In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 5: We've already encountered a monster?

What's this all about exile? How can you help me now?

The Great Xia Dynasty is primarily a human dynasty. While demons occasionally appear, life is generally normal unless one encounters one. The Ning family's exile this time is related to the Third Prince's demon-infecting case. The Third Prince was also exiled to the far north, in the same direction as you, but he's in a worse situation; he left before you, so the chances of him running into you are slim. You don't need to consider his influence for now.

[When I went out to buy groceries, the adults looked at me strangely.]

Officials of the fifth rank and above within the dynasty were nobles, generally unfamiliar with worldly affairs. Their servants, aside from their own household servants, had all been confiscated, so they hadn't yet considered these survival issues. They wouldn't know their clothes would get wet unless the rain fell on them.

Ning Xiaoxi's mind was a bit confused; she couldn't sort out her thoughts all at once, so she could only take it one step at a time.

[Do I have any personal storage space? Can I bring my own stuff in?]

Spatial skills are hidden skills and require specific timing to trigger.

What kind of timing?

【I already told you, so what kind of hidden skill is that?】

【Change your voice for me.】

[Host, what kind of voice do you like? News broadcast voice? Mistress voice? Gossipy voice? Seductive and wicked voice? Or puppy voice? Middle-aged man voice? God-like voice?] The system enthusiastically introduced.

Ning Xiaoxi fell silent, seemingly accepting the voice now.

She sensed it for a moment; for now, she was only receiving the system's voice in her mind: "Besides your voice, what else can you show me?"

[Ding ding ding, display function activated!]

As the cheerful music of "Good Luck" began, a black and white ball rolled over in front of Ning Xiaoxi's eyes, blinking innocently at her.

"Bang!" A cloud of smoke rose from the little dumpling's body, and a bright red little lion danced around, shaking its head.

"Bang!" The little lion turned around, and the white, chubby New Year picture doll sat there with a big smile.

"Bang!" The chubby baby leaned forward and lay down, and a pure white kitten with big, dreamy blue eyes walked over step by step.

"Bang!" The kitten's ever-growing body suddenly exploded in a cloud of white smoke, and a little girl dressed in pink with her hair in double buns jumped out with a smile.

"Bang!" The little girl jumped up and landed, and in an instant, a little boy looked at Ning Xiaoxi with a serious expression.

[The above forms are available for the host to choose from!]

[Let's use the little dumpling for the system interface for now!] Ning Xiaoxi was too tired to complain; she just wanted to get things done quickly. [Time can be stopped now; I need to go buy supplies.]

[Time freeze lifted!]

The cacophony of sounds immediately reached Ning Xiaoxi's ears, and the world suddenly came alive.

"You two stay close. If you get lost or don't return to the team on time, you'll be considered fugitives," the constable said clearly, squinting at Ning Xiaoxi and Ning Ziqing.

Ning Ziqing pulled Ning Xiaoxi's wrist back slightly, "Yes, yes, we understand."

Ning Xiaoxi leaned against Ning Ziqing's arm, and when she looked up, she could only see half of her brother's face and the back of his head. The slightly thin figure of the young boy was imprinted in Ning Xiaoxi's eyes at this moment.

Looking at the boy's shoulders, which he was trying to straighten, Ning Xiaoxi smiled slightly. Regardless, she was now trapped in this strange world, and as the saying goes, she might as well make the best of it. Her family was currently on the road to exile, and their first priority was to try and survive.

Following the constables out of the post station, Ning Xiaoxi saw a constant flow of people and carriages outside. Several constables were pulling a cargo cart to the roadside, while Constable Ding You stood on the steps at the entrance, supervising the process.

“Boss Ding, these five are the criminals who went to make the purchase.”

Ding You glanced back at the group of people, nodded slightly, and then continued to supervise the constables as they sorted and counted the supplies.

Ning Xiaoxi and her siblings, along with three other servants, followed behind the bailiff. Because of their shackles, they could not take long steps and could only move their legs quickly.

Soon, Ning Xiaoxi followed the constable to a five-bay general store.

"Officer, come in quickly! My shop just received a new shipment of goods. See if you need anything." The shopkeeper greeted the officer with a fawning smile.

"These prisoners are here to purchase some necessities. Keep an eye on them and don't let them buy more than they need." The constable gave a curt instruction and then stood by the shop door, no longer speaking, just staring at the prisoners.

"Yes, yes," the shopkeeper replied repeatedly, turning to Ning Xiaoxi and the others. Seemingly oblivious to their handcuffs and shackles, he asked enthusiastically, "Do you have a list of the items you need? Perhaps I can provide some information for your reference."

“We’ll see for ourselves.” One of the other three servants seemed not to have realized that he was now an exile. He glanced at the shopkeeper with a slightly arrogant look and then walked into the shop on his own.

"Please, please." The shopkeeper didn't seem to care about the servant's attitude and said gently.

"Shop owner, I have a need." Ning Xiaoxi stood beside Ning Ziqing and spoke to the shop owner in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

The shop owner turned around nimbly to face Ning Xiaoxi, but tactfully did not get closer. "Young lady, you can tell me what you need."

Ning Xiaoxi patted Ning Ziqing's arm, and Ning Ziqing took a step back, making way for his younger sister.

"Shopkeeper, we're heading to Youzhou. The weather's still cold these days, and we can't carry too many supplies. Could you please tell us what we can bring and how much?" Ning Xiaoxi didn't mention the items she had previously listed. She was completely unfamiliar with this world, and considering the background information provided by the system, she figured it was better to play it safe. She wouldn't tell anyone that in her original world she was just a lazy bum with no ambition, and her ordinary, low-level undergraduate degree wouldn't be of much help.

[Ding ding ding]

[A three-tailed cat demon who knows how to do business, host, would you like to initiate the capture?]

Looking at the little black and white ball of fluff dancing merrily in front of her, Ning Xiaoxi felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and cried out in a shrill voice, "Brother!"

"Xiao Xi?" Ning Ziqing supported her younger sister's swaying body.

Ning Xiaoxi took a deep breath. "Brother, go with the shop owner and see what items we need. I'm feeling a little dizzy."

Ning Ziqing frowned, pondering between taking care of her younger sister and purchasing supplies.

"Brother, I'm fine. I can rest here for a bit. The journey ahead is long, so we need to make sure we have all the necessary supplies. Our parents are waiting for us."

"Then you stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

Ning Xiaoxi watched Ning Ziqing's departing figure. [Tuanzi, what happened?]

As Ning Xiaoxi finished speaking, a line of bold characters appeared above the shop owner's head as he led Ning Ziqing into the shop: 【A Three-Tailed Cat Demon Who Knows How to Do Business】