Chapter 106: Fruit Seller
Unfortunately, Anji’s Heavenly Eyes could only see the aura of those in front of her eyes. After setting up the sound cancellation and defence array in the two rooms, she tried to peek at the other cultivators through the walls. However, it failed miserably, and Anji was left to look at the dreary town from the second-floor window.
Unlike Silver Water Town, which sparkled everywhere, this town was divided between the brightly lit streets of corrupted riches and the dark alleys of the abandoned poor. No children were laughing or playing on the streets. Everyone looked nervous, and even those who were smiling appeared tense. It was a depressing town where the unlawful ruled with their tyranny. Why would there be an inn founded by a cultivator in this place? Anji could not understand. They did not do this for money either. The fees were market rates, and the inn was shabby as if nobody cared about the prosperity of their business. It was weird.
"We will leave first thing in the morning," Mingshen patted his sister on the head. "Does it bother you that this town is ruled by the wicked?"
Admitting with a nod, Anji’s frown grew deeper.
"Why do cultivators allow it?" she wondered. Thanks to the sound cancellation array, she was unafraid of others overhearing their conversation.
Inhaling deeply and joining her at the window, Mingshen sighed. Where should he begin? Politics can be very complicated to explain to a six-year-old child. Although his younger sister was very intelligent, she was also raised in a golden cage under their parents’ protection and showed mostly good things only. While Anji understood the world was not flowery, it was probably the first time she had witnessed this much corruption and evil running rampant. Not being able to interfere must feel frustrating.
"It’s not that we allow it," he explained. "Remember what I mentioned earlier? There are rules we must follow. Apart from self-defence, we cannot interfere with the ways of mortals, including disciplining the misconduct of those low lives."
Nodding glumly, Anji stared at the group of scrawny hoodlums kicking a basket of fruits and messing up a poor man’s stall in the middle of the streets. Nobody else offered this man help, even when he was getting extorted and kicked when he tried to protect his livelihood. The other store owners started packing up quickly and running away while the hoodlums were busy bullying the fruit stall man.