Chapter 3: First Time Entering the Jianghu
In the era of cold weapons, China strictly prohibited the use of long-handled weapons among the people, so it became popular to wear swords. Although China had strict public security and swords were almost useless, people still enjoyed doing so. On the one hand, it represented their identity, and on the other hand, it continued the tradition of the underworld.
Around midnight, the two men returned along the same route, found an inn they liked, booked two upper rooms, and rested there.
The next day, the two got up early and went to the first floor for breakfast together.
During the meal, Lu Rongshi asked, "Miss Jiang, do you have any plans for today?"
Jiang Li'an took a big bite of the cake and said vaguely, "I've come all the way from the Central Plains to the Jiangnan region, but I haven't found my master yet. So let's just give up. From today on, I'm going to the Western Regions. Does Miss Lu have any plans as well?"
Lu Rongshi took a sip of tea and said, "Well, my master asked me to go down the mountain to gain experience. I don't have anything specific to do, so let's go to the Western Regions with you to take a look."
Jiang Li'an said happily, "Really? This way I'll have a companion and won't be so lonely."
Lu Rongshi smiled and said, "Yeah."
Because Lu Rongshi was going down the mountain to train, Jiang Li'an couldn't fly directly to the Western Regions, so he and Lu Rongshi went to the post station to rent two fast horses and set off on horseback. It was quite romantic.
The two men left the territory of Jiangdong and arrived in Yangzhou. It was getting dark, and the two men rode side by side. The sun was about to set, and the fiery clouds in the sky reflected their handsome faces, which was very peaceful.
As night fell, the two men still had not found an inn to stay in, so they had no choice but to find a house along the way, explain their purpose, give some money, and stay there.
There are five people in this family. The two old people have dark skin. You can tell at a glance that they have worked in the fields for half their lives.
After finishing their farm work, the three children returned home and saw two guests with excellent temperament. They exchanged glances and had dinner with the guests. The two old people were very enthusiastic. The dinner was rich and filled the entire table. Jiang Li'an and his friend could not refuse their hospitality, so they had to eat heartily until their stomachs were bloated.
After thanking the family, the two returned to the wing room. However, the family's yard was small and there were too many people, so there was really no empty room. They only had one wing room available. Jiang Li'an and the others had no choice but to squeeze into one room.
At night, the two returned to the room and saw only a large bed. Jiang Li'an turned his face away and said, "I, I'll just take the quilt and sleep on the floor."
Lu Rongshi blushed, but he couldn't bear to see her sleep on the floor, so he suggested, "No need. We're both women, so it's okay to just make do for one night."
Jiang Li'an said nothing and could only nod in agreement.
The moon was above the willows. Jiang Li'an lay flat on his back, his whole body tense, unable to fall asleep.
Less than half a meter away was Lu Rongshi's peaceful sleeping face. Jiang Li'an suppressed the urge to glance at Lu Rongshi several times. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he got up and went to the courtyard to practice swordplay.
Although the material of her sword was not of the best quality, it was a relic left to her by her father, and its commemorative significance far outweighed its usefulness.
She silently recited the sword formula, her steps were like the wind, her steps were steady, and she thrust out the sword and began to practice the Gan Jiang sword technique.
The bright moonlight sprinkled in the courtyard, making Jiang Li'an's face look even whiter. Her arms, like lotus roots, were strong and powerful, and her sword moves were majestic. Even an ordinary sword in her hands was extremely powerful.
Outside the courtyard, the three people saw the situation clearly and did not dare to breathe, and left on tiptoe.
Jiang Li'an had already noticed the three people outside the door, but he didn't take action because he knew that prices in the Tang Dynasty were soaring, grain production was decreasing, and the lives of the lower-class people were much more difficult than they were seventy years ago. It was precisely because of this that these originally kind-hearted people had no choice but to take risks.
Fortunately, these three people retreated when they knew the difficulty, so I didn't make things difficult for them. It is the world that is wrong, not human nature.
It was already early morning. Jiang Li'an put away his sword and wanted to go back to the house for a nap. When he turned around, he saw a person on the roof, staring at him.
She understood, and with the help of the courtyard wall, she jumped up and onto the roof in a few jumps. The man's face was white and rosy under the moonlight, and his eyes reflected the starry sky. He was so beautiful that he shocked the world.
Jiang Li'an was stunned by what he saw. Lu Rongshi whispered, "Can't you sleep?"
Jiang Li'an came back to his senses, sat down beside her, and sighed, "With a beauty by my side, I can't sleep."
Lu Rongshi hit her lightly and scolded her with a smile: "You're so talkative!"
Jiang Li'an also smiled and said, "Are you not happy when I praise you as a beauty?"
The two of them quarreled for a while, and when they were tired, Lu Rongshi asked again, "Why did you let the three of them go?"
Jiang Li'an raised his hands, as if to grab the moon, and replied, "It's not their fault. If the world were peaceful, who would do such a thing?"
Lu Rongshi resonated with this and said with emotion, "Yes, the world is not peaceful. Those in power are only concerned with vying for power and profit, and pay little attention to the lives of the common people. This is when the people at the bottom take risks."
