Chapter 302: The Glory of Wugu Kingdom
Chapter 302: The Glory of Wugu Kingdom
In the small town, several buildings stood tall, reaching a height of ten stories, towering over the surrounding structures.
The glass on these buildings seemed as if they hadn't been cleaned in over a decade, covered in a layer of grime.
Inside one of the buildings, the handrail on the staircase was greasy and darkened with age.
A man in an unfamiliar military uniform glanced at Wen Min and Qi Yuan, then burped, "Old Chen asked me to take you there, and there won't be any issues. But... you must listen to me on the way there, understand?"
As the man spoke, he lifted his overcoat, revealing a gun holstered at his waist.
"No problem!" The burly man, Wen Min, quickly agreed.
Qi Yuan remained silent, indicating his agreement.
"Also, according to the rules..." The man in the military uniform looked at the two of them and continued, "You need to hand over your weapons."
Wen Min didn't hesitate; he drew two guns from his waist and handed them to the man in the military uniform.
The man glanced at Qi Yuan, "What about you?"
The man looked at Qi Yuan, who was dressed neatly and cleanly, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.
Qi Yuan clearly wasn't a local; instead, he seemed more like a young master who had lived a life of luxury.
Why would he come here to engage in smuggling?
"Where are your weapons?"
At that moment, Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly grabbed a handful of air and handed it to the man in the military uniform.
"Does this count?"
Wen Min was a bit stunned by this action.
The man in the military uniform was taken aback but quickly recovered and looked at Qi Yuan, "You're not carrying any weapons?"
"As a martial artist, my fists and legs are my weapons, but these..." Qi Yuan spoke sincerely, "I can't give them to you."
When asked to hand over his weapons, Qi Yuan simply grabbed a handful of air.
As a cultivator, he could even use the air here as a weapon.
But he had too many weapons, fearing that the burly man wouldn't be able to handle them all, so he gave Qi Yuan a handful of air instead.
"You're actually a martial artist?" The man in the military uniform smiled, clearly believing Qi Yuan's words, "When I was younger, I was also obsessed with martial arts. I studied for half a year, took an injection, and never practiced again."
The injection he referred to was, of course, the gene agent.
He spoke from the perspective of someone who had been through it all, "Practicing martial arts leads to a dead end."
Before Qi Yuan could respond, a man behind the man in the military uniform spoke up, "Who says martial arts are useless? Recently, the priest of Wugu Kingdom was caught off guard and was killed by a martial artist."
Upon hearing this, the man in the military uniform burst into laughter, "The same thing won't happen twice.
I may not look like much, but when it comes to those martial artists who have reached their limits, I can easily take them on one-on-one without any issues.
If I can't beat them, I'll just shoot them."
The man in the military uniform spoke casually.
His words reflected the mainstream view of martial arts.
They couldn't compare to gene agents, let alone firearms.
About half an hour later, Qi Yuan sat in Wen Min's car.
His car had been searched, and all weapons were confiscated.
"Once we reach Wugu Kingdom, I'll find an arms dealer and buy some weapons," Wen Min said to Qi Yuan.
Without weapons, how could they save Carnival, let alone protect themselves?
"There's no need to buy weapons; that's too flashy, and I won't be able to use them anyway.
When we arrive in Wugu Kingdom, just take me to a place where I can see the Wugu Kingdom military camp, and the rest is up to me." Qi Yuan naturally didn't need weapons.
Moreover, there were various weapons on Arcstar, many of which Qi Yuan might not even know how to use.
Wen Min was taken aback and felt perplexed. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to follow Qi Yuan's instructions, "I'll do everything as Mr. Qi instructs."
Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.
Could it be that Mr. Qi has connections in the military camp of Wugu Kingdom who can help rescue the boss? He couldn't think of any other possibilities.
He naturally wouldn't have imagined that Qi Yuan intended to infiltrate the military camp of Wugu Kingdom single-handedly to rescue the person.
The smuggling convoy began to move.
Led by the man in the military uniform, the convoy slowly made its way towards Wugu Kingdom.
With over twenty vehicles, the convoy was quite large and kicked up a cloud of dust as it traveled.
Outside the car window, there was a murky river, scorched earth, occasional collapsed houses, and bomb craters.
From time to time, they could also see drones patrolling the sky.
Wen Min glanced at the drones in the sky, his eyes filled with apprehension, "If we weren't with this convoy, encountering these drones would mean certain death.
Even if we're not soldiers of Yue Lang Kingdom, if we're killed by the drones, the soldiers of Wugu Kingdom might still claim military merit."
