Chapter 24 - 24 Chapter 21 Black Tiger City_1 (2/2)

The Black Bear hide in the basket on Qin Niu’s back was a fortune that could make countless people in the countryside envious, but in the city, it was quite a common item, and there was almost no need to worry about it being snatched away.

The only thing to worry about was being tricked.

The schemes in the city were deep, really deep, traps everywhere.

Qin Niu honestly joined the queuing crowd with his basket on his back.

Any carriage, ox cart, or beast-pulled carts were all charged a city entrance fee of 20 wen, while common pedestrians paid 5 wen.

Those who could afford a carriage were mostly nobility.

They owned properties in the city, or held positions in the government, or had family members in government roles. Carriages entering the city seldom had to pay the entrance fee.

Even when faced with the carriages of top-tier influential figures, the city guards dared not inspect them.

The army corporals would let them pass with an extremely obsequious attitude.

Ox carts were mostly used by common folk to transport goods, and they were almost always charged the fee upon entering the city.

Even if one had a house in the city, as long as they were bringing goods in, they had to pay.

Real dignitaries wouldn’t be caught dead in an ox cart, as it was considered beneath them.

Ox carts were also much slower compared to carriages.

Then there were the beast-pulled carts, which were actually rarely seen.

Only formidable beasts like wolves, bears, or tigers were suitable for pulling carts. Those who could tame these beasts and afford to keep them were generally Beast Tamers, the nobility of the nobles, as well as children of rich and government officials and the like.

A common person didn’t own one.

Compared to the high profile of Beast Tamers, Insect Masters seemed much more low-key.

If they didn’t wear the long robes of an Insect Master, outsiders wouldn’t even know they were one.

In terms of actual status, Insect Masters were in fact equal to Beast Tamers.

Don’t be fooled by the fierce and intimidating beasts tamed by Beast Tamers, with their explosive combat power. A truly formidable Insect Master could release just one insect to take down a fierce tiger.

Qin Niu had already mastered two Insect Taming skills and possessed a nest of Termites, so he was definitely a prospective Insect Master.

He wasn’t much inferior to Hu Lazi, the prospective Beast Tamer from the village.

Considering Fourth and the evolutionary abilities of the Worker Ants and Soldier Ants, his potential was far greater than Hu Lazi’s.

This actually indirectly showed that the Ant Queen was no ordinary creature.

If it weren’t exceptional, its offspring wouldn’t possibly have such strong evolutionary capabilities.

“Line up properly, everyone pays five wen money to enter the city, children and adults alike,”

Someone at the front, dressed in a black robe, was shouting continuously.

These people were not soldiers but idlers hired by the army.

Collecting the city entrance fee was a menial task, beneath the soldiers. They were only responsible for standing at the city gates to keep the city safe, fulfilling tasks such as apprehending criminals, arrests, and defense as ordered by their superiors.

Qin Niu had prepared his five wen money and handed it directly to the idlers in charge of collecting the fees.

The other party glanced at the bear skin in his basket without saying anything and let him into the city.

From that look, Qin Niu could sense a tinge of greed.

But outright hassling Qin Niu in front of everyone generally wouldn’t happen.

After paying, Qin Niu headed straight into the city.

Passing through the towering city gate, the terrifying aura emanating from the eight city guard soldiers made his soul tremble once more. However, this time, perhaps because his cultivation had improved substantially, the desire to drop to his knees was much less overwhelming.

How formidable exactly were these people’s cultivation levels?

They were surely much more formidable than the Yan Family’s Protector.

Qin Niu didn’t even dare to look up at these Black Armored Soldiers, but only dared to sneak a quick glance with the corner of his eye before quickly moving on.

They were clad in black iron armor, with black iron helmets on their heads, and they wielded long spears that stood taller than a man. Judging by their shine, they might have been forged from Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel.

A fearsome, chilling killing intent emanated from the tips of their spears.

Combined with the formidable cultivation emanating from their bodies, it created an oppressive and awe-inspiring presence.

Any one of these men, if taken out to Shuangfeng Village, could probably massacre it without a single chicken or dog left alive.

And those stationed at the city gates were merely the weakest group within the Black Tiger Gang, how much stronger were those higher up? Nobody knew.

Perhaps just a glance from them could petrify Qin Niu to the ground.

Having glimpsed just the tip of the iceberg regarding Black Tiger Gang’s strength, Qin Niu felt even more reverence for this colossal entity.

He had no idea how long it would take to stand at the head of this behemoth, perhaps a lifetime would not be enough. Or maybe it could happen within three to five years.

What he needed to do now was to accumulate strength bit by bit, like a Termite continuously ‘molting’ in order to ultimately transform.

“Young fellow, young fellow, are you selling the bear skin you’re carrying in that basket?”

Not long after Qin Niu had walked away, someone came chasing after him from behind.

It wasn’t the black-robed idler whose eyes flashed with greed, but a middle-aged man with slightly drooping eyebrows. He looked to be around forty years old, somewhat plump, and his clothes were rather decent.

At least, they were much more decent compared to a poor country kid like him.

Compared to the wealthy folks in the city, however, his attire was of poor quality.

How did this person know he was carrying bear skin?

Qin Niu quickly speculated that this man was likely an underling maintained by that idler.

If he spotted suitable goods with an owner easy to manipulate, he would instruct the underling to follow and seek the opportunity for underhanded dealings.

They definitely wouldn’t resort to robbery.

Lure Qin Niu to a place and force a low-price purchase, or even use tricks like switching the goods, pulling a fast one.

Qin Niu glanced at the man indifferently, didn’t respond, and continued walking straight ahead.

Not willing to give up, the middle-aged man chased after him again.