XIAO SHUXIANG'S

36 - Travel Together (2) [Revised]

After coming out of the forest, the two carriages carrying Yang Shu, Gu Ta Sian as well as their disciples and merchants were now passing through a road in the middle of the meadow.

Unlike the Dry Grassland which only had a tree. This field is covered with trees and bushes on each side of the road.

Xiao Shuxiang could feel the scent of grass and night breeze so soothing. The situation around their carriage was not too dark, although the shining moon was not a full moon, yet it was enough as a path light.

Gu Ta Sian asked the coachman to find a place to rest, he also gave a sign to the other coachman who was behind his carriage.

"We can continue tomorrow. It's okay, Senior?" Gu Ta Sian asked Yang Shu.

"Of course it doesn't matter. We can't force these horses to keep going at night, they need rest. Likewise with the coachman, they are just ordinary humans."

Gu Ta Sian smiled as he nodded when he heard the remark from the old man.

A cultivator's stamina was indeed stronger than an ordinary human. They can walk long distances without resting, holding hunger for days, even to the point of being able to withstand drowsiness.

This could be done if such cultivators could control the Qi and turn it into nutrients for their bodies.

For Gu Ta Sian and Yang Shu, they were actually still able to continue the journey, but not so with the coachmen and horses.

As long as the horses and the coachmen were fast asleep, Gu Ta Sian and Yang Shu were kept awake while watching the surroundings.

The fainting merchants became conscious, but they were not allowed to move or wake up first, as their internal injuries still did not fully recover.

"Thank you... Swordsman.." one of the merchants thanked Gu Ta Sian and Yang Shu even though his voice was slow and impressed to endure the pain in his body.

"You don't talk, just rest. I'll try to cure you" Gu Ta Sian then took another concoction medicine from within his Spatial Ring.

Just by pouring a little Qi into his Ring, a white cloth bundle, bowl, and a small pot bottle filled with water, were immediately beside him.

While Gu Ta Sian was preparing the medicine, Yang Shu checked the condition of the other merchants.

Xiao Shuxiang only noticed these two old men giving medicine to the merchant as well as the injured coachman, his eyes looking mediocre even impressed not caring.

On another carriage, as the merchants fell asleep - Jing Mi and Qi Xuan started to wake up. The two of them opened their eyes slowly and tried to see what they were really going through.

Jing Mi slowly woke up, her gaze dark, but it did not last long until she realized that it was already night.

Qi Xuan also slowly woke up, he was quite jolted and astonished because he was inside a carriage, let alone being with an unknown person.

"How do you feel...?" asked Zong Ming, who was sitting beside Qi Xuan.

"E-Ehm... Y-you who...?"

Inside the carriage was quite dark, so Qi Xuan could not see Zong Ming's face clearly. Yet from the voice that Qi Xuan heard, Zong Ming was a boy and seemed to be of the same age as himself.

"Ah, we haven't met yet? I'm Zong Ming, disciple of the Silver Bamboo Sect." Zong Ming introduced himself as well as told him everything that happened today.

Starting from him and his seniors who saw smoke to the sound of loud screams, until finally they were inside the train at this time.

Hearing Zong Ming's story made Qi Xuan and Jing Mi's feelings uneasy, they so recalled the incident upon seeing the decapitation before their eyes.

But that feeling did not last long, as Jing Mi and Qi Xuan had just had a much worse dream than that terrible event.

But strangely, although the dreams experienced by the two children were terrible, in fact they were not at all afraid. In fact, there was a sense of fighting spirit and passion that Jing Mi and Qi Xuan felt.

Xiao Lu began to open his eyes when he faintly heard the voice of the person talking.

"Where... Me...?" Xiao Lu gently rubbed his eyes as he muttered softly, yet was quite heard by Jing Mi, Qi Xuan, Zong Ming and Ying Liu.

"Sister Lu Yang Beautiful, have you realized? We are now inside the carriage," Jing Mi helped Xiao Lu to change his previously lying position to sit down.

"I.. had a strange dream..." Xiao Lu said quietly, he then told her what he saw in the dream.

Ying Liu, "What you guys dream of is part of the Mental Strengthening Stage. With Mental Strengthening, you won't be afraid much less until you faint when you see the blood and slaughter in front of you again."

"The Mental Strengthening Stage..." Qi Xuan muttered yet did not ask anything. He and Jing Mi were too tired at the moment.

"Where is my Grandpa?" Xiao Lu realized that Yang Shu and his younger brother, Xiao Shuxiang were not with him.

"They are on the other train, they are with our seniors," Zong Ming replied with a smile, but Zong Ming's smile could not be seen by Xiao Lu was due to the dark atmosphere around him.

Ying Liu, "You guys better get some sleep. It's too late, we'll talk tomorrow morning.."

Jing Mi, Qi Xuan, and Xiao Lu were forced to follow Ying Liu's words, even though they actually wanted to talk more. But considering that the night was too late, they finally decided to lie back down.

The night was so calm, the sound of the little animals was like a soothing melodious music.

While everyone was fast asleep, Yang Shu and Gu Ta Sian stayed awake. They tried to look after the merchants and their disciples.

This is because in the middle of a peaceful night there will be a surprise attack from wild animals, demonic beasts, or criminals.

