I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 244 One of Life's Four Great Joys: Meeting an Old Friend in a Foreign Land (Third Update)
Changan.

As one of the capitals of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, this place was quite prosperous and had excellent public security.

Because the foundation of economic development is good public security. If a place experiences shootings and robberies every day, it is impossible for it to develop a good economy. Those without stable property have no stable mind.

The areas under the emperor's feet are mostly the most virtuous and prosperous places in the land.

Although Chang'an was not Luoyang, it existed as a secondary capital.

The Northern Zhou Dynasty established its capital in Luoyang because it had more convenient transportation, a faster economy, and connected the north and south, enabling direct trade with the Southern Chu. The area never worried about food shortages.
Chang'an, a political stronghold, was located on the Guanzhong Plain and could effectively control the Guanzhong region.

However, the Northern Zhou did not have this problem. It didn't matter that they didn't need to control Guanzhong, because as long as the five major factions didn't fall, the Northern Zhou would not collapse.

Instead, economic development became the primary goal, so Luoyang became the capital, while Chang'an became the secondary capital.

Interestingly, although Luoyang was the capital, the emperor frequently traveled back and forth between Chang'an and Luoyang for most of the time.

Because the five major sects do not focus much on either Luoyang or Chang'an. For example, Fenghuoshan Forest focuses more on Chang'an, while Snake King Valley and Huangji Mountain focus more on Luoyang. The emperor's whereabouts and the composition of his court are not things that the emperor can decide. He can only travel back and forth with the five major sects according to the changing times.

It wasn't until Grand Tutor Chenghuang ascended to the throne that the imperial power received strong support from the powerful Heavenly Emperor, which gave it the confidence to firmly establish itself in Luoyang. However, only a little over twenty years have passed since then, and the influence of Chang'an, the secondary capital, remains.

Although Chang'an was a politically important city, it did not mean that its economy was underdeveloped. On the contrary, Luoyang connected the north and south, while Chang'an connected the Western Regions and was the main center of foreign trade.

This place is the starting point of the Silk Road, and foreign trade is very prosperous. Foreign merchants gather here, and a large number of spices and jewels from the Western Regions will appear on the streets of Chang'an.

The West Market was even more bustling than the markets of Jiankang, and was incredibly lively.

If you only look at the Northern Zhou Dynasty from the perspective of Chang'an, you might feel that the Northern Dynasties are not so bad.

……

Once they entered Chang'an, the mute girl became very familiar with the place and took the initiative to lead the way.

However, Chang'an City is too big, and the flow of people is too large. Even if you enter the city in the morning, by noon, you are still some distance from your destination.

I found a shop to rest at and ordered a few mutton pies, which were sprinkled with a lot of spices, but were cheaper than those sold in Jiankang.

Prices in Chang'an are indeed not expensive.

however……

“Even with such a thriving trade, it still couldn’t support the entire Northern Zhou.” Bai Xuan took a sip of mare’s milk wine. “It seems that Hayek’s big hand wasn’t behind the bustling markets at all. Most of the profits were swallowed up and didn’t end up in the national treasury.”

When you are struggling, there is always someone making life peaceful for you.

The mute woman couldn't speak; she simply ate the pie in small bites, her movements elegant and slow.

Bai Xuan always eats very quickly, and he always habitually stares at her cherry-like lips, as if he were watching a live mukbang.

And every time this happens, she blushes, covers her face with her hand, and gives him a reproachful look.

"So particular, like a princess." Bai Xuan said casually, "You're not really a mermaid princess, are you? That's why you can always catch fish every time you go into the water."

The mute girl gave a soft hum and continued eating her lunch, ignoring his teasing.

After the meal, Bai Xuan looked at the scorching sky and decided not to leave for the time being.

"You can talk now."

Bai Xuan asked, "Why did you come to Chang'an? What are you here for?"

After wiping her lips and fingers clean, the mute woman dipped them in water and wrote on the table.

"You don't need to worry about what happens next. I'll leave on my own and try not to cause you any trouble."

