Tang Family Fort

Wuqiao Town was roughly fifty li from Qingwu County.

After leaving Wuqiao Town and traveling ten li along a rugged path, one could reach the official road, which led straight to the county seat. Overall, the road was easy enough to travel, and during the day, one generally would not run into bandits.

But at night, that was hard to say.

Especially in late autumn, when the sky was frozen solid and food was scarce—it was precisely when bandits were most active.

Chen He clearly knew this all too well and urged the carriage onward at full speed. By the hour of the Goat in the afternoon, he had reached the county gates.

The towering, majestic walls loomed before them, with soldiers faintly visible patrolling atop them. At the city gate, a squad of armored soldiers stood guard, making it clear that no one could act recklessly.

Merchants and commoners streamed endlessly in and out of the gate, each holding a travel permit as they lined up to pass through.

Qingwu County lay on Da Qian's border, so a Thousand Household Garrison had been established there, and inspections for entering and leaving the city were strict. Even locals needed a travel permit bearing an official seal to enter or leave.

Xie An had no household registration, so naturally he could not obtain a sealed travel permit. Whenever he came to the county seat before, he had used Li Manor's travel permit, claiming to be conducting business for the pawnshop, before he was allowed inside.

Now that he was traveling with Chen He, things were much more convenient. All he had to do was say that he was Chen He's attendant.

"Soldier, here is the travel permit."

Chen He presented the travel document with both hands. After inspecting it, the guard glanced at Xie An behind him, his expression turning stern. "Where's his?"

Without making it obvious, Chen He slipped the guard a little loose silver and said with an ingratiating smile, "He's my coachman, helping me transport some goods. Please make things convenient for us, Soldier."

After pocketing the silver, the guard's stern expression softened considerably. He nodded and said, "Go in. Curfew begins at the hour of the Dog and ends at the hour of the Rabbit the following day. Don't miss the time to leave the city."

"Thank you for the reminder, Soldier."

Chen He bowed in thanks, then hurriedly pulled the carriage into the city.

Cities throughout Da Qian generally enforced a curfew. Only during important festivals, such as the New Year, was the curfew lifted for seven days, under the pretext of rejoicing with the people and celebrating throughout the land.

Once inside the county seat, broad bluestone roads stretched everywhere, with pedestrians moving in and out of shops on both sides and carriages passing one after another. The surrounding buildings stood in dense ranks, grand and imposing, radiating a sense of magnificence.

Although Xie An had visited the county seat many times, several years had passed since his last visit. Now that he was here again, he still felt like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city.

Living in a place like this would be something.

Once I gained some ability and made some money, I would buy a large four-courtyard residence in the city, find a few pretty maids, and play the master of the house.

I might be getting a little old, but one still had to have dreams.

Xie An was thinking along these lines.

"Brother Xie, the newly opened antiques market is at the end of Flower Willow Alley in the east of the city. I need to exchange some medicinal ingredients first. How about we meet in Flower Willow Alley in an hour?"

"Sure."

The two parted on Central Avenue. Chen He went to the medicinal-materials market, while Xie An, familiar with the way, found several large pawnshops and went in with the chamber pot to sell it outright.

The county seat's pawnshops were indeed much grander. The Appraisal Masters there also had sharp eyes and excellent skills, recognizing at a glance that the chamber pot was a valuable item.

After comparing three shops, Xie An still felt unsatisfied, so he went directly to the largest Yong'an Pawnshop in the county seat to ask about its price.

Sure enough, the larger a pawnshop was, the more it cared about its reputation, and the less often it resorted to driving down prices to swindle people.

An elderly Appraisal Master with a white beard immediately offered the highest price. "It is indeed an item used by royalty a century ago. If you pawn it temporarily, I can offer two hundred and twenty taels at three percent interest. If you sell it outright, two hundred and fifty taels."

Xie An felt that this old Appraisal Master knew his stuff and spoke with great decisiveness, so he said, "I'll sell it outright."

Selling it outright meant a one-time deal—it could not be redeemed.

Xie An had never considered redeeming some chamber pot anyway...

The old man with the white beard brought out five large silver ingots and handed them to Xie An. "If you come across more objects like this in the future, feel free to find me. My surname is Liu, and my given name is Ji."

Xie An indicated that he understood. He then wrapped the silver ingots in the cloth bag he had brought with him and turned to leave the pawnshop.

With two hundred and fifty taels of wealth tucked against his chest, his back straightened considerably as he walked down the street.

They said a person's confidence came from their strength.

Money was a form of strength too.

With his purse bulging, he naturally had to enjoy a hearty meal.

Xie An found an inexpensive eatery and ordered a bowl of braised beef, a spicy lamb's head, and some white rice, then enjoyed a hearty feast.

