The Rules of Min Capital

After entering the city, Xu Xian found a bank and pawned some of the trash he had picked up in exchange for some demon notes.

Tucking them into his pocket, he thought about wandering around first to find a place to stay before plotting how to obtain the Shadow Soul Stones.

He told the little book spirit to stay calm and just treat it like a few days of relaxation or a vacation. He then followed the street toward the banks of the Nether River.

He planned to find an inn overlooking the pool.

The layout of Min Capital was such that the closer one got to the pool, the taller and sturdier the buildings became, and the wider the streets grew. Consequently, there were fewer pedestrians on the streets.

As he reached a street corner, he encountered a demon court law enforcement squad blocking the intersection like security guards. When they saw someone with bright-colored hair, they didn't stop them.

But when they saw someone with pale hair, they stopped them immediately.

Xu Xian was no exception.

"Stop."

"What's wrong?"

"Show me your residency permit."

Xu Xian pulled out the scrap of paper he had just spent a million on and handed it over.

The other man only gave it a glance before casually tossing it back to Xu Xian. Contempt was unconcealed in his eyes as he said in a biting tone, "Get back. You can't enter here."

Xu Xian was a bit dazed and asked, confused, "Why?"

Seeing that Xu Xian was a newcomer, the man explained with extreme impatience, "Why? Are you not clear on your own status? From this point on, it is a residential area for earthly demons. Mortal demons can only live on the outside, unless you work for an earthly demon like those people. Understand?"

Xu Xian understood.

He looked at the slip in his hand, curled his lip, and desisted with a sullen look.

In his heart, however, he thought, 'Good grief.'

This so-called hierarchy was truly etched into their very bones.

The city gates blocked the fourth and fifth-class demons.

Inside the city, they were further divided into three classes.

What kind of nonsense was this?

He thought to himself.

Among the five great perils of the Wendao Sword Sect, the peril of the Demon Abyss was nothing to worry about.

The scope of the Demon Abyss was too small. With this kind of ruling model, it was difficult for them to achieve anything great. They were not worth a second thought.

Raising an eyebrow, he muttered to himself, "I suppose it's not a bad thing."

Not wanting to cause trouble, Xu Xian turned back and found a roadside tea house. He ordered some items, sat down, and played to his strengths—striking up conversations with people, acting friendly, and asking about everything under the sun.

"Based on your words, little brother, is this your first time in Min Capital?" the old man opposite him asked tentatively.

Xu Xian politely refilled half a cup of tea for the black-haired demon man who was roughly middle-aged, saying flatteringly, "You have a sharp eye, elder brother. To be honest, I only entered the city today."

Compliments worked well on the old demon man. His aged eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "No wonder, no wonder."

He took a sip of tea, clicked his tongue, and pointed toward the end of the long street outside the shop, speaking slowly, "Little brother, you might not know, but our Min Capital has three zones. Just like the three gates at the city entrance, there are rules for who stays where."

"Take us mortal demons, for example. We can only move about in the Outer City of the Demon Abyss. Whether it's doing business or basic living, we must never overstep. Further in is the Inner City, which is the residential area for earthly demons. It's not that you can't go in, but you have to work in an earthly demon's household, as a maidservant or a manservant."

"However, even so, you can't run around blindly inside. If you're caught by the demon court law enforcement squad, the best case is a beating; in the worst case, you might even lose your life."

"As for further in, that's the inner city within the Inner City, the area by the pool where the heavenly demons live. That place is forbidden for mortal demons like us. Entering is a capital offense, and it might even implicate your family. You must never wander there carelessly."

Listening to this, Xu Xian feigned surprise. "Is it really that serious?"

The old man said with certainty, "Of course. You're from the countryside, so you probably haven't seen many heavenly demons. In our Min Capital, if you happen to see a heavenly demon passing by, you have to lower your head. Otherwise, if you displease them, your million demon coins will have been for nothing—they'll kick you out in a heartbeat."

