Chapter 67: Old Acquaintances in Meiwu
Zhou Yi walked for a while and felt the prosperity of the county town.
There are eight major local forces, plus foreign gangs and many small forces.
There are many martial arts experts wandering around the city.
“Bang~!”
“Bang~!”
There are always people from the martial arts world watching in front of every blacksmith shop.
The sound of the blacksmith forging iron was deafening, and the sounds of rough forging, fine forging and quenching came one after another.
Ordinary people came to buy farm tools and kitchen utensils, and people from the martial arts world came to buy swords, spears and iron forks. Everyone gathered together to chat, obviously they were used to it.
The blacksmith never refuses anyone and will do anyone's work as long as he can make money.
"Make way, make way."
Zhou Yi dodged beside the blacksmith shop as a large group of riders passed through the city.
A flag was hung on the side of the shaft.
Zhou Yi took a closer look.
The flag logo is still unrecognizable, and I don’t know which force it belongs to.
In a short period of time, this scene happened several times.
When they were in Fuzi Mountain, the only major local sect besides their Taiping Taoist Temple was the Xihe Hunyuan Sect.
Compared with the small city of Yongqiu, the atmosphere of the major cities in the Central Plains is completely different.
Zhou Yi did not rush to find a place to stay, but walked along the street to enjoy the street scenery.
Look at the stone arched corridors and the upturned eaves, and the carved windows, which are full of splendor.
This street near the city gate is called Jinshui Street. It got its name because the rushing water flows around the city and shines golden when the sun shines on it.
After passing several blacksmith shops, there are rows of food shops across the road.
An empty stomach is the right way to cure hunger.
Now he has enough money, the emperor's coffin has not been used up, and he made a lot of money by doing something illegal.
When he saw a crowded food shop, he strode in like a hero.
Jinshui Street is in the east, and there is no end in sight all the way to the west. There are many alleys and roads.
The wooden plaques in the food shops each have their own shop name, and the names are complicated.
But the taste can be good or bad.
Zhou Yi tried wontons, sesame cakes, herring fish balls, steamed duck, and clay pot meat along the way.
Just taste it and it will feel fresh from time to time.
When we arrived at the entrance of Yuelai Inn, the sunset was already melting into gold.
I kept looking at the tofu pudding in the lotus leaf bowl in my hand, hmm.
It’s salty, and very salty.
The waiter at Yuelai Inn came forward to solicit him and couldn't help laughing when he saw his expression.
"Sir, you must have bought this tofu pudding at Xingchangju."
"That's right," Zhou Yi said as he and the waiter entered the inn. "Doesn't their salt cost money?"
"You have a keen eye, and you hit the nail on the head. And it's free."
Nanyang's official salt was mainly transported in via the Tongji Canal and Yushui waterways, while private salt was mostly from the coastal seas and mostly from the Hedong ponds.
Salt is more expensive than rice, so how can it be free?
"What's the name?" Zhou Yi asked.
The clerk led him to the cashier's counter and, because there were other customers in the store, lowered his voice and said,
"Xingchangju is owned by the Yangxing Society. They sell the most salt in Nanyang City."
"Selling sea salt in the inner market is a lucrative business. The coastal merchants give discounts to the big guys, selling and delivering it to a small food store. It's almost like giving it away for free."
The Yangxing Society is one of the eight major forces.
He had heard about it from the Tiankui Sect and was not unfamiliar with it.
Zhou Yi swallowed the tofu pudding whole: "Are the salt smugglers in Nanyang from the Water Dragon Gang or the Sea Sand Gang?"
These two gangs belong to the Eight Gangs and Ten Associations, and they mainly deal in illegal salt trade.
"You're obviously new here," the waiter exclaimed, "of course it's the Haisha Gang! They're close friends with Ji Huizhu of the Yangxing Society, and they do the biggest business."
"Although the Water Dragon Gang has influence in the city, they are always outnumbered. When it comes to the sea salt trade in Nanyang, the Water Dragon Gang only holds 10% at most."
Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows: "How do you know so clearly?"
"This county town's merchants are all over the nine provinces. The Yuelai Inn welcomes guests from all directions. Not to mention the salt gang, I even know some details about the sheepskin merchants in the Western Turkic region."
The man said with a hint of pride of having lived in a big city for a long time: "As long as you have sharp ears, you can always hear a lot of news."
Noticing that some people were looking at him, Zhou Yi nodded slightly and stopped asking questions.
There was room number A in the inn, but Zhou Yi didn't want it.
Save when you can and spend when you can. Since there is no income at the moment, you can't just rob people.
I asked for room number 3, B, next to the window. Because there were no horses to stay in, I was short of fodder and money for horse management, so I charged fifty cents for one night.
But this is already very expensive, more than twice as expensive as Yongqiu, and it is not the best upper house.
Zhou Yi did not report the name of Tiankui Sect.
Firstly, it is easy to bind one's identity, and secondly, it is unnecessary to owe favors to others for a few coins.
"Is there a place called Maywood Lane in the city?"
The clerk clutched the rag in his hand and thought for a moment. "Yes, it's in the west of the city, quite far from here. You'd better ask around and ask around. It's a very remote place."
"We also have dedicated guides and horse-drawn carriages."
The waiter smiled mercenarily and said, "However, sir, you have to change to Room A. These are provided free of charge by the shopkeeper to our distinguished guests in Room A."
Zhou Yi thought about it and paid an extra 150 coins to save trouble.
