The Martial Saint, starting with daily intelligence.

"There are still at least five or six hours until dawn, so we can't enter the city during that time!"

Zhong Ming glanced at the desolate landscape, just as an unknown howl suddenly rang out.

Zhong Ming couldn't help but shiver.

"Let's forget about it."

"This place is weirdly creepy."

"Even the worst shantytowns are better than this place. It's a desolate wasteland, it's terrifying."

After saying that, Zhong Ming quickly headed towards the city.

The shantytowns were areas outside Tianjin city where shantytowns were built. Small shantytowns had only a dozen or so people, while large shantytowns could have thousands or even tens of thousands of people.

Why shantytowns?

A shed, or shed, is a covered structure, not an open-air structure.

With the Blood Moon and Ghost Moon present, how could anyone dare to be out in the open!

Therefore, it is necessary to avoid moonlight at night as much as possible, which also means that the interior is basically dark during the day.

Those living there need to use oil lamps for lighting year-round, even during the day.

At night, it was pitch black, and the moonlight couldn't reach inside at all.

It is very similar to the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong in the previous life. They have their own rules, which the authorities cannot control.

Those top-tier shantytowns can no longer be called shantytowns; they are more like small fortresses with a certain level of organization and production capacity.

The desolation outside the city was partly due to the refugees in the various shantytowns outside the city.

Within a radius of thirty miles, apart from areas prohibited by the government, most of the vegetation that could be cut down had already been cut down long ago.

Zhong Ming walked for an unknown amount of time, and when he could see the city wall, he knew that he was not far from the slums outside the city.

The city wall of Tianjin is 58 feet high, about 20 meters high.

After all, this is a world with extraordinary powers, and cannot be viewed using common sense.

Soon, Zhong Ming arrived at the slums, which were clearly divided into shantytowns, and some people claimed to be gangs.

However, these gangs can vanish at the slightest disturbance, and many don't even have any martial artists left. The cycle repeats itself endlessly, with no end in sight.

Zhong Ming found a shantytown about three zhang high.

The height of a shantytown can be interpreted here as a measure of its strength or weakness.

At the same time, the height of the shantytown is directly proportional to the area it occupies; the higher it is built, the wider the area it manages and confines.

There is a distance between the shantytowns, ranging from several meters to more than ten meters, which is the dividing line between them.

If they cross the boundary, it could very likely cause a war between the two shantytowns.

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In addition, there was an upper limit to the height of the shantyhouses; they could not exceed five zhang (approximately 10 meters) in height. This was a regulation from the government, and anyone who violated the rule would be cleared out.

After all, the city wall of Tianjin is only 58 feet high. What are you trying to do by building a shed that is more than 60 feet high?

In fact, not many of them even reach a height of four zhang, let alone close to five zhang.

The higher the shed is built, the greater the power it signifies, and the more likely it is to attract the attention of the city's officials. Who knows when it might become the 'chicken' used to intimidate others?

However, for every policy, there's a countermeasure.

Since going up is not an option, let's go down.

Therefore, there are many basements, underground cities, and even specific underground passages connecting many shantytowns in the slums.

Of course, digging tunnels is allowed, but it is absolutely forbidden near the city walls. If discovered, the government will immediately send troops to clear them out.

Furthermore, the city walls are equipped with specialized tools and array formations designed to prevent digging, making it virtually impossible to dig a tunnel into the city; such an attempt would inevitably be discovered.

Moreover, there was a moat outside the city, three zhang deep and six zhang wide, making it almost a pipe dream to dig in.

Living in the dark for long periods of time, or living underground, actually makes the Blood Moon and Ghost Moon have little effect on them.

However, on the other hand, living in the oppressive and smelly underground dark world for a long time, even without the influence of the Blood Moon and Ghost Moon, their condition would not be much better.

"Slums, what disgusting places."

Zhong Ming had lived here for a period of time, so he was naturally aware of the underlying issues.

Zhong Ming once spent several months in a small shantytown on the west side of the southern city wall.

Nostalgia?

Haha, that's absolutely impossible.

This place is a cesspool, a huge cesspool.

Every filthy and disgusting thing imaginable happens here every day; even the most despicable things can happen here.

Heretics, fallen beings, strange and indescribable things.

Betrayal, sacrifice, murder—these kinds of things happen here every day.

Hundreds of people die every day, almost all of them unnatural deaths.

