Seeing Qin Jue staring at her for a long time, Xie Lin Lang thought for a bit, then suddenly asked expectantly.
“So, have you finally found out that I’m actually very knowledgeable and talented? Now that you see how outstanding of a person I am, are you really not considering BaiShi?”
She rested her chin on top of her hands, her eyes twinkling like starlight.
At this moment, as they sat on the peak of the mountain with the surrounding mountains below them and the night was completely silent, Qin Jue almost felt as if they had become the only two people remaining in this world.
But, even if they were the only two people in the world, it didn’t feel lonely at all with her by his side.
As he thought so, a hint of a smile formed in his eyes. The words ‘ShiFu’ had already been pushed to the back of his mind.
He stood up and said lightly, “Let’s go. There are only three days until the two months deadline. Are you not worried at all?”
It wasn’t until Qin Jue mentioned it again that Xie Lin Lang remembered. Right! He still needed to report to Xiang City!
It was a close call but there were still three days, so in theory, they should still be able to make it!
Like so, afraid of wasting any more time, Xie Lin Lang ended Qin Jue’s ‘training’ early, and the two rushed towards Xiang City.
––
Perhaps Xie Lin Lang hadn’t noticed, but all of the experiences they had gone through throughout this journey were like gems, scattered throughout Qin Jue’s memories, glistening and dazzling in the darkness.
* (This translation was brought to you by LeafInBloom on Patreon and Sleepy Translations.)
Strictly speaking, Xiang City was considered a decent place, in proximity to the mountains and water, and isolated from the outside world.
However, the road from QiLian Mountain towards Xiang City was unbelievably run down! No, it was more accurate to say that there weren’t any roads in the first place, but a path was formed because of all the people that had traversed on it.
Sitting on a cow carriage, Xin Lin Lang looked at the map while conversing with the older man that was driving the carriage.
This older man just came from selling his products in a nearby village. Seeing that the two were also conveniently heading towards the direction of Xiang City, he kindly allowed them to hitch a ride.
“Mister, I wanted to ask you, how many roads are there to enter Xiang City in total?”
Since it wasn’t drawn very clearly on the map, it was better to ask a local.
The old man explained as he drove the carriage, “This is the only route by land. If the people from the surrounding villages wanted to enter the city, they would all need to pass by this route.”
“So what you mean is there’s also a water route into Xiang City?”
“Correct!” The old man smiled cheerfully, “The Northwest side of Xiang City is surrounded by mountains and the Northeast side is surrounded by water. There’s only one official route entering the city from the North. If you don’t want to travel by land, then you can only take the farther route and row a boat in! However, since the water area surrounding the city is narrow and calm, anyone can row the boat through the area even by themselves.”
Having heard this, Xie Lin Lang asked, “Since the water route isn’t far, there must be a pier somewhere near here, right? Do you know where the closest pier is from here?”
The old man paused for a second, then pointed eastward, “The closest pier from here should be the Black Water Pier. You should be able to see it after walking a few kilometers to the East. But since the lake is narrow and long, and the water is shallow, bigger boats tend not to sail in that area. They usually sail eastward on the ChangAn Pier…”
“Black Water Pier?”
Xie Lin Lang asked, “Is the water there black? Otherwise, why would they come up with a name like this?”
“Well, it’s not completely black. It’s just that during winter, there will be some sort of dark brown filth floating on the surface. Though it’s not very thick and can be washed off with a little effort. Once it reaches springtime, the stuff disappears by itself so it’s not a big deal.”
Xie Lin Lang nodded thoughtfully, then changed topics, “Actually, this is my first time coming to Xiang City. Is it a big city? How well do the people there get along?”
Speaking of this, the old man sighed.
“If Xiang City was a good place to go, I wouldn’t have to get up so early and rest so late after traveling around to other villages! If you didn’t tell me you were going to Xiang City in search of relatives, I would have recommended you to avoid that kind of place.
