The Demon Lords-Chapter 607 - 99: Daily Life_3

Jin Shuke was a man who knew how things worked. He made a point of buying some pastries for everyone to share. After that, Jin Shuke announced to everyone, "After work tonight, I'll be hosting at Juyi Pavilion!"

Juyi Pavilion was the largest restaurant in Li Tian City and also the only one open to the public.

"Thank you, sir!"

"You are truly magnanimous, sir!"

"Thank you, sir!"

Both the Wild People soldiers and Jin soldiers were thrilled to hear this.

Yu Huaping, with his sword at his side, stood at his post. The city gate had already opened, and merchants delivering goods were already coming in.

The scene was unlike the usual morning bustle at other city gates, where vendors would swarm in to sell their goods at the earliest opportunity. Here, such goods were procured in advance by the General's Mansion and transported into the city in a coordinated manner.

Although the shadow of war was already looming, and Wild People unrest could break out at any moment, merchant caravans would keep coming without interruption as long as war was not officially declared.

This made Yu Huaping think that these merchants' pursuit of profit was quite similar to a swordsman's dedication to sword cultivation.

Jin Shuke began to arrange for the inspection of the merchant caravans. Their duty was to conduct the initial inspection, ensuring no spies or infiltrators slipped through. Behind the city gate, there was a transit zone. A considerable area had been set aside, where dedicated officials were responsible for clearing and registering the incoming goods.

Anything that entered Shengle City would inevitably leave a trace. These records served as the basis for levying taxes on completed transactions.

You could conduct transactions in your own merchant house or directly via the commercial office under the General's Mansion, though the price in the latter case would likely be lower.

Corruption was not unheard of. In the past month alone, Yu Huaping had heard of more than a dozen officials being executed and skinned. In reality, the number of officials punished was likely even higher.

The chair of the inventory official was now draped with two layers of human skin. This chair was not to be replaced, and the official had to continue working while seated upon it.

Jin Shuke walked over to Yu Huaping and patted his shoulder.

This gesture originated with the master of Shengle City, General Zheng himself, who reportedly enjoyed patting his subordinates' shoulders when conversing with them. Gradually, this gesture was imitated by others, both in the army and in government offices.

"Little Fish."

"Yes, sir," Yu Huaping responded calmly.

Apart from Zheng Fan and his inner circle, no one knew Yu Huaping's true identity.

"You're not married yet, are you?"

Though Jin Shuke spoke the Xia language with a heavy accent, his words were nonetheless clear.

"Not yet, sir."

"Would you like me to find a wife for you?"

The Sword Saint's expression was priceless at this moment.

He was truly afraid Jin Shuke would mention that a new batch of Wild People slaves had recently arrived at the monopoly market, perhaps highlighting a particularly noteworthy female slave, or even worse, that one was already pregnant—a supposed bargain secured for him—or some other such arrangement.

Honestly, the Sword Saint could understand and, to a certain extent, respect some customs and habits of the Wild People, but he could never willingly assimilate into their ways.

Previously, a soldier nicknamed Sigui, seeking a cheap thrill, had chosen a Wild People woman in the city's red-light district. The story went that he fainted from the stench the moment he dropped his trousers.

This incident quickly became a running joke among the guards at the East Gate.

While Yu Huaping never participated in such conversations, he couldn't avoid overhearing them when others discussed the matter.

"She's a good woman, from Jin land—a widow with a daughter and a mother-in-law to support."

Yu Huaping blinked.

"She's good-looking, and most importantly, by the standards of you Jin people, she's a woman who knows how to run a household."

"Sir, I'm not considering that at present. I wish to earn some military merits first and consider such matters later."

Yu Huaping could only use this reason as an excuse.

He had his own code of conduct. Having promised Zheng Fan to guard the East Gate, he would not abandon his duty midway due to personal matters.

A swordsman, with his sword, could sometimes be just that single-minded.

"It doesn't hurt to look."

Jin Shuke patted Yu Huaping's shoulder again, then said to him in a lowered voice, "I can tell, kid, you're no ordinary person."

"What?"

"You're different from us, and from them."

"Different?"

"Yes, different. I don't believe your earlier excuse. Money, women, status—these things matter to them, and to us. But you, you don't seem to care about any of it."

"I do care."

"Don't kid me. I always attend Mr. Bei's evening lectures when I'm off duty."

"Huh?"

The Blind Man's evening lectures were primarily themed around brainwashing.

Sometimes, when the mood struck him, he would also discuss life philosophies—what one might call an output of his worldview—or, to put it more plainly, he'd slip in his personal biases.

This was simply the Blind Man's nature, an unalterable instinct. Or perhaps, it could be said that anyone with a high opinion of themselves suffers from a compulsion to share their personal views.

"Mr. Bei once said that some people appear to be like us, but in reality, they are quite different. They are like the alpha wolf; while the pack rejoices over the meat before them, the alpha worries about the coming winter. The Master is that alpha wolf."

By 'the Master,' he naturally meant Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan was rather reclusive, seldom making public appearances. But it was precisely this air of mystery that made his key subordinates all the more eager to sculpt his public image.