Even so, the population here remains at 700,000 to 800,000 year-round, and sometimes even exceeds one million.

Every day, refugees come to Tianjin Port to make a living, then settle in various shantytowns, and then die meaninglessly one day.

That's just how chaotic times are.

As the largest port in the north of the Great Chu Dynasty, Tianjin saw countless merchant ships passing through from all directions, requiring tens of thousands of laborers to transport goods every day.

For this reason, many people who could not survive in the north came here to make a living.

Several years of drought, coupled with warlords and princes fighting in various places, made it increasingly difficult for people to survive, thus providing a large labor force for this area.

Are you afraid of dying?

Of course I'm scared.

Even ants try to survive, let alone humans?

But as more and more people die, people die every day, and as they die, they become numb and get used to it.

There was less fear, and more indifference.

It is both indifference to life and indifference to oneself.

Zhong Ming arrived at one of the entrances to the shantytown. Each shantytown had at least two exits, or even more, especially the larger the shantytown.

At this moment, several burly men holding sticks were standing here. They were wearing cloaks and straw hats. Each of them had a strong body and a fierce face, and they looked very intimidating.

"Halt! This is our gang's territory."

"It's late at night and the city gates are closed. Please do me the favor of letting me stay here for the night."

The other person looked Zhong Ming up and down for a while before nodding.

"Okay, come in."

"But I can't make that decision myself; I have to ask our boss."

Zhong Ming nodded, his expression calm, and followed the other person step by step at a leisurely pace.

As for the others, they stared at Zhong Ming with very unfriendly eyes.

If it were an ordinary person without any confidence, they would probably be trembling with fear under the malicious gaze of a group of burly men.

Zhong Ming's gaze remained unchanged as he followed the other person into the shantytown.

Upon entering the shantytown, the light dimmed immediately, and visibility was much worse than outside.

The entire shantytown looks like a large, square box.

Furthermore, the outside of this large box was covered with a dark-colored tarpaulin, and a black canvas was hung inside as a curtain. In many places, there were no windows; the boxes were completely sealed off.

Therefore, it was extremely dark inside, with only burning torches and candlelight for illumination.

The visibility of such individuals is, as one can imagine, extremely low.

With nearly a thousand people living in such a confined space, the air quality inside is unimaginable.

Even though it's located in the north and the air is dry, you can still feel the unique weather that you only experience in the south inside; the air is humid and stuffy.

It's only better in winter; in summer, it can be suffocating. This is one of the reasons why every shantytown likes to dig underground spaces.

It's much cooler and more comfortable underground than above ground.

After walking through a corridor that was more than ten meters long, and then turning left and right, Zhong Ming finally saw their head.

"I am the vice leader of the Stick Clan, a successor of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Stick. My friends in the martial arts world have given me the nickname 'A-Ghost.' What should we call you, friends?"

The other person propped their legs up on the chair next to them, where a pot of wine and a dish of peanuts were on a small table, looking quite content.

"Zhenyuan Martial Arts School, surnamed Zhong, can be the Zhong of bell sound, or the Zhong of sending a bell."

Zhong Ming said calmly, his eyes showing no change.

"Ah, so it's Brother Zhong?"

Ah Gui raised an eyelid, seemingly unaware of Zhong Ming's implied meaning, and continued to probe.

"I wonder what could be so important that we're still outside the city at this late hour, and why we can't even have some peace and quiet on a blood moon night."

"You're meddling a bit too much."

Zhong Ming retorted without hesitation.

The other person suddenly sat up straight, and the expression on their previously forced smile changed instantly.

Meanwhile, the burly men around him were also staring at Zhong Ming with hostility, each gripping their sticks tightly, eager to fight.

As long as Ah Gui gives the order, they will swarm forward and smash Zhong Ming into a pile of minced meat.

Zhong Ming's eyes remained unchanged, his face expressionless.

Ah Gui stared at Zhong Ming for a long time, trying to find a flaw in his expression.

Zhong Ming stared directly at the other person without any concern, showing no fear whatsoever.

Here, weakness means vulnerability!

It means death!

Zhong Ming knew the rules here all too well, so naturally he wouldn't reveal any flaws.

Moreover, Zhong Ming's formidable strength gave him ample confidence.

The shantytown, which is nearly three zhang in size, means that the strongest person here is at most at the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Realm or the third level of the Extraordinary Realm.

