Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Finally in the City

Zhang Chen soon arrived at Shen Jie’s house without any delay. He opened the door and entered.

On the way back, he noticed that people weren’t going out to work.

Since a disaster had occurred recently, he understood why they weren’t working—but could the people of this world really afford that?

Without hesitation, he went to the kitchen and began preparing simple rice. He used his own crystalline rice and cooked more than he usually did.

Sitting at the table, he closed his eyes and waited.

Zhang Chen might have seemed asleep, but his mind remained alert the entire time. With this still ordinary body, he was already beginning to feel exhausted.

Time passed quickly, and soon the smell of rice spread through the house.

Taking a bowl, he served a generous portion and placed it on the table; then he took another bowl and set it across from his own seat.

After finishing that, he headed toward the bedroom. Seeing Shen Jie still sleeping peacefully, he let out a sigh and closed the door.

Seated at the table, he ate his rice calmly. In his eyes, deep thoughts flickered as he continued bringing food to his mouth.

Until, at some point, when he tried to serve more rice, he saw that it was already gone.

With a sigh, his gaze returned to Shen Jie’s bedroom door.

Zhang Chen then stood up and, with a simple lid, covered the remaining bowl. As he did, thoughts continued to flicker in his eyes.

With a sigh, a firm light shone in his gaze.

He then went into another room and, with a thought, summoned a change of clothes from his magic pouch.

Earlier, he hadn’t noticed it, but there were a few red stains on his white robe.

Taking it off, he replaced it with another, one with fewer patches and a brighter color in its fabric. Picking up his magic pouch, he took out a cloth string holding twelve spirit stones and tied it at his waist.

Storing the pouch back inside his chest, he was ready.

He left the room and headed for the door. Before reaching it, he said to the empty air, “I’ll be back soon…”

As those words fell, he opened the door and stepped out. At that very moment, he felt the sun strike his face, raising a hand to block the light. He saw a young man walking toward a collapsed house.

The man’s robe was black, and on his arm was an embroidery of a red sword, as if drops of blood were falling from it.

Zhang Chen quietly observed him walking and soon realized that the youth’s destination was Old Ye Jia’s house.

He continued forward, intending to go on his way, but at that moment a voice came at him.

“Where’s the body?” the young man asked, cold and authoritative.

Zhang Chen looked confused, but seeing that there was no one else around, he quickly realized the youth was speaking to him.

With furrowed brows, he didn’t reply—after all, he didn’t know.

Yet upon seeing his reaction, he could piece things together and imagine the other party’s identity.

The young man noticed he hadn’t received an answer and, with a dark expression, turned.

He had gone out to collect resources in the forest, as the gang had instructed, but upon returning, he found that scene—and now was being ignored by a mere human.

As soon as he turned, he saw the youth on the other side frowning, as if displeased.

A fire in his chest was fed more and more.

When he was about to take a step forward, a house near Ye Jia’s suddenly opened.

A middle-aged woman stepped out, her face still showing lingering fear. She looked around cautiously and saw the two young men staring at each other.

She glanced at the young man in white and recognized him, having seen him near Shen Jie’s door.

As expected, she thought. But she soon noticed something strange there.

Turning toward the youth in black, she noticed his closeness to the old man’s house and his threatening stance. An incredible suspicion crossed her mind.

“C-could it be… you’re the old Jia’s cultivator grandson, Ye Zhi?” she asked hesitantly.

The young man in black, Ye Zhi, heard the woman and turned his face. He saw that the youth in white didn’t seem to fear his status, and today wasn’t a good day to act.

Upon arriving, he had noticed several supervisors.

“Yes, that’s me…” he replied, turning toward the woman. Then he continued, “My grandfather—where is he?”

The woman, upon receiving confirmation, lowered her head respectfully. Hearing the question, she answered with great speed.

“Answering the noble cultivator. When the rooster crowed, in the early watches of the night, they surged upward, bringing destruction. Though only a few houses in this corner were ruined, your grandfather’s was among the unlucky ones. Had the noble cultivator been here, none of this would have happened. We are but ordinary humans, powerless before those beasts. As for your grandfather, his body was collected by the supervisors…”

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Her reply was long and bitter, as though releasing the fear of that moment, which still haunted her dreams.

Zhang Chen had not yet left when he heard the woman’s lament. Clenching his fists, he continued on his way.

Ye Zhi, hearing her answer, looked far from satisfied. He turned to glance at the youth leaving, his expression growing even darker. He asked again, “Who is he?”

The middle-aged woman noticed this and realized the two might have had a disagreement, so she replied cautiously, “Noble cultivator, his name is Zhang Chen. He became a cultivator a few days before the beasts attack.”

Upon hearing this, his expression shifted slightly, but he remained calm.

He then looked at the house Zhang Chen had exited and afterward turned his gaze to his grandfather’s home.

"Your reward," he said, tossing a spirit stone toward the woman.

"Thank you, noble cultivator! Thank you!" The woman nearly dropped to her knees as she clutched the stone as if it were a treasure. In that moment, the terror of the incident was greatly eased.

Noticing the commotion, other households opened their doors to see what was happening, but without exception, most still had fear etched on their faces.

Ye Zhi paid no further attention to the common folk and walked toward the center of the housing junction.

The attack on the junction had not changed the course of nature: birds still flew, and the road remained intact.

Within the junction, everything seemed still, but once stepping onto the road, one could see many people climbing and descending along the wide, long path.

Zhang Chen now followed a road unfamiliar to him. Instead of descending, today he climbed toward the enormous city atop the peak.

As he ascended, he finally saw the end of the houses, and farther up, he noticed the growing traffic of people.

He saw fields scattered about and people carefully tending them.

