Chapter 147 - 126: A Gathering of Heroes
Shanyang Prefecture City.
One of the Two Capitals and Thirteen Prefectures of the Great Wei, though it ranked near the bottom.
But as the heart of a prefecture, the sheer scale of Shanyang Prefecture City still surpassed Fang Yue’s imagination.
Even from dozens of miles away, he could see the towering city walls standing on the distant horizon. They stretched for more than ten miles from left to right, like a colossal beast crouched low, ready to pounce.
’To be this massive from so far away... It’s hard to imagine just how large the Prefecture City will be up close!’
"Boss, that’s Shanyang Prefecture City up ahead. Our Shanyang Prefecture is a land of great beauty and talent. It’s said these city walls alone are hundreds of miles long. The Hun River flows beside it—that’s the second-largest river in the Great Wei, and they say it flows east into the sea."
Elder Zheng the Darts Master stood at the very front of the group, sighing in admiration as he gazed ahead.
As a Darts Master for an Escort Agency, he came to Shanyang Prefecture several times a year.
He should have been used to the sight, but every time he came and saw the massive city in the distance, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.
"Boss, you’ve come at a good time. In a few days, it’ll be the new moon. The Hun River’s tide will rise, and the water will be magnificent, shrouded in mist. You might even see an Immortal," another, younger Darts Master said earnestly.
"Hm? An Immortal?"
Fang Yue was slightly taken aback by his words.
"What nonsense are you spouting? There are no Immortals in this world. It’s just superstitious rumors spread by fishermen. In the end, who’s ever actually seen one?" Elder Zheng the Darts Master shook his head and tapped his pipe. He had been an escort for most of his life.
He’d been to the Hun River several times and had never seen any Immortal.
Ultimately, it was all just superstitions spread among the ignorant.
After a short rest, the group continued forward.
The closer they got, the more they were struck by the scale of Shanyang Prefecture City.
When they finally drew near, Fang Yue discovered that the city walls of Shanyang Prefecture were a full seventy or eighty feet high.
The gate alone was several dozen feet wide and fifty feet high. A person standing beneath it seemed tiny.
A long line stretched out before the city gate. Even Shanyang Prefecture was no exception; there was a fee to enter the city.
It wasn’t much: one copper plate per person and ten copper plates per horse-drawn carriage.
His status as a Martial Scholar offered no special treatment here. After all, over the many years under Shanyang Prefecture’s jurisdiction, the number of accumulated Martial Scholars was not small.
He might receive preferential treatment in the countryside, but here, he had to follow the rules like everyone else.
"Boss, let’s have some dry rations first. Looking at this line, it’ll be another one or two hours before we get inside."
Elder Zheng the Darts Master was very experienced. A single glance at the length of the queue was enough for him to roughly estimate the waiting time.
It would be a long wait, certainly pushing into the afternoon. For lunch, they would have to make do with dry rations.
The other trading teams around them were all doing the same.
Some were eating rations, while others had even set up small stoves and started boiling water.
"Have you guys heard? There’s a new tea shop that opened in the city, called something like Yu Chong Mountain. Why would anyone give it a name like that?"
"But I heard they’re about to release a new tea, Biyou Spring Tea, I think it’s called. They’re only selling fifty catties a day, and right now a single catty costs three to five hundred taels of silver."
"Selling tea for that much? Who would even drink it! But apparently, for the rich merchants and big households in the city, if you serve a pot of Biyou Spring Tea to your guests, it’s the ultimate way to show off."
As they waited, the sound of idle chatter from the people around them drifted over.
Hearing this, Elder Zheng the Darts Master was stunned. "My goodness, three to five hundred taels of silver for a catty of tea? Is it made of gold or something?"
"Right? Even gold isn’t that expensive!" the young Darts Master beside him exclaimed in astonishment.
Fang Yue couldn’t help but chuckle softly at their words.
’It’s true, though. A catty of gold is only worth one hundred taels of silver, which is cheaper than a catty of that tea.’
’The words were crude, but the logic was sound.’
However, Fang Yue felt he had still misjudged the tea market.
At the same time, he had also underestimated the spending power of the wealthy merchants and major households in Shanyang Prefecture.
The fact that tea could be hyped to such an exorbitant price was truly astounding.
"You there, young man. Our boss has taken a liking to this spot. Move aside."
Just then, a caravan approached from behind and stopped next to Fang Yue’s group.
A middle-aged merchant stepped out from the caravan. He was richly dressed, with a small mustache and a sharp, astute glint in his eyes that made him look shrewd and capable.
Fan Sanshan smiled faintly, putting on the air of a seasoned veteran.
"And what if we don’t?" Fang Yue replied with a smile.
The other party’s trading team was larger than his. They had more than a dozen accompanying Martial Artists, and though most of them were only at the Skin Grinding level, it was clearly a powerful caravan.
"Heh heh, you’re still too young, young man. If you don’t move, that’s fine too."
"It’s just... you look like this is your first time in the Prefecture City, don’t you? We have connections with several of the major merchant guilds in the city. All it would take is a single word, and no one would dare buy your goods."
Fan Sanshan was all smiles, delivering his threat as if he were merely offering considerate advice to Fang Yue.
At that moment, Elder Zheng the Darts Master tugged on Fang Yue’s sleeve and whispered, "Boss, I’ve heard this Sanfu Trading Team is backed by one of the city’s major families. They’re very powerful. Maybe we should just let them have the spot."
He had been to Shanyang Prefecture many times and knew a thing or two about the prominent trading teams that operated there.
The man’s caravan was called the Sanfu Trading Team, and it was well-known in Shanyang Prefecture. Rumor had it they were backed by one of Shanyang Prefecture’s Noble Families.
With that kind of backing, all they had to do was say the word, and no one in Shanyang Prefecture would dare to do business with them.