Xiao Shuxiang himself did not eat together, he fell asleep so soundly. Even when Xiao Lu woke him up, he did not budge at all. This made Xiao Lu pout at once annoyed. The girl finally went to the other train, where her friends were.

This time, Jing Mi, Qi Xuan and Xiao Lu could clearly see the faces of the children who spoke to them last night. The three of them then became acquainted with Zong Ming and Ying Liu.

It didn't take long for the three of them to get along with Zong Ming and Ying Liu, as Jing Mi and Xiao Lu were indeed chatty and sociable children.

Qi Xuan himself was a stiff child and often had trouble talking to people he had just met. However since there was a chatty Jing Mi, she no longer felt any difficulty.

Zong Ming was the same height as Qi Xuan, as well as the same age as him. Zong Ming's hair was short, looking like a flipped bowl and dark brown in color.

Zong Ming had a mediocre face, unable to compare to Qi Xuan's face let alone Xiao Shuxiang's feminine face.

There was even a scar on Zong Ming's cheek, right on the upper edge of his right lip. Even so, Zong Ming did not look ugly at all.

This scar of Zong Ming could actually be healed with Qi or pills, but Zong Ming did not because he considered that the wound on his face was so precious.

He got the wound while helping his mother from the attack of the Silver Horned Demonic Beast.

In addition to the scar on his face, Zong Ming also had some scarring on his back as well as his stomach. All those scars were the result of each fight and Zong Ming was extremely proud of it.

Jing Mi and Qi Xuan couldn't help his shock after hearing the grating origin on Zong Ming's face. Especially when Zong Ming showed a scar on his stomach, it made Jing Mi and Qi Xuan goosebumps in horror.

The wound on Zong Ming's stomach was enormous, located to the right of his navel and streaked up almost under his armpits. This wound was a sword sabbath when Zong Ming was on a mission to catch criminals.

"You're great Brother Zong! If it was me... Maybe I won't survive." Jing Mi rubbed both of her arms as she felt the feathers on her arms standing up.

"That time... I already thought that I would die with my body cut in half. I don't think I'm alive to this day..." Zong Ming touched his parachute while shaking his head slowly.

"I-it must be very painful..." Xiao Lu shuddered in horror when he heard Zong Ming's story and saw his scar.

"Actually, when the robber attacked me... I don't feel anything. I just felt a great pain as blood started to come out from his slash marks. It was an experience I will never forget..."

Compared to the supple Zong Ming, Ying Liu was more reserved and seemed difficult to talk to.

Ying Liu had a slightly tyrannical, brunette face with a shoulder length tied to the end of her hair.

Ying Liu only spoke as he could without asking any questions back to Jing Mi or Xiao Lu.

Zong Ming said that Ying Liu was actually a girl who liked to talk and could not keep quiet. It's just, he's a little stiff when he just gets to know someone else.

Zong Ming then asked about the battle experience that Qi Xuan, Jing Mi and Xiao Lu could not forget.

"I've never fought with a demonic beast, but if wild animals like the forest b*bi and wolves, I've fought with them while in Grandma Tian's cottage. In the end, though, I had to climb up into the trees to escape their pursuit..." Qi Xuan smiled bitterly as he told her his experience.

Jing Mi herself told her battle experience to Zong Ming who was deeply imprinted in her memory. It was a struggle between himself and Hou Yong and also Xiao Shuxiang while still in the village.

Jing Mi also recounted her struggle with Xiao Shuxiang while in the Dry Grassland.

"For so long, there has never been a child who has defeated me in reckless wrestling, except brother Xiao. Even then, I had a hard time balancing with him.." Jing Mi shook her head while recalling her struggle with Xiao Shuxiang all along.

Xiao Lu also continued Jing Mi's words, telling her about the time she fought with her sister, Xiao Shuxiang.

"... he's very agile. With his small body, he can make me in a defensive position. What made me almost hang was, when Xiao'Er threw Jing Mi's sword at my leg.." Xiao Lu was pale as he imagined it.

Qi Xuan, "It's not just that. Brother Xiao also bravely fought the Silver Horned Wolf alone. To a child who had a flawed dantian, brother Xiao was a great child."

Jing Mi nodded in agreement with Qi Xuan's opinion. Hearing the words of these three new friends made Zong Ming and Ying Liu curious about the child in question.

"And the defect...? Could it be that little boy with you...?" Zong Ming recalled about the little boy with a wound on his shoulder.

"Eh? Shouldn't you guys have gotten acquainted with brother Xiao?" Jing Mi raised her brow next to him because she was astonished by Zong Ming's question.

"We don't know his name yet. Not acquainted..." Ying Liu replied in a soft voice.

"That's it, let me introduce brother Xiao to you later... He's a good boy. But, why didn't brother Xiao join us well...? Is it possible she's still sleeping...?"

"Jing Mi, you don't know Xiao'Er alone..." Xiao Lu looked sullen considering that he had gone to where Xiao Shuxiang who was on the other carriage was to wake him up.

But when he got there, Xiao Shuxiang did not wake up at all. He even seemed to be asleep while snoring.

"Haaahs.... The boy was very hard to wake up. He's not usually like this.." Xiao Lu gently massaged his forehead.

Ji Mi, "Maybe Brother Xiao is too tired, that's why he needs more sleep."

"Well, it seems so..." Xiao Lu nodded lazily while saying quietly.

***