Catching Adulterers and Watching the Show, Walking as if on Level Ground

The afternoon sun beat down fiercely on Linjiang County.

Li Xiang pulled his rickshaw along the bluestone road, wind beneath his feet, leaving a blur in his wake.

Sweat slid down his back and soaked his gray work clothes, but he felt no fatigue. His legs were like two tireless steam engines, drawing an endless supply of strength from the earth with every stride.

[Electric Rickshaw Driver experience +1]

[Electric Rickshaw Driver experience +1]

"Was this the effect of Iron Soles?"

Li Xiang felt the rhythm of the muscles in his legs.

Before, pulling someone who weighed several hundred pounds this far would have left his calves cramping.

Now, not only was he free of fatigue, running felt better with every step. His breathing fell into rhythm with his stride, giving him the faint sense that he was cultivating an internal art.

"Rickshaw! Rickshaw!"

At the entrance to the docks, a fat middle-aged man in a silk robe waved, a leather suitcase in his hand.

His face glowed with health, but he carried the weariness of a long journey. He was clearly a traveling merchant who had just returned from out of town.

"Coming!"

Li Xiang swung the rickshaw around in a neat turn and stopped squarely before the man. He set down the handles with the easy efficiency of someone who had pulled rickshaws for ten years.

"Where to, sir?" Li Xiang asked, flashing his white teeth.

"Willow Tree Alley in the west of town. Make it quick—I'm eager to get home."

The man climbed in, set the suitcase on his lap, and urged him on.

"You got it. Sit tight."

Li Xiang lifted the handles and broke into a steady run.

Willow Tree Alley was where Linjiang County's middle class lived, mostly small merchants