Chapter 8: Lang Yang City
Waking up, Zhou Fan continued on his journey. After around 8 hours of riding, Zhou Fan saw a gigantic city wall. It was much bigger than he had heard from Old Man Yang. It seemed this was a different city than the one Old Man Yang used to live in.
The dirt trail led to a gate with a small line. Linning up, Zhou Fan continued to look around. It seemed that the walls were made of stone. Above the gate, there was a huge sign that stated, ' Lang Yang City'. Soon, Zhou Fan made it to the gate.
"One copper for entry," said the guard.
Zhou Fan complied and took out a copper coin before riding inside. It seemed that the security here wasn't too strict.
Looking up, Zhou Fan noticed that the sky was starting to darken. Since he had heard stories from Old Man Yang, Zhou Fan had a minor understanding of the city.
He decided to look for an inn to stay the night at. It didn't take long before he found a nice looking inn. It didn't seem unreasonably priced. 5 copper per night. Although Zhou Fan could afford to stay here, he couldn't do it for long.
Walking in, Zhou Fan met the nice innkeeper. She was an old lady. Although he didn't catch her name, he had a good impression of her. It turned out that the 5 copper also paid for breakfast and dinner. They also had a stable that they could keep his horse in.
Before he even bothered going up to his room, Zhou Fan decided to have dinner downstairs. Zhou Fan didn't have high expectations, but the meal turned out to be the best one he's had since his parents died. It was almost enough to make him cry. Almost.
Heading up to his room, Zhou Fan saw that it was pretty basic. A neat looking bed, a small wooden desk, and a wardrobe.
After unpacking his few belongings, Zhou Fan started cultivating. He decided to cultivate through the night since cultivation was like a replacement for sleep. Although he did still have to go to sleep after staying up for a few days.
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Zhou Fan stopped cultivating after about 10 hours had passed. Although he didn't breakthrough, Zhou Fan felt that he had made large progress.The sun had been up for a little more than 3 hours now. Deciding that it was an appropriate time to get up, he went downstairs to have breakfast. He had paid 20 copper. Enough to stay here for 4 days.
Sitting at a table, Zhou Fan asked the lady for some breakfast. She brought out some bread and some oatmeal. Although Zhou Fan had never had oatmeal himself, he had heard Old Man Yang casually mention it. It was an average meal in any city. Zhou Fan had no complaints.
While he was eating his meal, some loud men burst into the inn. Based on their tone and movement, they clearly didn't put anyone in their eyes. It was likely because they were extremely strong. Or at least they looked like it.
This likely wasn't the first time this had happened from the look on the peoples faces. All of a sudden, the three men started walking towards Zhou Fan.
"Hey pal." The biggest of the three men said. " Mind if we share your breakfast with you."
It was clear to anyone that they didn't actually want to share, just take.
"I mind." Zhou Fan said simply, before proceeding to ignore the newcomers.
Zhou Fan could tell their intentions, but he honestly wanted them to mess with him so that he could beat them up. Although it sounded bad, he had all this power and nothing to do with it. Might as well beat up some rude people.
When Zhou Fan said that, the three men stopped laughing instantly.
"Scram!" The biggest one said, before smashing his hand on the table.
Not to be outdone, Zhou Fan hit his hand on the table, making a much louder noise than when the man hit. Of course, he didn't use his full strength, or it would have broken into pieces.
"Scram," Zhou Fan said to them, repeating what the big man had said.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA."
Suddenly, the three men broke into laughter for half a minute before abruptly stopping, giving Zhou Fan a death stare.
"Come outside, boy."
Zhou Fan was still 10. Hence, no one took him seriously.
"Sure," Zhou Fan said.
He didn't want to fight inside the inn either way. Following the men for a while, they eventually stopped in an alley.
Looking at him, the biggest man didn't waste any time before punching at his face. He didn't hold back at all! He intended to kill Zhou Fan with this punch!
Unfortunately for the man, Zhou Fan wasn't any other 10-year-old boy. Punching out, Zhou Fans fist collided with the mans. When their fists met, the mans arm instantly collapsed. He himself flew through the nearest buildings wall. Before they could react, Zhou Fan shot a wave of energy at the other two men.
Luckily for them, Zhou Fan held back, only breaking most of their bones before they flew through the wall. Looking at the wall, one could see 3 men shaped holes. Stepping through one of the holes, Zhou Fan came upon the sight of 3 men laying on the floor.
The biggest man was the only one conscious. What was left of his arms was a mix of blood and flesh combined. It looked like he didn't suffer too much compared to the other men, however. Their limbs were bent in random directions and foam was coming out of their mouths. They would likely die soon.
Walking over to the man, Zhou Fan stepped over the other twos dying bodies. Seeing the 10-year-old boy walk towards him, the man felt an unprecedented fear. Even with his mangled arm, he was trying to back away from him.
Deciding to show mercy, Zhou Fan stepped on his right leg, breaking it, before walking away. It wasn't too long after he left that some guards came into the building. Running out soon after, they came back with some doctors to try to save the men. Their fate would remain unknown to Zhou Fan, however. Making his way back to the inn, the old lady and all the other patrons were amazed to see him in one piece.
"What happened young man, are you okay?"
"We settled it, but thank you for your concern."
