Chapter 398: Outer City

As the sun set in the west, the Drum Tower finished striking the dusk bells and drums, and Mu City, true to its name, sank into silence.

Teng Liang led Tang Zhao through the second layer of the city wall, entering the outermost Outer City.

Just as they exited the Outer City gate, a "creak" sounded behind them; the gate rose, and no one was permitted to enter or leave. Three complete rings of city walls separated the inside and outside into four worlds.

Although Tang Zhao was a local, he had rarely been to the Outer City at night.

When he was a child, his parents strictly forbade him from going out at night, especially to the Outer City. They described the Outer City as if it were a flood or a wild beast, as if he would be snatched away by some night owl the moment he went there.

Naturally, that was correct. Tang Zhao now knew that in the dark corners of the city, there were originally many beasts far more terrifying than night owls—people.

In Tang Zhao's memory, he had only been to the Outer City at night once, and it wasn't just a visit; he had traversed the entire Mu City.

That was one night after his parents passed away, when he, carrying his luggage and the young and old of the Sui Family Troupe, had cautiously passed through the layers of city walls in the dark, first arriving at the Outer City, then reaching the final city wall, waiting for the gates to open the next day so they could escape the city and never return.

That night, they arrived at the city gate at the second watch; the gates were shut tight, and there was not a soul around. Having nowhere to go, they sat in the cold wind for the entire night.

Tang Zhao remembered that he hadn't slept a wink that night, leaning in a corner, curled up, eyes wide open, staring at the winding, narrow streets of the Outer City.

He only felt that the Outer City was very dark; every household was dark, with almost no lights to be seen.

It was also very oppressive, as if the sky were two layers lower than anywhere else.

And it was very quiet, as if his eardrums were coated in thick paste, unable to hear a thing. Yet, despite being so quiet, loud noises would suddenly erupt—the sound of wind, inexplicable footsteps, the cry of a night crow in a tree—suddenly bursting forth, like a thunderclap in the silent night, vibrating from his eardrums all the way to the bottom of his heart.

The mood of that night could perhaps only be compared to the time he passed through a desolate village and was so frightened by the sky full of crow shadows cast by human traffickers that he fled through the mountains. Just thinking about it, that night was actually a bit more reassuring. After all, back then, the young and old of the Sui Family Troupe were still sitting with him. Sui Dage had voluntarily sat in front of the wind gap to block the wind for the children, A Yun had quietly slipped him dried chestnuts to eat, and Liangzi had even been able to secretly tell jokes.

He had forgotten what the joke was about, but it must have been quite funny; he remembered that he had managed to laugh out loud, a rarity.

At that time, Liangzi was articulate and lively, never dejected, laughing loudly—the kind of little sun that could inspire others. And Tang Zhao was a displaced orphan who understood nothing, needing to get close to the sun to keep warm.

It was not until he left the light source and fell into the long, endless night alone that Tang Zhao encouraged himself to learn how to emit light and heat. He even wanted others to receive warmth from him.

Now, he had begun to emit his own light, while the Outer City was already covered in shadows in the twilight, and darkness was visibly sweeping in from the horizon, about to swallow the whole world into its belly.

At this moment, he was no longer afraid.

Or rather, not entirely unafraid.

Even now, he still didn't like walking at night. Not that he was afraid, just... it gave him the creeps.

"Tell me, why did you come to the Outer City so late? At this hour, the shops are all closed; what is there left to eat? And how will you get back after eating?" Tang Zhao asked.

In the air of the Outer City, the scent of cooking fires occasionally drifted by, but it didn't smell fragrant; instead, it had a scorched, acrid odor.

Tang Zhao recalled that on his way to Zhuoyu Villa, he had followed Xing Ji to the homes of commoners in the countryside, where at dusk he often smelled the aroma of food drifting from the cooking smoke—sometimes the scent of big fish and meat, sometimes the scent of simple tea and plain rice. Having smelled it often, he could even distinguish whose house he wanted to go to for a free meal.

The food in the Outer City smelled even worse than the earthen stoves in the countryside, mixed with even more impurities.

Looking closely, the crooked streets and alleys of the Outer City, the cramped, low-lying houses, and the sewage-filled ditches also looked far more dilapidated than an ordinary village.

Teng Liang laughed: "You don't understand, do you? Good wine doesn't fear a deep alley; the good food we're looking for is right in the small alleys, where others usually can't find it. I know you're afraid of the dark, so I won't make you walk back at night. Later, I'll buy two catties of wine, we'll have a drink, and once we're tipsy, we'll go sleep in my doghole of a place, and tomorrow morning I'll send you back. By the way, your martial arts are very good?"

Tang Zhao said: "They're alright."

Teng Liang clapped his hands and said: "That's enough. I know your temperament; your words have to be taken with a grain of salt. If you say they're 'alright,' that means they're remarkable; you must be very strong. Even that Guard Jiao is on such good terms with you, and he's someone who looks down on everyone. If he looked down on you, how could he be friends with you? I just knew your martial arts were good. Then you should be on your guard. Although this area is my turf and mentioning me works, I'm just afraid that some blind fool might try something while I'm not looking. If your martial arts weren't good, you shouldn't leave my side; I'll protect you."

Tang Zhao laughed: "Alright, then you protect me. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; if you can protect me, why should the guest have to do the fighting?" He scanned the surrounding alleys, finding them increasingly dilapidated, the night growing deeper, the alleys endless to the eye, and said: "You live here?"

