The Slums

"Yuan Hao..." A soft murmur slipped from her lips. Xu Xinyao's pretty eyes grew thoughtful as she seemed to search her memories for that name. After a long while, she looked toward Xu Yuan and asked softly, "Third Brother, why has Xinyao never heard of this person at the Annual Assembly?" The Chancellor's Manor oversaw countless branches—intelligence, finances, grain reserves, and armories of every description. The higher-ranking managers were required to report to the capital once every three years. Originally held annually, the schedule had been adjusted to once every three years after the realm stabilized, since some provinces and commanderies were far away and travel was exceedingly arduous. This aligned with the timeline for imperial officials reporting on their duties. In some ways, it resembled an annual corporate conference. Among these people, many key figures had to come to the Chancellor's Manor to meet Xu Yinhe in person. In her childhood, she had known nothing of the politics behind it, finding it only lively and bustling. But as she grew older, she had come to understand a great deal. Hearing her question, Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. "Father has never planned on having you take over. With so many people working for him out in the open and in the shadows, how could he possibly let you know everything?" Xu Xinyao pursed her lips. "Then did you know, Third Brother?" "..." Xu Yuan. After a brief silence, Xu Yuan shrugged. "I know now." Pausing, he glanced sideways at Ran Qingmo, who sat beside them, before continuing unhurriedly, "Though someone from the Black Scale Guards contacted me earlier, saying that this Yuan Hao seems very dangerous." "Dangerous?" "Dangerous?" A trace of bewilderment flickered in Xu Xinyao's eyes. Drawing on his memories from his previous life and the information he had gathered before, Xu Yuan murmured, "He enjoys killing." "..." Xu Xinyao's eyes widened slightly. Xu Yuan leaned back gently against the rough cushion in the carriage and spoke softly. "Five years ago, when the Xuanqing Sect of Huai'an Province joined forces with Prince Xiang to rebel, this man followed the Marquis of Zhenxi to quell the uprising. As a result, he slaughtered every last surrendered soldier who yielded to him and had their heads severed to build a corpse pyramid." Xu Xinyao hesitated slightly before asking, "Was it because rations were short, or because they were difficult to control?" Apart from ordinary security militias, the regular military of Great Yan was made up of cultivators and martial apprentices. Whether loyal to the court or to sects, even when disarmed after surrender, such an army could easily mutiny if one was not careful. Xu Yuan shook his head. "No. He simply likes killing people." Xu Xinyao fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "Since he loves slaughter so much, why not station him in the Wanxing Mountain Range?" "Xinyao." Xu Yuan looked directly into her eyes and said, enunciating each word, "What Yuan Hao enjoys killing is people, not other creatures." "..." Silence fell. Xu Xinyao knit her brows. "Why?" "How should I know why?" Xu Yuan shrugged. "He's probably just a psychopath. But this psychopath appears to be remarkably capable at commanding troops. Heh, Father is probably the only one who dares employ someone like that." Xu Xinyao fell silent. Seeing this, Xu Yuan said nothing more and knocked on the carriage wall. Two breaths after the crisp rap sounded, the wooden window at the front slid open, followed by a somewhat fawning male voice: "Young Master, what are your orders?" Xu Yuan asked directly, "Do you know Pingshui Bay?" This demonic beast carriage had been bought from a resting traveling merchant at a post station over a hundred li outside Wanxiang City. To avoid drawing attention, they had not purchased anything luxurious, opting for a mid-tier carriage equipped only with a Sound-Muffling Array. The beast pulling it was merely a hare-eared horse, a variety that could not be guided using an intent-soul, so they had hired a local coachman as well. Hearing the question, the coachman froze for an instant before replying hesitantly, "This old man certainly knows the place, but..." "But?" "It borders the docks, so all sorts of rough characters gather there. It's terribly chaotic. If the two young ladies go there, I'm afraid it might invite trouble. Besides, you have to pay silver to get in." Xu Yuan glanced at Ran Qingmo and Xu Xinyao across from him and chuckled. "Is that so? No matter. Just drive us there. I'll add thirty percent to your fare." "..." The coachman gave a dry laugh, his tone turning even more deferential. "Understood! Just sit tight, sir. We should be there in a little under half an hour." With that, the coachman steered the carriage onto the thoroughfare reserved for beast-drawn vehicles, speeding south toward the southern side of the city. *** Pingshui Bay. Stepping out of Hitching Manor, Xu Yuan's first impression of the view before him was pure chaos—hundreds of times more disorderly than any train station he had seen in his previous life. Hawking, cursing, brawling, and boisterous laughter mingled into a single deafening roar. Passenger and merchant vessels arrived and departed in an endless stream. Large freight wagons filed out from the harbor, dispersing toward various parts of the city. Groups of porters crouched along the shore, chatting and laughing. There were merchants, travelers, peddlers, and among them, Xu Yuan spotted many sect disciples striding past with swords at their hips. Encircling the docks was a dense sprawl of low-rise dwellings—or rather, a slum. The packed structures twisted together like fried dough twists. Shacks and wooden huts stood haphazardly crooked, entirely devoid of the orderly design seen at the city gates. One glance made it obvious that no urban planning had ever taken place here. Walking to the entrance of one of the slum's alleys, they asked for directions and made their way inside. Xu Yuan felt the alley strongly resembled the dark, narrow lanes where swordsmen committed