If they were in the Great Zhou’s Capital, Yu Wan would have reported to the authorities. However, in a place like Qinghe Town, the bandits and authorities might have colluded with each other. If they were not careful, their identities would be exposed.
Jiang Hai grabbed a few thugs to plunder the money. Indeed, not a single copper coin was left out.
Yu Wan thought of how they had eavesdropped on their lack of a travel pass. She took out a bottle of pills and let Jiang Hai force them to take them one by one. “The effect of this poison is a month. I’ll send the antidote to you in a month. Before that, if you dare to report to the officials… you’ll lose your dog lives!”
“Heroine, don’t worry! We definitely won’t dare!” The thugs swore.
Yu Wan did not place her chips in the hands of those heartless thieves. She was only temporarily bluffing them. When they entered West City and changed their identities, it would be too late for the inn to report to the officials.
Yu Wan asked Jiang Hai to throw the thugs out of the room.
After the commotion was over, the guests also returned to their rooms. The only person in the inn who did not move was the monk next door. His door had never been opened since then. It was unknown if he was sleeping too soundly or if he did not care about the commotion here.
The first time they encountered a robbery was not long after they left Lotus Flower Town. They did not have time to enter the next city and could only set up a camp in the open. In the middle of the night, they encountered a group of bandits.
Zi Su was scared to death and threw herself into the arms of Fu Ling, who she had always looked down on, and trembled.
Jiang Hai dealt with the group of bandits in a few moments.
Once it happened, there would be a second and third time. From the beginning when she was frightened to death to now, Zi Su could already fall asleep immediately after being frightened.
Needless to say, the others slept soundly.
At dawn, the few of them woke up. The inn had cooked a large table of good wine and dishes to entertain them. Everyone was full and packed their luggage before going on their way.
Today, the weather was good. There was no wind or rain, and the sun was not bright. The three carriages arrived at West City without any obstructions. There was a market outside West City. There was an unknown black market hidden in the market, and the fake travel pass was in the black market.
“Madam… Uh, no, Second Young Master, you lost your beard.” Zi Su pointed at Yu Wan’s fake beard.
After leaving Qinghe Town, Yu Wan changed into men’s clothes. Firstly, it was for convenience, and secondly, it was in case the group of people at the inn reported to the authorities and recognized them.
The fake beard kept falling off. Yu Wan simply stopped sticking and took it down.
Jiang Hai looked at the dark crowd in front of him and said to Yu Wan and Yan Jiuchao, “Young Masters, wait for me in the carriage. Qing Yan and I will be back soon.” With that, he alighted from the carriage and walked towards the bookstore with Qing Yan.
Qing Yan did not deliberately lead the way, but he realized that Jiang Hai had not taken the wrong path. He sized up Jiang Hai. “You’ve been here before?”
Jiang Hai said nothing.
Qing Yan had long seen through it. This fellow’s martial arts were higher than his. It was impossible for him to be a fighter that a human trafficker could sell. He most likely had another identity, so he came to Yu Wan’s side for some reason.
“You better not be disloyal to Madam.” Qing Yan warned him.
Jiang Hai glanced at him coldly. “I’ll leave these words to you.”
Qing Yan narrowed his eyes. Jiang Hai ignored him and entered the bookstore. This bookstore was selling dog meat while hanging sheep heads. It was doing shameful business, and the most profitable thing was travel passes.
The inspection of Nanzhao was more than ten times stricter than that of the Great Zhou. Without a travel pass, it was easy to arrest them on the streets, but it was not so easy to get a travel pass in West City.
After entering the bookstore, Jiang Hai walked to the counter and looked at the shopkeeper who was burying his head in his abacus. “In the south rise there is a high tree, affording no shelter.”
Qing Yan glanced sideways.
The shopkeeper looked up calmly. “The tangled undergrowth.”
Jiang Hai said, “I can’t pass through it.”
These few sentences were not coherent. Otherwise, they would not have become a secret code. Qing Yan crossed his arms. He even knew this. This kid was not simple.
There were especially many travel passes today. The huge underground attic was actually filled with people queuing up. This was not strange. The West City was the number one city on the border of Nanzhao. The street market was prosperous and business was thriving. Many merchants around wanted to enter the West City to earn money. However, not only was the number of official travel passes limited, but they were also extremely expensive. Therefore, many people used the black market.
The two of them queued up. It was not easy to come to their turn, but the price stumped them.
“What did you say? A hundred taels each?” Qing Yan glared. “The last time I came, it was only ten taels. Why did it increase by ten times?”
The shop assistant who collected the money said, “That was the price a few months ago. The limelight in the West City is tight now, so it’s not easy to enter. If you’re not in a hurry, come back in a few days.”
