Chapter 1 The Outskirts

The old man stopped and did not immediately answer Jiang Chen's question. Instead, he looked up at the sky before saying, "Ask away."

Jiang Chen felt even more peculiar.

Throughout their journey, he had seen many passersby making the same gesture of looking up at the sky.

This curiosity prompted Jiang Chen to ask, "I've noticed many people looking up at the sky frequently. Has the weather been bad lately, like it might rain at any moment?"

Jing Yue, standing beside him, also found it strange.

It wasn't the height of summer, so sudden rain showers weren't typical.

Yet, these people acted as if rain was imminent, which was truly perplexing.

The old man looked at Jiang Chen, then at Jing Yue behind him, and said, "You two must be here for the first time, am I right?"

Jiang Chen nodded and smiled, "Old sir, your eyes are sharp. We are indeed here for the first time."

"That explains it!"

The old man revealed a knowing expression and said, "You received a tag when you entered the city, didn't you?"

"That's right."

Jiang Chen took out the tag as he spoke, saying, "What I want to know is, what is this tag for?"

"Timing."

The old man glanced at the sky again, quickening his pace as he spoke. "If you're not a resident of the city, you need to pay an entrance fee when you enter and an exit fee when you leave."

"The amount of the exit fee depends on how long you've stayed in the city. The longer you stay, the more expensive the exit fee. That's why many people try to keep their time within one shichen (two hours), to avoid paying extra."

"Alright, I can't talk anymore, or I'll exceed one shichen. I must go."

With that, the old man hurriedly walked towards the city gate.

Jiang Chen stood there for a long moment, stunned. He turned to look at Jing Yue, only to find that she was also still trying to process what she had just heard.

"Young master, this is the first time I've ever heard of an exit fee," Jing Yue said.

Jiang Chen nodded, also hearing about an exit fee for the first time.

Moreover, it was charged by the shichen!

No wonder the city guard had been so vague when he asked. He must have wanted to take advantage of their ignorance and make them stay in the city longer!

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes and said in the direction the old man had left, "Let's go and take a look."

He wanted to confirm that the old man hadn't been lying to him.

There was also a line of people at the exit gate.

The old man Jiang Chen had spoken to earlier was among them. By the time Jiang Chen and Jing Yue arrived, it was the old man's turn.

The old man bowed obsequiously and handed the tag to the city guard.

The city guard took it indifferently, glanced at the time on it, and said, "Six copper coins."

"Six copper coins?"

The smile on the old man's face vanished instantly, and he said anxiously, "Sir guard, how could it be six copper coins? I entered the city at wushi (11 AM - 1 PM), not even a full shichen ago!"

The city guard squinted at the old man and said lazily, "It's already weishi (1 PM - 3 PM), so it's calculated as two shichen."

The old man's eyes widened, "How can that be?"

He had been looking at the sky every few steps. There was no way he could be mistaken.

The city guard's face darkened, and he said unhappily, "What, are you saying I'm mistaken?"

The old man quickly gave a placating smile and said, "Sir guard, of course you're not mistaken, but the weather isn't very good today, and it might have affected your judgment."

The old man pointed to a sundial not far away and pleaded, "Sir guard, why don't you take a look at the sundial?"

"Yes, sir guard, please take a look," the people behind the old man echoed.

Many of them had entered the city at wushi, just like the old man, and had hurried to leave after finishing their business.

Their goal was to save those three copper coins.

Besides, they also felt that it wasn't yet weishi, so naturally, they hoped the city guard would check the sundial.

The city guard became even more displeased, grunting, "You people are nothing but trouble!"

Although he was unhappy, he still stood up and walked towards the sundial.

However, he didn't walk like a normal person, alternating his feet. Instead, he took a step and paused, took another step and paused.

Calling it walking was generous; it was more like shuffling.

The sundial was less than a hundred paces from the city gate, but it took the city guard three times as long as it would have taken a normal person to reach it.

The old man and the other commoners were extremely anxious, but they didn't dare to urge the city guard. Instead, they had to keep their smiles plastered on.

Finally, he reached the sundial. The old man glanced at it and couldn't help but show a delighted expression.

Although the city guard had wasted a lot of time, it still wasn't weishi!

The city guard's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected that even after shuffling for so long, he hadn't managed to run out the time.

This wouldn't do.

He couldn't let those three copper coins slip through his fingers.

After thinking for a moment, the city guard tilted his head and looked at the sundial from an odd angle. "Hmm, it's already weishi."

"How can it be?"

The old man was utterly bewildered. It was clearly still a while before weishi.

"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?" the city guard shouted, raising his voice.

The old man stood rooted to the spot, a look of anguish on his face.

He could see that this city guard was determined to overcharge them by three copper coins.

The city guard glanced at the old man and harrumphed with satisfaction. "Hurry up and pay! If you delay any longer, it won't just be six copper coins!"

The old man shuddered and quickly followed the city guard.

Six copper coins it was. If he argued any further, it might increase by another three.

Seeing that the old man had been "tamed," the city guard became even more smug.

He had only taken two steps when he heard a man's voice from behind him.

"It seems like it's still a quarter of an hour before weishi."

The smile on the city guard's face vanished instantly, replaced by anger.

He turned around to look at the direction the voice had come from.

He wanted to see who was bold enough to oppose him.

When his gaze landed on Jiang Chen, the city guard racked his brains but couldn't recall any information about Jiang Chen, and he felt relieved.

Since he didn't recognize him, then he wasn't anyone important.

The city guard immediately shouted, "Who are you? How dare you question my judgment?"

Jiang Chen smiled coldly and looked at the city guard. "Who I am isn't important. What's important is that it's indeed not yet weishi."

"Who told you that?"

The city guard shouted loudly, "Am I not capable of telling the time?"

He tried to suppress Jiang Chen with his loud voice and imposing presence as a soldier.

Jiang Chen ignored the city guard's threats and intimidation, and insisted, "You're simply mistaken."

The city guard's nose was practically crooked with anger.

Did this kid have a death wish? How dare he say he was mistaken?

"Very well, I'll see who gave you the audacity to say that!"

As he spoke, the city guard strode towards Jiang Chen, drawing the whip from his waist as he walked.

The old man recognized Jiang Chen and said anxiously, "Young man, you should leave quickly!"

Offending these city guards would, at the very least, earn you a few lashes.

If the matter escalated and alerted the magistrate, you would probably be thrown into jail.