assassinations in movies. As they ventured deeper, reality proved his impression right: occasional streaks of blood could be seen in the dirt along both sides of the path. Then again, it made sense. In this era, a slum where a few people didn't vanish every day could hardly be called a slum at all. Perhaps because it was daytime and the men were out working, there were only occasional women sitting in their doorways washing clothes or chatting. Yet most of these women seemed entirely unfazed by the trio wearing muli veils. They watched Xu Yuan and his companions approach, watched them disappear, and then returned to whatever they had been doing. The residents here had mostly been born and raised in this place; having grown up in such a slum, how could they not have seen their fair share of the world? After rounding a few turns, the alley fell utterly silent, leaving only the faint crunch of boots on the dirt. Suddenly, "Third Brother." Xu Xinyao spoke, using voice transmission. "Hmm?" Walking in front, Xu Yuan glanced back slightly. "What is it?" Out of nowhere, Xu Xinyao asked in a low voice, "Didn't Father say earlier that we only came this time to negotiate and exert deterrence?" Xu Yuan smiled. "Of course. You heard it yourself earlier; Father has no intention of going to war for the time being." Xu Xinyao said softly, "Yet that Yuan Hao set our meeting place here." "..." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. It seemed this Fourth Sister of his truly wasn't foolish. If he wanted secrecy, Yuan Hao would most likely have arranged to meet in the vast wilderness outside Wanxiang City. If he wanted to host Xu Yuan, a superior dropped in from above, he would have chosen a respectable inn, if not a premier restaurant or pleasure house. Yuan Hao was someone Xu Yinhe had personally recruited; he could not be a fool. The reason for choosing this place was simple: the more chaotic an area was, the easier it was to conceal people. Pausing, Xu Yuan asked softly, "You think this is improper?" Xu Xinyao felt a faint sense of unease. "Third Brother, you said just now that Yuan Hao is a madman. Concealing troops here might stir up chaos." Xu Yuan nodded. "Are you worried he won't obey Father's orders, that he'll move against the Wanxiang Sect directly to satisfy his own desires?" "Yes." Xu Xinyao nodded. Xu Yuan waved a hand. "Don't worry." "But..." "Enough. Even if you don't trust this Yuan Hao whom you've never met, you should at least trust Father's judgment, shouldn't you?" Xu Yuan shook his head, looking around at the cramped alleyways. "Personally, I don't think Yuan Hao did anything wrong. "Xinyao, "negotiating with a drawn sword is very different from negotiating with a sword pressed against the other person's throat." After a brief silence, Xu Xinyao offered a low reminder: "But the city is protected by a city-guarding grand array." Xu Yuan shrugged. "Don't ask me; I don't know. You can ask Yuan Hao directly in a moment." "Alright..." Saying no more, they continued forward. Rounding another corner, the three of them entered a rather peculiar lane. Several women wearing cheap rouge sat in their doorways. Most were plain or even unsightly, their hemp garments partially slipping to reveal their skin, their figures varying widely. Seeing such a street, Xu Yuan did not break his stride, but his eye twitched involuntarily. Catching sight of a man approaching, the women's eyes lit up simultaneously. Yet upon noticing the slender, graceful silhouettes beneath the gauzy muli veils of the two women following behind him, they tactfully resumed their earlier listless postures. Of course, a few still made an effort to cast flirtatious glances at Xu Yuan. Who knew? Even someone used to delicacies might occasionally crave coarse-grain steamed buns. Walking forward in silence, Ran Qingmo gazed at these scantily clad women with a look of mild confusion. Xu Xinyao cast her eyes down, refusing to look. As they walked, they passed several doors that were tightly shut, outside of which one or two men waited, trading crude jokes. However, no one was foolish enough to make lewd remarks to harass Xu Xinyao or Ran Qingmo. Dressing like that usually meant they were sect disciples; if someone got killed for running their mouth, they were simply dead, and whether compensation of a few taels of silver was paid depended entirely on the killer's mood. One man, seeing the three walk past, leered and opened his mouth, wanting to murmur something, but the fellow beside him yanked him back. "Immortal masters have sharp ears! If you want to die, go right ahead and speak!" The street was long. Near the far end, Xu Yuan's eye twitched uncontrollably once more. He saw a line—a very long line of about twenty men. Most wore plain cloth or silk, and there were even a few low-rank martial apprentices standing silently without speaking, likely unfamiliar with one another. Seeing these men, Xu Yuan cast a strange look at the tightly shut door ahead. Just as he was thinking about it, Ran Qingmo tugged at the hem of his robe. "Xu Yuan..." Xu Yuan answered softly, "What is it?" Ran Qingmo looked at the tightly shut door and asked, "Um... what are they doing?" "Don't you have your intent-soul?" "Master said that when traveling outside, one must not probe others carelessly with an intent-soul," Ran Qingmo replied crisply. "He was right." Xu Yuan nodded, pulling back his own intent-soul. "It's better not to look at this sort of thing." "Then do you know what they're doing?" Ran Qingmo asked. Without hesitation, Xu Yuan shook his head. "I don't know." "Pfft." Beside them, Xu Xinyao burst out laughing. Xu Yuan looked back and glared at her. Xu Xinyao curled her lip. Ran Qingmo looked between the brother and sister with a bewildered gaze. Xu Yuan cleared his throat lightly. "Alright, I'll teach you when there's a chance in the future. Just let it be for now." Beneath her muli veil, Ran Qingmo's beautiful eyes blinked, and she gave a gentle nod. "Okay." As the three walked past, one of the martial apprentices in the queue quietly stepped out of line and fell in behind them.