Chapter 293: Entry Fee

"Then...Why don’t you all just leave this Kingdom? If you do that, then the next generation won’t have to share the same fate of breathing this air. Then they won’t catch this brown flu."

To his question, Old Ding just sighed softly and said, "That’s not possible."

Hearing this response, Yi Chen couldn’t help but develop a frown and was about to ask on what basis that conclusion was drawn, but before he could do that, Old Ding answered by himself.

"Yes, this brown flu indeed spreads through long-term exposure to the volcanic air that’s spread all over our Kingdom. However, that’s not the only way it affects us...it also gets passed on to the offspring.

It’s something that was confirmed by the Violet Medicine Hall long ago, and since then we’ve all accepted the fact that this is what our fate is. Just the fact that they give us these yellow tablets for a menial fee is already a blessing."

Old Ding sighed with gratefulness visible in his eyes.

"This..." Yi Chen furrowed his brows.

A lot of questions rose in his mind. However, wanting to address the one he had been wanting to ask for a while, he asked, "This Brown Flu...just how fatal is it? Does it only produce cold-like symptoms? And those yellow tablets, just how effective are they against this Flu?"

"...How fatal, you ask? They are deadly." Old Ding answered with an amused smile, and before Yi Chen’s expression could change for the worse, he answered, "However, since the introduction of these tablets, the deaths have reduced drastically...with most people dying in their late forties or early fifties because of old age.

On that note, I’m still pretty young cause I got almost a decade until I enter my forties. Don’t you think so?"

As he finished those words, he chuckled while showing his teeth, much of which had already fallen.

’Young...’

The moment Yi Chen heard those words, doubt surfaced on his face, and he immediately opened up Old Ding’s status panel.

======

STATUS

======

Name

: Chu Ding

Age

: 39

Cultivation

: Mortal

Remark

: Body is weakened considerably

[Regenerate: 10,000 EXP]

====================

’T-Thirty-nine years?’ Yi Chen’s eyes couldn’t help but widen when he saw this number. All this time, he thought that the man in front of him was in his late seventies.

"Hahaha..."

Watching Yi Chen’s flabbergasted expression, Old Ding laughed out loud and said, "I may not look like it, but I’m only 39 years old, and your reaction is understandable, Master Chen.

Compared to the outside world, our bodies age pretty fast...it’s all because of this sickness. However, it’s still much better than how it was before."

Old Ding momentarily tilted his head toward the cloudy sky as if he was recollecting something tragic and continued.

"When this Brown Flu first struck our Kingdom...it was a disaster much worse than the volcanic eruptions we’ve faced until then. It began like a common cold with people coughing and sneezing more occasionally than the norm.

It was something everyone had come to accept because of the ashy smell that always pervaded the air.

However, a few years later these coughs and sneezes grew into violent fits that caused people to cough up patches of blood until they were fully drained and succumbed to death...it still happens to the unlucky ones, a pretty gruesome sight."

Old Ding pursed his lips as he said those words.

"...So, these tablets, even after taking them, there’s a chance of succumbing to the sickness?"

"Master Chen’s right, if one’s vitality is weak by birth, then even with these tablets, they would succumb early...and there are other factors as well."

Old Ding answered with a relaxed smile and continued, "However, overall, without these tablets our entire Kingdom would have succumbed to this sickness, and it’s also because of this reason we are very grateful to the Violet Medicine Pavilion for creating them."

’Not only are they forced to experience volcanic eruptions every fifty years, but they are also afflicted by this fatal sickness...’ Yi Chen couldn’t help but feel that there were a lot of emotions hiding underneath the smile Old Ding carried on his face.

With his chest a little heavy, he asked the next question, "About the Violet Med-"

However, before Yi Chen finished his question, he was cut off by Old Ding’s words.

"We’ve arrived, Master Chen. That’s the Lava City." Old Ding said while pointing ahead.

This prompted Yi Chen to turn his neck, as the first thing that entered his eyes was a series of carts just like Old Ding’s that were lined up one after the other on the dirt track waiting for their turn to enter the city gates.