Leaving it at that, Zhou Fan made his way upstairs
Chapter 9: The Library
Later that day, Zhou Fan headed downstairs to eat some dinner. The only difference was the weird looks in the other peoples eyes. Even the old lady was looking at him weirdly.
Sitting down with his tray, Zhou Fan heard the other guests whispering to each other.
"Lu Zhan, Hu Zhan, and Wu Zhan were found near death in an abandoned building earlier today."
"What?! What in the world could have done that!"
"Not what, who," said the man, subtly pointing at him.
"You mean that kid did it?"
"He was the last one seen with them. There's no other explanation," said the man, clearly suspicious if what he was saying was true.
Zhou Fan realized that the three men were the cause of all the weird looks. It seemed a rumor had spread about what had happened earlier. The looks ,however, contained more suspicion than fear. After all, it was quite unbelievable that a 10-year-old kid could hurt men of that size.
It would likely stay a rumor ,however. Even if the men woke up, it was unlikely that they would tell people a child beat them up. Quickly finishing up, Zhou Fan chose to explore the town. He planned to stay here for a while, after all.
Stepping outside, Zhou Fan felt the 5pm heat, which wasn't too bad. Choosing a random direction, Zhou Fan walked across the street while noting places that seemed important or useful. He walked past many stores and shops until one caught his eye.
It was called 'Lang Yang clothing shop', clearly named after the city itself. Heading inside, he saw a huge area entirely filled with clothes. A store attendant quickly came up to him after seeing him walk through the door.
"Hello. How can I help you?"
Despite the fact that his only clothing was some roughly carved wolf skin and he was covered in dirt, the young lady no older than 20 was still nice.
"I would like to buy some clothes," Zhou Fan said.
"Alright, what is your budget?"
Pondering for a second, Zhou Fan decided to spend a good amount on clothes.
"1 silver"
Clearly, Zhou Fan was a man of many words.
"Please follow me."
The shopping attendant facial expressions didn't change a bit after he said that. It seems that spending 1 silver on clothes here isn't something outstanding.
While following the shopkeeper, Zhou Fan asked some questions about the store itself. According to the lady, this shop was a direct asset of the mayor. Hence the name 'Lang Yang clothing shop'. In fact, all assets directly under the mayor had 'Lang Yang' in the name.
Although it wasn't exactly a shop for commoners, they still sold relatively cheap clothes. After around 30 minutes, Zhou Fan decided on 3 pairs of clothes. Zhou Fan headed to the counter to buy it. On he way, he passed by a miscealanius section and grabbed a water sack.
"Thank you for shopping at Lang Yang clothing shop. And welcome to our city."
After leaving, Zhou Fan pondered how to earn money. it was clear after a single store that his remaining 5 silver, give or take, wouldn't last him too long.
While thinking, Zhou Fan came to the biggest building in the city. It was a large tower. It was round and pointed up twice as high as the city walls. It also looked about 300 feet long. Zhou Fan was astounded after looking at it. It was huge!
Looking at the board above the entrance, Zhou Fan noticed it was the 'Lang Yang library'.
Heading inside, Zhou Fan saw the space was just as big as it looked outside. There were a lot of books here! Even with his enhanced brain, Zhou Fan still couldn't count them all. Plus, this was just the first floor!
"Hello, how can I help you?"
Hearing a familiar line, Zhou Fan turned around to see a brown haired girl.
"I'm just looking around. Can you tell me how this place works?"
"Of course! Just grab a book, bring it to the desk, and check it out under your name. If you don't have a membership card, you can buy one for 1 silver. You'll need one to check the books out if you want to take them home, or you can read it from the shelf. All it needs is your name and address."
Although the load of information was surely helpful, Zhou Fan meant the building itself.
"No, I mean the building. How can something this large stand?"
"Oh. Yes, it is quite amazing, isn't it? This library is tied for the biggest library in the entire empire. Only the imperial cities library can compare. The mayor spent hundreds of thousands of gold, and after 10 years of construction by the greatest builders and architects in the empire, the library was created."
"Wow!"
Zhou Fan was amazed at not only the fact that it was tied for biggest library in the empire, but also the fact that it cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins to build.
"Exactly how big is this city?" Zhou Fan asked.
"Within the city walls, it is 10 miles from one end to the other. It is also the 5th biggest city in the empire."
"Thank you for your help," Zhou Fan said.
This girl had given him a lot of information after all.
"Your welcome."
After saying that, the girl walked off, leaving Zhou Fan to explore on his own.
After a while of walking around, Zhou Fan saw a board on the ground.
It said, 'Library hiring. 2 available positions. The people with the most knowledge will be accepted. Pay is 3 silvers a week.'
"Incredible," Zhou Fan exclaimed.
A job that paid 3 silvers a week was surely one of the best jobs in the empire. However, it looks like the requirements are strict. It seemed like the girl from earlier wasn't just a pretty face.
According to the sign, the hiring would happen in 3 weeks. If it was anyone but Zhou Fan, they would have no hope of gaining such a large amount of knowledge in a mere 3 weeks.
However, Zhou fans' enhanced mind wasn't just for show. Along with the fact that his mind moved faster. His memory was also many times greater than before. He could memorize almost everything he saw or heard!
Deciding he wanted this job, Zhou Fan chose to spend all his time for the next 3 weeks studying. Before that ,however, he needed to buy a membership card. And take a bath.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
121 Power
stone 
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