Chapter 77: Being Despised

  About ten days later, Zuo Xiaoyao finally arrived in Cao City, the capital of Caozhou Prefecture where Liuhu Kou Village is located. The scale can be said to be medium-sized, and Fengyun Country belongs to one of the most remote countries in the central region of Fengxian Continent. Caozhou is also one of the states farthest from the national capital.

  The land within the domain is vast and sparsely populated, so the system is relatively loose. Moreover, it's poor enough that even those greedy officials who want to get rich wouldn't stay in the towns and villages of Caozhou, where there's no profit to be made.

  In comparison, the common people here are relatively happy. This is Zuo Xiaoyao's feeling after walking all the way down. It turns out that not only she had stayed for a longer time in the town where Liuxiaogou Village was located, but also the people there lived in peace. It can be said that most of the villages and towns in this area are basically doing well, except that they are generally poor and lack material life, at least they have clothes to keep warm and don't have to worry about having no food for the next meal after eating one.

  Although Zuo Xiao Yao had already learned from books that the Feng Yun Empire, like most countries in this world, believed in the power of the Law Enforcement Masters. From the royal family to the common people, they all revered these Masters who were born with special abilities and could possess some extraordinary powers after proper training. Even if their strengths varied, they still held a highly respected position in the hearts of most ordinary people. Generally, each country would establish a court, where the highest-ranking official would be revered as the Great Law Enforcement Master, even the ruler of the country would have to yield to them.

  But hearing is not as good as seeing, when Zuo Xiaoyao's experiences in this world increased greatly, she only then knew that the masters with supernatural abilities were like gods in people's hearts, carrying countless ordinary people's expectations and reverence. Countless families would even worship their country's great masters' plaques, hoping they could fulfill their own wishes.

  According to the information Xiaoyao has learned, the term "immortal" has never appeared in this world, let alone stories about ghosts and monsters. Instead, there are countless legends related to Taoist priests or their ancestors, just like modern-day "immortals", who have done countless good deeds that bring comfort to people's hearts, or earth-shaking feats.

  It can almost be certain that these inheritances maintained by some mysterious means do not belong to the Xiuzhen system, which can be seen from the history of those cultivators who are at most only a hundred years old. Zuo Xiaoyao felt curious but didn't think of inquiring about more things related to it.

  No matter how unimportant Caozhou is, the city of Caozhou is at least equivalent to a provincial capital, and it was built with great fanfare, occupying a vast area. The city is also very prosperous and bustling. The crowded streets are lined with beautifully decorated wine towers, tea pavilions, and shops of various industries, with elegantly dressed people entering and exiting them from time to time, far surpassing the town-level cities that Zuo Xiaoyao had passed through before.

  Although everything here is vastly different from Liukou Village, Zuo Xiaoyao, who was also just passing through, didn't plan on staying for long either. Her goal was clear: to leave the Caozhou region, cross into the neighboring Mengzhou, and head towards Luozhou Prefecture, which borders Weishan Prefecture of Fengyun Country and Fengluan Country.

  Of course, it's not to determine whether the holy girl of Fengyuan country is Qin Liangyu or not. But to go to the Kaluo Forest, one of the two original forests on the Wind Continent, where it is said that the forest is vast and is home to various ferocious and powerful beasts, the outer periphery is a paradise for many powerful people to adventure, anyone who can walk out smoothly will gain a lot, the large quantities of medicinal materials, fruits, minerals, animal fur materials and so on produced inside are worth a lot of money.

  Deep within lies unparalleled danger, no one has ever crossed the forest, not even the most revered mages in the world or the top martial artists who have cultivated their skills to the extreme. Those who ventured in were either severely injured and barely returned, or forever stayed there.

  And her decision to go to the Kalos Forest was not for adventure, nor for wealth, but only to seek an opportunity, an opportunity that could help her recover her cultivation as soon as possible. This was also what Zuo Xiaoyao decided after realizing that relying solely on her own efforts seemed to be a distant and unattainable goal.

  At present, Zuo Xiaoyao does not understand the strength of the strong in this world. Although she has made certain preparations, that is, to cultivate those ancient martial secret books with great effort, but in her heart, there is no such grasp, and it is uncertain whether she can encounter the opportunity to recover her spiritual power after taking enough risks on her way to the Kalos Forest, but anyway, not wanting to wait for death, she can only try her best to find that kind of chance that can be encountered but cannot be sought.

  This world is also male-dominated, but the atmosphere is relatively open. Women can wear colorful clothes and go out in public without covering their faces with a veil or hat. From the people in Cao Yang City who have maidservants following them whenever they go out, it's clear that most of their clothing is made of high-quality materials like silk, gauze, and satin. Zuo Xiao Yao is quite certain that the textile industry has reached a high level of development in this world, but the agricultural sector lags behind, which is why the rich live extravagantly while the poor struggle to make ends meet.

