Free Web NovelChapter 203: Chapter 124: Consumables
Seeing the vast, emaciated crowds all around him, Qin Fang felt as if he had been transported back a year to his days living among the refugees.
But he quickly shook his head, casting aside the strange feeling.
He sprinted along the mountain path outside the city wall as if it were level ground. Xile followed close behind, moving just as effortlessly.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the banks of the Chujiang River.
The waters of the Chujiang River surged and roared.
At that moment, a great number of boats were on the Chujiang River, but they all kept their distance from the shore and didn’t approach. It was impossible to tell what they were doing. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
From his current position, the docks inside the city were not directly visible.
He looked up at the ramparts of the city tower hundreds of meters away. Numerous Soldiers stood there, longbows in hand, vigilantly scanning the River Surface. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Although True Martial was known as the Four Directions City, it was situated on a river. This waterway was an extremely important trade route, so a dock had been built within its walls to allow merchant ships into the city.
However, entering the city via the docks still required passing through a small gate. It was guarded year-round by Soldiers and officials who checked identification, commercial papers, and the like to prevent criminals from slipping through.
Qin Fang had come to the river, originally planning to enter the city by crossing it.
But after the frantic rush, his mind gradually cleared.
’Worry clouds judgment. I already figured that Senior Brother and Master are probably fine for now. There’s no need for me to take such a huge risk.’
’These archers are no joke. If I get in the river in broad daylight, I’ll be a sitting duck.’
’Arrows in this era are no laughing matter... The arrowheads are constantly soaked in night soil, and they’re barbed.’
’Getting hit by one of those... could be fatal in an instant!’
’My Anjin Cultivation has made my Physique incredibly tough... but I’m not about to test whether I’m truly invulnerable by taking an arrow.’
Besides, it wasn’t long until nightfall. After dark, visibility would drop. Since he could see in the dark as if it were day, his advantage would be even greater. Then, perhaps he could try to scale the city wall directly.
He looked up at the wall, making a quick calculation.
’The wall is twenty meters high at most. With my current power, a twenty-meter leap shouldn’t be too hard.’
At this thought, he took a deep breath, suppressed his impatience, and settled down to wait on the mountain path.
’This is a good spot. It’s close to the River Surface, and there aren’t many Soldiers posted here.’
’After all, the areas outside the south, east, and west walls are all on land. That’s where the massive crowds of people are gathered—the ones who were driven out after taking the Qi Blood Pills and are now in that strange state. Most of the Soldiers’ attention is focused over there.’
’The True Martial Guard is large, but there are only five thousand of them. Most are stationed near the city gates, while scouts are posted at intervals along the ramparts, practically a sentry every few steps.’
But with Qin Fang’s Cultivation, as long as he wasn’t met with a volley of arrows, he was confident he could get past them quickly, even if not completely undetected.
Once inside the city, it would be much harder for those Soldiers to find him.
’I’m not the same weakling I was before.’
Gazing at the gaunt, refugee-like crowd in the distance, Qin Fang gradually calmed the turmoil in his heart. He forced himself to be level-headed and considered his next move.
He didn’t know if his Senior Sister had sent a reply yet. If not, it likely meant the Prefecture City was in trouble too.
That would make escaping True Martial much riskier.
If that was the case... "...the only choice is to go to Old Ox Back."
Old Ox Back was remote and desolate. It had existed for so long without being found by the Mysterious Power, which meant it was likely to remain hidden.
If the situation became truly untenable and they couldn’t escape... he would take his Master, his Master’s wife, and the others to Old Ox Back to wait out the crisis!
’Of course, doing so would mean revealing the Treasure Plant, the Giant Bee, and everything else there.’
’But Master’s kindness to me is as immense as a mountain. Master’s wife treats me like her own son, and Senior Brother sees me as his own flesh and blood...’
’If they get exposed, so be it.’
’Besides... I can’t possibly use all those resources by myself anyway.’
’What’s more, for me, the true key to my survival has never been any resource, but the Proficiency Panel...’
As he mapped out his fallback plan, the sky gradually darkened. In the distance, the chaotic din grew louder.
Qin Fang glanced over instinctively... It looked like chaos and fighting had erupted.
He didn’t go to investigate, however. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the city wall.
Torches had now been lit along the ramparts.
Far from the city gates, there was only one Soldier posted every so often, and their attention was mostly drawn to the distant commotion.
Qin Fang took a deep breath and whispered to Xile, who was panting happily beside him, "Xile, find a place to hide and stay safe. I’ll come find you after I get out of the city."
Xile was no ordinary dog, but he doubted it could leap over a twenty-meter wall.
Qin Fang had no way to arrange for the dog right now. He could only let it fend for itself outside the city and figure out how to find it again when he came back out.
’Still, I’m not too worried about Xile’s safety.’
’The little guy has a knack for avoiding trouble. Besides, he’s just a dog. In all this chaos, who would bother targeting a dog?’
Xile wagged his tail, licking Qin Fang’s hand with his tongue, whether he understood or not.
After patting the dog’s head, Qin Fang hesitated no longer and sprang into action.
He found a stretch of the battlements patrolled by only two or three Soldiers and, using the darkness as cover, slowly crept closer.
There were torches on the ramparts, but as he well knew, unless they formed an unbroken chain of light, the naked eye could actually see farther into the darkness.
