CH 268

The distance between himself and the city was barely dozens of miles. To Shang Xia, that wasn’t a huge deal at all. However, he chose to enter the city after dawn broke the next day. 

Night came quickly in the winter. Finding a spot on the bottom of the mountain, Shang Xia lit a fire and roasted a pheasant he caught earlier for dinner.

With the waning moon hanging high in the skies, a wave of lethargy soon swept over Shang Xia who was getting cozy in front of the fireplace. Draping the bear skin coat he made over his body, he got ready to take a nice nap.

No one knew how long had passed, but the moon in the skies was soon covered by a layer of dense clouds. The sound of horse galloping sounded in the distance.

Shang Xia’s eyelids trembled slightly, but a frown formed on his face before his eyes were truly open.

“Go!” The rushed gallops of a horse could be heard, and Shang Xia could hear the voice of the rider urging the horse to move faster.

A wretched moan rang in the air all of a sudden, and the rider was clearly caught off guard. He gasped and a frightened cry of a child entered Shang Xia’s ears. 

The sounds didn’t last for long as a strong wind blew across the land, muffling their voices. They became softer and softer as they left the area.

At that moment, another wave of galloping could be heard. Eight horses raced across the land, and Shang Xia could hear the conversation of the riders.

“The footsteps on the ground are fresh. They shouldn’t be too far away from us.” 

“Look! That’s the corpse of their Scarlet Scale Horse! It died of exhaustion!” 

“The body is fresh and their valuables are still here. They can’t be far! Quick, get them!” 

“We’re not too far away from the Changfeng City… We have to get them before they enter.” 

“Hurry up!” 

…

On the morning of the next day, Shang Xia wrapped a piece of cloth that was shredded a long time ago around his bow. Picking up a large stick on the ground, he bundled up the birds he killed along the way and the thick bear skin coat he was using as a blanket before walking in the direction of the city.

Shang Xia didn’t know how long he had been traveling for. Soft hair grew out from the bottom of his chin, and his unkempt mustache caused his face to look older than it really is. Due to the batterings of the cold winter winds, his skin looked pretty rugged. He became much buffer than before, and if anyone looked at him from afar, he would look like an experienced young hunter.

The distance of a little more than ten miles to the city could be crossed by Shang Xia in a short period of time. Even ordinary people wouldn’t find it difficult to make the journey.

By the time he arrived at the city gates, the sun was shining high in the skies. He made it just in time for the city gates to open.

After passing through a series of checks by the guard, he would be able to enter the city.

“Why are the gates of the Changfeng City closed during the night? We also have to get checked by the guards every time we wish to enter or exit…” Shang Xia overheard the conversation behind him.

The person who asked was a middle aged man who looked to be a manager of a caravan, and his question was directed to a local beside him.

The local carried a basket of vegetables on his shoulders and from the looks of it, he was planning to sell them off for a good price at the marketplace. He chuckled in amusement, “Around a month ago, the city lord captured the heads of one of the bandit groups up north close to the Ji Continent. Apparently, their brothers are planning to make a rescue attempt. In order to prevent any suspicious personnel from hiding in the city, the city lord ordered for the closure of the gates during the night and tightened security to screen everyone who enters and exits.” 

“Oh…” The caravan manager nodded slightly, but his expression turned weird the next moment. “That’s weird… Why would the head of a bandit group in the Ji Continent head down south? There’s only so little resources in our You Continent. What’s there to plunder?” 

A youngster who was clad in clothes befitting of a martial artist sneered at the back, “Hehe, you definitely don’t know this. Our You Continent might be small, and we look poor. However, that’s precisely the reason they set their sights on us.” 

The interest of the caravan manager was piqued and he turned around to see several other martial artists walking side by side. Their clothes looked pretty similar, and a light flashed in his eyes. He seemed to have thought of something and his expression became several times more respectful. “Would you please enlighten me?” 

The youngster seemed pleased with the caravan manager’s tone of flattery and he started to explain, “Sure. The Changfeng City is where the various bandit groups use to fence their goods. Hehe, they’re willing to sell whatever is in demand here. As long as they can make some money off it, they won’t care!” 

The words barely left his lips when a guard snapped at him. “What the hell are you guys on about? Do you still wish to enter the city?!” 

Cupping his fists towards the young martial artist, the caravan manager nodded his head before returning to his group.

Chuckling softly, a trace of disdain could be heard in the young martial artist’s laughter.

Shang Xia was standing in front of them, and he was able to observe everything with his divine sense. He noticed the look of superiority in the young martial artist’s eyes when he gave his explanation earlier.

The Ji Continent was vast. The number of great families there was much larger than the You Continent, even before it suffered the calamity. There was also the presence of the White Deer Paradise which gave cultivators of the Ji Continent a sense of superiority over those in the You Continent.

Shang Xia didn’t know if the young martial artist was part of a great family there, or if he was a disciple specially nurtured by the White Deer Paradise.

The only thing he didn’t understand was the reason they had appeared. Regardless, his poker face made it such that no one could tell his thoughts. He looked like an ordinary hunter who left the city for a short trip.

