The flatbed cart and donkey cart rolled on without pause. On the first day, the group rested overnight in the wilderness, only setting off again at dawn on the second day.
Compared with the first day, the road was undoubtedly much easier to travel on. Perhaps because they were nearing Green Mountain City, the road beneath their feet gradually widened, and Chen Xuan's group even began to encounter passing crowds.
By noon—
The outline of the city ahead was already faintly visible through the haze.
"Green Mountain City!"
Chen Xuan murmured softly, anticipation appearing in his expression.
To most people from Small River Village, Green Mountain City was unfamiliar. Many might never have visited it in their entire lives.
Yet it was no stranger to Chen Xuan. Whenever he used his Conceptual Ability, Green Mountain City appeared again and again. Many of his goals produced paths that led to Green Mountain City.
It had been so when he first sought to eat his fill, and it remained so when he later wanted to set foot upon the Martial Path Road.
Chen Xuan had always looked forward to Green Mountain City.
It was also a place he had always wanted to visit.
After all, only in this place could his Conceptual Ability offer him more possibilities.
As he gazed at Green Mountain City in the distance, his pace unconsciously quickened.
Beside him, Chen Er Shan and Zhang Chunhua also looked somewhat excited.
As for Xiao Shitou, he had long since fallen asleep atop the donkey cart.
Two days of travel had clearly left the little fellow utterly exhausted.
The afternoon sunlight gradually spilled down.
Time slowly passed.
From first seeing its outline to arriving at Green Mountain City's gates, more than an hour—over two hours—had passed. The afternoon sun had even begun to slant westward by the time the four of them reached the city gate.
The mottled city walls bore the marks of time, with great patches of dark crimson upon them.
Looking up, the enormous, towering walls stood more than ten meters high. In the ancient world of his previous life, this would already have counted as a major city. Yet in this world, according to Chen Xuan's memories and the repeated simulations of his Conceptual Ability, Green Mountain City seemed to be merely a small city. Beyond Green Mountain City stood an obviously far larger Cloud Sea City.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Chen Xuan.
Walking beneath the city walls, the group joined the queue.
However, since it was evening, there were not many people entering the city.
"One hundred wen per person!"
A soldier's loud voice carried from ahead.
Those in line paid one after another.
"Mother, Second Uncle, let's stand farther away. Something might happen next!"
Chen Xuan spoke softly, then pulled his mother and the flatbed cart to one side.
"Something might happen?"
"Oh, oh, oh!"
Chen Er Shan was somewhat puzzled, but he still hurriedly answered.
Following Chen Xuan, he drove the donkey cart to the side.
And just as Chen Xuan's group moved aside—
The thunder of hoofbeats came from afar, accompanied by billowing dust.
The distance rapidly closed.
It was several fine horses.
Mounted upon them were young men and women.
Even as they neared Green Mountain City, those horses showed no sign of slowing down.
The distance of over a hundred meters vanished in an instant.
Someone on horseback gave a cold shout.
"Get out of the way!"
Only then did the crowd suddenly react, hastily dodging to the sides.
But in the end, someone failed to react in time.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out. The next moment, a figure was sent flying before crashing down in the distance.
The instant the body hit the ground, blood began pouring from its mouth, while it convulsed without stop.
The horse that had struck him let out a shrill neigh and came to a halt.
"Damn mud-legged peasant! You dared block this young master's path!"
The young man atop the horse darkened. The next instant, he drew a bow and arrow from his side and nocked an arrow.
Whoosh!
Pfft!
The arrow whistled out in an instant, burying itself in the fallen figure's chest.
The convulsing body immediately went still.
"Hahaha, Brother Zhang, your archery has probably already reached minor mastery. It seems you've truly inherited Zhang Tangzhu's teachings."
The horses neighed as the figures came to a stop. No one looked at the figure lying outside the city gates. Instead, they flattered the young man who had just fired the arrow.
"Hahaha!"
"I'm still far inferior to my father!"
The figure on horseback smiled and shook his head with a chuckle.
"Hahaha, Brother Zhang is still young. In another ten years, that may not be the case."
"Exactly!"
"Brother Chen speaks the truth!"
The group chatted and laughed as they rode their horses into Green Mountain City.
Even the soldiers guarding the gates consciously moved aside for them.
Naturally, no one would dare charge them an entry fee.
As for the person they had just killed, the gate guards simply pretended not to see it.
And it was not just the guards. Even the surrounding commoners seemed accustomed to it.
Yet this scene undoubtedly struck Chen Er Shan and Zhang Chunhua hard.
"H-how can they do something like this!"
Chen Er Shan muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
As a mountain villager, he could hardly accept such a scene.
"Er Gou!"
Zhang Chunhua gripped Chen Xuan's clothes tightly, her body still trembling.
"It's alright, Mother!"
Chen Xuan comforted her softly, though he could not help sighing inwardly.
If not for his Conceptual Ability, perhaps this scene would have happened to him.
And though he had expected it long ago, though the cold words had already appeared before him, seeing it truly unfold before his eyes still left him silent.
It also made him understand the cruelty of this world even more clearly.
If Chen San Ye had made him understand the dangers of this world, then everything before him made him realize that the treachery of human hearts here might be even more terrifying than what Chen San Ye had displayed.
In this world that possessed transcendent power, laws and rules simply could not restrain individuals.
Anything could happen.
Humanity and kindness would be endlessly suppressed here, while the ugliness of human nature might be magnified tenfold, a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold.
"Let's go. We're entering the city."
Chen Xuan spoke softly, taking his mother by the hand as he headed toward the gates.
At this moment, the others did the same.
As for that corpse, the soldiers simply carried it away and tossed it to one side. No one paid it any attention.
No one around them seemed to care, either.
Chen Xuan's gaze lingered on it for only a moment before he withdrew it.
Soon, it was their turn to enter the city.
"Sir Soldier, we're entering the city to seek refuge with relatives. This is the entry fee, and this little extra is a token of respect for you, Sir Soldier!"
Chen Xuan said with a smile, then slipped fifty hundred wen into the gate guard's hand.
The soldier accepted the copper coins, and delight immediately appeared on his face.
"Seeking refuge with relatives, eh? Fine, you can go in!"
"Oh, and things haven't been peaceful lately. Don't run around at night, or don't blame this old man for not warning you if you die!"
With that, the leading soldier waved Chen Xuan through.
"Yes, yes!"
Chen Xuan hurriedly agreed.
Then he and his family dragged their belongings into Green Mountain City.
Before you continue