I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 44: The long-haired male driver tries to tame the steering wheel
After a while, Bai Xuan learned the origin of the young man on the horse-riding platform from the casual chat of others.

This person is a descendant of a local family in Wu County.

During the previous dynasty, the family was quite large and was once close to being a prominent family.

But as time went by, there was a lack of successors. After a hundred years, the efforts of five or six generations had led to the family's decline into poverty.

Naturally, the young man was unwilling to accept this. He wanted to revive his family's fortune, so he studied hard and planned to pass the imperial examination to become an official. However, when he was taking part in the provincial examination, a passing robber stabbed him with three knives, and his dream of becoming the top scholar was shattered.

Not only was all his money gone, but even his books were gone, so naturally he failed to catch up with the exam.

Afterwards, this person calmed down and reflected on his mistakes. He found that reason could not defeat swords and that learning literature could not save him. So he decided to give up literature and take up martial arts.

It was relatively late to start learning martial arts at the age of sixteen, but hard work will always bear fruit. After three years of practicing with his own clumsy methods, he actually made it into the country.

For another three years, he traveled around the state, observing other people's martial arts competitions and learning from their experiences.

Now this person is 26 years old and has practiced martial arts for ten years, with some success, so he raised the flag of challenge on the horse platform.

It's already the fifth day so far, and I have defeated eight people of the same age.

Next, as long as he wins two more games, or if no one comes up to challenge him for five more days, he will be able to join the Sleeping Dragon List.

He was the only one on the horse-racing platform at this time, and less than half an hour had passed since the last match ended.

The onlookers waited for a long time but did not see any other challengers.

Soon they dispersed due to boredom.

Bai Xuan silently observed the young man on the horse-riding platform for a few minutes and noticed something strange, but it would take some time to analyze it carefully.

At this moment, a young man in gorgeous brocade clothes suddenly squeezed into the crowd.

"cousin?"

He looked at Lin Jiaolu in surprise: "Wow, it really is you, cousin!"

When Xiaolu heard the word "cousin" with at least three inflections in the tone, he subconsciously tensed the back of his neck and felt goose bumps all over his body.

Turning around, I caught a glimpse of a young man standing there.

She paused for three seconds before speaking hesitantly, "You are... Tzuyu's cousin, right?"

The young man happily replied, "Yes, I am Lu Ziyu. We just met at the end of the year! It's a coincidence that my cousin is here! My father will definitely be very happy when he knows! Since you are in Wu County, he must want me to visit your home!"

Lin Jiaolu was not used to the other party's enthusiasm. "No need for that. I came here unexpectedly and had no intention of visiting you."

"Since we're here, how can we not pay our respects to our elders?" Lu Ziyu said with a smile, "Besides, my cousin looks exhausted..."

He looked around and asked in surprise, "Why didn't the Lin family send any guards to follow?"

Lin Jiaolu was about to answer.

Bai Xuan suddenly nudged Lin Jiaolu with his knee under the table: "Your relative?"

Lin Jiaolu leaned closer, covering his mouth with one hand, and lowered his voice, "Not very familiar. He's from a branch of the Fanyang Lu family. His father and my mother are cousins, not from the same family. We didn't have much contact in the past, only seeing each other occasionally on holidays."

The voice was very low, so Lu Ziyu naturally couldn't hear it, but when he saw Lin Jiaolu taking the initiative to get closer and communicate with Bai Xuan, the intimacy he showed, his smile became a little more stiff and forced.

"Who is this brother?" Lu Ziyu asked tentatively, "Is he also from the Lin family?"

"A country bumpkin." Bai Xuan clasped his fists and said, "A commoner, Bai Xuan."

Lu Ziyu: “…”

Don’t you want to introduce yourself?
The young man in fancy clothes did not continue to pester Lin Jiaolu. After a few pleasantries, he left without hesitation.

"He's sensible." Lin Jiaolu breathed a sigh of relief. "If he keeps pestering me, I might have to pay him a visit."

Bai Xuan stood up and said, "It's time to buy a carriage."

The little girl's attention was diverted, and she immediately said, "I'll choose. My mother has a big pasture, and I'm very good at choosing horses!"

