What else could he do?
Wu Hei went out again with a gloomy face to search the various shops.
Gao Yunjie did not see any of this. He accompanied the cargo movers to the nearby river to load the ship, and then boarded the ship along with several crates, calling it personally escorting the goods to other shops in Youjiao Wharf.
At this time, Xiao Hei did not go to any shop to squander money either, but headed straight for the exit of Youjiao Wharf.
Seeing the people leaving Youjiao Wharf stepping on skateboards and sliding on the water into the underground cave to leave, he did not know how to do that and had no experience in mastering such balance, but he had a flying insect. He threw the “Big Stick” he was carrying on his shoulder into the air, and the “Big Stick” immediately obediently spread its wings and fluttered down.
Xiao Hei reached out and grabbed one of its legs, pointed at the exit cave, and said, “Go!”
The “Big Stick” immediately grew two more legs to hook under his armpits and lifted him into the air.
Xiao Hei also reached out with both hands, grabbing one of its legs with each, and the person and the flying insect rushed into the cave together…
When Yu Qing and the others showed their faces again, they were already outside Youjiao Wharf. The three of them did not go to the “Qianli Ju” inn. Having the experience of being monitored last time, they did not dare to go there, nor did they dare to take a flying mount here. They did not even go to the horse farm, but adopted the method of traveling on foot by flying and leaping, not taking the main roads, and traversing the wilderness.
They walked like this for three days, far away from Youjiao Wharf. After they started to see large patches of green, they approached inhabited areas and found an inn in a small city to stay and rest.
However, not long after the three of them settled down, a sudden noise came from outside.
“Hey, child on the roof, come down, come down quickly.”
“Do not run around on the roof, be careful.”
“Whose child is this? Whose child is that, where are the adults?”
Various shouts outside rose and fell continuously, which naturally alarmed the three martial brothers in the room. Looking out the window, they saw a large crowd pointing at the roof and talking about some child. It seemed that someone’s child had climbed onto the roof and it looked very dangerous.
Not knowing the exact situation, the three of them quickly went out the door and ran into the inn courtyard to look up at the roof.
The child running around and looking here and there on the roof immediately turned around upon seeing the three of them appear, and sat with his back facing them on the roof ridge.
However, as soon as Yu Qing and the other two saw that back, they were immediately shocked. That clothing, that dishevelled hair style, the big stick carried on the shoulder, coupled with the mischievous nature of climbing roofs, and the pair of shoes tied at the lower back, they knew who the child was without even seeing his face.
They were just wondering whose child it was, and the three of them never dreamed it was actually their own family’s child.
The three martial brothers looked at each other in silence. What the hell? How did this little guy run all the way here? Did Wu Hei come too?
Yu Qing bounced a small stone from the ground to his hand with the tip of his foot, flicked his finger, and popped it right onto the back of the child’s head.
The child cried, “Ouch,” raised his hand to cover the back of his head, and quickly looked back, meeting the gazes of the three martial brothers, instantly knowing he could not hide anymore.
Nan Zhu beckoned to him with his finger. The child immediately slid down along the eaves. Amidst the shocked gasps of the crowd, he held onto the eaves with both hands, hooked his legs around the wooden frame structure under the eaves, hung upside down, hugged the beam with both hands, turned over again, clamped the pillar with both legs, and then slid down smoothly.
The movements were exceptionally clean and neat, leaving the crowd of people watching in sheer admiration.
Yu Qing and the other two were already walking towards the room. The child immediately trotted after them happily, shouting, “Fat Uncle, Ninth Uncle, Fifteenth Uncle.”
Although the three of them pretended not to know him, the crowd still realized that it was their family’s child. Their hearts were put at ease, and they gradually dispersed.
As soon as the three martial brothers entered the room, Nan Zhu immediately closed the door, trying to block a certain someone. A dirty bare foot urgently thrust itself under the door, got caught, and cried out, “It hurts.”
Only then did Nan Zhu snort and let go.
The child pushed the door open and walked in, squeezing up to the three of them, squeezing a grin onto his dirty little face.
The child was naturally Xiao Hei, and there was no one else it could be, just dirtier than any of the three had ever seen him at any time.
Yu Qing lifted his chin. “Close the door.”
Xiao Hei immediately turned around and closed the door, then went back to the three of them, rubbing his stomach with one hand. “Hungry.”
Yu Qing asked, “Where is your dad?”
Xiao Hei shook his head.
Nan Zhu immediately rolled up his sleeves with both hands. “Hey, do you not understand human language? I am asking where your dad is.”
Xiao Hei bit his lip and remained silent for a while before giving an answer. “Dad is at home.”
Nan Zhu scoffed. “Still talking back. Do you believe I will beat you?”
Yu Qing waved his hand. “Enough. He is here with us, and his dad will have to show up sooner or later. Look at how dirty he is, take him to get washed first.”
Nan Zhu said no more, immediately went over, pinched the back of Xiao Hei’s neck, and carried him away to wash up.
After only the two of them were left in the room, Mu Aotie was somewhat puzzled. “No one stopped him, and no one told him not to come. Why is Hei Zi following us sneakily?”
They were not taking the normal route. If he did not follow them sneakily, it would be highly unlikely for them to end up here together.
Yu Qing said, “I do not know. There is probably some reason. When we meet up, he will naturally explain.”
No one thought too much about it. Actually, they quite welcomed Wu Hei joining them. Having a master of the Upper Xuan realm by their side would make it much safer.
