A cry for help goes unanswered; a cry for help goes unheard.

Uncle Fu thought to himself that his young master had never left the clan's territory.

He had no idea what the Southern Wilderness or the barbarians were, and he had never seen the ferocity of demonic beasts or the bloodshed of barbarians.

This trip to Qingxi Town is just a training exercise. It's a chance to show the young master the dangers of the world and help him settle down so he won't keep thinking about unorthodox methods all the time.

Young people should stay on the right path.

Two months is enough time for the young master to learn his lesson. By then, he won't even need to persuade him; the young master will ask to come back on his own.

Go early and come back early.

As for the debt of five hundred spirit stones...

When he gets back, he'll find a lot of jobs and work himself to the bone to pay back the five hundred spirit stones.

By then, the matter of the young master forcibly changing the "spirit bond" will have been long in the past. After all, he is still a descendant of the Xu family, and the clan leader will not really expel the young master from the family. He can still live a decent life in the future.

Xu Yunxin had no idea what Uncle Fu was thinking. While Uncle Fu was buying horses, he took the opportunity to stroll around the stables twice, thinking that horses would always give birth or die in such places, and perhaps there was some source of life there.

This is a good opportunity to verify whether we can absorb these primordial elements through natural absorption.

After going around in circles, he didn't manage to stick to any hair, and he even accidentally stepped in a pile of horse manure.

Furthermore, since the system did not provide clear instructions, Xu Yunxin could only ponder: Is killing trees the only option besides planting them?

When Xu Yunxin returned, Uncle Fu had already selected the horses: one was a black horse called Ta Xue Wu Zhui with snow-white hooves, and the other was a snow-white horse with a shimmering coat that seemed to glow.

Although these two horses are incredibly swift and can travel eight hundred miles a day, they are ultimately just ordinary beasts. The price is not high, with each horse costing fifty spirit sands.

By the time the two had bought the horses, it was already broad daylight.

Uncle Fu then took Xu Yunxin to the spirit food shop run by the Xu family in Nanshi, found the shopkeeper and told him that their master and servant were going to the Thousand Lakes Wasteland that day, and asked the shopkeeper to help send a message back to the clan.

The two did not eat or drink at the spiritual food shop, which sold spiritual food at very high prices.

Uncle Fu led Xu Yunxin to a busy stall on the street, where they bought two jin of beef, four bowls of spicy soup, two jin of fried dough sticks, and two braised beef legs as dry rations. The total cost was one spirit sand.

These meats provided little nutritional benefit to the two of them; they could only eat more to satisfy their appetites.

After their meal, the two left Wancheng, mounted their horses, and rode along the wide road to Qingxi Town in the south.

Although Xu Yunxin had never ridden a horse before, thanks to his Druid class, he had a good working relationship with the Jade Lion and rode it smoothly without holding him back.

The two men and two horses rode along the highway for over a hundred miles. Suddenly, the wide highway disappeared, leaving only a narrow path half a zhang wide. Bushes grew on both sides of the narrow path. As they looked deeper into the narrow path, the green became denser and denser, and the deepest part was a mass of ink-black.

This marks the beginning of the Wancheng area; further ahead lies the "Thousand Lakes Wasteland," a buffer zone between the Xuanqiong Immortal Dynasty and the Southern Barbarians.

The "Thousand Lakes Wasteland" does not actually contain a thousand lakes, but rather countless huge depressions and ridges. Rainwater accumulates in the outer depressions, slowly evolving into a unique landscape where countless lakes gather.

Continuing along the path extending from the main road, the two walked until it was getting dark. In the distance, they could see a mirror-like lake in a wide open space, and to the north of the lake was a large town.

The town is surrounded by a wooden and stone wall, with many talismans and edicts hanging high on the wall. Arrow towers and watchtowers are set up at the town gate and the four corners, and guards in full armor patrol the walls.

As you get closer, you can see several barricades made of an unknown material set up in front of the north-facing gate. The spikes on the barricades reflect a chilling light in the sunlight.

