I am Master Maoshan

Chapter 2218 Hezhou City

Originally, according to Chu Liuying's careful plan, he intended to arrange for Liu Jun and his party to take those fast and luxurious flying instruments, or drive the majestic large flying birds of prey, and rush all the way to the Zhenzong. Such an arrangement would undoubtedly highlight their status and strength, and at the same time reduce a lot of unnecessary troubles during the journey.

However, this seemingly perfect proposal was rejected by Liu Jun. Liu Jun had his own plan in mind. The purpose of his trip was simple. He just wanted to go out for a walk, take a breath, appreciate the scenery along the way, and relieve the depression of his big belly.

If he flew directly to his destination on a flying instrument or a bird of prey, wouldn't he miss the endless scenery along the way? In Liu Jun's words, why did he come out for a stroll? He might as well lie down in his bedroom.

So Liu Jun made his choice. He rode on the dragon that he had captured. Although the dragon was once an invincible monster, it seemed to have accepted its fate. Its eyes showed a hint of trying to please Liu Jun, as if it was afraid that if it was not careful, it would be stewed into a delicious soup by its new owner.

To be honest, Liu Jun had a lot of resentment towards this guy. After all, this dragon had once boldly robbed the treasure house of the Platinum God Palace, causing Liu Jun to suffer heavy losses. Whenever he thought of this incident, Liu Jun wanted to stew this dragon immediately to relieve his hatred.

But Liu Jun was not an impulsive person after all. He knew that this dragon was still hiding countless treasures, and as long as the method was right, it was entirely possible for it to spit out the stolen treasures one by one.

Therefore, Liu Jun suppressed his anger and decided to temporarily save the dragon's life. Otherwise, the dragon would have turned into a pile of bones and would never see the light of day again.

Xu Baoer, who was standing next to him, was riding a big pink pig. The pig was huge in size and had bright fur, especially on its curly ears, there was a dagger wrapped around it in a unique way. It was the big pink pig that had shown extraordinary strength in the battle to defend the city.

The others were riding on the exotic beast - the 駮 - that they had brought back from Donglai Port with untold hardships.

These beasts have nimble bodies and bulging muscles. Although they are not as majestic as Liu Jun's awe-inspiring and majestic longtie, they can run a thousand miles a day on land. Every step they take exudes a sense of power.

"Go!" Liu Jun gave the order and rushed out first on his Longtie like an arrow. The Longtie's four hooves tumbled, bringing up gusts of wind and rolling up the dust on the ground.

Xu Baoer followed closely behind, and Pink Pig followed closely behind, showing amazing speed and endurance. Others also followed closely behind on their own horses, forming a magnificent team.

They ran wildly across the vast land, and the scenery along the way passed by before their eyes like a painting.

An hour later, they finally stopped in front of a small town. This small town was called Hezhou. Although it was not as prosperous as a big city, it was also a relatively developed economy.

Because this is a transportation hub, if you walk towards the God King City from this direction, you will definitely pass by here.

Therefore, most business travelers will stop here for a while when passing by.

Because when entering the God King City, the inspection at the city gate will be much stricter, and some goods that are not allowed to be brought in must be unloaded here, otherwise it will cause big trouble.

In addition to being a transportation hub, Hezhou City also governs 26 surrounding villages, with a population of approximately 100,000, making it a populous town.

"Stop, stop, pay the tax!" As soon as Liu Jun and his men tightened the reins, several soldiers in heavy armor quickly surrounded them. They held spears in their hands, the tips of the spears flashed coldly in the moonlight, and there was a hint of arrogance and ruffianism on their faces.

These soldiers were the guards of the Hezhou city gate. They were responsible for checking the identities of passers-by and maintaining order at the city gate, but they seemed to use that power as a tool to exploit passing merchants. Their eyes swept over Liu Jun and his group with a bit of scrutiny and greed.

"Tax? What tax?" Liu Jun was stunned and frowned slightly.

As the Platinum God King, he clearly remembered that on the first day of his coronation, he issued a decree to exempt all citizens in the Platinum God Realm from taxes and commercial taxes for ten years, in order to demonstrate his benevolent rule and grace and restore the economy of the Platinum God Realm. Who were these soldiers who rushed up to demand the taxes from?

"Aren't you going to enter the city? Pay the city tax! This is allowed by His Majesty the God King," a soldier shouted in a rough voice, with a bit of impatience in his voice, as if Liu Jun's question was a provocation to his authority.

Liu Jun's face darkened when he heard this. He looked around and saw people coming and going at the city gate. Many businessmen were allowed to pass through after paying the so-called "city entry tax", and those who paid the tax all had a look of helplessness and resentment on their faces. This scene made Liu Jun even more confused and dissatisfied.

"Has His Majesty the God King given permission? Then why don't we just not enter the city?" Liu Jun replied coldly, with a hint of provocation and disdain in his tone, and he was obviously angry about the sudden city entry tax.

The soldiers' faces changed when they heard this. One of the leading soldiers took a step forward and slammed his spear on the ground with a loud clang. He glared at them and shouted, "Who do you think you are? How dare you act so arrogantly in front of the Hezhou city gate? If you don't pay the city tax, don't even think about leaving here!"

