The World Devours People! (Seeking Collection)

Outside Tongguan Town, the sky had already brightened.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the town.

Amidst a crowd of gaunt and hunched commoners.

A youth clad in coarse linen, with a tall and straight posture, stood out remarkably.

Especially the object wrapped in rough cloth on his back, which was clearly a broad and heavy saber.

This sight caused people on the muddy road to actively avoid him.

Greenwood bandits always relied on their martial arts skills, killed without mercy, and did as they pleased.

Ordinary people, if not careful, would become souls claimed by these individuals, so they tried their best to avoid getting close to them.

This youth was clearly being regarded as a greenwood bandit by the surrounding populace.

Qin Zheng's gaze swept over the simple small town, his expression growing slightly solemn.

After crossing over, he had been in a hurry to survive and hadn't yet learned the specific details of this world.

It was fine in Black Goose City; neither the architecture nor the mental state of the citizens had fallen below Qin Zheng's expectations.

But upon arriving at Tongguan Town, seeing the muddy roads, the hunched and gaunt commoners, and the simple, dilapidated houses.

He momentarily doubted if he had come to the wrong place.

Could this kind of place even be called a town?

And this was merely ten miles from Black Goose City.

A mere ten miles, yet such a drastic change!

It seemed the situation in this world was even worse than he had anticipated!

Qin Zheng thought this, his mood turning somewhat heavy.

He lacked the ability to save the world. In this difficult era, being able to protect himself was already the best outcome.

Feeling the surge of immense power roaring beneath his lean body, Qin Zheng felt a little more at ease.

Not long after, he had walked across Tongguan Town, and the entire process had occurred without any unusual incidents.

Arriving at a stall, he ordered two meat buns and asked the stall owner, "Have there been any strangers passing through your Tongguan Town recently?"

The stall owner, an old man with graying temples, frowned and thought for a moment after hearing Qin Zheng's question before replying, "Tongguan Town is a poor town; very few strangers come here."

"However, honored customer, you are the first stranger I, this old man, have seen enter Tongguan Town in over a month."

Qin Zheng nodded, understanding in his heart that Shi Dian, evading pursuit, naturally wouldn't openly appear before the commoners.

Either he had disguised himself and quietly blended into Tongguan Town.

Or he wasn't hiding in Tongguan Town but had gone into the deep mountains and old forests nearby.

So Qin Zheng nodded, then his gaze swept around, and he spoke again, "Old sir, is Tongguan Town always like this?"

This place truly didn't resemble a town, and the mental state of the people here was exceedingly poor, vastly different from the citizens of Black Goose City.

Hearing this, the old stall owner's gaze subtly shifted to the surroundings before he let out a deep sigh and said, "It wasn't always like this."

"Judging by your accent, honored customer, you should be from this area. Since you don't know the situation, I assume you are a distinguished person living in Black Goose City."

"In fact, it's not just our Tongguan Town; the four towns and thirteen villages near Black Goose City all look this poor and dilapidated."

Qin Zheng's eyes narrowed slightly at this.

Immediately, he heard the old stall owner continue, "Ten years ago, although Tongguan Town wasn't considered wealthy, it wasn't as impoverished as it is now."

"All of this is because a group of fierce bandits came from the mountains. The towns and villages near Black Goose City had to pay them tribute every year, amounting to over a thousand taels annually!"

"It's been like this every year. If they don't pay, the bandits descend from the mountains, burning, killing, and looting until they are satisfied."

"You tell me, if you pay, you can live in peace, but if you don't, not only will your money be lost, but your life will be forfeit."

"After ten years, Tongguan Town has become this way, and I imagine the other villages are the same."

The stall owner sighed heavily as he spoke, his posture seeming to stoop even more.

"With the bandits acting like this, doesn't the yamen do anything?"

Qin Zheng frowned and then asked.

Such inaction would lead to the accumulation of public resentment, and eventually, there would be an outbreak.

At that time, it wouldn't be as simple as just clearing out the bandits to suppress the situation.

The old stall owner shook his head and then said, "They've come, but it's no use. The mountains are too vast, and the yamen's constables can't find them."

"Moreover, every time the yamen's people come, they first demand a 'service fee.' After they leave empty-handed, the bandits, knowing we reported them, will descend again and cause trouble."

"After a few such incidents, we stopped bothering. We just endure it honestly."

Qin Zheng heard the helplessness and despair in the old stall owner's tone.

There was nothing he could do, so he could only fall silent.

The reason the people in Black Goose City lived better than those outside the city was, firstly, the city had a large population, including many martial arts experts.

Beside Black Goose City, the imperial garrison was also stationed. No matter how bold or wild these bandits were, they wouldn't dare cause trouble in Black Goose City.

However, the surrounding towns and villages of Black Goose City had no recourse and could only passively endure.

In this world, unarmed civilians were the most exploited and the most suffering class.

Qin Zheng took out two copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the old stall owner, thanked him, and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait, customer!"

Just then, the old stall owner seemed to recall something and quickly called out to Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng turned around and heard the old man say, "Starting a few days ago, a ruffian has been coming to me to buy meat pies."

"He always buys a lot, and judging by his appearance, he seems to have money, which is a bit strange."

"If you're looking for someone, customer, you might find something if you go look for him."

"He's right there, oh, here he comes!"

As the old man finished speaking, Qin Zheng saw a swaggering ruffian walk past him and approach the old stall owner.

"Hey, old man, pack me fifty meat pies, hurry up, I've got things to do."

The ruffian casually picked up a pie from the stall, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to eat heartily.

At the same time, he took out some loose silver from his pocket and tossed it onto the cutting board in front of the old man.

Qin Zheng looked at the ruffian, walked up a few steps, and gently patted him on the shoulder.

"What is it?"

The ruffian turned around and saw Qin Zheng, his eyes filled with a bit of wariness.

Then, after glancing behind Qin Zheng at the large object wrapped in coarse cloth, his eyes darted away, and he turned to run.

Qin Zheng's eyes narrowed, and he quickly closed the distance, then lightly struck the ruffian with his palm, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Tell me, where are the meat pies you buy every day delivered?"

Qin Zheng asked.

The ruffian trembled and quickly replied, "To a dilapidated temple three li east of the town. Sir, please don't kill me, I haven't done anything evil."

A dilapidated temple three li east of the town.

Qin Zheng's gaze shifted from the continuously pleading ruffian.