The city was surrounded by walls that were not more than ten feet tall in height. However, what surprised Yi Chen was the fact that these walls were made of iron rather than hard stones.

What intrigued him even further were the countless engravings that covered the entirety of the walls and stretched as far as Yi Chen’s eyes could see.

"Those walls that you see are what protects us whenever the mountains erupt. The cultivators call it an inscription barrier of some sort. It’s pretty powerful, and since its creation, the occasional eruptions don’t cause as much damage as they used to."

"So that’s how it is..." Yi Chen nodded in an impressed manner after listening to Old Ding’s words.

TIIIK!

It was then that the cart came to a stop. In front of them were lines of other carts waiting to enter the city’s gates.

"Master Chen, there’s a separate entry for those on foot, so you can just walk towards the gate. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for an hour or so before we reach the gates."

"Ah..." Yi Chen nodded in understanding and then, with a smile, looked towards Old Ding, "Then I’ll be leaving, Old Ding. Thanks for answering my questions all this while."

"It was my pleasure, Master Chen. If there’s any-"

Before Old Ding could continue further, another Medium Grade Spirit Stone appeared in Yi Chen’s hands as he handed that to him as well.

"This..."

Seeing that he was just handed another Medium Grade Spirit Stone, Old Ding didn’t know how to react. It was at that time Yi Chen’s words entered his ears.

"That’s my way of appreciating you. Goodbye then, Old Ding." Yi Chen got down from the cart the next moment and started walking towards the gate.

Meanwhile, Old Ding watched Yi Chen’s departing figure with immense gratitude apparent in his eyes.

’Too bad...there’s still a lot of questions in my mind, but since I’ve already reached the city, it can’t be helped,’ Yi Chen thought to himself as he walked towards the city gates and soon reached in front of it.

"Oh? Guards who are at the Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage?" Yi Chen couldn’t help but raise his brows seeing this.

In front of him were two guards. One was taking care of the lines of carts while the other one was in charge of taking care of those on foot.

However, unlike the cart’s line, this one was practically empty, with only Yi Chen making his way towards the guard from a few meters away.

"Identity slip?" The guard asked with a frown, seeing that Yi Chen didn’t have a patch on his face like other citizens.

"I’m from the White Jade Kingdom, and I’ve arrived here to visit the Red Velvet Pavilion branch." Yi Chen answered.

"How did you arrive here?" the guard inquired.

"I had some business in the Great Beast Forest and had ventured inside it. Since the Black Rock Kingdom was nearer to that place, I plan..."

Yi Chen explained.

"I understand." The guard nodded and took out a slip of paper from the side, "State your name and cultivation level."

"Yi Chen, Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage," Yi Chen answered.

"Oh?" An expression of interest rose in the guard’s eyes as he looked at Yi Chen for an extra second before noting down the details.

A while later, the slip was cut in two halves. One was kept by the guard, and the other was passed on to Yi Chen after he placed a stamp on it.

"That’s your temporary identity until you’re in the Kingdom. Remember that foreigners are only allowed to stay in our Kingdom for not more than two months. Therefore, submit this slip to the guard office when you leave the Kingdom.

If you don’t do that, then we’ll assume that you’re refusing to leave the Kingdom and thus we’ll have to use forceful means, you understand?"

"I do..." Yi Chen stated while reaching for the slip. Seeing the attitude of the guard, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

’Most Kingdoms welcome foreigners, so what’s with them...’ he thought while taking the slip, but to his confusion, the guard didn’t let go of it.

"Hm? Is there something more?" Yi Chen asked with a subtle frown.

"Yes, there is." The guard said while pointing his thumb back at a poster that was pasted on next to the gate behind him.

’Entry fee of one Medium Grade Spirit Stone...isn’t this a scam?’

"Pay up." The guard said in an amused manner, seeing Yi Chen’s reaction.

"This...isn’t this a little too much for an entry fee?" Yi Chen asked with a frown.