Jiang Li'an seemed to be thinking about something and asked, "Rong Shi, I don't know your past yet."
Lu Rongshi turned around and smiled, "I can't reveal this. I'll tell you when the time is right."
Jiang Li'an said disappointedly: "Ah? Is that so?"
Lu Rongshi looked at her, covered his face with a smile and said, "Why? Li An really wants to know about my past?"
Jiang Li'an touched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, "Hehe, not really. The main reason is that I've already told you my life story. If you don't tell me about yours, I'll always feel unbalanced."
Lu Rongshi gazed into the distance and spoke slowly, "Since Li An wants to listen, I'll tell you a little bit. My hometown is very far away from here. Not long ago, the situation there became chaotic, so my mother sent me to Huaxia. There was a time when Huaxia was also prosperous, but now it has become a thing of the past."
The two chatted like this until dawn. Early in the morning, they packed up and said goodbye to the family. Jiang Li'an glanced at the three juniors, and the three of them looked away, not daring to look at her directly.
Jiang Li'an said with a double meaning, "Thank you all for your hospitality. The world is not peaceful these days, so please take good care of your belongings to avoid being targeted by thieves."
The two old men thanked her repeatedly, but the three people behind them blushed and lowered their heads deeply, fearing that she would discover what they had done last night.
The two men said goodbye to everyone and set off again. They arrived in Yangzhou City before noon. They entered the city and found a tavern to have lunch.
During the meal, the two heard a few people at the neighboring table say, "Hey, have you heard? A new ancient tomb has been discovered in the west of the city. I heard it was the tomb of a wealthy family before the catastrophe."
"I heard about it, it's such a big thing, it's caused a lot of buzz, the whole Yangzhou city probably knows about it."
"I also heard that this tomb contains countless gold, silver, and jewels. The government is recruiting people from the underworld to go into the tomb with them, and they've promised to split the treasures 70% and 30% of the time."
"Is there such a good thing?"
"Alas, don't be too happy yet. This tomb is said to be extremely haunted. The government has sent several teams down there, but none of them returned. Otherwise, they wouldn't have summoned all the people from the underworld."
"Ah? What should I do?"
"We are waiting and watching. Even if they go down and come back, it is impossible for them to take away all the gold, silver and jewelry. Then we can go down again and make a fortune from them."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, big brother!"
Jiang Li'an listened to the general situation and said, "Rong Shi, I remember you came down the mountain to gain experience. This opportunity cannot be missed. Since there is such a buzz in this tomb, there must be something good. Let's go to the government office and go down to the tomb with them."
Lu Rongshi thought for a moment and asked, "But, won't this waste your time?"
Jiang Li'an patted his chest and said, "It's okay, I have plenty of time. Opportunities like this are hard to come by. Let's go quickly, or the quota will be full if you're late."
She took Lu Rongshi's hand and ran out. Lu Rongshi had no choice but to let her go.
When they arrived at the government office, the two men explained their purpose. The official looked them over and said, "Please wait a moment." Then he turned and went into the inner room.
"Sir, two women have arrived and want to go down to the tomb with us. What should we do?"
"We're short on manpower right now, so we can't take care of so many things. A lot of people have already set their sights on that thing. If we don't act quickly, I'm afraid there will be more trouble than meets the eye."
"As for His Majesty's attitude, I will handle it myself. You don't have to worry."
"promise."
After obtaining permission from their superiors, they were given temporary employment procedures and were arranged to work in the same yard.
Lu Rongshi looked at Jiang Li'an, who had just packed her luggage and walked out of the room, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Li'an didn't understand what was going on and asked in confusion, "Ah? What are you thanking me for?"
Lu Rongshi said, "Of course, thank you for accompanying me to gain experience."
Jiang Li'an understood, sat down and said casually: "Why are we saying thank you between each other? This is what a friend should do."
Lu Rongshi's smile became even wider. Jiang Li'an's heart trembled and he quickly looked away.
In the afternoon, the two had nothing to do, so they went out for a walk. Yangzhou City is a big city with wide streets and a constant flow of pedestrians and vehicles. The two walked along the riverside all the way to the north gate. Today was the Chinese Valentine's Day, and there were couples walking on the street.
Although China has already passed the same-sex marriage law, the number of same-sex marriages has not changed as much as expected. Today is Chinese Valentine's Day, and people are going out on dates, hoping to start a new relationship on this auspicious day.
In such an environment, Jiang Li'an and his companion seemed particularly out of place. Many people came forward to congratulate them on the way. The two of them were at a loss whether to laugh or cry. At first they tried to explain a few things, but later they were too lazy to explain and just let them go.
In the evening, the streets were brightly lit and even more lively than in the afternoon. The two watched an acrobatic performance, strolled around the night market, bought some small items, and walked back without realizing it.
After returning to the government courtyard, the two packed up the things they bought today and found that they had quite a lot of things. They bought a pair of hairpins and two masks, one with a fox painted on it and the other with a civet cat painted on it, which matched well.
Late at night, the two said good night to each other and went back to their rooms to sleep.
The author has something to say:
The first volume mainly tells the story of the two protagonists' acquaintance. The main tone is sweet, so just read it with confidence.
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