Chapter 387: Life of the Masses Outside the City

The towering Fucheng stood right before their eyes.

Zhou You's avatar had been here more than once, but this was the first time his true body had arrived.

Just by hearing the surprised reactions of the people around him, one could tell what a massive impact the scale and magnitude of Fucheng had on them.

Compared to Gongliang City, Fucheng was simply a creation that should not exist in the human world.

The theory of the Earth Sect building cities has existed since ancient times; it is worth explaining here again.

Only those with the strength of the Earth Sect are qualified to build a city, but not all cities in the world were built by the Earth Sect.

Occasionally there are exceptions; some special existences were so obsessed with martial arts breakthroughs when they were promoted to the Earth Sect that they did not fulfill their obligations, and only built a city when they were promoted to the Heaven Sect and could no longer shirk the responsibility.

Cities built by the Heaven Sect are naturally taller and more magnificent than the works of the Earth Sect.

That's right, Fucheng is one of only three cities in Beixuan Zhou built by the Heaven Sect.

Legend has it that there is also a city built by the Martial Saint himself, which is Dijing, the hub of the world and the core of all directions.

Fucheng is not what it used to be; around the city walls, many shacks, tents, and other temporary dwellings have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain.

There are also high platforms piled up from dirt, where the whistling winds of fists and kicks pass by from time to time; these are martial artists clashing and fighting.

The bustling crowds and the chaotic, messy environment made the originally spacious streets crowded and disheveled.

Some people even darted from the roadside in front of the caravan, raising their arms, "Give us something to eat, dry rations or raw rice will do."

Soon, someone pulled away the people begging for food, and the caravan was able to pass through smoothly.

The women in the carriages did not show their faces, hiding behind the carriage bodies and cloth curtains, while the men clenched their fists, guarding against any movement in the surroundings.

From Zhou Family Village to Fucheng, the journey was full of twists and turns; the caravan lost more than half of its livestock, but fortunately, the people were fine.

Before setting off, Zhou You specifically instructed to carry over a hundred extra empty crates; others thought they were filled with supplies and materials, but only he knew that the supplies were in the Hunger Pouch, and the crates were empty.

These empty crates were used to deceive people; everyone was fooled, thinking that food and supplies were packed inside.

When they encountered malicious bandits on the road, they all targeted the wooden crates and ignored the more vulnerable women.

Therefore, before reaching Fucheng, the caravan lost a large number of wooden crates and even had livestock injured and left behind, yet they arrived safely.

And so, upon reaching the gate of Fucheng, many people saw the caravan's extensive luggage and the countless wooden crates that seemed to be filled with supplies, feeling both envious and jealous.

Once war breaks out, the speed at which cities absorb the population far exceeds that of peaceful times; when there are many people, prices skyrocket, especially for food.

With fewer people farming, food has become much more precious.

People cannot go long without eating food, but food can be stored for a very long time, leading to an extremely unbalanced supply and demand relationship.

If ordinary people have no fat or oil to supplement their diet, they must eat at least a few catties of grain a day to maintain their daily consumption.

For those who practice martial arts, their strength and Qi and blood are the biggest consumers; their appetite is often several times or even dozens of times that of ordinary people, and they not only need to eat grain but also meat and alcohol, consuming high-calorie foods.

"Is this friend coming from the direction of Gongliang City?"

As the caravan moved forward, someone asked while walking, not stopping until they got an answer.

Zuo Shier gripped his whip to drive the horses and answered flawlessly, "Gongliang City fell long ago; who could escape from there? We are just country folk from nearby."

Looking at these men and women, neat and well-fed, they didn't look like country folk at all! The person who asked pleaded again, "Do you have any spare food? Share some with me; we won't take it for free, we'll buy it with real gold and silver."

As soon as these words were spoken, the people in the background all pricked up their ears in unison.

It was conceivable that once Zuo Shier gave an affirmative answer, people would swarm forward and use various means to extort food from the caravan.

