Chapter 78: The Escort Mission

The next morning, Shen Xin drove past the Blood Moon Bar once more. He saw that the entrance had already been sealed off, but he didn’t get out to investigate. Only after driving several kilometers further did he stop at a phone booth to call Crazy Cheng. No one answered.

Shen Xin exhaled a heavy breath and hurriedly drove away. Given the current circumstances, Crazy Cheng could very well be dead, or perhaps he’d turned into a vampire. Anything was possible.

He left the matter at that, for the Holy Spirit Fruit Tree was about to bear fruit, and he needed to hurry over to seize it.

He continued driving toward Wucheng, then headed into the mountains. He’d been to Immortal’s Peak twice before, but those times had been with Old Mo and Chen Jiawang. This time, he was alone.

He climbed Immortal’s Peak, arriving just in time. The Holy Spirit Fruit Tree was ripening. Without hesitation, he activated his teleportation technique, picked five Holy Spirit Fruits, and vanished again in an instant.

He moved so quickly, it was as if no one had ever been there.

After more than a dozen consecutive teleports, he was already several kilometers away. Then, using the Earth Escape Technique, he burrowed over a thousand meters further. No one noticed his presence.

Back in Niucheng, he gave one Holy Spirit Fruit to Tang Ziran and ate one himself. After consuming the fruit, his Qi Refining cultivation speed increased dramatically; before, it had taken him more than a month just to sense the presence of qi. This time, he could clearly feel the thin spiritual energy in the air slowly gathering around him.

Ten days later, the fruit’s effects faded. Shen Xin felt he had reached the first level of Qi Condensation.

Although it was the lowest realm of cultivation, he was overjoyed.

Tang Ziran did even better—one fruit was enough for her to reach the second level of Qi Condensation.

Shen Xin considered giving her another, but couldn’t bear to part with it. He decided to keep the rest for himself. If he died, everything would reset; even if Tang Ziran became powerful, it would be meaningless.

“Quack quack!”

The big goose swam merrily in the courtyard pond. There had once been plenty of fish, but now the goose had eaten them all.

Whenever there were ripe fruits in the backyard, the goose never spared a single one.

Shen Xin felt a headache just looking at it—he’d never seen such a gluttonous goose.

“Hey, Goose, you can’t just eat all day. You have to pull your weight, or I won’t feed you anymore.”

Hearing Shen Xin, the big goose swaggered over, lowering its neck and searching him for food with its broad beak.

“Were you a starving ghost in your past life? You’re over three months old now—a full-grown goose. Come on, take me flying!”

Normally, the goose stayed in the yard; even if it flew out, it only circled the back hill. Shen Xin didn’t dare let it roam freely—if it flew away, all his months of effort would be wasted.

Besides, Tang Ziran often warned the goose that the outside world was dangerous, full of villains who liked to cook goose in iron pots. As a virtuous and self-respecting goose, it must never wander off alone.

The goose had regarded them as its parents since it was young and obeyed their every word. Even if it was curious about the outside world, it would never venture out by itself.

Shen Xin swung himself onto the goose’s back, wrapping his right arm around its neck. “Fly, let’s go to the river and eat fish.”

Hearing there’d be fish, the goose stretched its neck happily and sang to the sky, spreading its wings wide.

“Yoo-hoo! We’re flying! Higher, go even higher!”

The goose’s wingspan was nearly five meters, soaring through the air like a glider.

Once aloft, the goose spotted a river below, winding like a jade belt. It dove steeply downward.

“Idiot, take it easy! You’re a goose, not an eagle!”

Shen Xin clung tightly to its neck, terrified of falling.

With a thunderous splash, the goose hit the water, sending waves several meters high.

Luckily, Shen Xin teleported to the riverbank just in time, narrowly avoiding a soaking.

Once in the water, the goose was in its element—it frolicked freely, snatching up any big fish within reach.

…

Another month passed. Shen Xin consumed all the remaining Holy Spirit Fruits, but his progress stalled at the third level of Qi Condensation. Without the fruits’ aid, his cultivation barely improved.

The third level was an awkward stage—he couldn’t even practice sword flight.

Shen Xin, however, was determined to lay low and endure. But Tang Ziran grew impatient. She asked, worry in her voice, “Brother, when are we going to take on a bounty mission? We haven’t taken a job in nearly half a year—we can’t keep living off our savings.”

Seeing her anxious face, Shen Xin realized it was time to get out and gain some experience. Locking himself away wouldn’t do. He smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll pick up a mission right now.”

Shen Xin opened the Bounty Order app and browsed the listings, intending to find something simple. The reward didn’t matter—he still had plenty of gems. In half a year, he’d only sold about a hundred, but that was already a tidy sum.

Besides, he’d gathered more gems since, bringing his stash to over five thousand.

After some deliberation, he settled on an escort mission.

He assumed it would be straightforward.

According to the mission’s brief description, he just needed to accompany a vehicle to Rat City. The reward was half a million.

“Ziran, what do you think of this one?”

“As long as we have work, it’s fine. Take it.”

“Alright, I’ll accept it. We leave at six a.m. tomorrow from Niucheng, heading to Rat City. I’ll go with the vehicle, and you follow above on the goose.”

“Okay, I’ll go to bed early then.”

The next morning, a bit after five, Shen Xin and Tang Ziran rode the big goose to the northern part of Niucheng, arriving at a security company called ShieldSafe.

After some discussion and confirming each other’s identities, Shen Xin boarded one of their five-seat trucks.

There was a large cargo container in the back; he had no idea what was inside, but he wasn’t curious. Once seated, he looked at Tang Ziran and reminded her, “Stay close, and don’t let the goose wander off.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already fed it well.”

The driver kept his eyes on his watch. When the hands reached six, he started the engine and set off along the planned route.

Aside from the driver and Shen Xin, three other security guards in black uniforms sat in the truck. They sat straight-backed, eyes scanning the windows, alert and ready. All of them carried assault rifles, safeties off and ready to fire at any moment.

Soon after leaving Niucheng, they got on the highway. Only then did the three guards relax a little.

Shen Xin pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, drew out a few, and offered, “Anyone want one?”

All three shook their heads. Shen Xin put the cigarettes away—he didn’t smoke himself; it was just for socializing.

Once on the highway, the big goose settled on the truck’s roof, too lazy to fly.

After about half an hour, they’d left Niucheng’s jurisdiction. The highway was almost deserted, and at seven in the morning, not a single car could be seen for miles.

The driver yawned and, seeing the big goose in the rearview mirror, asked curiously, “Hey, man, your goose is huge. Must be something special, huh?”

“Not bad—it’s pretty fast in the air.”

One of the armed guards barked, “Eyes on the road—there’s a tunnel ahead.”

“Tch, I’ve been driving for over ten years. I’ve run this route a hundred times, could do it with my eyes closed. What’s there to worry about?”

To be fair, the driver was skilled—the truck sped smoothly into the tunnel.

“Better be careful. On the way back, do what you want, but on the way out, I want you on high alert!”

He’d barely finished speaking when a violent explosion erupted ahead in the tunnel.

“Quick, slow down and turn around!”

The driver immediately reduced speed and attempted a U-turn. Turning around in a tunnel, especially on a highway, was risky. Sure enough, just as he turned, a large truck barreled toward them.

With a deafening crash, the two vehicles collided head-on. Luckily, as they entered the tunnel, the big goose, due to its height, had already left the truck’s roof. Otherwise, it would have taken a nasty fall.