Chapter 350

Even the weakest city defense soldier had cultivation at the Sensing Mystery Realm, having completed Foundation Establishment, giving rise to magical power, with at least several thousand to tens of thousands of jin of strength.

The Great Jin Divine Nation is affluent, and the equipment of its city defense forces is also excellent.

All the camping tents, as Old Tie would say, are modularly manufactured good goods.

In just a quarter of an hour, dozens of self-camouflaged tents inscribed with concealment runes were erected in the mountains and forests. The soldiers then cut some small trees, built fences around, set up various warning prohibitions, and the camp was completed.

After sending out clear and dark sentries, Wu Tie gave some instructions, then changed into ordinary civilian clothes and returned to Insect Flower City.

Near the east gate of Insect Flower City there were several teahouses and taverns; Wu Tie chose one teahouse, sat at a street‑side spot on the first‑floor hall, held a tea cup, drank tea, and listened to the cheerful chatter of many tea patrons inside the hall.

Outside on the street, people came and went, very lively.

In the teahouse there was also an old man and a young girl; the old man played a bowed string instrument, the girl sang clearly, and occasionally tea patrons would request a song, rewarding them with a "ding‑ding‑dang‑dong" of peculiarly shaped copper coins.

The bustling market, the breath of everyday life.

Wu Tie took a few sips of hot tea, then exhaled heavily, suddenly feeling that the slaughter and strife he had experienced in the underground world were nothing but a nightmare.

This is where true vitality lies, the life a person ought to have.

And in the underground world, even a great clan like the Wu family merely "survives," rather than truly "lives."

Wu Tie played with the exquisite fine‑porcelain tea cup, eyes wide, curiously looking at the old man's instrument; if he wasn't mistaken, it was a "erhu," right?

Exactly, it's an erhu.

In the vast knowledge base Old Tie passed to Wu Tie, there are detailed data about this ancient instrument.

The old man's skill on the instrument is quite good; his tone is lingering, carrying a hint of sorrow that pierces the heart, while the girl's voice is also clear and sweet; although her appearance is only fairly pretty, that voice truly let Wu Tie feel a sense of "beauty."

A teahouse waiter passed by with a large tray; Wu Tie called him over and took several small steamer baskets of snacks from the tray.

Steamed wheat rolls, rice noodle rolls, dumplings, pork tripe, spare ribs, beef balls… the ingredients are top‑notch, the preparation meticulous, and these snacks taste superb.

Wu Tie himself has a huge appetite; finding these snacks so delicious, he simply kept summoning the waiter to bring more, left basket, right basket, in just half an hour he polished off over a hundred baskets of assorted snacks.

The patrons in the teahouse watched Wu Tie eat and couldn't help but gasp repeatedly.

But soon enough, someone recognized Wu Tie's identity.

After all, he possessed Life Pool Realm cultivation, had joined one of the Great Jin Divine Nation's main forces, the Divine Martial Army, and came from an old military household, making him a bona fide local tyrant; indeed, quite a few people in Insect Flower City knew Hu Xiong.

Shortly thereafter, some people chipped in and sent over a pot of this teahouse's supremely fine fragrant tea for Wu Tie's table.

Wu Tie's gloomy face squeezed out a hint of a smile, and he cupped his fists toward that table of guests.

Returning the favor, Wu Tie summoned the old man, tossed a handful of copper coins into the small basket hanging at his waist, and then requested several more songs.

The old man laughed, bowed to Wu Tie, then played the erhu; the girl stood beside Wu Tie, her clear sweet voice rose, and one after another of those alluring little tunes—which Wu Tie actually didn't quite understand—filled the entire teahouse and spilled out onto the street outside.

Wu Tie's attention turned to the outside street.

This is the east gate; the other three gateways are watched by sharp-eyed agents dispatched by Li Dayou.

Insect Flower City lies among lofty mountains and steep ridges; the nearest city is over three thousand li away. That city lies directly east of Insect Flower City, so if anyone intends to come to Insect Flower City these days, the greatest chance of entry is through the east gate.

Thus, Wu Tie kept watch like one waiting by a stump for a rabbit, guarding the east gate.

Day one, all was peaceful.

Day two, Wu Tie drank tea all day again.

Day three, Wu Tie ran to the tavern next to the teahouse and gulped down several jars of fine liquor.

On the fourth day, Wu Tie ran into several "childhood friends"; they set a table in the tavern and messed around happily all day. One of those "childhood friends" even rudely had Wu Tie call several flashily dressed girls to keep him company, leaving him reeking of perfume and powder.

At noon on the fifth day, Wu Tie was sitting in the teahouse hall, earnestly dealing with a whole roasted goose, when a sizable contingent arrived at the east gate.

Over a thousand heavy‑load camel beasts, resembling rhinoceroses but hairless, clad in plates of black armor, sturdy and strong‑as‑ox, each pulling a large wagon about ten zhang long behind it, piled high with assorted strange devices.