On the other side, after Nan Zhu took Xiao Hei to get washed clean and saw that Xiao Hei was indeed hungry, he asked the inn to prepare a pile of food for him.
The little guy really looked starved, wolfing down his food, while Nan Zhu nagged beside him.
After resting for a night, the fatigue of several days of rushing was completely gone. The next day, they bought horses in the city, officially giving up traveling on foot.
The party of four, three adults and one child, set off formally on the road facing the morning sun. Xiao Hei on the horseback cheered happily from time to time.
Along the way, the three of them looked back from time to time to observe the rear, wanting to see if they could spot Wu Hei following them.
They never managed to spot him. The three of them would ask Xiao Hei from time to time where his father was, but Xiao Hei was a bit stubborn and kept saying his father was at home.
But the three of them refused to believe it no matter what. In their view, if Wu Hei was at home, how could you possibly keep up with us and find us?
The three of them did not know what tricks Wu Hei was playing, nor did they force the issue, so they just continued forward with Xiao Hei all the way.
Because they were trying to avoid being targeted by outsiders this time, their route was quite abnormal. They often took small paths and even frequently changed their route and direction, so they were somewhat worried about whether Wu Hei could eventually keep up with them.
One day, while the three riders were galloping amidst the brilliant sunset glow, Nan Zhu suddenly said, “Do you think Wu Hei might have already arrived at the Sea Market and is waiting for us?”
The reason for saying this was that Xiao Hei had been by their side for nearly ten days, yet they had never seen a trace of Wu Hei. It felt like Wu Hei’s resolve was quite strong.
Yu Qing responded, “Xiao Hei is safer by his side. Without a special reason, he should not throw Xiao Hei to us to bring along the road.”
Xiao Hei, who was riding on the same horse behind him and hugging his waist, blurted out a truth at this moment. “I sneaked out.”
Because Old Seven and Old Nine were heavier in build, Xiao Hei riding on the same horse with the lighter one could save the stamina of the mount.
Hearing this, the three martial brothers just smiled without speaking. They simply did not believe that Xiao Hei could keep up with them on his own, and were convinced that Wu Hei had sent his son to them.
Nan Zhu pointed at Xiao Hei and warned, “If you dare to talk nonsense again, do you believe we will throw you on the road and ignore you?”
Xiao Hei did not care and just shut up without saying anything more.
Several days later, they finally saw the sea again, and only then did they find a flying mount to take.
There was no other way. To go to the Sea Market, they had to cross the vast sea. Taking a boat would be too slow.
After flying over the sea sky for nearly a day, the party of four finally saw a rolling cloudy airspace. The dark clouds covered a huge area, vast and boundless, connecting the sky and the earth. The three flying mounts carried them under the dark clouds. The further they flew, the further the light behind them moved away, gradually as if they had broken into a dark world.
Because the dark clouds in the sky were too thick, the light was hazy.
Arriving here, the three flying mounts did not dare to fly forward anymore. The sea surface had scattered islands huddled together, with dotted lights on them, looking like many households. The flying mounts carried them and landed on one of the sea islands.
After settling the riding fees, the three flying mounts left.
The four of them, three adults and one child, looked into the distance at the hazy sea surface ahead. They could not see far because there was a faint mist connecting the sky and the earth floating on the sea surface ahead. That misty area was exactly the area the flying mounts did not dare to break into.
The dark clouds in the sky and the mist ahead had existed for a very, very long time, endowing this sea area with unfathomable depth. It also caused the sea in the mist to be devoid of sunlight, always immersed in darkness. Breaking into it was like breaking into the underworld, so people called it the Dark Sea.
The Sea Market was deep in this Dark Sea. However, the space of this sea area was very bizarre. Not just anyone could reach the other shore. Only those who specialized in ferrying could send people over. Otherwise, they would be trapped inside forever, unable to get out even if they kept walking forward.
In the hazy scenery, one could see wooden piers extending from the sea islands to the sea surface, reaching up to a hundred zhang in length. Each sea island had several such piers.
It was the first time for all three adults and the one child.
Even Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who claimed to have roamed the martial world in their early years, had never been here. The reason was simple. The ferrymen of the Dark Sea would not send you to the other shore for free. You had to pay a fare, and the price was quite high. They could not afford that sum of money.
However, the three martial brothers had heard of this place for a long time and had heard about some of the rules. It was said that those who wanted to go to the Sea Market only needed to walk to the end of the pier, light the lantern at the end, and then wait. A ferryman would naturally row a boat out of the mist to the bridge head to pick up the passengers.
Nan Zhu suddenly said, “Seeing this, I can probably understand why the Dark Sea Immortal Mansion was the first immortal mansion discovered by cultivators. This place is too special. It is equivalent to giving a clear target for people to keep tossing about. Finally, one day someone discovered a flaw, and so it was conquered.”
Some noisy laughter suddenly came, as if responding to his words.
The sound came from the island behind them. The few of them looked back and saw a dimly lit inn, where it seemed diners were talking and laughing.
Each island had some inns and similar places. There was no helping it. In a place with people coming and going, as long as there was customer flow, it was a good place to do business.
Nan Zhu called out to his two junior martial brothers. “Should we go straight up the pier to light the lamp, or walk around here first?”
Yu Qing said, “We are here to try our luck and find someone. Since we are here, we naturally should walk around and take a look.”