Outside of Time

The eastern part of the Nanhuang Continent.

The season was now summer. As the rain gradually increased, the weather also slowly turned hot.

"It's May." On this day, the sun was high in the sky. After Xu Qing left Grandmaster Bai's tent, he looked up at the blue sky and the dazzling sun as he mumbled.

Unknowingly, two months had passed since he arrived at the campsite.

He recalled his experience in Bloodrain City two months ago. It seemed like a long time had passed but it was still vivid in Xu Qing's heart. 𝙛𝐫e𝚎wℯ𝗯𝒏𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄o𝚖

However, compared to when he lived in the slums more than two months ago, the changes in his body were already extremely great.

Regardless of whether it was the increase in his cultivation or the harvest from his knowledge of plants and vegetation, everything made Xu Qing feel that he was constantly growing.

During this period of time, under Captain Lei's sumptuous meals, he ate a lot of meat. Hence, his body, which was originally small and skinny, became slightly more refined.

Also, because he cultivated the Mountains and Seas Art, his masculine qi and blood were extremely exuberant. The aura he instinctively emitted gave off a sharp feeling.

Maybe it was because he had copied the saber move in the temple but Xu Qing's eyes were much brighter than others. Also, the more he copied, the more he looked like that.

This was especially so after he went to Grandmaster Bai's place for lessons. The accumulation of knowledge also gave him a scholarly temperament.

All of this caused Xu Qing, whose hands were used to being clean, to be unable to conceal his delicate features even though the dirt on his face hadn't been washed off.

This could be seen from the way the courtesans in the tents with feathers on them would often call out to him with their beautiful eyes.

However, Xu Qing didn't care about these. His mood had been somewhat gloomy these few days.

On one hand, they hadn't found the heavenfate flower. On the other hand, Captain Lei's frailty and old age were becoming increasingly apparent.

Hence, Xu Qing visited the jungle in the forbidden zone less and less. Every day, after Grandmaster Bai's lesson ended, he would instinctively head to his residence. Even though he spent most of his time cultivating alone, Xu Qing would feel much more at ease when he sensed Captain Lei next door.

He cherished dinner time every night even more.

Today was the same. Xu Qing, who was walking silently on the campsite, didn't bother with the scavengers in the surroundings. He first headed to the general store.

When the busy little girl saw his figure, she immediately ran behind the counter and took out a flask of wine, passing it to Xu Qing.

She was already used to this period of time. Every day, Xu Qing would come to buy alcohol at this time.

"Thank you." Xu Qing said softly and glanced at the scar on the little girl's face.

Although she had a hideous scar, the little girl was very optimistic. She smiled at Xu Qing and was about to say something when she was called over by the other scavengers.

Xu Qing didn't mind. He took the flask and prepared to leave but his back view fell into the little girl's peripheral vision. She hurriedly exchanged a few words with the scavenger and ran to the gate. When she saw that Xu Qing was about to leave, she suddenly shouted.

"Brother Kid."

Xu Qing stopped in his tracks. When he turned his head, he saw the little girl running over quickly.

After she got close to Xu Qing, she stretched out her right hand and opened it. There was a piece of candy inside.

"I don't know why you've been depressed recently but every time I'm unhappy, my mother will give me candy. As I eat, I feel happier."

"This is my last piece of candy. This is for you."

As the little girl spoke, she was afraid that Xu Qing would reject her, so she directly placed it in his hand and quickly ran toward the shop. When she reached the shop's entrance, she turned her head and looked at Xu Qing as she shouted loudly.

"Brother Kid, you have to be happy!"

Xu Qing stood there in a daze as he watched the little girl's figure enter the shop. He lowered his head and looked at the candy in his hand. After a long time... he carefully kept this piece of candy.

On the way back, there was a commotion at the campsite. From afar, Xu Qing saw two carriages arriving one after another.

Regardless of whether it was the carriage's brand-new nature or the horses' sturdiness, the number of carriages in front of him far exceeded what Xu Qing had seen in the past. Not only were there guards but there were also three to five middle-aged men among them. The spirit energy fluctuations emanating from their bodies were clearly powerful.

They were not the core of the convoy.

As the convoy arrived, a group of young men and women walked out. They were all around the age of 16 or 17 years old. They had tall and broad strides and were dressed in bright clothes. Their skin was fair and the men were handsome while the women were beautiful.

Their identities and backgrounds were all extraordinary. At that moment, they seemed to despise the mess on the campsite, so they set up camp outside the campsite. The feeling of being bossy was very obvious.

Moreover, each of them seemed to have a follower by their side. About a hundred people were serving these fifteen to sixteen youths.

As for the second convoy behind them, although they weren't bad compared to the former, they were inferior.

Also, it was obvious that they knew the identities of those young men and women. Hence, the second convoy wasn't willing to come into contact with the former and avoided them as they entered the campsite. Most of the people walking down were very low-key.

Xu Qing swept his gaze across them.

The convoy at the campsite would appear every few days. They would either issue missions or enter the forbidden zone alone. There were all kinds of people in there.

This was also the foundation of the scavenger campsite's existence. Xu Qing was used to it.

When he returned to his residence, he saw Captain Lei exercising in the courtyard. Under the sunlight, there was a hint of twilight on Captain Lei's body, causing Xu Qing's heart to sink even more.

"You bought me alcohol again. Not bad, not bad." Captain Lei smiled and spoke when he noticed the alcohol flask in Xu Qing's hand.

"Alright, go and clean up the kitchen. I'll go out for a stroll and buy some ingredients back." Captain Lei said and left with his hands behind his back.