Leaving aside Pei Guanli's clever schemes in the Marquis's Mansion, Chen Yi and his group traveled south along Ba Mountain Street before turning east onto Sishui Street.
It was early summer, and the weather was growing warmer.
Most of the pedestrians bustling about Shu State City had changed into their summer attire.
This was especially true for those from wealthier families. Their lightweight brocade robes were so airy they seemed weightless, held in place only by a sash tied around the waist.
The foreign travelers, however, were a different story.
The people from Poshisu Country were still bundled up tightly, revealing only their multicolored eyes. The stains on their veils were visible at a glance.
Those from the Mountain Tribes dressed similarly to Pei Guanli in vibrant, colorful clothes. They wore ornaments on their necks, heads, and hands, which went CLANGING and JINGLING as they walked.
Occasionally, they would spot a few burly men—far taller and more muscular than the Armored Warriors of the Marquis's Mansion. Their hands were bound as they were whipped and herded toward the East Market.
When Xiaodie saw them, she tugged repeatedly at Chen Yi's arm and cried out with inexplicable excitement, "Young Master, Young Master! Look over there! Those are the Barbarian Race!"
Chen Yi, of course, saw them clearly. In fact, thanks to his improved cultivation, he could even sense the Qi Force hidden within the barbarians' powerful bodies. It was just as the rumors claimed: they were comparable to Ninth-Grade Cultivators.
However, he could also see the lash marks covering their bodies and the brands seared onto their faces.
'Barbarian slaves?'
It didn't take long for him to confirm his suspicion. Herding the barbarians was a group of merchants dressed like they were from Poshisu Country. They were shouting along the road in a strange accent:
"Strong Southern Barbarians! Great strength! Not fifty taels! Not thirty taels! Just fifteen taels a piece, my friends!"
Chen Yi grimaced at the sound, and the bit of curiosity he felt about the barbarian slaves began to fade.
In fact, he wasn't the only one. Most of the onlookers were laughing, including several neatly dressed members of the City Guard Army who were responsible for keeping order.
"Damn it all, stop crowding around! What's so interesting about barbarian slaves? They're just livestock, fit only for turning our grindstones and tilling our fields."
"I wouldn't take that kind of livestock. Just a while back in Jiao State, a few barbarian slaves revolted and nearly massacred a whole family."
"You might not want one, but plenty of others do. Those big, wealthy families are always in need of barbarian slaves like these who work their tails off for next to nothing."
"The world is going to the dogs. When did it become okay to buy and sell people from the Barbarian Race?"
"Those bandits from Poshisu, there's nothing they won't sell. To hell with 'em..."
As the carriage rolled past, Chen Yi listened to the idle chatter of the loud-mouthed crowd, gaining a more realistic understanding of the state of affairs in the Shu State region.
His last trip to South City had been a cursory one, and he had only seen the brothels and pleasure districts of Shu State.
Today, however, visiting the bustling streets near the East Market, he was gaining a much deeper understanding of the common folk, the local nouveau riche, the Mountain Tribes, the people of Poshisu, and the Barbarian Race.
To put it profoundly—everyone was just trying to survive.
Just then, Xiao Wuge asked, "Brother-in-law, where are we headed today?"
Chen Yi thought for a moment, then pulled aside the curtain to check the sky. "Let's take a detour. We'll turn north up ahead and go check things out over there."
Xiao Wuge let out a little "ah." "Brother-in-law, you want to go see the commotion too?"
"What? You know what's happening there today?"
"The Third Place Scholar's parade! The news spread all over Shu State two days ago. That Uncle Liu even came specifically to see Grandfather, saying that the Third Place Scholar wanted to pay him a visit."
After Xiao Wuge finished, Xiaodie nodded along. "Young Master, I thought you already knew."
A look of embarrassment crossed Chen Yi's face. "I've been so focused on my Martial Arts practice lately that I haven't paid attention to anything else."
Xiaodie seemed to understand. She leaned in, glancing at his profile, and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, are you still upset that you didn't take part in the imperial examinations this time?"
Chen Yi shook his head. He had only just learned to write the characters for the name "Wei Qing"; he was utterly clueless about the policy essays and parallel prose required for the examinations.
"I'm just going to see what all the fuss is about."
Seeing his calm expression, Xiaodie decided to believe him for the time being.
