After memorizing the information, Shen Yuan asked, “And what about the dangers? There should be plenty of bandits with such resource-rich cities all around, right?”
The guard spat on the ground, “Tsk, don’t ask about those bastards, the roads are filled with them. And not only a few bandits but fucking groups of them. There is one group that calls themselves the Black Viper Gang up ahead on the route towards Green Mountain City.”
The guard’s anger surged as he continued, “They have been harassing the merchants and traveling on the road for weeks now. We have managed to avoid them for so long but I heard whoever met them didn’t end up good.”
Shen Yuan’s expression remained calm, though inside he was eager to test his new strength. “I see, hopefully you won’t meet up with them.”
The guard gave him a polite nod, “That’s all we can hope, if we really fought then a lot of our men will die in battle. That’s not something I want to see.” He shook his head helplessly.
As the caravan continued their journey, Shen Yuan came towards Old Luo, “Old Luo, it’s about time we part. I still need to hone myself so I will look for challenges around here.” He spoke politely and bid his farewell.
Old Luo politely nodded his head as well, “It was good to know you young friend, but you should be careful to who you test your strength against. Don’t eat more than you can chew. We will soon be camping for the night.” Old Luo paused, and then continued in a light tone, “May we meet again, Young Friend.”
The caravan continued forward after dropping off Shen Yuan on the Road. He waved his hand to bid them farewell.
“Haah,” he stretched and continued while smiling lightly, “It was a good experience, the world is filled with all kinds of people, even if he wanted to forge connections with me, he wasn’t a bad person. And he didn’t push me for it as well.”
Yue Lan’s voice echoed in his mind,
[He was a merchant, after all, he knows when to advance or when to concede. That’s why he didn’t persuade you to travel with him. He knew that would only annoy you or make you look down on him, so he took his leave at the perfect time.]
After finishing speaking, Yue Lan materialized on his shoulder. Shen Yuan chuckled lightly, “No matter, let’s move forward. I heard that there is a forest ahead, the perfect place for ambushing. Hehe, it will be fun.”
Yue Lan paused slightly,
[Haven’t you become rather confident after your training in the forest? And you don’t even hesitate when the thought of killing bandits passes through your mind.]
Shen Yuan took a moment to reflect on himself. He thought about how he needed to protect his family and not be a burden on them.
Then he spoke seriously, “This is a dog-eat-dog world, if I don’t learn how to kill and survive and hesitate while fighting then I will be the one to get killed. And I can’t leave my family behind.”
He paused, remembering about his family, he smiled gently while what he spoke next would send chills to the spines of anyone who heard what he spoke next, “So I will kill, kill, kill and kill so much until no one can stand before me.”
Yue Lan got silent as she heard what he spoke, she approved of his decision to become more ruthless as it wouldn’t be wise to be merciful in this world.
But she didn’t think he would change so soon, ‘Is his bloodline affecting him somehow? I wasn’t expecting this drastic change in him after a single training session.’ Yue Lan thought inwardly as she couldn’t guess the reason for such an abrupt change.
Even if it was a good thing it shouldn’t have changed his personality so drastically. She soon shook her head inwardly as she couldn’t come up with a solid answer.
[Shen Yuan, you are growing stronger, but be careful to not lose your humanity in the process. It will be a life worse than death for you if that happened.]
Yue Lan finally decided to warn him about the possible consequences in a soft voice.
Shen Yuan smiled lightly, “I know who I am, Yue Lan. But if this world demands blood, then I will baptize it with as much as it wants.” his voice held certainty, his eyes filled with clarity, yet behind them, a faint glimmer of something primal flickered.
Yue Lan stayed silent to observe him, but not noticing anything different, she didn’t continue on the topic.
If in the future he strays from the right path then she will correct it herself, after all, she won’t be leaving his side anytime soon.
As Shen Yuan continued running on the road, he soon surpassed the location where the caravan stopped to stay the night.
After some time, he saw an outline of a huge forest from a long distance away.
The forest loomed over land as if a massive green monster, taking up millions of miles of space.
The main road inside the forest was filled with dry leaves and branches. The shadows filled the roads making it darker throughout.
A perfect place for an ambush as Shen Yuan slowed down when he reached the entrance of the forest.
Yue Lan’s eyes twitched,
[Noticed something different?]
She asked in a light tone, checking if his senses were sharp.
Shen Yuan chuckled lightly, “Looks like the time to test my strength has come.”
He confidently stepped on the forest path, his eyes scanning the area around him. The forest was far too silent, he couldn’t even hear the noises of beasts and insects in the surroundings. This was a major flaw in their disguise.
However, he didn’t have any plan to let them continue their little game, “Come out!” Shen Yuan’s voice echoed through the forest, “I know you lot want to die so hurry up.”
For a moment, the forest got more silent than before, almost as if everything was becoming still.
Then shadows began emerging from the depths of the trees, and a group of men clad in Black robes and leather armor appeared, each of them wielding a different weapon.
At the forefront stood a burly man with a scar running down his face–clearly the leader of the group.
“Well well, what do we have here?” The leader’s deep voice rumbled through the air, “A young brat traveling all alone, and from the looks of it even from a wealthy family. You must be either brave or foolish, but since you meet us, it means you are foolish. Bahaha” he sinisterly laughed as he raised his sword and pointed it at Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan remained calm and unfazed, “I assume you are the Black Viper Gang?” He calmly asked.
The leader’s laughter stopped as he looked at him with a wide grin on his face, “You all heard that? Looks like we are famous now! Hahaha,” he laughed while pointing at Shen Yuan, his lackeys also laughed wildly while pointing their weapons at him in a mocking gesture.
