Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

He also didn't like riding in a horse-drawn carriage. These days, carriages don't have any shock absorption measures. The wooden wheels don't provide any cushioning, and they don't travel on smooth roads. After sitting for a while, his buttocks would shake and hurt.

Anyway, the suitcase isn't heavy, so walking around a bit is a form of exercise.

Moreover, the view is obstructed inside the carriage, and it's hard to notice anything in case of an emergency. It's better to walk.

“I understand. If you or the young Taoist priest get tired, please let me know,” the young man said.

"Of course," the old Taoist priest said with a smile.

Thus, Zhuang Xing followed Daoist Qingxuzi into the caravan.

He glanced back at Qingxuan Mountain, then, carrying his box, headed straight ahead.

The young man didn't get on the carriage; instead, he led the horse and called to the others in the group to set off.

Seemingly hearing that neither Zhuang Xing nor Daoist Qingxuzi were getting into the carriage, and that Xiao Moli was also not getting into the carriage, the young man carried Xiao Moli and walked beside them.

Zhuang Xing observed the caravan. Of the approximately twenty people, four were guards, who rode horses and stood guard on all four sides of the caravan.

Only one of them was a cultivator who had mastered true qi. However, the other three, although they did not possess true qi, were all tall and strong, and were robust warriors who should be proficient in riding, archery, and combat. Most demons could be dealt with by people like them.

With experience and knowledge of how to deal with them, many monsters are not a threat to those with weapons. Monsters are not mindless fools; they know that these people are difficult to deal with. Unless they are starving and about to die, they will usually run away and go find ordinary people or wild animals that are easier to bully.

In addition to a horse-drawn carriage specifically for carrying people, the caravan also carried goods.

The Taoist priest said that Xiao Moli's family members were traveling merchants around Yidu.

Zhuang Xing was very interested in the affairs of Yidu, so he asked about the young man.

"Brother, what is Yidu like?" Zhuang Xing asked.

The young man asked, "Is this your first time coming down the mountain, young Taoist priest?"

“I’ve been down the mountain before, but I’ve never been to Yidu,” Zhuang Xing said.

"Then we should definitely take a good look around Yidu," the young man said with a smile. "After we've traveled for two days and gotten onto the main road, the road will be much easier to travel, and we should be able to reach the entrance to Yidu in just four or five days."

"I heard that Yidu is next to the canal. Are there many ships traveling there?"

“Not only are there boats on the canal, but there are also ferries and canals in the city, with many boats coming and going. Our Wu family also rents out boats, horses and donkeys. When the young Taoist priest enters the city, he can go on a boat and travel around Yidu in a day, to see the buildings and the wine market. It will definitely be much more lively than the mountain.”

"I see..."

Zhuang Xing was surprised to find that there were shipping services in Yidu. However, it turns out that there is a large lake called Taihu nearby. The fishing industry must have been developing for a long time when Bai Lian Jushi was alive, so it is not surprising that there is such a developed shipping industry.

Although this world is not very developed in agriculture and daily life, it is much more advanced in other areas, such as talismans, magic, iron forging, and pharmacology.

After all, people tend to delve into things they are under pressure in.

In the shipbuilding industry, for example, people in the past put in a lot of effort to fight against underwater monsters and seize the right to use waterways.

To be honest, he's never been on a boat before, but he'll definitely try it when he gets to Yidu.

He then chatted with the young man for a long time, and the young man spoke at length about how good Yidu was.

However, what Zhuang Xing was most interested in was eating.

The young man said that there is a place called Wangjianglou in Yidu, where the local delicacies, such as whole sheep and minced meat, are so delicious that even the emperor calls them delicacies.

The so-called "Hun Yang Mo Hu" is a dish where a goose is stuffed into a sheep's belly, then filled with grains and roasted until fully cooked. The sheep must be a lamb under 100 days old. After roasting, the meat is fragrant and very tender. "Jin Ji Yu Kuai" is a dish of perch sashimi, made with fresh perch caught from the Songjiang River in Yidu. After this dish is made, the fish meat is as white as jade, and the sashimi is golden in color, just like gold and jade.

Whether it tastes good or not is uncertain, but Zhuang Xing knows the price is definitely not cheap.

Both dishes are labeled "A delicacy praised by His Majesty," so each one must cost three or four taels of silver. Wangjiang Tower must be a truly luxurious place.

Go there to buy groceries instead of cooking for yourself.

It sounds like these two dishes are just made with good ingredients; they're just grilled and steamed. He'll just go catch a couple of bass from the river, season them, and who knows which one will taste better.

After chatting with the young man for a while, Little Jasmine actually fell asleep.

Knowing she was going home, she must have stayed up very late last night. After getting up this morning and coming down from Qingxuan Mountain, she must have exhausted herself, so it's normal that she was tired.

The young man looked at Jasmine's sleeping face, sighed, and dared not let her go again.

"Speaking of which, what was Little Jasmine's original name?" Zhuang Xing asked in a low voice.

"Little Jasmine? Little Taoist priest, are you referring to my little sister?" the young man asked.

"Yes, because she can't remember her own name, that's what we call her on the mountain." Zhuang Xing nodded.

“Sigh…this is also my fault…” the young man sighed. “My little sister’s real name is Wu Yueling. Oh right, my name is Wu Yingsong. I am the second brother in the family. My little sister is the youngest sister in the family. Two years ago, when Yidu held a temple fair.”

"My parents took my younger sister out for a trip, and my older brother and I set up stalls in the North and South markets at the fair. My parents entrusted my younger sister to my care, but I neglected her for a moment..."

Wu Yingsong sighed again and hugged his younger sister tighter.