Teng Liang said: "I live on the Outer Three Streets, two blocks past here. This area is our turf, but past that, it isn't. My home is close to our turf, which is convenient for collecting protection money, but it can't be right inside the turf; you know, a rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own hole, you can't really collect money from neighbors. I'd like to go to the Inner City to collect protection money, but unfortunately, it's not our turn; the government collects it."

Tang Zhao said: "The government collects..."

Teng Liang said: "That's right, once you enter that city wall, it's the government's turf. They take money every year and send three shifts of yamen runners and various constables to manage it, unlike the Outer City, where no one cares. So we come to manage it."

Tang Zhao let out a laugh, then withdrew his smile and said: "Sooner or later, someone will have to manage it."

In recent years, the Yunzhou government had at least been doing something, but for the common people, they were acting too slowly. The government could take its time according to its own pace, but the lives of the common people were a struggle every single day.

Teng Liang said: "Don't say that, leave us some room. You won't even give us the Outer City? The big shots can't just eat everything and leave nothing behind, right? We fought tooth and nail to grab this turf, so many brothers died or were injured, and now that we've finally occupied a piece of land, they can't just say they're taking it away, can they?"

He laughed: "That's why I said it would be great if you became a high official. When the time comes, you stake out the territory, I'll manage it for you, and we'll collect the money and split it. We brothers will eat and drink well together."

Tang Zhao sighed silently and said: "If that were the case, I wouldn't be a high official even if I could."

Teng Liang chuckled: "You couldn't be one anyway, are you just talking big here?"

As the two talked, they turned into a small alley; the alley was extremely narrow, making it difficult for the two to turn around while walking side by side.

After walking a few steps, a burst of fragrance wafted out from the alley.

It was thick and mellow, as if it could dispel the cold, making one's mouth water.

Tang Zhao's nose twitched, and he praised: "It smells so good."

Teng Liang laughed: "Know it smells good now? Can the place I recommend be wrong? Follow me."

The two went further in and saw a small shack beside the alley with a window facing the street; half the window was propped open, and the window was steaming, emitting white smoke and fragrance.

Faintly, the sounds of rowdy drinking came from the shack.

Teng Liang stepped forward and shouted loudly: "Old Cripple, what good food do you have today?"

There was a slight commotion by the window, and a little old man's head poked out. As soon as he saw Liangzi, his wrinkles spread out in a smile, and he said: "Oh, Master Liang, you've come again. This... is your friend?"

Teng Liang said: "My best brother. From now on, seeing him is the same as seeing me. Bring out your best craft. What kind of soup is there today?"

The old man smiled: "There's good soup, there's top-quality beef soup, frog soup, and all kinds of meat soup."

Tang Zhao thought to himself, all kinds of meat? This little shop has quite a selection.

Teng Liang suddenly turned his head, revealing a mischievous smile, and said: "Zhaozi, do you want to try the 'all kinds of meat' soup?"

Tang Zhao said: "All kinds of meat soup? How many kinds of meat? Is it a hodgepodge?"

Teng Liang laughed heartily and said: "Where have you eaten this before? 'All kinds of meat' just means rat meat."

Tang Zhao choked slightly, and the old man showed a fawning smile, saying: "Exactly, rat meat is our shop's specialty. Freshly killed and sold; one soup pot can hold fifty of them."

Tang Zhao's mouth twitched, and he seemed to hear the "squeak-squeak" sounds in his ears. Teng Liang laughed: "Forget your 'all kinds of meat,' the taste is not bad, but there's no meat to get stuck in your teeth. Bring two bowls of beef soup first to pad our stomachs; we brothers still have plenty to talk about, and I'll have you taste your soup pot later. If you serve us well, there will be extra tip money, it just depends on whether my brother has had his fill."

With that, the two lifted the curtain and entered the shop, seeing a small storefront with three or four tables packed full.

As soon as Teng Liang entered, he coughed, and several people stood up from two of the tables, saying one after another: "Brother Teng—oh, Brother Teng is here, sit down, sit down."

Teng Liang looked at Tang Zhao triumphantly, and Tang Zhao understood his meaning: I'm not doing too badly, haven't I already become "Brother Teng"?

Tang Zhao gave him an understanding and encouraging smile.

The thug nearby was not necessarily younger than Teng Liang in age, and was actually a few years older; he called him "Brother Teng" because of his lower status, and said with a fawning smile, "Brother Teng, sit here. Quickly, move a chair out for Brother Teng."

Teng Liang laughed and scolded, "What 'move a chair'? You lot, get lost to the side and move a table over for me."

The few thugs were all stunned; although Teng Liang was "Brother Teng," he was not their true boss, and it didn't seem like they should have to clear a table for him. In the past, Teng Liang wouldn't have been so tactless, so what was wrong with him today?

Tang Zhao said, "There's really no need..."

Teng Liang said, "Enough of that, can you squeeze in with them? Go on, go on, clear a table for my brother, hurry up and get lost!" Having said that, he slapped the table.

Seeing him lose his temper, the few thugs all thought he must have taken the wrong medicine, but Teng Liang had been riding high lately and looked to be on the verge of another promotion, so they shouldn't clash with him; they all stood up one after another. One of them, seeing that Tang Zhao was good-looking, thought to himself: Where did this Teng fellow find this kid? He must be trying to show off in front of him. Better not ruin his fun, or word might get out that we're fighting over a pretty boy.

But the room was only so big; once a table was cleared, the others became even more crowded, so the few thugs sat down nearby with a swagger, squeezing out the last few honest diners.

Tang Zhao sat down, officially entering the thugs' reserved area.

Teng Liang wiped the table twice and said, "Come, go and invite that string-player in the back over for me, to provide music for my brother's drinks."