ATAPOW Chapter 201
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Chapter 201: A Burden He Could not Avoid
Separated by a sea of forest, Nolan City was situated in close proximity to the borders of the human federation.
An infertile land incapable of growing rice and grain, the forested region had been the former territory of the Asiatic Cat.
Years of natural disasters had led to failed food harvests, and many frail elderly individuals, as well as young children, did not survive the numerous harsh winters.
All of them had succumbed to a deep, eternal slumber with their weary bodies resting on the infertile soil.
Even when faced with the threat of natural disasters, the Asiatic cats remained steadfast in their kind temperament and peace-loving nature. They refused to take drastic actions to expand their territory or improve their living conditions.
Their innate nature to submit in the face of adversity made the concept of rebellion seem unfamiliar to them.
As the saying went, a child did not dislike their mother for being ugly, and a dog did not dislike its home for being poor.
Being creatures who found no solace in material possessions or external appearances, they held a deep sense of appreciation for the barren soil that nurtured their race.
Despite their temperament, their impression of humans was unfavorable.
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A series of hoof clatter resounded on a precipitous and winding mountain path.
For the extremely experienced coachman, Crow Forest was a place he could navigate with his eyes closed.
However, the rugged nature of the mountain path had greatly impacted his speed.
The rugged and uneven surface of the path was strewn with various gravel. This caused the carriage to jolt and torment the sciatic nerves of everyone on board.
Fortunately for Ji Bai, despite not having broad shoulders and narrow waist typical of a proportional and well-trained body, his physique was robust and battle-hardened after going through numerous trials.
To him, this level of trembling still fell within the range of what he could tolerate.
‘Though, speaking of Asiatic Cats…’
Ji Bai cast a glance at the gradually receding forest around him and fell into silence. Following which, he shook his head to clear his scattered thoughts.
After speedily traveling for one full day and night, he had finally arrived at the edge of the forest.
As the density of trees diminished and the shrubs on the ground grew sparser, a panoramic view of the plains unfolded before him.
They had gotten out of the dense tree shade, which had been the best refuge against the scorching sunlight of the relentless midday sun.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between leaves, illuminating the gravel pavement and bringing forth an indescribable sense of natural beauty.
The horse’s hooves pounded against the pavement, stirring up a cloud of grayish dust in their wake.
Not long after, the shaking and wobbling carriage came to a stop.
“I can only take you this far, young man,” Clad in patched linen clothing, the coachman spoke with his pipe still dangling from his mouth. Without a moment’s delay, he skillfully brought the horse and carriage to a halt at their customary stopping point as soon as the unobscured plain came into view.
“Have we arrived at our destination?” Ji Bai asked, despite already knowing the answer.
“It’s just up ahead. If you continue for a few miles, you’ll come across a city built with stone bricks. It may not be particularly grand in height, but that’s Nolan,” the coachman explained slowly, as he took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air.
“”It used to be possible to sneak up directly to the city gates, but not anymore… Those diabolical brutes of sheer killing intent. Without a travel permit, they won’t hesitate to wring your head off. Unless one is a commoner who has grown tired of living, they would never attempt to go there…” The coachman paused and looked meaningfully at Ji Bai.
“Thank you for the reminder,” Ji Bai expressed his gratitude and proceeded to disembark from the carriage, carrying bags of various sizes on his back.
Even though he had a lot of luggages with him, Ji Bai felt that they would soon become lighter.
He watched the carriage disappear into the distance before placing one large, bulging cloth bag onto the ground and hoisting the rest onto his shoulders.
“There’s nothing but trash in this bag. Luckily, there’s a river over there. Guess I’ll toss it into the downstream currents.” Ji Bai stroked his chin in feigned contemplation.
“…” The bag imperceptibly twitched for an instant.
‘Mhm, that must have been the wind.’
Ji Bai was unwaveringly certain of that fact.
“This bag is such a burden on my back. Since it mostly contains worthless cheap trash, I might as well save my strength and get rid of it.” After muttering to himself, Ji Bai lifted the cloth bag.
“…!!” It was at that very moment that the cloth bag began to shake and writhe, as if something inside was contorting it into all sorts of shapes.
“As I suspected. This bag contains something strange. Hmm, it’s best to get rid of it.” Ji Bai spoke in a firm tone.
“Uuu! H-Hurry up and let me out! I want to get out!” Though slightly muffled, a familiar soft voice escaped from the cloth bag.
Panic set in as it realized that Ji Bai had zero intention of stopping. “I’m not some garbage or a weird object. Quickly get me out of here, you O-Obscene Middle-aged man!”
The sound of shattering jars reverberated from within the bag, as the creature’s desire to survive grew so intense that it was on the verge of permeating out into the surrounding.
“It can even shout and address me as an obscene middle-aged man. There must be a cursed object inside it, I should quickly toss it into the river to protect myself.” Ji Bai remained unmoved, shaking his head as he continued to walk forwards.
“Aahhh! No, I’m not a monster. Hurry up and let me out. I’m Lil’ Sha!”
“It even knows the names of those around me. This is unnerving, I must dispose of it immediately.”
“Waahhh~ You’re an idiot, obscene middle-aged man!” Traces of sobbing laced the trembling voice.
Curled up into a ball, the petite girl was consumed by a sense of panic and despair, as the realization dawned upon her that she would soon be discarded into a river, left to drown.
Just like Zhuge Liang, she found herself facing the specter of death before completing her mission. Had she known this would be the outcome, she would have never ventured on this path in the first place…
What was the point of her starving in the cloth bag for a day and a night?
“Zip.” The sound of a zip opening was accompanied by traces of sunlight entering the pitch-dark cloth bag.
The golden-haired girl stopped her tears and rubbed her bleary eyes as a large, outstretched hand entered into her field of vision.
She raised her head, slightly dazed.
The lines of the man’s expressionless face seemed to take on a gentle quality along with the sunlight.
“What’s the matter? Have you fallen in love with this place so much that you don’t want to leave?” A wisp of a mischievous smile formed at the corner of Ji Bai’s lips as he saw the completely dazed Lil’ Sha sitting cross-legged in the bag,
“Uuu~ You stupid, obscene middle-aged man!” Lil’ Sha roared as if she was venting out all her frustrations. The delicate and slightly whimpering tone of her voice seemed to completely transform the meaning of those words into coquettishness.
He grabbed Lil’ Sha’s hand and pulled her out of the cloth bag.
Her eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness, were now half-closed, unable to bear the intensity of the bright light. The tear stains on her face only added to her already pitiful appearance, making it even more pronounced.
Despite her predicament, Lil’ Sha had disregarded the piercing sunlight and immediately surveyed her surroundings upon emerging from the cloth bag.
After she had roughly comprehended the topography around her, her cheeks puffed out in anger like an inflated pufferfish, and her eyes blazed with fury as they fixated themselves on the seemingly ‘innocent’ Ji Bai by her side.
“This is a grassland, so where is that river!? You conniving obscene middle-aged man, how dare you deceive me!”
“That makes two of us.” Ji Bai shrugged.
“You know that I was in the bag all along, didn’t you?! How despicable… Nyaa!” Just when she was about to continue her sentence in a rage of fury, Ji Bai’s finger gently tapped her forehead, causing her to make a peculiar noise before falling backward and landing on her back.
“You’re quite presumptuous, aren’t you? However, did I give you permission to come along with me?” Lil’ Sha could sense the unconcealable presence of danger in Ji Bai’s emotionless smile.
Although he was clearly smiling, she strangely failed to detect any trace of warmth in his expression…
Trembling with fear, Lil’ Sha clutched her golden hair and curled up into a ball, no longer daring to utter another word.