Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Outside World is Too Dangerous

Soon, Lu Yuan arrived at the south gate of the city.

Normally, gatekeepers only inspected those entering, not those leaving, so he didn’t encounter any problems and easily left the city.

The sun above was still scorching hot, and it was around one or two in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day.

But Lu Yuan could no longer care about that.

Being hot was far better than staying in the city and facing troubles.

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“The Black Wolf Gang members were killed, and this gang that controls all the trade in Dayu County will not let it go.”

And the County government office too.

Under broad daylight, someone killing in the city streets, even if the Master of the Government Office is corrupt and incompetent, he absolutely won’t allow such a blatant challenge to the imperial authority to happen.

So, the joint search and elimination by the Black Wolf Gang and the officials will most likely happen soon.”

Lu Yuan tightened the luggage on his back, and his pace quickened on the flat official road.

The reason he did not want to stay in the city was to avoid these problems.

The swordsman in blue, named Ma Jiqing, might belong to some unknown sect, but his sword techniques were indeed sharp and extraordinary.

If the Black Wolf Gang members and the government officials were at the same level as those like Zhang Biao, then even if they had more people, they still might not be able to defeat the enemy.

Against these martial arts swordsmen who risk their lives, Lu Yuan did not think that the gang members and the greedy government officials would honestly pursue them to the death.

“The upper-class people have to consider their dignity and maintain their rule, so they will absolutely not let Ma Jiqing off. But those people at the bottom, why risk their lives to pursue such a dangerous person?”

Lu Yuan had seen many TV shows and novels about such matters in his previous life, so he had some shallow understanding of the dirty tricks played: “In the end, it is the common people who will suffer.”

“Sigh, this wicked feudal society.”

Lu Yuan sighed and looked back at the city gate, seemingly able to see the miserable scenes that were about to happen in the city.

“Hurry up and seal off the city gates immediately, no one is allowed to enter or leave,”

Just at that moment, a team of officials and a group of men dressed in black rushed out from the city and quickly sealed off the city gate.

One of the leading arresters shouted: “The murderer is likely still in the city. The County Master has ordered that this bandit must be caught to demonstrate the power of the law.”

Among the group of men in black, a fierce-looking man added: “Our gang leader has said, whoever captures the bandit who killed Zhang Biao will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver. If we don’t kill him, how can we continue to survive in the Jianghu?”

As they spoke, these government officials and gang members teamed up to seal off the city gate.

Some of them approached the traveling businessmen who were about to leave and asked menacingly: “Tell me, do you know someone named Ma Jiqing? What, you don’t know him? I think you’re lying since you look so guilty. Come on, arrest him and search him for any stolen goods.”

“Yes!”

Several officials and Black Wolf Gang members laughed and surrounded the small businessmen they had just detained at the gate.

Since the murderer is dangerous, they didn’t dare to look for trouble and risk their lives.

Their masters didn’t dare to mess with the powerful, but these common people, who could they bully if not them?

Although the County Master and the gang leader had lost face, for the people at the bottom, this was just the beginning of a carnival.

If they didn’t take advantage of this great opportunity to squeeze every last drop from these commoners, then they would truly be letting this golden opportunity slip away.

From a distance, Lu Yuan’s face twitched as he felt a sense of relief.

“If I had been just a little bit later, I would have been the one detained there, right?”

Seeing those people who had all their belongings confiscated and were even treated as suspects and likely to be sent to prison, he felt a chill.

He immediately left without daring to stay any longer, turning and quickly walking away.

He left the area around the city gate quickly, and when he could no longer see it behind him, he started running.

After running for three to five miles and feeling that he had completely left the county town’s area, Lu Yuan finally stopped.

While catching his breath, he wiped off the sweat on his face.

“This world is too dangerous with not only street-killing swordsmen, but also greedy officials and gangs. Compared to the brutal and terrifying human beings outside, the wild beasts in the mountains are much lovelier.”

Originally, he was unhappy and discontented with being a hunter.

But at this moment, after his experience in the city today, Lu Yuan felt that being a hunter might not be so bad after all.

At least, he wouldn’t have to worry about encountering sudden disasters and hardships on normal days.

Being confronted by a group of government officials, wrongly accused, and beaten up.

And then being thrown into prison, having his property confiscated, and becoming a prisoner at their mercy.

In the mountains, he only had to deal with the cunning but not too smart wild beasts.

Could the wild beasts ever be more dangerous than humans?

“Once I return to the mountain, I’ll immediately begin closed-door cultivation. I won’t leave until I’ve maxed out both my Crude Archery and Crude Knife Technique skills, and have enough strength to protect myself,” Lu Yuan thought to himself.

This time, he had bought a whole ten pounds of salt, enough for a grown man to eat for two or three years.

He had originally thought it was just in case, but now it seemed like a wise move.

There are endless wild beasts in the mountains, as well as plenty of fruits and vegetables, all of which can sustain a person’s needs.

For a hunter, as long as they aren’t restrained by salt, they can continue to survive.

“Anyway, I have an infinite life span. Even if I stay in the mountains for a few years, it would just feel like the blink of an eye for a normal person.”

The conditions in the mountains might be harsh, requiring him to endure a few more years of hardship.

However, when compared to the alternative, suffering a little is much better than losing his life for no reason.”

…

Lu Yuan’s physical condition was still quite strong.

Walking along the official road for more than ten miles to the south while carrying more than thirty pounds of weight only took him a little over an hour.

Even after walking so far with such a heavy load, he only felt slightly tired but not unbearable.

The easy-to-walk official road soon reached its end.

At a small village, Lu Yuan looked at the rugged and steep mountain road that branched out from the official road and felt a sense of familiarity.

Reaching this point marked the area of Dayu Mountain.

Finally, he had returned to his own territory.

“But before I return to the mountain, I need to go to the village to buy some rice first.”

Lu Yuan tightened the luggage on his back and followed a fork in the road towards the village.

Although he had just said that there were wild beasts and fruits and vegetables in the mountains, people could not eat these things all the time.

When it was time to eat rice, he still had to eat rice; otherwise, he would be too hard on himself.