chapter 2: on the road….

( the story is mostly third person btw)

(Enjoy the 3,906 word chapter )

(POV third)

A small figure can be seen walking along a muddy trail,his little white robes were a contrast to his surroundings.

Kai lei leisurely walked along the path until he reached a makeshift road of some kind,exiting the forest he was in a large plain was seen,looking around Kai lei noticed that there were no signs of any kind to indicate where he is, scratching his little head he went and sat down on the dry ground of the makeshift road taking a break.

Kai lei was tired as he had been walking for several hours straight, he had yet to encounter any signs of civilization except for the village he left, the muddy ground of the village was nowhere to be seen as he sat there,the plains he was near made sure of that.

With a grumble his stomach was starting to hurt,sighing Kai lei grabbed his waist where the pouch of millet was tied and began to eat,he knew that it was only a matter of time before he had to eat more than just millet but for now he made due.

Feeling the cold creep in he got up and went to gather some stones and rocks,after digging a small pit with his hands he started placing big stone's around the pit,after seeing his makeshift campfire pit he nodded in satisfaction,placing a pile of sticks in the pit he scratched his head trying to figure out what was next,though he had basic knowledge he didn't exactly get the guide to make a campfire in the knowledge, after thinking for a while he had a bright idea and began to gather dry tree leaves and some other things that he thought would burn.

As he sat there he now had a small dilemma,how to actually start a fire….

Kai lei sat there for a while trying to remember how to start a fire,he was extremely embarrassed and sat there in silence as the wind grew colder, after ten minutes he finally remembered a stick method that he saw online once,so without hesitation he began to look around, he searched the forest for hard and soft wood and managed to find a few pieces, nodding he brought them back to camp.

After setting the soft wood down and debarking the hard wood he put the bark down with some dry grass he found and held the stick upright with both hands on it.

Without hesitation he started rubbing the wood together in a downward motion,with a zipping sound he looked at the wood and tinder he put down with anticipation,yet not even smoke came out, scratching his head he tried to remember if he is doing it right..

Though he was skeptical he continued to rub the wood together as fast as his little hands could go,after doing it for several minutes he grew tired with a final push downward another zipping sound was heard, he widened his eyes as a small wisp of smoke came out, shaking his arms in excitement he celebrated,looking at the wood for a while he realized he celebrated too soon.

"zhòumà de huà!!!!" He shouted out in rage (This phrase is used for more casual or everyday insults or swear words)(probably won't use it again but thought you should know)

After pouting for a few minutes ,Kai lei got back to starting the fire,looking intently at the wood as if it's his mortal enemy.

After continuous zipping noises smoke came out again this time Kai lei placed his head near it and blowed gently into the pile, with a cracking sound the fire started, moving the wood around to let the fire spread he put the burning pile into the pit, and gently blew on it a few times.

Kai lei stared at the flames in excitement as if he had won the world, shaking his little fists fists up in the air he watched as the flames began burning the pile of wood placed in the fire pit, a goofy smile was plastered across his face as he could finally rest and get warm, with sore hands and feet he grabbed the bedding from his inventory and snuggled near the fire, slowly he closed his eyes..

—-

After waking up Kai lei felt sore all over as the flames of the fire slowly died out completely,looking around he saw that it was morning and got up,putting away the bedding and making sure that the fire was out, eating some millet from a pouch he grabbed out of his inventory as he had finished the other pouch last night, after eating and drinking he started walking down the road heading east ..

After walking for 2 hours he finally realized he had yet to sign-in yet so sitting down on the ground he rested, after relaxing for a few minutes he felt ready so he said in his heart .

"Sign-in" as he waited for the notifications he looked to his left down the road due to boredom and his eyes grew three sizes that day.(get it?,no? Okay).

In the distance he saw what seems to be a convoy of some kind with several men on horses coming this way, quickly he began to panic but stopped as he realized that he was overthinking it.

As he peeled his gaze from the crowd in the distance,Kai lei looked at his notification.

[congratulations you have gained: x1 noble etiquette knowledge, 100 taels of silver, white robe x1(full outfit,dustless enchantment),small leather bag x1, dagger( steel,with sheath)x1 ]

[todays sign-in complete,objects stored in system space…]

Kai lei sighed and looking at the slowly moving group in the far distance he got up and walked into a small group of trees on the side of the road,after changing and wearing the dustless white robe he felt much cleaner and immediately said.

