The Portal of Wonderland

“So, that’s how it is,” Shi Mu nodded in a thoughtful manner, and said after a moment.

“The value of this kind of a Floating Cloud Carriage is considerably high. Therefore, only the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce and other rich and powerful forces have the ability to build a batch of them. This carriage can undoubtedly speed up many trips. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why City Lord You Can has chosen the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce for this mission,” Leng Yue Tong said.

After that, two groups of people also walked out of the store behind the fleet of carriages.

One of the groups was composed of a few subordinates of the City Lord, and was being led by Ling Chu. The other group was comprised of the guards of the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce; the leader of this group was a masked maiden in white robes. She held a jasper magic stick in her hand. Her graceful and exquisite figure was adding charm to her personality. Moreover, she had beautiful eyes which looked sharp and nimble.

Her face was hidden beneath the mask. But, her conspicuous and lovely appearance was still visible to the people through her graceful movement.

One of the bodyguards outside saw this girl, and his eyes brightened up. He drew in a breath gently while standing in the same place. But, the sound he issued was rather loud.

Even Ling Chu’s eyes often got pulled toward the white-robed maiden, and a faint fervent flame would flicker in them as a result.

The white-robed girl had noticed this, and her brows had slightly creased as a result. Also, a trace of inconceivable and disgusted look would flash through her eyes from time to time.

“It seems that this woman is that Moon-ranked magician,” Leng Yue Tong sized up the white-robed maiden and said.

She then waited for a moment, but didn’t get any response from Shi Mu. So, she turned her head, and took a look at Shi Mu.

Shi Mu appeared a little lost in some thought at the moment. In addition, he was also staring blankly at that white-robed girl like the other people.

Leng Yue Tong’s elegant eyebrows creased as she took notice of Shi Mu’s facial expression. Simultaneously, the hint of a resentful look peeped through her eyes.

Shi Mu took a deep breath, and his facial expression returned to normal. However, the expression in his eyes looked somewhat stirred-up after having seen this maiden.

The fact was that he had recognized this white-robed young girl at a glance due to his extraordinary eyesight even though her face was covered.

This girl wasn’t someone else. She was the same person Shi Mu had persistently been looking for this entire time — Zhong Xiu!

A glimmer of light flashed in Shi Mu’s eyes, and innumerable thoughts instantly bubbled-up in his mind. He immediately moved several steps back, and stood in the end of the crowd.

Leng Yue Tong saw his action, and a perplexed look emerged in her eyes. But, she didn’t ask anything. She instead turned her head, and looked at that white-robed girl up and down a few times. It seemed as if she was comparing herself with that white-robed maiden.

Shi Mu looked at Zhong Xiu from afar, and his thoughts got stirred-up.

He hadn’t expected even in his dreams that he would run into her in the Western Continent… a foreign land.

He tried to calm his undulating mind. But, he couldn’t refrain from thinking of the reasons that would have paved the way to the Western Continent for Zhong Xiu. Moreover, it also seemed that she was now a member of the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce.

Shi Mu’s brows wrinkled, and a hint of suspicion emerged in his heart. It was obvious that Zhong Xiu was a part of the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce now. But, why had the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce sealed-up all information related to her?

Furthermore, Zhong Xiu was also a practitioner of both martial and magic arts like him. But, her magic art cultivation seemed to have made a sudden jump to the Moon-rank. In fact, she had ascended to such a degree that she had surpassed Shi Mu by a great margin. Could it be possible that she had had a fortuitous encounter during this period?

Shi Mu shook his head since all these surging thoughts were a bunch of trivial matters. The thing that mattered to him the most right now was that he had finally found Zhong Xiu.

But, he still didn’t wish to come forward and meet her at the moment. It was basically due to two reasons. The first reason was that he didn’t wish to expose anything in the Peaceful Sun City. And, the second reason was the things that he had previously heard during his investigation.

Shi Mu wasn’t clear about the relationship between Zhong Xiu and the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce yet. But, the people of the Eastern Dark Moon Cult and the Vicious Barbarian Tribe were somehow associated with the escorting mission. So, this mission was naturally going to be filled with lurking dangers and unexpected crises en route.

Shi Mu couldn’t just watch from the sidelines now that Zhong Xiu was also involved in this matter.

The old man surnamed Wu walked out of the store behind the two teams.

“Elder Zhong, this is going to be a long journey. But, I’m entrusting the entirety of it to you,” the old man surnamed Wu said to Zhong Xiu.

“Elder Wu and Miss Zhong can feel relived since this Ling has taken charge of this trip,” Zhong Xiu hadn’t even opened her mouth when Ling Chu took a few steps forward, and said loudly while pounding his chest with his hand.

