Zhang Ze, as an escorter who had travelled all around, was not older than the village leader, but his knowledge of the outside world was no less than the village leader’s, and perhaps even greater.
“Lushui County nearby doesn’t have a mine, so it might be somewhat difficult to find a fixed source of Iron Ore. However, there is a government warehouse in Yongfeng County…”
Wang Sheng’s expression changed when he heard this.
The Da Zhou dynasty prohibited the private sale of Iron Ore, and he knew that if he wanted to find suitable Iron Ore, he would most likely have to deal with government affairs.
But knowing about the government’s warehouse was not simple information.
“Cough cough, I heard it by chance, unintentionally, and with the current situation, who knows if it’s still there!”
Zhang Ze himself was also unsure if the government’s Iron Ore was still available.
After all, the current situation with the government was not very good.
It depended on whether King Yong Nian had now come to his senses and had truly taken Shuzhou into his hands to manage it or not.
However, no matter the situation, Wang Sheng felt he needed to go out and take a look, not just for the Iron Ore. Qingshan Village had been isolated from the outside world for too long and needed some information.
Now, his own strength was also quite formidable; as long as he did not actively seek out trouble, it was unlikely that anything particularly troubling would occur.
So, the next day, Wang Sheng got a map from Zhang Ze and left the village. With the “God’s” strength, he no longer had trouble finding his way back as he did before.
This time, too, he went out by himself, except that, unlike last time when he only had Da Bai, this time he had Yun Xiao along.
And unlike Da Bai who could only wait outside the city, Yun Xiao could follow him into the city.
He first arrived at Lushui County town, planning to inquire about the situation, and if it was not good, he would turn back and think of another plan.
But as he entered the town, he noticed there were quite a few people entering, even many who brought their families with them.
Things were even more so inside the town; Lushui County town was actually quite bustling, nothing like the dilapidated situation he had imagined, not much different from a normal ordinary town.
It was even busier than before King Yong Nian’s army had invaded. There were street vendors shouting their wares, presenting a scene of prosperity.
“Could it be that Shuzhou has already stabilized?”
Other than the situation stabilizing, Wang Sheng could not think of any other possibility.
However, this was good for him; gathering information would be much easier. So he found an inn, the only one that was still open in town, Yuelai Inn.
“Seems it’s not as good as I imagined!”
In such a large county town, only one inn was open, probably due to problems with food supply. But this also proved that this inn was not simple.
After entering the inn, he felt even more so.
Because there was an actual storyteller present in the inn.
Even before the current crises, not every inn had a storyteller.
And the level of this storyteller seemed quite high. Inside the inn, there were many people standing, none of whom were eating; they were all focused on the storyteller, and the innkeeper didn’t chase anyone away.
Shortly after Wang Sheng entered, a waiter came up to him, smiling just as much whether Wang Sheng was there to eat or not.
“Sir, are you stopping for a break or staying at the inn? Of course, if you’re here to listen to the storytelling, you can find a spot to sit down as well. However, if someone comes to eat, you’ll need to make some room.”
First things first, the service at Yuelai Inn was impeccable.
“I’ll have a meal. Bring up two plates of whatever meat you have, some rice, and a pot of tea. Do you have all that?”
“Of course we do. Please, follow me to the second floor where it’s quieter; there are fewer people there.”
“Alright!”
Wang Sheng followed the waiter upstairs, where there were only a few diners.
The spot here was quite good, able to clearly hear what the storyteller was saying.
But the content took him by surprise as it sounded somewhat familiar.
“The people from the three counties were all being oppressed by the Green Flood Dragon Gang, who worshipped the Evil Flood Dragon, gathered together in fear, a single misstep could turn them into sacrifices, and an atmosphere of despair spread amongst them all.
It was then that the righteous heroes appeared, starting from Lushui County. A group of more than ten people emerged from the dense forest, easily slaying the Green Flood Dragon Gang members, and rescued the people of Lushui County…”
Wang Sheng instantly recognized the story as the incident from the last time he and Mo Yang rescued the people from the three counties.
The storyteller had adapted the story with some embellishment, creating quite an intriguing tale.
“…The people from two counties were saved. However, the matter of the Dishui County town, where the Green Flood Dragon Gang was located, was more difficult to resolve. There, an Evil Flood Dragon lurked in the waters. Even though the heroes were powerful, they were somewhat outmatched facing the Evil Flood Dragon…”
“How did they eventually resolve it?” a dining patron on the second floor asked. Wang Sheng glanced briefly before withdrawing his gaze; the few people were Martial Artists, better not to attract too much attention.
The storyteller continued at a leisurely pace, “The guest must be from outside, no? To find out how they dealt with the Evil Flood Dragon, please listen patiently.”
He took a sip of water before beginning again, “The heroes found themselves outmatched against both the Green Flood Dragon Gang and the Evil Flood Dragon, but for the sake of the people of Dishui County, the heroes decided to stake their lives in the gamble—a truly poignant moment with the chilling winds and the bitter waters of Yi, once the brave men departed, they never returned…”
Hearing this, Wang Sheng finally understood what artistic embellishment meant.
