Free Web NovelChapter 570: Chapter 570: Hekou Bazaar
The river, originating from the snowy mountains, surged forward, flowing through the varied altitudes between the hills.
And where the river took a bend, numerous stone houses, earth huts, and straw fences were densely constructed, along with simple wooden buildings and messy tents.
Horse neighing and cattle bellowing, the cacophony of voices—all appeared chaotic, without order but full of wilderness vitality.
A trade route running from east to west cut through this chaotic land.
This is He Kou Ji!
He Kou Ji does not belong to any power; it neither falls within Daqian’s territory nor is governed by any Western Regions tribe, yet it has survived like wild grass.
And has grown quite prosperous!
Leading an old horse, Zhang Yuan stepped into He Kou Ji.
He wore a gray robe, carried a dust-covered bag, and donned a plain, middle-aged, sallow face.
Amidst the bustling crowd, he was like a drop of water merging into a river.
Almost entirely unnoticeable.
Yet the war blade at his waist, coupled with his strong physique and the aura of a Tier Three Martial Artist, rendered him no mere prey.
The likes of Zhang Yuan’s current demeanor were common among the Wandering Heroes of He Kou Ji!
He observed the environment here inconspicuously.
He Kou Ji had no tall buildings or grand houses, not even walls existed; most of the constructions here were single-story, mixed with a few two-story wooden buildings, the ground pitted and uneven, seeming backward and poverty-stricken.
Tough warriors, portly merchants, bearded Western travelers, ragged beggars, veiled women...
A myriad of characters composed the unique scenery here.
On both sides of the road were some inns, taverns, and shops, with people coming and going, business seemed rather good.
Many carriages and carts were parked nearby.
In fact, not all travelers coming here were from the West Plain or heading there.
Outside He Kou Ji were paths leading north and south.
This made it a commercial and transportation hub, creating its current prosperity.
Perhaps Zhang Yuan’s act of looking around made others realize it was his first time here, and thus sparked their interest.
Zhang Yuan was about to find a place to rest when suddenly a passerby staggered towards him.
SLAP!
Accompanied by a crisp and loud slap, before the passerby even touched Zhang Yuan, he was sent flying by a single slap.
Before the unlucky fellow hit the ground, several bloodied teeth were spat from his mouth!
The sudden occurrence instantly aroused vigilance and alertness among the crowd.
They all backed away from Zhang Yuan and the fallen passerby to avoid getting involved.
"Someone’s hitting people!"
The guy with the knocked-out teeth realized what happened and started bawling loudly, "Come quickly! Someone’s committing an assault in broad daylight!"
Yet none of the bystanders stepped up for justice; instead, they showed mocking and disdainful looks.
Because this fellow clearly seemed like a long-time hooligan of He Kou Ji, who obviously intended to extort outsiders but unfortunately encountered a tough opponent, learning a harsh lesson.
Unless one’s brain was kicked by a mule, no one would stand up for him!
But soon, three to five powerful warriors forcefully separated the crowd and helped the hooligan up.
"Big brother!"
The hooligan looked as though he’d found a lifeline, hurriedly pointing at Zhang Yuan and crying, "It’s this guy who suddenly hit me for no reason and knocked out my teeth!"
Missing two front teeth, his words leaked air, sounding utterly heartrending to listeners.
Yet as the target of his complaint, the burly bald man became enraged, immediately striding towards Zhang Yuan while swearing, "You bastard! How dare you bully my brother!"
The bald man exuded a fierce aura with protruding facial muscles, his neck almost as thick as his head, clearly practicing a Horizontal Cultivation Technique.
As he approached Zhang Yuan, he suddenly swung his right palm at Zhang Yuan’s head.
This palm carried at least a thousand pounds of Power, fast and ruthless, full of malice!
POOF!
The next moment, a massive head flew skyward.
On the bustling long street, it was as if someone hit the pause button; everyone surrounding was left jaw-dropped, plunged into dead silence.
PATTER!
The burly man’s head fell to the ground, stuck with dirt, rolling several steps away.
Facing upwards, it remained with eyes wide open, refusing to close in death.
Zhang Yuan shook his head, unhurriedly sheathing his blade.
He sighed quietly.
Zhang Yuan clearly underestimated He Kou Ji’s level of chaos, believing his elaborate disguise was safe enough.
But unexpectedly, being new-faced invited trouble.
He realized that suppressing his cultivation level to Tier Three was a mistake.
Thus Zhang Yuan slightly loosened control over his aura, elevating his cultivation to Tier Four.
"Run!"
Only then did the crowd snap out of their daze; the hooligan turned and fled, instantly disappearing into the throng.
The bald man’s brothers reacted with even greater panic, crying and scattering frantically.
Sparking a not-so-small chaos in the marketplace.
Zhang Yuan ignored these trash, continued leading his mount forward.
BAM!
Someone unknowingly kicked the head of the burly man, sending it tumbling into a nearby gutter.
A stray dog swiftly dashed over, grabbed and ran off, splashing through filthy water.
The body left on the road was quickly dragged into a nearby alley by a few ragged figures.
They were all extremely excited, their eyes glinting, hands groping around the corpse eagerly.
Yet before finding anything, others barged into the alley.
Next came sounds of cursing, pleading, and beatings.
In the blink of an eye, He Kou Ji returned to its usual state.
Aside from traces of blood remaining on the ground, it was as if nothing had happened, those within nearby shops turned a blind eye.
And even those traces were rapidly trampled over, disappearing in a moment.
"Hero!"
Zhang Yuan had barely walked thirty steps when a teenager suddenly dashed over, kneeling in front of him.
Zhang Yuan frowned, halting.
The teenage boy, in torn clothes, strongly kowtowed three times, then lifted his blood-seeping forehead, pitifully pleading, "Please, take me as your disciple; I will definitely serve you well, hero!"
Zhang Yuan was speechless.
"Hero!"
The boy kneeled further, pleading again, attempting to clasp Zhang Yuan’s leg.
But with a swift hit to his chest, the boy was sent flying backward.
He crashed heavily against the outer wall of a dirt house behind him.
Letting out a painful groan.
Zhang Yuan retracted his kicked-out right leg, then reached into his bosom, pulled out several fragments of silver and tossed them over.
