New and dark light years

Chapter 408 An Unexpected Incident Upon Arrival in Beijing
The group did not pass through Jin County, but instead went through the neighboring county town and headed directly north.

After all, Jin County was not on the official road leading north to the capital. If one insisted on passing through there, it would take at least four more days of detour.

At the current speed, even if we take the flat and relatively safe official road, it would take at least twenty days to travel from the southern border to the capital.

Therefore, Li Lin decided not to go to Jin County, and Huang Qing expressed his understanding.

Although she really wanted to see her father.

The official roads in southern Xinjiang are relatively difficult to travel, with many mountains, high and low, and winding roads.

Once they left Jin County, the road ahead became wide and straight, greatly increasing their travel speed.

However, there were still very few pedestrians on the road.

There's no way around it... the wilderness and its unpredictable nature are always the natural enemy of the living.

With over a hundred strong and capable elite soldiers, and Li Lin bringing out a sufficient amount of Imperial Powder, under normal circumstances, the Wild Ghosts would not approach them.

Moreover, Li Lin has now reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and his strength has improved significantly compared to before.

Even if a major monster suddenly appears, like the one in Cenxi County last time, Li Lin is confident that he can fight it to a draw.

They traveled easily for thirteen days, passing through the two prefectures of Hunan and Hubei, and finally arrived at the outskirts of the capital.

The capital city was essentially a large prefecture... surrounded by many large counties.

These large counties, in terms of population and size, are essentially cities. However, from an administrative perspective, a capital prefecture can only have the capital city, and the others can only be considered 'counties'.

Upon entering the territory of Jing County, Li Lin sensed something and leaned out of the carriage window to look ahead, then felt a chill run down his spine.

Because from his perspective, he saw an extremely large image of the True Lord.

It was so large that it could be vaguely seen even from hundreds of miles away.

This was a golden-armored deity, and Li Lin later discovered that he had 'seen' this golden-armored deity before.

I saw it in the illusion that the Southern Barbarian god 'Siluo Tuo' showed him.

These golden-armored deities are the 'guardians' of the Heavenly City.

At the same time, Li Lin felt a slight stinging sensation in the depths of his spiritual abode, indicating that the spiritual energy was clearly reacting to the golden-armored deity.

He quickly suppressed his spiritual energy to prevent it from leaking out.

However, there was one good thing: the golden-armored deity's image had its eyes closed. Furthermore, he could sense that the golden-armored deity's 'spiritual consciousness' was dormant.

Like the Tree Fairy, he seemed to be asleep.

Li Lin's expression relaxed a bit. He returned to the carriage and chatted with the two women.

The group continued their journey and officially entered the Kyoto region two days later.

They then discovered that the area surrounding the capital was exceptionally prosperous.

The official road here is bustling with people, and every so often, houses and shops are built on both sides, some are inns and others are taverns.

There are also some vendors selling sweet soup, whose owners wave flamboyantly and call out, "Welcome, sir, to have some sweet soup!"

At this moment, Hongluan had already poked her head out, her eyes filled with shock.

Huang Qing looked outside and said, "The capital is still as bustling as ever."

Li Lin asked, "How old were you when you left Beijing?"

“I was a little over five years old,” Huang Qing said nostalgically. “I only vaguely remember that the capital was full of people and food.”

Li Lin laughed and said, "That's all you remember..."

"She was just a child then, and she just liked sweets."

Li Lin asked, "So, when we return to the capital, do you plan to stay at the post station with me, or at the Huang family's residence?"

"With my husband." Huang Qing laughed. "A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. Besides, the house I used to live in should no longer exist."

"That's fine."

Hongluan said from the side, "But we have to go see Madam and Miss Ling."

Li Lin said, "My father-in-law instructed that after I settle down in the capital, you should go to the Huang family to meet the current clan head, who is your second uncle."

Huang Qing nodded: "I leave it to you, sir."

The carriage continued its journey, and the closer it got to the capital, the more bustling the area around the official road became.

In fact, Li Lin also saw martial arts practitioners chasing each other on the official road, and then constables rushed past from the side.

Of course... no one dares to mess with Li Lin's team for now.

These soldiers—forty with swords and shields, thirty with spears, and thirty with archers—were clearly a small, organized army, protecting someone of great importance.

Moreover... these soldiers are all wearing lamellar armor that is easy to march in. Although their protective capabilities are not as good as the armor worn by infantrymen on the battlefield, they are not something that a person or a few martial arts practitioners can easily provoke.

Two days later, the group finally arrived in the capital.

A towering walled city appeared in front of us and then stretched into the distance.

This city wall is circular; this is the outer city wall.

There is also an inner city wall, which is also circular, protecting the most important palace in the capital, as well as the area where princes and high-ranking officials lived.

This is the origin of the saying "a ring within a ring".

Around the outer city walls, especially at the city gates, a large number of vendors carrying goods wandered around, forming long queues. Travelers preparing to enter the city were their customers.

"Selling sunflower seeds, want some? They smell delicious."

"Both black and white jelly only cost one penny, and the ones with beet juice are sweeter than candied fruit."

