Chapter 30: Entering the City

Ten minutes later, no Demon Beasts had come to attack, and the mark on Meng Yifan's chest was no longer burning. This left him puzzled; could his intuition have been wrong just now?

Something was wrong. The mark on his chest had suddenly burned, which certainly wasn't a good sign. Although he couldn't figure out why it had stopped burning now, Meng Yifan felt a strong sense of crisis in his heart, as if a great disaster were imminent.

"We are only ten miles away from the county town now. All the old and weak get on the carts, and the able-bodied take turns pulling them. Everyone, hurry to the county town at top speed," Meng Yifan said loudly.

Meng Dayong was now completely obedient to Meng Yifan. With the father and son demanding full speed ahead, the villagers dared not object and all sprinted toward Luolong County.

Five minutes later, Meng Yifan and the others passed by Xiaowang Village and heard the villagers there say that a Third Grade Flying Tiger Demon had just brought Wild Beasts to massacre the village. Just as the villagers were about to be killed, it had suddenly ordered the army of beasts to retreat, and the Flying Tiger Demon had also hurriedly flown off toward the southeast.

The time when the mark on Meng Yifan's chest burned coincided almost perfectly with the time this Flying Tiger Demon flew away. He could now basically conclude that the Third Grade Flying Tiger Demon must have gone to fetch reinforcements. Whether that Third Grade Tiger Demon called for other Third Grade Demon Beasts or summoned Demon Beasts of Fourth Grade or higher, it was not something Meng Yifan's current strength could withstand.

"The Flying Tiger Demon's target is definitely me. If we stay together, I will only drag you all down. Father, let's separate here. I will go ahead to Luolong County; that way, I can move faster. You take the others and enter the city as soon as possible," Meng Yifan said.

Meng Dayong thought for a moment and said, "That is fine. Yifan, here are five taels of silver and some copper coins. Here are two Demon Cores and some precious materials from two Demon Beasts. Take them all first. We will meet at the entrance of the Welcoming Guest Inn later."

Meng Dayong considered that Meng Yifan's speed far exceeded that of an ordinary person. If he set off alone, his speed would be much faster, and the sooner he entered the city, the sooner he could escape danger.

Meng Yifan's current strength was 61 points. Each Elm Cannon weighed about one hundred kilograms. Even if six Elm Cannons were bundled together, he could carry them, but it would inevitably affect his travel speed. To enter the city as quickly as possible, he chose to carry only two Elm Cannons. A load of two hundred kilograms was not a very heavy burden for his current physique, and he could still walk as if flying.

"Father, I'll go ahead. We'll meet again inside the city," Meng Yifan said.

"Yifan, watch out for your safety on the road," Meng Dayong urged.

Meng Yifan did not hesitate. Carrying the two Elm Cannons, he ran toward Luolong County. His speed was as fast as a galloping horse, and he soon disappeared from everyone's sight. Seeing this, the villagers of Sanlitun and Xiaowang Village were all dumbfounded.

Ten minutes later, Meng Yifan had already seen Luolong County. The three-zhang-high Blue Stone city wall was visible, and he could also see two Shenwu Great General Cannons placed on the city gate tower. On the city walls, many able-bodied men were reinforcing the defensive works under the leadership of the constables.

Arriving here, Meng Yifan finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been too worried; he hadn't encountered any Demon Beast attacks along the way.

Once in the county town, Meng Yifan would be safe, because although Demon Beasts were rampant, no Demon Beast had yet dared to attack a city. This seemed to be a bottom line.

If the Demon Beasts began to attack the city, it would mean a complete falling out with the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty, and both sides would inevitably have to fight a great battle. If they only slaughtered villagers outside the city, those in true power in the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty could choose to turn a blind eye, and both sides could barely maintain a delicate balance.

Meng Yifan did not want to cause extra trouble. He found two tree stumps nearby, used an axe to carve out two large wooden plugs, and temporarily blocked the muzzles of the Elm Cannons. Then, he made some simple decorations so that from the outside, they looked like two elm tree trunks. No one would guess that these seemingly ordinary trunks were actually cannons capable of firing.

Meng Yifan carried the two Elm Cannons and prepared to enter the city. The yamen runners guarding the city gate looked at Meng Yifan with some surprise. Everyone now knew that there were Demon Beasts eating people everywhere in Luolong County, and many refugees had fled into the city recently. However, those fleeing usually brought gold and silver jewelry or other valuables; it was truly rare to see someone like Meng Yifan carrying two logs into the city.

"Kid, are you planning to enter the city to sell timber?" A short, fat yamen runner with a waist saber blocked Meng Yifan.

"Yes, Brother, I am going into the city to sell wood and trade for some food," Meng Yifan said.

"City entry fee is ten copper coins per person. Timber trading tax is ten copper coins. You need to pay a total of twenty copper coins in taxes," the short, fat yamen runner said.

Meng Yifan frowned. If he were really carrying two elm tree trunks, at the normal price, he could only sell them for forty copper coins in total. The entry fee alone would take half his money, and the remaining twenty copper coins would probably only be enough for him to eat one or two meals.

Charging such high fees meant that the ordinary people who truly relied on selling wood to make a living could not survive at all.

"Pay up quickly, or get lost, and don't block the city gate," the short, fat yamen runner urged impatiently.

Meng Yifan did not want to cause extra trouble. He took twenty copper coins out of his pouch, handed them to the short, fat yamen runner, and prepared to enter the city.

The short, fat yamen runner stopped Meng Yifan again and said, "The city is under curfew. If you don't have a place to stay in the city, you must leave the county town before sunset, or you will be drafted into the Labor Camp to build city defenses. I see you have some strength, kid; you might consider joining the Labor Camp. Although the work is harder, you can at least eat your fill. Do you want to consider it?"

Meng Yifan frowned. This rule in Luolong County was ridiculous; it was equivalent to forcing all refugees to perform forced labor, moving stones and building city defenses. The young and strong might be able to hold on, but what about the old, weak, sick, and disabled? Could they only wait to die outside the city?

Meng Yifan looked around. Outside the city walls, there really were some shantytowns where some emaciated elderly people and children lived. They were not allowed to enter the city.

Among these people, some had young and strong relatives who joined the Labor Camp. After a day of heavy physical labor, they would be allocated a catty of food to bring outside the city to share with their families.

If there were no young and strong relatives in the family, these elderly people and children could only beg. But in a year of famine, many people couldn't even get enough to eat, so where would they find food to give to them? Many people couldn't get food at all and could only lie on the ground listlessly, waiting to starve to death or be eaten by Wild Beasts.