  But these have nothing to do with Zuo Xiaoyao, who has always been a passerby. Her goal has always been very clear: after recovering her spiritual power as soon as possible, go to Fengyue Country to confirm whether their "Holy Maiden" is an old acquaintance or not, and then find Qin Xiao, who may also have been brought to this world, and discuss together what to do next. Although the decision to actively seek out these two old acquaintances carries some risk for her, after all, they already know the truth about her unusually rapid progress in cultivation, but ultimately, their being brought here is related to her.

  Standing on the edge of a pavilion built in the middle of the boat, looking down at the surging river water below, Zuo Xiaoyao let out a long sigh. To think about it, Zuo Xiaoyao had never had the chance to ride this kind of large manual paddlewheel ship in modern times, and rarely had the opportunity to see which river's water could be as clear as this one. Plus, with the gentle breeze on the river surface and the fresh air, for a moment, her mood was quite good.

  The territories of Caozhou and Mengzhou are separated by a river, with a width of nearly five li. The river is very wide, and to cross it, one must take a boat. The passenger boat she is currently on runs once a day, and the fare is only 300 wen. Most people on board are ordinary commoners. People of some status would rather rent their own boats or take private boats, and would not deign to associate with the ordinary people on this large passenger boat.

  Looking at this famous river, the length is not fully counted, but it reaches six or seven thousand kilometers. In the reputation of the Wind Continent, it is no less than that of the modern Yellow River. Zuo Xiaoyao was very curious whether there would be some large creatures growing here too. Just as he was lost in thought, a bright and clear voice suddenly came from beside his ear, "Young brother, is this your first time going to Mengzhou?"

  Zuo Xiao Yao turned her head to look, and what she saw was a young man with regular features and a bright smile standing beside her. His eyes were clear, and although he had been suddenly disturbed, she didn't feel any dislike. When boarding the boat, because she noticed that he and four other young men all had an air of having practiced martial arts, she had paid special attention to him. She hadn't expected this fifteen or sixteen year old looking youth to have such a lively and cheerful personality. Smiling and nodding in response, "That's right, how did you know?"

  "I see that little brother has been staring at the river since he got on the boat, not going to rest over there. I knew you must be curious because it's your first time taking this kind of boat, just like me back then!"

  The young man replied with a pleased smile, and then said somewhat familiarly, "My name is Zheng Kaining, what's your little brother's name? It seems that we are about the same age, no need to be polite! You seem to be alone, where are you planning to go? My brothers have all been there many times, maybe they can give some advice."

  I'm almost twice as old as you, thought Zuo Xiao Yao to herself, but she knew that as a woman, her figure was originally more delicate, so when dressed as a man, she looked even younger than her actual age of eighteen or nineteen. She didn't plan on explaining anything further to this enthusiastic young man, and with a thick-skinned smile, Zuo Xiao Yao thanked him saying "Thanks for your kind intentions, Zheng brother, but I'm just passing through Mengzhou, heading to Luoshan state, so there's no need to trouble your family."

  Zheng Ning's face changed in shock "Luoshan State, that place is very far away, Xiao brothers, what are you going there for alone? The further you go, the more bandits there are on the road, it's extremely dangerous!"

  "I had already heard about this situation, but I have something to do in the Kalos Forest and made some preparations, so it's okay to go alone!"

  Zuo Xiao Yao smiled warmly and replied, her expression calm and unruffled, seemingly unworried by his words, clearly not taking the potential dangers of their journey to heart.

  Zheng Ning's expression changed, and he furrowed his thick eyebrows, saying "It seems that Brother Xiao has never personally experienced it before, so he dares not to take those dangers seriously. Fortunately, you met me this time, my brothers and I are also going to the Kalos Forest, we can bring you along, if something happens, it's good to have someone to rely on!"

  Before Zuo Xiāo Yáo could respond, Zheng Níng looked her up and down and continued, "But as for Xiao brother's build, if he goes to the Kalos Forest, he definitely won't have any gains, and might even put himself in harm's way. Are you sure he really wants to go?"

  Even if the other party spoke tactfully, Zuo Xiao Yao knew in her heart that she seemed to be despised, but she didn't feel annoyed. After all, they were also good intentions. She swallowed the refusal that had already reached her lips and smiled calmly, nodding "Alright then, please take care of me, Brother Zheng!"

  He didn't notice the teasing in Xiaoyao's words, nor did he know that others had already judged who was stronger and weaker based on the aura of martial artists emanating from him and several people around him. Zheng Ning nodded straightforwardly and said, "Let's go, follow me to the pavilion over there, I'll introduce you to my brothers, their martial skills are very high!"