Chapter 1: Lei Yin (Part 1)

  The Dahong Cave Force is a medium-sized force in this vast wilderness, with a city and several hundred human settlements. It covers an area of about 40,000 square kilometers, which is quite large, but the population is sparse, with only a few million people at most. The environment is very harsh, and there are also many barbarian gathering places within its territory.

  Huoyaobao, Yingling and other types of hunters' settlements are numerous on this land. Generally speaking, such a hunter's settlement can control an area with a radius of about 100 kilometers, beyond which they have no power. There are almost 7,000 to 8,000 such hunter settlements within the Dahongdong sphere of influence.

  The Dahong Cave has imperial authority on this land, with the power to kill or spare lives at their discretion. The Dahong Cave is divided into inner and outer gates. Outside, there are the most numerous Bai Lun Shi, Qian Lun Shi, and Wan Lun Shi, while Mi Lun Shi can already guard a region. As for Yi Huan Zhen Shen and Mi Lun Zhen Ren, they are the high-end martial forces outside.

  Nei Men mainly cultivate disciples and have the right to manage Dahong Cave.

  In an area of 40,000 square kilometers, Dahong Cave City is the only city. All internal management institutions of Dahong Cave are located in Dahong Cave City.

  This is also the first city that Leixingfeng has seen in his life. Standing in front of the city wall that is over a hundred feet tall, Leixingfeng and Leixingyao looked up with their heads tilted back, and Leixingyao said: "Brother, what is this? It's even taller than the cliff walls of our Huayue Fort!"

  "This... should be the city wall, what the hell, why is this city wall built so high?"

  The old man of Lei said: "That's because of the war with the barbarians. Without city walls, it's hard to withstand the impact of the barbarians."

  The three of them, grandfather and grandson, arrived at the Great Hongdong City in the midst of a heavy snowstorm. Accompanying them were Du Hongchen and his disciples, as well as a team of twenty Qianlun masters. This time, they had also arranged for two giant camels to come along. Lei Xingfeng was seeing these creatures for the first time, and their appearance was similar to that of the single-horned rhinoceros from his past life, although their size was completely different. The camels were eight meters long and three meters tall, with broad shoulders and a sturdy back, possessing immense strength but having very gentle temperaments.

  The camel's back has a hump that can carry goods and people. This kind of camel is very precious, not everyone with money and power can own one.

  From Huyabao to Dahongdang City, it took about seventeen days for this section of the road. The speed of the camel's journey was quite good, and there were no twists or turns before arriving at Dahongdang City.

  The city wall was built with bluestone, and the tall city gate had a team of patrolling Bailun masters. The inspection at the entrance was very strict, but fortunately, there was Du Hongchen, the outer gate elder of Dahongdong, who helped them pass through without delay. The two camels and a team of Qianlun masters entered the city.

  After entering the city, Lei Xingfeng and Lei Xingyao's eyes were not enough to use. This city was abnormally prosperous. To know that more than 40,000 square kilometers, there is only one city here. Large merchant teams brought a large amount of goods to this place, and then countless small merchant teams transported them to all directions. This is the gathering place of commerce, the storage place of materials.

  Lei Xingfeng found it hard to adapt to so many people at once, let alone Lei Xingyao. The little girl had never seen such a dense crowd before.

  Lei Xingfeng had seen crowds many times more dense than this in his past life, but having lived here for a long time and being used to seeing only two or three people at a time, he suddenly felt uncomfortable when he saw so many people, but he quickly adjusted.

  Countless vendors lined the roadside, with all sorts of people and goods on display on long tables. Each vendor had set up a large animal hide canopy, but it wasn't for shade - it was for snow, as light flakes continued to fall from the sky. Every stall had a large copper basin burning fiery charcoal, amidst the cacophony of hawkers' calls and haggling voices, with the heat from the charcoal fires sending up wisps of white mist, making the entire street scene incredibly lively.

  On the wide bluestone-paved road, people and vehicles flowed in a lively and bustling manner. Lei Xingfeng's group was very eye-catching because they had two very precious camels. This kind of camel is not something that ordinary wealthy families can afford; it is a symbol of status.

  There were many people on the road, so naturally everyone's pace slowed down. Leixing Feng and Leixing Yao had already come out of the camel carriage, hand in hand with Leibao old man.

  The old man sighed and said: "A small border town is still so charming."

  Lei Xingfeng suddenly opened his eyes wide and exclaimed: "Barbarian? Barbarian!"

  The old man said: "Don't be surprised, barbarians can also come to Da Hong Dong City."

  Lei Xingfeng was puzzled: "Aren't the barbarians and we sworn enemies? How dare they come to our city?"

  Du Hongchen smiled and explained, "What's so strange about it? Of course, in the wilderness, it's a matter of life and death. But you should know that the barbarians also produce many things that those big merchants need. Moreover, the various game they bring are even better and more precious. They have no use for them if they keep them on hand, so they come to trade for some necessities."

  Lei Xingfeng suddenly remembered that when they were fighting with the barbarians, they held steel spears in their hands and said: "Are weapons also traded with them?"

  Du Hongchen said: "Of course, weapons are also traded, it's just that when they exchange a steel spear, they need to take out many things, compared to our exchanges, at the very least it will be three or four times more expensive."

