It’s the second time coming to Jiankang City, but it’s Du Chengfeng’s first time truly sightseeing in this big city.

Contrary to the bustling scene Du Chengfeng imagined, the streets of the city exuded a sense of desolation. There were tall courtyard walls on both sides, and there were hardly any pedestrians in sight—though he had seen this once when he entered the palace before, seeing it again, Du Chengfeng still found it hard to imagine how these courtyards, besides the landmark buildings like the imperial palace, could occupy such large areas.

"How empty could it be if one person were to live in such a big place?"

Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but scratch his head.

Fortunately, after leaving this desolate area, Du Chengfeng found himself in a relatively familiar environment. Indeed, it turned out that the imperial capital’s street markets were indeed more bustling than those of provincial capitals, although the extent of bustle was ultimately limited, it was lively enough.

So, Du Chengfeng dismounted.

Though theoretically, being a Grand Scholar, riding a horse on the street wasn’t a big deal, he still felt that wandering should be done on foot to truly savor the experience. Especially as he walked among the crowds, listening to the hawkers’ shouts, Du Chengfeng felt an inexplicable sense of relaxation.

Yes, it seemed that he hadn’t been idle lately, always either on the road fighting or honing his skills— even in leisurely moments, he would have to practice a couple of sets of Dragon and Tiger style to feel at ease. Even during meals, he was contemplating and planning how to become more skilled, how to gain more strength.

And when did these days begin?

It seemed to have started from the moment he realized that he needed to possess strength to protect his daily life. Since then, the ordinary people’s lives and simple happiness had drifted away from him.

Even the ordinary people had become separated from him by an invisible barrier.

He even needed to deliberately restrain himself to prevent the Evil Energy Weapons in his saddle pouch from scaring passersby to death, or accidentally knocking someone over with his overly wide body— back when he was just over 190 cm tall, he could still claim to be normally tall, but now, with his height exceeding two meters, he couldn’t ignore the issue even if he tried.

The main reason was that his enhancement wasn’t just in height, but also in strength and physical fitness. Although Du Chengfeng knew that holders of Evil Energy Weapons gradually strengthen under the influence of the evil qi, it was apparent that his enhancement was much more efficient compared to others.

With his current strength, ordinary weapons likely wouldn’t injure him anymore. He could leap a tiger’s distance to land ten steps away or crush hard bones with one hand. If he jogged a couple of steps, he could crash through a brick wall—while advantageous in battle, it posed many inconveniences in daily life.

For instance, now he must cautiously restrain his power to ensure no one ends up dead in the bustling market district. Passersby looked at his over two-meter-tall height as if viewing a monster and avoided him.

Although Du Chengfeng understood this behavior, after all, if there were a burly man taller than him walking in the street, he too would look fresh and avoid him. Yet experiencing it himself was certainly a bit unsettling.

What felt even more peculiar to Du Chengfeng, was his own change.

Not just physically, but in focus. Previously, in a bustling market, he might have been drawn to the hawkers’ cries or looking at the pedestrians, just like most people, thinking seeing a pretty girl on the street was a good thing—but now, those things that attracted ordinary people couldn’t catch his eye at all.

Since setting on the path of pursuing strength, all he saw were those who seemed capable of contending with him.

Like now, Du Chengfeng could instantly tell that at least thirty masters who had killed were strolling on the street, and of these, at least eight were probably assassins targeting him—even though those assassins hid well amidst the crowd, their agile physiques, impossible for ordinary people, were like lights in the dark.

The weapons in his saddlebag subtly trembled, clearly eager to slaughter these suicide-seekers, but Du Chengfeng raised his hand to press the weapons back down.

Looking at the bustling crowd, Du Chengfeng suddenly lost any interest in fighting.

"Forget it, better hurry and shop and leave."

Shaking his head, Du Chengfeng planned to enjoy this rare leisure time as a normal person.

First buying some seasonal fruit, Du Chengfeng began to search for pastry shops, after all, the busiest stores don’t always have the best tasting goods. When taking the rare opportunity to bring back a gift, he needed something he could be proud of.

"Oh? This is nice."

After walking to the fifth shop, Du Chengfeng’s eyes lit up after sampling.

Although these were still pastries sold in the market, the sweetness produced by this shop was softer; after consuming the small samples, the fragrance lingered without being overpowering, with the perfect crispness in texture and flavor, both top-notch.

"Could you select a bit of each for me?"

"Could you select a bit of each for me?"

As Du Chengfeng opened his mouth to place an order, the same words were spoken beside him.

This couldn’t help but catch Du Chengfeng’s attention.

Or rather, it was hard not to notice, as the burly man next to him was simply too grand. Just looking at his height and stature, he was almost as big as Du Chengfeng, with muscles that seemed ready to stretch the expensive-looking robe.

But what caught Du Chengfeng’s attention more was the burly man’s posture.

Just by observing his standing stance and stable form, Du Chengfeng confirmed this was definitely a formidable master.

Such a bold man actually enjoys sweets?

"This shop is quite good, it just opened a few months ago, I often come to buy here."

Noticing Du Chengfeng’s gaze, the burly man didn’t mind but casually started to converse.

"I saw you visiting several shops earlier, do you also enjoy sweets?"

"Not particularly, mainly for gifts."

Du Chengfeng scratched his head, momentarily unsure of what to say.

Since he grew larger and more powerful, outsiders rarely engaged him in such friendly talk. Not that no one tried to get close, like before in Yizhou or the previous ministers—but Du Chengfeng knew that such people approached to gain something, hoping for some benefit.

Whereas now, just a casual street conversation, this kind of pure friendliness, he found a bit hard to get used to.

Yet, as Du Chengfeng remained silent, the burly man spoke again.

"Well, since it’s a rare encounter, given this destiny, I’ll say one more thing."

Saying so, the burly man discreetly gestured towards behind Du Chengfeng.

"You have at least eight assassins trailing you, seemingly after your life. So, do you need a hand?"

"Well, no need."

Though he didn’t know why the burly man was so eager to help, Du Chengfeng still politely refused.

"I know those assassins; I just don’t want to fight while shopping. I’ll deal with them in a more open space later."

"Oh, you know?"

The burly man sounded slightly embarrassed.

"Then... can you spare me four?"

"...Hmm?"

Du Chengfeng was momentarily dumbfounded by the request.

Sharing some pastries he could understand, but sharing assassins... it sounded downright crazy.

"Are you serious?"

"It’s a habit, always needing some exercise before eating sweets, otherwise it feels like something’s missing."

Saying so, the burly man gestured again behind Du Chengfeng.

"Since these assassins are foolish enough, they can serve as a pre-meal exercise."