Chapter 1558

Bai Ziqi nodded at the attendant, who handed Guide Liu a tael of silver. "According to the agreement, payment will be made in installments. We depart at sunrise tomorrow; don't be late."

Guide Liu agreed and asked, "How many of you are traveling together? So I can calculate the carriages and inns."

"About thirty or so."

"Then a small inn won't be able to accommodate you, and you'll need to hire four or five large carriages to be comfortable." Guide Liu asked again, "Where do you plan to go next?"

"Shizhoutou and Liuping."

"That will take five or six days."

The attendant immediately said, "We need to be faster; is there any way?"

"Ah... that will cost extra; we'll have to hire carriages from the Changlong Martial Arts Firm."

"Changlong Martial Arts Firm?"

"The Changlong Martial Arts Firm is run by the Yangshan Society. They specialize in escorting and have powerful martial strength. In the last six months, they have plowed through the trade routes that Yangshan passes through. The bandits along the way were originally as numerous as cow hairs, but now they are either dead or scattered; there aren't many left." Guide Liu said, "Their carriages travel fast, and I can rent them, but it's just a bit more expensive."

"Go ahead, money is not an issue."

Guide Liu bowed to Bai Ziqi again. "The yellow croaker noodles at this inn are very good; Commandant Bai might want to try them."

After he left, the attendant asked, "Commandant, the battles at Shizhoutou and Liuping were a long time ago; why do you still want to collect clues about these two places?"

"This is the recognized place where the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds first appeared. Later, the more crimes he committed, the more proficient his methods became, but the first few times were the crudest and easiest to leave flaws." Bai Ziqi stretched. "Go call me a bowl of yellow croaker noodles."

Guide Liu left the inn, first went to arrange the carriages and horses for tomorrow's departure, then went to a small stall to order a bowl of green bean noodles, slurped it down, and then returned to the Haolin Society.

According to the rules, after he and the employer reached an agreement, he still had to return to the Haolin Society to register and submit basic information before he could work for others.

If there were no such procedure, the employer wouldn't feel at ease either.

He was very familiar with the Haolin Society; as long as he stood outside the counter and opened his mouth, the clerk inside would write like flying.

"Where did you say those Beijia people want to go?"

Those guests seemed to have their eyes on the top of their heads, and they had a natural arrogance toward everyone. When the clerk at the Haolin Society asked earlier, the other party didn't deny it, claiming to be visitors from Beijia.

"There are about thirty of them. I just helped them arrange the carriages for tomorrow's departure. It is said that they want to go to Shizhoutou and Liuping first, and there are other places to go later." Guide Liu smiled happily. "Their leader seems to be a high official; his clothing material is good, and his servants call him 'Commandant Bai'."

"Are they the people staying at the Xiangyang Inn?"

"Yes, yes."

"Are they generous?"

"Quite generous; they prepaid thirty percent of the travel expenses and remuneration." Thanks to the great improvement in security at Julu Port and the trade routes, otherwise, just based on the clothing, appearance, and style of Bai Ziqi's group, they would have been targeted by four or five groups of robbers before they even left Julu Port.

Halfway through the journey, they would have been robbed and their gold and silver divided.

The clerk put down his pen. "Alright, registration is complete. Have a safe journey tomorrow."

Guide Liu finished the registration and returned to his own home.

The clerk put away the ledger and continued to handle other business.

Not long after, a man walked out of the back hall. He looked young but was well-dressed, with a short scar on his left cheek. "Where is my wine? Why hasn't it been delivered yet?"

When the clerk saw him, he respectfully called out, "Proprietor!"

This person was none other than A-Hao.

When He Lingchuan first left the ship and stepped onto Julu Port, this guy wanted to steal Dong Rui's monkey, but he was severely punished by the two of them. Later, he was blessed by misfortune and followed the rebel leader at the time, now the King of the Peng Nation, You Enguang, to do things.

After the coup in the Pu Nation, You Enguang killed the old King of Pu and took power. A-Hao couldn't adapt to the official style, so he returned to Julu Port and opened this Haolin Society.

The former thug of Julu Port transformed into a businessman who could deal with both the underworld and the government.

At this time, another of A-Hao's subordinates ran in and diligently offered wine and meat. "Brother Hao, your aphid honey wine is here."

"So slow!" A-Hao took it, gave him a slap on the back of the head, and then took it back to the back hall to enjoy.

Not long after, it got dark.

The clerk pushed the ledger to the edge of the table and went home after work.

The next day, Bai Ziqi's group left Julu Port and headed north.

Only after leaving the border of the Peng Nation and heading east would they be heading toward Shizhoutou.

Bai Ziqi revisited the old path and felt the huge change in this trade route: "There really are no bandits."

The last time he came to the Flash Gold Plain, he was robbed as soon as he left Julu Port.

Although the bandits died miserably in the end, his first impression of Flash Gold was also very poor.

This time it was different. After traveling more than a hundred miles, the road was peaceful, and he only saw a few wild deer jumping around. However, Bai Ziqi soon saw dozens of long poles erected on the side of the road, with human heads pierced on the tops of the poles. The skin and flesh had long since withered; they were more like skulls.

As they approached, the crows on the poles flew away with 'caw, caw, caw' sounds.

"What is this?"

"When Yangshan first established the Changlong Martial Arts Firm, this trade route was not peaceful, so the Changlong Martial Arts Firm organized manpower to patrol and clean it up. The fierce bandits caught were all hung up there." Guide Liu explained, "There are still plenty of these poles later on; you can see them all the way, but since then, there have been fewer robbers."

