A Pawn's Passage

The Chamagu Road originated from the tea-horse trade between the southwestern and northwestern frontiers, flourishing during the Qi and Jin Dynasties and reaching its peak during the Wei and Xuan Dynasties. This road connected Shuzhou, Yunzhou, and the Western Region, extending into the territory of the Samudra Kingdom all the way to the Western Continent.

Many bustling markets were established along this road.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu walked on the Chamagu Road for over 50 kilometers until they saw smoke rising in the distance. There was a small township located beside the road, with a flag fluttering in the wind that read “Mountain City.”

Qi Xuansu was surprised to see this. “Oh, it’s a mountain city.”

Zhang Yuelu, having lived in Jade Capital most of her life, was not familiar with many things in the real world. She could not help but ask, “What’s a mountain city?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “The original Mountain City refers to the mirage at Jin’ao Peak on Taiqing Mountain. Legend has it that the mirage shows dozens of palaces with blue tiles, flying eaves, and towering walls. It spans about three kilometers and overlooks everything. It has buildings and markets, resembling a city. But it’s rare and can only be seen by fated individuals.

“Some people imitated this mirage and built a small trading town near Jin’ao Peak. It’s frequented by travelers, making it very lively. Later, more people started building these mountain cities for trade. These places are more commonly known as black markets, where you can get flying swords, elixirs, firearms, and anything you can think of.”

“Oh, the black market!” Zhang Yuelu finally understood. “I’ve heard of the black market before, but I’ve never seen one. Since we’re already here, we shouldn’t miss it. Let’s go take a look around!”

Qi Xuansu said, “We can look around, but you need money. A Divine Dragon Pistol here costs 800 Taiping coins. It’s much more expensive than the normal price at a regular market. But then again, without connections to the Black Robes, only a few people can afford to buy a Divine Dragon Pistol at the normal market price.”

Zhang Yuelu pondered for a moment. “Although I’m not rich, I still have a few hundredTaiping coins with me.”

This was reasonable. A fifth-rank Daoist priest with the treatment of a Prospective Mage could receive 100 Taiping coins per month. So, as a fourth-rank Daoist master, Zhang Yuelu should receive a higher monthly allowance. Moreover, after returning from the Western Region, they received an additional subsidy of 100 Taiping coins. Qi Xuansu would not believe it if Zhang Yuelu said she had no savings.

Since Zhang Yuelu had money and wanted to shop, Qi Xuansu did not object to it. Thus, they entered the mountain city.

From the outside, the mountain city was not very conspicuous. But as soon as they stepped inside, they felt like they were in a completely different world. The buildings along the street were mostly two stories, with black tiles, white walls, red pillars, and blue beams.

The streets, paved with smooth blue bricks, were as wide as two carriages. It did not look like a remote town on Chamagu Road. Rather, it resembled the streets of Jinling Prefecture or Jinguan Prefecture.

The small town had a block layout with two perpendicular streets, where the trading stalls were located, dividing the town into four areas.

As soon as Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu entered the mountain city, someone approached them. This person was dressed in a short robe, with its hem not reaching the knees. He wore cloth shoes and a Unified Six-Panel Hat.

The so-called Unified Six-Panel Hat, also known as the six-panel hat, was made by Emperor Taizu of the former Wei Dynasty. This round hat style with six panels originated from the Golden Horde, which spread to the Central Plains during their reign.

Later, Emperor Taizu of the Wei Dynasty expelled the Golden Horde from the Central Plains. He imitated the round hat style and sewed the panels with gold, renaming it the Unified Six-Panel Hat to advocate for unity in the empire and world conquest.

In the former dynasty, this hat was mostly worn by commoners and officials at home. During the Great Xuan Dynasty, these hats were not prohibited. However, since the Daoist Order had its own system of headwear, this round hat was rarely seen in the Daoist community.

The man bowed to Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu in greeting. “I’m Qian Bao, the attendant of this mountain city. Is this your first time here?”

Qi Xuansu gestured to Zhang Yuelu not to speak. He replied, “We’re just passing by, so we thought of taking a casual look around.”

“I see.” Qian Bao’s eyes flickered. “This mountain city is a small business. The renovation of storefronts and maintenance of the place incur considerable expenses. So whether you are buying or selling, you must pay—”

As he spoke, he lightly rubbed his thumb and forefinger, gesturing for money.

“An entrance fee? No problem.” Qi Xuansu said, “Name your price.”

Qian Bao immediately understood that Qi Xuansu was not an ignorant young man, so he dared not ask for too much. He answered honestly, “One Taiping coin per person.”

Qi Xuansu took out two Taiping coins from his sleeve pocket and handed them to Qian Bao. “What do you have in this mountain city?”

Qian Bao replied, “We have plenty—quick fingers, sawbones, soothsayers, fizzogs, augury, cutters, gats, slugs, trinkets, bolus, suds, freebooters, sappers, chippies, and so on. You name it!”

Qi Xuansu inquired, “What about grifters?”

