Knife splashing

Chapter 449: Sneaking into Chongqing Prefecture

"My Lords, please listen to me...

The city wall of Chongqing is solid, and the nine towering gates protect the city.

The streets and alleys of Chaotianshun City are deep, with one, two, and three gates.

Welcome to the holy straw sandals horse Wang Tang, Sanyuan Temple Street cool water well,
There are many stories in this half street, with two doors and three doors overlapping each other..."

On the dock, beggars were beating bamboo clappers and singing lotus songs, squeezing among the crowd, looking around with their eyes.

He doesn't look like he's looking for a fat sheep.

The area around Chaotianmen Wharf is the territory of Yu Zhengkui, a leader of the Gelaohui, and the rules are extremely strict.

Therefore, although there are good and bad people at the dock, they all have their own ways.

Stealing is stealing, cheating is cheating. Once you have become a leader, you need permission from others to make a living in this field, and you have to be able to find the person if something goes wrong.

If you are not careful and offend the wrong person, and they find you at the door of the Gelaohui, you will have to return the things you owe to them within three quarters of an hour.

In addition, the Beggars' Sect also has its own rules.

Who steals, who begs, and who traffics are all clearly regulated, and no one is allowed to cross the line.

Chaotianmen Wharf, from Jiannan, Sichuan, Tibet and Tibet, or from Yunnan, Guizhou, Qin, Chu, Wu, Yue, Fujian, Henan, and the two Guangdong provinces, the Yangtze River Basin and even Shaanxi, Henan, Fujian, and Guangdong, all use this place as the "general transportation place for ship changing".

Over thousands of years, it has formed its own rules.

The beggar who sings the lotus flower is responsible for leading the way.

Chongqing City is famous for its irregular shape. It is built on the mountain and has very complicated streets and docks. Outsiders often get lost when they come here.

The person who is responsible for leading the way can not only earn a reward, but also get to know the situation and help the person who eavesdrops on the inn.

In short, once you step onto this dock, no matter you are a gangster or a traveling merchant, you will always come into other people's sight.

Next, it depends on each person’s approach.

People from pawnbrokers would come to pick up connections, and brothels and theaters in the city would send invitations. If they were fat sheep, they would also come one after another.

Of course, if you are a tough guy, those people will be very smart and will not easily provoke you.

The beggar was called Liu San. He squinted his eyes and looked around for a long time. After being rejected by several people in succession, he finally found his target.

They were a group of people wearing cloaks and Nuo masks.

There were quite a lot of people and a lot of luggage. They looked tired and exhausted, and it was obvious that they had come from other places. After getting off the boat, they looked around.

Liu San knew this appearance.

They were performing Yangyang opera, and they had real skills. When the Tujia people at the dock saw them, they all bowed in respect.

Normally, he didn't want to provoke these people. But today, after a day of hanging around and not opening yet, he was already hungry and couldn't care less about anything else.

He performed the Lotus Flower Dance and recited the lyrics again, showing that he was familiar with the terrain here, and then he bowed respectfully:

"Gentlemen, do you need someone to lead the way?"

"Find a quiet place, not a place without a hole, you'll get a reward, but don't play tricks."

Shari took a step forward and whispered in response.

The loophole refers to the outsider.

Liu San immediately understood that these people knew the ways of the underworld well enough to earn a small amount of money, and if they dared to meddle in other people's affairs, it would be trouble.

"That's right, everyone please follow me."

Liu San quickly bent down and led the way.

"and many more!"

Before he could move his feet, he heard Sharifei's voice from behind him again, "There are too many people at the city gate. It's inconvenient. Let's take another way to enter the city."

Liu San glanced at it calmly.

To enter the city from Chaotian Gate, one has to pass through three city gates, all of which are guarded by yamen soldiers. Because of the war in the southwest, the inspection is extremely strict and there are indeed quite a lot of people queuing.

The long staircase was also filled with idlers from the triad society.

But it’s not that they are afraid of queuing, there is clearly another reason!
Thinking of this, Liu San smiled even more humbly, bowed deeply and said: "Okay, but this reward..."

"double!"

"light and spacious!"

Liu San made a gesture and led everyone westward.

The area outside Chongqing city is not deserted. Along the docks, people have built houses that are cramped, crowded, and staggered, with no end in sight.

The people living here are all poor people, including those who make a living by fishing and dock laborers. The streets are dirty and extremely chaotic.

Liu San led everyone and went into the alley.

Perhaps because they were outnumbered and dressed like that, no one came to disturb them. Only the city foxes and social rats squatted in the corner, holding their earthen pipes, puffing out smoke and watching coldly.

Li Yan secretly made a hand gesture and took a deep sniff. All kinds of smells suddenly rushed into his nostrils, the smell of rotten sweat, blood, rotten rice, mold...all kinds of smells mixed together and almost made him fall over.

Among them, there are some special smells.

