Chapter 32: Entering the City

Wugong County lay about sixty li from Li Family Village. These sixty li were not the smooth, grassy or paved roads of his previous life, but mountain paths and earthen tracks. Cows were not known for their speed, so it took more than two hours to arrive.

From a distance, Li Mu saw a city gate, above which hung a plaque inscribed with three characters he could not recognize. Still, he surmised they must spell “Wugong County.” The gate was crowded with people coming and going, many carrying bundles of firewood, bustling and lively, filled with noise. Li Mu looked up for a while, exhaled softly, nudged the cow’s belly, and rode into the city.

Inside, the sound of bells rang through the streets, while ox carts, horse carts, and donkey carts passed by in an endless stream. The uneven flagstones paved the roads, and inns and shops along the street were crowded with customers and merchants. Compared to the great cities of his past life, Wugong County was hardly prosperous, but its ancient charm and vibrant market life possessed a unique allure.

“Sharpen your scissors, hone your kitchen knives...”
“Look at this cloth, so sturdy, washed and sun-dried again and again...”
“Hey—snowflake cake! Delicious and affordable—come try a taste!”
All kinds of vendor cries mingled in the air, filling the streets with the warmth of everyday life. Even Li Mu, suffering the aftereffects of his ordeal, found the scene novel and fascinating.

But after only a short while, fatigue weighed on his body, and dizziness clouded his mind. He needed to find a place to rest and eat, or he feared he might collapse on the spot. Summoning his will, he scanned his surroundings and soon spotted an inn by the roadside. Beside it lay a sunken space crowded with parked ox and donkey carts.

He rode over, let the big blue cow kneel at the entrance, and dismounted. At once, a servant hurried out to greet him. After a brief exchange, Li Mu learned the lodging prices: a superior room was two coins a night, a standard single room one coin, and the common dormitory—just ten copper coins for a night. He knew the dormitory well: a crowd of men squeezed onto one large bed, mostly peddlers and laborers. In this summer heat, the thought of the smell inside gave Li Mu a shudder.

Besides wanting to spare his nose, he carried all his belongings and was feeling weak, so despite the higher price, he chose a standard single room. The cow also needed proper care; the inn had a stable, but that too cost ten copper coins a night.

It was clear, in any world, those who controlled resources could make money much more easily.

Li Mu sighed, but had no choice. The cow belonged to his Ninth Aunt, who had only lent it to him temporarily—he had to take good care of it. Once his lodgings were settled, the servant called several others. They unloaded his baskets from the cow’s back, led the animal to the stable out back, and helped Li Mu carry his baskets to his room.

The room was simple: a bed, a table, a few stools, and nothing else. Li Mu ordered some food—he was in the midst of the aftereffects and felt hungry easily. He’d eaten enough before, but after two hours on the road, his hunger returned. Passing through the inn’s hall earlier, the aroma of food had made his stomach rumble.

He took out a pouch containing one hundred and ten copper coins and handed them to the servant, coins he had prepared in advance and kept in a small cloth bag inside his robe. There were only copper coins, no silver. Li Mu understood the principle of concealing his wealth; now in the county, he was all the more cautious.

Not until the servant left the room did Li Mu exhale deeply. Lodging at the inn was clearly only a temporary measure; after all, a night cost more than a coin of silver. Don’t be fooled by the hundred taels he had earned in the past ten days—a single night’s expense seemed trivial, but that hundred taels was his total expected income for the next year or two, merely received in advance. Earning this much again would be nearly impossible.

He still had to pursue martial arts. Whether those hundred taels would suffice was uncertain. He couldn’t afford to squander them; the money had to be spent wisely.

Yet, having just arrived, Li Mu knew no one in the county besides Ninth Uncle. But since his coming here was to avoid Ninth Uncle, he couldn’t seek him out. He would have to make inquiries.

Fortunately, that would not be difficult.

Shortly after, the servant returned, bringing some food. Though just four simple dishes—meat and vegetables alike—the meal cost a coin and a half of silver. This only reinforced Li Mu’s conviction that staying at the inn was but a stopgap.

As the servant was about to leave, Li Mu called him back.

“Brother, I have a question for you.”

With these words, he placed about ten copper coins on the table. The servant’s eyes lit up and his smile grew warmer. “Ask away, sir. I shall answer whatever I know.”

“I plan to settle here in the county, but the inn is too expensive. I want to rent a small courtyard or something similar. Do you have any advice?”

“Renting a courtyard?” The servant paused, then grinned. “What a coincidence! My second uncle works for the county’s brokers, handling just such business. If you’d like, tell me your requirements, and I’ll ask him for you.”

“Oh?” Li Mu was surprised, then smiled. “What luck indeed. I have no special demands, only that it be quiet. Preferably cheap, too, but nothing else matters.”

He grabbed another handful of copper coins—at least forty or fifty this time—and handed them to the servant, smiling. “I’ll trouble you to make some inquiries for me.”

The servant accepted them promptly, grinning. “Leave it to me, sir. I’ll ask my second uncle tonight and bring you an answer first thing tomorrow.”

Li Mu nodded. The servant exchanged a few more polite words and departed, closing the door behind him.

Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the baskets by the door, laboriously moved them beside the bed, and finally began to eat.

To be honest, eating was difficult. Both arms were bruised and swollen; every movement sent waves of pain through him, far worse than last time. After all, previously he had only exerted himself slightly. This time, he had fought an enemy and killed two men—the intensity and duration were incomparable.

Last time, he had fainted immediately; this time, he managed to hold out much longer. Not because he was stronger, but because he had experience and was mentally prepared. Previously, he had just survived a calamity, his spirit already fragile, so when his ability was withdrawn, he had collapsed at once. Now, he returned home, relaxed completely, and only then lost consciousness.

Yet while his mind could endure it, his physical injuries were much worse than before. Judging by his condition, it would take even longer to recover.

“I must hurry to train in martial arts,” he thought. His body couldn’t keep up; using his golden finger felt like suffering a severe illness each time. This would not do.

So, gritting his teeth through the pain and eating with difficulty, Li Mu’s resolve to practice martial arts grew ever stronger.

Though eating was hard, he had to admit: the food, while inferior to what he’d known in his previous life, was the tastiest he’d had since arriving in this world.

After his meal, Li Mu exhaled deeply. He had to work hard—for a bite to eat, he had to strive.

He painstakingly applied medicine to himself, called the servant to clear away the leftovers, and at last, unable to hold on any longer, climbed into bed and sank into a deep sleep.