Chapter 1712: Three Goats Bring Prosperity

"Eaves Bell!" Lu Jing confirmed the two names were correct, and upon seeing the tridacna shell bell, his attitude immediately changed. "What should I call you, sir?"

He could tell at a glance that this group deferred to He Lingchuan.

"My surname is He, and I am the Island Master of Yangshan. Mou Nation's Imperial Tutor, Wang Xingyi, personally entrusted me to come and investigate."

"Island Master He." Lu Jing, of course, didn't know what kind of power the "Yangshan Archipelago" represented, nor did he care. However, he had heard of the Mou Nation's Imperial Tutor and was willing to show some respect. "Since it's a commission from Lingshan, please come up the mountain with me. By the way, do you have another companion hidden nearby? Please call it out, and we can all go up together."

He was referring to Madam Zhu!

Before the robed figures approached, Madam Zhu had been standing in the shadows of the forest. As a strong gust of wind blew, she stood up, moved back, and disappeared behind a tree.

Such a large spider vanished, undetectable even by He Lingchuan.

A subterranean spider queen in stealth mode, waiting for an opportunity, was truly terrifying.

Just now, when the robed figures surrounded them, they hadn't managed to encircle Madam Zhu.

He Lingchuan smiled and said, "Alright," but his mind was already calculating.

Madam Zhu was thoroughly concealed by the dense forest, so from their previous angle, these people should not have seen her. Furthermore, the spider queen had hidden herself upon coming ashore, not entering the fishing port or being seen by any idlers.

So, how did these Illusion Sect members discover her?

Had they expanded their divine sense beforehand? Or was this blessed land somewhat mystical, monitoring their every move as soon as they arrived on the island?

From another perspective, this could be a good thing, as Bai Ziqi and others who entered the storm's core might also be under the watchful eyes of the local powers.

He Lingchuan slightly raised his voice: "Madam!"

Whoa, what a huge spider!

Madam Zhu had shrunk her form to the height of an adult woman, but her chelicerae were unusually thick and strong, and her body was covered in velvety spines, so much so that anyone looking at her felt their eyes prickle painfully.

Had she not taken those few steps, the two robed figures wouldn't have realized she was right behind them. The subterranean spider queen was a master of disguise; she had previously adopted a protective coloration and, by lying down in the forest, had become invisible.

He Lingchuan saw their surprised expressions and silently ruled out his first theory.

"Everyone's here?" Lu Jing clapped his hands together three times and called out, "Bring the carriage!"

From deep within the forest, there was a rustling sound followed by the hurried clatter of hooves.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw three monstrous beasts pulling a large carriage, approaching at lightning speed from around the street corner.

These monstrous beasts were much like General Ling, whom He Lingchuan had met in Chiyan Kingdom. They were large sheep, taller than horses, but their curly short fur was blood-red, and they had a V-shaped white mark on their chests, like a tie.

These sheep were heavily muscled, with two dramatically twisted horns on their heads, whose sharp points faced forward, sharper than daggers. On their hindquarters was a mark resembling both a whirlwind and a plum blossom.

Their gaze was fierce, and their eyes were a similarly terrifying dark red.

Though clearly sheep, they exuded the aura of fierce tigers, as if inscribed with the words, "Come closer if you wish to die."

Lu Jing immediately said, "Please get in."

Everyone suppressed their questions and filed into the carriage.

It was an open-top carriage, without a roof, styled like an ancient war chariot, appearing to accommodate at most seven or eight people standing. Wan Qiliang was silently wondering how over forty people would fit, but to his surprise, the more people who boarded, the larger the carriage became. In the end, everyone was on, including Madam Zhu, with ample space to spare.

Was this a method of the immortals, or a powerful magical artifact?

Everyone whispered among themselves, tempted to ask how many people the carriage could truly hold, but seeing Lu Jing's somewhat aloof expression, they silently swallowed their questions.

The great outbreak of Imperial Dew had just ended, and people still hadn't fully grasped the implications of abundant spiritual energy; their mindsets hadn't yet shifted.

Madam Zhu, however, remained completely unperturbed. Such minor tricks were commonplace to her in ancient times.

"Hold on tight, everyone." The large carriage had no reins. Lu Jing patted its side and said, "Return to the sect."

The three sheep began to move, and the carriage shot forward at a blistering pace, more than three or four times faster than a typical horse-drawn cart. Everyone watched as the scenery on both sides blurred past, yet the carriage remained remarkably stable.

Wan Qiliang curiously leaned out and discovered that the carriage wheels were lifted by a current of wind beneath, not actually touching the ground but maintaining a two-finger-width gap.

The carriage was actually hovering above the ground, no wonder they felt no bumps.

The red sheep carriage passed through two successive ridges. As the tree branches parted, a town suddenly appeared before their eyes!

Commoners lived so close to the lake?

And there were many residents in the town; judging by the number of houses, there were at least over a thousand people.

The three-sheep carriage charged forward without turning its head or even taking a single turn.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, this large three-sheep carriage traveled on roads when available, but when there was no road, it simply moved in a straight line!

At the town entrance were two stalls, one selling general goods and the other vegetables, with four or five people gathered around, buying things. Hearing the sound, they turned back, but it was already too late to get out of the way.

The sheep didn't slow down. Just as a trampling incident seemed imminent, the leading ram shook its head and suddenly leaped—

The sheep carriage, as if soaring through clouds, leaped over the people, directly spanning a distance of fifteen zhang, and landed in an open area within the town!

The Black Armored Guards secretly muttered, "Holy moly!"

He Lingchuan recalled that when Madam Zhu helped him escape from the Heavenly Palace's Star-Plucking Tower, the jumping spider she dispatched also covered roughly this distance in a single leap.

These three large sheep were pulling a bulky, heavy carriage, yet they leaped as if weightless.

Moreover, the large carriage didn't land with a crash; instead, it slid forward smoothly. Otherwise, such a sudden impact would have shattered an ordinary carriage.

Although no one spoke, Lu Jing saw admiration in their eyes. He secretly thought they were unworldly but maintained a reserved smile on his face. "These three large sheep are called 'Yingtai.' They can travel thousands of li in a day and used to be able to ride the wind."

Used to? So, not anymore?

As they moved, an invisible, powerful gust of wind would cleave forward, pushing aside anything or anyone in their path. An old woman selling dates couldn't dodge in time, and her basket was sent flying to the side.

The dirt road, which could originally accommodate at most two carriages abreast, was made to feel like a wide avenue by this ancient vehicle.

Ahead was the tallest building in the town, appearing either as a government office or a warehouse, with stone walls over a zhang high.

The sheep carriage charged straight toward it, not slowing down at all.

Just as it seemed about to crash into the stone wall, the giant sheep leaped again, lifting the entire carriage in an upward diagonal flight, directly soaring over the top of the wall.

Behind the wall was a large building, its roof nearly two zhang off the ground. The leading ram landed precisely, its hooves touching down right on the rooftop ridge.

The combined weight of over forty people, the sheep, the carriage, and Madam Zhu, would ordinarily have caused the building to collapse. However, clear winds suddenly swirled around the sheep's hooves, and the entire carriage seemed to be naturally supported.