For example, three feet underground in the courtyard on the left, there are two bodies buried...

For example, a household a hundred meters away had an unusually clean yard, but there were poisonous insects in the jar in the kitchen...

For example, in the dilapidated house ahead, there was a pair of vicious eyes staring at them through the crack in the door, their eyes were full of bloodshot...

Li Yan ignored all of this.

Disorder and chaos have always been a pair.

Many times, the fighting at the bottom of the underworld is even more fierce.

Not long after, the beggar Liu San brought them to a warehouse, which was originally used to load and unload goods from the dock, but seemed to have been abandoned.

Seeing this, Liu San introduced: "During the Daxing period of the previous dynasty, the court built a stone city on the basis of the old city at the end of the Song Dynasty, taking the image of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, and set up 17 city gates, the largest of which is the 'Chaotian Gate'."

"At the beginning of this dynasty, Chaotianmen Wharf was only for officials. There was a saying at that time, 'Chaotianmen, the big wharf, welcomes officials and saints.'"

"The civilians' merchant ships could only go ashore from the side, which was the warehouse at that time. Later, the ban was lifted and the place naturally became deserted."

Then, he said in a low voice with an embarrassed look on his face: "Everyone, you can enter the city from here, but you have to pay a toll. I can only introduce you to someone."

Say all the nice things you can and then raise the price when the time comes. This is a common tactic in the underworld and is also a horse hitch.

First you feel you have gained an advantage, and then bleed yourself at the critical moment.

Sharifei knew what was going on, and said unhappily, "I'll give what I owe, but if the lion opens its mouth too wide, forget about your reward."

"That's that."

Beggar Liu Sanxi smiled happily and led everyone into the warehouse.

The warehouse was filled with groceries and smelled of sweat. Oil lamps were lit on the greasy tables, and several shirtless men were playing mahjong.

When he saw everyone coming in, he just gave them a cold glance.

Liu San walked over with his head lowered and whispered.

The leading man didn't even raise his head and said in a muffled voice: "There are too many people, and they are covering their heads and faces. Who knows who the thieves are?"

"If something goes wrong, we will all be held responsible."

She just complained but didn't refuse, and it was obvious that she wanted more.

"We are all from the same world, look at this..."

Liu San smiled awkwardly and quickly started saying nice things.

But the men still looked unmoved.

Sharifei couldn't help but step forward to ask, but was stopped by Li Yan, who shook his head and made a gesture to leave.

They had sneaked into the city, and with this information, even if they kept their mouth shut, the other party could vaguely guess their identities.

So the Gelaohui and the Yan Gang are at odds with each other, but the situation in the city is complicated now, and who knows who is hiding among them.

"Hey hey hey~ don't go!"

Liu San was anxious, and blurted out to those men: "These are all masters with real skills. What happened at Master Wang's home..."

The beggar was also talking nonsense in a hurry, but the man frowned when he heard it and put down the cards in his hand. He took a sip of the teapot slowly, "There are many opera troupes in the city recently. From the looks of you, you also need to go to the Chengdu Lantern Festival."

"Since you are dressed like this, can you ward off evil spirits?"

"Exorcising evil spirits is a piece of cake!"

Sharifi climbed up the pole and said, "I wonder what evil spirit it is?"

The man said in a deep voice, "Well, our Third Master just got a big house and wanted to decorate it, but the workers had accidents one after another, and even several Feng Shui masters couldn't fix it. They just said it was bad luck."

"If you can solve it, the toll will be waived."

"If you can't settle it, the price will be doubled. Do you dare to agree?"

"Forget it, we'll pay."

After hearing this, Li Yan refused directly.

It was obvious at first glance that these people were members of the Gelaohui.

The so-called Third Master is the head of the Gelaohui. He has a high status and is mainly responsible for managing money and grain. He can be said to be very wealthy.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

There are many talented people in the Gelaohui. It must be a bad job to be able to give the Third Master, the head of the family, a headache.

How much toll can they get? Considering their net worth, they still lose money.

These people knew that they were sorcerers, yet they still dared to do this. It must be that things over there were difficult to handle, so they wanted to take the opportunity to set a trap.

"whispering sound!"

The man saw that his plan failed, and there was some disappointment in his eyes. Then he said, "In that case, pay the money. Twenty taels each."

"Twenty taels! You too..."

Sharifei was indignant when he heard this, but was stopped by Li Yan and took out the money neatly.

Everyone on this dock is in touch with each other. If they can't handle it here, the news will spread immediately.

If you go to other places, the prices may be higher, and you will have to come back and pay extra to go into the city.

These are the local tyrants who occupy the advantageous position and use all means to suppress you, unless they are willing to reveal their identities and force their way in.

But that would also expose them to the eyes of the Salt Gang and the Prince of Shu's Palace, and they would probably encounter more and greater troubles in the future.

"Tsk tsk...so generous!"