……

In the teahouse, Lu Ziyu stared at the two people who disappeared into the crowd and ordered his men, "One group of people, keep an eye on them. Don't lose them. Tell me what my cousin is going to do. Another group of people, go find out the origins of that white-haired man."

A moment later, the men returned to the restaurant to deliver the message.

"Master, Miss Lin went to the carriage dealership to buy a carriage; and the white-haired young man might have a connection to the Ningguo Mansion."

"Is that caravan from the Ningguo Mansion?"

"No, our people found a notice at the gate of the county government office." The subordinate took out the missing person notice and said, "The person in this painting does look about 70% similar to him."

Lu Ziyu hummed calmly, "The Ningguo Mansion... does have some background, but he didn't say his last name was Jiang."

The subordinate continued, "We checked the area nearby, but we didn't see any guards around Miss Lin."

"Oh?" Lu Ziyu's heart moved slightly: "Are you sure?"

"I tried to trick the caravan into revealing anything, and after two bowls of horse urine, they confessed everything... The caravan was just taking them to the county town. It was pitiful to see them carrying a coffin on the way. Furthermore, Miss Lin and the white-haired guy lied and said they were brother and sister."

Lu Ziyu picked up the teacup and slowly put it down. "So, Lin Jiaolu and that Bai came to Wu County together?"

"It should be."

"No, 'should' isn't enough..." Lu Ziyu tapped the table with his fingers, his eyes suddenly sharp. "I need a more definitive answer. Set up a trap and test these two people. Especially make sure if Lin Jiaolu has any hidden personal guards!"

"Are you setting up a trap?"

"Yes, didn't this Bai put up a notice in front of the government office? Just do this..." Lu Ziyu lowered his voice and said a few words: "When you are done, come to the Lu Mansion to find me. I want to see my mother and discuss something with her."

……

The selection of the carriage was quickly completed.

Lin Jiaolu said she could look at and choose horses, but when she arrived at the scene, she didn't like any of the horses.

The reason was simple: all the horses she had seen were top-quality horses, and none of the horses sold here were good horses.

Even if they were available, the price would be extremely high, and it would be even more impossible to use them for pulling carriages or doing hard labor.

High-quality horses need to be taken care of by special people, and they live better than modern cattle and horses.

Bai Xuan just picked a carriage with good value for money based on his mood.

If it is unlucky, it may not survive to reach the capital.

After choosing a carriage, the coffin was loaded onto the carriage frame.

The two went to say goodbye to the caravan owner.

As he was leaving, he was stopped by a caravan guard: "I heard someone posted a missing person notice at the government office looking for you. Do you want to go take a look?"

"Looking for me?" Bai Xuan asked, "Who?" "It seems to be Ning...something mansion..."

"Ningguo Mansion."

"Yes, yes, yes, hurry over there. Maybe the government office is still open and someone can help contact him."

"It's only a few hours before get off work ends. Is the public security situation in Wu County so lax?"

Made a complaint.

Bai Xuan was about to get in the car when he looked up and saw Lin Jiaolu sitting in the driver's seat without hesitation, holding the steering wheel with both hands, oh no, the reins.

The little deer said with great joy, "Leave it to me!"

This reminded Bai Xuan of his beautiful mother's bravery in driving on the road on the first day she got her driver's license, and her regret for going to repair the car that night.

This is a female driver... No, it's a male driver with long hair.

Even if she was driving a motorcycle instead of a car, the safety factor would not be high at all.

Bai Xuan said, "There are too many people in the city, you should go outside the city and practice slowly."

Lin Jiaolu felt like she was being questioned, and she said unconvincedly, "I'm a professional! I have a huge one at home..."

"Okay, okay, I know you have a lot of grass at home, but the past is the past, and this is now. This isn't your pasture. If you insist on speeding on city roads, maybe the grass won't grow in your pasture next year."

"Where is the president then?"

"Growing on your grave."

"..."

Lin Jiaolu was so angry that his hands and feet were cold and his whole body was shaking.

Damn it, he actually questioned my horsemanship and driving skills!

Once we leave the city, I'll show you how good I am at riding and driving!
The deer swore silently and gave up the driving seat reluctantly.

Bai Xuan steered the carriage steadily and arrived at the yamen gate.

