Chapter 118: Mysterious Expert

The Red Sleeve Academy can be roughly divided into three areas: the backyard, the front yard, and the four-story main building facing the street.

In the current Shu Kingdom, the main building is considered a very massive structure. It occupies an area of over a thousand square meters and is composed of three joined buildings. Built with brick, stone, and wood, it stands a full four stories high.

Xiao Yu met the young Daoist acolyte Qingsong in a small private room on the third floor facing the street.

The private room is ten square meters and connects to an outdoor terrace. Looking down, one can see the street scene below; looking up, one can see the green willow river embankment not far away and the winding, serene Clear Water River.

"Little Little Fengxian greets the two fathers." Xiao Yu finally got her wish and called Qingsong "Father."

She was immediately filled with both surprise and joy.

She was surprised that Qingsong actually didn't respond; he didn't agree verbally, and he refused in his heart.

What brought her joy was that what was lost in the east was gained in the west. Since this thieving Daoist Qingsong had no reaction, the Chief Clerk of the Qinghe Commandery Prince's Mansion beside him nodded very casually, completely accepting the customs of the Western Shu pleasure quarters.

This guy is at least a Human Immortal!

Not only did her Purple Mansion begin to operate at full capacity, but Xiao Yu also deduced the other party's ultimate technique from the information derived by the Purple Mansion: Damn it, it's actually the Samadhi True Fire!

Such a high-level thing appeared so suddenly before her eyes; it was obtained without any effort at all.

"Shouldn't you call me 'Guan Laozu'?" Qingsong laughed.

The emotions in Xiao Yu's heart were not revealed on her face in the slightest.

Hearing this, she explained: "Times change. At that time, I was 'Guan Yu,' and the Guan Laozu was a noble from the Upper State; meeting required the etiquette of ordinary people.

Now that I have fallen into the dust of the world, and the Guan Laozu has come to the Red Sleeve Academy... of course, Xiao Yu understands that the Guan Laozu's heart is set on the Great Dao, and this trip must have other purposes, not as an ordinary guest.

However, since you have come, you are a guest.

Guests are the 'fathers' of all the girls and daughters."

"Hahaha, you are even more open-minded and carefree than I imagined." Qingsong laughed heartily, a flash of admiration and wonder crossing his eyes.

"Sui Yuanzi, and this Auntie, you two go down. Little Little Fengxian is an old acquaintance of mine; I want to reminisce with her alone."

Sui Yuanzi hesitated for only a moment before cupping his hands in farewell and saying, "This junior will wait outside. If the senior has any needs, just call me directly."

Qingsong waved his hand, "Go. This little Daoist is just chatting; I don't need you to serve me."

Although he said so, Sui Yuanzi still let Auntie Liu help find another table closer to this private room.

"Guan Laozu, didn't you return to Great Qin?" Xiao Yu sat opposite him and asked curiously.

"I did indeed leave the Western Sha Domain, but just as I arrived at the Eastern Sha Domain on the opposite bank, I encountered Lord Dongfang, who is the Imperial Envoy from Xianyang.

The Marquis of Lieyang was unwilling to wait long in the West and returned directly to the Central Plains by riding a wind-chariot, while Lord Dongfang was again held up by some incidents in the Eastern Sha Domain.

Helpless, I could only stay behind to help handle some trivial matters in the Western Sha Domain."

The Daoist acolyte Qingsong seemed to be in a good mood; his face always carried a smile, his tone was relaxed, and he was quite eager to talk.

"Are these trivial matters related to me?" Xiao Yu asked again.

The Daoist acolyte Qingsong nodded and then shook his head, "Coming to see you is one of many trivial matters.

Have a lot of Great Qin 'down-and-outers' been crossing west recently?"

"Uh, are you referring to the nobles from the Upper State?" Xiao Yu's expression was strange.

The Daoist acolyte Qingsong teased, "They do indeed come from the Central Plains, and many are people from the imperial capital, Xianyang.

But in Great Qin, in Xianyang, they are just down-and-outers.

Either their ancestors were wealthy, but now the family has fallen on hard times.

Or the family elders are still in high positions with great power, but the family is prosperous, and they belong to the side branches.

In short, they are all people who can't make it in the Central Plains and intend to come to the west to seek a future.

Since they are all down-and-outers who can't make it, it is obviously impossible to expect them to rent the Zhou Rao Kingdom's flying cars to cross the river.

They are not here to be envoys in the west.

If they want to settle down in the west, they must bring their families, servants, stewards, guards, and treasures... Selling them all wouldn't be enough to buy tickets for so many berths."