In one of the many fields, he spotted an elder raise his hand, and within a few breaths, a small cloud formed, sprinkling rain over the crops.

"Cultivators tend to the fields…" Zhang Chen murmured as he observed the old man.

Snapping out of his stupor, he continued on his path and, at that moment, understood why common folk never climbed higher.

It was not merely the difficulty of entering the city; even though a road existed, the wind there was incredibly strong. Even he found it somewhat difficult to advance.

Setting aside his complaints, he pressed upward with determination.

The farther he went, the clearer the enormity of the wall became. From time to time, he glimpsed faint lights shimmering—not only across the walls but all around the surroundings.

The mountain rose to about three thousand meters, which might not sound like much.

The housing junction was at one thousand meters, meaning he needed to climb exactly two thousand more.

The climb seemed almost simple and short, especially in this world, yet the wind whipping through his hair proved it would be anything but easy.

Less than a thousand meters from the gates, the enormous and majestic gates already came into view, with a long line extending from them.

Drawing closer, he noticed the true size of that line. At this moment, many of his assumptions were shattered.

From what he had heard, he imagined not many people entered the city, but this queue was more than enough proof otherwise.

His presence earned no second glance; the faint energy he gave off and his clothing made it clear he was from the housing junction, someone who had just broken through and still knew little of how the world worked.

Zhang Chen waited honestly at the back of the line, carefully watching how things proceeded.

It should be noted that he was not the only one who had just broken through and come to the city, though most left disheartened.

While waiting, he looked around, and the more he observed, the more impressed he became.

In his past life, he had always been intelligent, and studying ancient history was something he enjoyed.

Seeing the walls so closely fascinated him. Nearly seven meters high, he could hardly glimpse their top.

At the front of the line, a gate—more like a tunnel—stood silent and oppressive.

He could see the iron grates that could drop at any moment. From their gleaming hue, he understood it was no ordinary iron.

The walls shone a pure white, with little ornamentation, paired seamlessly with the gate.

The only more prominent features were towers rising even higher than the walls themselves.

The line advanced, and little by little, he could make out the words of the two guards before the gate.

"One spirit stone to enter; five if you don’t have a seal of stay."

The guard’s voice grew clearer as Zhang Chen approached.

The tone was firm and simple, as if he had repeated it countless times.

After nearly the time it took for two sticks of incense to burn, it was finally Zhang Chen’s turn.

Before the guard, Zhang Chen felt immense pressure crash down upon him.

This presence came not only from the small guard but also from the towering walls around him.

It was as if what he was seeing was not merely a wall but a slumbering giant.

In the guard, he sensed a level of energy similar to Supervisor Lin’s, though weaker.

With little time to be impressed, the guard’s calm voice reached his ears.

"One stone to stay in the city for a day; five if you don’t have a seal of stay."

"If you don’t mind, could you tell me what the seal of stay is?" Zhang Chen asked, clasping his hands in respect.

The guard, who had been speaking with his head lowered, lifted his gaze. Upon seeing Zhang Chen’s clothing, he quickly lost interest and answered indifferently:

"The seal of stay is proof that you’ve paid to remain in the city for the day. If its glow fades, it means your pass has expired. If you lose it, you’ll have to buy another seal. The stone you pay for only covers today. If the guards catch you with a deactivated seal… well, what’s your choice?"

Zhang Chen wished to ask more, but upon seeing the guard’s disinterest, he drew five spirit stones from the cloth at his waist and handed them over.

The guard took the stones and noticed the meager number still left in Zhang Chen’s pouch.

He had seen many in this situation before. After breaking through, many cultivators did not head straight for the city but instead stockpiled resources.

However, such savings rarely made much difference.

In the city, without a source of income, one could not remain.

Soon, Zhang Chen received a small round object. It was completely white, with a few carvings. At the center of the circle, a faintly glowing red flower shone.

Its shape allowed him to either carry it at his waist or keep it close to his chest.

“Next!”

The guard’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and Zhang Chen, staring at the seal, felt as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Leaving that thought behind, he stepped through the gate. Inside, he could see everything clearly.

The stone walls held small lanterns that swayed gently in the wind.

It resembled a tunnel. The passage wasn’t long, and he could already see the brightness on the other side.

Voices echoed along the passage. He still couldn’t see the city, but from the sound alone, he could tell how lively and prosperous the place was.

Each step brought him closer to the light, heightening his anticipation.

Since arriving in this world, he had heard many people speak about the desire to live in the city; even the elders placed all their hopes on the younger generation.

When he finally reached the end of the passage, he could at last satisfy his curiosity.

A road four or five times wider than the one outside stretched as far as the eye could see, made of a smooth material, as if carved from jade.

The wide road was filled with people, and he could occasionally see caravans drawn by massive beasts resembling oxen passing by.

Shops rose on both sides of the street, while smaller stalls were scattered in between.

Some simply spread a cloth on the ground to display their goods.

Large trees and plants, their colors bright and vibrant, were scattered about, adding a layer of mystery to the city.

Further ahead, Zhang Chen even spotted a crystalline fountain from which strong spiritual energy emanated.

The long avenue stretched straight ahead, with smaller ones branching off from it, leading toward less important places.

Just from the prosperity of the area, Zhang Chen could understand how fiercely contested living here must be.

As he observed the cultivators on the ground, shouting at the top of their lungs to attract attention, he froze with a strange expression—it was nothing like what he had imagined…

“Noble cultivator, do you need a servant to guide you?”

Lost in his thoughts, Zhang Chen heard a low voice coming from a child at his side.

When he looked, he saw several others who had also wanted to approach, but they felt powerless for having been a step too late.

“A guide?”