Castle of Black Iron

”Uncle Man, have you sold out your mutton? It’s so fast!” A young man who was waiting for entering the city in a medium-sized steam truck lowered down the window and shouted towards an old man who was wrapped in a goat-hide coat and a goat-hide hat on an oxcart.

It seemed that they were familiar with each other. They might both live in the nearby farm villages and towns which were subordinate to Youzhou City.

”The new year is coming. I’ve sold them to my old customers at a discount. The moment they entered the market, they had been taken away!” The old man pulled down his hat before exhaling a cold breath, ”Why are you alone here? Where’s your elder brother?”

”My elder brother is strong. He used to practice battle skills. Last night, my uncle came back and said that some archers were wanted in the new archers’ station in the town with the compensation of over 10 gold coins a year. He might be promoted to a village constable in the future if he had a good performance there; therefore, my elder brother has gone there before daybreak. If he’s got good luck, he might be a civil servant from then on. As the snake butter and cabbages are ordered by Steward Liu of Dainty Building, my elder brother doesn’t need to give me a hand. When I send them over there, the buddies of Dainty Building will help me unload them!” The young man replied as he moved his car a bit forward when he saw one more vehicle ahead of him entering the city.

”Hahahaha, brat, you look diligent. I will introduce a beautiful and able girl to you next year!” The old man teased. Closely after that, he waved his hand and said, ”Well, hurry up, if you’re late, Steward Liu will not show you a good look!”

”Thanks, Uncle Man. Uncle Man, watch out on your way back. I will invite you for a drink when I come back!” The young man revealed a cheerful look as he stretched his hand out of the window and bid a farewell to the old man. After that, he drove into the city.

The old man on the oxcart took out a small metal pot from inside his coat and had a small mouth of drink. Closely after that, he drove the oxcart out of the city.

When the young man entered the city gate, Zhang Tie was also going through the pedestrian passageway beside the vehicle.

Zhang Tie was wearing a fur cashmere with hood. After putting on his hood, he almost covered half of his face. Therefore, nobody could identify Zhang Tie at all.

The soldiers outside the city gate were just checking whether those vehicles carried contrabands or not. However, most of the trucks entering the city were carrying vegetables and meats, which could access to the city gate very fast. As there were 8 driveways entering the city, it was not crowded over there.

Above 80% of the vehicles were small and medium-sized steam trucks and tractors. Some were drawn by animals such as long-horn yaks and tall and strong david deer, even rhino-dragon horses.

At the sight of the vehicle drawn by a rhino-dragon horse, the soldiers outside the city gate threw two more glances at it in order to check whether it was an army horse. Rhino-dragon horses in army horse-breeding farms always had marks on their bodies, which could not be used by commoners. Those army horses would not be sold to commoners. However, there were wild colts in the wild of Youzhou Province, which were usually captured by local people. It was very dangerous to catch a rhino-dragon horse, even a colt. If someone caught it, he could show off his ability for sure.

Most of the wild rhino-dragon horses would be sold to army horse-breeding farms for mating. Few of them were raised by their conquerors, who were usually pioneers, professional hunters and part-time rhizotomists in the wild.

If there was any need, these people would draw maps in the wild; survey the topography in the wasteland or hunt something in the wild and sell them. However, they liked to serve major clans and rich people by hunting some exotic animals or pets in the wild at their requests. Pharmacists were also their customers. Pharmacists would always entrust them to seek for some animals and plants for refining some special pills or medicaments. These guys would even be employed to drive dangerous wildlife away from the region where a city was going to be built.

As Zhang Tie knew that these guys were active in the wild of Youzhou Province, Zhang Tie told his thunder hawks to accept their baptism in Liaozhou Province.

”Show me your face!” A soldier stopped Zhang Tie and ordered him with a solemn look.

Zhang Tie then put off his hood and showed his face.

Zhang Tie thought that he would be recognized; however, after looking at Zhang Tie for a short while, the soldier directly waved his hand and let him in.

’It turns out that I think too much.’ Zhang Tie mocked himself before putting on his hood once again.

Until Zhang Tie had entered the city gate for a half minute did the soldier who checked him just now suddenly feel something wrong as he scratched his head and murmured, ”Yi? That young man looks familiar. But I don’t know him. What the hell!”

Over 2 months ago, when Zhang Tie shocked the entire Youzhou City, many people had seen him in the mirage. However, due to different perspectives, they could only see what happened in the cony domain from top to bottom within 45 degrees. They could not see his face clearly. Therefore, this soldier just felt Zhang Tie’s face was familiar.

Nobody could imagine that the dean of the provincial court of Youzhou Province whose nickname was the Lion of Youzhou Province appeared outside the city gate of Youzhou City and directly strode into the city without any retinue.

After entering this city gate for a short while, Zhang Tie had seen a boisterous trading market. Most of the vegetables and meats that were carried in the city from outside were sold here...

Although the day had just broken, it had been filled with bargaining voices in the trading market, although they were just bargaining for a few haos or copper coins...

Hearing the boisterous bargaining sounds, Zhang Tie felt tender instead of being annoyed.

When he was in Blackhot City, he used to buy grains in such markets by tricycle...

At this moment, a kid knocked into Zhang Tie and soon disappeared in the crowd...

With a smile, Zhang Tie just saw him disappearing into the crowd...

A thief dared steal money from the dean of the provincial court of Youzhou Province, how hilarious!

Of course, what was funnier was that when the thief fumbled across his body, Zhang Tie suddenly moved a purse containing over 10 gold coins out of Castle of Black Iron. Precisely, Zhang Tie ”foisted” the purse into the thief’s hand...

The thief really thought that he had made it. After pinching the purse, he instantly ran away and soon disappeared into the crowd. However, he didn’t know that it was Zhang Tie who foisted the purse into his hand; neither did he know that his body, that purse and each gold coin in the purse had been attached with a tracing tentacle by Zhang Tie in the split second.

Zhang Tie just felt that it was funny to do this. Of course, as he had not been to Youzhou City for over two months, he wanted to check the efficiency of breaking a criminal case of the court temples within his territory. By the way, as the new year was coming, he wanted to give a favor to the security in Youzhou City. As that thief was still young, it was not late to save him and send him on a right path.

Zhang Tie didn’t think too much about this thing...