Chen Feng nodded. "Yeah!"
"I hope things can develop well!"
There was some worry in his eyes as well.
Although Yun Xi had given him a Recommendation Token this time, he did not know whether any accidents might arise.
Before it was accomplished, he was unwilling to tell anyone else.
With these thoughts turning in his mind,
Chen Feng chatted with Liu Yuan for a while longer.
Then he found Uncle Liu and returned the silver Lin Xue had borrowed earlier.
He even gave him an extra half tael.
Looking at the silver, Uncle Liu hurriedly said, "Chen Feng, you're going to the County Town. This is exactly when you need silver."
Liu Yuan also tried to persuade him from the side.
Chen Feng smiled. "It's fine, Uncle Liu. I've earned a little from hunting in the mountains lately. I can afford this bit of silver."
He now carried over a thousand taels of silver on him, so naturally, he had confidence.
Uncle Liu was an honest farmer. Hearing Chen Feng's words, he no longer refused. "All right, then Uncle Liu will accept it for now."
Liu Yuan was somewhat surprised beside him.
Only then did he begin observing Chen Feng more closely. A trace of shock soon rose in his heart—Chen Feng's strength seemed far from weak.
This left him inwardly amazed.
As for going to the County Town, there was not much to pack.
Other than bringing his bow and arrows, Chen Feng chose to leave everything else here.
Once he had gained a firm foothold in the County Town, he could return for a look when he had the time.
If it had only been Chen Feng and Liu Yuan, they would have chosen to walk to the County Town.
After all, it was only several dozen li away.
But with Lin Xue joining them, they took a freight ox cart instead—the sort of flatbed cart carrying goods.
When several nearby villages needed to go into the city, they would join together like this.
After paying only a hundred copper coins, Lin Xue sat on the flatbed cart.
Chen Feng followed behind the cart.
Along the way, as Chen Feng hurried onward, his Forest Running proficiency continued to increase.
As you run along the road, your Forest Running proficiency +1.
Two hours later,
his Forest Running proficiency had improved tremendously as well.
Skill: Forest Running (Proficiency Progress 51%)
The proficiency of this skill had risen by a large margin.
It made Chen Feng's speed steadier and faster.
Liu Yuan naturally noticed this along the way, and he was inwardly astonished.
Chen Feng was truly impressive. His endurance was even stronger than Liu Yuan's.
Along the way, Chen Feng also chatted with the others. They had all entered the city many times before, so he learned plenty of information about Black Mountain City.
They traveled along the official road the entire way.
Chen Feng had originally been somewhat worried that they might encounter horse bandits or the like.
Yet they made the journey safely.
At a mountain pass, after the convoy leader paid a little protection money, the rest of the journey passed without incident.
Moreover, they gradually began seeing other travelers on the road.
As the number of people gradually increased,
Chen Feng finally saw where Black Mountain County Town lay ahead.
When he saw the city walls outside Black Mountain County Town, towering dozens of meters high, a trace of surprise rose in his heart.
"This is a County Town?" Chen Feng cried out in surprise.
The black city walls stood dozens of meters tall, black as ink from end to end, as though they had been forged and poured from molten black iron, glinting with a cold light.
From afar, they looked like a black ferocious beast crouching upon the earth.
They were headed toward Black Mountain City's east gate. Beneath the towering gate, people entering the city stood in a long queue.
Before this city, these human beings were like ants, slowly inching forward.
Even Chen Feng, who had seen great cities before, was still shaken upon seeing this city.
He had never expected that such a colossal city could be built in an ancient dynasty like this!
Seeing Chen Feng's expression, Liu Yuan chuckled. "Impressive, isn't it?"
"I was the same when I first came here."
"Black Stone City alone covers over a thousand square kilometers within its encircling walls and houses more than a million people."
"Beyond the city walls, there are still vast numbers of people living outside. If all of them are included, Black Stone City's population alone reaches three million."
"This is the second-largest city in our Nanshan Prefecture. That shows just how prosperous it is."
Chen Feng was also amazed. "It's actually this terrifying?"
This was somewhat beyond his expectations!
Sure enough, as the convoy approached the County Town, they could see countless low houses outside the city walls.
At the city gate, great numbers of commoners and people entering the city stood in line.
Soldiers clad in black armor stood on either side of the gate.
Merely standing there, they gave off an air of Killing Intent.
Seeing this, Chen Feng was somewhat puzzled.
Liu Yuan said, "You have to pay to enter the city. The entry fee is one hundred copper coins each time."
"Unless you are a local resident of the city, or have a formal occupation in the city and the faction you belong to pays taxes to Black Mountain City, you won't be able to survive in the city."
"No one is allowed to sleep on the streets in the city. There are patrols every night. If you want a place to stay, aside from inns, you need to seek the protection of the major factions."
"Without a place to stay or a residence permit, you'll be driven out directly. If you enter again, it's another hundred copper coins—essentially a daily residence fee of one hundred copper coins."
"These people outside the city choose to live here because they cannot afford the city entry fee every day."
Chen Feng's eyes were filled with amazement. "They have rules like this?"
Liu Yuan said, "Yeah. No matter what, it's still safer than some remote places."
"If you don't have any other options, how about checking out the smithy where I work?"
"I can speak to my master. You could start as an apprentice or something and at least survive first."
Chen Feng said, "I plan to look around and learn more first."
Liu Yuan said, "All right."
After that, the convoy leader—a plump, wealthy-looking man in his fifties—cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Everyone, we've reached our destination. From here on, we'll go our separate ways."
Chen Feng, Lin Xue, and Liu Yuan remained together.
Chen Feng paid two hundred copper coins for the city entry fee.
As he entered the city, he also used his Killing Intent to briefly sense the guards on both sides.
They all seemed to carry an aura of Killing Intent.
It was the aura of people who had killed.
This left Chen Feng inwardly amazed. Becoming a First-grade Martial Artist was enough to run rampant through Black Mountain Village.
Yet after arriving in this County Town, they could only stand guard at the gates.
After paying the entry fee and entering the County Town, a tide of noise rushed over them.
Looking at the scene before him, Chen Feng's eyes were somewhat dazed.
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