Chapter 8: The New Dynasty

With the help of Da Niu, Wang Liang finally managed to blend into the caravan. Under their guidance, he soon arrived at the capital of the New Dynasty, a place named Chang'an.

Judging by the surrounding environment, Wang Liang guessed this was the original Chang'an, though everything in the city had been razed and rebuilt. With the aid of demons and immortal arts, the city before him was clearly more than ten times larger than what he remembered. Gazing at the city walls, which stood thirty zhang high, and the massive gates wide enough for a hundred people to walk through side by side, Wang Liang could not help but be struck by the sheer power of this world.

Just as they were about to enter, Da Niu, who had been teaching Wang Liang common knowledge along the way, pulled him aside.

"You have to pay an entry fee when entering the city. Never skimp on it the first time. Don't give them gold or silver; they use a specific type of stone there. Just infuse it with one year's worth of mana, and that counts as the fee. Remember, you must ask them for a gold medallion like this one."

As he spoke, Da Niu raised his hand, revealing a gold medallion hanging from his wrist. The front of the medallion bore the character for "Kindness," and the back featured an engraving of Da Niu himself.

"This is a protective gold medallion. Since you just woke up, you might not be clear on this: because the six races—humans, ghosts, gods, demons, spirits, and corpses—coexist, the rules have changed. After all, it is the nature of some animals to eat meat; you can't force them to eat only grass. Therefore, the New Dynasty enacted laws stating that all six races are equal, but within that equality, there are the 'Three Edibles' and the 'Three Non-Edibles.'

"The 'Three Edibles' are: those who commit evil deeds, those who seek their own death, and those without spirituality. The 'Three Non-Edibles' are: the young, those who perform good deeds, and those who provide offerings."

As they spoke, the caravan approached the gate. Wang Liang noticed that more than a third of the people waiting in line were demons. Most of them wore medallions like Da Niu's; it was clearly a life-saving necessity.

Da Niu continued, "It’s actually quite easy to understand. We all get it; that’s just the way of nature. Look, even though our goat clan only eats grass, there are spirit-grasses that gain sentience, right? To them, we are the murderers. And those human cultivators—whether they are forging flying swords or crafting magical treasures, aren't they using the bodies of your kind? Who can you even reason with about that?

"Besides, didn't you see what the boss was eating on the road? Those were made of various metals. To you, those are your own kind, or food, right? If you encounter them on the road, do you eat them or not? That is why the New Dynasty established laws to tell us what can be eaten and what cannot, and that keeps the peace.

"Those who commit 'evil deeds' are people without this medallion, or criminals. They are not protected by the laws of the New Dynasty, and anyone who sees them is free to attack. As for whether you eat them or not, that’s a personal choice. Actually, even if you don't eat them, you can bring them to Chang'an City to sell; materials with spirituality fetch a very high price.

"'Seeking their own death' refers to those who bring it upon themselves. For example, if you see a human on the road challenging a tiger and getting eaten, that’s their own fault; you can't blame anyone else.

"'Without spirituality' refers to creatures lacking awareness. For instance, a common sheep is always just a sheep. Even if it were slaughtered and roasted right in front of me, I wouldn't say a word, let alone try to save it.

"'The young' is a concept from the human side. At first, they said it was to avoid harming pregnant beasts, so as not to cause a species to go extinct. Now, applied to all races, it’s the same. Every race has a period of maturity; no one is allowed to touch them before then. If caught, you are immediately classified as an evil-doer.

"'Good deeds' refers to this medallion we have. As long as you have it, while I can't speak for unsafe areas in the wild, in any major city, the soldiers will protect you. If anyone dares to attack a 'Good-doer' within the city, they will be immediately attacked by the guards. Of course, if you aren't a Good-doer, your safety in the city isn't guaranteed. You need to keep that in mind. Make sure you wear your medallion once you get it.

"Finally, 'those who provide offerings' cannot be eaten. This means if you can provide a portion of your own material as an offering, you are spared. For instance, a tree spirit can offer its fruit, so you cannot eat the tree. Our goat clan can provide wool for weaving, so you cannot eat those goats."

By the time Da Niu finished explaining, they had reached the city gate. Just as he had said, there were guards collecting the entry fee. Da Niu and his companions, all possessing medallions, only had to pay a few copper coins.

Wang Liang was a newcomer, and he had no desire to court death or show off his strength. When his turn came, he followed Da Niu's instructions, picked up a fist-sized stone, and infused it with a portion of his mana. As he did so, the stone melted and slowly transformed into a white coin that fell to the ground.

Wang Liang felt the coin looked strangely familiar. Just as he was about to pick it up to examine it, a soldier with a wolf's head snatched it away. The soldier glanced at the coin and said with some surprise, "A standard universal coin. Seems you aren't as simple as you look, but no matter. As long as you pay, it's fine. Remember, don't cause trouble in the city. Here."

The wolf-headed soldier handed Wang Liang a gold medallion. Wang Liang took it and saw that the front bore the character for "Kindness," and the back had been engraved with his own likeness, though he didn't know when that had happened.

He didn't say anything further. Looking up, he noticed six bronze mirrors moving constantly at the gate, scanning everyone who entered. This discovery made Wang Liang realize the extent of the New Dynasty's control over the city. It made sense, though; while the laws accounted for various situations, there would always be those who refused to comply, making strict surveillance necessary.

Hanging the medallion on his wrist, Wang Liang followed the caravan into the city. Da Niu, who had already entered, walked back up to him. "Duo Cai, you don't have anywhere to go yet, right? Want to come with me to the East Market? Once the boss delivers this cargo, we'll have some cash, and I'll treat you to a good meal."

Before Wang Liang could refuse, the guards nearby chuckled. "Da Niu, you're at it again. No one is going to help you."