4 Zhuqi County Town

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Ye Qin roused Da Niu from his hazy slumber, and taking advantage of the morning before the sun turned scorching, they hurried along the post road toward the county seat of Zhuqi. Having consumed meat bones and water the previous night, Da Niu's spirit had clearly improved, and he was now able to walk on his own.

On the road, Ye Qin told Da Niu that he intended to go to the county seat to see if they could be recruited into the Herb Gathering Hall. Da Niu was incredibly excited and agreed to go to the county seat without hesitation.

Although they were in the wilderness, there was a post road leading directly to Zhuqi County, and they occasionally saw horse-drawn carriages, so the journey was not difficult.

At noon, under the blistering sun, the two found a place to rest for a while, digging up tree bark and roots to fill their stomachs.

As it cooled slightly in the afternoon, the two continued their journey.

Before dusk that day, two thin, frail figures appeared outside the east gate of Zhuqi County.

Zhuqi County was the most desolate and remote of the eight county seats within Ping Province of the Wu Kingdom, housing a population of over one hundred thousand. Within a thousand-mile radius of the county, there were more than a dozen small towns, while the vast majority of the remaining area consisted of deep mountains, treacherous ridges, and winding streams.

The grain yield in this region was low, but the deep mountains grew a vast amount of rare wild medicinal herbs. The herbs of Zhuqi County were famous throughout Ping Province. Naturally, the Medicine King Gang had made Zhuqi County one of their key hubs for wild medicinal resources, specifically establishing a Herb Gathering Hall here to oversee the collection of herbs.

The great drought this year had not reduced the number of outsiders coming to Zhuqi County. Carriage after carriage passed through the city gates, carrying martial artists with swords on their backs, merchants with bundles, performers and acrobats, as well as farmers and woodcutters—it was bustling with activity.

In particular, the news that the Herb Gathering Hall was recruiting a batch of herb-gathering boys had already spread quietly to some of the nearby towns. Some rural families brought their own children to apply, hoping to earn a living at the Herb Gathering Hall.

Seeing the low city walls overgrown with vines and the dilapidated city gate under the glow of the setting sun, guarded by a few listless, down-and-out city guards, Ye Qin felt a surge of excitement. He had returned to this place.

"Giddyup! Get out of the way, you blind things!"

A donkey cart pulled by two sturdy donkeys came trotting unsteadily toward the city gate. Sitting on the cart was a sixty or seventy-year-old local squire, dressed in a rather elaborate cloth robe, waving a cow-tail whip in his hand and shouting loudly at Ye Qin and his companion, who were blocking the path.

The donkey cart moved fast, nearly colliding with Ye Qin and Da Niu.

Ye Qin hurriedly pulled Da Niu aside to dodge.

Inside the carriage, a chubby boy of about ten suddenly poked his head out. With the oily, slick expression of a squire's son, his eyes darted around until they landed on Ye Qin and Da Niu. He immediately spat a mouthful of saliva onto them, then grinned and clapped his hands, laughing, "Hit them, hit them! Dad, did you see? I hit two mangy dogs!" The old squire didn't even look at Ye Qin and Da Niu, merely offering the little fatty a few words of praise.

The small donkey cart then stopped near the city gate, and the guards didn't even inspect it, letting them enter the city.

Ye Qin glared fiercely at the little fatty, then quickly lowered his head, biting his lip to suppress his anger, daring not to speak. In the countryside, squires were extremely powerful; they occupied the most and best fields and the largest forests, keeping many servants and slaves. All the tenant farmers and hunters relied on them to have a bite to eat. Both he and Cheng Da Niu were born as rural hunters and tenant farmers, and they dared not offend these squires.

However, Ye Qin had once followed his father into the mountains to hunt jackals, so his temperament was somewhat wild, and he had dared to glare at the little fatty. Cheng Da Niu, on the other hand, didn't even dare to look up, keeping his head buried until the donkey cart had entered the city before he dared to wipe the saliva off his face.

Having encountered such an unlucky event, Ye Qin no longer had the heart to look at the scenery of the city gate.

Blending into the crowd, Ye Qin and Da Niu snuck into the city.

In this sweltering heat, the city guards would at most interrogate the strange-looking martial artists, but they had no interest in bothering a few ragged children sneaking into the city.

"Brother Qin, it's been a few months, but I didn't expect the county seat to be the same as ever. It's so big and beautiful."

Da Niu exclaimed excitedly.

Two main streets, one horizontal and one vertical, ran through the entire county seat. The shops and storefronts on both sides were the property of wealthy families, many of which belonged to the Herb Gathering Hall. Restaurants, teahouses, inns, martial arts schools, academies, mansions, and gardens stood one after another.

The northeastern district housed the county government, where some squires, local tyrants, wealthy merchants, and affluent households resided. The northwestern district was home to the Herb Gathering Hall, as well as other powerful figures and small martial arts gangs. The remaining southeastern and southwestern districts were primarily residential areas for commoners, where the ordinary residents of Zhuqi County lived.

As evening approached, the weather gradually cooled, and residents emerged from their homes to stroll the streets and conduct business. The city began to liven up. It was full of vitality, unlike the wilderness where one could go half a day without seeing a soul.

Before entering the city, Ye Qin had been just as excited as Da Niu.

But once inside, Ye Qin felt no excitement; instead, he became increasingly cautious. A few months ago, they had offended a group of local thugs here. Who knew if these ruffians were still holding a grudge against them?

Ye Qin led Da Niu, carefully avoiding anyone who looked like a thug or a ruffian, and ignored the bustling streets, keeping his head down as he walked quickly toward the northwestern district. When he saw local beggars, he didn't even dare to pause, hurrying past to avoid being entangled or beaten.

They encountered a few ruffians on the road who walked toward them, which frightened him greatly; they ran quickly toward the northwestern district, and the ruffians did not dare to follow.

In the northwestern district, there were far fewer people, and commoners rarely appeared here.

Most were martial artists dressed in tight-fitting clothes, carrying swords and blades, riding horses, and looking robust and fierce. Just by looking at them, one knew they were not to be trifled with; any one of them could crush the two of them to death.

Because there were so many martial artists, ruffians and beggars rarely appeared in the northwestern district.

Fortunately, these martial artists were always in a hurry, seemingly busy with some important business, and unlike the thugs and ruffians, they did not like to waste time bullying beggars. They had no interest in beggars and wouldn't even spare them a glance.

Ye Qin and his companion arrived in front of the Herb Gathering Hall's gate. It was a massive residence, covering several hectares; from the outside, one couldn't tell how large it was inside. Two thousand-pound stone lions stood before the gate, looking majestic. A pair of copper rings on the main gate were extremely heavy.

A notice was posted at the entrance, but Ye Qin could not recognize a single word written on it.