The County Magistrate of Xiang City is completely corrupt! Since starting a tin workshop ten years ago, he has been deceiving the strong capable youngsters all over the city to work for him! It’s not optional either. If they don’t go, once the imperial court begins drafting, they will be sent into forced labor for the army!”
Qin Jue, who had been fiddling with his medicine silently this whole time, suddenly asked, “Isn’t there a required number for mandatory drafting?”
For instance, the people with higher authority will assign missions to a place and if they require you to send three hundred people, you must send exactly three hundred. But what this old man was saying was that Xiang City can neglect mandatory enlistment?
“There’s indeed a required amount of people, but Xiang City is poor! The imperial court will especially assist poor areas like this, not only by cutting the tax rate in half but also by reducing the number of people for mandatory enlistment.
Originally, this was done out of the kindness of the imperial court’s heart, but it became the corrupt County Magistrate’s way of keeping the citizens in check. If they disobey, then they’re sent to war!
Compared to going and serving in the military elsewhere, obviously, the locals would rather stay here and work for the County Magistrate.
The problem is the County Magistrate was too inhumane. He pays an abysmally low wage for long hours of labor. Even though there are people that die from overworking every year, no one has the ability to do anything about it…”
Hearing this, Xie Lin Lang understood the situation now. Using the whole city’s residents to work for and earn him money, this corrupt County Magistrate had the right mindset for a businessman; no wonder he didn’t want anyone taking over his spot. He finally found himself a cash maker in a poor place like this, of course, he wouldn’t just let it go to someone else for free.
At this time, the ox cart ascended a hillside. As Xie Lin Lang raised her eyes to survey the surroundings, she saw the Black Water Pier.
Due to the long-distance, she wasn’t able to tell whether the water was actually black or not. However, she could see that there were many boats docked at the pier.
Xie Lin Lang asked, “It’s already this time of the year, how are there still so many people riding boats to Xiang City?”
Hearing this, the old man spoke somewhat enviously, “You’re talking about the cargo ships, right? Those boats belong to the caravans that have come to buy tin metal. They come because other factories stop producing tin once it reaches wintertime and Xiang City produces tin year-round. Since tin is necessary for the molding of bronze implements and they can’t get it elsewhere, they will travel the long way in groups to come to purchase from Xiang City. It has been this way every year.”
“So that’s how it was.” Xie Lin Lang nodded her head.
Not long after reaching the bottom of the slope, they arrived at the old man’s village. Xie Lin Lang bid farewell to him and continued walking towards the direction of Xiang City with Qin Jue.
The sky was now dark and if they wanted to continue to Xiang City, they needed to pass through a forest. Worried about the dangers of traveling on the roads during nighttime, Xie Lin Lang decided they would stay and rest on the outer border of the woods and continue on tomorrow.
At night, in a cave. While Xie Lin Lang was away hunting for food, Qin Jue slowly walked out of the cave after he started a fire.
Using the moonlight to illuminate his path, he followed the hidden marking guides to a nearby stream.
The moment he arrived, the tall and sturdy Dong Qi appeared in front of him.
After being apart for more than ten days, he thought that His Highness had run into some problems. But seeing him now, he knew he was only overthinking because compared to before, His Highness’s mental state seemed to be even better than how he was two weeks ago. Although he was still somewhat pale, there was a little more light in his eyes, as if there was something different inside of him.
Dong Qi wondered, who was it that caused His Highness to change? Or was it something that had happened to cause His Highness to grow once again?
Dong Qi was just about to kneel but Qin Jue stopped him before he did.
Qin Jue spoke in a low voice, “Why are you in such a hurry to look for me?”
The Emperor’s people should still be in Xiang City. If it wasn’t an urgent matter, he wouldn’t be looking for Qin Jue.
Dong Qi straightened his posture, speaking with enthusiasm.
“Your Highness, we have found a substitute who looks exactly like you!”