The attendant from the Heavenly Palace asked curiously, "How come the Changlong Martial Arts Firm can clean up the bandit scourge that various countries and regions cannot?"

"I don't know about that. But the Changlong Martial Arts Firm also spent a lot of effort in the early stages. I often heard that they played hide-and-seek and fought with bandits in the deep mountains, and their own losses were not small."

However, the results were obvious. The bandits around these trade routes were cleaned up, and the cargo transportation of the Yangshan Society became quite safe. Of course, Yangshan not only benefited itself but also benefited the surrounding people and passing merchants.

Business became visibly easier to do.

"In the past six months, there has been little fighting nearby, and because Yangshan's business has reached here, they are hiring people to do things everywhere." Guide Liu smiled. "Everyone has work to do and money to eat, so fewer people go to do murderous business."

Bai Ziqi asked casually, "To clean up such a long trade route, the Changlong Martial Arts Firm must have a lot of people, right?"

"That's a lot; they are all sturdy and strong men." Guide Liu said, "To tell you the truth, some outlaws who licked blood from the edge of a knife might have robbed on the side of the road before, but later they went to join the Changlong Martial Arts Firm. Having a stable income is better than becoming a bandit, isn't it?"

"How many people does the Changlong Martial Arts Firm in Julu Port have, roughly?"

Guide Liu said casually, "I don't know the specifics, but the headquarters there must have at least two thousand people, right?"

"Just the martial artists responsible for escorting?"

"Yes. Counting the grooms, clerks, cooks, stewards, etc., that's nearly three thousand people."

"Island Master He's business is spread very wide." Just one martial arts firm headquarters has several thousand people.

This doesn't even count the staff of the Yangshan Society itself.

"Isn't it?" Guide Liu was inexplicably proud. "Yangshan's business has even reached the Yao Nation. Chigu horses, have you heard of them? A few days ago, I saw dozens of Chigu horses boarding a ship at Julu Port, to be shipped to the west."

Bai Ziqi shook his head.

"Those are the best horses on our Flash Gold Plain, and only the Yao Nation controls their production. Yangshan happens to be able to buy them from the Yao Nation. For such exclusive commercial goods, the Yao Nation only opens them to Yangshan." Guide Liu smiled. "If it weren't for the commercial goods from the Yao Nation being shipped over batch after batch, Julu Port wouldn't be that prosperous."

"Looking at it this way, the Yangshan Society is also thriving throughout the Flash Gold Plain?"

"If they can do such big business in the Yao Nation, can they not do well on the Flash Gold Plain?" Guide Liu said, "Island Master He also has a good relationship with the Allied Forces in the central region. Yangshan can travel unimpeded in war zones where others cannot enter."

Bai Ziqi gave a long 'oh' sound. "What a great reputation. Are there many big commercial societies like this on the Flash Gold Plain?"

"Oh, there are quite a few, more than a dozen. Medium-sized ones like the Luanji Firm, Baishui Society, and Bilixuan; super-large ones like the Yangshan Society, Deyou Firm, Qixinzhai, etc." Guide Liu introduced, "Especially these top large firms, they have good relationships with all parties and are thriving everywhere. But the largest commercial societies are basically from the Yao Nation. For example, Qixinzhai is opened by the Qi family of the Yao Nation—the same Qi family whose Sect Master was killed by the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds some time ago; the Deyou Firm is the largest firm in the Yao Nation and has a close connection with the Royal Court of the Yao Nation, which is no secret."

"I see."

Ahead is the pass city.

Julu Port is a free port. After walking along the long trade route and passing through the pass city, one officially enters the territory of the Peng Nation.

This boundary division is the same as the old Pu Nation; it hasn't changed.

The pass city is also the same as in Bai Ziqi's memory—gray and simple, with thick city walls.

After entering the city, Guide Liu turned back and pointed to the city wall. "Nangong Yan, the Grand Superintendent of the Feather Guards of the Pu Nation, and dozens of his subordinates were hung up there and exposed for three days."

That was news. Bai Ziqi asked casually, "Oh? Who did it?"

"Don't know." Guide Liu smiled. "I asked the city gate guards, and they said Nangong Yan only led people to rush out from here the evening before, aggressively, and also told them to close the gates and seal the city immediately, not allowing outsiders to enter."

"Didn't expect that the next morning, it was them who were hung on the wall."

Everyone laughed. It really is the Flash Gold Plain; even high-ranking and powerful ministers die in such an unclear way.

They didn't stay in the Peng Nation for too long and headed east to Shizhoutou.

This is a typical small city on the Flash Gold Plain—many people, broken houses, but the city walls are tall and large, and there are traces of war smoke.

As soon as Bai Ziqi's group entered the city, they saw a large wooden pillar standing behind the city gate, about the thickness of two people's embrace, with the top of the pillar painted black and carved into the shape of a flood dragon's head.

The carving was average, with a bit of ugly cuteness in its roughness.

But the shape of the flood dragon's horns was correct.

In front of the pillar were two offering tables side by side, one high and one low, with a large pile of fruits, incense, candles, and lacquerware. There was almost no empty space on the table, especially the fruit piled up like a mountain.

The fruits were green and yellow, large and small, looking as if they had just been picked from the mountains.

There was also paper money on the offering table, in thick stacks upon stacks; the two tables were almost unable to hold them, and there was a large furnace on the side.