The Second World in Ancient Times

Si Qing's overseas trade journey continued amidst praise, but when she arrived in a new foreign country, she encountered a series of difficult problems. The country had a complex political situation and strict trade controls. As soon as Si Qing's fleet arrived at the shore, troubles ensued.

First, the goods were seized. Local customs officials, citing various reasons, claimed that Si Qing's cargo contained problems and required further inspection. These goods were crucial to Si Qing, affecting not only the profits of the trade but also the credibility of their partnership with local merchants. However, no matter Si Qing's explanations, the officials remained unmoved and simply detained the goods in a customs warehouse, barring anyone from approaching.

Meanwhile, Si Qing and his group's itinerary was severely disrupted. A scheduled meeting with a local business tycoon was canceled without explanation, and their movements through the city seemed to be under surveillance, with countless eyes watching them from the shadows. Si Qing tried to uncover the cause, but the information he gained was scant, except that a powerful force seemed to be manipulating everything.

Facing such difficulties in a foreign country, the driver felt unprecedented pressure. Her crew members were also worried. Everyone knew that if these problems were not resolved quickly, this overseas trade trip might suffer a serious blow.

Just as Si Qing was sinking into despair, a mysterious figure appeared like a ray of light in the darkness. One night, Si Qing was alone near the docks, searching for clues about the impounded cargo. Suddenly, a group of men in black emerged from the shadows and approached Si Qing. They were armed, their eyes fierce, and their intentions were clearly hostile.

Si Qing instinctively grasped the sword at his waist, ready to engage them. But just then, a figure leaped from the rooftop like a ghost, blocking Si Qing's path. The man was completely masked, revealing only a pair of deep, piercing eyes. The sword in his hand gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and his movements were swift and sharp, engaging the men in a fierce battle.

Si Qing stared at the scene in astonishment. Before she could react, the mysterious figure had already repelled the men in black. Seeing the situation was bad, the men in black fled. The mysterious figure turned to Si Qing, nodded slightly, and prepared to leave.

"Thank you for saving my life, may I know your name?" Si Qing asked hurriedly.

The mysterious man didn't answer, but simply waved his hand. After a few takeoffs and landings, he disappeared into the night. Si Qing looked in the direction he left, his heart filled with confusion and gratitude.

The next day, Si Qing was busy dealing with the impounded goods when she encountered even greater trouble near the customs warehouse. Local thugs, hired by an unknown force, came to prevent Si Qing from approaching the warehouse. They were so numerous that they surrounded Si Qing and her guards.

"You outsiders, don't even think about taking your goods. This is our territory." A local gangster leader said arrogantly.

Si Qing glared at us and said, "You have no right to seize our goods. This is illegal."

The two sides were at a stalemate, poised for conflict. Just then, the mysterious figure reappeared. He slipped silently from behind the crowd, like a ghost. His form flashed, a long staff appearing in his hand. He moved effortlessly among the thugs. Each of his strikes was perfectly timed, repelling the enemy without inflicting fatal damage.

With the mysterious man's help, Si Qing and his guards successfully escaped the thugs. Si Qing once again expressed his gratitude to the mysterious man: "I am deeply grateful for your help twice. Please tell me your name so that I can repay you in the future."

The mysterious man remained silent, simply pointing in the direction of the customs warehouse and motioning Si Qing to follow him. Si Qing, with his guards, followed the mysterious man to a secluded corner of the warehouse. The mysterious man tapped lightly on the wall a few times, and a secret door slowly opened.

"Your goods are inside, take them away quickly." A deep voice came from under the mask.

Si Qing was pleasantly surprised; she hadn't expected the mysterious man to find the hidden location of the goods. With his help, Si Qing and her guards quickly moved the goods to a safe place. This time, Si Qing was even more curious about the mysterious man's identity. She didn't understand why he was helping her, and he seemed to know everything about the situation here.

With the cargo issue resolved, Si Qing thought she could continue her trade activities as planned. However, her itinerary was severely disrupted. The trading locations she had originally agreed upon with the local merchants kept changing. Every time Si Qing arrived at a new location, she found it empty or guarded by a group of unidentified individuals.

On one occasion, while en route to a new trading location, Si Qing and his escort encountered an ambush. Enemies were hiding in the woods lining the road, raining arrows down upon them as they passed. Si Qing and his escort scrambled for cover, but the enemy's attack was fierce and the situation was critical.

At this moment, the mysterious figure appeared again. He brought some huge shields from somewhere and blocked the rain of arrows for Si Qing and his men. Then, he led Si Qing and his men through a hidden path to avoid the enemy's ambush.

"Zhuangshi, who are you? Why do you always help me at critical moments?" Si Qing couldn't help but ask.

The mysterious man stopped and looked at Si Qing, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. He remained silent, simply continuing to lead Si Qing forward. Under the mysterious man's guidance, Si Qing finally found the true trading location and successfully completed the transaction with the local merchant. This successful transaction allowed Si Qing to continue his overseas trade plans, but the identity of the mysterious man became increasingly mysterious.

After repeated encounters, Si Qing began to notice the mysterious figure's patterns. She discovered that he always appeared when she needed help most, and each time he appeared, he was able to pinpoint the key to the problem. He was incredibly familiar with the geography, political landscape, and distribution of various forces in this foreign land, as if he had lived there for a long time.

