Steam-powered martial arts: My virginity cultivation technique has been broken.

The stark contrast between Fengcheng and Fengcheng made everyone question the destination of the escort mission. Wang Sanpao, a native of the province, had only heard of Fengcheng and Fengcheng from passing merchants; most of the merchants who had been there remained tight-lipped about the specifics.

The Great Chen Dynasty only established a prefecture and county here a hundred years ago, but Fengcheng has a history of a thousand years, because it was once a city of demons. Here, people can see the scene of humans and demons coexisting a thousand years ago.

Ku Ning and the others were unaware of this. Ku Ning was certain he hadn't misheard and decided to go to Wind City according to the address first. Wind City was called a city, but it had no city walls. Several wooden fences connected by watchtowers served as its only defense, and goats and cattle grazed leisurely around it.

Ku Ning felt a little uneasy. It was another beautiful scene. Could there be some filth hidden in it?

They arrived at the entrance to the city, where there was no one guarding it, only a wooden box. Just as they were about to go in, they heard muttering noises coming from the side.

"Hey friend, don't wander around recklessly, you'll have to invest money."

A goat grazing nearby suddenly spoke! Everyone was startled: "A monster?"

The goat swallowed the grass in its mouth, stood up on its hind legs, its testicles swinging ungracefully. It walked to the wooden box, rested one hoof on it, crossed its legs, and spoke in a somewhat sleazy voice: "What? Never seen a monster before? Where did you come from? What are you doing in the city?"

Most people may not have seen monsters, but Ku Ning and the Four Heroes of Hedong have traveled all over the country and have naturally seen many. They are either fierce and cruel, or stupid and not very intelligent. They have never seen one so humanoid.

After investigating, Ku Ning concluded that the sheep monster, with its sixth-grade upper cultivation, was not a minor demon.

Demons and monsters can be considered the same, or they can be considered different. Folk traditions simply categorize them as either demons that take human form or monsters that do not. This simplistic distinction is no longer applicable to the present situation.

After millions of years of evolution, the demon race, regardless of its species—fish, shrimp, crab, tiger, leopard, wolf, apricot, pear, peach, etc.—all the previous types, after becoming demons, the second generation is born from the womb, and most are no different from humans. Even if the children born have serious atavism and take on a beast form, they are still demons because they can use demonic energy. Also, the tree demons from before, who had not yet fully transformed, but had demonic energy, were also demons.

Demonic energy is an extremely domineering power that is irreversible, unchangeable, and indestructible. Reversing it leads to chaos, changing it leads to its destruction, and destroying it leads to certain death.

The term "monster" refers not only to unformed animals without demonic aura, but also to spiritual beings born from heaven and earth, which are strangely shaped, even humanoid and demon-like, and their power is called spiritual energy.

Doesn't this resemble the difference between martial artists and sorcerers? Indeed, it's a forced distinction based on different power attributes. This is a cunning method humans use to divide them; the power of civilization is exceptionally effective, and the struggle between demons and monsters has been fierce for thousands of years.

Ku Ning stepped forward and said, "Brother Yang, we are here on a caravan. We are new here and are not familiar with your rules and situation. Please don't be offended by our commotion."

The goat monster pointed at Ku Ning and shook its hooves: "You're quite savvy. I won't make things difficult for you. Just pay up and go in."

Just as Ku Ning was about to reach into his pocket, he heard a furious curse coming from behind the sheep monster: "You plague-ridden old sheep, I was only in the outhouse and you've already impersonated a city gate guard to swindle money again!"

Hearing the curses, the sheep-monster disregarded everything else, leaped over the fence on all fours, bleated mockingly twice, and disappeared in a flash. The smooth movements clearly indicated it wasn't a one-time thing, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

What kind of operation is this? Is the sheep monster trying to scam money?

A fat man, only half the height of Ku Ning, with a huge belly, wearing the uniform of a city gate guard, walked over, holding a steel fork that was one and a half times taller than him. He had just finished relieving himself, and perhaps because he had squatted for too long, his legs were numb, and his posture was a bit strange.

"Where did you come from? What do you do? Tell me the truth."

The short, fat man's attitude was much worse than that of the old sheep, but Ku Ning and the others were relieved. This was more like it. How could someone with a little power not use it? How could they not have some "official authority"?

"This is a demon, a fifth-rank upper-level demon!"

Is it a bit extravagant for a demon with the cultivation level of the fifth rank to guard the city gate? Have they entered the territory of some great demon king?

Ku Ning repeated his response to the sheep monster. The short, fat man, expressionless, looked everyone up and down as if they owed him hundreds of silver dollars. He coldly said, "Pay up. This is your first time here, so I'll only say the rules once: once you enter the city, find your destination and stay put. You are not allowed to go out after nightfall, or you will bear the consequences."

"There are many monsters in the city. Under no circumstances are you allowed to ask about their origins. Otherwise, it will be considered a provocation against the city rules, all your money will be confiscated, and you will be expelled from the city. In addition, your personal information and length of stay will be registered later. Please make sure you are clear about these details and leave when the time is up, or you will face a huge fine."

"Have you remembered everything clearly?"

Ku Ning and the others nodded to indicate that they understood. They then paid the city entry fee and registered. Faced with a three-page form that looked like a questionnaire, they were dumbfounded.

After a series of actions, it took them an hour to finally leave.

Even the good-natured Wang Sanpao was getting annoyed, and the hot-tempered Bai Laomao, after walking a distance away, cursed even more: "What kind of hellish place is this? It's one thing to ask for your place of origin, but now you have to fill in what bad and good things you've done in the past! Who would actually write it down truthfully? What a waste of time."

Ku Ning was both amused and exasperated. It was truly surreal. He never imagined that Fengcheng would be such a place. It reminded him of the pain of writing a diary for his teacher in his past life. Who writes a diary? It was always the same old story: his mother's tears, his father's back, the policeman's smile, and the convenience store owner's praise.

At this moment, Wang Sanpao suddenly brought up a topic: "By the way, do you think the magistrate of Fengcheng is a monster or a human?"

The old white cat said irritably, "Of course it's a human. Would the imperial court allow a demon to become an official? That would be outrageous!"

Wang Sanpao countered, "Can one person manage a group of monsters?"

Old White Cat was speechless, but Ku Ning said, "This city has monsters and people, all of them are intelligent beings. If they can abide by the rules, it can be well governed."

Wang Sanpao said thoughtfully, "I hope so. The rules here are strange, and I'm afraid something unexpected might happen again."

He was genuinely terrified by the unexpected events along the way. Although they all ended without serious harm, he just wanted to complete a safe escort mission, earn some money for his retirement, and couldn't handle so many setbacks! He vowed that after this trip, he would go and transport grain and escort goods for the Zhao family. That job paid less, but it was relatively safer. He would avoid such arduous tasks if possible.

The group fell silent. His reminder made them realize there was something wrong, and they lowered their heads unconsciously.

As the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), Ku Ning couldn't bear to see morale so low, so he encouraged them, "With me here, nothing will go wrong! Anyway, we'll leave after we deliver the goods and make a proper handover. Everyone, cheer up, the dragon silver is about to be in our hands!"