Five thousand fully armed guards, plus over ten thousand sturdy laborers and miscellaneous workers; the guards rode mounts resembling horses but covered in scales, while the laborers and workers sat on the large wagons, amid a clamor of voices and rising dust.

Wu Tie stared, his eyes twitching.

The five thousand guards, fully armed, each emanating a stern aura, were all cultivators of the Chonglou Realm.

With this guard army, a single charge could annihilate Insect Flower City's three‑thousand‑strong city defense force and sweep away the paltry garrison of the Divine Martial Army headquarters and the lord's manor.

As for the private guards of the several great clans inside Insect Flower City…

Wu Tie shook his head; he didn't hold high hopes for their combat ability either.

This contingent alone could threaten the safety of Insect Flower City.

Wu Tie rose, slapped a few silver coins onto the square table, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and with a grim face walked toward the east gate.

A dozen or so city defense soldiers lined up side‑by‑side to block the contingent; the squad leader stammered, demanding that the unit's leader produce their passage token.

In the contingent, the first heavy wagon carried no equipment but rather an enormous cabin resembling a small house.

A white‑haired old man in splendid robes slowly stepped out of the cabin, stood on the wagon's frame, handed a signal token and a document to the guard beside him; the guard took the token and document, dismounted his mount, and strode purposefully to the city defense squad leader.

This guard is definitely a dedicated body cultivator, and his cultivation is extremely high, having reached the advanced stage of the Life Pool Realm.

Consequently his build is extraordinarily burly, standing over three meters tall; there he resembled a bear that had risen upright, blind.

The city defense squad leader was much shorter and far weaker than him; standing before the guard, Wu Tie clearly saw the squad leader's legs trembling violently.

The guard gave a "heh‑heh" chuckle, then slammed the token and document hard onto the squad leader's chest.

"Take a good look—we come from the Hua family of Pinghu City; this is the passage token and mineral‑survey document issued by Jiushan City… We've come to your poor, remote backwater to prospect precious mineral veins."

The guard's strength was immense; the squad leader was sent staggering back a dozen steps by that slap, nearly falling to the ground.

"You!" the squad leader shouted in anger, wanting to step forward and argue with the guard, but as merely a peak Sensing Mystery Realm cultivator facing this Life Pool Realm guard, he simply lacked the courage to advance.

Gritting his teeth, the squad leader waved his token and document toward the gate plaque engraved with the three large characters "Insect Flower City."

A splendid light shone down from that plaque, falling exactly upon the token and document.

A resonant boom rang out; the palm‑sized passage token burst forth with a glow, within which an imperial seal appeared. This proved that the token was indeed issued by the proper municipal office of the Great Jin Divine Nation.

Likewise, the scroll of the document sprayed out a broad sheet of light, inside which clear, large‑scale writing appeared.

According to the text shown in the light curtain, this large contingent of the Hua family from Pinghu City had indeed received permission from the prefectural city's municipal office, having traveled ten thousand li to the remote Insect Flower City in the deep mountains to prospect mineral veins in the nearby ranges.

The territory of the Great Jin Divine Nation is vast, its extent unknown in hundreds of millions of li.

Therefore, the Divine State of Great Jin divided its own territory into five major regions—east, south, west, north, and central—each region further subdivided into several kingdoms, with elite descendants of the imperial Sima clan appointed as the rulers of those fiefdoms; this is the Great Jin Divine State's "System of Enfeoffing the Princes".

For example, Sima Jun of the Demon-Suppressing Hall and Sima Kui of the Demon-Dispelling Hall each possess their own fiefdoms within the Great Jin Divine State, and they are all "kings" of the Great Jin Divine State.

Below each fiefdom lie several provinces; under each province are several commanderies; and under each commandery are numerous towns and cities of various sizes.

Hua Chong City is a town under Pinghu Commandery, Jiu Shan Province, Heng State, in the Western Region.

Pinghu City is precisely the seat of Pinghu Commandery.

The Hua family is also one of the top ten influential clans in Pinghu City, ranked by overall strength.

This document clearly states that the military supplies of Jiu Shan Province are insufficient, and the Hua family of Pinghu Commandery has invented a new forging technique that can quickly provide large quantities of high-quality weapons and armor.

However, this new forging method, called the "Vortex Flow Forging Technique," requires certain special rare ores.

Accordingly, the Jiu Shan Provincial Government issued a special permit allowing the Hua family to dispatch a certain number of survey teams to prospect for mineral veins in the mountainous, mineral-rich areas within Pinghu Commandery.

Since this matter is of great significance to the military preparedness of Jiu Shan Province, the government ordered all cities within Pinghu Commandery to cooperate closely, providing the survey teams with all necessary manpower, materials, and logistical support.

With a soft "ding," the light emanating from the plaque above the city gate withdrew.

The token and the document fell back into the hands of the city defense squad leader.

