The Jinlan Mine was much higher than before, making it somewhat inconvenient to leave the village. Previously, it seemed no more than a low mountain when viewed from the outside, but now it was a series of peaks, with the terrain undulating and stretching for dozens of miles, and each day, new changes appeared silently.

The alien power lingering in the village still maintained its range. The former inconveniences had now become advantages, naturally becoming a forbidden land for Qi Refining Cultivators.

However, there were many drawbacks. For instance, there used to be only one entrance at the village entrance, but now one could enter the Jinlan Mountain range from all directions. This made Yu Ziqing feel very insecure.

Additionally, with the emergence of the king of the starving ghosts, all the hungry ghosts across the Wilderness, along with countless starving ghosts, felt the opening of a new path at that moment and naturally chose to transform without hesitation.

Thus, like a tidal wave, the hungry ghosts had, in a few days, all gathered outside the Jinlan Mountains.

They were all waiting for their first almsgiving and at the same time, to come and worship and thank their king.

They all came from impoverished families when alive—a statement that sounds redundant because those who weren't poor wouldn't have starved to death.

Among them, many hungry ghosts had starved to death around the same time as Yu Ziqing's first death.

From every aspect, Yu Ziqing felt he should settle these hungry ghosts properly, and the most direct and efficient method was as it was now.

Using the branches of the locust forest, where the hungry ghosts resided as a guide, he sprinkled sweet rain, creating vast areas of locust forest most suitable for the habitation of hungry ghosts.

With a place to reside, they no longer had to suffer from the cold and the snow or from hunger within, and could also transform into guardians of Jinlan Mountain, isolating it from the outside world.

This solution was killing two birds with one stone.

However, enclosing the entire Jinlan Mountain, extending hundreds of miles, was a huge undertaking, not something that could be finished in a day or two. And such tasks could only be done by someone with the authority of the king of the hungry ghosts; no one else could replace him.

Over the next few days, Yu Ziqing regularly took care of his needs, diligently spreading sweet rain, and had completely given up on the idea of going shopping himself. Cece was finally persuaded by him and stopped watching over him, willing to take Er Han out to find food.

Upon leaving the Jinlan Mountains, Yu Ziqing continued to walk further out, leaving an area not covered by alien power to facilitate future village life and cultivation.

After all, the villagers couldn't have offspring within the range of the Jinlan Mountains. Yang wasn't sure whether it was because children could not be had within that territory or if it was also impossible after leaving.

In any case, it was better to reserve some normal land, just to be safe.

Besides, the land in the Wilderness was worthless, desired by no one; you could enclose it as you wished.

Yu Ziqing walked alone in the snow-covered ground, continuously spreading sweet rain, causing large patches of locust forest to rise abruptly as he passed.

He felt no fear at all, for beneath that thick layer of snow, even he did not know how many hungry ghosts were hidden.

Only after he had passed, did one after another, hungry ghosts emerge from under the snow, respectfully bowing and thanking him, then each chose a locust tree as a dwelling.

Of course, Yu Ziqing also didn't know that Wu Shuangge, strictly adhering to Cece's instructions, aside from counting down twenty thousand numbers for Yu Ziqing to relieve himself, was watching him every moment without pause, fearing any mishap before the aftermath had subsided.

...

Er Han's entire body emitted steam, like a human-shaped fierce beast, darting quickly, his speed akin to a strong arrow, running through the snow without sinking in.

Meanwhile, Cece, clad in a black robe, raced across the snow on a wooden board with ease, still keeping up with Er Han's pace.

The two hurried along their way, running day and night for three days straight, only occasionally resting on the road, and finally covering a distance of over three thousand miles to reach the border where the Wilderness, Dali, and Daqian converged.

There, although there was still snow on the road, it was not as deep, and one could faintly see some evergreen trees, which still bore a hint of green in this season.

There, they slowed their pace. Er Han's eyes were red from running for three days and nights to make the round trip quickly, and now he was much thinner.

"Cece, didn't you say that if we went at full speed to Dali, it would take two days? Why have we run for three days? Could it be that you lost your way?"

"Did you forget what the village chief told you before we left?"

"To listen to you, observe and do the same, keep my mouth shut."

"And what did you do?"

"I was wrong, Cece. Please don't tell my Grandpa, and don't tell Brother Ziqing either."

Cece gave Er Han a sidelong glance; this fool wasn't stupid, he just didn't ever think things through.

Their village in Jinlan Mountain was indeed closer to Dali—a straight journey eastward at full speed for two days would take them within the borders of Dali, and within three days they could reach a moderately populated border town.

But at this time, two people coming from the Wilderness to procure a large amount of food within Dali—guess whether the agents of Dali's Shadow Department would fail to notice such people.

