Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 562: Prison Opportunity, Traveling Bag Book_1

In Yunling County Town, the people all looked sallow-faced, clearly struggling to make ends meet. Consequently, the many shops along the streets were sparsely patronized and largely deserted.

Many soldiers, flaunting their matchlocks, were strutting around arrogantly.

Zhang Dao looked troubled at the sight, but his heart was unruffled. This was not the first time he had seen such a grim situation, and he knew there would be even more tragic sights to come. He had no power to alleviate the suffering, for it was not a task any individual could accomplish alone.

With Warlords in control and the ordinary people barely scraping by, it would have required tremendous audacity to shatter the current state of affairs. Alas, he was incapable of such a feat.

He had run countless simulations, even considered taking the path of a Warlord, but had always failed to gain any traction. Time was too pressing, productivity was low, and the population had drastically dwindled. It was like trying to make bricks without straw.

After several failures, he abandoned the Warlord path and returned to the path of Charms.

To him, no other path held sufficient Potential, and they were all exceedingly challenging.

With the Heavenly Talisman Body, he then possessed the power to challenge the whole world single-handedly.

"Let's spend the night at the inn. We'll leave this town tomorrow morning. It's not safe here, and there might be a battle soon," Wang Linchi whispered to Zhang Dao.

Zhang Dao nodded. "As you say, sir."

Yet, he knew they wouldn't make it until the next morning. During the night, Bandits would invade the town, burning, killing, and looting.

This, in itself, wasn't a major issue for them. They were staying in the inn's woodshed, clearly appearing destitute, so the Bandits paid them no mind.

However, the town's Warlord was injured, and Wang Linchi, being a physician, was seized to tend to him.

Of course, Wang Linchi was not the only physician taken; several others from the town were also rounded up.

But when the Warlord failed to recover and died two days later, they were all imprisoned, Zhang Dao included.

They were detained for nearly a month. The factional power struggle among the Warlords, and the ensuing chaos, eventually provided their opportunity to escape.

Zhang Dao had never intended to remain confined for a month; he had his own plan. If everything went smoothly, they should have been able to get out by the third day of their confinement.

The reason he didn't avoid this situation was a concealed precious medicinal herb in his cell. Once consumed, it would bestow upon him immunity to all toxins—a crucial ability.

Even more importantly, the prison experience would increase Wang Linchi's favorability towards him; a day of shared adversity was equivalent to a month of bonding. If all went well, Wang Linchi should pass the Heavenly Talisman Body to him after their shared ordeal and release from prison.

If not, he would have to wait for the next opportunity. He certainly wouldn't give up.

The two quickly found an inn. After asking the price, just as in the simulation, Wang Linchi chose the woodshed.

"Sigh, times are getting tougher, and money is losing value with each passing day."

"Well, we're only staying for one night. The upstairs rooms are too expensive; a woodshed is more cost-effective," Wang Linchi said, affecting an impoverished demeanor.

Zhang Dao didn't have strong feelings about it; he knew Wang Linchi genuinely lacked money.

Even so, Wang Linchi never considered using Zhang Dao's money, a fact that had once touched him. But such gestures had become commonplace, and he hardly felt anything now.

As night descended, the town echoed with shouts of combat and the crackle of firearms and matchlocks.

Some intruders even stormed into the inn. Fortunately, they didn't set it on fire.

The commotion lasted well into the second half of the night before gradually subsiding.

Only then did the two manage to fall asleep. Zhang Dao, having experienced this many times, was unperturbed by the possibility of being caught up in the turmoil.

It wasn't until morning that someone came to "invite" them to the Warlord's mansion.

The Warlord was comatose, shot in the chest. He was still breathing, barely clinging to life.

The local physicians in Yunling County Town were at a loss.

The injury is indeed severe. If I possessed the Heavenly Talisman Body and had a hundred Healing Charms, I could potentially remove the bullet fragments from his chest and save his life.

What a pity...

Never mind that he currently lacked the Heavenly Talisman Body; even if he possessed it, he couldn't procure a hundred Healing Charms. True, with the Heavenly Talisman Body, he could draw Charms without materials, but doing so would consume his Spirit. Having not yet taken the relevant precious medicines, he couldn't sustain drawing more than a few.

