After running and resting for a few days, Shen Tianyu, her now unofficial fiancee and her subordinate who looks like her superior based on her clothes, finally saw a small, decrepit village. They slowed down and walked into the village at a normal pace so as not to alarm anyone. The villagers they saw all wore patched and course clothing, like the peasants one sees in a stereotypical poor place in animated shows and such. Some were carrying bamboo or wood baskets with fresh produce while others were carrying wooden water buckets or animals caught from the wild. All the villagers they passed by looked at them in their own way that told them they really stood out. Some of the gazes were wary, others were curious, while still others were envious.
"... I think we should keep going, it doesn't seem like a good idea to stay here." Shen Tianyu proposed in a quiet voice as she walked in the lead. Though she dressed seemingly the simplest in the group, her clothes were still far superior to the ones the villagers were wearing, which they could tell at a glance. White cloth was something only the wealthy could afford to wear on a daily basis since it's easy to get it dirty and was somewhat pricey because of the demand. Poor people only had one set of white clothes, if at all, and usually only wears it for special occasions.
"I agree." Luo Shue expressed her stance unhesitatingly.
"Aren't you tired?" Rong Jian asked in return.
"We've stayed in the Forest for so long, what's to care about a few more days?" Shen Tianyu replied.
"If that's what wifey has decided, then that's what we'll do." Rong Jian agreed.
And so the three quickly walked out of the village before continuing to run.
'Villages like that can be a real pain. It's really better to stay outside than in a village like that.' Shen Tianyu shivered a bit as she remembered some horror stories about poor villages she saw before. 'It's honestly not good to be stereotypical but better safe than sorry. Even if we're strong cultivators, it'd still be an international incident if we killed some villagers, no matter whose fault it was.' She thought to herself as she ran ahead of the other two.
... And the three kept passing by small villages until they arrived at a decent sized town.
"Halt!" One of the guards ordered. The town was surrounded by a stone wall like a fortress and in front of the trio was a big wooden gate, guarded by two guards in full body silver-colored armor with a silver helmet holding a wooden spear with a metal tip.
'This is so mismatched. If they have the money to dress their guards in full body armor, shouldn't they also prepare decent weapons for them? Full-body armor with a wooden spear is so mismatched!' Shen Tianyu cried inside as she stopped in front of the guards.
"Yes? Is there a toll to get in?" She asked off the bat. 'That's usually the case, isn't it?'
"Miss, you're smart." The guard that called them out responded.
"The toll to get into Ling Le town is three taels of silver per person." The other guard who hasn't spoken this whole time gave the price.
"But since Miss is so smart and beautiful, the price can be reduced." The first guard said. He then looked at Luo Shue behind her. "This Miss too is very pretty. How about accompanying me for a bit and you two get to go in for free? It'll save you guys some travel fees." He gave of a perverted laugh.
'Is this guy stupid? With the way we're dressed, we're obviously not poor villagers and has the money to pay the toll. Besides, no matter how much of a penny-pincher I am, I'm never going to sell my dignity nor that of a subordinate.' A sweat drop rolled down the back of Shen Tianyu's head.
Luo Shue just stood there silently. They both understood that this was the normal course of things for women in this world. People will look down on you first and if you end up being from s powerful organization, only after there's definitive proof do they change their attitude. Even in powerful families, the females might not always be treated well, such as in Shen Tianyu's case.
However, the first guard took the silence as a good sign and continued. "Just for a little while... I'll even-"
He was cut off by his colleague who had hit him with his wooden spear. "Stop being rude to guests, you damn lecher. This is why no one comes to visit our town."
"Why are you putting the prosperity of the town on my head?!" He yelled, holding his helmeted head.
'If you really thought that, you would have stopped him before he took things this far, you know? We're not stupid.' Shen Tianyu complained at the second guard's false pretense of admonition. She ignored the first guard and walked towards the second one. She took out a string of ten silver tales from her magic bag anyways and took a coin from the string before handing it over to him. She then entered the town, followed by Luo Shue and Rong Jian.
"What's with you? You never hit me before because of this..." After they left, the first guard complained to his companion.
"Idiot. Didn't you sense the aura from the man? If I hadn't stopped you, you think your head would still be on your shoulders?" He responded to him with a look.
The first guard gulped and lightly held his neck. He trusted his companion, despite what it seems and there was no reason to lie to him about this. He thanked his companion and the heavens for narrowly escaping death.
...
"Thanks for back there." Shen Tianyu thanked Rong Jian after entering the town without looking back.
"What could wifey be talking about?" Rong Jian responded nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head.
Shen Tianyu glanced back at him with a smile. "You honestly think I didn't sense the killing aura coming from you since that first guard spoke?"
"Ehem..." Rong Jian coughed lightly. "Of course not..." Over the last two months in the Forest of Death, he had personally witnessed his wife'a abilities up close. Her level of skill is close to that of an expert's despite her cultivation base being so low. Something like a killing aura, there's no way she'd miss it.
I'm thinking of doing something for the holidays. Maybe a new cover and 5 days of daily updates or 2 weeks of updating 5 times a week... I could do daily updates for a whole week but that's a lot of brain power and thinking that I might not have...
Yes, I'm admitting I might be dumb.
Haven't really decided... We'll see. COMMENT BELOW which one you prefer or if you have an idea, please.