Chapter 166 - 138: Temple Fair
The eastern sky was already showing the pale white of dawn.
After spending the night in the previous town, Fang Yue had a quick breakfast in the morning and set off for Xiahe County Town with a brisk stride.
Achieving his goal in a single trip had put him in a good mood. Now, his focus would shift to the Qi Nourishing and Health Cultivation Skill. He needed to make progress with it as soon as possible to see if the idea he had in mind was feasible.
If it worked, then all would be well.
If it didn’t, he would have to make other plans as soon as possible.
Perhaps because it was still early, the road was sparsely populated, with only a few people scattered about.
HEE-HAW~
The braying of a donkey rang out, immediately followed by a simple, honest voice:
"Young man, heading to Xiahe County Town? Hop on. It’s still quite a ways to town. If you walk, it’ll probably take you more than half an hour."
"It’s only three coppers..."
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and that naturally extends to donkey cart rides.
Carrying an extra person, if nothing else, certainly drained more of the donkey’s energy.
And that meant the donkey needed more feed.
The old man drove his cart back and forth between the town and the county seat, just trying to make a hard-earned living.
He had just dropped a family off in town and was now heading back with an empty cart. Spotting a traveler on the road, he figured he could give the man a ride and earn enough to cover the entrance fee into the city.
But just as the old man was about to state his price...
He saw Fang Yue turn his head.
He couldn’t help but gulp.
"Sir, how much did you say it was?"
Fang Yue turned to see a donkey cart slowly approaching, stopping not far from him.
The driver was an elderly man, a whip in one hand and a pipe in the other. He was looking right at Fang Yue; clearly, the offer was for him.
"Uh, well... no charge," the old man said with great difficulty.
He cursed himself inwardly. ’What possessed me to call out to this ’young man’?’
’From the back, he looked like a refined young man. How could he have a face like that? He looks just like a bandit chieftain!’
’With that full, bushy beard and a scar twisting across his face like a centipede... it couldn’t be more terrifying.’
’How could I possibly dare ask a man like that for money!’
"Alright then! You’re a good man, sir."
Fang Yue noticed the change in the old man’s expression but paid it no mind. He was used to the effect his appearance had on people.
Any normal person would be scared upon seeing him.
Although he could walk faster than the donkey cart, he figured he might as well accept a free ride when offered.
Fang Yue hopped onto the cart, and the old man could only grit his teeth and drive on.
After about fifteen minutes, the old man had clearly relaxed. Unable to sit in silence, he began making small talk with Fang Yue, and the tense atmosphere began to fade.
"Sir, if you don’t mind my asking, why are you still driving a cart at your age?" Fang Yue asked.
"Sigh... a man’s got to make a living. My son is twenty-five and still not married. I have to work a little extra to save up for his wedding," the old man said, taking a puff from his pipe.
In this day and age, many people married at fifteen or sixteen.
By twenty-five or twenty-six, some men already had children old enough to run errands.
Unmarried men of Fang Yue’s age were a minority, and most remained single because their families were too poor to arrange a marriage.
"But enough about that."
The old man sighed, then continued,
"I don’t know what’s going on in the city lately. Over in Sweet Water Lane, children from several families have been taken by kidnappers..."
"And over in the alleys of the West Suburb City, it sounds like another family’s child has gone missing. These kidnappers are getting far too bold."
The old man continued to ramble. As someone living at the bottom rung of Xiahe County Town’s society, he was privy to gossip that Fang Yue would otherwise never hear.
For instance, Fang Yue had never heard about any of this.
As the two of them chatted, time flew by. Before long, the gates of Xiahe County Town were visible in the distance.
"Um, well, sir... we’re here," the old man stammered as he gazed at the approaching city gates.
The city entrance fee cost an extra copper plate for each additional person, and the donkey cart itself also cost a copper plate to bring in.
If he drove into the city with Fang Yue, he’d have to fork over three copper plates for the entrance fee.
He hadn’t earned a single coin on this trip. If he had to pay an extra copper plate out of his own pocket, he’d be taking a serious loss.
"Heh, in that case, this is where we part ways, sir."
Fang Yue chuckled and hopped off the cart. He understood the old man was having a hard time and saw no reason to make him pay the extra fee.
Of course, Fang Yue still paid him the three copper plates that had been mentioned earlier as the fare.
Then, ignoring the old man’s stunned expression, he merged directly into the crowd and entered the city.
~~~~~~~
「More than ten days passed in a flash.」
For the past half-month, Fang Yue had naturally spent all his time studying the Cultivation Technique he had bought for 180 taels of silver.
There was nothing wrong with the Cultivation Technique; it was very easy to get started with.
In truth, however, even after mastering the basics, Fang Yue couldn’t feel the Cultivation Technique having any effect.
If he had to say it did anything at all, it was that it provided some simple regulation of his Qi and blood.
If an ordinary person were to practice it, they might not live for extra years, but they would at least suffer from fewer illnesses and misfortunes.
This made it quite suitable for his parents and family.
For him, however, it was of little use. After all, as a Martial Artist who had already reached the Marrow Transformation stage, such basic training was naturally no longer effective.
He had already cultivated everything that needed to be cultivated at this level.