Chapter 170: Liujin City
Liujin City was a large city under the protection of the Liujin Sect.
Compared to Shengjing, Liujin City had a bit less majesty and a bit more chaos. Crowds bustled, small stalls could be seen everywhere on the streets, and a strange fragrance floated in the air to mask the stench emitted by filth.
From his first glance at Liujin City, Rong Xie felt a sense of resistance. As someone who liked peace and cleanliness, he didn’t want to squeeze into those dirty, drunken crowds. Even if those people were dressed in gold and silver, with ruddy cheeks and seemingly enthusiastic expressions, they made Rong Xie feel uncomfortable all over.
Shen Bingsi, on the other hand, was fine. This wasn’t his first time in Liujin City; in the past, while working for the Sky Mirror Palace, he had traveled to all corners of the world.
“Come on, let’s stay at the largest inn in the city. That place is quite nice, not inferior to the Prosperity Pavilion,” Shen Bingsi suggested.
“Let’s… just go directly to the address Elder Bai gave us.” Rong Xie frowned. “The sooner we ask about the method, the sooner we can leave. Atchoo!”
A burst of spice scent drifted into his nose, and Rong Xie couldn’t help but sneeze several times in a row.
“Alright then,” Shen Bingsi pulled out a slip of paper. The address and meeting method Elder Bai had dictated were written on it. “Deer Garden East, Eighteenth Lane, Third House.”
“Mhm. Do you know where the Deer Garden is? Should we ask someone for directions?” Rong Xie asked.
Before Rong Xie’s voice had even faded, a fit, dark-skinned young man in tight-fitting clothes jumped out from the side. He gave a toothy, brilliant smile and said, “Big brother, need a ride? Going to the Deer Garden? That’s a great place! I’ll take you there for a cheap price!”
After speaking, the fit young man tilted his head toward the side. Rong Xie saw a row of rickshaws parked by the road. The rickshaws were tall with canopies, and each wheel was half a person’s height. Long shafts stretched out in front. Rickshaw pullers dressed just like the young man stood by the road, striking poses to show off their proud physiques—
These pullers were all wearing short, tight-fitting outfits—so short it was hard to look at. Dark, fit limbs stretched out from the short sleeves and pant legs, their muscles smooth and not bulky, full of explosive power.
It was just that they were showing way too much skin. In Shengjing, this would be enough to get someone arrested for public indecency.
Rong Xie immediately looked away and declined, “No… no need. We will walk there ourselves.”
“Take a ride! Big brother!” The young puller enthusiastically grabbed Rong Xie and led him toward the rickshaws. “You’ve come from far away; you must be very tired, right? Sit in the carriage and rest while looking at the scenery! If we encounter famous spots, we’ll introduce them to you! How can you come to Liujin City and not ride a rickshaw?”
Rong Xie felt a bit tempted. It would save time, and he could hear a local’s introduction to Liujin City. The only thing that bothered him was the young puller’s attire. Letting a scantily clad lad pull the carriage—what would others think of the person inside? Furthermore, those carriages were so high they were practically built for public display.
“Wait, we haven’t agreed yet.” Shen Bingsi stepped forward and gripped the young puller’s arm. The young puller’s expression froze, and he let go of Rong Xie’s hand. Shen Bingsi then released him.
The puller’s attitude softened as he smiled apologetically. “Then you two discuss it first, big brother.” He rubbed his arm and moved a bit further away.
“What do you think? Shall we take it?” Shen Bingsi asked. “Rickshaws are indeed a specialty of Liujin City. Although they can’t compare to the cruise boats of Shengjing, they do have some fame.”
“…It’s just that their clothing is truly indecent,” Rong Xie said hesitantly.
Shen Bingsi laughed. “What does it matter? When we were on the Southern Island, didn’t the fishermen dress like that too?”
