Chapter 83: Jiangnan City
Unlike the last time, it was a clear sunny day. The 'Rat Monk' descended into a narrow alley of the market, and outside it was quite noisy. The cries of peddlers could be heard from afar.
Yan Qing did not rush to go out but instead retrieved a Black Band from the Public Storage and had the 'Rat Monk' wear it.
In the Jiangnan region, walking around without a Household Band could get one reported as a spy. This Black Band of the 'Rat Monk' was given to Jiang Ten by Qian Gongyu. Now that Jiang Ten was enjoying privileges at the Pingcheng Military Camp, it was only natural to pass the Black Band identification to a lower-level alternate character who needed it more.
The 'Rat Monk' walked openly out of the alley. As expected, although he wasn't as eye-catching as Jiang Ten, he still didn’t blend into the crowd. After all, on the entire street, he was the only bald head. With the sun blazing above, he was practically a mobile oversized lightbulb.
The atmosphere of Buddhist faith in Jiangnan was indeed strong. Passersby greeted the 'Rat Monk' with joined palms. Even if only for disguise, Yan Qing had to return the gesture. A path less than a hundred meters took nearly a minute to walk. He couldn’t afford to keep wandering like this, so Yan Qing casually approached an old woman selling persimmon cakes.
"This benefactor, may I ask which direction Jiangnan City is in?"
Although he had a bald head and the system’s Default Face, the 'Rat Monk' still looked decent—young, fair-skinned, kind-featured, bearing some resemblance to the Tang Monk from Journey to the West. The old woman did not doubt his identity in the slightest. She quickly wiped her hands and handed over two persimmon cakes.
"Little Master, have some persimmon cakes. They're delicious!"
"This poor monk is not hungry, merely wishes to know which direction Jiangnan City lies in, and how long it will take to get there."
"Jiangnan City? Dogwa's father, come over here! There's a monk heading to Jiangnan City—give him a ride!"
Ten minutes later, Yan Qing looked at the 'Rat Monk' sitting atop a cluttered ox-cart, swaying along the road heading southeast. When he learned that Jiangnan City was a four-hour walk away, Yan Qing had considered conjuring up a few monstrous fellow disciples to accompany the 'Rat Monk'. However, the old couple was so hospitable and insisted on giving the monk a lift. The ox-cart was only so big, so Yan Qing had no choice but to let the 'Rat Monk' travel alone.
Yan Qing set the 'Rat Monk' to chanting mode and then switched over to the alternate character 'Jiang Ten'. Since he was idle anyway, he decided to run some Instances.
After completing three Instances, Yan Qing switched back to the 'Rat Monk' and saw that Jiangnan County City was already visible in the distance. Upon hearing the chanting behind him cease, the old man immediately asked:
"Little Master, are you thirsty or hungry? I have cakes and water here—"
"No, no need. This poor monk is fine."
"Little Master, just ahead is the Commercial Post, where tax officials have set up a checkpoint. I, this old man..."
"Understood. Just let me off here."
Once the 'Rat Monk' alighted from the cart, Yan Qing noticed the old man fidgeting with unease, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. Yan Qing took the initiative to ask:
"Does the benefactor have something to say?"
"Ah, hmm." The old man mumbled for a while before sheepishly speaking up. "Little Master, my daughter-in-law is with child and due soon. I was wondering, could you perhaps light incense at a temple and pray for the safety of mother and child? I’ve heard the temples in Jiangnan City are very efficacious."
Yan Qing blinked.
"Of course I can."
"Also, I heard from others that the Buddha and Bodhisattva at the Divine Marquis Estate are especially efficacious." The old man's face turned red. "If possible, could you also ask them to bless my family?"
Feeling that his requests were piling up, he hurriedly fetched a bundle of persimmon cakes from the cart and stuffed them toward Yan Qing. Yan Qing found himself caught in an awkward spot—not knowing whether to accept or decline—so he quickly explained:
"The temples have not yet enshrined the Buddha and Bodhisattva of the Divine Marquis Estate. These persimmon cakes, benefactor, please take them back—"
"No, no need. They’re not worth much. Little Master, have them for the road!"
As if afraid Yan Qing would return the cakes, the old man hastily drove the ox-cart away. Yan Qing was caught between amusement and helplessness. He had no choice but to store the persimmon cakes into the Public Storage and then began briskly running toward Jiangnan City.
The 'Rat Monk' soon arrived at the Commercial Post the old man had mentioned. On the road, four or five men had set up a checkpoint—clearly tax officials. Upon seeing someone approach, they all stood upright, but when they realized it was a bald man, they immediately lost interest.
Yan Qing thought he could just walk past, but unexpectedly they still stopped the 'Rat Monk' and lazily extended a hand.
"Ordination certificate."
"Ordination certificate?"
"Monk, you don’t have an ordination certificate? Who allowed you to become a monk?" The tax official suddenly became spirited. "Brothers, come quick, it’s a rogue monk who got ordained without approval—capture him and we’ll claim the reward!"
