was different.

It ran too fast.

It was so fast that the trees, fields, and mountains outside the window became blurry shadows, flashing by in an instant. It was so fast that she had the illusion that she was being pushed forward by some force, and that she would be thrown out at any moment.

But it's too stable.

It was so stable that she could barely feel any bumps, and so stable that she could clearly see the scenery rushing past the window.

"Sister Wei."

Xiao Ling'er's voice came softly from beside her.

Wei Yiran turned her head.

Little Ling'er was looking at her, her round eyes filled with a hint of worry.

"Do you get carsick?" Xiaoling asked. "Some people get carsick the first time they ride in a car; they feel dizzy and nauseous. If you feel unwell, tell me, and we'll ask Sister Lin to drive slower."

Wei Yiran shook her head.

"No," she said.

Xiao Ling breathed a sigh of relief and moved closer to her. She craned her neck to look out the window, her eyes full of curiosity.

This is the world three thousand years ago...

"They were riding horses outside, I wonder if they were tired. My junior sister Mengmeng told me that she used to practice horseback riding, so she knows that riding horses is tiring and your legs will hurt after riding for a long time."

Wei Yiran's gaze fell through the carriage window onto the people riding horses outside.

Zhou Da rode his horse behind them, accompanied by more than ten elite riders from the Western Prefecture Army, while several other elite riders led the way.

The cavalrymen leading the way rode swiftly, yet the vehicles still managed to keep up closely.

Wei Yiran even thought that if these immortal masters hadn't been mindful of them, this immortal item might have run away even faster.

Meanwhile, Zhou Da and his group weren't paying attention to the passing scenery; instead, they spent most of their time focusing on the three cars.

Wei Yiran spotted one of the young elites and couldn't help but lean closer to Zhou Da, whispering something. Zhou Da didn't turn around, only shaking his head. The elite shrank back, returning to his position, but his eyes kept glancing in their direction.

Wei Yiran suddenly remembered something.

She was stunned when she first saw these metal boxes.

That was at the foot of Yunyin Mountain, on the morning of the day they set off. She stood at the entrance of the Immortal Cuisine Restaurant, looking at the three square iron boxes, at their transparent glass windows, at their round wheels, and at how they stood there motionless, like three crouching giant beasts.

She didn't know what it was.

All she knew was that when the man named Jiang Yun climbed into one of the creatures' bellies, the thing suddenly "came alive." It emitted a low rumbling sound and began to tremble slightly.

She took half a step back.

Little Ling'er held her hand and said, "Don't be afraid, this is a car, it runs very fast."

But she wasn't afraid.

She just... didn't know how to face these things she had never seen before.

She then sat down inside.

Sitting in this self-propelled metal box, she felt it steadily propelling forward, and the world outside the window rushing past. She didn't know how it ran, why it didn't use horses, or why it could run so fast and so steadily.

She just sat there, watching the fleeting scenes outside the window, thinking about things she had never seen before, yet which were gradually becoming real.

Outside the window, the convoy continued forward.

The riders continued to follow behind, occasionally glancing in this direction at the metal box that could move on its own, before continuing to follow and move forward.

The road ahead is still long.

Tianjing is still a long way off.

But the carriage was moving forward, the horse was moving forward, and everyone was moving forward.

Wei Yiran gazed out the window at the fields and villages rushing by, at the increasingly unfamiliar scenery.

She had no idea what she would see or encounter along the way.

All she knew was that she would stay in this car and keep going forward.

Until she arrived at the place where she grew up.