The guard strode forward a few steps, snatched the token and document back into his hand, and grinned, saying, "See clearly? Do you know who we are? Hurry and tell your lord's mansion to clear out enough quarters for us brothers to rest properly."

That guard was extremely brutal; he grabbed the squad leader's shoulder, forcibly turned him toward the gate, then kicked him in the buttocks, sending him flying from outside the gate into the inside, where he landed in a sorry heap on the street.

"Remember, no matter what means you use… in short, by nightfall we must see enough clean lodgings for our brothers to stay in, and also arrange those camel beasts, wagons, and mounts properly, ensuring all grain and forage supplies are provided without shortage."

"In short, the brothers have endured great hardship on this journey; you, Hua Chong City, must attend to them well."

"Look carefully—this is an order issued by the Jiu Shan Provincial Government; if you refuse to cooperate, heh… we'll chop off your heads, and that will be your misfortune."

The city defense squad leader fell face-first into a pool of blood, dared not utter a sound, clumsily got up, and staggered toward the lord's mansion.

Wu Tie stood inside the city gate, coldly observing the arrogant guard, as well as the white-haired old man sitting on the first wagon with a faint smile, appearing indifferent to everything.

This Hua family team from Pinghu City probably isn't the group Wu Tie has been waiting for, right?

Although these fellows do look quite dangerous.

But such a spectacle of a powerful aristocratic clan bullying a poor, remote small town is not worth the Great Jin Divine State's Demon-Banning Hall specially sending secret documents to surrounding cities, warning everyone to guard against the sabotage of those "dangerous elements."

So, this team… probably poses no danger?

Yet they arrived far too conveniently.

These past few days, Wu Tie has been waiting near the city gate and has seen no one from outside Hua Chong City enter the town.

The only outsiders have been this large-scale "survey" team!

Or perhaps those dangerous elements are hidden within this team?

Wu Tie felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

This has become a major problem; even together with Li Dayou, they cannot find enough personnel to monitor this team.

Or put another way, even if the entire city defense force of Hua Chong City were mobilized, there still wouldn't be enough manpower to watch them.

The lord of Hua Chong City, Sima Quan, came panting, his attire disheveled, leading about a hundred retainers and guards in a frantic gallop; from a distance he already shouted loudly, "Where are the honored guests of the Hua family? I, your humble official Sima Quan, failed to greet you from afar; please forgive me."

"Rest assured, rest assured, I'll at once clear lodgings for your troop—accommodations for over ten thousand people, plenty, plenty!"

Sima Quan deliberately raised his voice to issue the order: "Come on, people! On this street, from the city gate all the way to the lord's mansion, vacate every residence for me; let the residents inside find their own places to get by—first we must properly accommodate the Hua family's honored guests!"

The Hua family guard standing at the door nodded satisfactorily.

The white-haired old man standing on the wagon frame gave a composed smile, then spoke slowly: "Lord Sima, are you a descendant of the imperial clan?"

Sima Quan rode to the city gate, dismounted, and walked toward the white-haired old man with a beaming smile.

"May I ask your esteemed name, sir? I, your humble official Sima Quan, am a genuine descendant of the imperial line, listed in the Yellow Register… Your exalted presence, sir, is truly a blessing for our Hua Chong City."

Wu Tie's face twitched violently.

Listed in the Yellow Register?

In the Great Jin Divine State, the imperial Sima clan's true royalty, upon birth, are entered in the Purple-Gold Jade Register; those whose blood is somewhat more distant—the heirs of the fiefdom lords—are reported to the imperial court and can also be listed in the Jade and Gold Books enshrined in the ancestral temple.

Even more distant bloodlines, according to the Sima clan's extremely complex method of lineage verification, anyone bearing the surname Sima can be entered in the Golden, Silver, Copper, or Iron Registers.

Being able to have one's name recorded in the four metal registers signifies that the Sima clan still acknowledges you as one of its own.

As for that Yellow Register, it is a roster made of yellow cloth; being listed there means—even if you bear the surname Sima, the imperial Sima clan will simply ignore you. As long as you are surnamed Sima and have some family wealth, you can bribe the Sima clan's ancestral office to have your name entered in the Yellow Register.

To be listed in the Yellow Register is, for genuine aristocratic nobility, nothing but a joke.

However, using the identity of "imperial descendant" to intimidate commoners and low-level officials is still quite effective.

"Quan!" Wu Tie curled his lip; no wonder this fellow uses such a lowly name.

The Sima imperial clan has countless members; those splendid characters are reserved for the core lineage to use as names, while the Sima individuals listed in the Yellow Register, even if they dared, would not dare to adopt those fine names.

From the carriage of the first wagon came a lazy voice: "Lord Quan, cut the chatter, hurry and surrender your lord's mansion—I, the young master, have been jolted sore in the waist from this journey… Do you have a lovely daughter? Present her to me to serve as a maid for a few days; I won't treat you poorly."

Wu Tie shook his head speechlessly, while Sima Quan burst into laughter: "Of course, of course…"