One month later, in the Sanctuary.
A horse-drawn carriage loaded with goods slowly approached the capital city of Dafeng, Huayang City.
"Halt! What are you doing here?"
Without saying a word, the two guards stopped the carriage.
The coachman glanced at the elderly man with a straw hat and white hair sitting behind him on the side of the carriage, then tossed them a bag of silver.
"Gentlemen, we are from the Xu family of the Northern Region. We have been doing business here for several years now. Consider this money as payment for the tea we sell. We hope you will accept it."
The two guards weighed the silver pouch in their hands, nodded in satisfaction, and then stepped aside: "Hmm, no wonder your carriage looked so familiar."
"Oh, it's the Xu family from the Northern Region. We're regular customers. What business are you here for this time?"
"What other business could there be? It's the same old business, of course. We'll sell this truckload of goods and then buy Sacred Spirit Herbs to sell back at the same time."
"Ha, your business is booming! You're making a fortune from all this back and forth!"
Alright then, I won't disturb your fortune-making any longer. Hurry up and go inside. Give my regards to your family head, Master Xu, when you have time.
"Of course, of course. We'll be going now. We'll treat you gentlemen to tea later."
The coachman gave a soft shout and drove the carriage through the city gate.
At this moment, the old man slowly lifted his straw hat and began to look at the scenery around Huayang City.
The bustling streets were teeming with traffic and people, with a constant flow of people surging like a tide.
Street vendors shouted loudly to attract customers, their cries echoing throughout the streets and alleys.
Some children were displaying their colorful goods to passersby;
Some stood on high places, gesturing wildly as they promoted their goods;
Some savvy vendors use unique voices or catchy slogans to attract customers' attention.
The entire street was immersed in noise and bustle.
What a thriving and prosperous scene!
Just then, a piercing commotion erupted from the street.
Upon seeing this, the coachman immediately ordered the carriage to stop.
The old man looked up in the direction of the sound.
Not far away on the street, four burly soldiers clad in fur coats dragged a disheveled woman and pinned her down in front of a street vendor's stall.
Seeing this, the vendor was so frightened that he dared not make a move, and retreated to a corner, squatting on the ground and trembling.
"Hehe, trying to sell me an innocent image, huh?"
"We paid money, and they promised to sleep with us. Now they want to back out?"
"Since you're unwilling to serve us in the room, then we'll humiliate you in the street!"
As they spoke, several soldiers began tearing at the woman's clothes, and no matter how much she cried and struggled, it seemed to be to no avail.
"Hmm, is nobody going to do anything about this?"
The old man, seeing this scene, asked with great interest.
The coachman whispered, "We can't control them. They're all soldiers from the Western Liang Prince's Mansion, Dong Zhongying's household guards. Who dares to discipline them?"
"So what if they're soldiers from Xiliang? Does that give them the right to act recklessly right under the emperor's nose?"
"Keep your voice down. In short, in this Holy Domain, there are two groups you can't afford to offend: the Xu family of Western Shu and the Dong family of Western Liang. These two are the actual rulers of the Holy Domain."
"Oh, that's interesting."
The old man nodded, then waved his hand, signaling the carriage to continue.
"Stop! What are you doing!"
Suddenly, a deep shout interrupted the Xiliang soldiers' atrocities.
The old man called out to the carriage and continued to observe.
A well-dressed, spirited young man from a wealthy family rode a white steed and galloped swiftly to the front of the Xiliang soldiers.
The moment the group of Xiliang soldiers saw the young man, they quickly released the woman and knelt down to pay their respects: "This humble officer greets Young Master Xu."
Seeing this, the old man asked the driver again, "And who is this fellow?"
The coachman glanced at him and replied, "Him? He's Xu Shuyu, the second son of Xu Rong, the Prince of Bashu. I've heard that Dong Zhongying is Xu Rong's sworn brother."
Together they had repelled the invasion of the Great Wilderness and wiped out the Hu tribes of Xiliang; they shared a life-or-death bond.
Therefore, when the people of Xiliang met the Xu family from Bashu, they treated them with utmost respect and dared not show the slightest negligence.
I've heard that the Xu family can even command the troops of Xiliang at any time; they're incredibly powerful.
The old man pondered for a moment, as if he had figured something out.
Over there, Xu Shuyu pointed at the group of thugs and asked sternly, "What exactly is going on here?"
Under the clear blue sky, beneath the feet of the Emperor himself, in this sacred capital, who permitted you to commit such filthy acts in the streets!
Upon hearing this, the Xiliang soldiers were so frightened that they dared not even breathe.
After escaping her predicament, the prostitute did not leave immediately. Instead, she quietly tidied her clothes and looked at Xu Shuyu with a charming expression, showing no trace of the helpless and humiliated state she had just endured.
At this moment, a Xiliang soldier leader mustered his courage and said, "Young Master Xu, it's not that we are ignorant of etiquette, but this young lady has simply gone too far."
I've already paid for her to stay overnight and for the singing, but at the last minute she used her period as an excuse to refuse.
Then I asked her to refund the money, but she said the money couldn't be refunded and told me to get out.
Therefore, I was so angry that I called a few of my men to teach her a lesson.
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately formed an opinion: if what this scoundrel said was true,
Even if these soldiers were rude and their actions were indeed excessive,
Strictly speaking, the fault wasn't that great; on the contrary, the woman was suspected of setting a trap.
"How dare you! The soldiers of Xiliang Prefecture are on par with the soldiers of Bashu Prefecture in the Holy Domain, yet today, the reputations of both royal families have been tarnished by you parasites. Do you still dare to try and deny it?"
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