You Can Even Drive on This Rotten Road?

Duan Yun rode his donkey along the road, thinking of the banknotes and jade disc on him, filled with the satisfaction of being stuffed to the brim with filthy lucre.

He had been transported to this world for so long, yet had never been this rich.

It could be said that he had never carried more than fifty taels of silver on him.

And now, eight hundred taels!

The feeling left Duan Yun incredibly excited.

This was the most he had ever gained from upholding justice and helping the weak.

Thinking of all that silver, Duan Yun swelled with pride for a moment.

Since the road ahead was not far, he no longer wanted to walk, nor did he want to ride a donkey.

He wanted to hire a carriage straight to Springwatch City.

In Maplewood Town, Duan Yun stood before a rather luxuriously decorated carriage workshop, with an attendant waiting respectfully beside him.

"Get me a driver and a carriage. How should I put it? The outside should be plain, but the inside needs to be comfortable. The destination is Springwatch City. Oh, and there needs to be room for this donkey too. That's it."

After getting rich, Duan Yun's demands had become plain and unadorned as well.

Little Gray had no idea that, after a donkey's life of hardship and endurance, the day would come when it got to ride in a carriage and enjoy itself.

The attendant scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Sir, do you mean you want a female driver? We do have some who look plain enough, but whether they're comfortable inside... this humble one truly doesn't know."

Duan Yun wore a stunned expression that said, "You can even drive on this rotten road?" "I mean the carriage! The horse carriage! Who cares what the driver looks like? As long as their skills are good."

The attendant immediately realized the misunderstanding and hurriedly said, "Rest assured, sir, the skills will definitely be good. Definitely!"

In truth, the carriage workshop attendant had it hard. As a branch of Prosperity Carriage Workshop, they had always upheld the main workshop's principle: "Put people first; make riding a carriage a joy." They did their best to fulfill every customer's needs.

Provided the money was sufficient.

There were not many rich people in this world, and most of them were martial artists. Perhaps because they practiced martial arts, there was no shortage of perverts. Some demanded eighteen kinds of fresh fruit at any time while riding, with beauties serving them as they ate; others required their drivers to be burly men wearing gauze skirts. In any case, all manner of bizarre requests existed.

Having seen too much of this, and with Duan Yun looking like a martial artist himself, the attendant could hardly keep his thoughts from running astray. That was how the earlier exchange had happened.

After confirming that Duan Yun was a normal customer, the attendant began recommending all sorts of services. Duan Yun had never rented a carriage before, and only now did he discover how many tricks there were to it. It was package after package, just like service-provider plans.

During this period, he had felt Springwatch City drawing ever closer. Aside from prices growing more expensive, there were also increasingly more ways to enjoy oneself. For example, Maplewood Town had a place where one could eat while soaking one's feet and getting a massage.

Prosperity Carriage Workshop was much the same.

Having just received a large reward, Duan Yun figured there would be plenty more silver like this in the future. Thus, without much hesitation, he chose the low-key luxury version: a first-class carriage and a first-class driver.

Soon after, a young woman in a pale green gauze dress pulled up in a black carriage.

Several patches of paint had peeled from the carriage's exterior, and it bore no extravagant decorations. It was indeed plain and unadorned. Yet after Duan Yun sat inside, he realized there was a whole world hidden within.

A broad bench covered in snow-white fur carpets could be used for either sitting or lying down. Then the young lady driver gently opened several concealed drawers in the carriage, indicating that the fruit, wine, and prepared fruit tea inside were all his to enjoy freely.

He had to admit that the carriage truly was plain and unadorned outside, yet incomparably comfortable within. It suited Duan Yun's demands perfectly, except he was rather dissatisfied with the driver.

That was because the young lady driver had said that whenever the journey grew lonely, she could be enjoyed by him at any time.

Was this a carriage workshop or a brothel?

He, Duan Yun, kept himself clean. How could he casually enjoy his driver? Thus, Duan Yun said to the attendant, "I want to change drivers."

The attendant said, "Sir, don't be fooled by how gentle Miss Ning'er looks. She is a true expert at handling horses, and she hasn't made any serious mistakes in seven years. Her martial skills are also quite decent, so she can ensure your safety along the way. Among the drivers here, she is the most sought-after."

Duan Yun said, "I don't want a pretty one."

The attendant immediately understood. "I forgot that Young Master Duan prefers an appearance that is plain and unadorned. Then I'll get you—"

"No female driver."

