Hong Yuan

Chapter 17: Hong Yuan

Gao Xian changed into a much more respectable-looking dark robe, and the wooden hairpin in his topknot was replaced with one of jade. However, the dao mark on his brow was hidden. Aside from being good-looking, he appeared to be just an ordinary daoist.

After all, while other places could be dismissed as similar, daoists wandering the martial world were not uncommon. If you included all sorts of traveling daoists who treated illnesses and told fortunes, there were even more. But the mark on his brow was too conspicuous. Rumors of Sword Immortals were widespread within Gongzhou. Anyone could tell who he was at a glance.

"You gluttonous donkey, you're going to eat me poor, Great Immortal," Great Immortal Kongchen said, weighing his drastically shrunken money pouch.

"Look at the Azure Dragon Guardian. It's never given me a moment's worry," he added, glancing as if he thought the donkey had gotten even fatter.

The donkey looked at Great Immortal Kongchen's brand-new cloud-patterned dao robe, then at the exquisite jade hairpin and jade pendant. Finally, it lowered its head to look at the Drunken Immortal Brew, worth twenty taels of silver, hanging from its neck.

It didn't dare to mention it.

General Donkey argued, "Great Immortal! It's this humble donkey who carries your luggage every day. It's this humble donkey who works tirelessly."

"But the Azure Dragon Guardian is something you, Great Immortal, have to carry. How can that be the same?"

General Donkey felt utterly wronged.

"If you want the donkey to run, but don't want it to eat grass, how is that possible?"

"Great Immortal, you must open your eyes and see clearly who is most loyal to you."

Kongchenzi looked down at the cunning donkey, noting how quickly it had learned to twist words and ignore the main point. "Is that grass you're eating? You ate a whole table of good food, and you're still looking at this wine? I remember yesterday, that pot was only half drunk. Where did the other half go?"

General Donkey immediately looked around evasively, appearing neither righteous nor confident.

"Maybe it spilled on the ground."

Just then, from the bend in the river in the distance, the sound of rushing water could be heard, like ten thousand horses galloping.

"Look, it's the Jiang River! Great Immortal, we've reached the Great River."

After a journey of a lazy donkey plodding along, dawdling, staying in the finest inns, eating the most expensive dishes, and drinking the most exquisite wine, they finally saw the main artery of the Great River. They were quite awestruck.

The Great River was so wide, its boundaries were unseen.

The man and the donkey were both excited and walked further.

They saw waves stretching for a thousand miles, with a thousand sails competing on the river's surface. The ships' hulls kicked up rolling white waves, a magnificent sight that showcased the prosperity of this waterway trade route.

After the start of spring, this shipping lane, which had been stagnant all winter, was eagerly operating at full capacity. For merchants, the vessels on the river were not just boats; they were mountains of gold.

In the distance, a city was built on only three sides. This was the commandery city of Wendong Commandery. One side faced the Great River. Gao Xian had no intention of stopping, heading straight for the dock.

Only in Wendong Commandery were there boats going to Jiangting Commandery.

Jiangting Commandery was the provincial capital of Jiangzhou and the confluence of the Ling River and the Grand Canal leading to the Capital City. This alone was enough to understand how important and prosperous Jiangting Commandery was.

However, Jiangting's greatest fame lay in its scholarly elegance and its pleasure districts. If merchants and scholars from other states came to Great Zhou, they could skip the Capital City, but they absolutely had to visit Jiangting to experience Great Zhou's refined culture and pleasures.

Gao Xian found an agent at a dockside agency to help him find a boat to Jiangting.

"There are no boats going directly to Jiangting these past few days. You'll have to wait a few days." The agent was dressed quite well, a stark contrast to the laborers on the dock.

"However, if you're in a hurry, sir, there's a boat chartered by Xishan Academy docked over there. It's also going to Jiangzhou. I can try to mediate for you, but I can't guarantee success."

Just as Gao Xian agreed, another person rushed into the agency, panting for breath.

"Are there any boats going to Jiangting Commandery? I need one for today, immediately."

A woman dressed in gray, looking like a young servant or attendant, wore a small cap that didn't fit well and looked somewhat comical. A large wooden chest was strapped to her back, weighing her down and making her breathless.

She also carried a sword, but it looked like nothing more than a piece of scrap metal.

