Zhang Nian’s character, everyone has known since childhood. He sometimes speaks without thinking. Please don’t take it to heart. Once we finish this expedition, I promise to give you priority on good weapons so you can go back and report to the elders.”

Away from the others, Zhang Haike spoke earnestly to Zhang Qiming.

"If there are good artifacts, mine must be better than Zhang Nian's!" Zhang Qiming replied defiantly.

"Alright, I'll try my best."

Zhang Qiming thought to himself, 'Try your best my foot. Zhang Family Castle is fraught with danger. Without Little Brother, all of you would be dead.'

With a sincere expression, Zhang Haike saw that Zhang Qiming had calmed down. Then he went to scold Zhang Nian a bit.

As the outstanding member of the younger generation, Zhang Haike was not only skilled but also, as the eldest brother, had learned how to resolve conflicts within the team during his life with Zhang Hainan.

"Alright, everyone, let's continue. Ma'an Village is right ahead. Hurry up, or we’ll be beaten by other clansmen."

Zhang Haike urged everyone. The edge of the forest was near, and there was a village beyond it, with smoke rising from its chimneys.

"Can we eat something when we get to the village? I'm starving."

Zhang Qiming held his stomach as he spoke. The activation of the Qilin bloodline had enhanced his physical abilities several times over, but it also increased his energy consumption. The fight with Zhang Nian earlier had nearly depleted the food he had eaten that afternoon.

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is to eat! Are you a bottomless pit?" Zhang Nian cursed angrily. He had lost the fight earlier and was still upset.

"You're so great, then don’t eat, give me your rations." Zhang Qiming retorted.

"Screw you, why should I?" Zhang Nian rebutted.

"Hmph, you’re just jealous of me, afraid I’ll become stronger." Zhang Qiming provocatively looked at Zhang Nian.

Zhang Nian suddenly felt a pain on his face, surprised, he forgot to respond.

Xiao Ge ignored their antics and quickened his pace towards Ma'an Village. The others followed suit, and Zhang Haike walked at the back, shaking his head helplessly. He sighed inwardly, thinking that these two were really at odds now.

"Here, have my rations."

Zhang Hainan took out a piece of dry bread from her pack and handed it to Zhang Qiming.

Zhang Qiming was very hungry and chewed vigorously. Because he ate too quickly, he almost choked.

"Ugh... does anyone have water?"

"Eat slower! Who’s competing with you?"

Zhang Hainan rolled her eyes and handed him a water pouch.

Chug, chug, chug. Zhang Qiming drank like a horse, swallowing the bread in a few bites. With food in his stomach, the Qilin bloodline acted like an engine, filling every cell of his body with energy. He clenched his fists, finding his strength had increased.

"Thank you. This bread is really good. Who made it?"

After eating someone else’s food, Zhang Qiming naturally said a few nice words.

"Hmph, of course, I made it myself. In our family, I cook. Even my brother says it's good."

Zhang Hainan looked proud, her eyes softening.

"Really? I’ve relied on the elders for food, eating leftovers or scraps. Since my parents died, no one has ever cooked for me. Thank you, Zhang Hainan."

Zhang Qiming said seriously.

Zhang Hainan was touched and offered him several more pieces of bread from her pack. "If you like it, take them all."

"What about you?"

"I have other food in my pack, and my brother has silver dollars. We can buy food in the village." Zhang Qiming was taken aback. ‘Oh no, I’m going to get a red nose. I’ve become the clown!’

As they were about to enter the village,

several old men saw the guns confiscated from bandits on their backs and panicked.

"Everyone, run! The bandits are back!"

Two younger men turned and ran, leaving an old man standing there, flustered.

"Good sirs, please, my family has no grain or money left. Spare my life! I’ll kowtow to you."

The old man knelt and banged his head on the ground repeatedly, not daring to stop even though his forehead bled.

"Old sir, what are you doing? We’re not bandits."

Zhang Qiming hurried to support the old man.

Looking at the others who had run away, Zhang Qiming moved like the wind, catching the two young men almost instantly.

"Why are you running? We’re not bandits."

Only Xiao Ge saw the speed clearly, his expression changing. Ignoring Zhang Qiming, Zhang Hainan stepped forward from the team to help the old man.

"Old sir, is this Ma’an Village?"

The old man nodded hastily.

Zhang Hainan comforted him.

"Don’t be afraid. We’ve killed the bandits on the mountain. There won’t be any more raids on the village."

The old man’s eyes widened, and his weather-beaten face flushed with joy. Suddenly, everyone smelled a foul odor. It turned out that the old man, overwhelmed with relief and fear, had wet himself.

"Since this is Ma’an Village, let’s go. This is disgusting."

Zhang Nian frowned, covering his nose.

"This..."

Zhang Hainan was at a loss, having never encountered such a situation. She instinctively stepped back.

"I... I..."

The old man was embarrassed and fell to his knees again.

In his view, those who could deal with the bandits were no different from gods. Now that he had disgraced himself and offended the immortals, he deserved punishment.

"I’m sorry, noble immortals. I... I’ll punish myself!"

He slapped his own face repeatedly after speaking.

"What are you doing!"

Zhang Qiming glared at everyone behind him, quickly supporting the old man.

"We didn’t do anything, the old man hit himself..."

Zhang Hainan defended.

"Yeah, he hit himself. What does it have to do with us?"

Zhang Nian said indifferently.

Zhang Haike also stepped forward, looking at Zhang Qiming strangely.

"Yes, Zhang Qiming, you’re wrong. We didn’t do anything."

At this moment, Zhang Qiming realized he had made a grave mistake!

This was the Republic of China period, not modern times!

People lived like dogs and pigs back then. To them, the transcendent Zhang family members were no different from gods. Facing gods naturally required respect. There was no equality or human rights in this brutal age. Modern principles did not apply.

Zhang Qiming was shocked. If he couldn’t adapt to this era, his secret as a transmigrator might be discovered by the powerful elders of the Zhang family. Zhang Qiming stood silently, and Zhang Haike didn’t think much of it. He took out a map and showed it to the old man, pointing to a marked spot.

"Look, is this place nearby?"

The old man looked at it for a long time, then stammered with a red face, "I... I can’t read."

"Damn!"

Everyone nearly fainted.

Fortunately, the two young men Zhang Qiming had caught could read.

They looked at it for a while and nodded simultaneously.

"Good, this is the place we’re looking for, Zhang Family Castle!"

Zhang Haike’s eyes sparkled as he excitedly stated.

Please note that the translation maintains the essence of the original text while adapting it to English conventions. Some phrases and idioms may have been slightly modified for clarity.