Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang blinked and blinked, one looking puzzled by what he heard, the other looking utterly bewildered.
Neither was any good. Both were putting on an act.
She had spelled it out so clearly, and they even knew the real inside story. How could they fail to understand?
Both understood what the Qi Household feared, and inwardly, they were rather delighted. Who would have thought that a false accusation would turn a disaster into a blessing? Their luck was so good that the dark clouds hanging over their futures had scattered just like that.
Now it seemed that being hauled into prison and suffering a round of interrogation under torture had been worth it.
Just then, an employee came running upstairs. He glanced around at everyone and reported, "Proprietress, Zhixu City has lifted the lockdown, and the passage to the outside is open again. The goods we've inventoried can be shipped out at any time."
Lan Qiaoyan nodded slightly, rose, and gave the order. "Then set out."
"Yes." Old Tan acknowledged her, then looked at Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. "Will you two be coming along, or would you like to stay and enjoy yourselves a little longer?"
"We're going, going, going," Wu Jinliang said hastily.
Shi Chun nodded too. "We'll come along. We'll come along."
Everything that needed settling in this wretched place had been settled, and they had suffered everything they had to suffer. Neither wanted to stay a moment longer. They had long yearned for the dazzling world outside that they had heard so much about, and now their eyes could not help shining.
Fortunately, delight had not completely muddled their heads. Shi Chun put on the gentle smile he had deliberately practiced countless times and bowed to Lan Qiaoyan. "Thank you for looking after us all these years, Proprietress. I'll take my leave now. I'll repay your great kindness another day!"
"Well..." Wu Jinliang bowed too, hesitated, then finally steeled himself and called out, "Mother, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself. The same goes for me-I'll repay your great kindness another day!" Then he lowered his head somewhat fearfully and picked up the great saber he had just set on the floor, not daring to look up.
He still dared call her Mother? Lan Qiaoyan rolled her eyes again. She had meant to scold him, but inexplicably, for reasons she could not understand herself, that big fellow's cry of "Mother" made her nose sting. She pressed her lips together, feeling as though she had truly seen a ghost.
For once, she did not scold the big fellow again. She turned away and walked over to the window, speaking with her back to them. "Living conditions outside are better than here, but people always want too much. On the road ahead, take good care of yourselves. All right, off you go. Old Tan, take them."
"Yes," Old Tan replied, then extended a hand to usher the two out.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang each bowed once more to the woman's back at the window before turning to follow Old Tan.
Wangbo Tower's delivery party was small, only ten people. Their hands looked empty, and they carried nothing on their persons.
Old Tan entrusted Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang to them and personally saw the party off. Only after escorting everyone into the entrance to Urn City did he turn back.
When he turned around, he discovered that Lan Qiaoyan had come too, with the bare-chested, bushy-bearded Blacksmith beside her.
Old Tan was rather surprised. It was understandable if the proprietress was worried about the goods, but what had Blacksmith come for?
He walked over, but before he could speak, Lan Qiaoyan explained, "Blacksmith said he wanted to see the big fellow off."
Now Old Tan was truly baffled. He looked Blacksmith up and down. "See Wu Jinliang off? When did you become such close friends with that big fellow?"
Blacksmith bristled, his beard puffing and his eyes bulging. "Friends, my ass. Back when he was forging that great saber, I told him he was using too much material and making the weapon too heavy. Taking it into fights in the Land of Exile was asking to die. But he said I had it backward-not only would it not get him killed, it actually held the secret to staying alive. I didn't believe him, so he made a bet with me, saying I'd believe it the day he left here alive. The wager was that when he left, I had to see him off in person."
Now Old Tan was not the only one curious. Lan Qiaoyan asked, "So you lost?"
"I lost to that big fellow's shamelessness," Blacksmith said irritably.
Old Tan could no longer contain himself. "Come on, tell us. What secret to staying alive was hidden in that great saber?"
"Heh." Blacksmith looked both annoyed and amused. "Earlier, he came to the Blacksmith Shop to say goodbye. When I heard he was leaving, I asked him to reveal the secret, only to discover that the bastard had long since forgotten the wager. And I'd been thinking about it all these years! He only remembered after I reminded him.
"What infuriated me was that once he remembered, the scoundrel actually tried to go back on his word. He didn't want to reveal the saber's secret to staying alive, so he said he'd been joking and wanted to drop it. Was I someone he could toy with so easily? Naturally, I declared that he'd lost the bet and started reckoning what punishment he owed me. He couldn't take it, and only then did he reveal the truth."
At the word "truth," his expression actually twisted a little.
With their curiosity whetted to this point, Lan Qiaoyan urged him herself. "Tell us already. What was it?"
Blacksmith gave another cold chuckle and shook his head. "He said that over the years, he'd fought far more than a hundred battles. Every time two groups charged into battle, he was always the first to leap out, shouting for blood and leading the charge. Who didn't praise his ferocity and courage? But in reality, he was always the last to arrive. Nothing to be done about it, and everyone understood-his saber was too heavy for him to run fast."
Lan Qiaoyan and Old Tan were struck speechless. Both understood at once.
Lan Qiaoyan, in particular, could not help shuddering in disgust. This was the unasked-for son who called her Mother. To think her nose had stung just now, and she had even followed Blacksmith over to see him off.
