Black Night Lanterns, Silver Money Paves the Way

Traveling a thousand miles under the stars, four people became horses, a swift breeze, two days later.

Chu Ge stood on the hillside, looking at the hundreds of fireflies flickering in the distance on the plain outside the city walls not far below, and exclaimed.

"It seems the surrounding towns are becoming more and more unsafe. So many merchant caravans are traveling at night to the Prefectural City."

The nights in this world are not like the world before his transmigration, with streetlights everywhere. Walking in the wilderness means being in pitch-black darkness, where you might not even see someone standing five meters away.

Moreover, the wilderness is full of wild beasts, and even rumored exotic demons and devils, making it extremely dangerous.

Few people are willing to travel at night unless absolutely necessary.

Fortunately, they were now only a step away from the Prefectural City.

Under the vast starry sky, Jiangcheng Prefecture City, not far away, was also lit up with lights.

Flags fluttered on the city walls, and the battlements and watchtowers faintly showed guards on duty and lookout, giving a sense of security.

After surveying the surroundings from a high vantage point, Chu Ge quickly descended the hillside.

On the mountain path below, a carriage was parked alone.

A hanging scroll and a red lantern hung from the front of the carriage, while a kite swayed quietly in the wind at the rear.

Along the way, Chu Ge learned his lesson. He used the Thousand Mile Kite to observe his surroundings from time to time, avoiding being targeted by bandits, and his journey had been quite smooth.

As for the four Yellow Turban thugs who had pulled the carriage before, Chu Ge had thoughtfully sent them to Dragon Bell to reunite with their own kind.

Now, with only a few large boxes, Chu Ge had to drag the carriage to the Prefectural City himself.

After all, enslaving four Yellow Turban thugs would be too conspicuous and attract a lot of attention, possibly even from experts of the Yellow Turban Sect.

Chu Ge did not want to be high-profile upon his arrival. The next day, the bodies were found in a foul-smelling ditch outside the city.

He grabbed the carriage shaft and quickly headed towards the Prefectural City.

"Hee hee hee-- Giddy up! Giddy up! Pillar! Hurry, run faster!"

On the carriage, Little Sprite Qian, a refined sprite, giggled, swinging her smooth little feet.

She had already changed into a new paper body.

She looked about thirteen or fourteen, with a childlike innocence, wearing a jade-colored, red and green velvet jacket. A small braid circled her forehead, and dimples could be faintly seen on her cheeks.

After practicing for the past two days, she could now skillfully use the paper box voice amplifier made by Chu Ge, allowing her to speak and communicate simply.

"Little girl, if I speed up, you won't be able to handle it!"

Chu Ge snorted and suddenly increased his running speed.

Xiao Qian immediately let out a startled cry, her paper body almost being blown away. She quickly grabbed the kite string hanging from the carriage to steady herself, then hid inside the carriage in annoyance and cursed.

"Bad Pillar!"

Chu Ge laughed and said, "If you use a bit of your Exotic Power, your paper body will become as heavy as a normal person's. When I have money in the future, I'll rebuild your core with Gold Paper, and your body will become even stronger."

Xiao Qian inside the carriage cheered, then poked her head out and asked curiously in her nascent voice, "Why, why must you use Gold Paper? Can't you use the skin of exotic demons or spirit fish?"

"Hmm?"

Chu Ge paused, then nodded. "You're right, but compared to Gold Paper, which can be bought with money, both of those are too difficult to obtain.

Perhaps in the Prefectural City, resources are more abundant, and I can get them. By the way, do exotic demons really exist?"

"Yes, yes. When Xiao Qian was with a big villain, she saw them at an auction house. They are very powerful and precious, and are favored by Demon and Devil warriors."

Chu Ge knew that the big villain Xiao Qian mentioned was the Soul Chasing Old Man. He asked, "How strong are they? Stronger than mortal realm warriors, reaching the Force Condensation Realm?"

"I, I don't know, but I feel that even the weakest one would be very dangerous for you to encounter."

Chu Ge was speechless for a moment and instinctively looked at the dark mountains and wilderness around them, feeling a chill.

However, he had already used the Thousand Mile Kite to observe the life force signatures in the surrounding mountains and wilderness and had not detected any powerful ones. He felt relatively at ease walking at night, so he said, "I've never seen exotic demons or devils. I've heard that these strange creatures live in remote and desolate areas, far from Great Zhou. There shouldn't be any near this Prefectural City."

"Yes, yes, but Xiao Qian heard the big villain say that recently the world has been chaotic, and exotic demons have begun to appear in some places, devouring an entire village."