Sure enough, there was a missing person notice posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of the yamen.

"Is this you?"

"Yes."

"is it?"

"Yes."

"It really is."

Lin Jiaolu compared it and found that the portrait was 80% similar to Bai Xuan, with features like white hair... It was immediately apparent that it was the real person.

"The Ningguo Mansion is so anxious to get you back." Lin Jiaolu held his chin and said, "This notice should have been posted all over the state."

The Ningguo Mansion also had a certain influence in the court in the past.

Bai Xuan handed the reins to Lin Jiaolu and coaxed the child, "I'll go into the government office and ask a few questions... Just wait here for me. Don't move around. I'll buy you some oranges later."

The deer pointed to the roadside and asked, "Can I buy it myself?"

"Don't ask me about this." Bai Xuan said, "I'm not your housekeeper."

"Oh, right..." The deer smiled. "I don't know why, but when I'm with you, I always feel like I don't need to think and can just ask you directly."

"Are you saying that there is an aura of intelligence reduction around me?" Bai Xuan's tiger body shook, trying to release the non-existent kingly aura.

"what is that?"

"It's okay, go buy some oranges."

Bai Xuan took down the missing person notice and walked into the yamen.

Lin Jiaolu led the horse to the fruit stall and started picking fresh fruits.

Since ancient times, the free purchase of fruits has always been a problem. In ancient times when the transportation industry was not well developed, people in one place could usually only freely buy and sell a few kinds of fruits in fixed seasons. If they wanted to eat precious fruits, they could only spend a lot of money to transport them.

Here we have to mention the classic line "A horse gallops through the red dust, the concubine smiles; there is no one, only lychees come." What are transported back are actually not lychees, but lychee trees. Because the picked lychees will lose moisture and become stale, so transporting them directly from the trees can ensure the freshness of the lychees.

It can be seen how difficult it was for the ancients to eat fruits... Not only the emperors, but even the gods on land were the same. If they wanted to eat them, they could only fly there by themselves.

In order to have a taste of coconut juice, Bai Wuming once had to fly to the South China Sea on his sword, carry three coconut trees back to Jiange, but he couldn't plant them.

Citrus is a relatively common and abundant fruit in Jiangnan. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the price of citrus was quite low. "One hundred catties per basket could be priced at 7 coins on the high side and 15 to coins on the low side." In other words, one catty could be to coins. It was even cheaper during the Southern Song Dynasty.

The products in the world of true cultivation are actually relatively abundant, and the speed of improving grain, fruit and vegetable varieties is faster than in the normal feudal era. Although it has not jumped out of the agricultural civilization, its productivity has already approached the peak period of the Song Dynasty.

If it weren't for the conflict between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, development would have been faster.

While Lin Jiaolu was picking oranges with his head down, at the other end of the street, several constables were escorting a newly captured prisoner.

The prisoner had tattoos on his face and his hands were shackled. He must be a serious criminal who had committed a serious crime.

"Make way, everyone, make way!"

"Don't stand in the way!"

The detectives reminded pedestrians to step aside.

At this moment, a group of people walked by on the street, and a voice was heard in the prisoner's ears.

"If you want to live, run forward."

With a loud thud, the oil bottle of the old man selling oil on the roadside was knocked over, and the oil spilled all over the ground, right under the officer's feet.

"Old man, be careful." The escorting constable complained.

Suddenly something was thrown out from the crowd. Someone threw a stone to the ground. Sparks flew out the moment it hit the ground. Suddenly, with a bang, a raging fire broke out on the street.

The oil under the detectives' feet was ignited by the flames, and they immediately fell into panic.

The prisoner seized the opportunity, a fierce light flashed in his eyes, he pushed the constable aside, dragged the chain forward, and escaped.

"Those who don't want to die, get out of my way!"

He roared and growled.

At the same time, he swung the chain connected to the shackles in his hand, disrupting the surrounding stalls to block the pursuit of the constables behind him.

Lin Jiaolu, who had just bought some oranges and was about to pay, felt a cold wind behind him. He stood up and looked back, and saw a rusty iron chain as thick as his wrist sweeping towards him with a rolling sound of breaking through the air.

(End of this chapter)