Chapter 46 Visitors from Changlin
Li Weiyi stood upright on the bow of the ship in the wind, looking at Jiuli City in the distance. The city walls were dark and tall, and dozens of enemy-watching towers several times taller than the city walls stood on the vast plain outside the city. Soldiers riding birds and wearing armor flew out of the towers from time to time and disappeared into the clouds.
On both sides of the big river below the tower, there are all kinds of houses and mansions, stretching for dozens of miles. It is the suburbs of Jiuli City, and the number of residents there is no less than that in the city.
The Sui River splits into four tributaries here, flowing into the city along the four city gates "Cangli Gate", "Chili Gate", "Moli Gate" and "Qingli Gate". Another 12-meter-wide moat was dug to divert river water to protect the city.
The moat, city walls, enemy-observing towers and even the entire Jiuli main city were all covered by layers of gauze-like light curtains.
These veils of light, of varying depths and erratic movements, are very similar to the aurora that appears at the North and South Poles of the Earth. They rise from the ground and reach the sky, and can resist large-scale invasions by dead spirits and evil spirits.
…
The pier is filled with all kinds of ships, large and small, and their masts and flags are as dense as a jungle.
After getting off the boat.
Li Ling was surrounded by many people, most of whom were familiar to her, and everyone was chatting and laughing. Some asked about the dangers along the way, some praised her, and some suggested going to Tiange tonight to welcome her.
These young heroes are the top few in the state. Some of them have powerful magic power, some have extraordinary telekinesis, and some have pure immortal bodies. None of them is mediocre, and they are all surrounded by servants and maids.
Li Weiyi took a look and found that the old servants following these people had eyes as sharp as torches, and wisps of magical energy flowed from the pores of their skin. This was a sign of magical power overflow that would only appear when one's cultivation reached the seventh spring, the peak of Yongquan.
Those who can follow these chosen ones are definitely not ordinary servants and they also have a certain status in the family.
After searching everywhere, I didn't see Gao Huan, Cai Yutong and the others.
Cangli naturally noticed Li Weiyi and nodded to him from a distance. He wanted to approach him and show some concern, but he was pushed by his friends who were talking and laughing and heading towards the city. He had no choice but to ask an old servant to go and receive him.
Li Ling had already been submerged in the bustling crowd and gradually disappeared in the direction of the city gate.
The old servant sent by Cangli to receive him was not that old, only about fifty years old. His name was Li Qi, and he and Zhao Zhizhuo were actually old acquaintances when they were young, but the former had already reached the seventh level of cultivation.
He said, "Tonight the young clan leader and his men must be going to Tiange to welcome the fourth young lady. It is the most luxurious and romantic place in Jiuli City. Only the children of the big clans and the top martial artists can afford it. Brother Zhao also went there in the past, so he should know something about it. The young clan leader has just given instructions, and you can all go together."
Li Qi didn't know that Li Weiyi had done a favor to the Cangli tribe. He just thought that the young chief was too generous and friendly. However, if someone who shouldn't go to some occasion goes, it will cause a lot of embarrassment. So he said he was inviting them, but every word he said was telling them not to go.
As a servant, he could only speak in a tactful way and not be too blunt.
Li Weiyi didn't want to get too involved with the Cangli tribe, and he knew that he was not qualified to experience the luxury of love and romance. If he tried to fit in, he would only be embarrassed.
He understood some social etiquette, so when Zhao Zhizhuo looked at him angrily, he smiled and waved his hands: "We can't go. We, a bunch of peasants in plain clothes, dare not go to such a grand place. If we go, won't it bring shame to the young patriarch?"
A gleam of satisfaction flashed across Li Qi's eyes without being noticed. Young people like him who know when to advance and when to retreat are much more lovable.
Li Weiyi said, "But since the young clan leader has invited us, if we don't go, I'm afraid it will be difficult for Elder Li to explain. How about this, we can convert it into cash and find a place to stay for one night. Old Zhao, how much money will it cost for all of us to go to Tiange?"
Zhao Zhizhuo understood it immediately and said, "If so many of us go, it will cost at least... a thousand silver coins!"
Li Weiyi looked at Li Qi with a smile.
Everyone was not happy at all when they received the brocade bag containing a thousand silver coins from the unhappy Li Qi.
"Respect the clothes first and then the person! I understand. Let's get some better clothes tomorrow." Zhao Meng had been exposing his upper body. With his body shape, clothes could only be specially made.
Zhao Zhizhuo thought of many past events and sighed, "It's not just a matter of clothes."
On the boat, Li Weiyi discussed with Senior Guan, who advised them not to move into the city for the time being.
Before you have enough money, don't buy a house. You can rent a house in a prosperous suburban area near the city. The depth of the law of heaven and earth here is not much less than that in the city, but the price is much cheaper.
After Li Weiyi talked about the idea of renting out the house, Zhao Zhizhe agreed very much.
He said, "Inside the city, there will be no attacks from the dead and evil spirits. It seems safer, but it is also easier to be targeted by people we can't afford to offend."
"Although the suburbs are a little more dangerous and full of good and bad people, who among the truly powerful people live in the suburbs? So, even if we are targeted, we have a certain ability to deal with it."
"Let's take a step back and say that even if we encounter a large-scale attack by the undead, as long as we live close enough to the city, we can still escape into the city as soon as possible."
Zhao Zhizhuo knew that Li Weiyi did not dare to get too deeply involved with Cangli and Li Ling, and was unwilling to borrow the power of the Cangli tribe, so they were thinking about the best solution based on their own strength.
In the next two days, Zhao Meng and Zhao Zhizhuo traveled all over the southern suburbs and finally decided on a house.
