"Hold on, are you heading to White Tiger Manor?" Chu Feng asked quickly.
He wondered — could the Longjiao River lead straight to the White Tiger Mountain Range? Had he wandered into the White Tiger Mountain Range without even realizing it?
White Tiger Manor — wasn't that the most famous manor in the entire White Tiger Mountain Range? It was exactly the place he'd been trying to infiltrate.
After all, the very name "White Tiger Manor" implied that the estate, much like Vermilion Bird City, Black Tortoise City, or the Azure Dragon Sect, held some of the White Tiger Mountain Range's secrets.
"So you're going to White Tiger Manor too?" The young woman looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"That's right. I was wondering — would you mind giving me a ride?" Chu Feng put on an innocent smile.
He'd noticed that beyond these three people, there was a horse-drawn carriage parked not far away. It was empty, clearly belonging to them.
Although Chu Feng's walking speed was no slouch, his entire body ached to the point of falling apart, and his Yuan Force was almost depleted. A free ride would be ideal.
"Since we're headed the same way, why not come along," the young woman said after a moment's thought, and nodded in agreement.
"Miss, this—" The old man and the burly man tensed up immediately.
"It's fine. There are still empty seats in the carriage. Look at him — if he had to walk all the way to White Tiger Manor on foot, who knows how long it would take." The young woman smiled gently, showing her kind nature.
Seeing that she was insistent, the old man and the burly man exchanged a glance and said nothing more, silently acquiescing.
"Then thank you very much."
Chu Feng wasted no time. He stood up and headed straight for the carriage. He knew these people were surely more familiar with the area than he was, so following them was the right call.
"So, Miss Wang, what brings you to White Tiger Manor?" Chu Feng asked curiously from inside the carriage.
After some conversation, he had learned that the young woman's name was Wang Lin. She came from a small town within the White Tiger Mountain Range, and Chu Feng could sense that she was a martial cultivator — albeit a weak one, only at the Spirit Martial Second Level, but a cultivator nonetheless.
"Just call me Wang Lin," she said with a sweet smile, then added proudly, "Of course, I'm going to take the White Tiger Manor's servant examination."
"Servant examination?" Chu Feng looked confused.
"Don't you know? White Tiger Manor holds a servant recruitment exam every month. Anyone under seventeen years old who has reached the Spirit Martial Second Level can participate."
Wang Lin began to explain, and Chu Feng learned that the White Tiger Mountain Range was rather remote, with very few nearby sects. To give the common people a chance at cultivation, White Tiger Manor had openly shared its martial cultivation techniques.
Anyone who reached the Spirit Martial Second Level before the age of seventeen could enter White Tiger Manor as a servant and study martial arts — or even Mystic Arts. Wang Lin was one such person hoping to advance her cultivation.
"So, little lady, you're a martial cultivator, are you?" Chu Feng said with a grin. He had already decided to pose as a beginner cultivator and take the servant exam — a perfect way to sneak into White Tiger Manor.
"Hmph! My young miss reached the Spirit Martial Second Level half a year ago!"
"A country bumpkin like you could never tell what my miss's real strength is!" Before Wang Lin could respond, the burly man driving the carriage shouted loudly, casting a deep look of contempt at Chu Feng.