Genius in the whole system: The useless young lady dominates the world

After traveling for about half a day, they arrived at the first checkpoint, a temporary wooden checkpoint guarded by only a dozen or so ordinary demon soldiers wearing leather armor and carrying spears. They looked like miscellaneous soldiers forcibly conscripted from local tribes, and they were all listless, but their attitude was quite arrogant.

"Halt! Where did you come from? What are you doing here? Don't you know there's a toll here?" A boar demon soldier with tusks lazily blocked the way with his spear, his eyes greedily scanning the "cargo" on the wagon.

Feng Xiao (Old Feng) immediately stepped forward with a beaming smile, speaking fluent local dialect. He pulled out a somewhat worn "travel document" made of animal hide from his pocket (naturally forged by Lu Lingxi Yao based on Feng Xiao's description, combined with illusion magic and mental power), and handed it over: "Sir, you've worked hard! We are a small merchant caravan from the south, planning to do some small business in Blackstone City ahead, transporting some worthless ores and mountain goods. This is our travel permit."

The pig demon soldier took the travel permit, glanced at it casually, and then suspiciously looked at the others in the group. His gaze lingered on Nalan Rongzhi (Naragu) for a moment before he frowned and said, "Hmm? This guy... isn't from our demon realm, is he? He doesn't look like it. Where did he come from?"

Before Feng Xiao could answer, Nalan Rongzhi merely raised his eyes slightly and glanced coldly at the pig demon soldier. He said nothing, but in that instant, a trace of aura carrying the majesty of a superior and a faint aura of malevolence unique to the border of the demon realm, like a cold needle, gently pricked the pig demon soldier.

The pig demon soldier felt his heart clench, as if he were being watched by something terrifying. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth got stuck in his throat. He instinctively took half a step back, and fear showed in his eyes.

Just then, White Tiger (Big Bear) stepped forward at the perfect moment. His burly figure exuded a strong sense of intimidation, but his face wore a simple and honest smile. He took out a small bag of demon crystals from the money pouch at his waist and quietly stuffed it into the pig demon soldier's hand. His voice was deep and gruff, yet smooth and tactful. "Sir, please understand. My master comes from beyond the realm and is just passing through. We are all honest merchants. Please do us a favor. This is for the brothers to buy some wine."

The pig demon soldier weighed the demon crystal in his hand. It wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a small amount either; enough for a few good drinks. Then, seeing Nalan Rongzhi's cold and intimidating gaze, and the seemingly unapproachable size of the white tiger, he decided it wasn't worth making trouble for himself over such a small matter. So, he impatiently waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, go on! Hurry up!"

The caravan passed the first checkpoint without incident. The closer they got to the central part of the demon realm, the more shocking the scene became on both sides of the road. Large swathes of land that should have been fertile were abandoned. The villages and towns that could be seen occasionally were mostly desolate and dilapidated, with nine out of ten houses empty. The demon people they encountered hardly had any smiles on their faces.

On the walls and tree trunks, notices written in ink could be seen everywhere. Most of them were orders to pay various exorbitant taxes or to forcibly conscript soldiers. Some were also blurry wanted posters with ferocious figures on them, offering rewards for the capture of so-called "traitors" and "spies". Some of them mentioned the words "remnants of Qingqiu" and "accomplices of the former crown prince".

When Di Lin (A Tu) saw these notices, especially those mentioning "remnants of Qingqiu" and "crown prince's accomplices," he gripped the reins tightly with both hands. He lowered his head, and beneath his honest face, raging with anger and hatred.

Lu Lingxi Yao (Xiao Qi) took in Di Lin's reaction. She didn't say much, but when they passed a bumpy section of the road, she approached the truck and gently patted Di Lin's shoulder, giving him a little comfort and encouragement. At the same time, she used her mental power to carefully capture the whispers of the demons along the way and their emotions.

"Have you heard? Another mine collapsed in the west, killing many of the conscripted men..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Old Wang next door was dragged away by the Wolf Fang Guards a few days ago for complaining about the heavy taxes, and he's still not back!"

"Sigh, when will this ever end... When Emperor Hong was alive, although there were conflicts, at least we could have enough to eat, unlike now..."

"Stop talking, be careful, walls have ears! His Majesty Lietian... has his reasons..." (His heart was filled with fear and resentment.)

As they ventured deeper into the heart of the demon realm, the checks became increasingly stringent. Checkpoints were manned by elite Wolf Fang Guards, patrols became more frequent, and scouts riding flying demon beasts could even be seen occasionally in the air.

Finally, when they were still a hundred miles away from their next target, "Black Rock City" (an important transportation hub), they arrived at a magnificent pass—Eagle Sorrow Pass.

This pass was built against the mountain, in a strategic location. The city walls were high and covered with crossbow bolts and rune restrictions. Hundreds of fierce Wolf Fang Guards were stationed at the city gate, led by a Wolf Fang Guard commander with sharp eyes and wearing silver armor!

"All passing caravans, stop and submit to inspection!" a Wolf Fang Guard squad leader shouted, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.

Feng Xiao (Old Feng) felt a chill in his heart. This time, it probably wouldn't be so easy to get away with it. He quickly signaled Di Lin (A Tu) to stop the truck, and he and Bai Hu (Xiong Da) went forward to negotiate.

This time, the inspection became exceptionally strict, requiring not only verification of travel documents but also detailed inquiries about the type, origin, and destination of the goods, as well as the identities and backgrounds of all members of the caravan.

Several Wolf Fang Guard soldiers even climbed onto the truck, pierced the burlap sack with spears, and carefully examined the "ore" and "animal bones" inside.

What made everyone's hearts sink even more was that a Wolf Fang Guard priest in charge of the inspection actually took out a strange magical artifact that resembled a compass. The artifact was dark gold in color, and its surface was engraved with mysterious runes. The pointer trembled slightly and emitted a special energy fluctuation.

“This is the ‘Demon Appraisal Compass’,” Feng Xiao whispered to Lu Lingxi, his voice heavy. “It can detect the purity of demon bloodline aura and also sense energy fluctuations from non-demon races. It’s extremely troublesome!”

The priest, holding the demon-detecting disc, slowly walked past the caravan members. When he passed Wind Howl, White Tiger, Emperor Lin, Netherworld, and Dark Night, the pointer of the disc only swayed slightly and there was nothing particularly unusual. Clearly, their disguise was very successful.

However, when the demon-detecting compass approached Nalan Rongzhi (Nalagu), the pointer suddenly trembled violently, emitting a slight "buzzing" sound, and a faint red light even appeared on the surface of the compass!