Stranger Danger

Chapter 614: Hill Carrier

“Alright. Let’s resume our journey, shall we?”

The Sandfyre was just a brief interlude in his journey and posed no threat to Ye Qing whatsoever. Even in terms of rewards, it was worth just a single dragon serpent rune. So, he and Giggle resumed their journey as soon as they were done with it.

The biggest dangers in the Blackwind Desert were the black windstorm and the Blackwind Army. Since Ye Qing had defeated both, there was nothing left that could threaten him.

For the next two days, Ye Qing would trek northward non-stop. Two days later, he finally put the desert behind him.

“Phew... I’m finally out.”

Ye Qing sucked in a deep breath of fresh air while admiring the patches of green at the distant hills. He felt as if he had just shedded a huge burden.

Although the Blackwind Desert posed no threat to him, its never-changing yellow sand and blue sky were slowly but surely grating on his nerves. It was why the distant hills looked very inviting even though it was nothing special.

Suddenly, Ye Qing’s eyes widened like saucers. It was because he noticed that one of the hills was slowly moving in his direction.

Giggle was also standing on his shoulder and observing the moving hill curiously.

When the hill got close, Ye Qing finally noticed the man underneath the hill. He was running toward them while carrying the hill on his back.

The man was plump and fair-skinned. He had a mustache and wore a flowery shirt with the word “Hill” imprinted at the center. It looked both comedic and jovial.

The hill wasn’t a real hill per se. It was a hill, but its belly had been emptied and replaced by various buildings. Ye Qing could smell the delicious aroma of food and hear the sweet sound of bamboo instruments from them.

The hill might not be a real hill, but it was anything but light. Despite this, the man ran swiftly and without a sound. Even when he was jumping over rocks or rivers, his movements were so smooth it was like he was running across flat ground. He arrived in front of Ye Qing in just the blink of an eye.

The plump man stopped about ten meters away from Ye Qing and shot him a friendly smile. He said, “Hail, young warrior. You’ve had an onerous journey, haven’t you? Would you like to enjoy a good meal, a sweet tune, and a warm bed at my fine premises?”

“Is that an... inn on your back?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

“It’s an inn, a restaurant, a tavern, a theater, a gambling house and more. My premises offers any and every form of service there is to offer,” the plump man replied smilingly.

“Wait a second, I think I know this from somewhere...” Ye Qing raised his eyebrows as he racked his brain to recall a certain memory. When it finally hit him, he blurted, “Are you the Hill Carrier?!”

“You’re quite well-read, aren’t you young warrior? It is I,” the plump man confirmed.

“I forgot my manners. Well met, senior.” Ye Qing hurriedly saluted the plump man respectfully.

“You’re welcome, but please, I’m just a humble businessman. You do not need to treat me with such courtesy.” The plump man smiled.

“You jest, senior.” Ye Qing smiled back, but did not relax in the slightest. The plump man might look affable and kind, but only a fool would underestimate him.

The Hill Carrier or Hiller was a famous person in the jianghu. However, a Hiller wasn’t a name or title. It was a unique occupation.

A Hill Carrier carried a hill with many buildings on their back. That was why they were called a Hill Carrier, and the hill they carried were called Hill of Services.

There were all sorts of establishments inside the Hill of Services such as shops, eateries, restaurants, taverns, inns, theaters, brothels, gambling houses and more. They provided any and all kinds of services such as lodging, dining, leisure, entertainment, supply, rescue, intel and more.

However, a Hill Carrier’s target market wasn’t the common populace living in the settlements. No, it was the travelers, wanderers, traveling merchants, hunters and more who roamed the wilderness and slept outdoors.

This was why a Hill Carrier never stayed at the same place for too long. Constantly on the move from wilderness to wilderness, they even visited certain Anomalies and Strange Realms provided that there was profit to be made.

Strictly speaking, a Hill Carrier was a businessman, and a businessman valued profit above everything. Naturally, a Hill Carrier did not count as a good person.

The products and services a Hill Carrier offered were much, much more expensive than normal. For example, a single cup of tea could cost between three to five silver, which was enough money to buy an ordinary tea house!