“I know the captain guarding the city. He can take you in through the side gate for just ten coins. You don’t look like you’re in dire straits, so why bother queuing with those poor folks?”

When Li Lin's group arrived, many people instinctively avoided them, but the clamor of buying and selling could still be heard. Looking at the ridiculously long queue ahead, Li Lin asked, "Looks like we'll have to wait a long time. Qing'er and Hongluan, would you like some cold noodles or tea?"

It's late spring now, and the temperature in Beijing has warmed up, even a bit too hot.

Huang Qing nodded: "Okay."

They mostly ate dry food on the road, and their taste buds were getting bland. Now that they can eat some cold noodles, it's quite nice.

Li Lin got out of the carriage, handed a piece of silver to Captain Fan, and said, "Go and call all the vendors selling cold noodles and tea over here. Let all the brothers drink two or three bowls, and bring me three more bowls."

"Thank you for your consideration, Supervisor."

Captain Fan immediately led a few men over and invited some vendors selling cold noodles and tea over.

More than a hundred people drank almost all of the cold noodles from these few people.

Huang Qing was also holding a bowl of white jelly and drinking it.

The beet juice wasn't sweet enough, and even had a slightly astringent taste, far inferior to candied fruit and brown sugar.

But these two things are expensive. If we really use these two things, the jelly won't just cost one penny a bowl; it'll probably cost more than ten pennies.

Ordinary people wouldn't dare to eat such high-end goods casually.

Li Lin drank a bowl of black jelly, and at that moment, a man dressed in soldier's uniform and wearing an iron helmet ran over carrying a long spear.

Before he could even get close, he was blocked outside, with at least a dozen spears pointed at him.

It's no wonder the guards were so agitated. After all, if they didn't stop someone from approaching their superior with a weapon, they would be pointless to exist.

The soldier was startled, then threw his spear to the ground, cupped his hands and said, "It was not my intention to offend you, sir. I came here to help you resolve your troubles."

Li Lin saw this scene from the carriage, finished his cold noodles in two gulps, and then went out and said, "Let him come over."

The guards made way for the soldier, who ran over.

He had an ordinary appearance, was very thin, and had dark skin, clearly indicating that he came from a poor background.

Upon seeing Li Lin, he bowed and said, "This humble man, Gao Dazhu, greets your esteemed presence."

"How will you help me solve my problems?" Li Lin asked with a smile.

"Is this your first time visiting the capital?"

“You guessed right.” Li Lin nodded.

Gao Dazhu said, "When you come to the capital for the first time, you should know that you cannot bring more than ten armed attendants and more than twenty servants and maids. You can then enter the city through the side gate with your official seal and do not need to queue."

"Oh, I really didn't know that."

“Your Excellency doesn’t need to know such things; it’s enough for us servants to know,” Gao Dazhu said with a smile. “As for Your Excellency’s personal guards, they can go over there… there’s a flat area where you can set up camp.”

Li Lin nodded.

He really didn't know these things.

Li Lin said, "How about this, you take us into the city, and then take me to the post station, okay?"

"I am willing to serve you, sir." Gao Dazhu bowed his head, his tone full of joy.

Li Lin said to Captain Fan beside him, "Did you hear that? You will take ten men and come into the city with me, while you lead your men to garrison there. I will leave you a box. If you run out of rations, you can take some from the box. Just remember to keep a good ledger."

Captain Fan said, "Why don't I go to the capital with you, sir?"

"There are still more than ninety people here who need your management, you can't leave."

"Yes."

Captain Fan selected ten men to follow Li Lin, while he himself led his men to the other side.

Li Lin said to Gao Dazhu, "Lead the way."

Gao Dazhu bowed repeatedly and said with a smile, "This way, please."

Li Lin followed behind him, while ten guards escorted the carriage and a donkey cart to the city gate.

To the left was a crowded scene, but to the right, the side door was deserted except for a man who looked like a guard, standing idly against the wall with a long gun in his arms.

The man straightened up when the carriage arrived.

He first saw Gao Dazhu and was about to make a few sarcastic remarks, but when he saw Li Lin, his expression turned serious.

Those who can guard the city gates are almost all seasoned veterans. As soon as they saw Li Lin's appearance, demeanor, and silk clothes, they knew that a distinguished person had arrived.

He immediately bowed and said, "Sir, do you hold any official position?"

The official seal was handed out from the carriage, contained in a gold-threaded cloth bag.

Li Lin took it and handed it back.

The clerk opened the bag and saw the official seal. He hissed, immediately put it away, and then presented it back with both hands: "Please wait a moment, sir, I will open the door for you right away."

After saying that, he struck the bronze bell next to the side door twice.

Soon, with a creaking sound from the turntable, the side door slowly opened.

There were many people at the main gate, and countless eyes were watching, almost all of them filled with envy.

They had been queuing for almost an hour but had not been able to enter the city, since verifying identities is a process that takes time.

There are too many people coming to the capital, so the process of verifying household registration is relatively slow.

Li Lin gestured for his personal guards to escort the carriage inside first.

Just then, a dark figure suddenly rushed over from not far away.

(End of this chapter)