Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

Yi Chen lifted his head and gazed into the distance, where a colossal city wall rising over twenty-five meters high towered above the horizon, appearing incredibly majestic.

The three massive gilded characters for Longjiang Prefecture shone even more brilliantly under the sunlight, exuding an impressive aura.

Some are outdone by others, and some goods are so inferior they should be thrown away.

Big cities are indeed different; even their walls are taller than others', an imposing sight!

Compared to Longjiang Prefecture, Ping'an County is practically indistinguishable from the countryside.

As for Fengyun County, there's even less to say.

Pure cattle and horses.

Yi Chen rubbed his hands together, seemingly lost in thought, and then strode forward with determination, with Little Miao carrying the luggage and closely following behind him.

...

...

Li Gousheng's life as a gatekeeper was quite ideal.

Forty years ago, his grandfather had been a gatekeeper in Longjiang Prefecture.

Twenty years ago, his father was a gatekeeper in Longjiang Prefecture.

Now he was a gatekeeper in Longjiang Prefecture, having just used his connections to get the job.

Three generations' commitment had made their lives highly prosperous.

"Stop!"

"What's in the cart?"

Li Gousheng looked askance at a merchant lined up to enter the city, his tone hostile.

Even though the merchant before him was dressed in fine silk and had a jade ring on his finger, Gousheng couldn't care less to look at him properly.

A filthy outlandish merchant, he had a hundred reasonable methods to squeeze him dry.

In a mere moment, a coin of broken silver discreetly changed hands, instantly brightening Gousheng's eyes.

Clever!

Even though the piece of silver wasn't much, and he had to give seventy percent to his boss, leaving only thirty percent for himself, the sheer volume of those entering the city every day made up for it.

He had finally understood how his family had acquired three three-story houses within the city.

Guarding the city gate was indeed a business guaranteed to prosper in any season!

Li Gousheng suddenly understood his father's and grandfather's foresight; his heart swelled with gratitude toward his family.

If he could earn two taels of silver a day, that would be twenty taels a week, two hundred taels a month, and two thousand taels a year.

Good Lord, the Li family was on the brink of striking it rich!

Having had only a rudimentary education, Gousheng couldn't help but fantasize about a bright future.

Once he had saved a week's silver, he was definitely going to treat himself at the Rabbit Pavilion.

Don't ask why Gousheng wouldn't go to the brothel to taste teas.

Although he was slim, he was still a man.

The brothel was a place for squabbles between men and women, which he disdained.

The Rabbit Pavilion was where he belonged; a real man locks horns with other men.

Li Gousheng, always ready to give as good as he got.

No matter win or lose, he was happy.

Just as Gousheng was feeling buoyant and ready to really make a go of it, suddenly the sky seemed to darken.

A two-meter-tall Daoist towered in front of him.

His arms were thick enough for horses to run on, muscles coiled like dragons, and his fists were larger than clay pots, his formidable pectorals pushing up the front of his clothing.

Most importantly, he was utterly expressionless.

Looking at the man's huge arms, Gousheng had no doubt that this person could smack his head down his neck and slap it out through his backside.

Damn it, is this a Daoist?

More like a bandit in disguise.

Gousheng staggered three steps backward, ready to take flight at the slightest hint of trouble.

"Gatekeeper, how much to enter the city?" Yi Chen frowned and leaned his face in a bit closer.

"Just one wen, only one wen, Daoist," Gousheng called out as he hastily retreated, feeling like he was suffocating under the Daoist's relentless gaze that seemed to grip his heart mercilessly.

He was utterly terrified.

Yi Chen reached out his large hand, wanting to help steady the frail man before him who seemed on the verge of falling.

As a Daoist who had sworn to follow the path of compassion and righteousness before his master, he felt it was right to lend a hand.

But at that moment, Gousheng could have burst into tears.

Dear heavens, this bandit even intends to hit someone; such lawlessness, where on earth did this brute come from?

Suddenly, Yi Chen grasped at nothing, and a coin of broken silver unexpectedly appeared in his palm.

"Daoist, this is all I have," Gousheng said with a woeful face.

Meanwhile, an older veteran gatekeeper beside Gousheng swung a big cloth bag and smacked it right into Gousheng's face.

Yi Chen: "..."

He didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked.

"Daoist, this is my big nephew; he's new here, today's his first day on gate duty, he doesn't know the rules. Please don't lower yourself to his level."

"One of such remarkable skills as Yourself shouldn't be asked for money."

"You're magnanimous, kindly overlook his blunder as if it were just a fart."

The aged soldier guarding the gate smiled apologetically at Yi Chen, and suddenly, there were an additional two taels of silver in Yi Chen's hand.

Twenty seconds later, just like that, Yi Chen entered the city gate without spending a dime and even made a profit of two taels and one qian of silver.

There's no refusing it, even if you want to.

The local city guards are really too polite.

Only after Yi Chen's figure was completely out of sight did Li Gousheng cover his face and say to the old city guard, "Second Uncle, why did you hit me!"

"I hit you to save you," the old city guard said with frustration, scolding Li Gousheng, "Who told you to take money from such a formidable person?"

"But isn't that the rule? One qian per person, I didn't overcharge," Li Gousheng said aggrievedly, "Surely I can't be expected to pay out of my own pocket."

