The King of Urban Mercenaries

If the City Lord pays wages, why does the village look so impoverished now? If he doesn’t pay, why does he use so many villagers? Lin Fei couldn’t understand, but there were some things beyond his comprehension, at least for now.

"The villagers work, and I will feed them, letting them eat their fill, making a contribution to our city," City Lord Wang Xuan said.

Upon hearing Wang Xuan’s explanation, Lin Fei wasn’t satisfied. After all, how could such matters be so simple?

Moreover, why don’t the villagers have food? Is it sufficient just to eat? Lin Fei was truly puzzled, but he had to acknowledge that these things couldn’t be understood by him for now.

"Alright, let’s not discuss this matter anymore, hero. I will take you to see your sleeping palace," Wang Xuan said, then took Lin Fei to another palace. Lin Fei found it hard to imagine that two extremely different landscapes could coexist in one place; it truly astonished him.

After all, the architecture of the City Lord Mansion and the buildings outside were worlds apart.

If the City Lord Mansion was gold, then the buildings outside were indeed just ordinary stones; the gap between the two was tremendous, and Lin Fei couldn’t understand what was going on.

Finally reaching the sleeping palace Wang Xuan mentioned, Lin Fei looked at the luxurious wooden bed, along with other items, fully equipped. There were things that shouldn’t originally be in the city, yet there were so many.

Lin Fei felt that Wang Xuan must be up to something; otherwise, how could such a lavish City Lord Mansion exist in such a rundown small city?

"Hero, please rest well. Soon, we’ll serve hearty food and drink to entertain you," City Lord Wang Xuan said, then walked outside, leaving the place.

Lin Fei came to the window, extending his palm, feeling the bed to check for any traps. But after inspecting above and below, he found everything was normal; there were no traps at all, so he lay on the bed.

While lying on the bed and looking upward, Lin Fei discovered that all the edifices were so exquisite that they definitely weren’t simple; it seemed he’d have to investigate instead of enjoying himself here.

Finally, after a while, the meal arrived. Lin Fei glanced at the food; it was meticulously prepared and quite fragrant, better than ordinary city inns by a fair margin. However, Lin Fei didn’t eat; instead, he gave it all to Little Black. Little Black wasn’t afraid of poison, so after eating, he picked his teeth and said, "The taste is far from what you cook, truly disappointing."

"Alright, it’s good that we have food. Why talk about taste?" Lin Fei responded.

At this moment, servants came to collect the dishes and cutlery. After a quick tidy-up, Lin Fei lay on the bed, and the servant glanced at him, then smiled and left.

"Little Black, feel any different?" Lin Fei asked.

Upon hearing Lin Fei’s words, Little Black shook his head. "Just feeling a bit sleepy now. Don’t disturb me; let me have a good nap and we’ll talk later," Little Black replied, then went straight to sleep.

"Indeed, there’s a problem," Lin Fei thought upon hearing Little Black, realizing the other party must have drugged him, causing him to fall into a stupor.

In the end, Lin Fei decided that since he was already here, he might as well finish the business before leaving. So, Lin Fei lay in bed, pretended to sleep for an hour or two, and when the City Lord really didn’t show up, Lin Fei took advantage of the night, cautiously escaped through the window, and vanished from the room.

Before this, after tidying up Lin Fei’s room utensils, a servant arrived at City Lord Wang Xuan’s residence, much grander and more elegant than Lin Fei’s.

"How’s the task done?" the City Lord asked.

"Reporting to the City Lord, he has eaten everything, polished off completely," the servant replied.

City Lord Wang Xuan nodded, "Very good. You’ve done well; this is your reward."

After saying this, the City Lord tossed a piece of gold to the servant, then said, "You may go. This matter shall not be spoken of to anyone, understood?"

"Yes, City Lord! Yes, City Lord! Thank you, City Lord!" The servant was very pleased; after all, a piece of gold was enough to feed their family for many days, so he was deeply grateful to Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan nodded, watching the servant leave, then chuckled, "Lin Fei, hero should just have a good rest, hahaha!"

Afterward, Wang Xuan summoned two women to accompany him for a joyful moment.

Meanwhile, Lin Fei certainly wasn’t joyful. After leaving the City Lord Mansion, he encountered a scene that chilled the heart; the residents here could be described as bleak wind and cold fire.

Many of them were sleeping rough, and as Lin Fei passed by, he saw on their campfires, in pots, were bones without any meat. Lin Fei couldn’t understand why this was.

"Brother, did you eat all the demon beasts’ bodies during the day?" Lin Fei asked, as he had killed quite a few demon beasts earlier, how could there be none left?

"Oh hero, the demon beasts you killed, City Lord took them all away, we’re lucky to have bones to eat," a resident replied.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fei frowned deeply and walked toward the distance, stepping through the small dirt town. Then Lin Fei sighed and returned to the City Lord Mansion.

Of course, there were hardly any guards at the City Lord Mansion, only a few with low cultivation. He returned to his room, and the guards didn’t notice anything unusual with Lin Fei. Lin Fei lay on the bed, looking upward, realizing he seemed to be ’kidnapped’ by Wang Xuan.

Lin Fei pondered that the small dirt town didn’t appear on the map; it might have just emerged or might be too small to be marked, but one thing was sure: a hundred miles from the small dirt town lies another city, and a big one at that.

"This is what I’ll do!" Lin Fei thought, and then decided that this plan was set for tomorrow; after all, he had done his utmost duty.

The next day, as Lin Fei had just woken up, he heard someone coming in outside. Lin Fei sat up, and Wang Xuan walked in from outside, speaking, "Hero, today marks your first day residing here. Why not join me on a visit to the city wall?"

Lin Fei chuckled, "Sounds good, but I have a request."

Hearing Lin Fei’s words, Wang Xuan looked at him with curiosity, "What is it that you need, hero? Just speak freely."

Lin Fei smiled, "Please gather the city’s residents; I want them to surrender their provisions! Hahaha!"