"You're exaggerating; with my turtle-style qigong, I can easily take care of these drones. Where's the danger?" Qi Yuan looked at the drones without a care in the world.
The current Qi Yuan already possessed the ability to protect himself.
The only things that could threaten him were missiles and more advanced weapons.
Wen Min was used to Qi Yuan's way of speaking; he smiled, "Then Mr. Qi's turtle-style qigong must be stronger than bullets."
These drones can't be destroyed by ordinary bullets."
The vehicle sped along, occasionally accompanied by the sound of artillery fire.
Wen Min explained that this might be a crossfire between Yue Lang and Wugu at the border.
After about two hours, the convoy reached a checkpoint in Wugu Kingdom.
Here, a team of Wugu soldiers was stationed.
These soldiers were well-equipped, wearing bulletproof vests, and they inspected the convoy.
The inspection lasted for half an hour before they started to let the convoy pass.
After they were allowed to proceed, Wen Min heaved a sigh of relief, but also felt a bit apprehensive. "It's all up to Mr. Qi now."
Entering Wugu Kingdom was one thing, but getting out was not so simple.
Those smugglers only brought people in; they didn't care about taking them out.
Qi Yuan took a deep breath and looked out the car window, puzzled. "What's the purpose of the red scarves hanging on the trees? Are these trees... all Young Pioneers?"
Wen Min was taken aback but quickly replied, "Those are the rituals of the Guiran people's Holy Religion.
The red scarves on the trees represent that this area is under the protection of the Wu God."
Wugu Kingdom was a religious nation, where religious authority even surpassed royal power.
Wugu's Holy Religion, known as Wu Jiao, worshipped a deity called Wu Shen.
It could be said that over ninety percent of Wugu's population believed in Wu Shen.
In the teachings of Wu Shen, there was a saying: all heretics should be hanged from trees.
Of course, in a civilized society, Wu Jiao still maintained a sense of decency and did not openly persecute others.
Only the most fanatical believers would engage in such persecution.
They would kill heretics, drain their blood, dye cloths red with it, and hang them on trees.
So, some of the red scarves on the trees were ordinary, while others might be stained with the blood of heretics.
After entering Wugu's territory, the probability of seeing red scarves on trees increased significantly.
About three hours later, the vehicle finally stopped in a small town.
The man in military uniform approached Qi Yuan's car, knocked on the window, and said, "I'm only responsible for bringing you here. If you want to get out, contact me, but the price... well... it's a bit expensive, just like those people over there."
He pointed to a chaotic group of people in the distance as he spoke.
After saying this, he left without hesitation.
Qi Yuan turned to look at the chaotic group of people, which included the elderly, young, and children.
Some were dressed in rags, while others wore bright and colorful clothes.
Wen Min explained, "Most of these people are not Guiran; they want to leave Wugu.
With the ongoing war in Wugu, they want to escape.
They don't have many options; the smuggling convoy is their only way out.
However, most of them can't afford the transportation fee and have to offer other things in exchange, but many don't even have anything to offer."
Qi Yuan scanned the crowd, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Let's go and take a look."
Wen Min was surprised but didn't hesitate. He drove towards the group of people.
Indeed, as they approached, people stretched out their hands, as if trying to pry open the car doors.
Voices from outside the car could be heard.
"Please take me with you, I beg you!"
"My daughter is very beautiful, and she can serve you on the journey. Please take us away from here!"
"I have money!"
"Antiques, thousand-year-old treasures!"
They shouted, their eyes filled with desperation.
Most of these people were not Guiran; some had come to Wugu for work or had smuggled themselves in.
Some had even been abducted.
Wugu was very xenophobic, and life was miserable for these people.
Especially now, with Wugu at war with Yue Lang.
Sometimes, to improve their statistics, Wugu would even kill a batch of them.
In a 1691 book, one mistake could not be made!
So, their situation in Wugu was like that of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Seeing this scene, Wen Min couldn't help but sigh, "You can't see such scenes online. We people of Qin Yuan Kingdom... can't see the misery of these people."
From the moment they were born, their fate might have been sealed.
Although Wugu was a religious nation, it didn't mean that just by believing in the religion, you became one of them.
Without Guiran blood, you were considered inferior.
Who knows when a fanatic might drain your blood, dye a cloth with it, and hang it on a tree.
The vehicle drove slowly.
Qi Yuan's heart remained calm and unperturbed, unaffected by the commotion.
"Stop the car."
The car came to a halt.
A cacophony of voices filled the air.
A group of unruly civilians rushed forward, shouting, "Boss!"