Originally, Yu Ziqing had the whole village start Body Refinement in preparation for a plan to relocate the village; without everyone at least reaching the Second Tier of Body Refinement, it would be impossible to successfully traverse the thousands of miles of frigid Wilderness with a large group.

The only ones with a hundred percent chance of making it out alive were those like Er Han, natural Body Refinement talents, human form fierce beasts.

The plan to evacuate everyone was naturally abandoned, as the various risks were too high. The only option was to allow a few people to come out and figure out how to procure various foods.

And the best strategy was naturally to head to the more chaotic areas, where one would not be easily noticed.

Heading northeast, the border between Dazhen and Dali was one option, but not the best one. It wasn't chaotic enough, and during this season, there wouldn't be much food available there either.

So, there was only one other choice—to head a bit southeast to the border between Dali and Daqian. A short distance along this border lay Kuihou Country, a small nation sandwiched between Dali and Daqian, insignificant and easily overlooked.

Kuihou Country was bordered to the north by the Hengduan Mountains and to the south by the perilous Nu River, effectively isolating it from the two large neighboring nations. Most importantly, Kuihou Country did not possess any valuable resources. Its only claim to fame was being the primary producer of Oiran.

Both Daqian and Dali despised the idea of the other occupying Kuihou Country, and they were pleased to have a buffer zone in between; otherwise, the countries would share a border extending over ten thousand miles, which neither side would favor.

For nearly a hundred years, the conflict between Dali and Daqian had remained along the border. It was possible that on one side they were negotiating friendly trade, while at the same time, a skirmish might be happening somewhere along the border.

The buffer zones in between have somewhat contributed to preventing an escalation.

The destination now was close to the Wilderness, near the tri-point where Dali, Daqian, and Kuihou Country meet.

The geographical location, combined with neither Dali nor Daqian dispatching significant military forces there, naturally resulted in a mix of all sorts. This was where all sorts of dubious characters congregated, the most numerous being those who couldn't show their faces in public.

This season, the southern part of Daqian had just completed a bountiful harvest. Finding a second-tier dealer there to buy a year's worth of food for a few hundred people was nothing noteworthy.

What needed attention were some items needed by Yang, who was trying to figure out if he could regrow Jinlan Mushrooms. Without this special product, the speed of Body Refinement for the villagers had plummeted to one percent of its original rate, even if that was still considered a testament to their natural talent.

Those poor souls, when it came time to replenish themselves, hardly had the luxury of using Fourth Grade Spiritual Medicine as food.

Considering the need to buy so much, Cece dared not venture into Dali territory. Doing so would be like mocking the people from the Shadow Department right in their faces.

Money and things that could serve as money were plentiful. In previous dealings with Daqian, they had provided a lot, and the village chief had thought long-term and saved it all, never expecting it would actually be needed now.

Cece, along with Er Han, who clearly wasn't an ordinary person, followed the border for another two days. After regaining some energy and strength, they finally arrived at their destination.

As night fell, the small town was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

In the city gate, which was absent, people continuously went in and out; none of them were ordinary. Many emitted a strong Evil Qi, and the scent of blood was not faint either.

Cece took Er Han into the town, turning left and right, until they reached an inn and knocked to enter.

Er Han had a belly full of questions he dared not ask.

He could only watch as Cece expertly guided him to check into the inn, found the Shopkeeper, and handed him a block of purplish-gold metal, instructing him to buy the materials they needed—all items from a list provided by Yang, messy and comprehensive, fearing no one could discern anything from it.

The next day, Cece took him to a broker and purchased enough food to last a few hundred people for a year.

Er Han just watched as Cece waved his hand, and the mountain of food disappeared. He continued to hold back his questions.

They then moved to another shop to buy a large amount of beef.

With each purchase, they switched to a different shop.

After spending a whole day buying food, it was dark by the time they returned to the inn.

"Guest, your orders have almost all been fulfilled, though a few items are still missing. They should be available tomorrow..." the Shopkeeper delivered the purchased items for Cece to check one by one.

After checking, Cece waved his hand, took away all the items, and gave the Shopkeeper a blank look.

"Running an inn without knowing the rules, what kind of inn is this?"

Leaving behind these words, Cece didn't stay overnight but immediately departed with Er Han.

The Shopkeeper's complexion slightly changed, yet he said nothing.

There was a rule here, known as "do not retain guests." Inns could not detain guests; otherwise, it was a breach of conduct. This rule was established because many had verified it with blood over the years.

Of course, such rules in this godforsaken place were only to be heard.

Those who managed to run inns here weren't running clean operations; the money from just running an inn was insufficient even for regular payoffs.

Cece took Er Han and left the town.

Once they were outside the city, Cece finally spoke to Er Han, his first words of the day.

"On the road ahead, if we encounter anyone, do not speak to them—kill them right away, leave none alive. If we can't overcome them, run immediately to Dali, not towards home."