Xu Fei chuckled.
"As expected of Second Brother, you saw right through me. Alright, to be honest, I think you all, especially Eldest Brother, are wise, brave, elegant, handsome, and extraordinary..."
"Stop! Get to the point!"
Yao Cang's face fell, and she glared at him.
He hates people who are glib and smooth-talking!
Gu Yu noticed a blind spot. "Wait, you said he's the second brother? What about me? I'm his senior brother!"
Xu Fei's eyes darted around for a moment, then he quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Look at my mouth! I've been blind again. You're the second brother, this is the third brother, and that's the eldest sister..."
Yao Cang curled his lip. "Who wants to be your third brother!"
A Ling couldn't stand it anymore. "Let's get down to business!"
They neither dislike nor like Xu Fei, a person who combines cowardice, timidity, opportunism, and profit-seeking. This kind of small-time character has his own philosophy of survival in the underworld.
Their lives are more adrift and unsettled than the wild grass on the wasteland.
"I believe that following you will definitely lead me to success! Brother, please accept my deepest respect! I hope you will take good care of me in the future!"
Xu Fei knelt down in front of Xie Feng with a thud.
Xie Feng turned to ask, "Do you have any objections to accepting him?"
Little Nine glanced at Yao Cang, Yao Cang glanced at Gu Yu, Gu Yu, not daring to look at A Ling, could only blink and say, "I have no objection!"
Little Nine wiggled its nine snake heads without objection.
Yao Cang was overjoyed. "Now I have a punching bag!"
"Mom, help me..."
Xu Fei immediately shrank back a few feet in fright.
"In that case..." Xie Feng patted the former on the shoulder, "Kid, welcome to our little team!"
"Thank you so much, brother! I'll definitely do my job well! If you ever need me to run errands, buy groceries, commit murder, robbery, or arson, just let me know!"
Xu Fei immediately pledged his loyalty.
Xie Feng expressed his satisfaction. "You're on the right track!"
Xu Fei glanced at A Ling out of the corner of his eye and said with a fawning smile, "And this aloof beauty, if you need anything in the future, just let me know..."
A Ling said, "No, get lost."
"Okay!"
Xu Fei immediately ran to the side.
From this, he learned that in this small group, A Ling was the most untouchable, followed by the eldest brother, then the second brother, then the third brother, then the fourth brother...
After considering everything, he admitted it: he was the one with the lowest status!
Xie Feng raised his eyelids and asked, "We're going to Lingnan City. Don't you know the way? Let's go."
"The journey to Lingnan City is still quite long, requiring us to pass through three mountains and six regions. And, as you all know, we in the north have a bad habit..."
Xu Fei smacked her lips, looking troubled.
Northern customs?
Xie Feng thought about the toll issue Qi Zhen had mentioned earlier; could this be it?
His brow furrowed slightly without him noticing.
Yao Cang glared at Xu Fei: "What kind of lisp is that? You're always stammering. Can't you just say it clearly and explicitly?!"
Xu Fei immediately replied honestly, "In the north, extortion is common. You have to pay to get anywhere. It's only natural for the strong to bully the weak, and the weak have to pay to save their lives."
Yao Cang asked, "What if we don't give it to them?"
Xu Fei shrank back. "No money, only death! The atmosphere here is the most fierce and violent of the four divisions, so... there are the fewest people... and among the four emperors, the Northern Spirit Emperor has the worst reputation..."
Xie Feng said, "What are you afraid of? Let's go."
"Originally, I would never have dared to go to Lingnan City alone, since I've never been there before... But with you guys, I feel incredibly safe!"
Xu Fei immediately beamed with joy.
Gu Yu frowned. "Didn't you just say you grew up near Lingnan City? That's utter nonsense!"
Xu Fei chuckled, "Isn't this a life-saving measure... You upper-class nobles don't need to use sweet words to save your lives, Second Brother, please be understanding!"
"The upper-class nobility? My life has been far more thrilling than yours..."
Gu Yu seemed to recall the past, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Xu Fei led everyone forward.
At the end of the snow-capped mountains lies a city called Baiyin, a place rich in silver mines.
Several soldiers were guarding the city gate.
This group, along with a bouncy, hydra-like Chaos Jiuying, marched past in a grand procession, only to be stopped as expected.
"Gentlemen, cough cough!"
A soldier reached out to stop him, then coughed ambiguously, as if with ulterior motives.
The remaining soldiers swarmed around them.
They want to pay the toll.
These toll fees belonged to the soldiers' personal income, and whatever amount they received was divided equally among them.
Therefore, everyone will do their job responsibly.
Of course, this job carries deadly risks. If you encounter an extreme, unreasonable, or powerful figure who is shrouded in mystery, you could easily lose your life.
People die for wealth, birds die for food; although the risks are high, the rewards are also great, so there are still many people who are desperate to get it.
Xie Feng stared blankly ahead, unmoved.
Seeing his lack of understanding, the soldier coughed twice more before finally speaking, "Toll fee!"
Xu Fei quickly ran to the front, forcing a smile, "Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth, don't be so serious! How much toll do you need, sir?"
The soldier looked up at them, counted their numbers, and said, "Ten taels of gold each!"
"It's not human, it's worth five taels!"
He pointed at Little Nine again, thinking to himself, "What kind of monster is this? It's quite scary."
"Ten taels! Gold!" Xu Fei's eyes widened instantly, his demeanor completely changing. "Are you crazy for money?! Why don't you just rob someone!"
Gu Yu sneered, "This kind of behavior is already robbery!"
The soldier said impatiently, "If you can afford it, we'll let you through; if not, get out of here! You all look so well-dressed, but you're all penniless wretches!"
Gu Yu rolled up his sleeves. "Are you fucking asking for death?"
The soldier tilted his head back, looking down at him with his nostrils. "This is Silver City! Do you dare cause trouble under the city lord's nose?!"
" Gu Yu, don't be reckless," Xie Feng stopped him.
"Master, they've gone too far!" Gu Yu said indignantly.
Xie Feng slowly walked up to the soldier, picked up a bag of gold and shook it; the gold coins inside couldn't hide the glitter of a wealthy man.
The surrounding soldiers stared in disbelief.
They had only assumed Gu Yu and Yao Cang were wealthy young men because of their well-dressed appearance, which is why they were making such an exorbitant demand, intending to rip them off.
Xie Feng waved the gold in front of them, circled it around, and then slowly put it back.
"This?"
The soldiers looked at each other, staring at each other blankly.
Xie Feng sneered, "It's just some gold. I can afford to give you ten taels, or even one hundred thousand taels. But... do you even have the life to take it?"
"You, you fucking want to die!!"
Enraged, the six soldiers drew their long swords and charged at Xie Feng!