Chapter 78: Entering the City

The young man was none other than Zhou You.

After slaughtering the wolf demon and tricking Madam Bone, he had encountered no further setbacks along the way and arrived at Changhua County without incident.

The only thing he had not expected was that there would be far more refugees trying to enter the city than he had imagined.

As a result, he had been standing in line from morning until now.

And then this had happened.

The old Daoist’s mocking voice sounded from the pocket.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, my good disciple. I’ve noticed something strange about you. When dealing with the wolf demon, you’re ruthless beyond what any ordinary person would be. Yet whenever you see these weak people, you always want to lend a hand. Before and after, it’s like you’re two completely different people. Tell me, is there something wrong with your head?”

Whether it was an illusion or not, the closer they got to Youtai Mountain, the sharper the old Daoist’s tongue seemed to become.

Zhou You merely smiled.

“Master should know that your disciple’s mind has always been perfectly normal. It’s just that I’ve believed in two principles since childhood. One is that evil must be eradicated completely. The other is to draw one’s blade in the face of injustice. The wicked should face the butcher’s knife, while the weak should be helped whenever possible. Besides, in a situation like that just now, I think most ordinary people would have done the same.”

The old Daoist was momentarily speechless.

However, he quickly asked another question.

“Forget it, do as you please. Anyway, now that we’ve reached the county seat, that meat isn’t particularly necessary anymore. But disciple, what are your plans afterward? Beyond Changhua County lies Youtai Mountain. After you’ve stitched my head back together, are you planning to stay on the mountain and cultivate the Dao with me, or will you have me resolve the hidden dangers within your body and then leave this place on your own?”

“...”

Zhou You fell silent for a moment.

He glanced at the bag containing the old Daoist’s head and suddenly shook his head lightly.

His expression was calm, yet tinged with regret.

“We’ll see. But I’ll probably leave. Cangzhou has already become a land of chaos. If I can stay far away from it, that’s for the best.”

“...That’s rather unfortunate. A talent like you is perfectly suited for Yunjing Dao.”

Time passed as the two chatted.

After roughly another one or two shichen had gone by, the line finally reached them.

Two soldiers guarded the city gate.

Perhaps because the weather was too hot, neither wore armor.

Unlike the yellow-faced, emaciated refugees around them, these two could be described as rosy-cheeked, as though they spent every day well-fed.

But Zhou You still noticed a problem.

People who lived on Grand Duke Jupiter’s flesh often had a greasy sheen on their skin, as though they were covered by the skin of an overripe fruit.

Everyone in the merchant caravan had looked that way.

Yet these two soldiers lacked that glossy layer entirely.

They looked like ordinary people who had been eating normal food all along.

How strange.

In a year of such devastating drought, people like that still existed?

Suppressing his doubts, Zhou You stepped forward.

The soldier on the left remained buried in paperwork and did not even glance up.

The one on the right merely raised his head and asked casually,

“Name?”

“Zhou You.”

“Where are you from?”

“Mang Village.”

“What are you entering the county for?”

“Just passing through the county seat. I’m heading out of the province to seek refuge with some relatives.”

This time, the soldier who had been focused on paperwork looked up.

He examined Zhou You from head to toe.

Seeing nothing unusual, he slowly said,

“The county magistrate has decreed that anyone wishing to pass through the city must have travel documents. After registering with me, you’ll still need to apply at the yamen. You know that, right?”

Zhou You had long since heard about this from the old Daoist, so he nodded with a smile.

“Of course.”

The soldier then called to his companion and wrote something on a piece of paper.

Afterward, he jerked his chin at Zhou You.

“The entry fee is two copper coins. If you don’t have the money, you can owe it for now, but you’ll need to work at the meat-distribution sheds for a few days to repay the debt. Also, for security reasons, I need to inspect your luggage. No objections?”

Zhou You immediately spread his hands, indicating that they were free to inspect whatever they liked.

But the soldier did not conduct a careful search at all.

He merely rummaged through Zhou You’s belongings perfunctorily, as though going through the motions of work.

Then his gaze landed on the pouch hanging at Zhou You’s waist.

The pouch was bulging, clearly stuffed with something.

A trace of greed flashed through the soldier’s eyes.

“What’s in there? Let me have a look.”

Zhou You’s expression did not change.

He calmly picked up the pouch and opened it wide.

The soldier glanced inside and immediately looked disappointed.

The bag contained nothing but a large quantity of pungent salted dried meat.

Elsewhere, such things might have been quite valuable.

But this was Changhua County.

In a place where Grand Duke Jupiter’s flesh was available in abundance, a bag of dried meat like this simply was not worth much.

The gate guard still refused to give up.

He grabbed a piece and chewed it.

But he immediately spat it onto the ground.

“This is... dog meat? But you’ve prepared it so badly it tastes awful.”

Zhou You’s smile remained unchanged.

He first handed over the two copper coins before replying with a grin.

“Sir, this really is a wild dog I killed on the road. There weren’t any proper cooking conditions nearby, so I could only preserve it with salt. My apologies if it doesn’t suit your taste.”

After hearing that, the soldier had nothing more to say.

He simply waved his hand.

“Fine. Move along. Next!”

Only after entering the city did the old Daoist speak again.

“You’re quite clever. You knew there might be inspections, so you hid both me and that jade chime in advance. But couldn’t you have found a better place? The stench from this pile of salted meat nearly made me vomit!”

Zhou You laughed.

“Master, aside from this pile of meat, every other hiding place would have been far too easy to discover. Besides, didn’t I specifically sew you into the inner lining? You weren’t even touching the meat directly. There’s no need to react so strongly.”

The old Daoist muttered for a while.

In the end, he merely snorted.

“Fine. Your master is magnanimous and won’t bother arguing over something so trivial. But what are you planning to do next? Go straight to the county yamen and use that silver tongue of yours to somehow talk your way into a travel permit? Or find some connections and see whether a little bribery might work?”

“...Master, being eloquent doesn’t make me one of those swindlers who can talk the dead back to life. Besides, I’m a complete outsider here. I don’t know anyone in this county. Where exactly am I supposed to find someone to bribe?”

“Then what’s your plan? Sneak out? Let me tell you, the area around my Daoist temple is surrounded by steep mountains. If you want to get through, the main road is your only option. And while these people claim permits can be applied for, they won’t actually issue a single one. So what brilliant scheme do you have in mind?”

Zhou You merely smiled.

“It’s not really a brilliant scheme. At the end of the day, it’s just borrowing a tiger’s prestige to wave a grand banner. But that’s something for tomorrow. As for now...”

Zhou You looked up at the sky.

The queue had taken so long that daylight was already fading and dusk was approaching.

“Let’s find somewhere to eat first.”