108: Chapter 108 Yuanyang Town

The opposition between the human and demon factions was a major issue, but the problems of daily life also needed to be solved.

Luo Ying stayed at home to recover from her injuries, while Zhao Feng took Youyou to Yuanyang Town alone.

Before coming, he had asked Old Man Li. The currency on this planet was somewhat similar to ancient China, primarily consisting of copper coins and silver. While gold could also be used as currency, it was not common.

On the flight over, through his ability to reshape the terrain, Zhao Feng had already obtained one gold knife and over a dozen silver knives. Shaping the currency into the form of a knife was just Zhao Feng's playful creation; the currency here was still determined by weight.

Yuanyang Town was to the southwest of Li Family Village. If one were to walk, it would take about three days, crossing mountains and ridges, and traversing the wilderness. For Zhao Feng, who could fly at high speeds, it was only a matter of ten minutes or so, and that was only because he had wasted time searching for gold and silver.

People began to appear in greater numbers.

Zhao Feng found a spot where no one could see him and landed. He then tightened his clothes and walked along the official road.

The official road, about two meters wide, wasn't even paved with stone. As people and horses came and went, yellow dust filled the air. The expressions of the pedestrians on the road were numb, a sharp contrast to the people of Li Family Village.

These sallow and emaciated commoners were the vast majority. Even the wealthy people dressed in fine silks and satins did not seem particularly joyful; the entire town looked lifeless and filled with Death Qi.

Yuanyang Town had low earthen walls, about three meters high. The walls were mottled and dilapidated, with large cracks in some places, yet no repairs were in sight.

At the city gate stood two soldiers leaning on long spears, listlessly staring at passersby with dull eyes.

The commoners wore hemp clothes in dull, monotonous colors, covered in patches, which made it clear that the general populace was in very poor financial condition. Zhao Feng's clothes could change as he wished, and his body, having been strengthened, could also easily alter its contours. Therefore, he quickly transformed into an ordinary commoner, completely indistinguishable from the outside.

He tucked his hands into his sleeves and, blending into the crowd, walked toward the town.

Unlike what was portrayed in period dramas, the soldiers at the gate were not collecting taxes. Judging by their appearance, they were too lazy to come over and interrogate anyone, and the wanted posters for master bandits on the nearby notice board bore no resemblance to Zhao Feng at all.

Zhao Feng had come here, on one hand, to gather information, and on the other, to buy some daily necessities, seeds, and other sundries.

The town was small, with only a few shops. The signs on the shops all had writing, but fortunately, after reading the "Brief Treatise on Artifacts," he had a basic understanding of the Yaoling Planet's script, so he wasn't worried about not being able to find his way.

There was an inn near the city gate. Zhao Feng confirmed once more that there was no "Yuelai Inn," and then strolled over.

The first thing he needed to find was a horse-drawn carriage. He needed to purchase many items this time, and it wouldn't be convenient without a carriage to haul them. Seeing the sparse crowd of two or three people, he wasn't worried about the carriage obstructing traffic.

After dodging the pestering of a few streetwalkers, Zhao Feng asked a kindly old man and finally found the carriage agency. The carriage agency was worthy of being in the transport business; the storefront was very impressive, and the attendant was reasonably polite, with no clichés of arrogance followed by a slap in the face.

"Customer, you are here to purchase supplies, aren't you?" A plump shopkeeper walked up to greet him. In a small town, ordinary people wouldn't usually come to a carriage agency.

"Hmm, what is the price to hire a carriage here?" Zhao Feng asked casually, looking at the wooden sign on the wall.

"The starting price is fifty copper coins. If you need to leave the town, it is calculated separately based on mileage, and the distance cannot exceed twenty li," the plump shopkeeper said with a smile.

"Fine, just arrange a carriage for me. I don't need to find the driver myself, right?" Zhao Feng nodded. Although fifty copper coins were a bit expensive, it meant nothing to him.

"Rest assured, customer, the driver's fee is included in the fifty copper coins." Having closed a small deal, the plump shopkeeper looked very happy.

