Chapter 260
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Chapter 260: A Hidden Agenda
This winter is exceptionally cold.
Snowstorms follow one after another, seemingly endless. The icy winds from the north howl day and night over the valleys, their chilling sounds of wailing piercing to the bone.
Although cultivators above the third level of Qi Training and innate martial artists are indifferent to the extremes of heat and cold, when the temperature plummets to a certain degree, even they cannot disregard the menace of winter.
For ordinary folk, life becomes even more arduous.
The residents of Dongwu Town retreat into warm cellars or hidden chambers.
Only those with ample resources can afford to hunker down for the winter; those lacking sufficient food and supplies face dire straits.
As food prices in the town continue to soar, some loose cultivators are compelled to brave the wind and snow to hunt.
Particularly those who usually scrape by without ambition now find themselves in deep distress.
Many loose cultivators who ventured out have never returned.
Meanwhile, the number of cultivators in Dongwu Town keeps growing, leading to various conflicts and a deterioration in law and order.
Even Wei Hall is unable to maintain control!
When Wang Chen stepped out of the alley in the morning, he was met with many unfamiliar faces.
They gathered in small groups under the street eaves, their expressions cold yet fierce, eyeing passersby like hungry wolf beasts.
The majority were refugees and beggars.
These beggars crouched in corners, extending broken bowls to beg from those who passed by.
Some children, clad in ragged clothes, trailed icicles from their noses as they darted through the crowd.
This scene made Wang Chen question whether he had come to the wrong place.
This hardly resembles a loose cultivator town; it’s almost indistinguishable from a small county in the Mortal Realm!
Suddenly, he sensed something amiss and instinctively reached out to grab.
He caught a black hand reaching for his waist!
“Let go of me!”
A teenage boy glared at Wang Chen, his expression fierce and twisted, like an enraged wolf cub.
As soon as he spoke, four or five people immediately surrounded them.
“What do you want?”
“Picking on a child? Everyone, come and see! Someone is bullying a child!”
“Esteemed Immortal Master, he’s just a child!”
“Quick, let him go!”
Some played the role of the good cop, while others acted as the bad cop, blocking Wang Chen’s path, their eyes filled with malice, as if they had spotted a tempting prey.
No one in the surrounding crowd stepped forward to help Wang Chen; instead, they watched with expressions of schadenfreude, relishing the spectacle.
Crack!
Wang Chen snapped the thief’s hand and barked, “Get lost!”
The people surrounding him staggered back as if struck by lightning, their faces filled with terror.
Wang Chen’s astonishing aura made them realize they had picked the wrong target, like hitting iron with a dull blade, and they hurriedly scattered away.
Leaving the little thief on the ground, wailing in pain!
Wang Chen shook his head and casually performed a Cleansing Technique before walking towards the marketplace.
Those who witnessed this scene showed expressions of awe.
No one dared to stand in his way again!
The external world follows the law of the jungle: the weak are prey to the strong. The one with a higher cultivation level and greater strength is the leader.
Those who do not understand this are quickly eliminated.
Though today is not a market day, the area inside and outside the marketplace is bustling with activity.
Many stalls are set up on the nearby streets and alleys.
Because it is close to the city lord’s office and heavily guarded by Wei Hall cultivators, the environment here looks chaotic but maintains decent order; there are many loud voices, yet no one dares to make trouble.
“Esteemed Immortal Master, you are so kind and generous.”
An elderly beggar with white hair stretched out a trembling hand, begging Wang Chen, “Please, give me something to eat; my grandson hasn’t eaten for three days.”
He carried a small boy wrapped in a cotton quilt. The boy’s eyes were open, but he looked pale and weak, lacking even the strength to speak.
This is the world of cultivation!
Wang Chen felt a surge of frustration rising in his chest, wanting to vomit but unable to.
Silently, he took out two spiritual rice balls from his storage bag and handed them to the elderly beggar.
It wasn’t that Wang Chen was reluctant to give more.
If he gave too much, it might bring danger to the grandfather and grandson.
“Thank you, thank you, esteemed Immortal Master!”
The old beggar was extremely grateful and was about to kneel and bow to Wang Chen, but Wang Chen stopped him.
He watched as the old man fed the rice balls to his grandson, then glanced around before entering the marketplace.
“Master Wang…”
A middle-aged cultivator approached with a bright smile, asking, “Are you here to set up a stall today?”
Wang Chen nodded, “I seem to have come late.”
The stalls in the marketplace have a limited number; normally, it’s first come, first served—of course, a stall fee must be paid.
In the past, as long as it wasn’t market day, there were usually open spots to set up.
However, today, there are just too many stalls.
Wang Chen noticed as he arrived that many outdoor stalls were selling various junk items; the stallholders probably pulled out everything they had left.
They did not care about the cold at all!
“You’re not late at all,” the middle-aged cultivator said with a grin. “I saved a few spots for you; take one on the house.”
“Thank you.”
Wang Chen handed over a spirit stone and two talismans.
The man was one of the managers sent by the city lord’s office to oversee the marketplace, with a cultivation level at the sixth level of Qi Training, skilled at conversation and very adaptable.
Wang Chen had dealt with him a few times, so they were somewhat acquainted.
Though the manager claimed to give him a spot for free, he certainly could not mean it, so Wang Chen paid the stall fee and added a little extra as a courtesy.
Otherwise, why would the man take care of him?
The middle-aged cultivator was indeed very pleased and immediately arranged a very good stall for Wang Chen.
Because of his skill in Talisman Making, Wang Chen had already gained a bit of fame in Dongwu Town, and the legal symbols he sold were quite popular, even being used as hard currency.
Having received Wang Chen’s kindness, the middle-aged cultivator naturally became extra enthusiastic.
However, to Wang Chen’s surprise, although he secured a good stall, his talisman sales were much worse than before, selling barely one-tenth of what he usually did over half the day.
Some loose cultivators came and haggled ruthlessly.
Wang Chen couldn’t be bothered to bargain with them, simply displaying a “no negotiations” sign.
As a result, business got even worse.
Finally, the middle-aged cultivator approached and whispered to him, “Recently, everyone is hoarding food; with prices rising so fast, those with spirit stones are reluctant to spend them elsewhere.”
Wang Chen suddenly understood.
He then heard the man lower his voice again, “Master Wang, be careful lately; the office may recruit a group of cultivators to build a cultivation courtyard for that Hu Meiniang.”
What?
Wang Chen paused for a moment.
He knew Hu Meiniang as the new warm bed servant of Xin Han, the lord of Dongwu Town, who was rumored to come from the Harmony Sect.
But what does recruiting cultivators to build a courtyard have to do with him?
Only if there is a hidden agenda!