"No, we have been hungry for a while before arriving here, and we are still waiting to enter the city to buy some food."

Zuo Shier flicked his whip, and with his Qi and blood infused, the air exploded with a blast of air the size of a bowl. Seeing that he was not to be trifled with, the questioner immediately stopped and dared not pester them any longer.

Because the caravan did not only have Zuo Shier, but also Tie Niu, Liu Bing, Zhou Sheng, and other Qi and blood martial artists, with solid bodies and healthy complexions, they clearly looked well-fed and clothed.

Looking at the people around them, everyone looked famished; even as Qi and blood martial artists, one person from the caravan could take on ten of them.

Not to mention there was also Zhou You.

There were also martial masters nearby, but they were all embarrassed wretches with weak legs from hunger, far from being a match for a Primary Martial Master in peak condition.

"Everyone, please make way, we need to enter the city."

Zuo Shier cracked his horse whip, and the air exploded with a sound that was heart-wrenching to hear.

This was also a silent warning; if anyone was ignorant enough to block the road, the whip would tear their skin and flesh to shreds and shatter their bones on the spot.

Suddenly, a figure flashed by and blocked the front of the horse's head.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Although the person was fast, they gasped for breath when they stopped, appearing unable to keep going.

"I am Yu Chengcan, a martial master of the True Martial Fist; friend in the carriage, I would like to borrow some food from you."

Zuo Shier glanced at Zhou You and said directly, "I already said we don't have any; stop pestering us."

Yu Chengcan's cheeks were sunken, his complexion gray, and his footing unsteady; he was clearly starving, his Qi and blood less than two or three tenths of normal, and even his muscles and bone marrow were mostly withered.

If he were in a normal state, Zuo Shier would never dare to offend him, but now...

"Friend, it is natural that those nameless people have no food to lend, but I, Yu Chengcan, am a martial master; think again before you answer."

A martial master, so what if he is a martial master?

Zhou You shook his head, "There isn't a single grain of extra food."

He had plenty of food on him, but it was all for his own people; no matter how miserable outsiders were, they were not worth him using his own reserves.

Yu Chengcan took a deep breath, "Friend, I won't borrow your food for free; I will return it to you tenfold, no, a hundredfold in the future."

"No need, I don't do food business."

Seeing Zhou You so decisive, a ferocity appeared in Yu Chengcan's eyes, and he nodded, "You just wait!"

He turned and took a step, crossing his feet to leap dozens of meters away, a flush appearing on his face.

His target was the road the caravan had just passed! Zhou You looked at his back and shook his head; to force the use of martial master-level strength at the cost of consuming flesh and blood to refine Qi and blood, why suffer so much! Under normal circumstances, as long as one does not consume Qi and blood, the foundation of a martial body can support hunger for longer than an ordinary person.

"Thump!"

A moment later, a bloody, mangled corpse folded in half was thrown to the ground.

Yu Chengcan returned after leaving, pointed at the corpse, and said, "This is the person who asked about food just now. This man had impure motives; he was keeping watch at the gate for gangs in the city, and would tip them off whenever he encountered a target."

"I killed him to show my sincerity. I know you have concerns and are afraid that the food will attract trouble. You lend me the food, and I will resolve the trouble for you."

Interesting! Yu Chengcan's cheeks were like fire, a flush so intense it was almost pathological. His belly was empty, and driving his Qi and blood by force came at the cost of consuming his own flesh and blood, equivalent to overdrawing his life.

If he still had nothing to eat, he would certainly fall gravely ill afterward, with his survival uncertain.

Thud! The grain bag landed on the ground, standing as tall as a person, emitting the alluring aroma of rice, flour, and dried meat.

Yu Chengcan looked greedily at the food in the bag and suddenly raised his head, but he only saw the back of the caravan disappearing at the city gate.

The gazes all around became even more scorching and filled with Hunger! (End of chapter)