Unfettered Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Inn

Read chapter 22 of Unfettered by driftwoodblossom on NovelPedia.

The central continent was united under the banner of the Chi Dynasty so it didn't take long for the guards to process the pair with their legitimate documents. Coupled with their identity plaques from the Ye Clan, they were treated with respect despite their current state of affairs. Ye Fan tossed a silver coin to each of the two guards who had checked their documents. "For your diligence." Although the coins were clean, they still had a funky smell. The closer guard wrapped the coin firmly with his fingers and held it behind his back. His expression was strange as he put on a forced smile and thanked the youth. As soon as the pair walked away, the guards walked in for the shift change early. Luckily for the guards, it was already close to the end of their shift and the supervisor didn't mind. Ye Fan and Bai Hu emerged from the shadow of the towering black walls to the sight of a prosperous city. The streets were extremely wide. There were main roads that weaved throughout the city. These were for carriages and beast mounts. The middle of the main road could fit up to six standard-sized carriages and had traffic flowing in both directions. Beasts and carriages were both guided by a transmission crystal. Each crystal was a treasure refined by a Three Aspects expert who had reached the Peak in the Soul Aspect from the Chi Dynasty. They were present in all major cities. It would take over the consciousness of beasts and compatible carriages and navigate them according to their intended destination in the city. Only carriages and beasts that were given a seal of approval from the Dynasty could navigate the streets. This was to make sure that there wouldn't be any traffic jams as the transmission crystal was able to flawlessly direct traffic. On either side of the main roads were sidewalks that could hold four people shoulder to shoulder. The sidewalks from the Eastern Gate were packed as the people who had just entered the city mixed in with the locals. The pair followed the crowd of people through the outer city. The smooth cobblestone streets felt unpleasant to walk on but preferable to the dust cloud that would form if it were dirt or sand instead. Ye Fan saw smaller streets branching out from the main roads, but there were few shops. It seemed that they were still in a mainly residential zone. Most cities had the convention of putting their main commercial district in the center so that everyone would know where to head. It would be a long walk, so the old servant began a conversation to help pass the time. "I'm surprised you didn't insist on traveling back home, young master." Although a few people had branched off into different areas in the outer city, the majority of the crowd that came from the Eastern Gate remained. There was about two inches of space in between people as they trudged forward. Ye Fan absentmindedly responded as his eyes continued to roam the city's architecture. He didn't hide his excitement in his gaze as he took the sights. "Uncle Hu, I need to take master's orders seriously. We've been all over the Eastern Landmass for training… so the secrets we must discover should be in the Western Landmass." A trace of doubt flickered in the old servant's eyes as he watched his young master's actions, but Bai Hu didn't push it. Instead, he pointed out a flaw in the youth's reasoning. "The great Immortal said that your final trial would be one that you have to complete without his help. You can't discount the fact that there's a possibility that the contents of the trial could be solved in the Western Landmass." Ye Fan's eyes stopped roaming for a second as he grew deep in thought. It took a full minute before he responded to the boatman's statements. "It's better to search where we haven't already. We'll eventually return home anyway. Besides, it's too late for regrets now." The youth coughed a few times into his fist as the tips of his ears grew red. Bai Hu gave his young master a side glance with no follow-up. T