"He said that running at the back let him avoid powerful enemies and pick opponents he had an advantage against. He said that treasured saber deserved much of the credit for keeping him alive to this day.
"He even asked me to keep it secret for him. Said that if I ever met someone I took a liking to in the Land of Exile, I could teach them this life-saving method.
"That shameless scoundrel-I have to hand it to him. I admitted defeat and came to see him off, as promised, and he'd actually forgotten again. I came all this way and didn't even get a proper look at his back. All I saw was his ass."
"All right, all right, don't be angry." Old Tan, struggling to contain his laughter, hurried to soothe him. "Maybe it isn't that he's forgetful. The City Guard dragged him off and put him through the wringer earlier. He was covered in injuries and suffered quite a bit. It's only natural that it slipped his mind for a while."
"Hmph." Blacksmith flung his hand out and left.
Lan Qiaoyan looked up at the sky, then left too, her face stiff.
Only Old Tan remained watching by the entrance, guarding against anything that might prevent their smooth departure.
When Lan Qiaoyan returned to Wangbo Tower, she discovered a distinguished guest in the room. Du Huoguan stood alone before the window, hands behind his back, the shadows of the window lattice falling across his face.
Lan Qiaoyan waved the servants away and smiled. "What wind has blown the Prison Inspector here?"
Du Huoguan did not turn around. With his back to her, he said mildly, "When it comes to matters great and small in the twelve cities of the Prison of Life, even I might not know as much as you do. That, too, is a testament to Wangbo Tower's abilities. You generally don't meddle in matters outside your business, especially those involving the City Guard. You wouldn't rashly speak up without knowing the depths of the water. Since you mentioned that shipment of supplies, you should already know how it got in. Tell me, who is the traitor in the City Guard?"
The smile vanished from Lan Qiaoyan's face. After her gaze flickered for a moment, she smiled again. "You flatter me, Prison Inspector. I truly don't know."
Du Huoguan said, "The reason I came alone was precisely because I didn't want a third person hearing this. You can speak freely."
Lan Qiaoyan smiled, but her answer was firm. "I truly don't know."
Du Huoguan abruptly turned and stared coldly at her. "When you came to see me, I did you a favor. If this is how you conduct your business, I'm afraid it won't last long."
Lan Qiaoyan fell silent briefly, then sighed. "You already have someone in mind for the traitor, Prison Inspector. Why make things difficult for me? I truly don't know."
A thoughtful look flashed through Du Huoguan's eyes. Without another word, he strode away.
Lan Qiaoyan respectfully saw him out.
Inside Urn City, Wangbo Tower's delivery party took out the Heaven-and-Earth Bags concealed on their persons and poured out great quantities of goods for inspection.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged glances. This was not their first time seeing Heaven-and-Earth Bags; they had seen one in Qi Ziru's possession.
Unlike Wangbo Tower, whose many goods made inspection slow, the two had only the few things on their persons. A few casual sweeps of a spell were enough to check everything.
Afterward, following instructions, they went to a small office at the foot of the wall. A white-bearded old man sat inside. He verified their identities and asked them to confirm whether their recorded merit totals were correct.
The merit they had accumulated was neither more nor less than six thousand each.
During the earlier distribution, they had given all the remaining merit to the others from the Eastern Nine Plains, keeping a round figure for themselves.
And the amount of merit needed to leave was exactly five thousand.
After they confirmed the totals were correct, the white-bearded old man took out a large roll of something like gauzy white silk. He unrolled part of it on the desk, immediately revealing dense, orderly rows of gold grains affixed to it.
Every gold grain was identical in size and shape, resembling an osmanthus blossom. Their gold was tinged with reddish yellow, yet they also carried a purple, flame-like aura.
Their eyes lit up. Though this was their first time seeing it, they had long heard of it and knew it was the currency used in the cultivation world outside. Its name was southern floating sandalwood gold, commonly called sandalwood gold. Its innate purple flame aura could be used to distinguish the genuine from the counterfeit, and it was also something often needed in refining treasures. It could even provide illumination-a single grain in hand could light a dark room.
The white-bearded old man pointed to the gold grains on the white silk, gesturing up and down. "Each vertical strip is one hundred gold. Sixty strips cut off for each of you makes six thousand gold."
As he spoke, he counted out sixty strips before their eyes, then sliced them off with a swish. He handed them to Wu Jinliang first, telling him to count them and sign on the spot. If he discovered a shortage after leaving, this office would accept no responsibility.
Shi Chun's share was naturally not forgotten. The old man cut off sixty strips for him as well.
After confirming that everything was correct, both thanked the old man.
Then came the wait. They would leave together with Wangbo Tower's people. Although Lan Qiaoyan had said the Qi Household would not dare act recklessly again, who knew whether the Qi Household had received word yet? The two felt it was better to play it safe.
Wangbo Tower had so many goods that the two waited a full two hours or so before they could finally set out together.
The passage out was a broad corridor inside Urn City. The farther they went, the darker it became, until they could not see their hands before their faces. Yet a speck of white light remained ahead the whole time.
Though this was Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's first time taking this route, they had heard people describe it countless times. That white light was the exit to the outside world. Their hearts surged, and the farther they walked, the more excited they became...
(End of volume one. Preview of volume two: Immovable Like a Mountain!)