"Oh..." Xu Xian let out a sound of acknowledgement, indicating he had noted it.

The old man then pointed toward a tall castle faintly visible in the gray gloom at the furthest distance. "Do you see that castle?"

"Yes, I see it."

The old man said with an excited tone, "That is the Azure Demon God Palace, the palace of the demon god, Lord Qingshuang. It's built right on the edge of the Nether Pool. There are ten such palaces in total, and each one is as large as a small city. That place is the true heaven on earth of Min Capital. The people living there are all the top-tier heavenly demons. You probably won't have the fortune to even see someone who lives in there in your lifetime..."

Xu Xian took a small sip of tea, his thoughts deep.

Four zones.

The Outer City.

The Inner City.

The inner city within the Inner City.

And the Ten Great Demon God Palaces built along the river. With his current identity, he couldn't even get in?

"Based on what you're saying, elder brother, does that mean common demons like us can't even see the Nether Pool?"

The old man said indifferently, "If your eyesight is good, you can still see it from afar if you climb somewhere high at night."

The old man also added.

The shore of the Nether Pool.

Ordinary demons were not allowed to approach. The Nether Pool was sacred; it was a holy land of the Nether Religion.

Only people from the demon court and heavenly demons could approach it at will. Even for earthly demons, special permission was required to get close to the Nether Pool.

He also said this wasn't strange. Everyone knew that Shadow Soul Stones floated up from beneath the Nether Pool. If anyone could get close, things would descend into chaos.

The entire Nether Pool would probably be filled with people.

A single Shadow Soul Stone was worth a hundred thousand demon coins. Even in an economic center like Min Capital, that was three or four years' worth of wages for an ordinary person.

The temptation was too great.

After listening, Xu Xian felt that what the old man said made some sense.

In the final analysis, this so-called Nether Pool was called a holy land of the demon race, but in reality, it was the private property of the heavenly demons.

They simply cordoned it off and forbade entry, using a nice-sounding pretext on the surface while it was actually just an excuse.

Because of the deeply rooted caste system and the massive disparity in strength, ordinary demons naturally didn't dare to say much.

Even if it was unfair, they could only endure it—and they did so with a peaceful mind, as if it were only right and natural.

The methods of the rulers.

By comparison, the people of the hundred and eight cities across the ten thousand miles of the Northern Borders were truly fortunate.

In the Northern Borders.

The Supervision Hall monitored everything. Those in power were only allowed to collect taxes from merchants to maintain the basic operation of government departments.

For the common people outside the towns who farmed or hunted, collecting an agricultural tax was forbidden.

Unless.

The party brought their goods into the cities or towns for trade; only then would they pay tax.

So in the Northern Borders, while the lives of the commoners were a bit harder, there was no oppression.

They didn't have to fight against officials.

They only had to fight against nature.

That was why during those twelve years before he entered the sect, Xu Xian's life was truly comfortable. Farming was tiring, sure, but he only helped out during the busy seasons. The rest of the time, he would run wild in the mountains with a group of little followers.

As the boss of the gang, he mostly just used his mouth and didn't have to lift a finger.

When he was hungry, he went home.

His big sister would have the meal ready, and he just had to eat. Those days were truly delightful.

Compared to the people in the Demon Abyss, there was no contest.

Especially now that he and Chu Yi had joined the sect one after another, life in Houdao Village was even better. Under the protection and care of the Wendao Sword Sect, perhaps in a few years, it would become Houdao Town.

In several hundred years, it wasn't out of the question for the Northern Borders to add a Houdao City, making it a hundred and nine cities.

After all.

The current hundred and eight cities had all started out that way.

It was no wonder people said the Sima family of Yecheng had forgotten their roots.

Their ancestor only had Yecheng because someone joined the Wendao Sword Sect and unfortunately died in battle, leading to the city's establishment under the sect's support.

After the old man finished speaking, Xu Xian had a general understanding, yet he still asked, "Then is there no other way to get close to the shore of the Nether Pool?"