The front and back yards together cover an area of three acres, with more than ten rooms. It is only a few hundred feet away from the moat and is located in a prosperous suburban area. It can be said that everyone is very satisfied with all aspects except the price.
The monthly rent was as high as 1,300 silver coins.
All the coins Li Weiyi had on him were only enough to rent for less than a year.
There was no other way. With Lao Meng's six-meter-tall physique, and the two deformed men, Lao Liu and Lao Guan, and the small yard, no one could move around freely during martial arts practice.
Li Weiyi was naturally not idle. Within two days, he ran to the city three times and went to three places. He spent three thousand silver coins and bought three Poquan needles.
It's ridiculously expensive.
If it wasn't for the need to suppress the evil camel bell and urgently attack the Fifth Spring, he really wouldn't be willing to spend the money.
When Zhao Zhizhuo brought Lao Liu and Lao Guan back from buying various household items and food, Li Weiyi was sitting on a chair under an old poplar tree in the front yard that was so big that two people could surround it, counting money, sometimes frowning, sometimes sitting still in deep thought.
“Boom boom!”
There was a knock on the door outside the yard.
Old Liu quickly put down his belongings and went to open the door.
After opening the door, Lao Liu saw three figures standing outside. He was stunned. Because he couldn't speak the language, he didn't know how to ask.
The man at the head of the group looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a white face and no beard, and looked like a scholar. Even though he had been aging, one could still tell that he must have been handsome when he was young.
"I am the leader of the Changlin Gang, Ishikawa Yu, and I have come to pay my respects to the host of this place." The scholar was very polite, with a kind smile on his face, and he also bowed to Lao Liu.
Li Weiyi put away the coins, walked quickly to the door, and said with a smile: "The owner of this place is my senior brother. I wonder if you have any advice for me?"
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Ishikawa Yu bowed again and said with a smile, "We also live in this area. From now on, we are neighbors. Since you have moved into a new house, I have come to congratulate you. This is just a small gift, but it is not enough to show my respect."
Ishikawa Yu gave a look.
Behind him, two gang members carrying gifts tied with red ropes walked straight into the courtyard.
…
Under the old poplar tree, Lao Meng, the owner of the house, started communicating with Ishikawa Yu.
The two had a very pleasant conversation.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Ishikawa Yucai said in a serious tone, "You all are new here, so you may not know something. The outside of the city is different from the inside. It is often attacked by evil spirits. When it gets serious, hundreds or even thousands of residents may die in one night. Fortunately, we have a group of powerful magicians and martial artists who quickly united and formed gangs to resist these external dangers."
"The safety of this city is the responsibility of our Changlin Gang."
"But running a gang costs money. When dealing with the dead demon, many gang members will be killed or injured. Medical expenses and resettlement expenses are indispensable."
"So everyone living in this city, whether they are merchants or residents, will give us some money and food every month so that we can continue to operate and better protect everyone."
Zhao Meng understood that they were here to collect protection fees, and said, "When we rented the house, we paid the city defense silver. The attack by the dead demon should be the responsibility of the city defense battalion, right?"
Ishikawa Yu laughed: "The City Defense Battalion is mainly responsible for the city area. If they really work hard, how could the suburbs be so chaotic as they are now? In fact, our gangs can come into being because they have the support of the City Defense Battalion or the big families behind them. By the way, Brother Zhao, how long do you plan to rent it?"
"Let's rent it for a month first!" Zhao Meng said.
"Since it's a short-term lease, forget about the Soul-Dead Silver and Demon-Devil Silver. It's not easy for everyone. Come to Changlin for tea tomorrow. I'll treat you."
Ishikawa Yu said goodbye to his two gang members and left, waving goodbye and repeatedly asking Zhao Meng not to see them off.
After seeing them off and closing the door, Zhao Meng felt something was wrong and felt uneasy. He asked Zhao Zhizhuo, "Are all local gangs so polite? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Zhao Zhizhuo's face was quite ugly: "He is not here to collect protection fees, maybe he is here to check out our situation and find out our strength."
"What Old Zhao means is that the Changlin Gang thinks we are outsiders and have no backing, so they are planning to wipe us out?" Li Weiyi said.
Zhao Zhizhuo nodded: "I think so. Since they came to visit us, it means they checked us out and collected protection money. We can sleep peacefully tonight. If they don't collect it, I really can't sleep tonight."
…
Three members of the Changlin Gang were walking on a busy street with heavy traffic.
Behind Ishikawa Yu, a member of the Kaisiquan Gang couldn't help but ask, "Master, are you really not going to accept their Dead Soul Silver and Demon Silver? Although those gifts are not worth much, our Changlin Gang is not a temple that does charity."
Ishikawa Yu muttered to himself, "Those two people have heavy accents. They must have fled from other states. They don't have any roots in Lizhou. They can afford to pay thousands of silver in rent a month. They must have some wealth. What a fat sheep!"
Another member of the Four Springs Gang said, "The man surnamed Zhao is six meters tall, and his fighting power is probably extraordinary."
Ishikawa Yu sneered, "It's just a show. I've been in his hands before. Without the power, no matter how big your body is, you can only do hard labor. Tonight, give them a good send-off. Pretend they were attacked by vicious insects. It has nothing to do with our Changlin Gang."
"From now on, anyone who comes out of that house must be controlled. No accidents must happen."
An old man who opened the Six Springs came forward and bowed to Ishikawa Yu, "Flag Master, the eldest daughter of the Yang family is here. The gang leader asked you to go over quickly. It seems that there is something very important."
(End of this chapter)