"Are you an idiot? You can always overcharge the next easy target, make up for it little by little."

"Li Gousheng, you're still young. Not everyone is cut out to guard the city gate. You have to shine your badge brighter."

"Those petty commoners, small-time merchants, you can squeeze them all you want."

"But if you dare to reach out to the big merchants, the great families within the city, and all kinds of powerful people, your father and I will have to fish you out of the Dragon River, you got that?" Second Uncle said with exasperation, smacking Li Gousheng's face with another slap.

*

*

Of course, Yi Chen had no idea about this little drama between Second Uncle and his nephew. At this moment, he was strolling along a bustling street.

This street was paved with long slabs of blue stone, spacious enough to accommodate six carriages riding abreast.

Merchants and travelers were as numerous as clouds, the street bustling with people, the rattle of carts, the neighing of horses, countless fluttering flags and signboards on both sides, and the endless cries of hawkers.

Among them, a few stores were particularly impressive, earning Yi Chen's admiration.

There was Baozhi Hall. [They sell medicine.]

There was Yuelai Pavilion. [An inn.]

There was Fengyue Tower. [A seafood vendor.]

There was Julong Society. [A restaurant.]

There was Tianbing Pavilion. [This one was awesome, they sold magic artifacts.]

....

"Longjiang Prefecture, extraordinary indeed," Yi Chen muttered to himself.

After wandering for a bit, Yi Chen only had nine words to describe his impression of Longjiang Prefecture.

Lots of people, lots of goods, lots of money, lots of experts.

Practitioners not commonly seen in Fengyun County were not unusual on the streets of Longjiang Prefecture, and one white-haired old man riding a donkey caught Yi Chen's eye in particular. Even with his current strength, Yi Chen felt a sense of pressure.

The two exchanged a glance and then looked away, going their separate paths without a word.

What Yi Chen didn't notice was that a bold peddler on the street stared at his retreating figure for two or three seconds, then turned his head and disappeared around the corner.

After doing a lap around, Yi Chen stopped wandering around and made his way to the entrance of Julong Society.

Having walked in the wilderness for so long, he was yearning for a proper meal, and it was time to comfort his grumbling stomach.

Once he found a seat by the window, it wasn't long before a beaming waiter came over attentively with a menu.

Yi Chen's finger ran down the list.

"This one, this one, this one...."

"Does the gentleman want vinegar potato strips, stir-fried cabbage, and sautéed asparagus strips... these dishes?" the waiter started to jot down the order silently.

"No, I don't want these vegetarian dishes; everything else, bring me one of each," Yi Chen clarified.

"Also, no rice, Daoist here doesn't fancy rice, got it?"

Waiter: "...."

Soon, two large tables full of dishes were served up, and Yi Chen and Little Miao began to feast with gusto.

Of course, they ate separately.

Yi Chen had opened another table for Little Miao, featuring an all-fish banquet, and instructed the waiter to let Little Miao pick whatever he wanted from the menu.

Julong Society, indeed a famous establishment in Longjiang Prefecture, didn't cause much of a stir even with Yi Chen and Little Miao's impressive appetite. The other patrons just took a few extra glances, there was no dramatic shock. This raised Yi Chen's opinion of Longjiang Prefecture by another notch.

A big city is a big city, indeed a place of wide experience and broad views.

Then it was time for the hunt.

While Yi Chen was at odds with his delicious meal, a conversation at the neighboring table piqued his interest.

"Boss Zhang, have you heard?"

"The whole family of nearly eighty people at Staff Officer Li's house in the west of the city all died," a middle-aged man dressed like a wealthy merchant whispered to his fellow diners at the table.

"How could I not know? A distant nephew's brother's brother works at the yamen. They say Staff Officer Li's family died a horrible death."

"They starved like ghosts reincarnated, ate all the food in the house, and when there was nothing left, they started on themselves."

"Some chased the horses and cows in the household, biting their hind ends until they were kicked to death."

"Others went straight into the latrine, ugh!" Boss Zhang added, his tone full of mystery.

"Hey, these incidents aren't rare these days. The yamen declare these were the deeds of a violent person to maintain order. I know of two or three instances like this, and who knows how many more there are in secret."

"Something must have happened recently."

"Right now, I've stopped staying at home. I've taken my wife and children to stay at the Laifu Inn, not far from the Town Safety Office, to avoid the trouble."

"Damn that landlord, jacking up the price! He charges me twenty taels of silver per night, take it or leave it, people are lined up to stay if you don't. I had no choice but to book two rooms, and even with that, the inn was fully booked," Boss Zhang said, venting his frustrations.

Upon hearing this, Boss Wang couldn't sit still anymore.

"Shit, why didn't I think of this? Bro, help me out, lend your brother a room, I'm willing to pay twenty-five taels for one night."

"Hey, Zhang Bro, you hear yourself? We're brothers. I'll give you a room for thirty taels a night."

"Well... Okay, then, I'll move in tonight, Brother Wang."

"No problem, we're all brothers here. Come on, Zhang Bro, try a slice of Julong Society's Li Zhuang white meat. The taste is exquisite; you can't miss out," Boss Wang said, pushing a plate of Li Zhuang white meat in front of Boss Zhang with a smile beaming on his face.

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