"Guan Laozu, your powers are vast; did you use immortal arts to send thousands upon thousands of people across the Liushahe? The Liushahe is eight hundred miles wide!" Xiao Yu exclaimed.

She had asked Gongsun and his party about it before, but Old Zou was a cautious person and unwilling to say much.

Young Master Gongsun had a looser mouth, but he only said they crossed the river using immortal arts; he couldn't explain the specific process clearly.

It was obvious that someone had brought them across the river.

Only now did Xiao Yu understand that the one who helped them cross the river was actually the little thieving Daoist Qingsong... Oh, she can't call him "little thieving Daoist" anymore.

To lead ten thousand people across the Liushahe—such a great supernatural power—he is fully worthy of being called "Guan Laozu Qingsong of Heaven-Reaching Daoist Arts."

The Daoist acolyte Qingsong shook his head and said, "First of all, the Liushahe is not eight hundred miles wide everywhere. The Tianmen Town where you are now is located on the mountain range at the corner of the Liushahe. Actually, you should have discovered this long ago when you crossed the Shu Kingdom from the Northern Wilderness, right?

Compared to the desert mounds of the Northern Wilderness, the entire Shu Kingdom is on a mountain range, and its geographical location is far higher than the surface of the Liushahe."

Xiao Yu nodded repeatedly and said, "It really is like that. The Hengsha Pass is a mountain ridge stretching across the sand of the Northern Wilderness, and entering the interior of the Shu Kingdom, it is mostly mountainous terrain.

Rivers like the Dragon-Transforming River and the Black Water River are more like canyons under the mountains."

The Daoist acolyte Qingsong laughed, "Walking east from the Liushahe beside Tianmen Town, it doesn't take eight hundred miles. If there is no flooding, you might reach the east bank in four or five hundred miles."

"Four or five hundred miles is not close either!" Xiao Yu said.

Qingsong laughed, "Although you grew up by the Liushahe, you still don't know it very well.

Whether four or five hundred miles is close or not depends on who you compare it with.

Some river sections are flooded all year round, and with great demons stirring up trouble, the river water spreads for tens of thousands of miles, almost becoming a sea.

Compared to those places, the Tianmen Town river section, where the river width is stable at about five hundred miles all year round, is already considered the highest quality port."

"Comparing it with other river sections has no meaning. Five hundred miles wide is still enough to make ordinary people despair. Guan Laozu must have used god-like methods." Xiao Yu flattered.

Qingsong laughed, "It's not using god-like methods; it's driving gods to handle things.

The Tianmen Town river section is not only the narrowest, but there is also a River God in this section of the river who was enfeoffed by our Heavenly Dynasty and recognized by the Heavenly Court.

A giant soft-shelled turtle as big as this house.

I am unable to drive the Old River God, but he gave birth to a litter of little turtles in the river.

That group of little turtles is especially greedy for money.

Letting them make a few more trips to bring thousands or ten thousand people across the river is not too difficult."

"So that's how it is. Guan Laozu, your powers are indeed world-topping!"

Xiao Yu praised him first, then asked in confusion, "Since you can drive the River God's descendants to help cross the river, why did Marquis Lieyang only take a hundred or so people to leave Tianmen Town? He even unbuckled his weapons and armor before leaving."

Qingsong said dismissively, "The old turtle and little turtles can carry them across the river, but can they carry them all the way back to Xianyang?

The old turtle is willing to crawl slowly, but Marquis Lieyang is unwilling to wait!

Wind-cars travel ten thousand miles a day, and the Zhou Rao Kingdom's flying cars can also travel four or five thousand miles a day.

The Fire Crow Army has already returned to Xianyang by now.

The Great Qin down-and-outers who are closest and rushed the most still had to walk for more than half a year to just reach the Liushahe."

"Rushed for more than half a year..."

Xiao Yu's expression was strange. Marquis Lieyang hadn't even set off with the Fire Crow Army at that time, right?

Hearing that turmoil had appeared in the west, they naturally thought it was an opportunity to seek a future and immediately ran west with all their belongings...

Great Qin has really developed a routine over these years!

"Sigh, the ordinary people of the Shu Kingdom do good deeds and accumulate virtue for a lifetime, just hoping to be reborn as people in the Upper State of China. Now, the nobles of the Upper State of China are running to the west in droves..."

Qingsong said lightly, "Doesn't this better prove the nobility of the people of the Upper State? As long as the down-and-outers who can't make it in the Upper State are willing to endure the hardship of a ten-thousand-mile journey, they can become dukes and marquises in the lands of the eight-direction barbarians.

If it were the ordinary people of the west, how difficult would it be to get ahead?

It would be better to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, and be reborn in our land of China in the next life.