"I plan to buy some bedding, pots, bowls, and ladles. Does the shopkeeper have any recommendations?" Being unfamiliar with Yuanyang Town, Zhao Feng took the opportunity to ask the shopkeeper, so as not to waste time.

"Well, since you are so straightforward, I will instruct the driver later to take you to the best shops," the plump shopkeeper said hurriedly, secretly pleased.

One silver knife was exactly one tael, which was far too much. Amidst exclamations about the exquisite nature of the silver knife, the plump shopkeeper gave Zhao Feng a large bag of copper coins in change.

Having settled the carriage, the next step was to make his purchases.

The plump shopkeeper was quite decent and provided Zhao Feng with a steady driver who knew Yuanyang Town like the back of his hand. With his help, Zhao Feng quickly bought everything he needed.

Seeing that the driver was hungry, Zhao Feng had him stop the carriage at the town's only restaurant, intending to sample the delicacies of Yaoling Planet.

Seeing that neither of their clothes was particularly fancy, the waiter kindly led them to a seat on the first floor.

"What would you like to order, customers?" the waiter asked with a smile.

After shopping for the whole morning, Zhao Feng had a basic understanding of the prices, so he didn't care about the cost of the food and ordered, "Bring us one portion of all your signature dishes."

The driver clearly didn't expect his employer to be so generous. Seeing him order so much at once, his lips parted as if he wanted to say something.

Zhao Feng just smiled and said nothing.

There weren't too many diners on the first floor. Those who could afford to eat at the restaurant were all middle-class families, of which there weren't many in such a small town. What was more eye-catching were two diners wearing black uniforms. Their sabers were placed on the table as they ate meat in large mouthfuls, chatting without any restraint. They appeared to be government officials.

Their topic of conversation was nothing more than gossip, but one piece of information made Zhao Feng prick up his ears.

"Judging by what the County Magistrate said, I'm afraid the Longshan Sect is coming to recruit Disciple again, isn't it?" a fair-skinned man with a large black mole at the corner of his mouth suddenly asked in a low voice.

"It's very likely. This isn't the first time. The last time was five years ago, just like this, when they ordered the village elders from all over to bring infants over," another sallow and thin man said in a similarly low voice.

"Brother Wang, you have experience, you must give this brother some pointers. We have to travel so far, will we encounter demons?" the fair-skinned man leaned in and asked. When he mentioned demons, he deliberately lowered his voice.

That Brother Wang laughed and said, "If it were any other time, it might be possible, but during this period, it shouldn't happen. With the big shots from above suppressing them, they won't be able to get out."

"That's good, that's good!" the fair-skinned man said repeatedly. "Brother Wang, come, let me toast you a bowl. Drink as you please."

Having said that, he picked up his wine bowl and downed it in one gulp.

Brother Wang picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, placed it on the table, and sighed, "It's a pity we don't have that Spiritual Root. Otherwise, we could be like those Longshan Sect immortals, moving high and low, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"That's right, if one could Cultivate, one wouldn't be afraid of those demons..." The fair-skinned man hadn't even finished speaking when Brother Wang covered his mouth.

Brother Wang carefully glanced around before whispering, "Don't say things you shouldn't. It's not like you don't know about the incident with Scholar Cheng."

The fair-skinned man's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat almost broke out.

Afterward, the two of them didn't say anything of importance, but instead discussed which family's daughter was more beautiful.

Zhao Feng withdrew his attention, lost in thought.

Take it slow. His strength was currently low, and he couldn't change anything overnight.

Just then, the dishes were gradually served. Zhao Feng chatted with the driver about trivial family matters, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

After the meal, the driver drove the carriage to a small woods outside the town. Zhao Feng asked the driver to leave the carriage and gave him a silver knife. Although the driver was puzzled, seeing that Zhao Feng spent money lavishly and didn't seem like an ordinary person, he didn't dare to ask and just happily led the horse away.

Watching the driver go until he disappeared from sight, Zhao Feng grabbed the carriage and took off into the air.