Qian Bao’s face stiffened, and he chuckled awkwardly. “You’ll have to see for yourself, sir. If you have sharp eyes, you won’t see any. But if you’re completely blind, you will most likely encounter some.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Thank you. We’ll have a look around ourselves.”

Qian Bao bid them farewell and turned to leave.

Zhang Yuelu could not help but ask, “What was all that cryptic talk just now?”

“We paid two Taiping coins as entrance fees. Then he mentioned that there are people selling medicines, weapons, firearms, ammunition, and other items in this mountain city. There are also fortune-telling services and magic tricks. I asked if there were any swindlers, and he said that would depend on our experience. If we are ignorant, then we will certainly encounter some,” Qi Xuansu explained.

Zhang Yuelu smiled. “Interesting.”

The duo walked a short distance and came across a stall selling feminine products. However, Zhang Yuelu was not interested in it. Instead, she headed straight to the weapons stall next door.

The shopkeeper greeted Qi Xuansu. “Sir, do you have a lady you fancy? As the saying goes, women dress to please themselves. Why don’t you buy some rouge, powder, or jewelry for your lady? She will surely like them. Even if you don’t have anyone you fancy yet, you can keep these for later. They’ll come in handy one day.”

Qi Xuansu was tempted to get something. He picked up a floral hairpin from the stall and looked toward Zhang Yuelu, asking, “Qing Xiao, what color hairpin do you like?”

Zhang Yuelu, who was looking at a Nine-Section Whip, did not even lift her head. “I prefer green pistols.”

Qi Xuansu felt embarrassed and cleared his throat. “I also quite like green pistols. The bronze texture gives them an antique look and weightiness. Gold is too flashy.”

He put down the floral hairpin under the shopkeeper’s disappointed gaze and shook his head at her.

Zhang Yuelu put down the Nine-Section Whip in her hand and asked, “Do you have spiritual Nine-Section Whips?”

The middle-aged shopkeeper smiled. “Spiritual items are quite common, but it’s rare to come across a spiritual whip. Sorry to disappoint you, young lady.”

Zhang Yuelu did not say much and simply left with Qi Xuansu, continuing to walk deeper into the small town.

There were more people the further they went. The things sold were also more peculiar.

Qi Xuansu saw someone selling Imitation Qiongqi[1] Blood, priced much higher than what Madam Qi had mentioned. There was only a small bottle at the stall, so the seller did not bother greeting the customers and only waited for someone to ask about the price.

Zhang Yuelu furrowed her brows when she saw it. That was because only the Daoist Order could produce Imitation Qiongqi Blood, yet such items could be seen in a random mountain city. This indicated major problems within the Daoist Order.

However, Zhang Yuelu knew that the problem was not with the mountain city but with the Daoist Order. So she quickly withdrew her gaze and continued to browse the other stalls.

After wandering around for an hour, they did not spend a single Taiping coin. It was not because there was nothing they liked; it was just that the things they liked were too expensive.

Qi Xuansu had his eyes on a secondhand Divine Dragon Pistol, which was in good condition and reasonably priced at 600 Taiping coins. Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu was short on funds.

On the other hand, Zhang Yuelu had her eyes on a flying sword, but it was priced at 1,600 Taiping coins. After inquiring about the price, Zhang Yuelu simply walked away without looking back.

Perhaps because it was her first time visiting a mountain city, Zhang Yuelu was still excited, even though she did not make any purchases.

Qi Xuansu was just weary from browsing. To him, there was no point in looking at things if he did not intend to buy them. So he slipped away to a tavern, leaving Zhang Yuelu to wander around on her own. He spent a smallTaiping coin for a pot of tea and a plate of spiced beans while waiting patiently.

As the sun began to set, Zhang Yuelu finally came to Qi Xuansu. She bought some small items and even got him a gift—a full set of 18 throwing knives. They could be reused and worn on the waist belt for easy access. Although they were not spiritual objects, they were still of good quality. Their sharpness was comparable to the Slim Tiger Saber that Qi Xuansu had used before.

If Qi Xuansu used his Sword Controlling Technique to launch them, their power would surpass that of the Green Phoenix Guard’s Jackdaw Crossbow.

Qi Xuansu was pleasantly surprised. “Why did you think of buying throwing knives for me?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “I saw you carrying spikes as hidden weapons and happened to come across this set of throwing knives while I was browsing, so I just bought them.”

Qi Xuansu felt inexplicably guilty. He felt impatient to accompany Zhang Yuelu shopping, but she still thought of him. Counting the cloak she bought for him, this was the second time she bought him gifts.

Qi Xuansu was an orphan. His master passed away early, and Madam Qi was stingy with money. This made Zhang Yuelu the first person to buy him gifts. He was sensitive to this and felt touched by her simple act of gift-giving.

When Zhang Yuelu saw Qi Xuansu staring at her intently, she felt a bit embarrassed and waved her hand. “It’s just a set of throwing knives that’s worth a few Taiping coins. You don’t have to thank me. Consider this payback for buying me a drink.”

Qi Xuansu withdrew his gaze and simply nodded.

1. Chinese mythical creature resembling a tiger with wings that likes to eat humans. ☜