Chapter 93: Yangzhou City

Thanks to the efforts of Happy and his group, the Murong family’s cargo was eventually robbed by a group of unknown bandits in the territory of Yangzhou. After Happy’s group fled, the four guards quickly disappeared, causing the teams assigned to escort the cargo to receive orders to change their targets mid-way.
With the cargo stolen in advance, their targets shifted from the Murong family’s convoy to raiding a mountain stronghold for tribute, greatly increasing the difficulty of the mission!
Upon hearing this news, those who were waiting at a distance grew furious and had to move away from their chosen ambush spots, preparing to fight their way up the mountain.
As for who would end up with the tribute in this shipment, Happy didn’t care at all.
After the group dispersed, Happy bid farewell to his five companions and entered Yangzhou City alone, on horseback.
Yangzhou, as famous as Suzhou, was also an ancient city renowned for its prosperity…
Along the way, Happy observed carefully from his horse. Whether it was taverns or grocery stores, many players gathered around, with bustling business and high popularity.
He also encountered many skilled fighters in Yangzhou City…
It was unclear whether it was because of the few days spent escorting the cargo, but there seemed to be more cultivators at the Creation Realm throughout the game world. He encountered many players fighting against fierce beasts along the way.
Other players might not pay much attention, but Happy could quickly determine a player’s martial arts style, sect, and background by observing their moves. Thus, those who practiced advanced martial arts would be easily detected if they showed just a few moves.
In particular…
Happy remembered passing by a dense mountain area where a majestic white tiger was fiercely fighting two players. In terms of strength, the white tiger was at the mid-stage of the Creation Realm, far stronger than a giant wolf. Its fur was a luxury item worth thousands of taels of silver, enough to craft elite white tiger armor worth tens of thousands of taels. But Happy didn’t want to cause misunderstandings, so he kept riding past at full speed.
Looking back now, he regretted it slightly. After all, with a million taels of silver in his possession, buying a piece of white tiger fur would have been a good deal.
With a hint of regret, Happy rode into Yangzhou City.
“Get off!”
The soldiers at the city gate were rude, pointing their spears to block his path. “Do you know the rules? You must dismount to enter the city!”
At the gate, many players who had been jealous of Happy before now showed smug expressions, secretly laughing.
Happy froze, gripping the reins. Looking at the soldiers who seemed like iron-faced guardians, he remembered something and couldn’t help but smile.

In ancient times, these soldiers were quite powerful!
Those with official positions feared you; those with strength also feared you; and those with wealth liked you. Soldiers wouldn’t stop these three types of people…
The first type had higher official ranks, usually due to military achievements. An ordinary soldier, no matter how brave, would never dare to stop them.
The second type were martial artists with extensive connections. Soldiers also feared them greatly, having developed keen eyesight through years of experience. As long as someone was a martial arts master above the Natural Transformation realm, they were allowed to pass.
The last type had neither military achievements nor great strength—so what did they rely on? Their mounts!
Fine horses could reflect a person’s status. A common horse like Happy’s was only worth two thousand taels of silver, utterly ordinary, so it certainly wouldn’t soften the soldiers at the gate. Only magnificent horses like Hanxue, Zui Feng, or Chi Tu, worth thousands of taels, could show a person’s wealth. Soldiers wouldn’t stop such people either, just letting them pass with a glance.
Happy, now, had no chance to gain military achievements nor reach the Natural Transformation realm. Though he could afford fine horses, he couldn’t produce a stack of silver bills to buy one.
While many players at the city gate stopped to watch the newcomers, Happy remained calm. He took out a silver bill from his bag and, under the astonished gazes of the players, stuck it to the long spear nearly touching his nose before bowing and saying, “I’m new here and don’t know the rules. Please forgive me.”
“Hmph.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
The stern and just expressions on the two guards vanished instantly. They smoothly took back the silver bill and showed smug smiles. “When traveling, you rely on friends! Come on, go in.”
Retrieving their spear, the two accepted bribes without shame in front of the players and cleared the way. Happy bowed again. Then he slapped his horse’s rump and rode in calmly.
Of course…
It wasn’t really that Happy was trying to draw attention. Time was money, and from his past life, he was used to traveling by horse, so he paid no mind to these things. His actions were natural, and he didn’t notice the strange and unusual reactions of the players around him.
“Where did this kid come from?”
“He’s so damn arrogant! Spending a hundred taels to get in—no need to show off so much even if you’re rich!”
“Damn it…”
…
“He can actually do this.”

“Damn, once it’s posted online, it’ll definitely be big news again!”
The players around the city gate reacted differently, but none of it affected Happy’s mood.
After entering the city, Happy asked around for Yangzhou’s largest trading market and then rode there quickly. Even with the heavy crowd, a horse was faster than walking, and the other players kept their distance, unable to bump into her, so she quickly overtook them.
The closer she got to the market, the busier it became, with various cries echoing everywhere:
“Selling all kinds of martial arts secrets!”
“Top-quality ‘Iron Cloak’ martial arts secret—just eight thousand taels… Hurry if you’re interested!!”
“Giant wolf pelts… a specialty from Gusu City, three thousand five hundred taels each… Limited stock…”
“…Joining a team to rob caravans! Those who understand, come! Just members at the Fate realm level needed! Looking for experienced seniors!”
“High-quality gold wound medicine—rare and in high demand, five hundred taels per bottle!!”
“…Selling equipment and weapons!”
“Stop by if you’re passing by—take a look!”
All sorts of noisy voices came from all directions, like a huge farmers’ market. But Happy wasn’t disturbed at all; instead, she enjoyed it greatly. Following different tones, she scanned each stall above, looking for things she might be interested in or need.
“Who’s that person?”
There weren’t many players who could enter the city on horseback, and even fewer who knew how to do it. Happy, sitting on her horse, quickly became a notable figure in the market.
Many stall owners deliberately raised their voices and shouted louder as Happy approached…
However, there wasn’t much that could catch Happy’s interest, so she didn’t stop anywhere along the way.
Until she noticed a man standing not far away, tall as an iron tower. He stood by the street with bright eyes, staring at her intently, with an open space in front of him showing the items he was selling. Strangely, he didn’t shout a word the whole time, yet there were more players gathered around him than at other stalls.
Happy immediately became interested.