Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 100
Zangyuan Building has three floors and is the tallest building in the entire underground black market.

Although Fat Laoliu said that the things here are expensive, there is still a constant stream of customers coming here.

An auction was being held in the lobby on the first floor. When Yan Ciwan and the other two passed by, they glanced at the stage and discovered that an elephant was being auctioned off!
Li Chengge said with emotion: "The owner here is quite powerful. He can even get the sacred beast of the Pyu Kingdom."

Yan Ciwan was puzzled: "Sacred beast?"

Xiao Wang gave a brief explanation of the origin of the sacred beast.

Pyu was a small vassal state next to Daye. The subjects there regarded elephants as the incarnation of gods, so elephants were also called sacred beasts. Two years ago, the Pyu delegation went to Chang'an to pay tribute and presented a pair of elephants as tribute. Now the two elephants are kept in Chang'an's Zoo.

Yan Ciwan thought, since they could even get an elephant here, a mere pass would be no problem at all.

Her confidence suddenly increased, and she strode up the stairs, ready to go up to the second floor to take a look.

There were more customers on the second floor, and they lined up in front of the counter.

A clerk nearby reminded: "New customers, please write down the items you want to buy here."

Yan Ciwan looked in the direction the waiter pointed and saw a desk next to the end of the line, with all the necessary supplies, including pens, ink, paper and inkstone, on it.

She walked forward, picked up a pen and wrote the word "Guosuo" on the paper.

She picked up the paper and blew it dry, then turned to look at Xiao Wang and Li Chengge and asked.

"It's a rare visit, is there anything you want to buy?"

They both shook their heads, indicating that they had nothing to buy.

"Then you guys wait here, I'll go get in line."

Yan Ciwan ran to the back of the team and stood there.

She moved forward little by little with the team, and took out the silver and money she had just robbed and counted the amount, a total of seventy-eight taels, and thirty-nine copper coins.

After waiting for about half an hour, it was finally Yan Ciwan's turn.

On the tall counter, which was shielded by a carved wooden window, a middle-aged man who looked like a manager stood behind the counter.

Even if Yan Ciwan, who was standing outside the counter, stretched his neck, he could only see his head.

Yan Ciwan put the paper on the counter.

The paper was quickly taken away by the middle-aged man. After a moment, he put the paper back on the counter and said, "One copy of the pass, eighty taels of silver. If you can accept it, please write down your name, hometown, age, and where you are going on the paper."

There was a pen and ink on the counter, Yan Ciwan picked up the pen and wrote on the paper -

Ning Ci, sixteen years old, Xizhou, Chang'an.

She pushed the written paper over.

"Please go wait nearby."

The middle-aged man took the paper and turned away from the counter.

A waiter took Yan Ciwan to the rest area next to him, where there were tables, chairs and tea. Yan Ciwan found a seat and sat down.

She took out all the silver in her purse and added it to the money she already had on her, which made up exactly eighty taels.

After a while, the waiter came over with a tray covered with a black cloth.

He placed the tray in front of Yan Ciwan and asked her to inspect it.

Yan Ci Wan lifted the black cloth and saw a small apricot-colored cover book. This was the past.

She picked up the pass and took a look. It contained her general information. Her name, age, hometown and destination were exactly the same as what she had just written. It was also stamped with the official seal of Xiangzhou government.

Yan Ciwan asked: "Are you sure it's real and usable?"

The waiter smiled and said, "If you feel it is unreliable, you can go somewhere else. We at Cangyuanlou never do forced sales."

Yan Ciwan waved his hand and called Xiao Wang and Li Chengge over, asking them to help determine the authenticity of this pass.

After taking a closer look, Xiao Wang said, "The official seal should be genuine."

Li Chengge exclaimed in amazement: "This Cangyuan Tower is amazing. They actually managed to get a real official seal." Since the official seal is real, it means that this pass should also be real. Yan Ciwan put eighty taels of silver on the tray and was about to get up and leave when he suddenly heard a scream from downstairs.

"Look, there are so many soldiers outside! Everyone, run!"

When the waiter heard the voice, his face changed immediately, and he picked up the tray and ran to the counter quickly. The other guests did not dare to stay here any longer, and rushed to the staircase, but the staircase was so narrow that it could not accommodate so many people, and they were all blocked, unable to go up or down.

Yan Ciwan put the Guosuo that he had finally obtained into his arms.

She strode to the window, looked out, and saw that the streets of the black market had been occupied by the palace soldiers. Some people were fleeing and some were resisting. Fights kept breaking out and the entire black market was in chaos.

Li Chengge was puzzled: "How did those palace soldiers find this place?"

Yan Ciwan said sternly, "No matter how they get here, I can't be caught by them. We have to find a way to escape."

Once she is caught, the fact that she came here to buy a residence permit will be exposed. Not only will her residence permit be cancelled, but she will also be arrested as an illegal resident.

Li Chengge glanced at the blocked stairs and said, "It's definitely not possible to take the stairs."

Yan Ci Wan looked at the palace soldiers on the street below. This was the second floor. She was good at light work, so she wouldn't get hurt if she jumped down from here, but she would be easily discovered by the palace soldiers.

At this time, Xiao Wang suddenly said, "Follow me."

He walked towards the counter, and Yan Ciwan and Li Chengge followed quickly.

The counter is connected to walls on both sides, with carved wooden windows reaching directly to the beams. The only gap is a small window on the counter used to communicate with customers.

But the window was only an inch high, and even a child might not be able to get in, let alone three adults.

Xiao Wang walked directly to the left side of the counter, reached out and felt around on the counter, and soon found a wooden bolt.

He pulled out the wooden plug and lifted the table top, and a half-person-high entrance appeared in front of the three people.

Li Chengge was very curious: "Cousin, how did you know there was an entrance here?"

"Just now I saw that fellow walk over here and suddenly disappear, so I guessed there must be a secret door here."

Xiao Wang said as he walked towards the counter.

Yan Ciwan and Li Chengge followed closely behind.

Behind the counter was a long and narrow aisle. The middle-aged manager who had been standing behind the counter had disappeared. He must have run away with the waiter.

They walked along a corridor that ended in a small door that was bolted from the back.

Xiao Wang pushed twice but failed to open it.

Yan Ci Wan pushed him away, then drew out his Ning Dao, inserted the blade into the crack of the door, and pressed down hard. The wooden door bolt was cut in half with one stroke.

Li Chengge exclaimed: "What a sharp knife!"

Yan Ciwan sheathed his sword, pushed open the small door and walked in.

Behind the door is a warehouse, and through the warehouse you can see a staircase leading downwards.

The three of them walked down the stairs and finally pushed the door open and walked outside, where they found that this was the back door of Zangyuan Building.

The back door is connected to a path, which leads to different directions on both sides.

Xiao Wang said: "Go to the right."

Yan Ciwan looked at him: "Are you sure?"

Li Chengge testified for his cousin: "In the past few years when we traveled, my cousin was always responsible for finding the way, and he never led us lost."

Yan Ci Wan chose to trust Xiao Wang's sense of direction, and the three of them walked to the right together.

This place has not been discovered by outsiders yet. It is quiet along the way and there is no one else except the three of them.

Yan Ci Wan guessed that the manager and the waiters in Zangyuan Building should have run in another direction. He didn't know whether the direction they chose was right or wrong?
　It’s the 100th chapter! Spread the flowers!

　　Merry Christmas everyone~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)