Si Qing also noted that, despite the mask, the mysterious figure's form and movements suggested he was a young man with considerable martial arts skills. His unique fighting style, incorporating a variety of martial arts techniques, led Si Qing to speculate that he possessed extensive experience and traveled extensively.

Furthermore, every time the mysterious man helped Si Qing, he would quickly leave, never leaving any clues to follow. He seemed to not want Si Qing to know his identity, nor did he want to have too much contact with Si Qing, but he always silently protected her. This made Si Qing both grateful and confused, and she decided to find out the identity of the mysterious man.

Si Qing and her friends began to speculate about the identity of the mysterious man. A Ling thought, "Could this mysterious man be someone we helped somewhere before, and is he here to repay a favor?"

Another guard speculated, "Perhaps he's a local righteous man who couldn't stand those people oppressing foreign merchants, so he came to their aid."

Si Qing also had his own thoughts: "I think his appearance is too coincidental, and he knows everything about our situation. Could he be sent by our competitors to gain our trust first and then strike us from behind?"

But this speculation was quickly denied, because if the mysterious man was sent by a competitor, he would have too many opportunities to disrupt Si Qing's trade plan, but he had been helping her.

Another possibility is that the mysterious figure is a representative of some powerful figure or faction in this foreign land, with his own agenda. Perhaps he's attracted by Si Qing's potential and influence, and hopes to achieve his own political or economic goals by helping her. However, this is merely speculation, without any supporting evidence.

Si Qing was trapped in a deep mystery. She didn't know which guess to believe, nor did she know when the mysterious man would appear next time and how he would help her.

During his many encounters with the mysterious man, Si Qing also discovered some of his mysterious props and skills. In addition to the magical long stick and the shield that came from nowhere, the mysterious man also has a tool that can see in the dark.

Once, they were traveling at night. In pitch darkness, Si Qing and his guards could only grope their way forward cautiously. But the mysterious man moved with ease. He pulled a small object from his pocket and pressed it gently. A faint beam of light emanated, one that wouldn't attract the enemy's attention. With this light, they successfully navigated a dangerous mountain road.

The mysterious man's tracking skills are also exceptional. During one search for missing cargo, Si Qing and his team completely lost their way, not knowing where the goods had been moved. The mysterious man simply observed the scene carefully, and then, relying on subtle clues like footprints and scraps of the remaining packaging, accurately tracked the cargo's whereabouts.

His disguise skills were equally astonishing. When infiltrating enemy-guarded areas, the mysterious man could quickly transform his attire, transforming from a mysterious knight into an ordinary citizen or even an enemy soldier, rendering him completely unrecognizable. These mysterious props and skills only intensified Si Qing's curiosity about the mysterious man's identity, and she realized that he was no ordinary person.

Just as Si Qing's trade activities were gradually getting on track, a new crisis struck. Some nobles in this foreign country were jealous of Si Qing's success. They united and slandered Si Qing to the local king, accusing him of being a spy and attempting to undermine the stability of the country.

The king believed the slander and ordered the arrest of Si Qing. Si Qing, her crew, and her guards were immediately in great danger. They were surrounded by a large number of soldiers in their residence, and their situation was extremely critical.

At this critical moment, the mysterious man reappeared. He first created some chaos around the residence to attract the soldiers' attention. Then, using smoke bombs and clever body movements, he broke through the soldiers' defenses and came to Si Qing's side.

"Follow me, quickly!" the mysterious man whispered.

Without hesitation, Si Qing and the mysterious man fled the house amidst the chaos. They weaved through the city's alleys, soldiers in pursuit. The mysterious man led Si Qing to an abandoned underground passage, a maze of intricate structures.

"We can hide here for a while, but we must leave the country as soon as possible." The mysterious man finally spoke.

Si Qing looked at the mysterious man, his mind full of questions: "Why are you helping me? Who are you?"

The mysterious man was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Now is not the time to talk about this, let's get rid of the pursuers first."

The underground passage was dark and damp, filled with a pungent smell. Si Qing and the mysterious man ran quickly in the passage, and the shouts and footsteps of soldiers could be heard behind them.

The passage was filled with various traps and mechanisms. The mysterious man, relying on his keen intuition and rich experience, cleverly avoided danger after danger. He would remind Si Qing from time to time: "Be careful, there are traps here. Follow my steps."

Si Qing followed closely behind the mysterious man, her heart in her throat. Suddenly, a huge pit appeared ahead, its bottom strewn with sharp wooden stakes. The mysterious man paused, surveying his surroundings, then found a hidden mechanism on the wall. Pulling it, a stone bridge slowly emerged from above the pit.

"Let's go!" The mysterious man pulled Si Qing and quickly crossed the stone bridge.

However, the soldiers also caught up. They ignored the danger and rushed onto the stone bridge. At this moment, the mysterious man pulled a mechanism again, and the stone bridge began to shake violently, and then collapsed with a loud bang, and many soldiers fell into the deep pit.

However, some soldiers bypassed the pit and continued their pursuit. The mysterious man and Si Qing didn't dare to stop and continued their escape through the underground tunnel. As they fled, the mysterious man occasionally set up obstacles to slow down the soldiers' pursuit.