"Use the noble etiquette knowledge" he quickly said to the system,as if he was smashed with a rock he felt a massive headache,but as soon as it came it went,he now had knowledge of etiquette in ancient times, grabbing the leather bag from his inventory he stuffed the two pairs of dirty white robes into the bag and after putting some water and food in there he walked out of the group of trees with the bag on his back.

He looked at the caravan in the distance and sat down on a rock waiting for them to come,in the meantime he grabbed one of the empty pouches and put a few silver taels inside it, wrapping it on his waist with the steel dagger he also grabbed from the inventory, he watched as they slowly came towards him.

Kai lei watched for an entire hour as the caravan came closer, the caravan was large as it came to a stop a decent distance away from Kai lei's location.

A man on a horse saw Kai lei in his white robes and looked around wearily, the man on the horse wearing a light iron Lamellar armour,with a bronze dao sword on his waist,stopped the caravan from advancing and spoke.

" Tell the madam, I shall check it out, the rest of you wait here" he relayed his orders and ushered the horse to slowly move forward.

The man on the horse held the dao sword tightly in his hand, if the child in front of him moves the wrong way he will not hesitate to unsheath the sword and kill the child.

Approaching the child the man slowly came to a stop 8 meters from Kai lei's location,

Kai lei and the man on the horse stared at each other before Kai lei got up slowly.

"Hello sir.soldier can I ask your leader to accompany your caravan?" He said in a childish tone ,as he spoke he did a fist-and palm salute while holding his hands near his chest and slightly leaning forward.( hope I did it right)

The soldier saw this and scrutinized the child in front of him, looking at the rich clothes and the child's well groomed appearance he sniffed and got down off the horse, while holding the reins of the horse he did a martial arts salute with the sword sheathed in his hand..

" greetings child , I can ask if they want to meet you but I can't guarantee it, also you must disarm yourself before coming into the caravan" he said tentatively after thinking for a while.

Kai lei looked at his dagger and glanced back to the soldier.

" very well sir.soldier, do I have your word you shall not kill me after disarming me?" The child looked at the soldier narrowing his eyes.

The soldier was stunned but quickly nodded saying,

" if you have no intention of harming my leader then I give you my word" the soldier slowly approached and reached his hand out,preparing to move at a moment's notice if the child dare attack, though the soldier didn't think the child could fight it was a reflex of his military training.

Kai lei nodded his little head and said in his childish voice

"Very well sir.soldier" as he spoke he slowly started uniting the dagger, after Kai lei untied the dagger he held it with both hands and held it up to the soldier..

The soldier looked around fearing an ambush but realized he was too cautious and grabbing the dagger he unsheathed it, the steel dagger shined in the sunlight , quickly putting it away he then looked at the child and said.

"Wait here" he then quickly saluted and rode away towards the caravan.

Kai lei looked at this scene and his eyelids twitched, he then slowly stood there his back straight waiting..

The soldier approached the caravan and after mentioning something to the soldiers and handing one the child's weapon, quickly he approached a lavishly decorated carriage in the center of the caravan, after giving a soilder his weapon he quickly approached and knelt down saying .

"The general has come to report" he respectfully said towards the carriage.

A small corner of the curtain lifted in the carriage window before falling back down,a beautiful voice then sounded from the carriage.

" go ahead, general" her voice was angelic ,making the soldiers around stunned no matter how many times they hear the voice,but the general quickly pulled himself together and reported.

" there is a two year old child on the road wearing noble clothes and from the looks of it he is traveling, he has asked if he could accompany the caravan" he said and bowed his head low.

After a few moments of silence the woman in the carriage spoke her voice soft yet clear.

"Tell him he can accompany the caravan" she said then paused as if contemplating, "let him follow behind the caravan for now, I shall make an opportunity for us to meet another day" her voice sounded out, the general bowed and said "the general obey's the order" before leaving..

In the carriage…

A woman in her early thirties can be seen,She moved slightly with an effortless grace, her movements revealed her slender yet curvaceous figure,that could make any man look more than once as they pass by,she had long hair that was almost silky as it came down past her shoulders.

A small giggle came out of her mouth as she thought of something funny, sleeping on her lap was a child around three years old,her daughter she had her mother's silky hair and beautiful face,when she grows up her beauty could topple kingdoms.