“Just as the heroes were about to enter the city, a key figure appeared—a Grandmaster who protected our three counties. This Grandmaster wore a mask with a fierce green face and sharp fangs, never revealing his true appearance, but it is said that when the Grandmaster appeared…”
The storyteller immediately launched into a rhapsody of praises for the Grandmaster, using every laudatory adjective he could find.
After praising the Grandmaster, he quickly moved on to the Evil Flood Dragon, portraying it as extremely powerful.
“I thought this was going to be a battle between evenly-matched opponents, and I had prepared quite a bit of material in anticipation, but sadly, the fight turned out to be somewhat unexpected…”
At this point, the storyteller left a cliffhanger, and the audience, understanding the cue, threw over some silver coins, with the person who had asked the question earlier tossing a particularly large silver piece.
“What was the final outcome?”
Seeing so much money, the storyteller’s eyes lit up.
“The final outcome was that the Grandmaster, wearing a mask with a green grimace, killed the Evil Flood Dragon with just a few punches. The Evil Flood Dragon had almost no ability to resist at all. I wasn’t present at that battle myself, but I visited Dishui County afterward and saw the aftermath of the battle, which had nearly destroyed half the city…”
How could that be? It was actually just one street that got ruined, Wang Sheng thought to himself, wanting to interject.
However, some did agree, such as a few Martial Artists who were also having a meal.
“If it really were a Grandmaster Level, being able to strike with such recklessness indeed indicates great ability.”
“Was that Evil Flood Dragon truly at the Grandmaster Level? These ordinary folks might not have accurate judgment!”
“It’s true, there’s confirmation from the intelligence department.”
“If that’s the case, then that Grandmaster must be very powerful. To kill an Evil Flood Dragon, who is also a Grandmaster, with a few punches, he’s no ordinary Grandmaster.”
Although these people were speaking in low voices, Wang Sheng’s current strength meant that if he chose to, he could overhear everything said in the whole inn.
He became even more determined to keep his distance from these people.
When they mentioned the “intelligence department,” they were most likely not ordinary Martial Artists.
And the storyteller’s tale was still not over.
“Although the story is mostly finished, my words are not done yet. Although I’m a storyteller, this tale is true, as I was one of the people rescued.
It’s precisely because of the presence of this Grandmaster and those heroes that the three counties were able to maintain the peace that they now enjoy; no human or demon dares to provoke us lightly… Therefore, people from other cities have been coming to the three counties, seeking refuge…”
Just then, a silver coin was thrown precisely in front of him.
“Old man, what does this mean? Is that Grandmaster a native of the three counties? He managed to shelter the entire three counties so that no one dared to provoke them?”
The speaker was Wang Sheng, who couldn’t imagine that by merely killing the Evil Flood Dragon, he had brought such prosperity to the three counties.
The storyteller was extremely confident.
“Of course, he’s from the three counties. Somebody saw that Grandmaster dragging the Evil Flood Dragon’s body into the woods. Also, many other places with situations similar to our three counties didn’t report seeing this Grandmaster, so he must be residing incognito within the three counties, ready to appear whenever danger threatens. That is what a true hero is!”
“Oh!”
“Good!”
The audience cheered enthusiastically.
Only Wang Sheng was like: “…”
He understood now; someone in the three counties was riding on the coattails of his reputation.
Whether true or false, others would be very cautious. Without certain information, they wouldn’t act rashly, thus a calm has settled over the three counties, making them busier than ever.
But—
“I really fucking guessed right!”
Though it might have been a lucky guess, he was indeed within the territory of the three counties.
He felt that the person who first spread these rumors may not have been entirely sure, but speaking this way indeed reduced the troubles of the three counties. One look at the situation in the three counties made it all too clear.
From the previous fleeing and departing, the counties have now recovered their prosperity.
The final result was good; it was just a matter of reputation after all.
After finishing his meal and settling the bill, Wang Sheng hit the road again, planning to head to Yongfeng County, a city situated between Yong’an and Dongfeng.
He had already clarified that his reputation mainly affected the people of the three counties, but the neighboring counties had also benefited a little, and the situation was relatively stable; no demonic beasts or especially brazen evil forces were present.
So, a trip there would likely be without any issues.
After leaving the city, he set off once again.
Meanwhile, Yue, who had gathered all the clues and was planning to go to Dishui County, suddenly felt something.
“Yongfeng County?”
This was the Stargazing Secret Technique, an intuition as quick as a flash of spirit light, also known as a whim.
Stargazing Valley had refined this intuitive method to a level where it could be consciously utilized; once something closely related to oneself occurred, one would sense it.
“If we’re talking about locations, does that mean the person I’m looking for might be in Yongfeng County?”
Yue changed direction and headed towards Yongfeng County…
(PS. Made some changes, First Grade Martial Artist was changed to First Grade, and so on)