Before he could summon others, the 'Rat Monk' immediately bolted at full speed. No matter how hard the tax officials chased, how could they possibly catch up to the 'Rat Monk' with an innate 6 points of Vital Energy and Blood? Before long, they were far behind, and Jiangnan County City was already within reach.
A miscalculation—monks required a special identification as well. This was something Yan Qing couldn't obtain. Still, as long as he made it into Jiangnan City, which had a main city protection mechanism, even without an ID, the 'Rat Monk' wouldn't be expelled. So if the ordination certificate problem could be solved, great—if not, it wouldn’t hinder the plan.
Just like Chang'an County City, Jiangnan County City outside the main city zone was also bustling. The ground was paved with blue bricks, tile-roofed buildings stood in rows, voices rang loud and clear, and roadside food stalls abounded. The hustle and bustle made Yan Qing feel like he was walking through a commercial pedestrian street. What was even more astonishing was that there was hardly any dirt road. Every visible surface was paved with blue bricks.
If his guess was right, there must be a Secret Realm nearby. The construction materials of Jiangnan County City must have been sourced from that Secret Realm—otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve such uniformity and high quality. Just like how the architectural style of the Pingcheng Military Camp matched that of the 'Zhen Sanshan' Secret Realm, Jiangnan County City's buildings were likely also closely tied to a nearby Secret Realm.
Wandering about and occasionally returning greetings from passersby, Yan Qing spent nearly an hour just to reach the gate of Jiangnan City. He had resolved to simply dash through if the gate guards asked for the ordination certificate, but perhaps due to the 'Rat Monk's' solemn and dignified appearance, the guards greeted him with joined palms and let him pass without a word.
"You have entered the main city: Jiangnan."
"Based on your level, you can now access the following Milestone Information:"
(Previously displayed milestones are not repeated.)
"Gold-Tier Guide: You have charted complete maps of Jiangnan, Chang'an, and Buye Tian."
"Old Jiangnan: You have discovered the nineteen hidden Haha Grass in Jiangnan City (0/19)."
"Jiangnan Riverside Scroll: You found a perfect vantage point that captures all of Jiangnan in one glance."
"Trap Card: The tiles in Jiangnan City are damaged differently every day. Stepping on them sprays sewage. You’ve triggered the trap one hundred times (0/100)."
"I Walk on the Edge of a Cliff: There is a red-painted line on the ground of Jiangnan City. You walked the entire city with both feet stepping exactly on that red line."
"Raise your level or unlock more milestones to gain further Milestone Information."
Jiangnan City was huge!
After entering the city, Yan Qing found himself momentarily at a loss. Unlike last time when he headed straight for Anguo Temple, now the Heaven-Relying Sword was being carried by Shang Xuanwen. Who knew where Shang Xuanwen was—should he investigate the department where he reported for duty, or should he investigate his residence?
Or… Yan Qing looked at the ground and discovered there really was a red-painted line.
Should he try to complete the challenge "I Walk on the Edge of a Cliff"?
Wait, Shang Xuanwen’s home…
Yan Qing vaguely associated a few things, but just then he spotted a temple at the end of the street and remembered the old man’s request. He figured he should first complete the Side Quest of offering incense for the old man.
"Senior Brother, are you here to seek temporary lodging at our temple?"
"Not so. This poor monk has come to offer incense for someone else, to pray for blessings and avert misfortune."
"Of course, of course. Would you like the Lotus Sea Incense at fifty Spirit Jade per stick, or the Maha Prajna Incense at thirty Spirit Jade?"
"Ah?"
"If funds are tight, we also have the Taiyi Salvation Incense at nine Spirit Jade, or the Azure Luan Wish-Carrying Incense at five Spirit Jade. If none of those work, there’s still the Vajra Incense at one Spirit Jade per stick."
"Why does offering incense cost so much?"
"No money, and you still dare come to pray? Get out!"
Even until the 'Rat Monk' was driven out of the temple, Yan Qing hadn't come to his senses.
Damn it, Spirit Jade had terrifying purchasing power. In Chang'an, a single Spirit Jade could buy a hundred bowls of wonton noodles. And here, it could only buy one stick of incense? And that was the cheapest option?
Even though Yan Qing wasn’t short on money—he had just earned over a hundred thousand Spirit Jade today and was at his wealthiest—he couldn’t accept being ripped off by a bunch of Bald Monks like some gullible fool!
Wouldn’t it be better to spend that money on wonton noodles than donate it to a temple?
But Yan Qing had given the old man his word. Unless he truly couldn't accomplish it, he was the type who wouldn’t sleep well after breaking a promise. All he could say was, the main city had saved those monks’ hides. If they had been outside, Yan Qing would’ve at least given them a beating and forcefully offered some "tyrannical incense" as an act of doing good.
Yan Qing looked around the bustling, incense-filled cityscape of towers and pavilions. He refused to believe that in such a vast Jiangnan City, he wouldn’t find a temple that didn’t fleece people.