The sight was extremely peculiar. She seemed like a martial artist? Or perhaps a merchant? But she didn't seem like either.

Seeing the tools sticking out of the chest, Gao Xian suddenly understood. "She's a street performer, doing acrobatics."

The agent also smiled. It seemed he could earn money from two customers on this trip.

He repeated what he had just told Gao Xian to the woman, then went out to make arrangements.

The woman carrying the wooden chest finally sat down to catch her breath. Only then did she notice a daoist sitting nearby, and more importantly, leading a donkey.

The woman was startled and jumped to her feet. However, after cautiously observing him, she saw that Gao Xian's brow was blank and let out a long sigh of relief.

"A martial artist?" Although no longer afraid, her guard remained up.

"A traveling daoist, I treat people's illnesses and tell fortunes to earn money to cast a golden statue for the Daoist Venerable and repair the temple," Gao Xian replied honestly, looking harmless.

"So you don't know martial arts? You're not a martial artist then?" The woman puffed out her not-so-ample chest proudly, as if telling Gao Xian that she herself was a martial artist with extraordinary skills.

"I've never practiced martial arts. This is my first time descending the mountain," Gao Xian replied honestly. He was indeed new to the world and hadn't practiced martial arts before, or rather, he hadn't needed to.

"Are you also going to Jiangting?" With her guard down, the woman became more familiar.

"I've heard Jiangting is prosperous, and I want to see it for myself," Gao Xian said.

The woman seemed to have a lot of experience. "That's right, there are many wealthy people in Jiangting. With your appearance, Daoist, if you're eloquent, you'll definitely make a fortune there."

After sitting for a while, the girl couldn't help herself. She was probably a chatterbox, or perhaps in the advanced stages of hyperactivity.

She hugged her scrap-metal sword and looked at Gao Xian's attire, shaking her head and tutting.

"Little Daoist, you're too naive for your first time down the mountain!"

"Please offer some guidance, esteemed senior." Gao Xian was eager to learn.

The young woman had a rather patronizing air, speaking with the tone of someone experienced. "Do you know what's most important when wandering the jianghu?"

Before Gao Xian could answer, she clapped her hands. "It's keeping your true strength hidden."

Her gaze drifted into the distance. "As long as you don't reveal your trump card, others won't dare to act rashly. You can achieve the state of subduing the enemy without fighting."

"Whoever reveals their trump card first loses."

She then looked at Gao Xian with disdain. "Look at you, dressed so well, with a jade hairpin. This outfit must be worth a lot of silver."

"The bandits and demonic cultivators on the road will target you immediately."

The young woman didn't know that Gao Xian actually wished he'd run into some bandits, having deliberately dressed like a plump lamb.

However, he couldn't say that now, so Gao Xian could only nod as if he suddenly understood.

"Oh!"

"Live and learn!"

Gao Xian wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but the young woman's eagerness to teach was ignited.

She pointed to her own attire, implying her carefully crafted disguise and sharing her hard-won wisdom. "You should learn from me. Don't flaunt your wealth, and keep your precious sword sheathed. That's how you live a long life."

"Thank you for the reminder, brother. I'll change later."

The young woman was overjoyed, having saved another novice jianghu wanderer. She didn't notice the donkey behind her looking at her speechlessly.

General Donkey thought, Whose naive girl is this? Talking to this killer about what to do if he encounters bandits and demonic cultivators?

If bandits and demonic cultivators encountered him, would they even survive?

Just then, the matchmaker ran back.

"The people from Xishan Academy who chartered the boat want to meet you two. After all, the passengers are all students of the academy, so their concerns are understandable."

They followed the matchmaker to the dock. Upon boarding the boat, they saw many students in long robes and hats approaching, sizing up Gao Xian and the young woman.

Their destination, Jiangzhou, was where they would meet people from other academies. It was a major event held annually, unrelated to the academy itself, but rather a private exchange among the students.

It had to be said that being good-looking did have its advantages, as it eased the expressions of these Xishan Academy students.

It was a natural form of camouflage. Most people seemed to believe that attractive individuals couldn't possibly be bad people.

"I am Tang Yao, known in the jianghu as Hong Yuan. Greetings, everyone." The young woman stepped forward, proudly announcing her name, as if her mere name would shock the world and command respect.