To say that the prices in the Hill of Services were astronomically high would be an understatement, so much so that one would be forgiven if they thought that no one in their right mind would ever use a Hill Carrier’s services.

In reality, it was the opposite. Those who traveled often would know that it was no easy feat to survive in the wilderness. Away from the safety and comfort of civilization, even the simplest things such as sleeping and eating became a problem, and that was before mentioning all the difficulties and dangers one might encounter in the wilderness.

Out there, taut nerves, dwindling supplies, worrying injuries and deadly threats were the norm. It was one thing if they were just starting out their journey, but at some point, most people would be weary and desperate to find a safe place to catch their breaths.

A Hill Carrier offered not just safety, but also a place to resupply, fill their bellies, treat their wounds, and even entertain themselves. Without exaggeration, they were the hope and dream of every traveler. Who in their right mind would spurn them just to save a bit of money?

After all, the reason anyone worked hard to earn money was to spend it. Besides, what was a bit of expenditure before a life-or-death crisis?

Even if the traveler was completely broke, the Hill Carrier accepted barter as a method of trade as well. People who dealt with the wilderness on a frequent basis must possess at least one valuable treasure. It could be valuable natural resources, powerful weapons, Strange Artifacts, martial arts manual and more. Anything and everything could be traded for a certain product or service.

Sure, one might argue that the Hill Carrier was taking advantage of their customers’ plight, but since no one—not even the victims who were being scammed—was complaining... Who cares?

Of course, no one who made a living by dealing with the wilderness was a weakling. In fact, most of them were ruthless, bloodthirsty killers who could kill without batting an eyelid. That was why each and every Hill Carrier was an extremely powerful warrior with a massive bag of tricks. Not only that, they were backed by a mysterious, powerful organization as well. Anyone who dared to disobey a Hill Carrier’s rules or kill a Hill Carrier without good reason would face the wrath of all Hill Carriers.

Once a person had entered one Hill Carrier’s black list, no Hill Carrier would ever provide them their services again. That was the best case scenario. In the worst case scenario, the entire jianghu would come together to hunt down the person.

That’s right. The Hill Carriers were busy people, and they couldn’t always spare the time or effort to chase down the bastard. Luckily for them, their pockets were also loaded with money. If, for example, their target proved to be too elusive or strong, they could simply issue a massive bounty for their heads.

Money makes the world go round, and in the jianghu, insane people who would throw their lives away for money were the majority. Here in the jianghu, there would always be crazies who would stake their lives for a bag of silvers; maniacs who would do anything under the sun for a crate of gold. So what if you were the strongest warrior in the entire world? There was no such thing as a man or woman who could not be worn down given enough time.

Once upon a time, there was a powerful warrior named Wu Shentong, the “Undying Urchin”. Famous throughout the underworld and the surface world for his martial art, the “Art of Invincibility”, he was impervious to weapons, resistant to the elements, immune to all poison, and impossibly strong. He dominated the jianghu so much that he earned the saying, “Shentong is invincible under the Sage stage.”

However, Wu Shentong made the fatal mistake of killing a Hill Carrier out of impulse. Furious, the Hill Carriers issued a ten million silver bounty for his head.

And so Wu Shentong’s fate was sealed. Invincible he might be, no one could fight forever. In the end, he was unable to outlast the endless assault of the insane, suicidal jianghu people and died of exhaustion. Exhaustion! It was a lamentable and ironic death to say the least.

Wu Shentong wasn’t the first person to commit such a mistake, and he would not be the last. Over time, no one dared to offend the Hill Carriers anymore.

Ye Qing was not liable to make the same mistake as those people.

“So, would you like to visit my premises, young warrior?” The Hill Carrier asked again.

“Why not? Thank you for your hospitality,” Ye Qing replied with a salute.

He had always been curious about the Hill Carriers and their so-called Hill of Services. Now that he had run into them, of course he wasn’t going to allow this opportunity to slip by. Besides, he was famished for a warm meal and a good night’s rest after eating and sleeping in the open for a few weeks.