The man praised, stood up and kicked the table away, then lifted the wooden board underneath, "Please come in, everyone."

"Remember, no matter what you decide to do, it has nothing to do with us, and you are not entering the city from here. If you reveal your true colors, don't blame us for not following the rules of the underworld!"

Li Yan was too lazy to pay attention to him and directly led his men and Liu San into the tunnel.

After they left, the man covered the door with the wooden board again.

A sly-looking man next to him sniffed and said jokingly, "Brother Hui, there were quite a few women in that group just now."

"Tsk, it smells delicious..."

Snapped!
Before he could finish his words, he was slapped in the face.

The leading man cursed angrily: "Damn it, if you take the money to do the job, don't think of other things. Don't mess around with me and break the rules of the underworld!"

"Yes, yes, I was wrong, I was wrong..."

The man with shifty eyes looked aggrieved and dared not say anything more.

…………

After exiting the secret passage, there was a carriage and horse inn.

Liu San led everyone out of the barn at the back, nodded and bowed, saying, "You have been wronged. The main reason is that the city has been unstable recently and the government has been investigating strictly. Only the Gelaohui can enter."

Li Yan looked around, "Where is this place?"

"This place is not far from Chaotianmen."

Liu San pointed to the east, "This is a good place. Over there is the Minzhou Guild Hall, next to it is the Shanzhou Guild Hall, and over there is the Ganzhou Guild Hall. As long as you have connections and are willing to pay, you can stay there more comfortably than in an inn."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "Is there a quiet big house?"

He had a token of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Guild in his arms. If he showed his identity, he would definitely be treated to good wine and food.

But that would definitely reveal his identity.

Liu San rolled his eyes and whispered, "This area is full of guild halls, and ahead are the imperial court offices and the Qianhu Office. You will definitely not be happy to stay here."

"Where there are a lot of inns, there are usually a lot of people and eyes. I know a place. It's over at Rice Flower Street."

"It was originally inhabited by the wealthy families in the city, but a few years ago there was a major epidemic and many people died, so it was gradually abandoned."

"During this period, many troupes of opera troupes have come to the city. You can rent a large courtyard for a little money. They are all in the same industry, so you won't be conspicuous if you go there."

"Easy to say!"

Sharifei threw out a silver ingot and said, "We will take care of it including your reward."

"Yes Yes."

The beggar Liu San's eyes lit up, but after taking the silver, he saw the deep fingerprints on it and his heart skipped a beat.

He knew it was a warning.

With both soft and hard tactics, Liu San didn't dare to play tricks. He ran around and found someone he knew, and in less than half an hour, he got the job done.

He led everyone through the streets and alleys and arrived at Rice Flower Street.

Just as he said, this was originally a good place, with large houses connected to each other, bluestone slabs to build the streets and stairs, and old trees planted there.

But now, it is obviously a bit desolate.

Those abandoned old houses have no one to take care of them. Moss has grown in the corners, weeds have grown on the roofs, and some walls have even collapsed. Lazy cats and dogs are walking on them, enjoying the long-lost sunshine.

“Wow~”

Boom boom clang boom boom!
In the distant mansion, there was the sound of a Sichuan opera troupe warming up their voices.

In the broken-walled yard opposite, several young men were lying on the ground. They used their feet to lift up the huge black vat, which flew in the air.

It seems that these are all wandering groups stationed here.

Liu San led everyone to one of the mansions. After taking out the key and opening the door, he saw that the house was in ruins and the grass in the yard was half a person tall.

Swish!

Hearing the noise, several more mice fled.

"Please don't despise me, everyone."

Liu San quickly explained, "This is how Chongqing is. There are many merchants coming and going. If you don't stay at the Chamber of Commerce or the inn, this is the best place."

Seeing Li Yan nod with satisfaction, he breathed a sigh of relief, "My lords, the matter has been settled. I will not disturb you any more."

After that, he turned around and left.

"and many more!"

Sharifei called him again and said in a deep voice: "You seem to be very efficient. Come again tomorrow. I have another errand for you."

"Okay, I'll come tomorrow."

Liu San touched the silver in his arms and smiled with his eyes narrowed into slits.

This was the first time he had made some money in the past six months.

After he left, Li Yan looked around, pinched his fingers, took a deep breath, shook his head and said, "It's okay, there is a dead body in the well in the backyard, the water there is not drinkable."

"San'er, watch what's going on around you."

"We will stay here, and when we are done, we will leave Chongqing Prefecture and head to Chengdu from Zouma Town."

After hearing this, everyone immediately set up camp in an orderly manner.

Lu San held the rats and Rat Er and silently chanted a spell. Suddenly, rats came out and scattered around, monitoring the movements nearby.

Li Yan came to a shabby room, wiped the dust off the table, and placed a large bundle on it.

These were looted from the three Wushan Earth Immortals. I have been traveling for days since the incident, and now I have time to carefully examine them...

(End of this chapter)