Even if they return to the west in the next life, they can become people above people."

Xiao Yu was stunned, "Uh, you can say it like that..."

"Guan Laozu, don't blame me for being direct." She glanced at Qingsong, and seeing he had no reaction, she continued: "The ordinary people of the thirty-six countries might not welcome this group of Great Qin nobles."

Qingsong mocked, "Can the lords in the Xianyang imperial court not know what you can think of and see?"

Xiao Yu laughed, "Guan Laozu, you know me. I am a soul-deep Chen Chen Laoqin person. I don't mean anything else by saying this; I'm just concerned about our Chen Chen Laoqin."

The corners of Qingsong's mouth twitched slightly, and he slowed his tone, "You are a smart person; why can't you understand this!

If it were full of dangers, would this group of down-and-outers still hear about the turmoil in the Western Sha Domain and immediately scramble to run to the west?"

Xiao Yu said honestly, "Hard to say! A Young Master Gongsun recently moved into our Red Sleeve Academy. He seems to have no ambition at all, staying in the courtyard enjoying fine wine and beauties, unwilling to take another step west."

Qingsong narrowed his eyes, secretly calculated under the table with his right hand, and laughed: "It's Young Master Wujiu from General Gongsun's family, right? Hehe, Little Little Fengxian, you might have misjudged this time.

Have you ever noticed that although the Great Qin young masters who came to the west this time are down-and-outers, they are all young and handsome, and almost none are over forty."

Xiao Yu said, "Young Master Gongsun is indeed a man of talent, and the others... I haven't gone out and haven't seen them with my own eyes, but I heard the reputation is good, and the Shu people have a high opinion of them."

The Daoist acolyte Qingsong said, "They are not only young, but also unmarried. Men die on the battlefield, and the widows and daughters left behind always have to marry.

Marrying a good Great Qin man is almost the best choice they can encounter.

Although they are 'down-and-outers' in my mouth, they are actually not lowly at all.

Either they come from prominent backgrounds, with world-shaking ancestors and long-standing family heritage; or they come from ordinary families but have outstanding literary talent or martial arts talent.

Placed in the talent-filled Great Qin, it is difficult for them to get ahead.

Coming to the Western Sha Domain, it is easy to surpass the local talents."

"So it's marriage..." Xiao Yu was thoughtful.

"One ingot of gold, brothers are good, three sworn brothers, four joys and wealth, five champions, six six six, hahaha, Brother Li, you lost again. Little Jin Gui, quickly pour another glass of wine for Master Li~~~"

When the two of them were talking, there were more and more people outside, and the noise became louder and louder.

At this time, both of them fell silent, and the messy sounds of finger-guessing and drinking became even more ear-piercing.

Seeing the Daoist acolyte Qingsong frown slightly, Xiao Yu stood up and said softly, "Guan Laozu, sit for a moment; I will go help you brew a pot of tea."

—How could Auntie Liu be so unobservant as to let the people outside disturb the "True Upper State Noble"!

She didn't take the teapot on the table and walked out directly after opening the door.

It's no wonder that it's getting noisier outside.

It's about four or five in the afternoon, and the Red Sleeve Academy is about to enter the peak period of human traffic.

Although it hasn't completely darkened yet, more and more people are coming to seek pleasure.

Private rooms are actually divided into two types: one is for accompanying guests to drink, which is convenient for guests to discuss business, and is placed in the small private rooms facing the street.

The other type is mainly for sex.

Inside, besides the banquet for drinking and eating, there must be at least one embroidered bed and a screen. The space is slightly larger, and the private rooms are generally inside the attic, close to the backyard rather than the street, making them quieter and more private.

After all, even in a brothel, they don't want the sounds of the girls and guests upstairs to reach the ears of passersby on the street outside.

At this moment, Xiao Yu and the Daoist acolyte Qingsong were in a small private room facing the street.

The private room is relatively small, so the space left for the inner hall is relatively large.

Placing a few tables by the railing allows one to overlook the singing and sword-dancing performances in the main hall below.

At this time, opposite the small private room where Qingsong was, there was a table, and including the accompanying girls, there were eight or nine people sitting there.

Xiao Yu looked left and right and didn't see Auntie Liu or Chief Clerk Sui Yuanzi.

"Greetings to all 'fathers' and sisters!"

She walked to the table, bowed to the wealthy merchants (who were wearing brocade clothes but carrying no weapons) who were finger-guessing, and said, "Auntie Liu just told me—"

She stopped halfway through her sentence and suddenly froze.

The Great Destroyer was triggered, and the Purple Mansion actually began to operate at full capacity!

There is a mysterious expert with a hidden identity here! ===== CHAPTER 119 =====