In late June, the sun blazed overhead, yet the streets of Broad Cloud Ward teemed with an unending stream of people.
The summer heat could not deter merchants and travelers from all quarters. If anything, it seemed to kindle their enthusiasm, and still more arrived aboard Flying Boats.
Suddenly, a wail startled the crowds passing in every direction.
Some looked curiously toward the sound and saw a group apparently arguing with the patrolling guards at the end of Main Street. Before long, they came to blows.
After a brief spell of chaos, someone lay on the ground. The guards shouted repeatedly, summoning more of their companions, while the troublemakers, who looked like rogue cultivators, agitatedly explained something to the onlookers.
"What happened?" Those who arrived later could not help asking the people who had gotten there first.
"Those outsiders seem to be stirring up trouble. They said some companions had gone missing and wanted to search the wilderness outside the ward, but they couldn't get a travel permit. So they lost their heads and started fighting the stewards from the Market Chief's Residence!"
"Tsk, tsk. Everyone knows they introduced intelligent management here ten years ago. Even the stewards from the Market Chief's Residence only carry out their duties. They have no authority to approve anything."
"I heard they wanted to go to the Central Region, which was recently designated a forbidden zone. Aren't they just making things difficult for people?"
Others said, "You can't put it that way. True, the Broad Cloud Lands are privately owned, and Peak Master Li holds sovereignty over them and possesses Spirit Peak, but that's only because he pioneered this land and built Spirit Peak and the Market District."
"The wilderness yields all sorts of natural resources. What gives him the right to mark it