After all, by this time, saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes—the three essential items—already existed. Even an ordinary person could easily learn to ride a horse with these three items. Moreover, the physical abilities of these craftsmen far surpassed those of ordinary people.
However, for some reason, as he left the capital, Lin Yang felt a sense of unease. Consequently, his expression unconsciously darkened.
Seeing Lin Yang's expression, Su Qing'er said somewhat sadly, "Young Master, since you like Cai Yan so much, then you should marry her. After all, she is the daughter of a sub-sage, while I am just a village girl."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang was stunned. What was all this about, and what did it have to do with this? Looking at Su Qing'er, who was about to cry, Lin Yang couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
Then, without waiting for her to speak, he gently squeezed his mount between his legs and came directly to Su Qing'er's side.
Then, looking into Su Qing'er's innocent eyes, Lin Yang said very seriously, "Qing'er, you're overthinking it. I was just thinking about something else. No matter what, my wife, Lin Yang's wife, will always be you."
After saying that, he reached out and placed his hands on Su Qing'er's waist. Then, before she could react, he lifted her up and placed her on his horse. Then, he held her tightly in his arms.
Then, he closed his eyes, leaned on Su Qing'er's shoulder, and took a deep breath.
"Haha, that little loli from back then has grown up now. She even gets jealous, haha," Lin Yang said with a laugh.
I remember, a few months ago, when I first arrived in this world, Su Qing'er was only about fourteen years old. She was just beginning to show her potential; in later generations, she would just be a pretty, overgrown little girl.
But at this moment, there's quite a bit going on between them!
"Oh, how embarrassing." Su Qing'er buried her head in Lin Yang's shoulder and said shyly.
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Chapter 5: Calamity pervades, certain death is inevitable!
Although the journey was quite boring at first, I initially found the scenery very beautiful. Everything was pristine and unpolluted. Even the air was incredibly fresh.
However, after seeing the same primeval forest scenery for several days in a row, Lin Yang grew tired of it. Fortunately, with Su Qing'er, his cheerful companion, he didn't feel lonely along the way.
However, the closer Lin Yang got to Jiangdong, the more uneasy he felt. It was as if some calamity awaited him. And then, the results he obtained through his Divine Eye of Fortune sent chills down his spine.
"My destiny has now reached the limit of the fourth rank. With the spread of the divine path and the competition for incense offerings, the merit and fortune I can gain every day are also increasing. Even the book 'Detailed Explanation of the Divine Path' is becoming more and more powerful. At least, it has completely suppressed my destiny."
"Logically speaking, nothing should go wrong under these circumstances. At least it shouldn't be a heavenly tribulation, but why is there more and more black tribulation energy within this fortune? Could it be a human tribulation?"
"But who have I offended? Or rather, who wants me dead so badly? The Way of Peace? No, it's just some minor conflict. Even if they know I obtained the first volume of the 'Essential Techniques of Peace,' there's no need for this. They could easily negotiate a solution with me. Besides, they might not even dare! Aren't they afraid of being exposed if they attack me directly?"
"The Wei family of Hedong? No, that's not right. They don't need to use their most secret weapons for such a trivial matter as Wei Zhongdao."
"So, who exactly is it? The closer we get to Jiangdong, the more obvious the calamity becomes. I can still handle the current calamity, but if it intensifies a few more times, I might capsize." Looking at his fortune, Lin Yang couldn't help but feel troubled.
To be honest, Lin Yang asked himself, since arriving in this world, although he had offended quite a few people, he didn't have any real mortal enemies. Even if he did, he had already dealt with them long ago.
But at this moment, the black aura of calamity permeating above his head clearly indicated that Lin Yang was in trouble, in big trouble.
What's even more frustrating is that Lin Yang couldn't fathom the origin of this calamity at all. It was as if it had appeared out of nowhere. No matter how he observed, he couldn't detect any information about the other side.
