Chapter 262: Chapter 143: Prefecture City
After watching for a while, Qin Fang finally turned and left.
...Near Old Ox Back was Li Family Ao, and near Li Family Ao were some fertile fields, but not many. ’I wonder if they’ll go there for the reconstruction?’
Food is everything to the people. When rebuilding a county town, the first priority was its acres of fertile fields.
After all, fertile fields couldn’t be created simply by clearing some mountainous land.
They required years of tending to become increasingly fertile.
But Qin Fang thought about it and felt it probably wouldn’t be a problem in the short term.
True Martial was so large, and the number of forced laborers seemed limited. They would surely prioritize rebuilding the areas with more convenient transportation and more fertile land first.
Li Family Ao, however, was located deep in the mountains where there wasn’t much fertile land. Many of the original villagers had made their living by hunting...
’It’s unlikely they’ll reach that area anytime soon.’
Only as time went on and more people were relocated here by the Court would they, lacking anywhere else to live, probably push deeper into the mountains.
But that would likely be years, perhaps even more than a decade, from now.
’Besides, True Martial County Town has been destroyed. The original site has even turned into a vast marsh... Who knows how long it will take to rebuild.’
Qin Fang thought.
He was worried about these people going to Li Family Ao, naturally because he feared the secrets of Xile or Old Ox Back would be discovered.
But after thinking it through, he concluded that it was highly probable there would be no issues in the short term.
He let out a soft breath, no longer lingering, and turned to leave.
’Things in the Prefecture City are most likely fine, so Master and the others are probably fine too...’
Qin Fang thought.
He came to the vicinity of Wanshui again. Seeing the river, which had suddenly become bustling, a glint appeared in his eyes.
’...There used to be a Demon in the river.’
However, according to his previous analysis, that Demon was likely related to the Blood Luo Sect. When that palm had descended, it had probably taken care of the Demon in passing...
Facing a palm strike like a natural disaster, Qin Fang didn’t believe the Demon in the river could have put up any fight.
After watching from the mountain path for a while longer, Qin Fang stopped hesitating and set off.
’Of course, he wasn’t going to go and deal with these people.’
He was still a refugee. What if the officials discovered him and conscripted him as one of the Forced Laborers?
’Yes, he now had a Huajin Cultivation. These officials would be no match for him, and it wouldn’t be a problem to leave if he wanted.’
’But why ask for trouble?’
’Better to head to the Prefecture City first.’
He had planned to follow the river, but with so many Official Ships on it now, Qin Fang could only travel through the wilderness, keeping to the river’s direction to avoid them.
Fortunately, for him, now at the Huajin realm, it made little difference.
Crossing mountains and ridges was like walking on level ground for him.
He followed the river upstream, and several days passed in a flash.
Every day for the past few days, he had seen Official Ships on the river, transporting people downstream by the boatload.
Each of these large ships could carry a hundred or two hundred people. By his count, they must have already transported tens of thousands of Forced Laborers.
Then, Qin Fang saw a bustling, normal market...
He had already walked out of the True Martial Realm.
Throughout his journey over mountains and ridges, Qin Fang hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep. It wasn’t worth building a proper shelter just for a temporary stop at night.
Most nights, he would find a large tree, meditate until morning, and then leave.
Upon seeing the market, Qin Fang headed straight in.
The market was quite prosperous, similar to a large market in a place like Pingze City, and it had inns.
After spending a few pieces of silver to have a wonderful sleep at an inn, he ordered a table full of delicious food.
Sitting in the inn’s main hall, eating his meal and listening to the noisy chatter, Qin Fang figured out where he was...
He had indeed left True Martial and entered a county town called Gusha.
The local accent was already quite different from the one in True Martial.
He listened to them idly chatting about various gangs—how this gang had gotten into trouble, or how that gang had fought another in some city over some dispute...
For a moment, Qin Fang felt as if he were in another world.
’They were only one county away, yet the vast majority of people seemed completely oblivious to what had happened in True Martial.’
’It just went to show how slowly news traveled in this World.’
They were even discussing the matter of the large number of Official Ships heading down to True Martial.
One person said he’d heard a natural disaster had struck True Martial—a great wind had swept through, and that’s why forced labor was being sent there.
Another claimed it wasn’t a great wind, but an earthquake...
In short, the theories were all over the place.
But for most, it was just idle gossip.
Few people were truly paying attention.
Qin Fang, of course, didn’t jump in to tell them the truth. After his meal, he returned to his room to rest, setting out again the next day.
Gusha was much more lively than True Martial, and the closer he got to the Prefecture City, the more prosperous things became.
Qin Fang was able to stop in a market each day, sparing him the hardship of sleeping out in the open.
Finally, after several more days, Qin Fang emerged from the mountains and saw a vast lake.
This was the source of the Chujiang River.
As far as the eye could see, the vast lake stretched for miles, its misty surface seeming to merge with the sky at the horizon.
Qin Fang was looking at a scene the likes of which could never be found in True Martial County.
On the lake, boats moved back and forth like shuttles on a loom. Painted Boats and multi-storied pleasure barges crisscrossed paths with nimble fishing skiffs. The rhythmic creak of oars mingled with the faint sounds of music and laughter, a truly refreshing sight.
On the decks of massive, luxurious ships, young men and women in exquisite clothing stood leaning against the railings, their garments fluttering in the breeze. They held goblets, chatting and laughing with vigor and high spirits.
Even more numerous were the Maids and servants, who moved among them with heads bowed, holding trays of fresh fruit and fragrant tea, serving them with reverence.
And on the far shore of the great lake, a colossal city stood imposingly!
The city walls, built from massive azure stones, soared over a hundred meters high, as imposing as a mountain range spanning the horizon.
Atop the Haiman, the wall’s surface wide as a plaza, Black Armored Soldiers stood in dense formations, their halberds like a forest. Their armor glinted coldly in the sun, and their banners snapped in the wind.
A single glance at its sheer scale and prosperity was enough to make one’s soul tremble.
And this was the seat of Canglan Prefecture—
Lanyang City!
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