Lately, she hadn't been worried about the Young Master trying to flee the marriage again. She could see he had settled down in the Marquis's Mansion. But the imperial examinations were a momentous event, something every scholar dreamed of.
'If I were in his shoes,' she thought, 'with all his scholarly talent, I'd want to take the exams and start a career as an official too.'
Beside them, Xiao Wuge glanced between the two, then said with a look of partial understanding, "Brother-in-law, when Second Sister comes back, I'll have her arrange a position for you in the army."
Chen Yi froze. "No, don't do that!"
Hearing such an outrageous suggestion sent a chill down his spine. It was even more terrifying than the thought of Liu Si'er, the Hidden Guard driving the carriage up front.
After a great deal of persuasion, he finally managed to talk Xiao Wuge out of the idea of pulling strings for him.
Chen Yi breathed a sigh of relief. 'I really have to be on my guard with everyone in this Marquis's Mansion,' he thought.
'It's a good thing only Pei Guanli has discovered my Martial Arts Cultivation. If Second Uncle Xiao Xuanshuo or the Old Master found out about my progress, they'd probably have me shipped off to a military camp.'
'At that point, returning to the Marquis's Mansion, returning to Spring Lotus Garden to fish and drink tea, would be nothing more than a dream.'
「A short while later.」
After they had passed through the lively, prosperous streets of the East City, Liu Si'er turned the carriage north, heading toward the district of academies and taverns where, it was said, scholars, beauties, and poets all gathered.
「Along the way.」
Liu Si'er kept his face expressionless, but his ears were pricked, catching every word from Chen Yi and the others inside the carriage.
When he heard Xiao Wuge offer to arrange an official position for Chen Yi, his expression wavered slightly.
But after hearing Chen Yi talk him out of it, his brows furrowed so deeply you could have held a chopstick between them.
Liu Si'er found it difficult to understand Chen Yi. The man was clearly talented, so why had he become so placid since arriving at the Xiao Mansion?
'Could it be that he's given up on himself after failing to escape the marriage?'
'This wasn't good news for me.'
"Brother Si."
Just then, Ge the Third, sitting beside him, nudged him with an elbow, wiggling his eyebrows and jutting his chin to the side.
"See that? Looks like every scholar and beauty in Shu State City has come out today."
Liu Si'er followed his gaze. On the roadside path, paved with expensive, smooth bluestone, impeccably dressed scholars chatted and laughed, their faces beaming.
Some young, clearly unmarried ladies held small cattail-leaf fans to partly hide their faces, following a few steps behind.
To the uninformed observer, it looked as though they were all heading to the capital for the grand examination.
Liu Si'er snorted. "It's not their parade. All this fuss is ridiculous."
Ge the Third shot him a sideways glance. "Who's talking about that? Didn't you see all the young ladies?"
"What if I did? You think they'd give rough men like us a second look?"
"A man can dream, can't he..."
Listening to the conversation up front, Chen Yi gained a new perspective on Liu Si'er.
'No wonder he's been able to hide in the Marquis's Mansion for so many years without being found out. With that kind of single-minded dedication to being a spy, that kind of rigidity where he won't even spare a woman a second glance... couldn't he put those talents to better use?'
With that thought, Chen Yi boldly pulled back the curtain to look at the flock of young beauties along the street. They were indeed a sight to behold.
If he had to describe it, it was the look of youth that knows no sorrow, their eyes brimming with the first stirrings of young love.
Their bright eyes sparkled with life, clearly having never known true hardship.
Chen Yi watched for a few moments. Just as he was about to let the curtain fall, a flicker of movement ahead caught the corner of his eye. A clip-clop of hooves, far sharper and clearer than those of their own carriage, reached his ears.
CLIP, CLOP, CLIP...
Amidst the light, crisp rhythm, a dashing young gentleman appeared in everyone's sight. He wore a bright red robe and sat ramrod straight atop a white horse.
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed. A line from a poem, perfectly fitting the scene, surfaced in his mind.
"Riding high on the spring breeze, my horse's hooves fly fast; in a single day, I see all of Chang'an's flowers."
Although Shu State didn't have such a profusion of blossoms, the young gentleman on the white horse was indeed beaming with joy.
"I am honored by your presence. I, Huai'gu, am endlessly grateful..."