Outside Tongguan Town, the sky was already bright.
Plumes of smoke from cooking fires rose from within the town.
Among a group of emaciated, stooped villagers,
a young man in coarse hemp clothes, with a tall and upright figure, stood out prominently.
Especially the object wrapped in coarse cloth on his back, which was clearly a broad and hefty saber.
This situation made the people on the muddy roads give him a wide berth.
Strongmen from the Green Forest always rely on their martial arts prowess, killing people like cutting grass and doing as they please.
If ordinary people are not careful, they become the spirits of the dead under these men's blades, so they all try to avoid these people as much as possible.
This young man was clearly regarded by the surrounding people as a strongman from Green Forest.
Qin Zheng's gaze swept over this crude town, his expression slightly grave.
After traveling through time, in order to survive, he had act hastily and had not yet fully understood the situation of this world.
In Black Goose City, whether it was the building facilities or the spirit of the villagers, nothing was lower than Qin Zheng's expectation.
But having arrived in Tongguan Town and seeing the muddy roads, the stooped and emaciated villagers, the shabby and dilapidated houses,
he began to doubt whether he had come to the wrong place for a moment.
Could such a place even be called a town?
Moreover, it was just ten miles away from Black Goose City.
The difference within just ten miles was so vast!
It seemed the situation in this world was even worse than he had imagined!
Thinking this, Qin Zheng felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
He didn't have the ability to save everyone, and in these indescribable times, being able to preserve oneself was already the best possible outcome.
Feeling the roaring mighty strength surging under this lean body, Qin Zheng felt somewhat reassured.
Before long, he had walked through the entirety of Tongguan Town, and nothing unusual had happened.
Coming to a stall, he ordered two meat pies, and Qin Zheng asked the stall owner, "Has there been any stranger coming and going in Tongguan Town recently?"
The stall owner was an old man with graying temples. After hearing Qin Zheng's question, he furrowed his brows, thought for a bit, and spoke, "Tongguan Town is a poor place, very few strangers come here."
"Actually, you're the first stranger I have seen entering Tongguan Town in over a month."
Qin Zheng nodded, understanding in his heart that Shi Dian, escaping from his pursuers, naturally wouldn't appear openly before the villagers.
Either he had disguised himself and silently integrated into Tongguan Town.
Or he hadn't hidden in Tongguan Town but had instead fled into the deep forests and mountains nearby.
With this in mind, Qin Zheng nodded again and then scanned the surroundings as he spoke, "Old man, has Tongguan Town always been like this?"
This place really didn't seem like a town, and the spirit of the people here was extremely low, profoundly different from the villagers in Black Goose City.
Hearing this, the stall owner glanced around slightly before letting out a deep sigh and saying, "Not at all."
"From your accent, you must also be from around here. Since you don't know the situation, it seems likely that you are a noble from inside Black Goose City."
"Actually, it's not only Tongguan Town; the four towns and thirteen villages near Black Goose City are all in this poor and dilapidated state."
Upon hearing this, Qin Zheng's eyes slightly narrowed.
He then heard the stall owner continue, "Ten years ago, although Tongguan Town was not wealthy, it wasn't as poor as it is now."
"All of this is because a gang of fierce bandits came from the mountains. The towns and villages near Black Goose City have to pay tribute to them every year, thousands of silver pieces per year!"
"It has been like this every year. If we do not pay, the bandits come down from the mountains to burn, kill, and loot until they are satisfied before they leave."
"You say, if we pay, we can live in peace, but if we don't, we can't even keep the money, let alone our lives."
Over the past decade, Tongguan Town has become like this, and I imagine the other villages are the same."
At this point, the stall owner sighed deeply, his figure seeming even more stooped.
"These bandits act like this, and the government office doesn't care?"
Qin Zheng frowned and then spoke up.
Leaving them be like this, with public resentment building, there would inevitably be a day of eruption.
When that time came, it wouldn't just be a simple matter of eliminating bandits to suppress the issue.
The stall owner shook his head and then continued, "They've come before, but to no avail. These mountains are too vast, and the constables can't find them."
"Moreover, every time the government officials come, we have to pay a fee upfront; and then once they leave with nothing accomplished, the ruthless bandits know we've reported to the officials and will come down to terrorize us again."
"After a few such instances, we gave up the struggle and just endured it silently."
From the tone of the stall owner, Qin Zheng perceived a sense of helplessness and despair.
He couldn't do anything either and could only fall silent.
The citizens inside Black Goose City were able to live better than those outside because the city had a large population and was not without martial arts experts.
Next to Black Goose City was a garrison of the imperial troops, whom even the most daring and wild bandits wouldn't dare to provoke by causing trouble in the city.
But the villages around Black Goose City had unspeakable hardships, merely suffering passively.
In this world, the unarmed commoners are the most exploited and also the most suffering class.
Qin Zheng took out two wen coins from his pocket, handed them to the old stall owner, thanked him, and turned to leave.
"Ah, right, sir!"
Just then, the old stall owner seemed to remember something and quickly called out to Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng turned around, only to hear the old man say, "Since a few days ago, there's been a ruffian coming here to buy meat pies."
"He always buys a lot, seems like he isn't short on money, a bit odd."
"If you're looking for someone, you might want to check him out; you could find something."
"He's at... ah, here he comes!"
As the old man finished speaking, Qin Zheng saw a sloppy ruffian walking past him and up to the old stall owner.
"Hey, old man, pack up fifty meat pies for me, and make it quick. I've got things to do later."
The ruffian casually grabbed a pie from the stall and stuffed it into his mouth, taking big bites.
At the same time, he took out a piece of silver from his breast and threw it onto the butcher block in front of the old man.
Qin Zheng watched the ruffian and took a few steps forward, lightly tapping the man.
"What is it?"
The ruffian turned around to see Qin Zheng, his eyes showing a hint of wariness.
Then, looking past Qin Zheng at the large object wrapped in coarse cloth behind him, his eyes darted, and he turned to run.
Qin Zheng's eyes narrowed, and he immediately chased after him, then with a gentle palm-strike, he knocked the man to the ground.
"Tell me, where do you take the meat pies every day?"
Qin Zheng asked.
The ruffian trembled and hurriedly said, "To a broken temple three miles east of the town, please don't kill me, sir, I've done no harm..."
To the broken temple three miles east of town...
Qin Zheng withdrew his gaze from the pleading ruffian.