It's important to understand that Lin Yang wasn't alone at this moment; he was accompanied by five hundred Imperial Guards and five thousand veteran soldiers. With such a powerful force, even if the entire population of the six counties of Jiangdong rebelled, they could easily protect Lin Yang and help him escape.
Even if a fifth-tier expert shamelessly launches a sneak attack, Lin Yang would still have a sliver of hope. However, if the calamity continues to escalate like this, then all he can do is laugh.
"My lord, there's a fork in the road ten miles ahead. Which way should we take?" Guo Jia suddenly asked.
"Oh, what's the difference?" Lin Yang asked.
Throughout the journey, all the trivial matters encountered were actually managed by Guo Jia. Lin Yang, on the other hand, had neither the experience nor the desire to manage them.
Instead of wasting time, he would have preferred to flirt with Su Qing'er, reflect on life, and plan his next steps.
This isn't a historical epic about power struggles; power and such are all fleeting. Only strength is eternal. As long as you're strong enough, everything will be fine.
"If you follow the main road on the left, it's an overland route. Then, keep going along this road until you reach Lujiang. Once you get there, you can transfer to a boat and travel by water to Jiangdong. The vast majority of this route is on land."
"The other route is by water. Take the road on the right. It leads directly to Nanyang, the hometown of Emperor Guangwu. From Nanyang, you can take a boat all the way to Jiangdong. This route is mostly by water."
“However, considering that most of our team members are from the north, I think it would be better for us to travel by land,” Guo Jia suggested.
Then, Lin Yang looked at the two main roads on the left and right. Although they were still more than ten miles apart, Lin Yang was highly skilled and could still see them clearly. However, after looking for a while, he couldn't make out anything.
"Which road is safer?" Lin Yang continued.
"Let's take the land route. After all, the imperial court's control over the entire Jiangnan region is far weaker than that of the north. Moreover, there are quite a few river pirates and traps along this waterway. Even if they don't pose a threat, they would still create a lot of trouble and waste a lot of time," Guo Jia analyzed.
"Why? There's no reason for it. I remember there were almost no river pirates on the Yellow River side, so why is it so chaotic on the Yangtze River?" Su Qing'er asked directly.
Seeing this, Guo Jia couldn't help but smile wryly, and then explained, "It's like this, the Yellow River God is still alive and well. Moreover, the Yellow River Gods throughout history have all been of pure human origin. The entire Yellow River is his domain. Standing on the Yellow River, he is not afraid even of a sixth-level expert."
"Therefore, he could sense any disturbance on the Yellow River, or any casualties among the people, immediately. So, even if there were river pirates in his territory, they would basically only rob money and not kill people. Because the river pirates who killed people were already finished."
"Then what about the River God of the Yangtze River? Logically speaking, the River God should be no weaker than the River God, right? Could he be of a different race?" Su Qing'er asked, puzzled. Lin Yang was also very interested in this.
"The River God of the Yangtze has disappeared, and has been missing for a long time. Some say he is dead, some say he was accidentally sealed away, and others say he has left this world. In short, there are many different opinions," Guo Jia said.
"Alright then, let's take the land route first. Be careful along the way. Lujiang, hmm, the Lu family, one of the four great families of Jiangdong, seems to be there. Once we get to Lujiang, we'll go and pay them a visit to find out more about the situation," Lin Yang decided.
Whether it was the long-lost River God of the Yangtze River or the lingering black aura of calamity above his head, both made Lin Yang feel very uncomfortable.
The feeling of knowing someone is plotting against you, yet being completely unprepared, is incredibly painful.
Soon, the convoy drove directly along the main road on the left.
However, about an hour after Lin Yang left, a rock dozens of miles away suddenly rolled over, revealing a human figure.
The person was dressed entirely in green, which blended well with the surroundings. It had a bit of an old-fashioned camouflage feel to it.
Then, with a flick of his right hand, a jade talisman appeared. As energy was injected, the jade talisman began to emit rays of light.
"Land route".