“Those were fishermen; they had to go into the water. These pullers are clearly putting on a display…” Rong Xie realized what he was bothered by. “Pulling a carriage clearly doesn’t require dressing like that, yet they act as if they are showing off…”
“Hahahahaha! You’re right!” Shen Bingsi was delighted. “This is the local custom of Liujin City. The people here are all like this. No matter what they do, they have to show off their appearance. If they don’t have looks, they show off their wealth. Being able to attract people is considered a very impressive ability.”
Rong Xie thought to himself that it was a strange local custom indeed. Every land nurtures its own people; no wonder the style of the Liujin Sect was completely different from the other two sects.
Thinking about it this way, he seemed to understand why Lu Yinglin had the air of a playboy, which was the complete opposite of his twin brother, Lu Yingqi.
“The Acacia Sect really picked the right place,” Rong Xie whispered.
And he had also prepared himself to accept the impact of such an open culture.
“Big brother, finished discussing!” The young puller came forward and led the two of them toward the rickshaws. “Two for the Deer Garden!”
The rickshaws were small, each only seating one person. Rong Xie got into the front one, and Shen Bingsi got into the back one.
Rong Xie discovered that once he was in the carriage, he could no longer see the puller’s long legs. Instead, he could see the distant scenery, and the field of vision was very broad.
“Big brother, sit tight. Let’s go!” The young puller shouted enthusiastically, clearing a path through the pedestrians in the middle of the road. The rickshaw moved slowly, then continuously accelerated. The young puller galloped through the streets of Liujin City like a strong colt.
This ride was truly worth it! The scenery of Liujin City rushed toward him—rows of shops nearby, golden towers glittering in the sun in the distance. Sometimes they even brushed past nobles riding elephants. Whenever they passed a significant landmark, the puller would slow down slightly, panting heavily while loudly introducing the history of the spot to Rong Xie.
After running for about half an hour, the rickshaw stopped in front of a quiet courtyard.
“This is Deer Garden, Sixteenth Lane. Walk forward two more blocks and you’ll reach Eighteenth Lane,” the rickshaw puller introduced, his forehead covered in sparkling beads of sweat. “Carriages and horses are forbidden in Eighteenth Lane. Many nobles live there, and they’re afraid of being disturbed.”
Rong Xie got out of the carriage and thanked the puller. Shen Bingsi pulled out gold nuggets for them. The pullers beamed with joy, repeatedly thanking the two generous guests before going to the roadside to wipe their sweat and rest.
“How was it?” Shen Bingsi looked at Rong Xie. Actually, he didn’t need to ask; the slight smile on Rong Xie’s face already said everything.
“Not bad. It’s quite different from what I imagined,” Rong Xie laughed.
The two walked along the street toward Deer Garden, Eighteenth Lane. Compared to the main streets outside, the blocks here were indeed much quieter—a peaceful spot in a noisy city. It was clearly a favorite place for wealthy families.
“I thought the entrance to the Acacia Sect would be on a street of pleasure houses. I didn’t expect the environment to be so decent,” Rong Xie whispered to Shen Bingsi.
“What? If it were a pleasure street, would you dare to charge in?” Shen Bingsi teased.
“Why wouldn’t I dare? To cure your hidden ailment, I’d charge through a mountain of blades or a sea of fire,” Rong Xie retorted.
“What hidden ailment? I don’t have any. Don’t slander people.” Shen Bingsi leaned closer to Rong Xie, about to say more, when his chest suddenly felt tight. He knew the power of the backlash was about to surface again. He quickly stopped talking and distanced himself from Rong Xie.
“Hmph. Look at you, and you still say you have no hidden ailment.” Rong Xie was triumphant, having won a small verbal skirmish. He quickened his pace. “It’s this lane—the third house. Which one is it?”
Shen Bingsi irritably patted his chest. Once his breathing smoothed out, he looked up and saw that Rong Xie had already stopped in front of a simple-looking two-story building. He quickly caught up.
