I bury Xie Li's corpse beside the ravaged cabin. 

Upon closer inspection, those bandits are wearing a robe that has a symbol on the sleeve. Some organisation? The symbol depicts a tiger being chomped by a dragon.

...

Or are they Ming Li's enemy?

I search their body to find two bags.

?

It looks like a small pouch but I can sense many things inside it. 

I open the pouch to look inside it, there are mountains of silver coins and a few pills. There are also some talismans and a sword in the pouch.

Hm?

Something green shines in the corner of the pouch. I take it out to find a glowing green rock. Something inside it is attracting me, like an alluring touch...

I place it back inside the pouch and keep both pouches.

To prevent a misunderstanding, I wrote a paper explaining everything to Ming Li if he returns. I even tore out the symbol on the sleeves and place it under the paper.

As for the corpses... Leaving them here will attract pests. 

...

I decided to bury the attackers too.

With this, my affiliation with Ming Li and Xie Li is over. It's time to move on.

I grab whatever I deem valuable in the cabin including those inside Ming Li and Xie Li's room and left for the town.

According to the drunkard I met, this town is called Nielong, I know nothing else. I need more information about this world. Let's see... A Merchant will have travelled to many places.

System, let me extract the knowledge of Merchants. 

---------------

The host has currently infected one amateur merchant. 

To extract all of his knowledge, 2000 points are required.

---------------

Proceed.

!!!!

A burning sensation explodes in my head. My legs grow numb as I fall to my knee, I grit my teeth and endure.

Huff huff...

Sweat drips down from my chin. I wipe the sweat off my forehead. 

---------------

Extraction complete! 

1223 points left.

---------------

Nielong is a small town that has a unique location. It stands between the Main city Tianwu, governed by the jade emperor, and various other cities of its speciality. Thus, it is a hotspot for merchants and travellers to stop by.

This town is owned by a cultivation sect called the Heavenly Divine Dragon sect.

The sect sounds high and mighty. However, in the recent era, the number of talented disciples in the sect has dramatically dropped and the strength of the sect has decreased tenfold, its golden era is long gone. 

This country is Tiansu and millions reside in Tianwu. However, Tianwu will be filled with High Cultivators, even the emperor himself is at least in the Golden Core Realm. Or he was on the Golden Core Realm 2 years ago, he will be even stronger now. 

I need to upgrade my virus first. Let's start by milking the small villages around Neilong, but I will need a horse...

I enter Neilong to find a target. I need a careless victim that isn't very rich to hire bodyguards but can raise a horse.

The guard sees me but didn't even bother to stop and check who I am. Neilong is a thriving town but a small one, there isn't much to spy on and loot here.

Step after step, I match the pace of the majority to blend in when I walk on the streets. 

Oh? I managed to spot a young lady getting on a horse and waving to some elderly. Her age seems to be around 17 to 19 and she does not have a cultivation base-

"Move! Move!!"

A carriage came rushing to me from behind.

!?

I dodge aside in time to prevent the carriage from colliding with me. 

The carriage slows down and an angry man burst out of the carriage. His black long hair is messy and he reeks of beer.

"Hey, you! Look what you did to my carriage!" He says. He points at the wheels, there's a crack in them. "Because you are too slow, you've caused my carriage damage! Pay up!"

... What? I did not touch his carriage at all.

"He's going at it again. That useless inner disciple of the Heavenly Divine Dragon sect is at it again." A vendor gossips to his customer.

"From indulging in prostitutes to scamming people, the sect cannot be saved if such a person can become an inner disciple."

?

There's a skull symbol floating on top of the inner disciple's head.

---------------------

A skull symbol indicates that the target is infected by your virus.

---------------------

Oh?

Is controlling the infected possible?

---------------------

Controlling the infected is possible as an unlocked property but it is currently locked. Level up your system further to unlock it.

Would you like to use a free trial of "mind control"? (12 hours)

[Yes][No]

---------------------

A free trial? Sure.

---------------------

Select your target.

---------------------

This idiot in front of me.

---------------------

Mind control activated.

---------------------

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?! How dare a mere mortal ignore a cultivator-"

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Huh, why are you asking- my name is Zi Mi."

"Alright, Zi Mi, give me all of your belongings," I say.

"What?! Wait why is my hand moving, I can't control my body- what did you do to me?!" Says Zi Mi. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pouch, I take it from his hand.

"Inferior bastard! I will kill you! I will kill you!" Says Zi Mi.

"Alright, now shut up and only answer my question. Do you have a family treasury?" I say.

"I-I do."

"Is your family a Prestigious family?"

"Y-Yes, my family is a prestigious family with the surname of Zhou."

"Is your family's treasury nearby and can you enter the treasury?"

"No, my family residence is in the Zhou Tian sect. I am an exiled child of the Zhou family so I do not have access to the treasury."

I sigh. "Do you know any other place where there are lots of money?" 

"Young master, what are you doing?" The driver of Zi Mi's carriage asks. 

"Shut up!" Says Zi Mi.

??????

All bystanders look at us in confusion. Zi Mi has never acted so submissive before, especially to a "mortal".

"I do know of the treasure from the Heavenly Divine Dragon sect but I do not have access to it."

Tch.

"Alright, now give me that horse and go cough or spit on every single person you see," I say.

!?

"U-Understood." Zi Mi's body is shaking. 

From rage or fear? It doesn't matter. His consciousness is still intact but he is unable to control his body.

"Ahh! Why did you do that? Stay away from me, you crazy bastard!" A woman customer eating in a building slaps Zi Mi as he spits on her.

He will have to do that for 11 more hours. 

His reputation will hit rock bottom as he helps me to spread the virus, good for him.

I unhook the rope around the horse. "H-Hey! That horse belongs to-"

"If you have any complaints, go to Zi Mi. He permitted me to take a horse." I say.

"But-"

I ignore the driver and the horse gallops off with me on its back. 

I travel out of Neilong along a clear, carved path at the edge of a mountain. The path leads to a ledge. Tiansu is a mountainous region and most of the towns or cities are built on mountains.

I stop after 20 minutes for a little break. There is still no village in sight, according to the merchant's knowledge, there should be one around the corner.

I take a deep breath. The air up here is clean, with the cold mist hanging in the air. 

I sigh, my breath can be seen. I stretch and take another sip of water. 

*shuffle*

?!

Movements in the bush behind me and the smell of blood.

...

A hand pops up from the bush and drags himself out, it's a child. Blood is oozing out of his forehead and he has lost a limb, an arrow is pierced through his chest.

...

Children dying. This isn't uncommon. When terrorist commits bombing in areas, rubbles will fall and crush on children, sights like this do not bother me.

I am too weak, I should not get myself into unnecessary trouble. 

I leave the child and got up to the horse.

After a turn, I can see a burning village. 

...

The child must have escaped that village but was wounded in the process. 

I sigh. I will have to go to the next village.