After all, he really hadn’t gotten much rest on this journey.

With that, Shen Bai opened the space of his Life and Death Storage Skill.

A fissure appeared before him. Inside the Life and Death Storage Skill, the giant cyan egg that Amber had transformed into was lying quietly.

But at this moment, the giant cyan egg had changed slightly.

What was once a thick shell was now as thin as a cicada’s wing.

Shen Bai could even see Amber’s silhouette flickering inside, evidently absorbing the shell’s chilly aura.

’Amber should be able to hatch by the time we reach Nanxing Prefecture,’ Shen Bai thought.

According to his calculations, Amber should have completed its evolution while they were on the road. Unfortunately, the rate of absorption had suddenly slowed halfway through the journey, only to abruptly speed up and return to normal later on.

As a result, the evolution had slowed down slightly.

Of course, none of that really mattered.

To Shen Bai, it didn’t matter if it was early or late. The important thing was that Amber successfully completed its second evolution.

He had lost some Skill Level, but compared to the benefits of the evolution, the loss was nothing significant.

Shen Bai took another look, stroking his chin. ’How strange,’ he thought. ’I feel like Amber’s form has changed somehow.’

Through the giant cyan egg, Shen Bai could see that Amber’s form seemed to have changed slightly, but he couldn’t make out any specific details.

After all, he could only see its silhouette.

’Oh well. Everything will become clear once we reach Nanxing Prefecture and Amber finishes its second evolution.’

Shen Bai watched for only a moment longer before making up his mind. With a thought, he sealed the Life and Death Storage Skill once more.

He then resumed grinding his Chaotic Heart Spell.

While Shen Bai was grinding his Chaotic Heart Spell, the carriage continued on. It turned at a fork in the official road, following the new path until it arrived at the nearest posthouse.

...

The Great Zhou Country’s network of Official Posthouses was exceptionally well-developed, with a new station at every major interval. It was clear the Saint Martial Emperor had invested heavily in the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

Yet, the posthouse was utterly silent. Not a single person was stopping there.

Aside from a few tables and stools, the place was empty.

The carriage rolled into the posthouse and slowly came to a halt.

A look of surprise appeared in the coachman’s eyes.

The posthouse should have been staffed with officials responsible for receiving important guests and ensuring the station’s security, yet now, it was deserted.

It was one thing for there to be no Jianghu People—not everyone stopped at the same posthouse, after all. But for the resident officials to be missing? In all his years as a coachman, he had never once encountered such a thing.

At this thought, suspicion and unease welled up inside the coachman.

"Lord Shen, there’s no one here," the coachman said.

Since Lord Shen was in the carriage, it was the coachman’s duty to report any anomalies.

Shen Bai lifted the carriage curtain and frowned as he surveyed the deserted posthouse.

He had expected their final stop to be a peaceful one, but now something was clearly wrong.

A faint, bloody scent drifted on the air. It was so subtle that ordinary Jianghu People might not have noticed it at all.

But having struggled and fought his way through the Jianghu, Shen Bai’s senses were now incredibly sharp. A single whiff was enough for him to discern the underlying truth.

"A battle took place here. Someone was injured or killed," Shen Bai stated calmly.

At these words, the coachman immediately grew vigilant.

The dynasty of the Great Zhou Country was in turmoil. While ordinary folk might not sense the underlying danger, those in his line of work knew it all too well.

After all, a single misstep in the Jianghu could leave you as a headless corpse.

Even though this was an official establishment and an important hub for the Great Zhou Country, it wasn’t entirely surprising that something bad could have happened here.

And now that Lord Shen himself had spoken, the coachman was nearly certain that something terrible had occurred.

Shen Bai patted the coachman’s shoulder. "Don’t be nervous. As long as you’re driving for me, I’ll ensure your safety."

The coachman let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He might not have believed such words from anyone else, but coming from Lord Shen himself, the coachman felt that this crisis was no longer so dire.

Before the coachman could reply, Shen Bai stepped out of the carriage.

It was late autumn, and the weather should have been dry, yet as Shen Bai’s foot touched the ground, he felt a distinct dampness.

’There are wet patches on the ground. This obviously isn’t from rain... which means a Jianghu Person skilled in water techniques must have fought here.’

’But now, the place is empty. Where did everyone go? Were they killed in the battle, or did they manage to escape?’

Shen Bai wondered to himself.

No one answered him. After all, there was no one left.

Shen Bai had the coachman follow him, and the two searched the posthouse carefully for a few moments.

But they found nothing.

"Lord Shen, there don’t seem to be any clues. Should we just head on to Nanxing Prefecture for now?" the coachman suggested.

With no clues, there was no reason to linger. Even with Shen Bai’s guarantee of safety, staying here made the coachman’s skin crawl.

Shen Bai said, "Don’t panic. If there are no clues, we’ll just have to find some."

A confused look crossed the coachman’s face. He didn’t understand what Shen Bai meant by "finding" clues.

But the thought had barely formed when he saw Shen Bai raise his left hand and begin his divination.