Ling Chu’s face was suffused with an expression of pride and haughtiness at the moment. Also, he was gazing at Zhong Xiu with a broad smile across his face. However, a sense of deliberate effort could still be seen through his smile.

“Hehe, having a high-ranked military officer in this mission is naturally a blessing for us,” The old man surnamed Wu was left dumbfounded for a moment. He then threw an intent look at Ling Chu once. Then, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile as he said.

Shi Mu was behind the crowd at the moment. His brows wrinkled as he noticed that Ling Chu was gazing into Zhong Xiu’s eyes. This scene left his heart with a sense of uneasiness.

However, he drew in a long and deep breath, and regained his equanimity. He then withdrew his gaze, and didn’t look toward them anymore.

Shi Mu knew that the spirit sense of an Earth-ranked powerhouse was very sensitive. So, his hostility could’ve been easily detected by him. Therefore, he had retracted his vision since he didn’t wish to reveal his identity at this point of time.

“Thank you so much, General Ling,” Zhong Xiu said in a cold voice; even her facial expression looked cold.

“Miss Zhong doesn’t have to be formal. It’s fine, haha!” Ling Chu didn’t seem to notice Zhong Xiu’s cold approach toward him. He instead cupped his hands in obeisance and said.

“It’s getting late. Everyone, it would be better if you set out now,” the old man surnamed Wu said.

Ling Chu and Zhong Xiu nodded in agreement. Simultaneously, the forty recruited escorts walked over as they heard these words.

Many people of the forty recruited escorts were stealing a glance at Zhong Xiu from time to time. But, all they could see was the pair of her eyes.

Zhong Xiu was a Moon-ranked magician. So, she could be regarded as ‘beyond reach’ for them since she was far superior to these Xian Tian-ranked warriors. As for the Star-ranked magicians … they could only hope to reach this degree.

It was reasonable to say that the Star-ranked magician — Leng Yue Tong — was comparatively more suitable to approach than her under this situation.

Therefore, many of them soon stopped paying attention to Zhong Xiu, and stuck their gazes at Leng Yue Tong as before.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this escorting mission will be carried out under the supervision of Elder Zhong – a member of my Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce, and General Ling. So, you must comply with their orders on the way,” Old Man Wu explained to Shi Mu and the others in a loud manner.

“Yes!” Shi Mu and the others were also familiar with Old Man Wu’s status. So, they replied in unison.

“Set out!” Old Man Wu issued an order.

The people of the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce immediately moved into action, and began to stimulate the movement of the Floating Cloud Carriage. They arranged them in a row, and then started to advance in the direction of the city’s gate.

Meanwhile, Shi Mu and the other escorts dispersed, and boarded the Floating Cloud Carriages in a systematic manner. Each carriage soon had a few people on them.

Zhong Xiu walked up to the last Floating Cloud Carriage. This carriage was much smaller than the others; it was only the size of a room. In addition, no goods were loaded on it. And, even the tent was pulled up outside.

“Miss Zhong, please wait for a moment,” Ling Chu waved his sleeve, and a streak of blue light departed. A greenish-blue flying carriage emerged before him the next moment. Then, a pair of green bird-like wings unfurled on either side of this cart.

After that, a green light flashed, and the flying carriage began to inflate at an astonishing speed; it rose to several feet in size in an instant. An exquisite set of table, chairs, and bed was arranged inside it in a very decent manner; they looked very comfortable.

“This Green-Winged Flying Carriage is my spirit tool. It’ll be very comfortable for you. We all know that this journey is going to be long and exhausting. So, it would be better if Miss Zhong sat in my cart,” Ling Chu invited her.

The surrounding people couldn’t help but reveal an awestruck look as they saw this greenish-blue flying carriage. Some of them even revealed an envious look on their faces. Even Old Man Wu’s face got smeared with a look of surprise.

It was very rare to see a flying spirit tool. And, this kind of large-sized flying carriage was considered even more precious and rare.

Ling Chu felt deeply contented in his heart as he sensed the surrounding people’s gazes. He then looked at Zhong Xiu with a smiling face.

“It isn’t necessary. This Floating Cloud Carriage is good enough for me.” Zhong Xiu threw an indifferent look at Ling Chu once. Then, she turned around, and walked toward the Floating Cloud Carriage.

Ling Chu’s eyes radiated a cold look, and his forehead’s veins suddenly twitched in response. But then, he quickly got hold of himself.

He gazed at Zhong Xiu’s graceful silhouette from behind in an agitated manner for a moment. Then, he let out a soft groan, and jumped into his flying carriage.

