Chapter 320: Seeking a Living in the Land of the Demons

At the border of Northern Huangtian, a stark boundary was formed where the golden desert met lush green forests and grasslands.

Standing on this dividing line, looking forward, one could see an endless expanse of golden sand. Under the scorching sun, the sand reflected a dazzling golden light, resembling a vast sea of gold.

Looking back from the boundary, there was a dense, verdant forest. Towering trees shielded the land from the sun’s relentless heat, casting dappled shadows across the ground.

Such a barren and harsh place should have been largely uninhabited, yet to Gu Ning’an’s surprise, a mere glance revealed numerous ragged refugees, families in tow, trudging toward Northern Huangtian.

The presence of demons in this region was a well-known fact among the people of Great Wu, so why were they heading into it?

As he pondered this, Gu Ning’an took a few steps forward—what should have been a distance of several hundred meters was closed in just a few strides.

The refugees, heads bowed against the blazing sun and swirling sand, failed to notice the sudden addition of a white-clad man to their group. Focused solely on their arduous journey, they had little attention to spare for their surroundings.

“Fellow villagers, Northern Huangtian is filled with demons. Why are you heading inside?”

A warm male voice rang in their ears. Turning toward the sound, they saw a refined man dressed in white.

His sudden appearance startled them, making them instinctively wary. They all took a step back in unison, huddling together as they faced Gu Ning’an.

The group consisted of about a dozen people, including men, women, young, and old—likely an extended family or two families traveling together.

A dark-skinned middle-aged man stepped forward from the group. As he approached, he casually lifted his open robe, revealing a sickle tucked at his waist.

Such a threatening gesture did not faze Gu Ning’an in the slightest.

After all, when traveling, one must always be cautious—especially in Great Wu, and even more so in its Northern Huangtian region.

Who could say whether the strangers one encountered were human or demon?

“Sir, what’s your business here? When did you start following us?” The dark-skinned man didn’t answer Gu Ning’an’s question but instead questioned him in return.

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an clasped his hands and smiled. “I was planning to visit Eternal Slumber City and happened to see you traveling through the desert. I just wanted to offer a warning—Northern Huangtian is full of dangers. If you can avoid it, you should.”

The dark-skinned man remained skeptical. In these turbulent times, even one’s own people couldn’t always be trusted, let alone a stranger who had suddenly appeared. Yet, the white-clad scholar before him didn’t seem deceitful.

More importantly, the dark-skinned man believed that even without a weapon, he could handle this frail-looking scholar with ease.

Lowering his guard slightly, he replied, “Thank you for the warning! But anyone in Great Wu who’s old enough to remember things knows that Northern Huangtian is a demon stronghold.”

“But we have no choice—Great Wu is no longer livable. We can only try our luck in Northern Huangtian.”

“Trying to make a living in Northern Huangtian?”

Gu Ning’an paused. He then retrieved two water flasks from his travel bag, poured some water into his hand, drank a sip, and placed them on the ground.

“Brother, may I trade these two flasks of spring water for some information? I’d like to know—how exactly does one ‘make a living’ in Northern Huangtian?”

The dark-skinned man hesitated for a moment before picking up the water flasks. He took a small sip from each one before setting them back down.

Clearly, even after seeing Gu Ning’an drink first, he wasn’t entirely convinced and chose to test them on himself.

“Alright, I’ll tell you.”

“But standing around talking wastes time. Let’s walk toward Eternal Slumber City while I explain.”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “That works.”

…

“Mr. Gu, this is where we part ways.”

The dark-skinned man gestured toward the ancient city in the distance, half-buried in sand. “You can see Eternal Slumber City from here—you should be able to find your way.”

Gu Ning’an clasped his hands in thanks. “Alright, many thanks for answering my questions.”

“It’s nothing.” The dark-skinned man waved dismissively and quickly led his group away.

Once they had traveled some distance, he kept glancing back. Only after confirming that Gu Ning’an was no longer in sight did he finally let out a breath of relief.

“Husband, that gentleman seemed like a good person. These two flasks of spring water are precious around here, yet he traded them for some worthless information.”

“Why did you insist on parting ways with him when we were already so close to our destination?”

A sallow-skinned woman walked up, handing a water flask to her husband as she spoke.

The dark-skinned man took the flask, drank a small sip, and felt the cool, refreshing spring water soothe his parched throat. The deep furrow in his brow gradually eased.

“Wife, you just don’t have enough experience traveling the roads.”

“When you’re out in the world, there are certain types of people you need to be extra cautious around.”

“Wandering monks and priests, lone women, and those marked by misfortune—all of them require vigilance.”

Hearing this, the woman was puzzled. “Why is that?”

The dark-skinned man explained, “Think about it. If these people didn’t have some extraordinary abilities, would they dare to travel alone?”

The woman continued, “But that Mr. Gu doesn’t fall into any of those categories, does he?”

“Wife, you’re too straightforward.” The dark-skinned man gave a wry smile and pointed to the ground. “Think about where we are—Northern Huangtian. Great Wu is already a chaotic mess, and Northern Huangtian is even worse, filled with demons that eat people.”

“A frail-looking scholar, completely ignorant of how to survive here, yet he dares to come alone. What does that tell you?”

“Doesn’t it mean he has some hidden ability that we can’t see?”

“So that’s it!” The woman suddenly understood. She then added, “It’s a good thing you know these things. Otherwise, our whole group might have been tricked and ended up thanking him for it!”

The dark-skinned man grinned. “Well, I’ve been on the road long enough to learn a thing or two.”

“Mother! Mother!”

A little girl, around seven or eight years old, with short ear-length hair, stuck out her tongue and called out to her mother.

“I’m so hot!”

Hearing this, the woman quickly took the water flask from her husband, gave the girl a small sip, and sprinkled some droplets onto her face. “There, is that better?”

“Much better!” The girl paused, then added, “But it’s still way hotter than before…”

“Hotter than before?” The woman wiped the sweat from her own face and said, “Husband, now that you mention it, it really does feel a lot hotter than earlier.”

“That gentleman truly wasn’t an ordinary person!” The dark-skinned man looked back toward the road they had traveled, his expression serious. “At first, I didn’t think much of it… But now I realize that the reason we didn’t feel the sun’s scorching heat along the way was entirely because we were traveling with him…”

Hearing this, the woman gasped. “If he has such an ability, doesn’t that make him an immortal?”

The dark-skinned man shook his head. “Who knows? But one thing’s for sure—he’s not just an ordinary man…”