Most of the day's hunger faded away, and even his Five Viscera Temple was thoroughly satisfied.

While eating, he heard the diners next door discussing something.

"Have you heard? Old Mr. Tang of Tang Family Fort is on the verge of death. He's looking for a gifted disciple to inherit his Six Elephant Strength, but unfortunately, he still hasn't found a suitable candidate."

"What a pity. Old Mr. Tang is one of the few unusual martial masters in Qingwu County who cultivated a Health Cultivation Technique to become a martial master. And now, at the end of his life, he can't find anyone to inherit his life's mastery."

"That's hardly anyone's fault. The world is in turmoil these days, and anyone with talent goes off to practice martial arts. Who would still practice a Health Cultivation Technique?"

"Exactly. Three to five years of martial arts training brings tremendous results, but a Health Cultivation Technique needs thirty or fifty years of accumulation before it shows even the slightest effect. Only an idiot would practice a Health Cultivation Technique."

"..."

Only an idiot would practice a Health Cultivation Technique...

Xie An's heart jolted. He suddenly remembered that Tang Qingfeng, who had led him into the Health Cultivation Technique, was a member of Tang Family Fort.

Back then, Tang Qingfeng had said that if he managed to cultivate a Qi Sensation, he could go to Tang Family Fort and look for him. He might even have the chance to obtain a fortuitous opportunity.

Could this opportunity be Old Mr. Tang's life's mastery... Six Elephant Strength?

Although Xie An knew very little about Tang Family Fort, from the diners' discussion, he learned that Old Mr. Tang had relied on a Health Cultivation Technique to attain the title of martial master. That alone was enough to glimpse his extraordinary nature.

Moreover... a Health Cultivation Technique could also make someone a martial master?

That was something Xie An had never considered before.

All along, Xie An had wanted to practice martial arts, believing that was the proper path. The only reason he had delayed until now was that he could not afford a martial arts manual.

If cultivating a Health Cultivation Technique could also make me a martial master skilled in killing, wouldn't that mean I was already walking the right path?

But the Health Cultivation Technique consisted of little more than flashy forms. Aside from strengthening the body and increasing physical power, it did not involve any killing techniques.

How had this Old Mr. Tang managed to do it?

Xie An faintly felt that he had touched the threshold of an entirely new door, but he was still missing far too many pieces.

"What a pity. I failed to cultivate a Qi Sensation, so I can't go to Tang Family Fort. Even if I did, no one would take me seriously..."

Xie An felt somewhat disappointed. Seeing that it was almost time for his appointment with Chen He, he settled the bill and left, hurrying to meet up with him.

As soon as he reached the end of Flower Willow Alley, he saw Chen He anxiously waiting beside the road with the carriage.

"Brother Xie, you nearly gave me a heart attack. If we'd been any later, the antiques market would have closed. Come on, come on—let's go treasure hunting."

The newly opened antiques market was fairly large, with all kinds of objects available, over a hundred stalls, and shouts of hawkers ringing out without pause.

Chen He dragged Xie An around among the stalls.

"Take a quick look. Do you see anything good?"

"Don't rush me. I'm looking."

After looking around, Xie An could only shake his head.

Chen He was deeply disappointed. "Not a single bargain?"

Xie An explained with a wry smile, "How could treasure hunting be that simple? Antiques aren't marked with fixed prices to begin with, and their values fluctuate wildly. Unless there's a price gap several times over to guarantee a profit, buying one can easily leave it stuck in your hands, or result in wasting your time for nothing. The items here have all passed through several hands already, so there isn't much profit left. If you really want to find bargains, you need to buy first-hand goods directly from tomb robbers. That's where the money is."

Only then did Chen He understand. After wasting a little time, it was already nearly curfew. The two had no choice but to hurry out of the city.

If they missed curfew, they would have to spend the night inside the city. Both men made a living and each managed a shop—one a pawnshop, the other a medicinal shop. If they failed to return for a day, their employers would be angry.

By the time they left the county seat, dusk had fallen.

Night arrived halfway through their journey. No one could be seen along either side of the official road, leaving only the wavering shadows of trees and the shrill cries of crows.

"We wasted too much time. Traveling at night isn't safe. We need to hurry back." Chen He viciously whipped the horse's rump with a bamboo switch, urging it onward.

As they passed a bend in the road, three masked men carrying broad sabers suddenly appeared ahead.

"Neigh—hiss!"

Chen He hurriedly reined in the horse, his face filled with panic. "Three Sirs, what are you doing?"

The tall man standing in the middle of the three revealed a venomous look. "Old man, you came out of Yong'an Pawnshop with two hundred and fifty taels of silver. You're quite wealthy, aren't you? I'm short of money lately, and I just love fat sheep like you."