The greenish-blue flying carriage slowly started to move forward when the heat rose to the maximum limit.

Old Man Wu stared at the fleet of carriages as they drifted far into the distance, and his brows slightly creased. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Elder Wu, what’s the matter?” Manager Shi asked; he had been standing beside him the entire time.

“I don’t know why, but I can’t shake off this sense of uneasiness that had emerged in my heart a few days ago. In fact, my heart always seems to be shrouded with a kind of premonition… This trip wouldn’t go smoothly,” Elder Wu replied.

“Elder Wu, you are over thinking this matter. We have Elders like Elder Zhong and Ling Chu by our side to supervise this mission. They would definitely find out a way to deal with any difficult situation that they might encounter on the way. So, there shouldn’t be any problem,” Manager Shi reassured him.

“I hope so,” Elder Wu said.

Shi Mu was seated in the second last Floating Cloud Carriage. There were several other people in the same cart; this included Leng Yue Tong and a purple-haired young man.

Shi Mu turned around, and glanced at the last floating cloud cart. However, Zhong Xiu had long got into the cart by now.

“Hehe, it looks like Brother Mu has also taken a fancy to that Elder Zhong. Unfortunately, she’s a Moon-ranked magician. So, she’s unlikely to pay attention to insignificant people like us,” Leng Yue Tong said when she saw Shi Mu’s action. But, her voice was permeated with a hint of jealousy.

Shi Mu showed a faint smile in response. He then turned his head, and didn’t say anything afterwards. He also pulled the brim of his hat down a bit.

The majestic fleet arrived at the city gate in no time. The news pertaining to the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce and their ‘escorting of goods’ had long spread throughout the city. It had aroused the curiosity of many people, and had made them come to watch the fleet departing.

Shi Mu lowered his head, and remained silent.

The fleet didn’t undergo any inspection process, and went straight out of the city due to Ling Chu’s presence. Then, the fleet moved toward the west.

Shi Mu felt a great relief in his heart as soon as they floated out of the city. He then looked back, and saw that they were gradually getting further away from the Peaceful Sun City.

He knew that he might not get a chance to return to this city again if everything went well.

“Everyone, we are now out of the city. And, we aren’t far from the place where the Demon race’s patrol teams have been pacing back and forth for so long. So, everyone boost up your spirit,” Ling Chu’s voice spread from the greenish-blue flying carriage at this time.

Everyone suddenly felt a surge of excitement in their hearts, and they looked around with a vigilant look on their faces.

Shi Mu first took a breath in a slow manner. Then, he swept his attentive gaze over the surrounding area.

There were still a large number of demon beasts of Python demon race outside the city. In addition, he could also sense the presence of an Earth-ranked demon beast in the area.

The mist hadn’t completely dispersed yet since it was early in the morning. Therefore, their field of vision was being greatly obstructed by the mist.

The fleet of carriages slowly moved ahead while concealing its tracks. But, it was natural that such a large and overbearing fleet couldn’t escape the Demon race’s exploration range.

Shi Mu made use of his vision sharing ability, and tried to examine the frontal situation. And, the scope within a radius of a few miles immediately became crystal clear in his field of vision as a result. Even the layer of mist failed to obstruct his vision!

The fleet had barely proceeded twenty or thirty miles away from the city when a pale-golden gleam flashed in Shi Mu’s eyes. The fact was that a large number of demon beasts had suddenly emerged in his shared field of vision. There were probably hundreds of various kinds of demon beasts in the front.

“Brother Mu, what did you observe?” Leng Yue Tong was sharp and sensitive. She had immediately sensed a little change in Shi Mu’s aura. So, she asked.

Her voice had hardly faded when Ling Chu’s voice spread from the flying carriage.

“Everyone stop! Be prepared for battle!”

Ling Chu’s silhouette appeared in front of the fleet with a “Swish” sound. Simultaneously, a white silhouette flew out of the last floating cart, and stood alongside Ling Chu.

A rumbling sound of footsteps burst out of the mist in front of them. Then, countless silhouettes of huge demon beats floated out of the mist after a few breaths. It seemed that they were hundreds in number.

Leng Yue Tong looked at Shi Mu with a flabbergasted look on her face. Even the purple-haired youth on their carriage also cast an astounded glance at Shi Mu.

A big man flew out of the crowd of hundreds of demon beasts, and stood in front of them. He wore a purplish-black long gown, and there was a triangle-shaped purple pattern in the space between his eyebrows. He was sending forth a very intense spiritual pressure; he was an Earth-ranked demon beast!