Chapter 196 Small Town Legend
By daybreak, they had arrived at a small county town more than 200 miles away from the capital.
Lin Qingyue was not tired, but the horse needed to rest, otherwise it would be troublesome if it died early.
There are many restaurants along the long street of the county town, serving both northern and southern cuisines.
Almost subconsciously, she stepped into a noodle shop and threw dozens of coins to the waiter: "Please help me feed the horse. I need the best fodder."
There were rows of menus hanging on one of the walls of the noodle shop, but Lin Qingyue looked at them again and again and couldn't decide what to eat.
The waiter had just received a tip and was enthusiastically introducing her: "Our shop specializes in noodles. We have soup noodles, fried noodles, mixed noodles, stewed noodles, and everything in between. We also have all kinds of toppings: chicken, lamb, pork, fish... Sir, which one would you like?"
Lin Qingyue was in a dilemma. She wanted to try them all, but she didn't want to order too much and waste food.
She couldn't help but think of the last time she and Dongfang Qi were eating noodles in a noodle shop, and they seemed to be in the same dilemma.
In the end, they ordered several bowls but couldn't finish them, so Dongfang Qi gave them to the beggars outside the door.
Unfortunately, there was not a single beggar outside the store.
"Give me a bowl of mutton noodles." Lin Qingyue ordered a bowl casually.
As I ate, I felt that the food tasted like chewing wax.
Could it be that my taste has become spoiled recently? Or is it due to some other reason?
Lin Qingyue put down her bowl and chopsticks and sighed.
The horse was still grazing leisurely, so she waited for a while before setting off again.
After traveling this way for more than ten days, they arrived at the territory of Feng State.
Although Prince Ling Zhen has begun to return to the country, their entourage and baggage are so numerous that they move slowly and have not yet left the borders of Qi.
However, the crackdown on Guiyuan Sect has clearly begun to intensify.
Official documents promoting cults and misleading people can be seen everywhere, and they should not be trusted.
There is also a person who reads the official documents aloud next to the notice board where they are posted.
This can be considered as the intention of the Feng Kingdom court.
As countries belonging to the Central Plains region, the folk customs of Feng State are similar to those of Qi State.
The biggest difference is that Feng State is located on the west side of the Central Plains and borders several small countries in the Western Regions, and wars of varying sizes often occur there.
Therefore, although Feng's territory was much larger than Qi's, its treasury was not abundant and its people were not as wealthy as Qi's.
Marriage alliance became the lowest-cost conciliatory policy. Thus, the tragedy of Princess Lingxue was born.
It’s a pity that if you take a wrong step on some roads, there will be no chance to turn back.
Lin Qingyue rode non-stop all the way, and after a few days, she arrived at Shu'an County on the border of Feng State.
Although Shu'an County is a small border town, it can connect to the three countries of Guifang, Wan and Rong through here. Therefore, there are many merchants coming and going, and the small county is also extremely prosperous.
But when Lin Qingyue, dressed in black and wearing a black veil hat, stood under the archway at the entrance of the county town, she couldn't help but frown.
Archways are not uncommon and have various functions, such as merit archways, commemorative archways, sign archways, decorative archways, etc.
The archway at the entrance to Shu'an County is engraved with the Chinese characters "Shu'an" and has some inscriptions on both sides. It is obvious that it is a signpost archway, serving as a boundary marker.
The strange thing was that the archway had a very strange shape: six in a row, each shorter than the last. From below, it was invisible, but from above, it looked like the mouth of an open coffin. Plus, six is an extremely yin number.
Therefore, Lin Qingyue could tell at a glance that this was not just a boundary marker, but a feng shui formation.
People coming and going, passing by from then on, were like being swallowed by a coffin, and their luck was taken away without their knowledge.
Luck is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it can influence many things in the dark.
Lin Qingyue stood under the archway, lifted the black veil in front of her hat, and chuckled: "Bullying the ignorant people and seizing their luck? What a calculated plan!"
She lifted her foot and walked under the archway.
Others couldn't see it, but she could feel the changes in the surrounding aura with every step she took.
The first, the second, the third... When she walked to the sixth boundary sign, her fingers turned and quickly turned into a talisman. With a push of her white hand, the golden talisman fell on the pillar of the last archway.
This not only breaks the feng shui situation, but also creates the opposite effect. From then on, the more people pass by the archway, the more severe the backlash will be against the person behind the scenes.
She didn't care who that person was or what his purpose was. She just liked to give people a taste of their own medicine.
Clapping her hands, she walked gracefully out from under the last archway. The carriage, driverless, followed obediently behind her.
When she arrived in the county town, she found a restaurant to eat.
The waiter came over and greeted her: "Miss, do you want to stay in the hotel? There are many people coming and going in the county. If you come later, the rooms will be full. It's better to book a room early."
Lin Qingyue said, "I have to rush after dinner, so I won't stay in the hotel."
Seeing that she was a young girl and had no companions, the waiter kindly said:
"It will be dark in just over an hour. Once you leave Shu'an County, you'll be outside the territory of Feng State. The road ahead is mountainous and desolate, and it takes a whole day to walk through the mountains before you find any human habitation. Therefore, travelers passing through here usually stay overnight in the county town. They can set off early tomorrow morning, when the journey will be easier."
Lin Qingyue pulled out the map she had bought earlier, unfolded it, and pointed. "According to the map, if you follow this road west from Shu'an, you'll reach Ping'an Town in just over an hour. Passing through this town, you can reach Guifang Country directly."
The guy glanced at the map and said, "This road is closed now. You can't go there."
He pointed to another road and said, "If you want to go to Guifang Country, it's best to take this mountain road, passing through Wan Country, and then turning to Guifang Country. Although it takes two more days of travel, it is safer."
Lin Qingyue was puzzled. "Why close the road for no reason? It would take two extra days to travel, and it's a mountain road. It's really troublesome."
The waiter explained, "It's obvious that the young lady is a first-time visitor here and doesn't know the inside story. The town is called Ping'an, but it's not peaceful at all."
"What do you mean by that? Why don't you explain it in detail?"
"Ping'an Town was originally under the jurisdiction of Long County within the Guifang Kingdom. It was quite prosperous, with many travelers passing through..."
However, just 11 years ago, a huge monster suddenly appeared in Ping'an Town.
The monster was really cunning. He put on human skin and disguised himself as an ordinary person. No one knew what tricks he used, but he actually became the magistrate of Long County.
The monster was vicious and greedy. After becoming the county magistrate, he stirred up trouble in the local area and caused floods.
That year, the entire Long County was flooded. Even our Wu'an County was affected, with the water rising to our ankles. Fortunately, our area is located on higher ground, so the water receded within two days.
Kelong County was in a terrible state. Fertile fields were flooded, houses collapsed, and the people had nothing to eat or drink and were on the verge of starvation.
Seeing the severity of the disaster, the county applied to the court for disaster relief grain and funds.
The abominable thing was that the money and corn allocated to the county went straight into the pockets of the evil county magistrate as soon as they arrived, leaving the people with only rice mixed with sand...
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