Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
When the party arrived at the depot, everyone started getting busy after they reserved a large private courtyard. A number of them were occupied with unloading the goods from the carriages to store them in the warehouse. Meanwhile, Yan Liqiang, Gu Zexuan, and Zhao Huipeng were assigned to release the steeds from the carriages and bring all of them into the stable.
“Leader…”
Yan Liqiang had just brought two batches of steeds to the stable. He was leading the third batch of steeds when Gu Zexuan suddenly appeared behind a pile of hay next to the stables and pulled him to the side.
“Oh? Are you done with your tasks?” Yan Liqiang cast a glance at Gu Zexuan.
“Haha, almost!” Gu Zexuan smiled mischievously.
“Where’s Huipeng?”
“Still helping out with unloading the stuff!”
“If you have something to say, then say it quickly!” Yan Liqiang scanned his surroundings. “If Old Tiger Chen catches you slacking off again, the three of us will have to wash the carriages again as punishment…!”
Old Tiger Chen was Chen Hu’s nickname. Escort Leader Feng assigned him as Yan Liqiang, Gu Zexuan, and Zhao Huipeng’s ‘immediate superior’. Since Chen Hu had been strict to the trio during their journey and always had a fierce look on his face whenever he talked to them, the trio eventually addressed Chen Hu as Old Tiger Chen. There was a time when Gu Zexuan was caught by Chen Hu over some trivial matters and it ended with a sleepless night of washing all the carriages in the escort party. It went without saying that the task was completed with Yan Liqiang and Zhao Huipeng’s assistance.
“Haha, Old Tiger Chen is jealous of your handsomeness so he deliberately makes things difficult for us. Huipeng and I are merely the victims of your handsome face, Leader!” Gu Zexuan teased mischievously.
“I will resume my duties if it’s nothing. I’ll talk to you later…”
“Hey hey hey, don’t go first!” Gu Zexuan quickly pulled Yan Liqiang. He licked his lips, then looked at Yan Liqiang as though he were trying to win his favor. “Leader, do you want to… go out with us tonight?”
When Gu Zexuan said that, the look that flashed across his eyes seemed all too familiar to Yan Liqiang. It was the exact the same look that a friend of his gave him in his previous life when he discovered porn for the very first time and invited Yan Liqiang to ‘study’ with him.
“What is there to see in Jinling?” Yan Liqiang asked on purpose.
“Haha, don’t you know that Jinling is the place where the beauties of the world gather? I heard that the Qinhuai River smells like rouge when those beautiful women from the pleasure boats at the banks or on the river pour the water they use to wash their faces with every morning into the river. Leader, don’t you want to go experience it?”
“Fine then, let us go there together later if we have time after dinner!” Yan Liqiang didn’t even try to act all strait-laced and nodded instead. Although Yan Liqiang already had his fair share of experience with these kinds of things in his previous life, he was still rather curious about the place Gu Zexuan mentioned. Since he was already in this world, there was no harm in paying that place a visit.
“Yes! That’s a promise then!” Gu Zexuan had a look of excitement on his face.
“Eh, Old Tiger Chen is coming…!” Yan Liqiang gave Gu Zexuan a warning look. Gu Zexuan promptly ducked and escaped behind the pile of hay.
Yan Liqiang led the few steeds into the stable and tied them up. As soon as he came out from the stable again, Chen Hu came over with a fierce expression on his face and asked roughly, “Yan Liqiang, did you see Gu Zexuan?”
“Ah, I saw him unloading the goods at the carriages just now!” Yan Liqiang pointed into the distance. “Look, right there! Isn’t Gu Zexuan over there?”
Chen Hu turned his head and saw that Gu Zexuan was indeed busy working. Even so, he still snorted coldly. “After you bring those steeds in, go to the guys working in the depot and let them give our steeds some concentrated feed!”
“Alright!”
“And also…” Chen Hu’s gaze roamed over Yan Liqiang’s face. The expression on his face was replaced by a look of displeasure. “You are a member of the escort party. Don’t go around showing off when we are on the road just because you have an attractive face. Don’t think that I didn’t notice you were smiling at those two girls today. What’s there to smile about? The Four Seas Escort Agency is part of the Divine Sword Sect. Don’t tarnish the reputation of our sect. Us men who travel across the world only care about one word —’justice’. We depend solely on strength, got it? Strength…”
When Chen Hu talked about strength, he raised his arm that wasn’t much thicker than Yan Liqiang’s thigh and patted his bicep twice. He looked at Yan Liqiang with pride before he turned his head around and left like a proud fighting cock.
What the f*ck is your problem?! — Yan Liqiang cursed inwardly. He rubbed his face helplessly and continued working.
…
By the time the escort party settled down at the depot and had their dinner, the sky had already turned dark.
In the eyes of the people in the escort party, Yan Liqiang and the other two were weaklings. They would still be worried even if they were watching over the goods. Therefore, the three of them instantly found themselves idle after they settled down. Needless to say, they wouldn’t be assigned any more tasks. Since Escort Leder Feng had given them a break today, he allowed people who were idle to move around freely in groups of three or more and expected them to report back the next morning before lunchtime. Yan Liqiang and the other two changed their clothes and groomed themselves before they slipped out of the depot to stroll around Jinling City.
