Chapter 46: Visitor From Changlin
Li Weiyi stood straight at the bow where the river wind whipped fiercely, gazing toward the distant Jiu Li City. He saw that the city walls were pitch-black and towering, with dozens of observation towers several times taller than the walls standing on the vast plain outside the city. Soldiers clad in armor who controlled flying birds would occasionally fly out from the towers, vanishing into the clouds.
On both banks of the great river under the towers, various civilian houses and grand mansions gathered, stretching continuously for dozens of li, forming Jiu Li City’s suburbs, where the number of residents was no less than inside the city.
The Sui River split into four tributaries here, flowing along the four city gates—”Cang Li Gate,” “Red Li Gate,” “Ink Li Gate,” and “Green Li Gate”—into the city, and another twelve-zhang-wide moat was dug, channeling the river water to encircle and protect the city.
The moat, city walls, observation towers, and even the entire Jiu Li main city were all shrouded in layers of light screens as thin as gauze.
These light veils varied in depth and shade, flickering uncertainly, much like the auroras that appeared only at Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic. They rose from the ground and connected to the heavens, capable of resisting large-scale invasions by departed spirits and fiend demons.
……
At the dock, large and small ships of all kinds were moored, their masts and flags dense like a jungle.
After disembarking.
Li Ling was surrounded like the moon among stars, mostly by familiar faces, everyone chatting and laughing heartily. Some inquired caringly about the dangers along the way, some offered praise and compliments, some suggested heading to Heaven Pavilion tonight to welcome and wash away the dust.
These young elites were the top handful in a prefecture, either with profound magic power, extraordinary mind power, or pure immortal bodies—none were ordinary folk, all surrounded by servants and maids.
Li Weiyi observed for a moment; the old servants following these people all had piercing gazes, their skin pores overflowing with wisps of magic energy mist—this was the sign of magic power overflow that appeared only upon reaching the peak of the Spring Realm at the seventh spring.
Those who could follow these heaven’s chosen were certainly no ordinary servants; they held certain status in their families.
He looked around but did not see Gao Huan, Cai Yutong, and the others.
Cang Li naturally noticed Li Weiyi and nodded to him from afar, originally wanting to make contact and show some care, but he was pushed along amid laughter from friends around him, heading toward the city amid the uproar. He could only instruct an old servant by his side to go receive them.
Li Ling had long been submerged in the bustling crowd, gradually disappearing in the direction of the city gate.
The old servant dispatched by Cang Li to receive them was not particularly aged, only around fifty years old, named Li Qi, who turned out to be an old acquaintance of Zhao Zhizhuo from their youth, though the former had already reached seventh spring cultivation.
He said: “Tonight, the young tribe leader and the others are definitely going to Heaven Pavilion to welcome the fourth young lady and wash away the dust. That place is the most luxurious and romantic spot in Jiu Li City, affordable only to scions of great clans and top martial cultivators. Brother Zhao went there back in the day, so he should know. The young tribe leader just instructed that everyone can go together.”
Li Qi did not know that Li Weiyi had once done a favor for the Cang Li Tribe and only thought the young tribe leader was overly generous and friendly. But in some occasions, bringing people who shouldn’t go could lead to much awkwardness. So while his words invited them, each sentence was actually telling the few people before him not to go.
As a servant, he could only speak tactfully, not too bluntly.
Li Weiyi originally did not want to get too deeply involved with the Cang Li Tribe and knew that such romantic luxury was not something he was qualified to touch right now. People not of the same social stratum who forced their way in would only embarrass themselves.
He understood some worldly affairs, so when Zhao Zhizhuo angrily cast a glance over, he smiled and waved his hand: “We can’t go. To a grand place like that, we rough folk in plain clothes wouldn’t dare. Wouldn’t that make the young tribe leader lose face?”
A flash of imperceptible satisfaction passed through Li Qi’s eyes; young people who knew their place were far more likable.
Li Weiyi said: “But since the young tribe leader has invited us, if we don’t go, Elder Li will have a hard time explaining. How about this: convert it to cash, and we’ll find a place to eat and stay tonight ourselves. Old Zhao, for us people, how much silver coin would it cost to all go to Heaven Pavilion?”
Zhao Zhizhuo got it immediately: “If all of us go? That would at least be… a thousand silver!”
Li Weiyi smiled and looked toward Li Qi.
From Li Qi, who looked displeased, they received a brocade pouch containing a thousand silver coins, yet everyone’s mood was not cheered at all.
“Respect the clothes before the person! I get it. Tomorrow we’ll all get some better clothes.” Zhao Meng had always bared his upper body; with his build, clothes could only be custom-made.
Zhao Zhizhuo thought of many past events and sighed deeply: “It’s not just about one piece of clothing.”
On the ship, Li Weiyi had discussed with Coffin Senior, who gave the advice:
Do not move into the city area first.
Before funds were sufficiently ample, also do not purchase a courtyard; instead, rent a grand mansion first in the prosperous area of the suburbs near the city area. The concentration of heaven and earth law here would not lose much to inside the city area, yet the price was far cheaper.
After Li Weiyi mentioned the idea of renting a courtyard, Zhao Zhizhuo strongly agreed.
He said: “Inside the city area, there are no attacks from departed spirits and fiend demons, seeming safer, but it’s also easier to be targeted by people we can’t afford to provoke.”
“The suburbs are a bit more dangerous and full of all sorts mixed together, but who among the truly powerful lives in the suburbs? So even if targeted, we have some ability to cope.”
“Taking ten thousand steps back, even if facing a large-scale departed spirit attack, as long as we live close enough to the city area, we can flee into the city at the first moment.”
Zhao Zhizhuo knew Li Weiyi did not dare get too deeply involved with Cang Li and Li Ling and was unwilling to borrow the Cang Li Tribe’s influence, so he was thinking of the best solution based purely on their own strength.