“This is the third house,” Rong Xie pointed at the door number, a suspicious look on his face. “But it’s too simple, isn’t it? Is this really the branch office of the Acacia Sect?”
“It’s just a branch office,” Shen Bingsi understood. “We haven’t reached their main sect altar yet. If their main sect was so easy to find, we wouldn’t have had to ask Elder Bai.”
“Mhm, that makes sense.” Rong Xie nodded. “It seems that to go to the main sect, we still need to pass an assessment at the branch office.”
Shen Bingsi said, “No matter. We have Elder Bai’s secret code. At worst, we can force our way in.”
Shen Bingsi went up to knock. After a while, someone peeked out, and Shen Bingsi exchanged the secret code Elder Bai had told them with that person.
The door opened with a “creak,” and two servants who looked like thugs stood on either side inside the door. “Guests, please enter.”
Rong Xie stepped up the stairs and walked into the small building with Shen Bingsi. The light inside was quite dim, and the space wasn’t large. After going around a screen, there was a small hall.
A maid invited the two of them to sit and poured tea. “Guests, please wait a moment. We have already informed the Madam.”
At the mention of “Madam,” Rong Xie couldn’t help but think of Madam Mei, and he wasn’t sure who was coming in.
However, the house was truly simple, and the clothing of the thugs and maids was very conservative—completely different from the Acacia Sect Rong Xie had imagined.
The door to the back courtyard opened, and a woman walked in with two maids. Seeing the woman, the thugs and maids in the room all bowed. The woman waved her hand, and they retreated silently.
The woman smiled. “You two have come from far away and must be exhausted from the journey. Why not settle down here and rest for a few days?”
Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi looked at each other, both seeing confusion in the other’s eyes.
“Madam, we came here to find the Sect Leader, Elder Red. We are not here for lodging,” Rong Xie bowed slightly to the woman and spoke directly.
“Oh?” The woman’s eyes flickered as she smiled. “That is troublesome. The Sect Leader went out traveling in the first half of the year, and we don’t know where he is now… Didn’t the fellow disciple who introduced you here tell you?”
“What?” Rong Xie was stunned.
The woman smiled without speaking, her gaze secretly sizing up the two men.
The Acacia Sect had many eyes and ears; they could find out about anyone appearing in Liujin City and within a hundred-mile radius. Yet these two seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and they had correctly given the highest-level secret code. However, she couldn’t figure out who their introducer was.
The so-called highest-level secret code could only come from the Sect Leader or the Four Great Guardians. If one of those five had introduced them, how could they not have sent word to the branch office? The woman was puzzled and could only test them first.
The reaction of these two also seemed as if they truly knew nothing about the Sect Leader’s affairs. Furthermore, they asked to see the Sect Leader immediately upon arriving while knowing nothing about him—it was hard to say if they were enemies of the Sect Leader who had stolen the code to come looking for trouble.
“So Elder Red is away traveling. Very well, we only have a matter to ask him. If he’s not here, there’s nothing we can do.” Shen Bingsi was used to being away from home and was flexible in his response. He tapped the table and said to the woman, “Then please arrange for us to stay at the main altar. We don’t absolutely have to see the Sect Leader. Seeing the Sect Leader’s collection of books or manuscripts would be the same.”
Rong Xie gave Shen Bingsi an appreciative look, and Shen Bingsi’s smile grew even more brilliant.
This time, it was the woman’s turn to be stunned. Suddenly, a light sound came from the door behind her. The woman bowed. “Pardon me. Please wait a moment.”
The woman spoke a few words with the person who came to the back door, then returned. Her gaze toward the two was now much more welcoming. “So it is Sword Saint Shen and Manager Rong of the Lingjing Sect. It is truly our Acacia Sect’s honor to have you two here. The gates of the main altar are open to you. Please follow me.”
Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi looked at each other again. They hadn’t expected to get in so easily. Was their fame in the martial world already this great?
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