Chapter 39: The Inner City
Chapter 39: The Inner City
Yu City was vast.
Traveling from the outskirts of the outer city to the inner city would require a horse ride.
The Nine Streets where Chen Mu lived was neither too far nor too close to the inner city, just the right distance. With his powerful legs, he quietly walked, avoiding attention, and soon traversed through the various alleys and streets.
The closer he got to the inner city, the cleaner and wider the streets became, and the more bustling the area was.
Of course, this was only during the day.
During daylight, the areas near the inner city were patrolled by officials, and any family with a bit of wealth or influence would hire guards. It was difficult for thugs and ruffians to survive in these parts.
However, at night, these relatively affluent areas attracted thieves and burglars. Despite being close to the inner city, it was still part of the outer city, and once night fell, no one cared, not even the City Guard.
"The inner city..."
Chen Mu headed north, walking swiftly along the streets and alleys. After an unknown amount of time, he finally reached the inner city of Yu City for the first time.
He had only heard about it before, but now, as he gazed upon it, he couldn't help but feel awe. The inner city's walls were significantly thicker and taller than those of the outer city, surpassing the walls of his previous life's memories! The entire wall seemed to be forged from some unknown material, and in the sunlight, it even had a subtle sheen of gold and iron. Outside, a deep moat surrounded the city.
"No wonder the inner city is a completely different world. With such tall and solid walls, even if the outer city were in chaos and burned to ashes, it wouldn't affect the inside."
Chen Mu looked up at the towering walls for a moment before shaking his head slightly.
He headed straight for the inner city gate.
The gate to the inner city was heavily guarded, and everyone entering or exiting was thoroughly inspected. Moreover, ordinary people didn't have the qualifications to enter. Commoners who wished to enter had to spend a significant amount of money to purchase a special inner city token.
Chen Mu approached the gate and presented the City Guard's Senior Patrol Officer token to the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper examined the token and then returned it to Chen Mu, saying expressionlessly, "Go ahead, but remember to leave before nightfall. You cannot stay overnight inside."
Chen Mu nodded, indicating his understanding.
He knew from Min Baoyi that the Senior Patrol Officer token allowed entry into the inner city, but there was no qualification to purchase property and stay long-term. Even the City Guard was limited to single-day entry and exit during times of heightened security.
Only the District Prefect had the right to live in the inner city long-term and purchase property... Of course, if Chen Mu really wanted to live in the inner city and had enough silver to buy property, it would be easy to arrange through Xu Hongyu.
Chen Mu only thought about buying property in the inner city for now.
The prices were staggering, with even a small mansion costing over ten thousand taels of silver, which was too much for him to consider at the moment.
Entering the inner city, he saw that it was indeed a different world from the outer city.
The wide streets were smooth, without any potholes. On both sides were shops and restaurants, elegantly decorated, and the people coming and going were either dressed in fine silks or clean long robes, appearing relaxed.
Chen Mu, wearing a blue long robe that he had purchased for ten taels of silver, blended into the crowd, attracting no special attention.
As he ventured further in, he couldn't see any individual small houses. All the residential areas in the back streets were large, deep compounds. At a glance, they were at least three or four-courtyard mansions, and some even occupied an entire area.
Although it was Chen Mu's first time in the Inner City, he had no trouble finding the Yu Family Martial Academy. It was located within the Yu Family's territory, occupying a large eastern section of the inner city, a fact Chen Mu was well aware of.
Soon, Chen Mu arrived at the Yu Family Martial Academy. Despite being called a martial academy, it was actually a vast area consisting of numerous intricate courtyards interconnected with each other, divided into two sections—a larger eastern area for male disciples and a smaller western area for female disciples.
Chen Mu circled around and approached the main entrance of the female disciples' area. He knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
After a while, the door opened halfway, revealing a woman in her thirties with a solemn expression. She furrowed her brows, scrutinizing Chen Mu standing outside.
Chen Mu quickly explained his purpose for being there.
"Oh, Chen Yue."
The woman nodded, her brows slightly relaxing, but she didn't invite Chen Mu in, only allowing him to wait by the door.
After a short while, the door opened again, and a familiar figure appeared—Chen Yue, whom he hadn't seen for five months.
Chen Mu's heart raced as he saw her.
In just five short months, the changes were significant. Not only had she grown taller by half a head, but her once childish face had matured, still retaining a touch of innocence, she now looked more like a young lady. Her complexion and overall appearance were much better than before.
"Brother!"
Chen Yue approached with joy, but unlike before, she didn't immediately jump into Chen Mu's arms. Instead, she maintained a bit of feminine restraint, merely gazing at Chen Mu with delight.
Chen Mu glanced at Chen Yue, a smile creasing his lips. In his heart, he marveled at how much the little girl had grown, and her improved complexion and appearance indicated that life at the Yu Family Martial Academy was treating her well, which eased his mind.
"The Outer City is too chaotic, and I haven't had the time to visit. How have you been during this time?"
Chen Mu habitually patted Chen Yue's head and led her towards a large banyan tree not far away.
Chen Yue maintained her slightly simple-minded demeanor, looking up as she said, "It's been okay. Training is exhausting, but I've met many people, and Master Yu has been very kind to me... I'm sure your sword training was difficult too, brother."
When she had watched Chen Mu practice his sword techniques, she hadn't thought much of it, only knowing that Chen Mu was diligent.
Now, as she herself trained in swordplay at the martial academy, she felt the difficulty. After nearly five months of training, her sword technique had only reached a minor level of success, still falling short of perfection. She had heard that the most challenging hurdle was the transition from perfection to completion, a stage that few could surpass.
If she could master her sword technique to completion by the age of twenty-five, cultivating the sword aura, she would attain a unique status within the Yu Family Martial Academy as an 'Inner Disciple', gaining access to even more resources.
"Mhm."
Listening to Chen Yue, Chen Mu calmly replied, "Training is never easy. Every drop of sweat brings its reward. My current skill level is the result of years of dedicated practice."
Chen Mu learned from Chen Yue that she was practicing the Dripping Rain Sword Technique and had achieved a minor level of success. Her Skin Polishing Technique had also reached a similar level, steadily progressing towards perfection. Chen Mu estimated that in two or three months, both her sword technique and Skin Polishing Technique would reach perfection.
This progress was indeed impressive.
Within a year, achieving perfection in both sword technique and Skin Polishing Technique was considered quite rare. Ren Yan, a member of the City Guard, had been training in the Inner City for a long time, but even after more than a year, he hadn't reached the level of perfection in both skills.
(End of Chapter)
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