"For the past two years, my family has been searching everywhere for news of my younger sister. When my parents learned that she might be at Xuanqing Temple, they originally wanted to come with me, but my older brother and I persuaded them not to. They then entrusted me to make sure that my younger sister was brought home safely..."

"It's all my fault... If only I had been more careful..."

Zhuang Xing said in a low voice, "Brother Wu, don't get excited. Little Jasmine is very tired. Don't wake her up."

Wu Yingsong listened, paused for a moment, then smiled with relief.

"That's right, we can't wake up our little sister again."

His steps became much lighter, and his strong arms simply supported his younger sister in his arms so that she could sleep more peacefully.

And so, they walked along the path for two days.

On the third day, they set off on the official road.

A thousand-year-old cypress tree drooped its branches.

Trees were planted on both sides of the official road, making the road much smoother once you got on it.

As dusk fell, a post station came into view, meaning that tonight, we would no longer have to spend the night in the countryside.

Chapter 122 I remembered something happy

Along the official road of Dayu, there was a post station or inn every fifty li to provide food and lodging for traveling merchants and officials.

To stay at a post station, one needed a travel permit issued by the government, which was like an identity document.

Merchants like Brother Wu had to apply to the government before going to a place. They had to fill in a lot of information, including the destination and the number of passes and ferries along the way, the applicant's name, identity, age, place of origin, the number of items they were carrying, the number of livestock (horses and cattle), and their sex.

Only after the government officials have signed and verified the documents will they be issued travel permits and provisions.

Only merchants with travel permits and provisions could rest at post stations along the way and buy fodder.

Overall, the management in this area is quite strict, but if you don't take the official route or pass through checkpoints, there are plenty of ways to get around it.

People in the martial arts world each have their own methods. These rules are mainly to control honest people and prevent them from wandering around.

Even so, Master Qingxuzi still took out a stack of old documents from his bag. The documents did not contain travel permits, but rather special authorization talismans. When the officials at the post station saw them, they treated him with great respect and even waived the food and lodging expenses for Brother Wu and his party.

After resting at the post station for one night, they continued their journey the next day.

Although they didn't walk very fast, they were able to reach the next station almost every day just before dark.

As we got closer to Yidu, the number of people on the road increased, and we saw some tea shops along the way for travelers to rest.

That morning, as I was walking on the official road, a sudden gust of cold air swept over me.

Zhuang Xing exhaled white frost from his mouth and nose, and when he looked up, fine snowflakes like goose feathers were falling.

The first snow of the year came earlier than last year.

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that winters had been getting colder and colder in recent years.

Although it wasn't unbearable for him—his body would warm up as long as he circulated his true qi—he always felt colder year by year.

He remembered that it hadn't been this cold in previous years.

The good news is that they arrived in Yidu before the snow piled up.

Zhuang Xing took a breath and looked at the ferry crossing in front of him.

It was a wide ferry crossing, with many small boats swaying along its banks. That was the Songjiang Canal. Snowflakes fell on the blue water, creating ripples. Boatmen poled their boats, carrying passengers to the other side of the ferry. Some boats were heading deeper into the Songjiang River, heading to a distant ferry crossing.

Looking at the city walls of Yidu, the Songjiang River forms a moat around the walls. The river flows into Yidu and becomes a canal within the city, allowing people to transport goods.

Just a few more steps and we'll be at the city gate.

Officials stood guards at the edge of the city to check people coming and going, and even in winter, the number of people did not decrease.

Many brokers and agents were there, greeting visitors. Yidu was a bustling commercial hub with extensive trade.

"Finally back!" Brother Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "Two Taoist priests, please come to my home for a chat. My little sister has finally returned home, so we should prepare a feast to welcome her back."

Zhuang Xing naturally wanted to freeload a meal, but the decision wasn't up to him. He looked at the old Taoist priest beside him. If the old Taoist priest said to go, he would go. If the old Taoist priest said not to go, although he was a little disappointed, he could only give up.

However, since they are going to stay in Yidu for some time, he can visit them again someday and get another meal then.

"Then I shall respectfully comply," the old Taoist said to Brother Wu.

Perhaps the old Taoist priest saw through Zhuang Xing's thoughts, or perhaps he had been eating dry rations for the past few days and found them a bit bland, so he accepted Brother Wu's invitation.

The two followed Brother Wu into the city. The roads in Yidu were planned in a square and straight manner, with ditches and boats visible in many places.

Indeed, as Brother Wu said, the shipping industry was very developed. Walking on the road, Zhuang Xing saw many locals using boats to transport goods. They would load boxes onto the boats and, without the need for carriages or horses or much manpower, would simply use bamboo poles to propel their small boats to various parts of the city.

As Zhuang Xing drove along, he looked around. All the houses in Yidu were good houses made of bricks and tiles. He couldn't see the thatched houses like in the countryside. Wu Erge settled the caravan in front of a tea shop and, with only his younger sister and the old Taoist priest, went to the backyard of the tea shop.

"Father, Mother! I've brought my little sister home!" Wu Erge shouted as he stepped over the threshold.

Little Jasmine looked around in his arms, seemingly trying to see how different the courtyard was from how she remembered it.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was quite exquisite, with plum blossoms and bamboo.

A wrinkled woman and a middle-aged man with a cane came out of the house and were stunned when they saw Little Jasmine in Wu Erge's arms.

They came forward and hugged Xiao Moli and Brother Wu.

"It's good that you're back...it's good that you're back..."

A slight glint of tears welled up in her eyes.

Wu's eldest brother returned home around noon that day.

The Wu family set up a feast at home, with meat, wine, and fresh fish and shrimp.

Zhuang Xing ate heartily and was very happy.

The Wu family wanted to invite them to stay a few more nights, but Master Qingxuzi politely declined.