North Ye City

By then, once he had achieved Great Accomplishment in both Skin Tempering and Tendon Tempering, he could be called a Second Tempering Martial Master. At that level of strength, making a living for himself would be effortless. Perhaps, as Li Haomiao had said, he might even join a powerful sect.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, sects occupied a third of the realm.

Though one would not be part of the direct lineage when apprenticing with prior skills, it was still far better than entering as a disciple at the very bottom.

Whether becoming a guest elder or an outer sect elder, both were good choices.

By then, he would truly have made something of himself.

In the woods at the foot of the mountain, Xu Yunfan, who had been traveling onward, could now see signs of people. He could even faintly hear hunters at work in the distant mountains.

He had no mind to pay attention to any of that. He merely followed the increasingly chaotic tracks and kept moving forward.

The more footprints there were, the closer he was to a town. For someone with hunting skills, this was no difficult task. In fact, while studying the tracks, his Hunting proficiency had even risen by a few points.

"You carefully observed the footprints. After earnestly distinguishing them, they were indeed sixty to seventy percent in line with your guess. Your Hunting proficiency has increased."

"You carefully searched for traces and discovered that these were tracks left by a wild boar. After carefully considering its direction, you found it was indeed as you expected. Your Hunting proficiency has increased."

"..."

At last, when he crossed a small hill, a village appeared before his eyes—a quaint village blanketed in pure white snow.

The houses were all wooden, with gray-tiled roofs arranged in an orderly yet scattered pattern. Thick snow weighed down on the tiles, while wisps of smoke curled up from chimneys atop some of the roofs, lending the scene a quiet charm.

The roads through the village twisted and turned. Buried beneath the snow, only vague outlines remained. Here and there, strings of footprints of varying depths, or hoofprints left by livestock, stretched into the distance.

Several villagers wrapped in thick cotton clothes hurried past with hoes over their shoulders, hunching their heads in an attempt to avoid the cold wind.

At the sight of such a peaceful scene, Xu Yunfan always felt tears welling in his eyes. Ever since arriving here, all he had seen was the desolate Desolate River Ice Field, or the whips of those overseers. He had spent the whole journey rushing onward—when had he ever had the leisure to admire the scenery?

Li Haomiao, on the other hand, had been utterly relaxed. Along the way, he kept saying this place was beautiful and that place was a wonder. He had even been struck by poetic inspiration and recited several poems.

It had irritated Xu Yunfan for quite some time.

He touched the Brocade Silk in his robes, and his heart immediately settled. At least this trip had not been a loss. He needed to find somewhere to stay first.

Thanks to the village, Xu Yunfan finally asked an old man for directions and found the way into the city.

Watching Xu Yunfan's departing back, the old man let out a breath and knocked the ashes from his old pipe against the sole of his shoe.

"Good heavens, that young man is built like a beast. He looked like a bear walking toward me. Scared this old man half to death."

To be honest, the furs Xu Yunfan wore were thick and heavy. Combined with the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer reaching Great Accomplishment, his body had become extraordinarily burly under the Attribute Panel's enhancement. From afar, he looked quite bloated. Moreover, the furs had only undergone preliminary tanning, retaining much of their original appearance, while the hat on his head was made from bear hide.

At a glance, one really might think a bear had come lumbering over.

"North Ye City!"

Seeing the plaque hanging above the city gates, Xu Yunfan wore a look of deep emotion.

Looking up, he saw heavy city gates made of aged solid wood, their copper studs mottled with wear. The soldiers holding spears on either side looked somewhat drowsy. The blue brick city walls were covered in snow, with withered vines winding across them.

Most of the pedestrians nearby hurried past in shabby cotton clothes. Some had their necks tucked in, while others covered their ears.

A small number of richly dressed men and women also hurried along without lingering.

Yet almost without exception, everyone instinctively avoided Xu Yunfan, who stood in the middle of the official road examining the city. With Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering, his height had been forcibly increased by several inches with the Attribute Panel's assistance. Nearly six feet three inches tall, clad in furs, and reeking from not having washed for many days—

Even in the frigid winter, he made people frown, cover their noses, and steer clear.

If not for Xu Yunfan's imposing build, someone would likely have already voiced a complaint.

Xu Yunfan naturally noticed this, so he stopped looking around and quickly entered North Ye City under the wary gazes of the two soldiers.

Only after Xu Yunfan had left did the two soldiers breathe a sigh of relief.

After a while, one of them suddenly spoke.

"Didn't we forget to collect his entry fee?"

The soldier opposite him replied irritably, "Go collect it yourself if you want. That guy reeked of blood. He's a dangerous one."

"..."

As soon as he entered the city, Xu Yunfan found a clothing shop and sold off all the furs he wore, leaving only the Apex Path Remains bound around his body.

Intimidated by Xu Yunfan's obvious martial bearing, the clothing shop owner did not dare haggle. Xu Yunfan received twenty-six taels of silver, then spent another four taels on a set of black clothes. With a bucket of bathwater generously provided by the owner, he washed himself clean and changed into his new clothes.

When Xu Yunfan emerged from the shop's back courtyard, the owner's eyes lit up. Cupping his hands, he said, "Sir, you are truly imposing."

The corners of Xu Yunfan's lips curled up slightly as he waved a hand. "All right. If I have any mountain goods in the future, I'll bring them to you."

Delight immediately appeared on the owner's face, and he repeatedly cupped his hands.

"Many thanks, hero!"

The two bear hides Xu Yunfan had brought in were properly tanned. Once turned into coats and resold, the owner would make at least ten taels of silver in pure profit.

What a deal!

Xu Yunfan wandered aimlessly around North Ye City. The snow in the streets had been trampled into muddy slush by passing pedestrians, while the cold wind carried biting chill and burrowed wantonly into his clothes.

With Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering, his blood and vitality surged within him. Naturally, he did not fear the cold. He even felt rather at ease.

Besides, Fleet Foot had been gaining proficiency quickly these days and had now reached Minor Accomplishment. If he practiced diligently, perhaps he could reach Great Accomplishment in just over ten days.

The longer the tendons, the greater the strength; naturally, his blood and qi would become ever more abundant.

Suddenly, he halted, his brows knitting slightly as he instinctively turned his head toward a dark corner of an alley.

What entered his sight were two corpses curled up in the corner.

The larger one had used their body to half-shield the smaller one. Their clothes were ragged, patches layered upon patches, making them look especially thin in the icy snow.

The child's little hand tightly clutched the adult's clothes, their head buried motionlessly in the adult's chest. The adult lay with their head tilted back, eyes fixed on the sky, the final traces of despair still lingering on their face.

After standing there for a moment, Xu Yunfan silently left.

This world did not seem to be as Li Haomiao had described it, where the people lived in peace and prosperity, well-fed and well-clothed.

He found a tavern and ordered a full table of dishes. Listening to the lively boasts and chatter all around him, Xu Yunfan picked up a bite of food and put it into his mouth.

Sour, spicy, and delicious, it whetted his appetite.

This was what people were supposed to eat!

Xu Yunfan devoured the meal. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and called out as the people at the next table had.

"Waiter, the bill."

"Hope you enjoyed your meal, sir! Two taels and three mace of silver."

Xu Yunfan's heart trembled. He silently paid and walked out of the tavern, then glanced back at it.