Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 167 - 140: The Strange Shengshan County (Part 3)

Chapter 167: Chapter 140: The Strange Shengshan County (Part 3)

The refugee camps on both sides kept sprawling until, far in the distance, a city wall was sighted, and the wooden structures built on either side of the official road gradually became sparse.

Shengshan County.

It was that border city where the fourth sister had set up the Illusory Grand Formation.

Approaching along the official road,

one could see that the city walls of Shengshan County looked somewhat dilapidated, with the ten-meter-high walls pitted and uneven. Using will-spirit to sense the formations on the walls, they flickered inconsistently.

The woman they had encountered on the road, named Zhou He, had not lied to him.

If Xu Xinrou neglected this Shengshan County, it was estimated that within a few years, it would turn into ruins.

Owing to its proximity to the Wanxing Mountain Range, many adventurers, mercenaries, and martial artists who hunted Demonic Beasts used this county town as a foothold. And it was precisely because of these people who hunted Demonic Beasts that many merchant caravans would come here to purchase all kinds of materials from the bodies of the beasts.

However, later on, the merchants became much fewer because there would always be a Monster Tide attacking the city.

Now, perhaps due to the safety guarantee of the Illusory Grand Formation, the merchant caravans had returned, and Shengshan County had gradually regained the prosperity of a border city trade town.

The place was bustling.

Different from other counties of Dayan that Xu Yuan had visited, the local customs inside this border city, Shengshan County, were evidently much more fierce.

Eight out of every ten pedestrians on the road were carrying weapons.

There were martial artists and cultivators, as well as some Sect disciples who came here for training.

The city was teeming with a mix of all sorts of people.

Ran Qingmo’s attire did not stand out, but Xu Yuan, in his splendid silk robes, seemed rather conspicuous.

Since many of the female Sect disciples in the city chose to cover their faces to avoid unnecessary trouble, it was rare to see young noblemen roaming in this border area, most people were dressed for action.

Walking in the bustling crowd, Ran Qingmo glanced around:

"Xu Yuan, what do we do now?"

Xu Yuan naturally replied:

"We need to purchase some things..."

Mid-sentence,

Xu Yuan suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on a shrine in the distance.

A flash of blood-red light crossed his eyes,

and in that shrine, he saw a statue of a woman, gentle as water.

Perplexed, Ran Qingmo followed his gaze and asked with a hint of curiosity:

"What’s wrong?"

The blood-red light in Xu Yuan’s eyes faded, and he shook his head with an indistinct meaning:

"It’s nothing, I just didn’t expect that they would really build a shrine for the fourth sister here in Shengshan."

Ran Qingmo, realizing the implication, asked in a low voice:

"Do you want to go have a look?"

Xu Yuan shook his head:

"No need, her establishment of the Illusory Grand Formation has indeed provided safety for this place, which is quite commendable."

Having said that, he turned and walked away.

The two of them walked around the city,

and stood in front of a mansion with an imposing, yet tightly closed gate,

Xu Yuan looked up at the four big characters "Fenghai Commerce Assembly," and murmured with a strange expression:

"I remember Shengshan County is the territory of the Myriad Manifestation Sect. Why did their commerce assembly and tavern close down a month ago? It doesn’t make sense..."

When purchasing goods, the commerce assemblies of the big Sects tended to be much better stocked than those of the smaller ones.

Since Tian’an Commerce Assembly was absent in Shengshan County, Xu Yuan had to settle for less when purchasing goods, but even that was not possible.

Ran Qingmo, following by Xu Yuan’s side, asked in a low voice, "Is it strange?"

Xu Yuan glanced at her and nodded with a smile:

"Of course it’s strange.

"Sects don’t pay taxes, nor are they allowed to touch local taxes; they amass wealth by controlling local commerce.

"The Myriad Manifestation Sect spent a great deal of silver to set up the Illusory Grand Formation outside the city. Now that Shengshan has finally started to flourish, the profit from the Demonic Beast business is substantial. With proper management, they can easily make tens of thousands of silver a year.

"Logically speaking, it’s impossible for the Myriad Manifestation Sect to give up..."

As he spoke,

Xu Yuan faintly sensed that something was amiss.