Chapter 71: On the Road by Car

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

During these days, Shen Xin had made considerable progress in cultivating his clairvoyant eye, now able to easily observe the passionate entanglements of the young couple in the next room. At such moments, he thought of Yu Yanan; had she been here, surely they would have indulged in their own moments of intimacy.

While Shen Xin was lost in such confused desires, Sister Dan called to ask if he planned to return to Niucheng. Truth be told, Shen Xin was in no hurry to go back, but having spent so long in Sacred City without seeing Sister Dan again, he felt he owed her at least a brief meeting.

So he replied, “Sister Dan, why don’t we meet up first? I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

After agreeing on a time and place, Shen Xin left the hotel and made his way to the commercial district. The main reason for choosing this spot was his hope that Sister Dan could act as his guide—after all, he barely recognized any of the medicinal pills in the local apothecaries. Sister Dan, being a native of the Sacred City, possessed a breadth of knowledge and experience he could hardly match.

When they met, Shen Xin couldn’t help but admire Sister Dan’s alluring figure, succumbing to the urge to use his clairvoyance on her. However, a flash of white light shot across her body.

“What are you staring at?” Sister Dan turned, her face frosty. She wore a protective charm that shielded her from hostile spells.

“N-nothing!” Shen Xin stammered, mortified at having been caught, longing to vanish into thin air.

“Hmph! Men truly are all the same! Even you, only thinking of my body! Pathetic!” Sister Dan stormed off in a huff.

Shen Xin slapped himself a few times, silently cursing his weakness for beauty—but honestly, how many men could resist Sister Dan’s charms? After a moment’s hesitation, he decided not to chase after her. The more one tried to explain such things, the darker they became; he felt too embarrassed to say anything at all.

Better to let things cool down for now.

Left on his own, he went to the apothecary and bought a bottle of Mind-Calming Pills, which were said to enhance mental strength. Thinking it over, he also picked up a bottle of Tranquility Pellets to keep his thoughts from running wild.

Passing by a cultivation manual shop, he kept his distance and used his clairvoyance to glance inside, only to find that he couldn’t see anything at all. The shop was clearly protected by a formation.

After buying his medicines, he returned to the hotel to pack his belongings, preparing to head back to Niucheng. He had originally thought to delay his return, but decided it would be far more convenient to bring the big white goose over; otherwise, travel was just too troublesome.

Leaving Sacred City was no easy feat—it required taking a car, then a boat, and finally renting another car. It was a hassle, expensive, and crowded.

His journey back to Niucheng would start at the intercity bus station outside Sacred City, bound for Tianxiong City in Tiangang Province—over a thousand kilometers away, with no trains or flights, only a long-distance coach.

Half the journey would be through desert.

Once on the bus, Shen Xin felt a surge of regret. If not for his own lustful folly, he wouldn’t have to endure such hardship. Riding Sister Dan’s Cloud-Piercing Bird, he could have reached Niucheng in a single day.

But taking the coach meant even reaching Tianxiong City would require two days.

He found a window seat and settled in. There weren’t many passengers—barely a dozen or so. The bus finally lumbered off at ten in the morning. By then, the temperature had already climbed above forty degrees, and there was no air conditioning. Sweating profusely, Shen Xin could only swallow a Tranquility Pellet and close his eyes, since there was little to see in the barren desert landscape.

By noon, the bus finally stopped, and the conductor cheerfully called everyone out for lunch.

Stepping off, Shen Xin saw a dilapidated service station by the roadside. It was small—hardly a true service station—with a gas pump outside and a courtyard next to it. Inside the courtyard, a few wooden tables and chairs stood under a grapevine trellis, offering some shade.

The conductor summoned a server, inviting everyone to order food.

Shen Xin glanced at the menu and was startled by the prices. A bottle of water cost five hundred, a plate of vegetables over a thousand, and meat dishes generally ran three to four thousand apiece.

But, stranded in the endless desert, he had little choice. He ordered whatever—a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a few steamed buns to make do. Even the buns were five hundred each.

Cautious, he didn’t eat much, just enough to take the edge off his hunger. Despite the exorbitant prices, the food tasted decent, and none of the other passengers seemed to suffer ill effects. The place might have been a black market establishment, but not entirely heartless.

Afterward, the driver made no hurry to resume the journey, dragging out a bamboo cot and dozing off. The other passengers voiced no complaints; after all, the midday sun was at its fiercest, surely over fifty degrees, and with the sun setting late, it made sense to delay departure.

Bored, Shen Xin pulled out his phone to watch videos and read novels.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in a gray tank top and long shorts approached, holding a few flatbreads in his hand.

“Hey, friend, want to try some flatbread? I saw you barely touched your meal.”

“Not hungry, thanks,” Shen Xin replied without looking up. He had already observed everyone on the bus—among them, only three were gifted, the rest just ordinary folk. This middle-aged man was clearly not one of the gifted.

The man didn’t mind and continued eating his own lamb and flatbread.

After a while, Shen Xin heard a commotion. Looking up, he saw the three gifted men teasing two beautiful young women.

He glanced at them once, then returned to reading his novel.

But not long after, the three gifted men lost patience and dragged the two women into a room.

“Help! Let go of me, you beasts!” The women’s screams echoed through the courtyard.

“What a mess,” Shen Xin grumbled, annoyed by the noise. He put away his phone, strode boldly into the room, and saw the three men tearing at the women’s scanty clothing. The women, already dressed lightly, were now left in tatters, their bodies exposed.

“Hey, you three call yourselves gifted—have you no shame?”

The men, caught up in their revelry, paused when they saw Shen Xin. The burly leader grinned, “Friend, why not join us?”

“I’m not interested. You have two options: one, get out now. Two, take a beating from me and then get out.”

The smile froze on the leader’s face. Coldly, he said, “Friend, it’s just a few ordinary women. You really want to pick a fight with us over this?”

One of his followers sneered, “Boss, why are you even bothering? He’s just a pretty boy trying to play the hero. Ridiculous!”

The bald thug leered, “Boss, let me handle this one. I like them pretty.”

A chill ran down Shen Xin’s spine at the bald man’s words, his eyes flashing with cold fury. In an instant, the man’s body contorted and burst into a cloud of blood.

“Pervert. Not fit to live!”

The other two crashed into the wall in terror, scrambling to escape. Shen Xin had no intention of letting them go. Since he’d made a move, he wouldn’t leave any loose ends.

Before they got far, their bodies exploded in turn.

Shen Xin turned and left the room, returning to his seat and resuming his novel.

The other passengers barely glanced up, showing no surprise or panic; they were already numb to such events, having witnessed them countless times as traveling merchants. Only those seated close to Shen Xin quietly edged farther away.

The staff cleaned up the aftermath with practiced efficiency, thoughtfully handing the two women fresh clothes. With a cheerful smile, one of them said, “That’ll be fifty thousand for the cleaning, forty thousand for two sets of clothes. Ninety thousand in total. Is there anything else you need?”