"That's really dangerous! I need to hurry up and break through to the Force Condensation Realm. Spiritual Aptitude, Spiritual Aptitude. Xiao Qian, you seem very spiritual. Can you tell if I have Spiritual Aptitude?"

Xiao Qian was stunned, "..."

Receiving no response, Chu Ge couldn't help but smile. He then looked at the Prefectural City not far away, which glowed in the darkness like a giant beast crouching, and continued to run steadily.

Soon, he left the mountain path and reached the main road, encountering some merchant caravans.

He found a caravan that was easier to talk to, explained his unfortunate encounter of being killed by bandits and having his horse stolen, and then bought a horse from the caravan at a high price.

This way, he wouldn't have to work like an ox or a horse himself.

Driving the carriage again, Chu Ge took out his travel permit from his bag and followed the flow of people heading towards the city gate, undergoing inspections to enter the city.

In this world and in this era, everyone was travel-worn from traveling overnight, and hygiene was not something to speak of. It was common for some people not to bathe for months.

Therefore, they gathered at the city gate.

Suddenly, a mixed smell of body odor, foot odor, bad breath, cheap dry tobacco burning, and other strange, unpleasant odors filled the air, creating a smoggy atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe.

The voices of people from all directions, a mix of dialects from various obscure corners, mingled together, making one's head spin.

Amidst the crowds, even the women who were somewhat attractive had dull, sallow complexions, looking as if they lacked intelligence. In such a foul-smelling environment, one hardly bothered to take a second glance.

Although Chu Ge wasn't a pampered young master, he was a transmigrator after all. Facing this environment, he instinctively felt uncomfortable. After waiting in a long line, he finally had his travel permit checked and entered the city.

Along the way, he vaguely heard that in the coming period, entering the city might require a fee.

Many poor people, murmuring in low voices, spoke with bitter expressions.

"They're going to charge a fee to enter the city now."

Chu Ge was initially confused. After entering the city, he saw the jostling crowds and people sleeping on makeshift bedding of tattered cotton wadding in street corners and alleys, and he immediately understood.

Jiangcheng Prefecture, though a prefectural city, was vast.

But at this rate, if it continued to accommodate more people, the streets might soon become impassable.

It was the height of winter, and some villages were even experiencing starvation.

Coupled with the current chaotic times, it was natural for more and more people to flock to the prefectural city, even leading to a refugee crisis.

The overall environment seemed to be deteriorating.

"Hey, the carriage can't use the main road, it's blocking the way. Pull it aside to the post station."

Just then, a city official approached and yelled at Chu Ge.

Chu Ge's heart stirred. He walked over with a smile, cupped his fists, and said, "Officer, do you happen to know if any merchant teams from Linyuan City have arrived recently?"

As he spoke, he subtly took out a ten-tael silver ingot from his sleeve and offered it.

"How would I know?" The official, about to say he didn't know with an impatient expression, saw the gleaming silver. His impatience immediately turned into a smile. After taking the silver with a chuckle, he sized up Chu Ge and politely cupped his fists, smiling.

"Ah, a wealthy young master from Linyuan City! I thought your accent sounded so familiar. Heh, you know, I actually do know the whereabouts of recent arrivals. If the Wang Family's merchant team you mentioned has entered the city, they're likely staying at the Moon's Interest Inn on the west side of the city. Teams from Linyuan City tend to stay there."

"I see! Thank you, officer! You truly know everything about the city's movements, a model of dedication."

"Not at all! It's just my duty, a matter of course. You, young master, are also a man of talent, honest and reliable."

The official's smile widened. "Come, come, your carriage, take this path over there. This road is wide and leads directly along the river."

"Oh? Not to the inn? I'm new here and don't want to trouble you, officer."

"Oh, please! We're used to it. People from Linyuan City are law-abiding, no need to be polite."

"Alright, alright!"

Chu Ge smiled as he got into the carriage, waved goodbye to the official who seemed to have become an old friend, and headed straight for the west district via the direct route.

"Heh! This rich country bumpkin is so generous! And he speaks so nicely!"

The official watched Chu Ge leave, looked down at the silver ingot, bit it, nodded, and safely tucked it into his waist pouch. Then, his smile vanished, his face hardened, and with his hands behind his back, he continued to maintain order in the city.

"Is that him?"

"It is, it's him. He looks a lot like the portrait, just a bit more mature."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's quickly invite him to the Lin family's residence. We can get a reward too!"

"No, no, no. Let's follow him first. The Lin family's steward's instructions were clear: we need to subtly influence this person so he comes to the Lin family on his own, rather than inviting him immediately. You go report to the Lin family first that the person has arrived."

Among the crowd, two figures were following Chu Ge's carriage from a distance, discussing in low voices.