章節 28: Chapter 28 Entering the County Town (Please Follow)
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"Sir, I am about to go to Taiping County. I've never been to the county town and am not very familiar with it. I've heard people say that you've lived in the county town for many years and know the rules like the back of your hand."
"So I'd like to ask you to accompany me to the county and give me some guidance."
Shen Qing stood in front of Zhang Shuyuan, speaking with a very humble attitude.
Zhang Shuyuan casually replied while reading, "I don't want to go. It's so cold, bitterly cold, and my health is always poor. I can't handle the hassle. Besides, it's been a long time since I've been to the county town..."
"I'll pay you." Shen Qing looked at Zhang Shuyuan with a smile, his eyes sincere.
Zhang Shuyuan thought to himself how insightful this child was, yet so worldly.
"It's not about the money, it's mainly that..."
"I'll give one hundred wen, with carriage service."
Zhang Shuyuan put down his book and sighed, "All right, I'll go with you, but..."
"Two hundred wen."
"When do we leave?"
"In about an hour."
"Then I'll come to find you in an hour."
"Thank you, sir."
After Shen Qing left, Zhang Shuyuan let out a long sigh.
He heard about what happened in the village yesterday.
But he wasn't surprised.
In the county town, gang conflicts and such killings were quite common.
He had long gotten used to it.
So when facing Shen Qing, his mindset was stable, daring to ask for money.
"It's a disgrace to scholars. But making money isn't shameful; even scholars need to eat."
...
After Zhang Baqing became a mountain driver, he seemed full of vigor, handling all the matters Shen Qing assigned efficiently.
With the help of the Shen Family's cousin, Shen Qing almost didn't need to intervene as everything was basically settled.
Looking at the cart already loaded to the brim, Shen Qing let out a sigh.
Truly, when you're poor in the bustling city, no one asks about you; when you're rich in the deep mountains, distant relatives come to visit.
He had experienced the cold and warmth of human nature.
Back when he had nothing, it was difficult to even borrow a bowl of rice.
Now he had only cultivated the Nine Skills to the level of mastery, not yet reaching the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood, and he was already like this.
He truly wondered how powerful the martial masters who truly embarked on the Martial Arts path in the county town were.
Shen Qing put away his emotions, glanced at the sky, and, with a bow slung over his shoulder, ran straight to the back mountain.
He planned to retrieve the two bows and leather clothes of Chen Tai's brothers to sell them in the city.
Now that the Chen family members were gone, no one would say anything about him taking these things in broad daylight.
It was at least an income.
Based on the memory of that day, Shen Qing found the concealment spot.
He brushed away the accumulated snow above and took out the two hidden bows and two leather jackets.
Shen Qing checked them, found nothing unusual, and packed them on his shoulder.
At that moment, in the distant misty mountains, suddenly a flock of birds soared in fright.
A deep beast roar echoed from afar, causing Shen Qing a moment of trepidation.
He dared not linger, swiftly descended the mountain with agile movements.
Not until he reached the outskirts of the forest did he finally stop, looking back.
"If I didn't hear wrong just now, that should've been a tiger's roar."
"Since when are there big cats around here?"
Shen Qing found it a bit incredible.
...
At the village gate.
A tired horse was pulling a cart loaded with mountain goods.
Shen Qing sat in the central position, with Shen Xiaohu and Zhang Shuyuan sitting on either side.
"Giddyup!"
Shen Qing held the reins, cracking a whip, and rode along the mountain path towards Taiping County.
Taiping County was about fifty or sixty li away from their Hongshan Village.
Riding the "carriage," with the weather still okay, they could likely arrive in about an hour.
On the road, it was Shen Qing's first time driving, and he didn't dare go too fast.
He kept a strained face, focusing intently on the horse's rear, worried it might suddenly lose control.
"Driving a carriage, the most important thing is to let the horse feel your presence. When holding the reins, you should relax, move them occasionally, and when you whip, do it gently to avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration, which might scare the horse."
Beside him, Zhang Shuyuan, rarely dressed in a clean long shirt, sat on Shen Qing's cart, speaking freely.
"Also, rest assured, this is a workhorse, very docile and obedient."
Shen Qing looked unexpectedly at Zhang Shuyuan.
"Sir, you can drive a carriage?"
Zhang Shuyuan, with his eyes slightly closed, did not respond further.
Shen Qing, understanding, did not ask again and began to drive the carriage as Zhang Shuyuan instructed.
After a moment, he suddenly felt touched.
In his sight, a drop of ink fell from above, spreading out.
Segments of inked words gradually appeared before Shen Qing.
[Skill: Driving Skill (Entry Level)]
[Progress: 4/100 points]
[Status: Cannot be improved]
[Note: The art of driving lies in practice making perfect. Continuous practice can enhance skill progress and grasp driving essentials. In the future, you can drive steadily and quickly, like an arm's command, riding as fast as the wind.]
Seeing the additional prompt in his vision, Shen Qing was momentarily dazed.
He hadn't expected to gain a skill from just walking.
More skills never weigh one down.
Idle with nothing better to do, Shen Qing began to concentrate fully on driving the cart, striving to enhance his driving skill.
Shicheng Mountain spanned a hundred li, already quite extensive, but the scenery was rather ordinary.
On both sides of the mountain path were low mountains, with not much grandeur.
For half an hour, the three of them drove the carriage along the mountain road, where the tracks gradually increased.
They crisscrossed, pressing the snow into water, making the mountain path progressively muddy.
However, after half an hour of practice, Shen Qing had already grasped the essentials of driving, and his driving skill had improved.
He held the reins tightly, his face unchanged, guiding the small tired horse along the best paths.
The small tired horse seemed to understand Shen Qing's intentions, swaying its rear cooperatively, which even caught Zhang Shuyuan's attention.
He couldn't help but raise his evaluation of Shen Qing.
After a few more moments of travel, Shen Qing and the others saw the outline of Taiping County.
Shen Qing couldn't help raising his whip, urging the small tired horse to quicken its pace.
In no time, a city emerged before the three of them.
As the largest city in the vicinity, Taiping County covered a considerable area, backed by mountains and bordered by water, with advantageous terrain.
Outside the county town was a thick rammed earth wall, dividing Taiping County into the Inner City and Outer City.
Within the walls was the Inner City, home to martial arts halls, markets, and government office courtyards, populated by many noble people.
Outside the walls was the Outer City, inhabited mainly by idle individuals.
The Outer City was undoubtedly much larger than the Inner City, but correspondingly much more rundown.
As far as the eye could see, there were densely packed shanties, dirty and chaotic.
Within were numerous beggars and various destitute families.
As the three entered the Outer City, they were immediately surrounded by various people begging for food, even trying to snatch Shen Qing's cart of mountain goods.
At once, Shen Qing became fierce, punching down the dishonest people, causing them to stop in their tracks, intimidated by his fierceness.
"Why is Taiping County in such a ghostly state?" Shen Qing asked with a furrowed brow.
Zhang Shuyuan lifted an eyelid and said, "Why else do you think it's called Taiping County? When you lack something, you wish for it."
Shen Qing was speechless.
"Let's go; we're entering the city."
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