The weather was fine tonight; the moon was high and the stars covered the sky. The three of them felt refreshed as soon as they came out from the depot and their moods were lifted greatly. Both Yan Liqiang and Zhao Huipeng were laughing loudly at Gu Zexuan’s perfect imitation of Chen Hu’s gestures and facial expressions when he spoke to Yan Liqiang. The night breeze was filled with joy.
It had only been a few minutes since they left the depot when Yan Liqiang suddenly spotted colorful sky lanterns drifting in the night sky several li ahead of him. They embellished the night sky, lighting it up with colors.
“Ah, what are those?” Zhao Huipeng, who was usually quiet, couldn’t help but ask in curiosity.
“Hahaha, those are boat lanterns. Usually at night, they are released by those pleasure boats on Qinhuai River to tell the patrons that they are open for business. Huipeng, look at the countless boat lanterns in the sky and you will know just how many pleasure boats and beauties are on Qinhuai River.” Gu Zuxuan gazed longingly into the distance.
“How do those lanterns… float into the sky?” Zhao Huipeng was still amazed.
“The boat lanterns are made of paper and thin bamboo frames, so they are very light. As long as the cotton wick under the boat lantern is lit, the boat lantern will fly…”
“It’s that magical?” Zhao Huipeng was quite indifferent toward the beauties, yet he was showing great interest in those boat lanterns instead.
“If Huipeng is interested, we can buy two later at the river bank!”
“Sure!” Zhao Huipeng nodded earnestly.
The so-called boat lamps were natural sky lanterns in Yan Liqiang’s eyes. He just didn’t expect these sky lanterns would become tools to bring in business by the pleasure boats in this world. It was a rather original approach to use them as a business opening hour indicator.
Although the sky was already dark, many people were still out on the road. The three of them asked someone for directions, then they went directly to the Qinhuai River.
The banks of the Qinhuai River were like a sea of lights, filled with an endless stream of tourists. It was truly a magnificent sight. Pleasure boats of various sizes filled with the laughter of girls stretched up to ten li along the Qinhuai River. There were also all kinds of restaurants and entertainment quarters along the river banks. Listening to the traditional songs while taking in the faint scent of osmanthus flowers and the rouge fragrance, even Yan Liqiang couldn’t help but be impressed by the prosperity of the place and deem the experience as eye-opening.
Yan Liqiang guessed that if the concept of red light district existed in this world, then the river banks of the Qinhuai River were probably the largest red light district here. It was no wonder that this place was so famous — it attracted countless people to sightsee and spend their wealth extravagantly.
The three of them walked around while enjoying the food. Not only was this place filled with beauties, but it was was also filled with all sorts of delicacies which filled the trio’s tummies.
Strolling once around the Qinhuai River, listening to a beautiful woman playing a few songs on her pipa, and singing a few songs on one of the pleasure boats, the three of them returned to the depot in satisfaction.
“Wow, just listening to a few songs on that pleasure boat while sipping on tea has cost each of us a tael of silver. That’s really expensive.” Zhao Huipeng was immediately shocked when he heard how much they had spent earlier after they disembarked from the pleasure boat and went to the riverside.
“Shh, not so loud, Huipeng! You think a tael of silver is expensive? Let me tell you, we only enjoyed some tea and music. This is still relatively cheap. You haven’t even seen those who spend lavishly!”
“For real?”
“Ask Leader if you don’t believe me!” Gu Zexuan looked at Yan Liqiang enviously. “Speaking of which, as expected of Leader! I thought you had zero experience in this. Little did I expect for you to be such a natural when you toasted with the beauty just now. You didn’t even seem to be shy at all and you maintained your composure just like an experienced womanizer. The gaze of that lady who played the pipa just now was constantly on you, Leader. Her gaze was especially tender when she played her final song, ‘The Phoenix Seeks Her Mate’. There must be some intentions behind it. If Leader said that you wanted to stay the night, I’m sure even the madame of that pleasure boat wouldn’t charge you hahaha…”
Yan Liqiang chuckled too. “Alright, it’s getting late. We had our fun, so let’s return to the depot!”
The tourists at the banks of the Qinhuai River had decreased at this time. The music gradually faded. The bugs under the willow trees and among the plains by the river started chirping. Quite a number of vendors had closed their stalls. If they didn’t want to spend the night outside, then it was almost time to return.
Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng nodded.
The three of them had barely taken a few steps when Yan Liqiang suddenly felt a strange chill. His chest suddenly tightened as though something had gripped his heart. It abruptly stopped Yan Liqiang’s footsteps.
“What’s wrong, Leader?” Gu Zexuan asked.
Before Yan Liqiang could even speak, the dark night sky suddenly turned bright. As far as his eyes could see, it was as though it had suddenly turned into daytime along the riverbank.
Yan Liqiang snapped his head up and saw a glaring light rip the night sky open. Countless meteors streaked across the sky like rain, leaving behind long fiery trails. Sonic booms rumbled endlessly in the sky like thunder. The clouds were instantly torn apart by the blaze in the sky.