It’s dark, even darker than the Empress Dowager Restaurant.
Then he thought that the money all belonged to Emperor Ding, and he felt relieved again.
The waiter was even more attentive and took us to the third floor, served us tea and a small portion of cakes to take away.
The next morning, Zhou Yi took a ride around the area, thinking that it would be cost-effective to use the carriage to its full potential.
The driver was a middle-aged man with his sleeves half rolled up, revealing his bronze skin.
He held the reins with both hands, held a grass stem in the corner of his mouth, and answered Zhou Yi's questions while driving.
"Yu~!"
Stop the horse on the right side of the official road.
Zhou Yi leaned over to look to the right and vaguely saw a Taoist temple with many buildings connected to each other, which was quite large in scale.
Some people were busy coming in and out, but no one was wearing Taoist robes.
I sniffed, but didn't smell any incense.
I'm afraid I won't be able to find any Taoist friends here.
"Sir, this is the Aries Temple. It's quite large in the city."
“Is it still a Taoist temple now?”
The driver shook his head: "Of course not. This Baiyang Temple is like most Taoist temples in the city. It has been abandoned for a long time. If you are not a local, you probably wouldn't even be able to pronounce the name Baiyang Temple without a plaque.
In the past, there were several Laojun temples in the city that were very popular, but they were later moved to the Eastern Capital."
"Is there an abandoned temple in the city?"
"Yes, yes."
Zhou Yi perked up: "Do you know who has the land deed?"
"It's at the government office, but..." the driver grinned. "The government office doesn't have the final say. We need to consult the Nanyang Gang. If it's a Taoist temple of this size, we'll probably have to ask Yang Dalongtou."
Zhou Yi looked at the temple and pondered, "Do you know which faction this temple belongs to?"
The driver lowered his voice: "The Dangyang caravan is occupying it."
"I heard they have a big business dealing in horses with the Turks, and they even split off a branch to deal in sheepskin. But they got into trouble a while ago and had a big fight with the Jingshan Sect in the city."
"It's strange. The Jingshan Sect is one of the largest forces in the city. This caravan offended them, but they are able to start doing business again."
“It was quite quiet a few days ago.”
He muttered quietly, "This caravan must be from a prominent background."
Dangyang Caravan?
Zhou Yi thought about it carefully, and the image of the beautiful woman eating fruit in the carriage flashed through his mind.
Yes, it’s the people from Pegasus Ranch.
There are two big cities, Dangyang and Fuyuan, on the banks of the Ju River, both of which are the territories of Pegasus Ranch.
Shang Xiuxun came to Nanyang in person, and the leader had to give him face.
"Let's go, let's go."
"Okay~"
The driver urged the horses again, and Zhou Yi secretly estimated how much it would cost to buy an abandoned small temple.
He casually asked the driver:
"What do you think of Yang Dalongtou?"
"Under Yang Dalong's rule, the people live in much greater peace and stability."
He cursed again, "If we could one day kill Zhu Can, the man-eating demon that lives upstream of the turbulent water, then there would be true peace!"
The carriage moved slowly, and the scenery of the county town was in full view.
As he chatted with the driver along the way and observed the scenery, Zhou Yi gradually gained a real sense of Nanyang's scenery.
I feel more and more satisfied:
This county town has a complex web of forces, hidden opportunities, and is open to all.
The leader of Yangzhen is quite reliable. As long as you keep a low profile, it won't be difficult to survive here.
Zhou Yi leaned against the carriage, looking at the bustling scene outside the curtain, and a blueprint gradually unfolded in his mind.
Well, I'll write a letter and send it to Yang'e right away.
…
"Sir, we've arrived at Meiwu Lane."
"Wait here for a moment."
The sturdy driver replied, "I'm right here at the entrance of the alley. Just don't delay until dark."
Zhou Yi smiled and replied, "Don't worry, it won't take more than half an hour."
"Okay~!"
Meiwu Lane was indeed very remote. Looking at the bumpy road, he was a little worried whether the Jukun Gang branch was still there.
After walking about a hundred steps, I saw three plum trees planted in the shape of a triangle in the alley.
After turning a corner, I saw a deserted shop with a wooden plaque under the eaves engraved with the words "Wu Yue Eagle Claw".
The so-called eagle claw refers to "tea".
The tea from Wu is clear and sweet when brewed. This tea is quite famous, but if we open a shop in the suburbs, we can only welcome regular customers.
Zhou Yifang stepped over the threshold and suddenly heard an old voice.
"Rare visitors, rare visitors."
"It's such a remote and humble alley, no wonder there were magpies flying around this morning. It turns out it's the Heavenly Master who has arrived."
"If Yang Dalong from Nanyang knew about this, he would probably have trouble sleeping all night, hehe."
There were a few mischievous laughs in the old voice.
These words surprised Zhou Yi. How could he meet an acquaintance?
But the voice does sound familiar.
Looking carefully into the shop, I saw an old man with a long beard standing up. Just like in Yongqiu, the old man was still fiddling with a strange lock.
It turned out to be him.
It was the same person who gave him the Jukun Gang VIP cloud card.
His eyes swept across the lock, and Zhou Yi understood.
Then he smiled and bowed:
"Mr. Chen, how are you?"
When the old man with a long beard heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He clearly never revealed his identity to the Taiping Dao, and few people in the world knew his background.
At this moment, I was completely bewildered and didn't know how I was seen through.
…
(End of this chapter)
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