Who would have thought that Shang Xia would discover something interesting with his divine sense while waiting for his turn? He saw a young woman who was wrapped up in thick clothing holding a child in her hands. The kid’s face was flushed red, presumably from the cold, and they squeezed their way into the crowd. He also discovered something weird. The young woman seemed to be heading straight for him.

She grabbed his shoulder all of a sudden, and a soft voice rang through the air. “Honey, didn’t you promise to bring us into the city? Why didn’t you wait for us?” 

As the words left her mouth, Shang Xia felt the edge of a sharp knife pressed against him. She was using her thick clothes as cover, and he could tell that she would stab him the moment he said something off.

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With his divine sense, he managed to tell that the sharp knife she held was actually a small dagger.

Coughing dryly, Shang Xia seemed to have caught a chill. In the eyes of the young lady, she felt that Shang Xia was frightened by her sudden appearance. In order to ensure that nothing went wrong, she tightened her grip on her dagger and pressed it closer to Shang Xia.

“Isn’t it cold today? I didn’t want to drag the two of you out of bed. I planned on bringing back some clothes for you two after selling my stuff.” Shang Xia coughed awkwardly.

“It’s alright. We wish to experience the bustle of the city. Just buy some more food to last us the winter…” The young lady pouted coyly. Those around them couldn’t help but toss over some glances of envy. After all, the three of them portrayed the perfect picture of a loving family.

When they finally arrived at the city gates, a guard who was in the Martial Realm approached. His gaze landed on Shang Xia’s bow, but he didn’t take a second look when he saw that the cloth wrapping around it was tattered beyond belief. He flipped through Shang Xia’s belongings that were wrapped in his bearskin coat and muttered, “What a huge piece of bear skin. It looks pretty complete too. You should be a pretty good hunter!” 

As the words left his lips, Shang Xia felt the grip around his arm tightening. 

“Hehe, I was just lucky. I found a sleeping bear in the woods.” Shang Xia scratched his head in ‘embarrassment’ and released a booming laugh.

“Alright. Go ahead. Your bear skin should be worth at least three pieces of silver essence. Don’t be scammed by anyone.” The guard waved his hand and sent the three of them on their way.

Thanking the guard sincerely, Shang Xia and the young lady packed up their things and entered the city.

They didn’t walk far before they heard the guard again. “Oh my! Young Master Fan, Young Master Han, Young Master Lu, Young Master Zhang! It’s my honor to meet you today. The young master of my family said that he had already booked the best rooms in the Changfu Inn for you! You can head over any time. He also said that he would hold a feast for you at night.” 

Shang Xia’s eyebrows jumped slightly and he turned his head to see the youngster who spoke to the caravan manager earlier cupping his fists while laughing, “Many thanks to your young master. I shall represent everyone here to thank Brother Yang!” 

All of a sudden, a weird divine sense emerged from the city gates. It seemed to be searching for something.

“This…” Shang Xia suppressed his curiosity and he maintained his poker face as he turned to walk deeper into the city.

He felt the grip around his arm loosening but he didn’t think too much about it. Without even looking closely at the young lady and her daughter, he went on his way.

As deep winter was approaching, there weren't many chances left to purchase fresh goods off the streets.

An attendant quickly rushed over to Shang Xia when he saw the four pheasants he carried, and he purchased it for a piece of silver essence after some negotiating.

The bear skin brought a much better price. It even caused three shopkeepers to start a bidding war, and eventually, it was bought by a fatty who wore a dog-skin cap. Parting with four pieces of silver essence, he bought the bear skin off Shang Xia.

Weighing the five pieces of silver essence in his hand, Shang Xia chuckled before stuffing them into his sleeves.

Who would have thought that a familiar voice would ring in his ears again. “Mummy, I’m hungry…” 

Turning around in fright, Shang Xia saw the young lady and her daughter once again.

The young lady looked to be around twenty in age, and she carried her three year old daughter in her bosom. The little kid stared at Shang Xia with her large round eyes, and Shang Xia couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you here again?” 

Lowering her head, the young lady’s face flushed red. No one knew if it was because of the cold or because of shame, but she whispered, “I… I l don’t have any money anymore…” 

Shang Xia was flabbergasted. He could tell that she was at the Martial Extremity Realm, and she shouldn’t be poor.

A rumbling sound came from the little kid’s stomach, causing the young lady’s face to turn even redder.

Glancing around, Shang Xia saw a stall by the side of the road that sold dumplings and he chuckled in amusement, “What a coincidence. I’m getting hungry too. Let’s get some food over there.” 

He started to walk towards the stall after he spoke.

The young lady’s gaze turned a little weird as she looked at Shang Xia’s back, but she quickly ran behind him.

“Owner, get me three bowls of dumplings and six sesame cakes. Bring me the chili and vinegar on the side.” Shang Xia yelled before looking for a place to sit. He turned to look at the young lady who was following closely behind him.

She wanted to sit beside him, but after thinking for a second, she chose to place the little girl between them.