When Ryan got off the carriage, all the pedestrians looked over.
They exchanged glances for a second, then feigned indifference and looked away.
Ryan found a spot nearby and set up his tent.
This location seemed to have been a fruit stall on the canyon road, with abandoned wooden sheds and sun-shading Fabric, full of holes letting in the rain.
A wooden pole, with a street lamp hanging from it, emitted a dim yellow light.
The more intact wooden sheds were occupied by the pedestrians, so Ryan could only find the most dilapidated spot, taking out a waterproof three-meter-wide cloth from his backpack and tying it to the top of the wooden shed.
He led the two horses inside to shelter them from the rain.
He used a cloth to dry the horses' fur and painstakingly lit a fire on the ground.
The surrounding haystacks were all wet, and there was no wood in the wooden box, so he could only rely on the emergency dry tinder and firewood in his backpack.
The horses sneezed, a bit agitated.
However, after Ryan took out high-quality feed, they still ate heartily.
No loss of appetite indicated that the situation was not too serious.
With more rest, they should recover.
After finishing, Ryan looked at the pedestrians.
They varied in height and build, but all were relatively young and possessed an indescribable Qi.
They wore hooded raincoats and gathered beside a pushcart.
"It looks like they're a group!" Ryan silently made his judgment.
He unfolded his map; it marked the location of this fruit stall, which was about to leave the canyon, with Dawn Winery reachable in a day's journey.
A lightning bolt, illuminating the darkness, struck directly to the ground.
The crackling currents sizzled for a while before dissipating.
The Sky was already about to rain, but spurred by Dvalin's storm, the rain fell exceptionally heavily, and the lightning strikes were unusually dense.
Yet, Ryan felt very comfortable.
If there were no lightning, he would even want to roll around in the puddles.
"Brother, where are you headed?" A young man approached, holding a bottle of exquisitely packaged wine.
"Meeting is fate; interested in a couple of drinks? To warm up and ward off the cold!" Gregore spoke, his breath reeking of alcohol, making Ryan frown.
"No, thank you! I don't drink!" he refused.
"Just one drink?" Gregore persuaded, "We are workers from Dawn Winery, and because we perform well, Master Diluc often rewards us with a bottle or two of fine wine."
"These internal wines are all new products in development; you can't buy them outside."
Ryan remained silent.
Gregore, however, thought he was tempted and continued, "Looking at the direction you're heading, with such a large batch of goods, you must be going to Dawn Winery, right!"
"We're also on our way, having just finished Master Diluc's tasks, preparing to return to the winery. How about… we go together later?"
"If we encounter Hilichurl and Slime, there's strength in numbers, so there's no need to be afraid!"
Gregore kept trying to get close, sitting beside Ryan, constantly mentioning Diluc, showing off his status and fine wine.
"Oh! Mm! Impressive!"
Ryan nodded perfunctorily, responding.
It's just Diluc. My affection for him is full, but I don't even play with him; I only play with the beautiful Damselette.
After talking until his throat was dry, Gregore realized this kid was an unyielding, silent type.
He signaled his companions with his eyes.
"Brother, you're too cold! We are Master Diluc's most valued workers at Dawn Winery. If we go back together and I speak for you, and Master Diluc takes an interest and meets you, you'll have something to brag about later!"
"Drink three cups as a penalty, and let's be friends!"
Gregore took out three cups and handed them to Ryan.
"Otherwise, if you encounter an accident delivering goods in this rain, and our colleagues at Dawn Winery make things difficult for you and deduct the price, we won't help you!"
Ryan listened to his incessant chatter for a long time.
Carrot and stick, he finally revealed his true colors.
He looked up, staring at the three cups of strong-smelling fine wine.
"Come, come, come! Drink!" Gregore smiled, about to put his arm around Ryan's shoulder.
But he found the other's slender arm raised, firm as an iron pestle, blocking his hand.
"The wine smells good!"
"Too bad…"
Ryan shook his head.
The blessing of the spring water gave him the same affinity and sensitivity to human-processed wine as to natural water.
These three cups of wine were clearly different.
One cup was doctored.
Whether it was poison, a knockout drug, or a laxative, he would only know after drinking it.
Ryan was not afraid, because water would take away all illness, but he did not want to try it in this dangerous place.
"You drink this cup of wine, and I'll be friends with you!"
Ryan pointed at the doctored wine, a smile on his face, his tone chilling.
Gregore's expression changed. Was it a coincidence? How did he see it?
"You brat, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! My brother said so many good things, and you didn't listen to a single word, did you!"
"Wouldn't it be better to just sleep well? Do we have to resort to force?"
The people around them suddenly all surrounded him, greedily eyeing his Advanced Alchemy backpack and the goods on the carriage.
Ryan sat still, stroking the horse, coldly watching the twelve figures.
"Treasure Hoarders? Not just thieves, but robbers too?"
"You figured it out!" A burly man grinned, shrugging his shoulders, his hands intertwined, bones cracking loudly.
"Kid, your eyesight and courage are good, but I don't know if your strength is also…"
Before he finished speaking, a punch with immense force slammed down.
"Heavy Punch!"
The burly man shouted.
Ryan, with his backpack, deftly tilted his head to dodge.
The surrounding Treasure Hoarders did not immediately attack en masse but stood at the edge of the shed, blocking Ryan's retreat and jeering.
"Liyue boy, don't worry, we only rob for money, not lives, and not for lust."
"Hand over the money obediently, so you don't suffer a beating."
Ryan raised his hand, testing the opponent's strength, whether it had the blessing of an artifact.
"Leaping Punch!"
The burly man saw his punch blocked by Ryan.
His left hand slammed fiercely.
"Double Heavy Punch!"
Two swift punches vibrated the Sky.
The burly man's stance was stable, his punches like giant rocks crashing down.
"Tai Chi, Splitting the Watermelon!"
Ryan stepped, again relying on his superhuman reaction to evade the two punches.
As the opponent's left fist struck out but had not yet retracted, he suddenly used his right hand to grab the opponent's wrist, tilting him towards himself.
At the same time, he lowered his head and bumped forward with his body.
His left hand formed a Dao, a green light shining, striking the opponent's chest.
"Since you don't kill, I will spare your lives."
His palm shifted slightly.
Great force penetrated the heart.
The burly man's chest tightened, blood flow impeded, his eyes bulging like a fish.
"First one!"
He swept his right leg, breaking bones and knocking down the burly man.
Ryan stood up, like a fierce tiger unleashed, revealing his sharpness.
"You are not Mitachurl! At most, you're Hilichurl!"
He stepped, pushing aside the scrawniest Treasure Hoarder, and rushed into the rain.
The pouring rain fell on him, seemingly wetting his clothes, but in fact, under the blessing of the spring water, his whole body was dry.
In battle, one must fully utilize the terrain and the timing.
Rain would blur the opponent's vision, drench their clothes, causing them slight restraint, and consuming more of their strength.
While Ryan would receive continuous slight healing.
"Today, a solo challenge! I'll take on twelve!" Ryan did not draw his sword. As they were all humans, if the opponents did not use weapons to kill, he would not strike first.
This empathy was a self-imposed rule and his last reverence for life, formulated after killing Hilichurl and monsters, and understanding himself.