"Hmm? Why are there so many people on the street..."

As he stepped out the door and reached the street, Gu Yuan immediately sensed something unusual.

Previously, because the Patriarch of the Qian Mansion, Qian Cheng, had been killed, the streets had been desolate for a while.

But now, the aftermath of the Qian Mansion case had already passed.

Moreover, the streets were bustling with people, much livelier than before.

Most of them were unfamiliar faces.

By the roadside, small vendors were loudly hawking their goods, voices rising and falling, and the aroma of various snacks filled the air.

The smiles on the faces of many pedestrians also seemed to have grown.

"Is the year's end approaching?"

Looking at the lively scene before him, Gu Yuan felt a little dazed.

This world had some similarities to his previous life.

There was also the concept of the New Year, called "Zhu Year."

Pigs were red, and during this time, there was no need for fieldwork, so even poor families enjoyed some rare leisure.

By the end of the year, no matter how tight the household budget, as long as they weren't on the brink of starvation, they would fork out a few coins, go to the street to buy a small piece of pork, to nurture their bodies with some fat, and to wish for a prosperous new year.

Gu Yuan reminisced about the New Year scenes from his past life, particularly his mother's sweet and meat buns, putting up spring couplets with his father, visiting temple fairs, eating slaughtered pork, and visiting relatives, lost in thought.

"Hmm?"

Just then, a man walked past him, snapping Gu Yuan back to reality.

Though he was tall and brawny with a rugged appearance, his limbs were long, and his movements were nimble and agile, like a spirit monkey.

In his hand, he carried a short spear.

The spearhead was sharp and bright, with a dark red blood groove, a rare deadly weapon, vaguely connected to the man's evil aura.

Gu Yuan sensed a hint of danger from him and immediately realized something was off.

"An Innate Martial Master... No, there are only a handful of Innate Martial Masters in Beiliang County that I know of, and I've never heard of one using a short spear. Could he be an outsider?"

He discreetly scrutinized the crowd and noticed many unfamiliar faces, including some martial artists carrying swords and knives.

Many of them seemed rushed and travel-worn, as if they had just come from a long journey.

Among them, Gu Yuan spotted quite a few skilled individuals, including several Innate Martial Masters.

"So many outsiders, including Martial Masters and even Innate Martial Masters..."

Gu Yuan was somewhat surprised, "What's going on? I haven't been out for just half a month, and it feels like something big has happened in Beiliang County!"

Filled with questions, Gu Yuan walked along the street.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Well done! Once more!"

"Amazing, that monkey's become a spirit!"

"What a giant monkey..."

"Here, take this as a reward!"

A large crowd had gathered at the street front, and the sounds of gongs being struck came from within.

Amidst the gathered crowd, there were occasional cheers.

So many people were watching that the street was almost blocked.

"Excuse me! Pardon me!"

Gu Yuan pushed forward, relying on his youthful strength and vigor, managing to squeeze through, drawing angry glares and complaints.

"Stop pushing! Don't push!"

"Damn it, who touched my crotch? I'm a man!"

"Who the hell stepped on my foot..."

"Oh no, my purse is gone, there's a thief! Catch the thief!"

...

Fortunately, Gu Yuan wasn't the only one doing this, and seeing him, others followed his lead, somewhat diverting some attention away from him.

Once halfway through the crowd, Gu Yuan, thanks to his height, saw that there were some traveling monkey trainers performing monkey tricks.

Those dozen or so monkeys were quite clever and nimble, jumping around, scratching their ears, performing various high-difficulty actions at the trainers' commands, drawing rounds of applause.

But after watching for a while, Gu Yuan's expression began to change subtly.

After gaining the "Turtle Breath" talent, his spirit had grown stronger, and his spiritual sense more acute, allowing him to perceive things unseen by ordinary people.

These monkey trainers were all agile with sharp gazes, working seamlessly with their monkeys, showing great rapport.

Clearly, they were all Martial Masters!

Obviously, those wandering the martial world all the time wouldn't survive long without some skills.

Thinking this, it seemed unsurprising that these monkey trainers were Martial Masters.

But the problem was, even these monkeys had iron bones and sharp claws.

If they got vicious, a swipe from their claws could rip a person open, spilling their guts and organs!

This was clearly abnormal.

Gu Yuan's eyes quickly locked on an old man not far away.

The old man wore a short cotton jacket, his round, pleasant face smiling while bowing and speaking to the surrounding crowd, exuding joy and warmth.

He instructed a large white-furred macaque to hold a hat and seek rewards.

The giant macaque was towering and imposing, its entire coat snow white and silver-tinged, standing more than a meter taller than those around it, with arms longer than its knees and thicker than a person's waist, strikingly formidable!

Even though the white macaque kept bowing, appearing obedient, its gigantic size and the oppressive aura generated by its towering presence was enough to make many people pale.

Originally inclined not to give money, many were generous at this moment!

When the white macaque came to Gu Yuan, he too took out a piece of Broken Silver from his pocket and placed it in the hat held by the macaque.

The hat was even smaller than the macaque's hand.

Most others gave copper coins, and seeing Gu Yuan's generosity, the macaque nodded slightly at him, smiling human-like, revealing two sharp, snow-white canine teeth before moving on to collect from others.

"A demon, huh..."

Gu Yuan watched the white macaque's wall-like, white-furred back, not at peace inside.

Practicing the "Black Turtle Armor Technique," he could also grow over a foot taller, becoming a giant like an iron tower, bearing formidable intimidation.

But compared to this giant macaque, he still fell short by a margin or two.

Though the white macaque hid it well, Gu Yuan could faintly sense the vast sea-like blood energy and the deep demon qi beneath its massive physique!

Whether it was Pavilion Master Xia Mingyang or the former Celestial Human Elder Chen, neither felt as terrifying to Gu Yuan as this macaque!

Of course, it could be that Elder Chen was hiding even deeper!

But then comes the question...

This demonic macaque was already so terrifying.

At least it must be at the peak of an Innate Martial Master or even at the Celestial Human Realm in cultivation.

So how terrifying must the old man who could easily command it be?

At least a Celestial Human, right?!

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