The girl woke up leisurely and blinking her beautiful eyes full of intelligence, she looked up at her mother.

"What's wrong mother" she said in a voice that could melt even ice,her head tilting slightly to the right.

"Giggle~, nothing my dearest,mother just thought of something" she said patting the girls head, the girl just nodded and went back to sleep..

Back with Kai lei…

Kai lei stared at the man in armor as he approached with his horse,the man rode right next to the little child and spoke..

" noble child, you can follow the caravan from behind" he said and quicly left to make arrangements..

Kai lei was slightly disgruntled but didn't mind much as he had to rely on the caravan for safety.

'I must use this opportunity to sign in as much as possible, and noble child?' he thought as he headed towards the caravan..

—-

As Kai lei, walked towards the back of the caravan he saw many soldiers in armor scanning the surroundings, as he passed through the crowd of what he thought were servants,maids and others he saw many carriages full of items, he just skimmed over the carriages not even looking closely at the carriages as he knew that ~ "curiosity killed the cat"~…

After passing through the dozens of carriages he saw a luxurious carriage with colorful fabric covered all around the carriage as if to say I'm a target, Kai lei deadpanned as he saw this,looking at the guards that were staring daggers into him.

"You do realize that the carriage right there with all the colorful fabrics will be the first thing bandits see if they attack, whoever is in that carriage you should tell them that" he said aloud to the guard and continued on his way towards the back of the caravan…

The guards just stared at the child with narrowed eyes,inside the carriage a corner of the window was pushed open as the child walks towards the back, the woman thought about what she heard that child say and thought it made sense..

"Guards" she beckoned over a few soldiers to remove the colorful target on her back..

—-

The day soon turned to night as the caravan parked in a the plain area near Kai leis Village, Kai lei was frustrated how he came back after walking for several hours in one direction only to come back again, but he quickly thought it was for the best as with all the people here there is less likely to be bandits…

'Just go farther up that trail and there's my village' he thought to himself, he had regarded that village as his personal property, as the only surviving villager he thought it made sense, as he stared at the trail in the distance in thought he felt someone tap his shoulder.

Looking up he saw the soldier he had met earlier in the day, the soldier didn't saw anything but pushed a bowl of porridge that was in his hand to the child,grabbing it Kai lei looked up and said to the soldier.

"Thank you sir.soldier, but I have my own food ,you should eat and regain your strength" he said giving it back to the soldier.

Kai lēi pulled a couple pouches of millet out from the leather bag he had and giving the soldier a pouch he said.

"I am grateful you shared your meal with me" he said giving the big pouch full of millet to the soldier, Kai lei knew the soldier had yet to eat as he heard the soldiers stomach rumbling as he handed the food to him.

"I-I,no child you eat the porridge" the soldier said and pushed the bowl to him, and began to walk away after putting the pouch down..

"Sir soldier!!" Kai lei quickly put down the bowl slowly and grabbing a few millet pouches he approached the soldier.

" I will eat the porridge, so atleast eat my food in return this is all I got but I can ask the caravan leader if I can buy some food later take it this is my gratitude" he said and grabbed the soldier's big hands and stuffing the pouches in them he ran away before the soldier could react…

" my name isn't sir soldier" the soldier grumbled as he walked away holding two pouches of millet lost in thought..

After the soldier went around for a while ,he went and kneeled down next to a carriage that looked awfully empty as faint pieces of cloth can be seen ripped apart,making the carriage look like any other from a distance..

"How did the child react?" Came a questioning voice from the carriage..

"He thanked me for my generosity, but refused at first" the soldier the told what happened one by one after putting the pouches of millet in front of him he then lowered his head..

"Hmm" a humming sound came out of her mouth as she thought about the child that appeared out of nowhere..

"Did you ask his name?" She said in a soft tone

"No my lady" the soldier replied

"Tell me what did he do?" She asked as a few servants came up to the carriage and knelt.

"Reporting to the lady, he only looked at the carriages once, the child has been sitting and staring down the trail of the forest" said a servant girl reporting what he had done.

" mmm, send a few soldiers to check the trail and see where it leads, tell the soldiers and servants to keep an eye on the child for now, that's all" she said dismissing the group.

As the group left she looked at the pouches of millet and after ordering a servant to hand her them she looked inside the pouches pouring some of it out she tasted some and then smiled.

