Chen Yan wasn't angry, just somewhat amused and exasperated.
He never would have imagined that he, a proper immortal cultivator, would actually be extorted by a lowly city gate guard.
This had never happened to him, not even in his first life, let alone now.
Chen Yan had indeed heard before that city gate guards would occasionally use all sorts of messy excuses to stop a few passersby who looked like they had some grease to squeeze and who seemed kind and easy to bully, then extort them.
He just never thought such a thing would happen to him.
"I don't have any money."
Chen Yan replied.
"Oh dear, that makes things difficult then."
The guard's tone was odd and exaggerated:
"How much?"
Chen Yan asked with a smile.
"Two taels of silver."
"But I have no money."
"Then I must ask the young master to dismount, and don't blame me for being impolite!"
The guard, who didn't look very old, had an even colder expression on his face.
"Although I have no money, I do have this. Do you recognize it?"
Chen Yan pulled out from his chest a palm-sized, intricately patterned exquisite wooden plaque, carved with the four characters "Kongshan Kongyuan."
This was his identity proof as a disciple of Kongyuan Mountain.
The guard leaned in a bit, squinting his eyes to look at the wooden plaque in Chen Yan's hand, then suddenly remembered something:
"I can't read!"
He said it with such righteous confidence.
Chen Yan sighed. Just as he was thinking about how to tease this reckless young guard next, the sound of clanking armor suddenly came from not far away.
Another guard could be seen rushing over from the distance. He flew into a kick aimed straight at the reckless youth who had just tried to extort Chen Yan:
"Damn it, you bastard!"
The reckless youth was kicked flying, and then the other guard cursed him out like that.
The reckless youth crashed heavily to the ground, lifting his head in a daze, looking confusedly at the other guard:
"Squad Leader?"
The later arrival, whom the reckless youth addressed as Squad Leader, ignored him. Instead, he hastily bowed and offered apologies to Chen Yan on horseback:
"Young master, I am truly, utterly sorry. That blind fool over there was just recently transferred to the city gate. His brain isn't working right. This humble one apologizes to you here, young master. I hope you, a great man, won't remember the faults of a small man."
"You, at least, are sensible."
Chen Yan said with a smile.
After speaking, Chen Yan lightly tapped the horse's belly with his heel, then immediately urged the horse forward into the city.
The Squad Leader remained in his bowing, apologetic posture towards Chen Yan until Chen Yan had completely ridden away before straightening up.
The Squad Leader walked up to the reckless young guard, lifted his foot, and kicked him again.
"Do you have a death wish? You dare stop anyone?"
The Squad Leader scolded.
Seeing the Squad Leader react so violently, even the most reckless youth would definitely realize he had just made a huge mistake.
The young guard's face turned fearful:
"S-Squad Leader, who exactly was that young master?"
"That wasn't any young master, that was an Immortal Master!"
"Immortal Master?"
The reckless youth's face instantly turned pale, and even his legs began trembling uncontrollably.
An immortal cultivator!
To ordinary people, they were undoubtedly lofty, exalted beings.
He had once personally seen a young master from a city's immortal cultivation family, over some verbal spat, punch someone's head until it exploded.
Just like smashing a watermelon with a hammer.
He had just tried to extort an immortal cultivator?
He had truly just walked a circle in front of the gates of hell!
"But, but, Squad Leader..."
The reckless youth stammered:
"That person just now, he wasn't wearing a Daoist robe either?"
"Who told you Immortal Masters have to wear Daoist robes!"
The Squad Leader gave the back of the young guard's head another slap:
"Does your mother's undergarment have to be red?"
"Use your brain more next time! You were just lucky today's Immortal Master was kind-hearted. If you ever run into one with a bad temper, he'd slap you to pieces!"
"Understood, Squad Leader..."
The young guard said dejectedly, picking up his spear from the ground before resuming his post.
It seemed he wouldn't dare extort anyone again for a while.
...
Chen Yan rode his horse, continuing towards the Immortal Gambling Den.
Taiyun City, as the largest city in the western region of Qingque Kingdom, had no curfew, and its night market was quite bustling.
At this hour, vendors who had just set up their stalls lined both sides of the street.
Chen Yan riding a tall, handsome horse down the street naturally stood out quite a bit.
Many of the city's commoners turned their heads, looking towards Chen Yan's direction.
In those gazes, there was curiosity, envy, and also jealousy.
But compared to when Chen Yan had entered the city before wearing the Kongshan Sect's Daoist robe, it seemed like something was missing from those gazes.
What was it?
Chen Yan pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an epiphany.
It was fear.
The ordinary people of this world had a deep-seated, bone-chilling fear of immortal cultivators.
It wasn't just fear of their formidable power.
To ordinary people, immortal cultivators were more like a different species.
Even though these cultivators were once ordinary people themselves.
Two eyes, one nose, one mouth.
This was probably also a manifestation of the divide between the immortal and the mortal.
Chen Yan thought this to himself.
The handsome horse beneath him slowly advanced down the street, soon arriving at the entrance of Taiyun City's Immortal Gambling Den.
The Immortal Gambling Den operated day and night, open for business all twelve hours of the day.
This was normal. Body Forging Realm cultivators could remain full of energy even after three days and nights without sleep, with no physical issues at all.
Energy Channeling Realm cultivators could even go half a month without sleeping.
The doorman standing at the gambling den's entrance tonight was not the same one Chen Yan had seen when he came here last time.
Chen Yan dismounted, then led his horse towards the gambling den's main entrance.
The doorman also clearly noticed Chen Yan in his ordinary clothes, giving him a once-over.
"Immortal Master, forgive this humble one's poor eyesight, but is this your first time at Taiyun City's Immortal Gambling Den?"
The doorman stepped forward, blocking Chen Yan's path.
"Yes, first time."
Chen Yan replied.
The Kongshan Sect truly lived up to being one of the Five Great Sects of Chenping Continent.
The treatment one received wearing the Kongshan Sect's Daoist robe versus not wearing it was completely different.
Chen Yan sighed inwardly.
"Then you've come to the right place! This is the best gambling den for ten thousand miles around! After all, backed by the Immortal Masters of Kongshan Sect, business is bound to be good!"
The doorman said with animated expressions, then suddenly lowered his voice, putting on a troubled look:
"However, I must ask the Immortal Master to forgive my boldness. Our gambling den is great in every way, it's just that we have quite a few rules. We have to verify your funds first, you see..."
"Fine."
Chen Yan took out a small money pouch from his chest, opening the mouth slightly to reveal a few high-grade spirit stones inside.
"Oh, excellent, Immortal Master! I'm truly sorry, this humble one is just following procedure."
The doorman said while taking the horse reins from Chen Yan's hand, heading towards a nearby stable:
"Well then, Immortal Master, you can just go right in. Someone will naturally attend to you. I'll go tie up your horse. The fodder at our gambling den's stable is all top-quality spirit rice stalks, guaranteed to feed your horse well. You just relax and enjoy yourself!"
Chen Yan watched the doorman's retreating back, and for some reason, he thought again of the reckless young guard he had encountered at the city gate earlier.
"The gap between people..."
Chen Yan sighed, clasping his hands behind his back as he slowly strolled into the gambling den.