A World Apart

The next day, Duàn Yì followed his usual routine—breathing exercises to refine his qi, meditation and quiet contemplation—and gained quite a bit.

Only after fully digesting the essence he had comprehended in the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts the previous night was he invited by the Helan residence's servants to dine.

After the meal, Helan Xiaojun had important matters to attend to, while everyone else in the residence had their own duties and could not spare attention for him.

As it happened, Little Yue'er dearly wanted to take Duàn Yì around the county town, so the two of them left the Helan residence with Eunuch Qiu and Granny An, wandering aimlessly through the streets.

Compared with Heyin County, which was currently under harsh control and where the common people's lives were suffocatingly repressed, this city possessed something of the prosperity of a flourishing age.

It was bustling everywhere. Carriages and horses crowded the streets and alleys, while pedestrians flowed endlessly back and forth.

The shops lining both sides of the streets were filled with customers. They entered empty-handed and emerged laden with packages.

The vendors' stalls were likewise surrounded so tightly that one could hear voices but not see people, showing just how booming business was.

There were also outsiders who had arrived with empty purses and performed in the street to earn traveling expenses.

Using special methods, they breathed fire, walked suspended steel wires, smashed great stones on their chests, and performed all manner of acts, giving Duàn Yì quite a lively show.

Though these people possessed little martial skill, some of the knowledge and wisdom they commanded could not be underestimated.

Helan Yue'er had often seen such things in the city before and no longer found them novel. Yet today, she was touring with the man she loved,