"Is this Qingxi Town?"

Xu Yunxin was quite satisfied at first glance.

Currently, this territory is well-defended, with sufficient manpower and facilities. Becoming a local tyrant here doesn't seem so bad.

As they drew closer, Uncle Fu dismounted and stepped forward to negotiate. Xu Yunxin finally saw clearly that the words "Shuangmu" were written on the town gate.

"So it wasn't Qingxi Town after all."

Xu Yunxin sighed inwardly, then rallied his spirits and followed Uncle Fu into town, with whom he had already made arrangements.

The town is lined with shops on both sides, mostly inns and restaurants.

Uncle Fu chose an affordable inn for a meal, and then told Xu Yunxin about the situation in Shuangmu Town.

"Young Master, Shuangmu Town is the closest large town to Wancheng. It is governed by the Lin family of Wancheng and is considered one of the Lin family's more important businesses. It is managed by the Lin family's collateral branches."

"Shuangmu Town is mainly responsible for collecting the products of the 'Thousand Lakes Wasteland'. The town is well-located and has sufficient defenses. Most cultivators and caravans entering and leaving the 'Thousand Lakes Wasteland' will choose to rest here."

"Our Xu family's Qingxi Town is still deep in the 'Thousand Lakes Wasteland,' and from now on, we will have to pass through Shuangmu Town to get in and out."

Xu Yunxin understood what Uncle Fu meant and immediately said, "Uncle Fu, may we go and pay a visit to the town lord?"

Uncle Fu smiled with satisfaction: "Young master, that makes perfect sense. Although our Xu family and the Lin family are not old friends, our status is still higher than that of the Lin family, so it is natural for us to go and pay them a visit."

With Uncle Fu's help, Xu Yunxin quickly entered the large house in the north of the town.

As soon as Xu Yunxin and Uncle Fu entered the house, Lin Qingsheng, who was sitting in the hall, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "No wonder there are magpies chirping on the branches today. It turns out that we have distinguished guests at our door!" His voice was clear and strong.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yunxin smiled and said, "I am honored by your kind invitation, Mayor Lin. I am new here and have taken the liberty of visiting you. I hope you will not take offense!"

Lin Qingsheng laughed heartily upon hearing this. After exchanging a few more polite words, the two pretended to address each other as uncle and nephew before taking their seats as host and guest.

Xu Yunxin looked up and saw Lin Qingsheng with a round face, broad eyebrows, and a square scarf embroidered with clouds. He also had a white jade pendant tied around his waist, making him look both rich and dashing.

Compared to Lin Qingsheng, Xu Yunxin's attire was much worse, but he had the advantage of well-proportioned features and a confident and natural demeanor, which gave him a youthful vigor.

Lin Qingsheng, who was able to sit in the position of town lord of Shuangmu Town, naturally had extraordinary insight and knowledge. Seeing that Xu Yunxin was traveling lightly and was going to Qingxi Town to guard it, he basically guessed what was going on.

Looking at Xu Yunxin's enthusiastic appearance, it was quite similar to his own situation when he first came out to make a living. He couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic and a little reluctant.

Although Shuangmu Town is located on the edge of the "Thousand Lakes Wasteland", its geographical location is good. If something serious happens, the Wancheng reinforcements can arrive in a day, and even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator is slow, they can arrive in half a day. So, safety is guaranteed.

But Qingxi Town is more than a thousand miles south, deep in the "Thousand Lakes Wilderness", a real exclave.

If something happens there, you'll really be helpless.

But fate is what it is, and what is set in stone is hard to change.

Lin Qingsheng, though on the verge of speaking, could only sigh and say, "Nephew, you must be very careful when you go to Qingxi Town to guard it. Try not to meddle in worldly affairs, and above all, prioritize your own life!"

Although Xu Yunxin was the town lord of Qingxi Town, he only knew the town's location and had no idea about the specifics. Seeing Lin Qingsheng start the conversation, he hurriedly and earnestly asked, "Please enlighten me, Uncle Lin!"