"Move aside!" Wen Min's voice boomed, commanding authority.
Instantly, the unruly crowd quieted down, no longer daring to create a ruckus.
As they recognized, Qi Yuan's car was one of the vehicles that had entered with the smugglers.
Such a person would undoubtedly possess considerable influence.
Even if they were killed, no one would care.
Qi Yuan scanned the crowd, his gaze landing on a dark-skinned young boy.
The boy appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old.
He held the hand of a little girl, who looked dirty, her hair seemingly unwashed for several months.
The girl was probably only seven or eight years old.
Qi Yuan observed the two, his eyes revealing a keen interest.
"Do you two want to leave Wugu Kingdom?"
He addressed the boy and the little girl.
Upon hearing Qi Yuan's question, the boy's eyes lit up with excitement, but he quickly became fearful and cautious.
"Yes... Sir, I... I don't have any money, but I'm strong and obedient. I can work as a black laborer." The boy, Yaji, spoke nervously, and as he spoke, he shielded his sister behind him, fearing that Qi Yuan might have some sort of perverted preference.
"I can take you out, but... I need a bit of your blood."
Qi Yuan revealed his intention.
He discovered that in this world, many people had somewhat unique blood.
For instance, Wu Qi.
And now, this boy and the little girl.
Of course, the uniqueness of the two was different.
Qi Yuan hadn't studied Wu Qi's uniqueness yet, unsure of its specific aspect.
But the boy and the girl's blood was evidently special, as it shared the same origin and lineage as Qi Yuan's "bloodline."
To break through in his martial arts and enhance his martial talent, the blood of these two could be studied and utilized.
Qi Yuan's words left not only the siblings but even Wen Min puzzled.
The boy hesitated for a moment, but eventually, he nodded vigorously, hunching his back as he said, "Okay!"
No matter what, for them, leaving this place was the safest option at the moment.
After all, their parents had already been taken away to serve as "military merits" some time ago.
Who knows when it would be their turn.
Now, the only chance for survival was to follow this car and leave Wugu Kingdom.
The dark-skinned boy looked at Qi Yuan with a grateful expression.
The dirty little girl, however, was afraid and couldn't bring herself to look at Qi Yuan.
"Do you have anything with you?" Qi Yuan asked.
The dark-skinned boy carried a large bundle on his back, holding his sister's hand, and that bundle contained all their family's belongings. "No."
"Good, get in the car," Qi Yuan instructed.
Without hesitation, the dark-skinned boy got into the car with his sister.
Wen Min's car had three rows of seats.
The boy and his sister sat in the back, the boy's face filled with reverence as he spoke in the typical manner of Wugu Kingdom.
"May Wu God bless you!"
"You are the most generous person!"
Although Yaji wasn't a believer in Wu Sect, to live in Wugu Kingdom, one must utter such words of blessing.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan smiled, "If I want to kill the Yang God of Tai Huang Palace, can Wu God bless me?"
The Yang God of Tai Huang Palace was the mastermind behind the Great Calamity and Qi Yuan's greatest enemy in the current phase of the Canglan World.
Qi Yuan's words left Yaji stunned, unsure how to respond.
It was the dirty little girl who spoke up, "They say Wu God is very powerful, capable of carrying mountains on his back, so... he should be able to bless you!"
Living in Wugu Kingdom, one naturally absorbs the perception of Wu God's strength.
Qi Yuan smiled, "It's all made-up, and they don't even bother to exaggerate the power of their gods."
Carrying mountains... that's a bit weak.
Qi Yuan realized that the people in this world were very practical.
Even their made-up stories weren't grandiose.
They didn't dare to exaggerate the omnipotence of their gods.
It was unclear if it was due to their practicality or some deeper reason.
Yaji didn't quite understand Qi Yuan's words. He looked out the car window, his mind calming down. He whispered, "Sir... when are we leaving Wugu Kingdom?"
Leaving Wugu Kingdom was his greatest wish.
In this foreign land, his only desire was to escape.
For people like them, struggling to survive was already challenging, let alone seeking revenge.
"Wait for me to pick someone up, and then we'll go," Qi Yuan replied casually.
Wen Min, who was driving, remained silent.
He didn't understand why Qi Yuan had brought these two aboard.
He also couldn't fathom what Qi Yuan was relying on to retrieve their boss from the military camp.
The car sped along, and Wen Min refueled once, pushing the vehicle to its limits.
Following the navigation, they headed towards the military camp.
Drones filled the sky, but it was clear that these drones weren't paying attention to their vehicle.
(End of Chapter)
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