As long as there are no Qi Refining experts, Zhong Ming is not afraid at all. It's all a matter of one punch. If that's not enough, he'll throw two more punches!

If all else fails, we can just fight our way out.

Zhong Ming dared to come in because he was confident he would be safe.

"Haha, young man, you've got personality."

"I like."

Unable to see any flaw in Zhong Ming's demeanor, A Gui on the other side laughed, giving himself a way out.

"Since our friend would like to stay here for the night, that's fine with us."

"Does young brother Zhong understand the rules?"

Ah Gui said with a forced smile.

Zhong Ming's face remained flawless as he calmly said, "Your place is three zhang high. According to the rules here, it costs three thousand coins a night, which is three hundred copper coins."

After saying that, Zhong Ming took out several copper coins from his body and laid them out on the table.

One copper coin worth 100, two copper coins worth 100.

When it came to the third hundred-cash coin, Zhong Ming exerted force with his fingers, and a hundred-cash coin that had been squeezed out of shape was placed on the table.

The three copper coins worth 100 cash were the cost of staying here.

The deformed copper coin represents one's strength, power, or attitude.

In other words, it tells the other party that when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and that they will give the full amount due, but they shouldn't think they are weak and easy to bully.

If you think you can take me down, then come on! Who will live and who will die is still unknown!

Ah Gui on the other side cursed inwardly: So he's an old bird, looking so young, I thought he was a virgin.

"Haha, young man Zhong, you have great finger strength."

"Ah Feng, pick a nicer room for Brother Zhong."

Ah Gui chuckled first, then cheerfully instructed his men to take Zhong Ming to his lodgings.

"Yes, Vice Leader."

"Brother Zhong, please."

The burly man named A-Feng gestured for Zhong Ming to follow him.

After Zhong Ming left, A Gui's expression completely changed.

He called over his henchmen and said, "The other party is a skilled fighter, and a seasoned veteran at that. He's not someone to mess with."

"Tell the brothers to keep their eyes open and not to provoke the other side easily."

"Yes, Chief, I will give the order right away."

Zhong Ming arrived at the room the other party had mentioned, which resembled an underground prison.

It was only about four or five square meters, with a bed made of a few rotten planks and stones, a spittoon next to it, and nothing else.

The surrounding space was separated by wooden planks or straw mats, and the murmurs from the next room could be clearly heard. Through the gaps, one could see the situation in the opposite and adjacent rooms.

This is what they meant by a "good room".

If one didn't know the inside story, they might think the other party was deliberately being harsh and neglectful.

But Zhong Ming knew that this was indeed a pretty good 'room'.

This is a slum, where people live in communal shantytowns. It's already a blessing if you can get a single room. What more could you want?

It's not like an inn in the city where you can get a clean room, comfortable blankets, hot water, and hot meals.

In slums, survival is the top priority; everything else must take a backseat.

"We've gotten past Ah Gui. If the other party knows what's good for them, they probably won't have any ulterior motives."

Zhong Ming sighed inwardly.

When dealing with the people here, you must never show the slightest fear or weakness.

Once someone perceives you as weak and vulnerable, it often means you will become their prey. At best, they will rob you of all your belongings and leave your body in the wild.

If you're unlucky, you might even eat the corpse.

With 700,000 to 800,000 people crammed into such a small place as the slums, the amount of food needed is enormous. If this place weren't the largest port hub in the north, with hundreds of ships coming and going every day, it would be impossible to support so many people.

Even so, many people still starved to death.

Some shantytowns even openly sell vegetables and meat!

Here, the most primitive law of survival applies: the strong prey on the weak, and only the fittest survive.

In this place, kindness is the original sin, weakness means vulnerability, and frailty means death!

Zhong Ming was not unfamiliar with the situation here, after all, he had once struggled to survive in this area for a period of time.

I wouldn't say I know everything, but I do understand some of the basic operating rules.

If it were some rich young master or martial arts hero who knew nothing, it would be hard for them not to get into trouble.

Betrayal, ambush, and assassination happen here every day.

Unless you are powerful enough to overwhelm everything, any kindness or weakness you show here will put you in danger.

This is why Zhong Ming left this place and went to the city as soon as he had the ability.

If you stay in such a cesspool for too long, you will no longer be a human being.

People who survive in such an environment for a long time are nothing but walking corpses, only they can still eat, sleep, and walk.

Although his body hadn't started to smell bad yet, the putrid odor emanating from him was nauseating!