Over the next two days, Zhao Meng and Zhao Zhizhuo scoured the southern suburbs and finally settled on a courtyard.
Front courtyard and back courtyard together covered three mu, with over ten rooms, only a few hundred zhang from the moat, in the prosperous area of the suburbs—everyone was satisfied on all counts except the price.
One month’s rent was as high as thirteen hundred silver coins.
All the money Li Weiyi had combined was only enough to rent for less than a year.
No choice, with Old Meng’s six-meter-tall build, plus the two deformed humanoid race members Old Liu and Old Guan, a small yard would leave no room for everyone to train martial arts.
Li Weiyi naturally was not idle; over two days, he made three trips to the city area, to three different places, spending three thousand silver coins to buy three broken spring needles.
Simply outrageously expensive.
If not for suppressing the evil camel bell and urgently impacting the fifth spring, he really would not have wanted to spend this wasted money.
When Zhao Zhizhuo returned with Old Liu and Old Guan, having bought various household goods and food, Li Weiyi was assembling a chair, sitting under the old Yang tree in the front courtyard that took two people to encircle, counting money—sometimes frowning tightly, sometimes lost in motionless thought.
“Knock knock!”
A knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate.
Old Liu hurriedly set down the various items and went to open the door.
Opening the door, seeing the three figures standing outside, Old Liu’s face showed astonishment; due to the language barrier, he had no idea how to ask.
The leader outside the door appeared in his forties or fifties, fair-faced and beardless, like a scholar. Even with the passage of time, one could still tell he must have been exceptionally handsome in his youth.
“Chang Lin Gang flag master, Shi Chuan Yu, come to pay respects to the master of this residence.” The scholar was very courteous, with a kindly smile, and even cupped his hands in greeting to Old Liu.
Li Weiyi put away the money coins and quickly came to the door, smiling: “The master of this residence is my senior disciple brother. May I ask what instruction Your Excellency has?”
Shi Chuan Yu bowed again, smiling: “We also live in this area; from now on, we’re neighbors. Since it’s a move to a new home, we must come congratulate. A small gift, not much respect.”
Shi Chuan Yu gave a look.
Two gang members behind him carrying red-stringed gifts walked straight through the courtyard gate.
……
Under the old Yang tree, Old Meng, as the courtyard’s owner, chatted with Shi Chuan Yu.
The two talked amiably.
Seeing the moment ripe, Shi Chuan Yu then said solemnly: “Everyone is new here and may not know: outside the city is not like inside, often attacked by departed spirit fiend demons. When it’s bad, a night might see hundreds or thousands of residents die. Fortunately, we have a group of powerful martial arts cultivators who quickly united, forming gangs to resist these external dangers.”
“The safety of this city area falls to our Chang Lin Gang.”
“But running a gang costs money, and dealing with departed spirit fiend demons means many gang members get injured or killed—treatment fees and pensions are unavoidable.”
“So those living in this city area, merchants or residents, all chip in some money and grain each month to let us keep operating and better protect everyone.”
Zhao Meng understood: this was collecting protection fees. He said: “When we rented the courtyard, we paid city defense silver. Aren’t departed spirit and fiend demon attacks the city defense camp’s responsibility?”
Shi Chuan Yu laughed heartily: “The city defense camp mainly handles inside the city area. If they really did their utmost, how could the suburbs be as chaotic as now? Actually, our gangs arose to meet the need, backed by the city defense camp or great families. By the way, Brother Zhao, how long do you plan to rent?”
“First rent a month!” Zhao Meng said.
“Since it’s short-term, we’ll waive the departed spirit silver and fiend demon silver—everyone has it tough. Come to Chang Lin Gang for tea tomorrow; I’ll treat.”
Shi Chuan Yu bid farewell to the two gang members and left, waving goodbye, repeatedly telling Zhao Meng not to see them off.
After sending them off and closing the gate. Zhao Meng felt something was very off, uneasy in his heart, and asked Zhao Zhizhuo: “Are local gangs all this polite? Why do I have a bad feeling?”
Zhao Zhizhuo’s face was quite ugly: “He wasn’t here to collect protection fees; perhaps to scout, probe our real strength.”
“Old Zhao means the Chang Lin Gang sees us as out-of-towners without backing and plans to wipe us out?” Li Weiyi said.
Zhao Zhizhuo nodded: “That’s what I think. Since they came to visit, it means they’ve checked us out. If we pay protection fees, we can sleep soundly tonight. If not, I really won’t sleep.”
……
The three from Chang Lin Gang walked on the bustling prosperous street teeming with traffic.
Behind Shi Chuan Yu, a four-springs gang member couldn’t help asking: “Flag master, really not collecting their departed spirit silver and fiend demon silver? Those gifts aren’t worth much, and our Chang Lin Gang isn’t a charity hall doing good deeds.”
Shi Chuan Yu muttered to himself: “Those two have heavy accents, probably refugees from another prefecture, with no foundation in Li Zhou. Able to pay over a thousand in monthly rent, they definitely have some assets. What a fat sheep!”
Another four-springs gang member said: “That Zhao fellow has a six-meter build; his combat power must be extraordinary.”
Shi Chuan Yu scoffed: “All show, no substance. I felt his palm; no magic power cultivated. No matter how big the build, he’s just labor. Tonight, send them off properly, disguised as a fierce insect attack—it’ll have nothing to do with our Chang Lin Gang.”
“From now on, anyone coming out of that courtyard, control them for me; no accidents allowed.”
A six-springs old man approached, bowing to Shi Chuan Yu: “Flag master, the Yang Family young lady has arrived; the gang leader wants you over quick—seems like something important.”
