Chapter Nine: This County Town Seems Different from What I Imagined

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Summarizing the information from the little white snake’s words, Feng Xue took out a drone to begin reconnaissance. But just as the drone ascended and projected its view onto his phone screen, the small white snake wrapped around Feng Xue’s finger finally understood the purpose of this pitch-black contraption. Although it was a low-end drone that could only hover within twenty to thirty meters, it startled the little white snake into an exclamation—

“A Kongming lantern! The legendary integrated recon-and-attack Kongming lantern! So you’ve set the magic altar in the sky! Grandma Fox said that the higher the magic altar, the more powerful the cultivators’ duels; you really are an impressive cultivator!”

“Goddamn integrated recon-and-attack…” Feng Xue knew the little white snake had completely misunderstood, but he didn’t bother to explain. Instead, he made a mental note that “this world also has Kongming lanterns” and silently maintained the “Skyward Longevity Observation” to search for possible surrounding dangers.

They traveled for half an hour straight, and the day had fully brightened. Feng Xue paused twice before finally spotting a clear road on the screen. To avoid being seen by passersby, he quickly packed away the drone—which was hardly useful and risked crashing—and adjusted the solar power bank hanging outside his bag. Then he jogged to the roadside and bent down to study the road conditions.

“There are wheel marks, but they’re narrow—probably horse-drawn carriages or ox carts. Judging by this, the technological level isn’t very advanced…”

A bad premonition arose in Feng Xue’s heart, and he immediately asked the little white snake:

“Do you know about transportation… well, like carriages and horses? What’s the largest size they come in?”

“Not exactly sure. It should be horse carriages, right? Grandma Fox said that when she was young, she rode in a magistrate’s family carriage. It was fancy—there was even room for a whole banquet inside!”

“Oh no, we’re doomed!” Feng Xue’s heart sank. Initially, after unlocking “Sealed Mouth,” he was confident of success. If he couldn’t find a method to extend life in this world, he’d try his luck elsewhere. But now it seemed this world offered no luck at all.

Feng Xue’s first instinct was to use the “Sealed Mouth” ability to turn the white snake into a vehicle. But even before considering if it could become a hundred-ton monster, there was the problem of whether the white snake transformed into such a creature would be regarded as a means of transport or a living being.

If he locked in “Hit the Jackpot,” he couldn’t simultaneously lock longevity. And if the divine ability didn’t recognize it, someone could die!

“No, no. ‘Hit the Jackpot’ doesn’t necessarily require a car. Even if this world has no automobiles, surely it has massive wooden ships weighing hundreds of tons. And if not, I can damn well build one myself; after all, it’s just to get a lucky break, no need to travel far!”

While bolstering his resolve, Feng Xue analyzed the road conditions. For this kind of dirt path, even if it started as a standard T-junction, frequent travelers would take shortcuts, causing it to skew into a wedge shape. By observing the direction of the bend, one could roughly determine the target’s location.

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Though this little road had been abandoned for years, the main route still saw regular traffic, so the traces at the edges remained visible, making judgment easier.

Feng Xue had to admit his physical condition was mediocre. Carrying just over ten kilograms made him stop every few steps. When the silhouettes of buildings finally appeared at the horizon, the once-empty path had gathered some pedestrians.

Some pushed donkey or horse carts; others simply carried shoulder poles. Most wore rough linen clothes, with a few in cotton garments—basically those who could afford carts.

“Looks like farmers and hunters. Is there a market day today?”

Feng Xue muttered to himself but didn’t care how out of place he looked in his modern outdoor jacket. He quickened his pace to follow the crowd. He wasn’t worried about city taxes; having prepared for time travel, he naturally carried some loose gold and silver coins.

But when he finally got a clear view of the so-called county town’s gate tower, he was somewhat surprised.

Unlike the ancient small towns he imagined, this place looked relatively “modern.” Through the gate, he could faintly make out some Western-style “small foreign buildings.” The soldiers guarding the gate carried rifles—old-fashioned, certainly not the kind seen even in war films about the Anti-Japanese War, but at least breech-loading guns.

“Hmm, roughly nineteenth to twentieth-century level? But I’ll need to see more.”

Feng Xue thought to himself as he reached the gate. Even though he had deliberately chosen a low-profile gray outfit when buying clothes, modern dyeing technology still made him stand out.

Yet none of the carefully prepared excuses he had ready were needed. The gate guard immediately put on a flattering expression and gestured with polite invitations, not even starting a conversation, acting as if Feng Xue were some dignitary too grand to be spoken to—prompting Feng Xue to suspect he was mistaken for a local big shot.

But Feng Xue welcomed the misunderstanding and no longer tried to hide. He openly acted like a city dweller visiting the countryside and strolled freely through the streets.

“Paper money and coins both exist. Glass is already here too. Hmm, a martial arts school?”

Feng Xue’s gaze suddenly fixed on a sign reading “Zhang’s Martial Arts School.” Through the wide-open door, he could see a dozen or so vigorous men training—likely their usual morning exercises.

Stopping at the entrance, Feng Xue activated “Skyward Longevity Observation.” As his focus sharpened, numbers began to float into view.

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After a quick mental calculation, Feng Xue shook his head:

“Most can still live another forty to fifty years… Considering their ages, that’s quite long-lived for this era. But it’s still a bit short of what I want. Hmm, it’s probably because this martial arts school is low-tier—after all, this is just a rural county town. If this were a fantasy map, it would be a novice village level. No experts here is normal.”

Muttering to himself, Feng Xue continued forward, keeping “Skyward Longevity Observation” active. Suddenly, a string of numbers flashed across his vision—

“46323”

“Over a hundred years—this isn’t a normal lifespan!”

Feng Xue turned to see two men walking one after the other. The younger man in front wore a black suit, giving off the awkward impression of wearing a tuxedo as everyday wear. He had about forty years of remaining life. Behind him followed a noticeably more robust man, whose remaining lifespan of over forty-six thousand days hovered above his head.

“A bodyguard?”

Feng Xue’s eyes flicked around the street. He immediately approached an old man smoking a cheap rolled cigarette, tapped a cigarette out of an opened pack, and handed it over.

Feng Xue himself didn’t smoke, but having spent time in a mahjong parlor before, he’d learned how to break cigarettes apart. He’d even brought a few packs through time travel for moments like this.

Though the old man didn’t recognize the modern brand, the delicate filter and floral pattern showed it was no cheap knockoff. Seeing Feng Xue’s unusual clothing fabric, the old man hesitated to take it.

Feng Xue, seeing this, forcibly pressed the cigarette into the old man’s hand and asked in an authoritative tone:

“Sir, may I ask you something? What is the background of the man walking behind that young master over there?”