pertwk Chapter 2231 New Environment and New Situation
Chapter 2231 New Environment and New Situation
Chapter 2231 New Environment and New Situation
This big gray rat is almost as big as a stray dog, round and chubby, and looks like it can barely move its legs.
"Because there are restaurants and inns just ahead," Lord Pu kindly reminded him. "Be careful, they'll bite if they're hungry. In recent years, everything in the wild has grown bigger, even centipedes are three feet long!"
The Qingyun Inn is just ahead.
The services offered here are very comprehensive. Guests can bathe, change clothes, and dine here. For an additional fee, they can also enjoy bone-setting and foot massages.
The two of them took a quick bite, showered and changed to wash away the fishy smell, and then came down to eat.
The inn's lobby was bustling with business; seventeen out of twenty-five tables were occupied, and the atmosphere was lively with people chatting and laughing. There were even storytellers going on and on, making it quite a lively scene.
There were four or five food baskets stacked on the shopkeeper's counter, all of which were meals ordered by customers from outside.
Mr. Sun had just finished ordering when he heard the storyteller shaking his head and swaying his head while holding a fan:
"Beijia and Muguo were known as the two heroes. Back then, they fought fiercely, with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. Neither of them would admit defeat to the other..."
The guests at the next table, munching on sunflower seeds, said, "Aren't 'mountains of corpses and seas of blood' and 'rivers of blood' already redundant? Mr. Lu, do you have any new phrases to use?"
The storyteller glared: "Hey, Mr. Wu, I'm not even charging you, and you're still picking on me? Do you even know what I'm about to say?"
It seemed the two were quite familiar with each other, as the guest smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, you say what you want, I won't be picky anymore."
The storyteller then continued, "Does anyone know why the two countries, Beka and Mou, who were fighting fiercely a few years ago, eventually stopped fighting?"
A customer chimed in, "You must be tired from playing."
"Even if you're tired from fighting, you can't show it, otherwise your enemies will beat you to a pulp if they see you're exhausted!" the storyteller said. "They stopped almost simultaneously, but does anyone know what happened?"
The diners shook their heads; no one liked having to use their brains while eating.
"During the Awakening of Insects period, the monster tide is coming."
As soon as these eight characters were uttered, a long string of "Oh—" followed.
Everyone understood, and no one said anything in rebuttal.
"The surge in spiritual energy has resulted in a surge of monsters appearing in various countries in recent years, causing severe impacts on their regions," the storyteller said. "Whether it's Bega, the Mu Kingdom, or our Cangyan, none of them can escape it. I'm sure everyone here remembers it vividly."
"Yes."
"I remember, I remember!" Everyone nodded.
"At this time, internal troubles outweighed external threats. With their own backyard on fire, how could they have time to fight outsiders? So Mubei gradually ceased hostilities and stopped fighting..."
The two young men next to Boss Wu then asked a question:
"Since Bega is called the Northern Demon Kingdom, does it lack the ability to control newly born demons?"
Mr. Lu rolled his eyes: "What are you talking about? You think calling it a demon kingdom can control demons? Can calling it a human kingdom control people? Look at how many countries in the world are rife with bandits, aren't they all people from human kingdoms? How come they can't control them?"
The two were choked and unable to speak.
Mr. Sun laughed when he heard this, but didn't say anything.
The beginning and end of the Mubai War were caused by complex reasons. Mr. Lu's point is not without merit, but it is not necessarily the main cause.
Just as Mr. Sun's large bowl of beef noodles was served, a strong young man rushed in and whispered to the two tables of customers next to Mr. Sun:
"Boss Wu, near the Little Stone Forest on the official road north of the city, four or five black bears and a pack of wolves have appeared. They are extremely ferocious! They attacked two caravans last night and this morning. They ate a passerby and injured more than a dozen others. The department wants your squad to go and wipe them out."
The guests at both tables were all strong, muscular men with sharp, piercing eyes; it was clear they possessed cultivation and martial arts skills.
Some people muttered, "We've had peace for months, so why are we running into trouble again while we're on duty?"
The leader, Elder Wu, asked, "When they attacked people, was it on the main road or in the stone forest?"
"It's in the Stone Forest, but it's very close to the official road. You can stroll up there in just a few dozen steps."
"You blind fools! You can't stay in this beautiful forest, you insist on coming to our territory to die!" Boss Wu devoured the rest of his noodles in a whirlwind, wiped his mouth, and led seven or eight of his men away. "Let's go! Let's skin the black bear!"
The subordinate said, "We should be careful. Bai Su's group participated in the legion's operation to hunt down the Xigang demons three months ago and hasn't returned."
Another addition: "I heard that more than a hundred years ago this place was called the Kingdom of Giant Deer, and back then, bear demons and wild wolves ravaged the land and ate people..."
The captain slapped each of them on the back of the head: "If you keep jinxing, I'll feed you two to the bears and wolves first!"
After they left, Mr. Sun asked, "These people weren't mercenaries, were they?"
"No. They are all regular hunting teams." Lord Pu looked at their backs. "Actually, in the first few years after Cang Yan was established, the Dragon God Army swept across the land, wiping out bandits, outlaws, and great demons. Even merchants dared to travel at night on the Gold Plains. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The Emperor's Dew kept falling for years, and these newly emerging mountain spirits and monsters sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, one after another, every day, every month, every year! They were impossible to kill or manage."
"They don't understand any reason, they can't even understand human language, and they don't know which areas are our human territory. They often come to the vicinity of cities and official roads to interfere with transportation, disrupt public order, and capture and eat people. Both domestically and internationally, this is called a 'monster tide,' meaning that if their numbers increase, they will disrupt the normal life of humans. Therefore, the authorities organize patrol teams to protect the safety of travelers."
"I've heard that it was the same in ancient times, with humans suffering greatly from monster invasions. The Fu Kingdom, where I used to live, had similar countermeasures, but the government lacked manpower and resources, so they outsourced it to escort agencies and mercenaries, which only caused more trouble, and there was even some embezzlement involved. Some mercenaries, after working for a while, started collecting tolls. Over time, no one dared to travel that road anymore." Mr. Sun sighed, "Then, what about the mountain paths outside the official roads here?"
"You are responsible for your own safety; the authorities have no jurisdiction over you. Unless you are highly skilled and daring, don't go." Lord Pu shrugged. "On the other hand, the wilderness is never a suitable place for the weak to travel, no matter the circumstances."
That makes sense.
After finishing their meal, the two were in a hurry to continue their journey and left the port.
The official road is still quite safe. Mr. Sun turned around and saw the buildings of Julu Port receding into the distance behind him, while carriages and horses flowed endlessly around him. He couldn't help but say:
"It's just as lively here as the Yangshan Islands."
They came by boat and stopped in Yangshan along the way, where he was also deeply impressed.
Lord Pu laughed and asked, "What's the difference?"
"Yangshan has beautiful scenery, while Julu Port is very grand."
The carriage they were riding in actually went higher and higher, eventually stopping on the side of a cliff to unload the passengers.
(End of this chapter)