Chapter 79: Yin-Yang Weirdo

"Finally, we're almost there!"

"Yeah, this journey has exhausted me; I can barely lift my arms."

"This Zhou Family Fort is huge! I heard two or three thousand people live inside?"

"What does that have to do with us? Let's just trade our goods and leave quickly."

"That's true."

The group spoke one after another; their tones were filled with excitement, envy, amazement, and some with indifference.

"Everyone stay alert, and whatever you do, don't let those people get close." Lu Guohao turned around and instructed with a grave expression.

Soon, Lu Yu saw the people his father had mentioned.

Starting from two or three hundred meters away from the gates of Zhou Family Fort, many people were lying on the ground in disarray; they were skin and bones, dressed in rags, and a pungent stench could be smelled from far away.

Seeing Lu Yu's group approach, these people sat up from the grass one after another, staring straight at the prey the group was carrying, their mouths watering.

"Please, give us something to eat."

"Kind sir, have mercy, I haven't eaten in three days."

"Big brothers, just give me a bite to eat, I'll do anything."

The pleas rose and fell, ringing incessantly in their ears.

Lu Yu's heart gave a sharp tug; it was his first time seeing such a scene, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

But in an instant, he hardened his heart; as he was now, he was already doing his best just to keep everyone in the Zhai alive.

Some people nearby gathered the courage to try and approach, but were forced back by those in the group holding long spears.

The further they went, the more such wanderers there were; some didn't even have a single piece of clothing on their bodies, just lying stiffly on the ground, motionless.

Others were kneeling on the ground, kowtowing incessantly; still others exchanged glances, seemingly plotting something, and the crowd gradually became restless.

"Stay put!"

"Don't move around, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

The group shouted angrily one after another. To be honest, they were already used to such scenes on the road, but this was the first time they had encountered a situation like this.

If they didn't handle it well, they might all end up stuck here today.

Lu Yu also gripped the long spear in his hand tightly, fully focused and ready for battle.

He secretly felt fortunate that he had listened to Wang Shu's advice and practiced his spear techniques diligently.

Perhaps sensing that this group was not easy to deal with, the crowd's restlessness slowly subsided, and the pleas gradually grew quieter.

"Phew, finally, no harm done." Sun Gang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with lingering fear.

"Yeah, if our momentum had been any weaker just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"We'll have to go through it again when we leave later, but they probably won't dare to target us again." Everyone discussed it, one sentence after another.

At this time, they were less than one hundred meters from Zhou Family Fort, and the surroundings were noticeably much cleaner.

Occasionally, people came from other directions; some had their faces covered, some did not, but without exception, they were all very quiet.

Lu Yu kept an eye on his surroundings and noticed that at least a dozen gazes had swept over them one after another.

Sometimes when their eyes met, those people would immediately look away, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"There might be eyes and ears of that gang of bandits in here, but don't be in a hurry; let's finish our business first." Lu Yu withdrew his gaze and began to size up the magnificent Zhai before him.

The wall, built of bluestone, was a full four or five meters high, extending to both sides with a circumference of about two kilometers. There were many people standing on the city wall, all fully armed.

"That is..." Lu Yu's pupils shrank suddenly; he saw that at the gatehouse, several pitch-black cannon muzzles were pointed directly at them, making one shudder at the sight.

"This must be the artillery Qin Ze mentioned before that repelled an Advanced Fierce Beast." Lu Yu swallowed a mouthful of saliva and shifted his gaze downward.

There were three gates under the city wall, one large and two small, with fully armed guards standing at each entrance.

There were many people at the small gate on the left, forming a long line; people were carrying prey in their hands or on their shoulders, clearly just like Lu Yu and his group, here to trade for supplies.

The gate on the right seemed to be an exit; when people left, they handed over a small slip of paper and were allowed to pass.

The large gate in the middle was as wide as three vehicles; occasionally vehicles entered or exited, but most of the time it was empty.

In fact, there were several vehicles parked outside the city wall, and the large truck from Li Family Zhai was among them.

From this, it was clear that this large gate was reserved for people with status and standing; having a vehicle was not enough to pass through.

"Let's go line up too; keep quiet, those soldiers guarding the city really dare to open fire." As Lu Guohao said this, he specifically looked at Lu Yu; he was the only one in the group who had never been here before.

The group lined up at the end of the queue and waited patiently. From the front, conversations like this could be heard from time to time:

"How many people?"

"Fifteen."

"Entry fee, fifteen units, or an equivalent amount of Fierce Beast Meat. Take the slip and leave the city before five in the afternoon, otherwise, bear the consequences yourself, and also, don't cause trouble."

"Yes, yes, thank you, big brother."

The group walked into the city one by one. Immediately after, similar conversations rang out again.

"It seems you have to pay an entry fee to enter the city, and you must leave before dark." Lu Yu pondered to himself; it looked like they would probably check everyone's identity after dark to prevent people from sneaking into the city.

In all likelihood, the people living here had something like an ID card, while they, as outsiders, did not.

However, this was truly a good way to make money; one unit per person, with hundreds of people coming every day, that would be hundreds of units in income, and that was just for one day.

Soon it was Lu Guohao and his group's turn.

Lu Guohao took out the Fierce Beast Meat that had been weighed in advance; the other party weighed it, nodded, and signaled.

The person in charge of registration handed over a stack of slips with an expressionless face and said, "Keep the slips safe, hand them back when you leave the city, get out before dark, and don't cause trouble."

"Okay, okay." Lu Guohao hurriedly took them and distributed one to each person.

Lu Yu also received his; it was a slip of paper the size of an ID card, with the three large characters "Pass" written on the top, and the date written below: November 12th.

"Next." A man's voice came from behind again.

Lu Yu followed the group into the city, and for a moment, he felt a bit dazed.

Before his eyes was a wide concrete road, with many shops on both sides of the road.

Among them, a shop purchasing Fierce Beast materials was particularly conspicuous, its area several times that of an ordinary shop.

Besides that, there were inns, restaurants, and foot massage parlors, and there were quite a few customers inside.

In some places, many people were setting up street stalls and shouting to sell their wares, as lively as a marketplace.

It was not just Lu Yu; everyone who came in together was attracted by the surrounding scene, their eyes filled with longing.

"Ahem," Lu Guohao gave a light cough, "Alright, let's go exchange our things first. That shop doesn't just purchase Fierce Beast materials, it also sells all kinds of weapons. Xiao Yu, see if there is anything you want to buy."

"Sure." Lu Yu's heart stirred; he had heard Wang Shu mention it before coming, and he could take this opportunity to go and see for himself.

Then he would go find that old man who sold Cultivation Methods, and finally go deal with that gang of fierce bandits, if they were truly at their old spot.

Just at this moment, a group of people walked toward them, and among them, someone said in a sarcastic tone: "I was wondering why the road looked a bit familiar; isn't this the Lu Family Stockade crowd? Why are you still covering yourselves up? Are you too shameful to be seen?"

In an instant, the gazes of everyone around fell in unison upon Lu Guohao and the others.