Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Yunlu County City
Yunlu County City, the heart of all of Yunlu County. The experts here were in no way inferior to those in Mysterious City. Lin Yun and Qin Feng halted their horses when they were still a kilometer away.
The city walls stretched out of sight, spanning for kilometers. The entire city crouched on the ground like a colossal beast. Even from a kilometer away, Lin Yun could feel an ancient, majestic aura wash over him.
"Yunlu County City, the heart of all of Yunlu County," Lin Yun murmured under his breath. He then spurred his horse on, galloping toward the city.
"Halt." As the two arrived at the city gate, they were stopped by the soldiers standing guard.
"No riding horses within the city. The entry fee is one Low Grade Primordial Stone," the soldier said, his tone cold.
Hearing this, Lin Yun took out two Primordial Stones and handed them over, though inwardly he was floored by Yunlu County City’s money-making prowess. ’One Low Grade Primordial Stone per person... It might not sound like much, but tens of thousands of people must enter this city every day.’
’Just think about it. That’s an income of tens of thousands of Primordial Stones every single day. What a staggering concept.’
"Go on in. You can board your horses at the stables inside the city, or you can exchange them for Gold Coins or Primordial Stones." After accepting the two Primordial Stones from Lin Yun, the soldier’s expression softened slightly, and he offered a stiff smile.
Upon successfully entering the city, Lin Yun and Qin Feng, leading their horses, looked like a pair of country bumpkins who had never seen the world, their eyes wide with astonishment.
It was no wonder they reacted this way. If Mysterious City was synonymous with chaos, then the County City was synonymous with prosperity.
The main road was wide enough for twenty horse-drawn carriages to travel side-by-side. People bustled to and fro on both sides of the street, which was lined with every kind of shop imaginable.
"Let’s sell the horses first," Lin Yun said after a moment, being the first to come to his senses. He led Qin Feng toward the stables.
"Common horses, one thousand Gold Coins each," a soldier there said distractedly, barely glancing at their mounts.
As a soldier of the County City, he had seen countless fine steeds and had no interest whatsoever in Lin Yun’s two horses. Mounts like these were only ridden by people from small, backwater towns.
"Alright." Lin Yun had no objection to the price. ’They’re no use to me anymore, anyway. I can’t exactly take them with me to the Academy. A thousand it is.’
After selling their horses, the two began to wander through the County City. The variety of goods here was just as vast as in Mysterious City; anything found there could be found here as well.
HOOT HOOT HOOT... Little Ape let out a few low growls from its perch on Lin Yun’s shoulder, signaling that it was hungry.
Looking at Little Ape, Lin Yun shook his head helplessly. It was fine when they were out in the wilderness, as it could hunt its own Demon Beasts. The taste might not have been as good as what restaurants offered, but at least it saved them a good number of Primordial Stones.
But now that they were in the city, they had no choice but to pay. Finding a rather large restaurant, Lin Yun and Qin Feng walked inside.
"Welcome, esteemed guests. Will you be dining in the main hall or a private room?" a waiter quickly came over to ask.
"A private room," Lin Yun replied calmly. Little Ape’s appetite was simply too enormous, and he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble in the main hall.
"Of course, sir. However, our establishment has a rule that all private rooms have a minimum charge of one hundred Low Grade Primordial Stones," the waiter reminded him.
One hundred Primordial Stones. Lin Yun agreed without a second thought. ’With Little Ape around, what’s a hundred Primordial Stones?’
"Bring us a whole Tier Two Demon Beast and two pots of wine."
The waiter was clearly stunned by Lin Yun’s words. After a long moment, he stammered, "Sir, are you sure you want an entire Tier Two Demon Beast?"
"That’s right. Now go, and be quick about it."
Receiving Lin Yun’s confirmation, the waiter withdrew from the private room in astonishment. ’Are these two the reincarnations of starving ghosts? Who can eat a whole Tier Two Demon Beast in one sitting?’ he wondered.
Before long, an entire Tier Two Demon Beast was carried in. At the sight of it, Little Ape’s eyes gleamed. For the past few days, it had only been eating Tier One Demon Beasts. After all, hunting a Tier Two Demon Beast was still quite a challenge for Lin Yun at his current level of strength.
"Alright, you may all leave." Lin Yun dismissed the maids, leaving only himself, Qin Feng, and Little Ape in the room. Little Ape leaped onto the table, grabbed a large leg, and began to gnaw on it.
"Brother Lin, the Academy enrollment is in three days. They say this is the busiest time in Yunlu County City, when all the young talents from across the county gather here." Lin Yun and Qin Feng chatted idly while they drank. After several days of hard travel, neither had eaten anything decent, so they were naturally going to enjoy a good meal now.
Hearing Qin Feng’s words, Lin Yun smiled faintly. "Isn’t that for the best? The thought of competing against all the young talents of Yunlu County... it’s exciting."
Yanhuang Country had four counties, and Yanhuang Academy held its enrollment once every ten years. Whenever that time came, the four county cities would become incredibly lively. It was said that over ninety percent of the young talents in Yanhuang Country would congregate in these four cities.
As Lin Yun and Qin Feng drank their wine, Little Ape, off to the side, finished the entire Tier Two Demon Beast in just half an hour. It patted its belly in satisfaction. Little Ape had thoroughly enjoyed its meal. It had been several days since it had eaten a Tier Two Demon Beast, and the taste was indeed much better than that of a Tier One.
"You little glutton," Lin Yun said with a laugh, looking at Little Ape. "I really don’t know where all the Energy from that Tier Two Demon Beast goes when you eat it."
Demon Beast Flesh was generally a favorite among Martial Artists because it contained the Energy from within the Demon Beast’s body. People who frequently ate Demon Beast Flesh had physiques that were much stronger than ordinary people.
However, given Little Ape’s habit of devouring a whole beast in one sitting, the amount of Energy it consumed should have been more than enough for it to break through and become a Tier Two Demon Beast. Yet, after several months of this, Little Ape still hadn’t advanced a tier.
Hearing Lin Yun’s words, Little Ape let out two dissatisfied hoots, as if to say, ’This Tier Two Demon Beast meat has no Energy at all! How am I supposed to absorb anything?’
Lin Yun gave a helpless smile. ’Little Ape is like a bottomless pit. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll have to slay a Divine Dragon for it to eat before it’s fully grown.’
At this rate of consumption, ordinary Demon Beasts had a negligible effect on it. Little Ape, only a few months old, was already eating Tier Two Demon Beasts. He figured it wouldn’t be long before it would need to start eating Tier Three Demon Beasts. He knew full well that those were entities equivalent to experts of the Primordial Ocean Realm.
Eating a Primordial Ocean Realm expert for a single meal—this was no longer a matter of money. Even in the entire Yanhuang Country, the number of Tier Three Demon Beasts was not very high.
"What a little money pit," Lin Yun said helplessly, looking at Little Ape, who had already started to doze off.
Little Ape fell asleep as soon as it was full. Lin Yun and Qin Feng, with nothing urgent to do, continued to drink and chat at a leisurely pace.
After the events in Mysterious City, Qin Feng’s personality had changed a great deal. Although he still retained some of his old foppish habits, he was much better than before. The rest would just have to change slowly over time. After all, it was impossible to completely change a personality that had been formed over more than a decade in an instant.
