"Looks like I won't be going to Zhongnan Mountain today."
Lian Youming followed unhurriedly in the direction the man had gone, browsing as he walked. Spotting a mask vendor, he bought a Sun Wukong mask, then took off his navy-blue outer jacket, leaving his sweater exposed.
The man wound through the streets and alleys, taking a long, circuitous route before finally leaving through the south gate.
The south gate was Yongning Gate.
The man seemed very familiar with the area. Rather than use the gate, he deliberately sought out obscure corners, crawling through holes and climbing over walls.
Wearing his mask, Lian Youming followed him through all those twists and turns. When they finally stopped, he discovered they had reached Wengcheng outside the south gate.
As far as he could see, brick houses and earthen huts of varying heights and sizes crowded together. Crooked lanes and paths branched off in every direction, with quite a few people coming and going, though they all looked somewhat nervous. Some carried grain, others carried baskets on their backs, and some even concealed homemade guns.
"When did a black market spring up in Wengcheng?"
Lian Youming clicked his tongue in wonder. He might have been born and raised in Xijing, but development was so rapid these days that some places looked different every day. The speed of change could catch anyone off guard.
His gaze shifted slightly as he saw the man who had followed him earlier head straight down a narrow path. Adjusting his mask, he followed.
Unlike the other paths, this one had two crooked-mouthed, squinty-eyed young thugs smoking at its entrance. They raised their hands to stop him.
Lian Youming thought he would not be allowed in, but one of them merely held out his right palm and drawled, "Buying or