170: Iron Rock City

Chen Linsheng sipped his coarse tea slowly, listening to the hushed conversations of others in the tea shed.

"Sigh, business is hard to do these days. I heard that another caravan was robbed over at 'Wild Wolf Valley' the day before yesterday. Both the people and the goods were lost..."

"Isn't that the truth? Those wolf cubs are elusive, and they only pick on soft targets. The masters of the Army Breaker Manor are certainly formidable, though. I heard they sent a squad of Black-Armored Elite Cavalry deep into the Northern Desert recently. No telling how big of a haul they got..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Can you just blab about such things? But I heard it caused quite a stir; several tribes in the north have been very tense lately..."

"What's the use of being tense? No matter how tense they are, hasn't the harassment continued? I just hope the Army Breaker Manor's army sweeps through again soon..."

Chen Linsheng listened silently, noting two pieces of information: "frequent activity of the Northern Desert Wolf Clan" and "Army Breaker Manor elite squad deep in the Northern Desert." The former concerned his own safety, while the latter... perhaps had some connection to the crimson flame great peng feather in his hand and the newly emerged ruins.

After finishing his tea, he paid two copper coins. Chen Linsheng stood up and led his Date-Red Horse toward the exit on the other side of the pass.

The gate guards inspected his stamped passage permit and pushed open the heavy wooden gates.

"Creak—"

As the gates opened, an even more violent and desolate northern wind rushed at him, whipping up yellow sand that made it nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Chen Linsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, tightened the coarse cloth covering his face, and stepped out.

Behind him was the relatively stable interior pass where order still remained.

Before him, the world suddenly opened up, yet also seemed to abruptly tighten.

The vast, boundless wilderness stretched infinitely northward until it merged with the low-hanging, leaden-gray sky.

The distant mountains were like dark ink, their outlines cold and hard.

That towering "Iron Wall Great Wall" meandered along the distant mountain ridge to the left, like the exposed spine of the earth, silent and indestructible.

To the right were even more desolate, undulating Gobi deserts and hills.

The wind wailed as it swept across the empty plains, carrying the unique chill and metallic scent of the frontier that seemed capable of freezing the Soul.

Looking as far as the eye could see, there was almost no sign of human presence, only a few scattered, tenacious clumps of brambles shivering in the wind.

An aura of vastness, desolation, and lethal intent, yet also containing infinite danger and possibility, permeated every inch of the air like a physical substance.

The frontier, the true Northern Frontier War Zone, had been reached.

Chen Linsheng stood in the path of the wind, his clothes flapping loudly as the Date-Red Horse pawed the ground uneasily.

He slowly inhaled the cold, gritty air, feeling the Qi cyclones in his internal organs seem to operate more actively in this environment. His eyes were as calm as an ancient well, yet a faint light seemed to ignite within them.

Without looking back, he mounted his horse and flicked the reins.

The Date-Red Horse gave a long neigh and galloped toward that desolate and unknown world, braving the wind and sand.

His figure soon grew small, blending into the vast background of interwoven yellow and gray-black, like a drop of water merging into a raging, stormy sea.

Three days later, Chen Linsheng caught sight of the silhouette of Iron Rock City amidst the swirling yellow sand.

It was not built of the blue bricks and gray tiles common in Central Plains cities. Instead, it was constructed from locally sourced gray-black iron rock. The city walls were fifty feet high, their surfaces unpolished, retaining the natural coarse texture of the stone. Under the constant erosion of the frontier's wind and sand, the color had darkened to a dull, iron-like hue. Arrow embrasures were densely packed along the wall, and watchtowers stood tall. Several dark red flags embroidered with the black characters for "North Suppressing" snapped straight and loud in the fierce wind.

A long queue had formed before the city gate, consisting of about forty or fifty people—mostly merchant caravans with their wagons and horses, but also scattered Martial Artists and traveling peddlers. Compared to Black Stone Pass, the inspection here was clearly much stricter.

The city guards were divided into two groups: one for inspecting documents and goods, and another standing solemnly with spears, their eyes scanning the crowd like hawks. These soldiers all wore standard dark red iron armor, with visible repair marks where the plates were worn, but each stood with a straight back and a sharp aura, clearly battle-hardened veterans.

As the line moved slowly forward, Chen Linsheng noticed several details:

First, all those entering the city had to surrender their weapons—be they blades, swords, bows, or crossbows. After being inspected and registered by the soldiers, a special wooden token was issued as a receipt to be used for reclaiming the weapons upon leaving the city.

Second, the inspection of luggage and goods was extremely meticulous; even water skins were opened and sniffed, and items like medicinal herbs and Ore were examined one by one.

Third, three clerks dressed in black robes with silver cloud patterns embroidered on their cuffs sat behind tables to the side, responsible for registering detailed information about those entering: name, ancestral home, origin, purpose, and estimated duration of stay, before issuing a temporary identity token.

After waiting for nearly an hour, it was finally Chen Linsheng's turn.

"Name, ancestral home, origin, purpose, and how many days do you plan to stay?" a young clerk asked without looking up, dipping his brush in ink.

"Chen Lin, from Jiuqu Prefecture, coming from Iron Gate Pass. A traveling Martial Artist, duration of stay is uncertain, tentatively mark seven days." Chen Linsheng handed over his travel permit and his credentials from the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall.

The clerk took them, checked them carefully, and searched for a moment through a register spread out on the table—which seemed to be a list of wanted criminals or sensitive personnel from various regions. After confirming everything was correct, he noted the information and took a rectangular wooden token about half the size of a palm from a wooden box.

The token was made of hard, dark brown wood. The front was branded with the characters for "Iron Rock," while the back bore a line of small characters: "Temp 7 · Jia-Xu · 327," likely representing the temporary status, date, and serial number.

"Weapons must be registered." The clerk handed over the token and pointed to a nearby table.

Chen Linsheng took out the "Heavenly Fire" bow from his back, the iron sword at his waist, his quiver, and the two daggers hidden in his boots.

An old soldier stepped forward and inspected them one by one. He lingered on the "Heavenly Fire" bow, his fingers tracing the patterns on the bow's body. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he asked no questions. He took a form and noted: "One longbow, one iron sword, twenty arrows, two short daggers." Then he took a slightly smaller circular wooden token from a leather pouch at his waist, placed it alongside Chen Linsheng's identity token, and tied them together through their holes with a thin hemp rope using a special knot.

"The weapon token and identity token must be kept together. Reclaim your weapons with the token when leaving the city. Private fighting is strictly forbidden within the city; violators will be severely punished." The old soldier's voice was raspy as he handed back the two tied tokens.

"Understood."

Chen Linsheng took them, tucked the tokens safely against his body, and led his horse into the city.