"Indeed the child is a noble" she said to herself as she tasted the slightly sweet taste of the grain, she had tried many foods but this seemingly simple grain is slightly sweet, one wouldn't notice unless they had a sharp taste like her, she had tasted millet before and this was far better than that food.

—

It was the next day and Kai lei was goddammed cold,he was afraid to reveal his inventory so he just slept with multiple white robes around his body, those walking by would see a slightly dirty white dumpling with a small head poking through a small gap, some of the servant girls giggled at this strange sight calling the child adorable..

Kai lei got up when he saw that the caravan was starting to move, walking up to one of the pretty servant girls he with his dustless robes and clean body went and asked in a childish voice that sounds adorable.

"Pretty sister, can I ask your caravan leader if I can buy some items?" He said and reaching into his pocket he grabbed a silver tael and handed to her.

" this is for your troubles pretty sister" he said before the girl could refuse, hesitating she finally took it and nodding she subconsciously patted his head and left.

Kai lei held his head where she patted it and pouted slightly before going back to normal while continuously patting his head in a confused manner.

Seeing this some of the servants laughed at how adorable the child was then quickly went back to work before Kai lei noticed, Kai lei looked around seeing many armed soldiers with armor he began to speculate as he didn't pay much attention at first..

'Hmm, a noble most definitely but which noble title , which state?' He mentally thought but then withdrew his gaze as he decided it wasn't worth the energy to think about it .

'Sign-in' he said in his heart.

[congratulations you have gained: Han dynasty soldiers x5 (leather armor,red robes) 200 taels of gold, healing pill x1, candy gourd x30, dagger x1 (steel) ]

[todays sign-in complete,objects stored in system space…]

Looking at today's gains he nodded in contentment..

After a while Kai lei saw the servant girl comeback and he came up to her.

"Follow me" she said, patting his head unconsciously she began to lead him towards the caravan owner..

The girl lead him to a small clearing in the forest, upon reaching the clearing he saw a beautiful woman sitting on a blanket with a tray of luxurious food, a yellow colored canopy shaded her from the sun,

Kai lei only glanced at her before approaching, raising his fists in a salute he said with politeness

"Excuse me pretty miss,my name is Kai lei , I have come here to meet the caravan owner, do you know where they are" he said while bowing slightly as a sign of respect.

The woman raised an eyebrow nodding secretly, then slowly spoke.

" I am the owner child,come and sit" she said gesturing for him to sit down, Kai lei nodded and before he approached he reached into his leather pouch, pulling out 5 taels of gold he spoke.

"Please forgive me for i have not had the time to get a gift for the lady, i hope this will suffice" he said in a childish voice while holding five taels of gold in his hand, bowing slightly he extended the gold towards her.

The woman smiled slightly and gestured for a servant to take it, she didn't care for that small amount of gold, but the gesture was what she wanted from him, with this little gesture she knew the boy was a child noble and not some assassin after her but then again how can a child be an assassin?..

After the servant grabbed the gold, Kai lei sat down on the left side of the table,this action only solidified the woman's conjecture..

After he sat down he stared at the woman and said.

" I thank you for inviting me to the table" he spoke in his childish voice.

The woman smiled "let's eat" she spoke with a mesmerizing voice.

Kai lei didn't move a single inch, seeing this the woman smiled and began to eat slowly.

After she started eating Kai lei then slowly began to take a little bit of each dish, and slowly ate..

"Child" the beautiful woman smiled and spoke.

"Yes?" Kai lei said after swallowing and making sure he didn't spit out food while talking.

"What is your family name" she asked him as she took a small sip of tea.

"Ah this.." he replied and fell silent.

"Hmm" the woman raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with intrigue..

Kai lei was silent for a second before he looked up and staring at her he spoke.

"I have no family name, just Kai lei" he spoke, Kai lei had thought long and hard about it and decided that there might be people in this world who find out he is just a commoner with there investigation skills,so he thought he would make it clear in case someone tries to use it against him in the future,Kai lei knew very well that reputation is also important in this ancient era, so he decided to come clean..

" I shall tell you the truth but after we eat" he said, the woman looked at the child deeply and then smiled gently ,nodding ....

(Yay cliffhanger kun you came so glad to see yah)(haha)

(In all seriousness though I have yet to imagine the story so i need time)