Even though the town's entrance was close by, Tang Peng's whole body was riddled with injuries, both from the explosion and the crash. He covered it up by wearing the purple robe that the old man had left behind. The previous robe that he had been wearing was destroyed by the forced expansion of the Hatred Form.
The Hatred Form was not his real body, but a meat shield that he could control. As a result, the Hatred Form's outer shell had shielded him as he had dropped from the sky, otherwise, he would have turned into a meat puddle. The Hatred Form has been on the verge of disintegrating, and when it finally reached the ground, it turned back into dust. Tang Peng had been left naked as a result.
"I should try and walk to try and pass off as a normal civilian." Tang Peng knew that if he crawled on the ground, he might as well be screaming, "Look at me! Look at me!" He just wanted to be a normal civilian for now, as he accumulated his strength to protect himself against the threats of the cultivation world.
Tang Peng slowly stood up, and started limping towards the entrance of the town. The entrance was a gate, which was guarded by several guards. On top of the gate was a plate saying, "Welcome to Wei Town!" The guards were wearing leather armour, along with swords that were laid across their waist. As soon as they saw Tang Peng, they brandished their swords.
"I don't recognise you. Name, occupation, purpose of visit?" One of the guards questioned Tang Peng. Tang Peng tried to answer, but the pain made his legs wobble, so he fell onto the guard's feet. The guard looked at Tang Peng with disdain, before kicking him in the chest.
"Say it, or get lost! I don't have time for a joker around here!" Tang Peng, who was lying on his back, was lifted by the edge of his robe's collar. Now that Tang Peng was staring at the man, he did not look like a proper soldier. He had yellow teeth and greasy hair, which were not the bearings of a soldier of empires.
"Sorry sir! I just came from another village! I'm buying some supplies for my family!" Tang Peng immediately replied on the spot. The guards had used the universal Yang language, so he managed to understand them. He had bought groceries for his family from other villages before, and instinctively knew how to reply.
"Hmmm..." The guard pinched Tang Peng's cheeks, which made him slightly indignant. He then patted down Tang Peng's body. "He's fine! Just another kid wandering around! Probably took too much Dorian beer!" The guard shouted to his comrades, who then laughed, before withdrawing their swords.
"Told you! Those bandits would never let this scrawny kid in!" One guard looked gloomy as he handed a few bronze coins to another guard. Tang Peng recognised the bronze coins. It was Qin currency. Now that the guards were not obstructing him, he went inside the town.
"I just thought that he could have been a scout, you know? I heard that they have a devious leader." The gloomy guard complained to the other guards, who simply replied, "You always lose in gambling, Hei Qi. You should just give up your habit by now."
"I don't know. I just have this bad feeling that this kid is going to bring calamities to our town." Hei Qi looked behind his back worriedly, looking at Tang Peng who was heading into the town. He could feel an unlucky aura hanging over him.
***
"First, let's get a job. Since I can't cultivate for now, I will have to eat food to heal my wounds." Tang Peng made up his mind on the spot. He needed lodging, Qin currency, and most importantly, a private place to himself. Where could he find a job like that? As he entered the town, he noticed the various shops around.
These shops had long lines of people that streamed in and out of them. In front of these shops, there were stands that were set up. The people queueing in front of the shops wore silk clothing, while those that were buying from the stands wore normal cloth clothes.
"These shops... I don't think they would hire me. My only choice are the stands. Or perhaps I could start one off myself?" Tang Peng started to wonder. He did not have any special goods on hand to sell, so he ultimately decided to seek employments from the stands.
"Selling peaches! One peach for only 2 Qin bronze! My peaches are of the best quality!" The nearest stand owner to Tang Peng was selling peaches. They looked ripe and juicy, but Tang Peng swallowed the saliva in his mouth, and walked up to the stand owner. He was a plump man wearing a shirt, and was selling peaches directly from the cart.
"Would you like to buy some peaches? One for 2 Qin bronze, 10 for 18 Qin bronze! I promise you, it's very worth it!" The peach stand seller continued to hawk his goods to Tang Peng.
"Sir, would you to hire me? I can be a farm labourer. I'm very experienced at it." Tang Peng offered himself up as a worker. The peach stand owner was initially surprised, but then a devious smile appeared on his face.
"Really? How much can you work for? I was looking for a labourer to work for me too." The peach store owner's grin grew wider, as Tang Peng said, "Anything will do. I just need a salary, and my basic needs taken care of."
"Let me do the sums. Hmm... what about a basic salary of 20 Qin bronze a month? You will work for me for a year, and I will provide a place to stay with some food. Yes... I think that will do. Do we have a deal?" The peach stall owner extended his hand out to Tang Peng.
Even though Tang Peng knew that the peach stall owner was suspicious, the chances of him getting hired by others were unlikely. As such, he shook the peach stall owner's fat hand readily.
"Deal! We will go to the public offices to make a contract now!" The peach stall owner rubbed his hand gleefully, as if he had achieved something important.