The attendant wore an expression that said, "So that's your preference." "This humble one will arrange a man for you right away. His skills are guaranteed to be good!"

Thus, a plain and unadorned middle-aged man replaced the young lady driver.

When the first-class young lady driver left, her face was filled with resentment. She looked deeply unhappy.

The reason she had volunteered to come out was not because she lacked business. In truth, she was no longer merely a first-class driver, but an exceptional-class driver. She had lowered her price solely because she had taken a liking to Duan Yun's face.

Driving the carriage one-handed while flirting sweetly with a handsome young man, then earning money on top of it—that truly was a wonderful thing.

Yet Duan Yun wanted only a man, leaving her deeply depressed.

She had never imagined that before a male customer, she would lose to a male colleague with a wooden, dull-looking face.

Could all the gays in Springwatch City just die already!

Along the way, the carriage traveled steadily. One could tell from the wine on the small table: its surface rippled faintly, yet showed no sign of spilling whatsoever.

Duan Yun had not expected the carriage-rental business around Springwatch City to have developed to such a degree.

As a result, he grew even more expectant of the Springwatch City his father had spoken of longingly.

But such enjoyment was truly not something ordinary people could afford. One trip cost eight taels of silver. In Riverside City, eight taels could have fed him for an entire year.

He had to admit that the gap between rich and poor in this world was enormous, like the gap between martial artists and ordinary folk, or between ordinary folk and livestock.

This was a plain, and the carriage ran with ease. Duan Yun enjoyed the sensation immensely.

Only Little Gray, the donkey that had labored ever since shortly after its birth, rarely got such a chance to lie at the back of the carriage, stretch out its hooves, and doze off.

With nothing to do in the carriage, Duan Yun took out the Divine Iron he had previously pilfered from one of the Thunder Crazies of the Thunder Duke and Old Mother Sect.

Strange runes were written on the pieces of Divine Iron. Some resembled tadpoles, while others looked like bizarre patterns. For instance, the two symbols before him resembled a pair of eyes.

According to Hua Wen and Hua Wu, these iron pieces had truly fallen from the sky, and staring at them for too long could easily drive one mad.

Thus, Duan Yun had always been cautious with them. He examined them for a while today, but gained nothing.

He could not even be sure whether they were some kind of cultivation technique. At any rate, he could not recognize a single character.

Still, Duan Yun did not continue studying them. He feared that with his peerless talent, even if he could not recognize a single character, he might accidentally learn it and go mad on the spot.

The sight of that Thunder Crazy losing his mind that night had truly frightened him.

Only after the carriage set out did Duan Yun realize that the people who had given him directions had fooled him again.

Someone had previously told him that once he reached Maplewood Town, he would essentially be at the edge of Springwatch City's territory, and would definitely arrive within half a day.

Yet the carriage had clearly traveled for a full day and night. He had even slept once in the comfortable carriage before they arrived.

It had to be said that the driver was extremely professional. He had gone without sleep or rest, yet remained full of vigor, giving off the feeling that man and horse were one.

"Sir, Springwatch City lies over there."

Holding a wine cup, Duan Yun looked in the direction of the voice.

Even from such a distance, he could still see the towering city walls.

From here, Springwatch City's walls resembled a crouching dragon, appearing particularly majestic.

This was Duan Yun's first time understanding what a great city truly was.

No, it could even be called a heroic city.

Indeed, since coming to this world, although he had traveled such a long road, he had never seen a city of this scale.

The towns and villages he had passed through became naturally more prosperous the closer they were to Springwatch City, far beyond what his hometown, Riverside City, could compare to.

Yet even with all those towns preparing him for it, Duan Yun was still shaken when he first laid eyes on Springwatch City.

The Springwatch City before him actually possessed an air of craftsmanship so exquisite it seemed to steal the work of Heaven itself.

This was the great city his father had spoken of, built by master craftsmen of Heaven's skill—a great city filled with martial arts schools, where even gynecologists were respected.

Even in the outskirts, the roads were already extraordinarily bustling. Looking out, carriages flowed like water and horses surged like dragons.

The desolation that had filled the roads earlier had completely vanished here, replaced by clamor that surged like the tide.

From time to time, little girls selling flowers came up to ask whether he wished to buy any. Duan Yun was in a good mood, and the girls looked sensible and adorable, so he bought several bouquets.

"Kind-hearted big brother, may you have good luck."

With that lovely mood, Duan Yun finally reached his destination—Springwatch City.