  Lei Xingfeng said: "What if the barbarians kill people in the city?"

  Du Hongchen smiled and said, "No way, you see the barbarians around... are all Ba Lun Shi and Qian Lun Shi, they're watching them, hehe, the barbarians don't dare to mess with them." He then added, "Not just any barbarian can come, only a dozen or so major tribes have the qualifications. They've had an agreement for a long time, fighting with barbarians is normal, trading with them is also normal, no need to be too surprised, among the barbarians there are also extremely powerful masters."

  A few barbarians drove several large-horned cattle past the team of Lei Xingfeng, the large-horned cattle were gentle in nature and completely different from the barbarian cattle, they were good pack animals used by humans and barbarians to carry goods and pull carts. The several large-horned cattle had a large number of furs and leather bags loaded on their backs, it was unknown what was inside the leather bags.

  These barbarians were a bit different from the ones Lei Xingfeng had seen before, dressed more like humans, but still tall and sturdy, with a strong bloody aura, their expressions extremely arrogant, each of them raised an eyebrow, slanted their eyes, with a look that said you are weak, I am very powerful.

  Lei Xingfeng couldn't help but say: "This barbarian is really asking for a beating."

  Du Hongchen said, "It's very normal. In the wild, they are top hunters, not cultivators, and can't beat them at all. It's also normal for them to be arrogant. They are familiar with savagery and are much better than those who are born savage."

  Lei Xingfeng had never heard of the saying "cooked barbarians and raw barbarians" before. He said, "Cooked barbarians? Raw barbarians?"

  She rolled her eyes and said, "The unripe barbarians are even more savage and can't communicate with us. The ripe barbarians can communicate with us and have a lot of exchanges. Of course, in the wilderness, no matter whether they're raw or ripe, just kill them, they won't be polite to us either."

  Lei Xingfeng suddenly realized that humans need the barbarians' specialty products, and the barbarians also need various living necessities, which prompted the two to come into contact with each other, only then would he see the barbarians in Dahong Cave City.

  After turning several corners, the flow of people on the street gradually decreased, and Lei Xingfeng found that they had already arrived in a residential area. There were no longer any stalls by the side of the road, but instead many small shops facing the street. Along the main street, they passed through an arched gate, where several bailiffs stood at the entrance.

  A thousand-wheel master came forward in the team and said a few words before letting them go. Du Hongchen explained, "This is considered to be inside the inner gate of Dahong Cave."

  Lei Xingfeng found that there were many children on the road, most of whom were around thirteen or fourteen years old. Du Hongchen, a dignified outer gate elder, became a full-time commentator and said: "These children are all apprentice disciples. Once they reach sixteen years old, they can start cultivating. At this stage, they are all in the learning phase. Of course, they have all been tested and have the potential and qualifications for cultivation."

  "This batch is a group of relatively good disciples, so they are learning in the inner sect. We also have many probationary disciples in the outer sect, and we take in many new disciples every year."

  Lei Xingfeng smiled and said: "You came to Hu Yanbao, is it for me to come and learn?"

  Du Hongchen smiled wryly and said, "You have seniors to guide you, of course, you don't need to come here to learn. From the beginning, I didn't have any malicious intentions." He took the opportunity to explain himself, fearing that he would leave a bad impression on this family.

  Small buildings were hidden in the white snow, and soon they came to a stone building. This was a two-story stone building with a very strong architectural style, large stone blocks, square and rectangular architecture, and several servants at the door. Du Hongchen said: "This is the guest house for receiving noble guests. Seniors, you will stay here today."

  The old man nodded and said, "Alright, let's settle down first."

  Du Hongchen had the servant come over to take the luggage, and Du Hongchen and Wen Yan personally saw them in. As they walked, he said: "There is a small market behind, all of whom are insiders, with many good things. If you want to go, just call a servant to take you."

  This is a large suite, with three rooms, a very spacious living room, and the rooms are extremely warm, much better than the home in Hu Yan's Tiger Cliff Fortress. Lei Xingfeng was surprised to find glass windows here, so the rooms were very bright.

  The living room was decorated with a full set of furniture, the style was a bit strange, but still within Leixingfeng's understanding. The hexagonal table, the half-waisted chair, the thick animal skin on the floor, and the large glass bottles in the corner of the wall, with several dried plums inserted at an angle, gave off a faint fragrance that hit his nose.

  The bedroom is just a very large kang, occupying half of the room. There is a screen in front of the kang and a low table on it, which is made very delicate.

  What surprised Leixing Peak the most was that there was a bathroom in this suite, and the bathtub wasn't filled with boiled water, but with hot springs gushing out. Although the house was relatively small, it was more luxurious than he had imagined, which made him very satisfied.

  Lei Xingyao found it even more astonishing, Lei Xingfeng still had memories of his past life to compare with, but she was someone who had never seen anything like this before. The house in Huaxia Village was already good enough for her, and she had never thought that there would be such beautiful furniture, such bright rooms, and the floor was even lavishly covered with animal hides. This was just too exaggerated. As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't stop making sounds of surprise.

  Wen Yan couldn't help but reveal a hint of disdain, people from rural areas are often unsophisticated and ignorant.