Chapter 53: Public Notice

Traveling south along the main road, Feng Zi saw many farmers, equally gaunt and withered, laboring in the fields.

Even after entering the market lined with houses, those doing business on both sides of the road mostly appeared thin and listless.

Only in the larger shops did the shopkeepers look ruddy and full of vigor.

The further one went toward the center of Yuanping County, the more "respectable" the people on the streets appeared.

It was not until Feng Zi could see the outline of the local government office from afar that people with plump builds and Martial Artists began to appear beside him.

Merely by observing these visible phenomena, Feng Zi understood that Yuanping County had adopted an extremely rigid hierarchical system:

The closer one was to the center of the county, the more prestigious their local status.

And in the process of shaping and maintaining this hierarchy, the Martial Dao also played a vital role.

Therefore, the further the populace lived toward the periphery, the more severely they were exploited, making it increasingly difficult to change their current situation.

Setting aside any moral judgment of human good or evil, Feng Zi had to admit that this was a very reliable and low-cost method of governance—

Especially when official power at higher levels was absent, "low cost" appeared even more enticing.

Of course, it was impossible for Feng Zi to abandon his humanity and discuss such things purely in those terms, but this forced him to acknowledge another fact:

The current state of Yuanping County was not the result of a single day; wanting to change it was no easy task, nor could it be done perfectly.

"Fine, I'll take it one step at a time. I'll help where I can and just follow my own heart," Feng Zi decided to himself.

From beginning to end, he was very clear that he was only a Martial Master and had no ability to force himself to become a "saint"—that was not his true heart either.

Furthermore, Feng Zi understood that the foundation supporting his kindness was the strength of Wutai County, which far exceeded that of other counties:

Admittedly, he could help one county, or two, and Wutai County could also use its own strength to extend its reach to these places...

But could he help every village he passed and every person he saw?

At least before becoming a Martial Artist of the Grandmaster realm, Feng Zi dared not make such a boast!

Having reaffirmed his own heart, his state of mind became much more relaxed, and his steps grew lighter.

Just as Feng Zi was pondering, he arrived in front of the Yuanping County Government Office, only to find the main entrance packed tight with people.

After a rough observation, he discovered that most of the onlookers were Martial Artists, and outside the surrounding shops, there were even two Martial Masters sitting!

Through the dense crowd, Feng Zi saw a notice posted on the wall of the County Government Office—beside the notice stood a Scribe responsible for explaining it.

Since there was someone specifically assigned to explain, Feng Zi was in no rush to crowd in; he casually found an empty table in front of a noodle shop and called out, "Shopkeeper!"

Before long, a young waiter came over and asked eagerly, "What would you like to eat, sir?"

"Brew a pot of tea, bring a bowl of plain noodles, and two taels of spiced beef." Having said this, Feng Zi tossed out a few copper coins.

The waiter glanced at the coins in his hand and immediately smiled, "Coming right up, please wait a moment!"

Since he was here to gather information anyway, and he was idle, he might as well have a meal.

Just as he was telling the waiter to bring the food, the sound of discussion from the direction of the County Government Office reached Feng Zi's ears—

"Why is it hunting tigers again? Didn't they just organize a few Martial Artists to go up the mountain to hunt tigers a couple of days ago? There seem to be too many tigers these days, don't you think?"

"It's not that tigers are popping up from nowhere; it's the same beast they were trying to kill last time!"

"What do you mean?"

"The Martial Artists from last time all perished inside. The County Magistrate was afraid the matter would be exposed and cause panic, so he just paid the families some money and brushed it off..."

"Damn it! Even if those hacks were useless, they were still Martial Artists of Great Accomplishment, right? They couldn't even kill a tiger? Could there be something fishy going on?"

"I heard that some of the big clans have their own theories—just hearsay, mind you, take it as a bit of fun if you don't believe it."

"Stop yapping! When did you become such a nag? Hurry up and tell me!"

"The big shots suspect that the beast might not be a simple tiger, but a tiger that has become a spirit!"

"A tiger spirit? Hiss—I heard this legend in another place when I went out on business a few days ago, and I thought it was just some ignorant fool talking nonsense..."

"Hearing you say that, is this legend actually true?"

"True or false, I don't know, but I heard that the young master of the Guang Family, who is a Martial Master, seems to be taking on this task."

"Sounds pretty real. Why don't we go too? If it really is a tiger spirit, even just getting a share of its flesh and blood would be enough!"

The useful information had been gathered, and the waiter arrived at the right moment with Feng Zi's lunch.

He took a sip of tea and began to bury his head in his noodles, thinking to himself:

"Hmm... a tiger that even Martial Artists can't kill?

"Although for ordinary Martial Artists, predators like wolves and tigers are difficult to deal with, if several Martial Artists join forces, an ordinary tiger is no match at all!

"Yet those Martial Artists were all killed in return? It does sound consistent with the legend Li Shou mentioned; it is worth investigating."

Just as Feng Zi was considering his next move, a Martial Artist who looked unremarkable approached him:

"Judging by your attire, you must be a traveler from elsewhere, right?"

Feng Zi simply picked up a piece of spiced beef and replied indifferently, "I don't believe I had any intention of hiding my identity?"

Faced with such an intruder with unclear motives, his attitude was never friendly.

The other party seemed not to notice this and tried to strike up a conversation, "You have good taste, sir. This noodle shop is a well-regarded spot favored by true foodies."

This was pushing it a bit; were they even familiar with each other?

Feng Zi frowned slightly and said in an unhappy tone, "First of all, I just picked this noodle shop at random; there is no such thing as 'taste' involved.

"Furthermore, we are strangers. If you have a purpose, just state it directly; don't say such nauseating things."

Upon hearing this, the man awkwardly rubbed his nose and smiled, "I assume you have already heard the rumors about the tiger spirit?"

Feng Zi did not answer; he merely glanced at the man from the corner of his eye and continued eating his noodles.

The Martial Artist had no choice but to continue on his own, "I won't hide it from you, sir. I work for the young master of the Guang Family—one of the two Martial Masters in our Yuanping County.

"Our young master wants to rid the people of this scourge and eliminate the tiger disaster; he is currently looking for reliable help.

"I think, since you are a traveler, you must have extraordinary skills. Why not join our ranks? There will be a generous reward once the task is complete!"

An inexplicable person, inexplicable candor, and an inexplicable recruitment—

From the body of this Martial Artist before him, Feng Zi could only sense a "suspiciousness" that was absolutely unworthy of trust.

He had almost no hesitation as he flatly refused, saying: "I do indeed have this intention, but I have no thought of traveling with you all; please return!"