After running and resting for a few days, Shen Tianyu, her now unofficial fiancee and her subordinate who looks like her superior based on her clothes, finally saw a small, decrepit village . They slowed down and walked into the village at a normal pace so as not to alarm anyone . The villagers they saw all wore patched and course clothing, like the peasants one sees in a stereotypical poor place in animated shows and such . Some were carrying bamboo or wood baskets with fresh produce while others were carrying wooden water buckets or animals caught from the wild . All the villagers they pa.s.sed by looked at them in their own way that told them they really stood out . Some of the gazes were wary, others were curious, while still others were envious .

" . . . I think we should keep going, it doesn't seem like a good idea to stay here . " Shen Tianyu proposed in a quiet voice as she walked in the lead . Though she dressed seemingly the simplest in the group, her clothes were still far superior to the ones the villagers were wearing, which they could tell at a glance . White cloth was something only the wealthy could afford to wear on a daily basis since it's easy to get it dirty and was somewhat pricey because of the demand . Poor people only had one set of white clothes, if at all, and usually only wears it for special occasions .

"I agree . " Luo Shue expressed her stance unhesitatingly .

"Aren't you tired?" Rong Jian asked in return .

"We've stayed in the Forest for so long, what's to care about a few more days?" Shen Tianyu replied .

"If that's what wifey has decided, then that's what we'll do . " Rong Jian agreed .

And so the three quickly walked out of the village before continuing to run .

'Villages like that can be a real pain . It's really better to stay outside than in a village like that . ' Shen Tianyu s.h.i.+vered a bit as she remembered some horror stories about poor villages she saw before . 'It's honestly not good to be stereotypical but better safe than sorry . Even if we're strong cultivators, it'd still be an international incident if we killed some villagers, no matter whose fault it was . ' She thought to herself as she ran ahead of the other two .

. . . And the three kept pa.s.sing by small villages until they arrived at a decent sized town .

"Halt!" One of the guards ordered . The town was surrounded by a stone wall like a fortress and in front of the trio was a big wooden gate, guarded by two guards in full body silver-colored armor with a silver helmet holding a wooden spear with a metal tip .

'This is so mismatched . If they have the money to dress their guards in full body armor, shouldn't they also prepare decent weapons for them? Full-body armor with a wooden spear is so mismatched!' Shen Tianyu cried inside as she stopped in front of the guards .

"Yes? Is there a toll to get in?" She asked off the bat . 'That's usually the case, isn't it?'

"Miss, you're smart . " The guard that called them out responded .

"The toll to get into Ling Le town is three taels of silver per person . " The other guard who hasn't spoken this whole time gave the price .

"But since Miss is so smart and beautiful, the price can be reduced . " The first guard said . He then looked at Luo Shue behind her . "This Miss too is very pretty . How about accompanying me for a bit and you two get to go in for free? It'll save you guys some travel fees . " He gave of a perverted laugh .

'Is this guy stupid? With the way we're dressed, we're obviously not poor villagers and has the money to pay the toll . Besides, no matter how much of a penny-pincher I am, I'm never going to sell my dignity nor that of a subordinate . ' A sweat drop rolled down the back of Shen Tianyu's head .

Luo Shue just stood there silently . They both understood that this was the normal course of things for women in this world . People will look down on you first and if you end up being from s powerful organization, only after there's definitive proof do they change their att.i.tude . Even in powerful families, the females might not always be treated well, such as in Shen Tianyu's case .

However, the first guard took the silence as a good sign and continued . "Just for a little while . . . I'll even-"

He was cut off by his colleague who had hit him with his wooden spear . "Stop being rude to guests, you d.a.m.n lecher . This is why no one comes to visit our town . "

"Why are you putting the prosperity of the town on my head?!" He yelled, holding his helmeted head .

'If you really thought that, you would have stopped him before he took things this far, you know? We're not stupid . ' Shen Tianyu complained at the second guard's false pretense of admonition . She ignored the first guard and walked towards the second one . She took out a string of ten silver tales from her magic bag anyways and took a coin from the string before handing it over to him . She then entered the town, followed by Luo Shue and Rong Jian .

"What's with you? You never hit me before because of this . . . " After they left, the first guard complained to his companion .

"Idiot . Didn't you sense the aura from the man? If I hadn't stopped you, you think your head would still be on your shoulders?" He responded to him with a look .

The first guard gulped and lightly held his neck . He trusted his companion, despite what it seems and there was no reason to lie to him about this . He thanked his companion and the heavens for narrowly escaping death .

. . .

"Thanks for back there . " Shen Tianyu thanked Rong Jian after entering the town without looking back .

"What could wifey be talking about?" Rong Jian responded nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head .

Shen Tianyu glanced back at him with a smile . "You honestly think I didn't sense the killing aura coming from you since that first guard spoke?"

"Ehem . . . " Rong Jian coughed lightly . "Of course not . . . " Over the last two months in the Forest of Death, he had personally witnessed his wife'a abilities up close . Her level of skill is close to that of an expert's despite her cultivation base being so low . Something like a killing aura, there's no way she'd miss it .