Liu Jun sneered, he slowly jumped off the dragon, and scanned the soldiers with a sharp gaze. An invisible pressure emanated from him, making the air around him seem to solidify.

What he hated most in his life were these corrupt officials. He really hated them. What made him even more angry was that these guys were ruining his reputation. "Brother, why don't we go into the city first?" Xu Baoer suddenly suggested, with a hint of urgency in his voice, and his eyes looked towards the city gate from time to time, as if he was full of curiosity and expectation about the city.

Liu Jun was silent for a few seconds, as if he was weighing something. Then, he reached out and took out a heavy bag from his side, and threw it to a soldier in front of him without hesitation. The bag drew an arc in the air and landed steadily in the soldier's hands.

The soldier quickly took the bag, opened it impatiently, and took a few glances inside. His eyes instantly flashed with excitement and greed. The bag contained the Divine King Coin, the hard currency circulating on this continent.

"Can we come in?" Liu Jun's voice was calm and his eyes were sharp as he stared at the soldier in front of him, as if he was waiting for his answer.

The soldiers looked at each other, their eyes communicating a tacit understanding. One of the soldiers cleared his throat and continued, "You can enter the city, but these horses cannot. Especially your horse, it's too ugly. What if it scares the residents of the city? We have to consider the safety of the city."

Upon hearing this, the dragon under Liu Jun's seat blew out two streams of white air from its nostrils, obviously extremely dissatisfied with the soldier's remarks. Although it was in awe of Liu Jun, it did not mean that it was a good-tempered guy. At this moment, its big eyes like copper bells were wide open, as if it would burst out with a terrible force at any time and kick the soldier in front of it away.

However, Liu Jun didn't seem to care about the provocation of the soldiers, nor did he pay attention to Longtie's anger. He just took a deep breath, took out three bags from his side again, and threw them over without hesitation.

The three bags drew graceful arcs in the air, like three bright meteors, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

The soldiers hurriedly took the bags and opened them to check. Their eyes flashed with a more blazing light again. The number of Divine King Coins this time was obviously much more than the previous time.

"It would have been great if it had been so earlier." The soldier who had spoken earlier took the last bag with a smile, carefully counted the coins in it, and nodded with satisfaction. There was a hint of ridicule in his tone, but more of it was recognition of Liu Jun's generosity.

As the soldiers gave in, Liu Jun and Xu Baoer were finally able to enter the city with their horses.

The prosperous scene in the city came into view, and the two could not help but sigh. Long Tie followed silently beside them, and although he still felt unwilling, he did not dare to get angry easily.

"My lords, do you want to stay in a hotel? As soon as Liu Jun and his companions entered the city, they were greeted enthusiastically by a chubby figure.

The person who greeted the guests had a big smile on his face, his eyes almost narrowed into a slit, and his amiable look was like the warm sunshine in spring, which made people feel good.

"Yes, do you have any place to recommend?" Liu Jun asked politely, looking at the smiling waiter in front of him.

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Although he was very angry with those soldiers outside the city gate just now, he would not take it out on others because of this.

"Of course there are. You gentlemen have really asked the right person! Our Haoyue Restaurant is one of the best places to stay in the city. It has an elegant environment and thoughtful service. It is definitely the most suitable place for you distinguished guests to stay." The waiter introduced incessantly, his words full of pride and enthusiasm.

"Okay. I'll have to trouble you to lead the way." Upon hearing this, Liu Jun gently waved his hand, signaling the waiter to lead the way.

"Okay, gentlemen, please follow me!" The waiter was delighted to hear this, and quickly waved his hand, then took a step forward and led the way.

However, the road was getting more and more off-road. The waiter did not lead them to the wide road, but turned directly into a narrow alley. The alley was so narrow that even two horses walking side by side would feel crowded. On both sides of the alley were mottled stone walls covered with moss, which looked ancient and mysterious.

Liu Jun and his companions looked at each other in bewilderment. But seeing that the waiter was still smiling and walking steadily, as if he was very familiar with this alley, they felt relieved and followed the waiter to move forward.

Although the alley is narrow, it has its own unique flavor. Occasionally, exquisitely carved window frames can be seen on the stone walls on both sides, with faint lights shining through, adding a bit of warmth to this dark alley. The air is filled with the faint aroma of food, which makes people swallow their saliva involuntarily.

"My lords, although this alley is narrow, our Haoyue Restaurant is not far ahead." The waiter seemed to see their confusion and explained with a smile.

Liu Jun nodded slightly after hearing this, and the doubts in his heart also dissipated a little. He was looking forward to what kind of surprises the Haoyue Restaurant, which he was about to stay in, would bring to them.

After walking for a while, they saw the prosperous central avenue of the city again. There were shops on both sides of the street, and bustling crowds of people were walking around, making it very lively.

However, the waiter who brought them here did not walk out of the alley. Instead, he stood quietly at the entrance of the alley, looking towards the distance from time to time, as if he was anxiously waiting for something.