Although he could borrow the power of heaven and earth, this process also consumed energy. No matter how small the depletion, it was still a cost.

"Gentlemen, do you have a solution yet?" the Warlord's adjutant asked with a grim face. He hadn't expected this situation. Just a bunch of Bandits—how dare they attack the county town?

An attack on the county town was one thing; some lives lost and property stolen wasn't their direct concern. But for the Warlord to be in this state was truly distressing.

Whether the Warlord lived or died, the adjutant could plan his next move. This half-dead state, however, was too problematic.

"Officer, the Warlord's injuries are beyond cure," Wang Linchi was the first to speak. "He will undoubtedly die within three days. You had best prepare for his final affairs."

The other local physicians paled, shocked by Wang Linchi's bluntness. How could he just say it so directly?

They knew the Warlord couldn't be saved, but one couldn't just state it so bluntly. What if it angered the adjutant?

"Useless! You can't even handle such a small matter! What about the rest of you?" the adjutant cursed, then looked at the other physicians.

The other physicians could only bite the bullet and stammer out explanations.

"What are you babbling about? Can he be saved or not? Enough with the fancy words!" The adjutant, being practically illiterate, didn't understand their medical jargon and pressed them impatiently.

"N-no... he can't be saved," one physician stammered, terrified, as the adjutant drew his pistol and aimed it at him.

"If you can't save him, then you're useless!" With that, the adjutant shot the man dead. Looking at the others, he ordered, "Throw them in prison and await judgment!"

What followed was simple: everyone was thrown into prison.

Wang Linchi pondered the purpose of all this. Given his Luck, it was unlikely he'd encounter such an unmitigated disaster without reason. Most likely, another opportunity was presenting itself.

He covertly glanced at Zhang Dao, who was locked in a different cell. An unusual medicinal herb was growing there. This must be what Zhang Dao is after, Wang Linchi deduced. Otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately come to this place. If not for this herb, he would have warned me to avoid this danger immediately.

"Alas, your luck is truly terrible," an older physician sharing Wang Linchi's cell sighed, looking at him.

He knew Wang Linchi was an itinerant physician, and it was bad luck that had brought him here. He just hadn't expected it to be *this* bad.

"So, we can't get out of here?" Wang Linchi asked.

"Naturally. Ever since this Salvation Army entered Yunling County Town, there hasn't been a peaceful day from top to bottom. In another ten days or half a month, we'll all be heading to the execution ground." The old physician glanced at the other cells, which were crammed full of people. "Whether there are any real villains among them, I don't know, but most are surely framed."

People were unjustly imprisoned simply because they possessed money or grain at home, and this so-called Salvation Army had set its sights on their possessions.

Many Warlords flew banners proclaiming they served the country and its people, but in reality, they were just Bandits in disguise.

"Such is the world," Wang Linchi said, offering a piece of advice. "But don't worry too much. If their leader dies, his underlings will surely fight like dogs for his position. Let them tear each other apart; we might find a way out then."

The old physician shook his head. "Perhaps."

"Seeing as fate has brought us together, I'll gift you this "Traveling Bag Book." This way, at least its contents won't be lost to the world when an old man like me passes on," the old physician said, reluctantly handing over a book.

Huh? Wang Linchi was baffled. This is too sudden. Why just give it to me? Shouldn't we at least get a little more acquainted?

"This isn't appropriate, esteemed elder. We've only just met," Wang Linchi tactfully refused.

It wasn't that he didn't want it; rather, he had already scanned all its contents. The book itself was merely a vessel, nothing extraordinary.

Besides, accepting it might invite disaster. What if the jailers saw him receiving a gift in prison? He did have his Luck to protect him, but it wasn't omnipotent. At the very least, Luck couldn't directly alter a person's Thinking Logic.

Therefore, a direct refusal was the best course of action.

Seeing Wang Linchi refuse, the old physician sighed. "It seems we were fated to meet, but not destined for more, alas."

Since the other party didn't want it, he couldn't very well force him. So, he took the book back and didn't press the matter further.