She seems determined to keep the secret forever.

"Alright then." Bai Xuan was also a carefree person. "I also have things to do, so how about we part ways here?"

The mute woman continued writing, "Where do you plan to look for someone?"

"Let's take it one step at a time." Bai Xuan didn't know where Fan Qingshuang was, only her general location.

He paused slightly at this point.

The two seemed to have nothing to discuss in detail.

Because the mute woman doesn't speak, they usually remain silent, only exchanging a few words during meals.

This woman seemed too mysterious to Bai Xuan, making it difficult for him to open up to her. It was not as relaxing and comfortable as being with Ouyang Qingfeng.

Bai Xuan left behind a piece of advice: "Although I don't know what you want to do, we've been traveling together for so many days. I hope you take care of yourself and don't get swallowed up by this cannibalistic world, leaving not even bones behind."

After saying goodbye to the mute woman, he left the inn.

Escorting her all the way to Chang'an was already a huge risk, and the debt of saving her life has been repaid. From now on, neither party owes the other anything.

The mute woman watched the white-clad figure depart, waited a moment, then silently stood up, got up and left the inn, walking alone onto the street, blending into the crowd, and disappeared from sight.

……

On Chang'an Avenue.

Suzaku Sword was in a bad mood.

To conceal his identity, he disguised himself as a woman and wore women's clothing, which dispelled many suspicions.

But ultimately, they had no public identity and were afraid of being discovered and exposed by others.

Fortunately, we were lucky.

On the way, she encountered a bandit attacking a passing caravan and helped them out with her sword. Her outstanding appearance earned her the admiration of a young lady surnamed Xu in the caravan, who called her "sister" in a very sweet and affectionate way.

Zhuque Sword adopted the alias Bifang, and no one else revealed his background or origins. However, Miss Xu guessed on her own that he must be a direct disciple of a major sect. Concealing his identity and traveling the Northern Zhou martial arts world to hone his skills made it easier for him to avoid having to explain himself.

They arrived in Chang'an without incident. They originally thought they would have the opportunity to go directly to the borderlands. Once they reached the grasslands, going to the Western Regions or returning to Southern Chu through Yumen Pass would be an easy thing, much better than hiding in Northern Zhou.

Unfortunately, after arriving in Chang'an, this Miss Xu's cousin, a dashing young man surnamed Luo, was utterly captivated by Zhu Quejian's female disguise and relentlessly followed him around for days, infuriating Zhu Quejian. He was already annoyed by being dressed as a woman, and now being pursued by a man only fueled his rage.

However, they couldn't reveal their identities or take direct action, so they could only try to keep a cold face. Even Miss Xu was very dissatisfied with this cousin, but since a beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman, she couldn't openly stop him.

The young master surnamed Luo was also from a prominent family. The five major sects were full of powerful families, and it was not uncommon for them to fight for power and take advantage of each other's misfortunes. The Luo family was considered to be in the second tier in the entire Northern Zhou Dynasty, which was quite remarkable.

Just like a peacock spreading its tail feathers to attract a mate, this young master Luo has been showing off his charm in various ways these past few days.

He showed off his literary and military talents to the fullest extent, and even planned to stage a heroic rescue of a damsel in distress.

As a result, the group of extras were so intimidated by the murderous aura that their legs went weak as soon as they got close to the Vermilion Bird Sword.

He had been extremely annoyed these past few days and was thinking about whether he should secretly leave Luoyang and head beyond the Great Wall.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find an opportunity.

This guy surnamed Luo even specially sent someone to watch over her... Whether it was for her safety or something else, nobody knows.

Moreover, the Vermilion Bird Sword failed to resolve his identity issue, leaving him with no time to even secretly go to the black market to find someone to make a fake document, which greatly frustrated him.

Especially since this guy surnamed Luo was constantly babbling in my ear, showing off. He couldn't even make it onto the list of the Crouching Dragons, yet he was already commenting on everyone in the world.

I don't know where they got the information or from hearsay.

He delivered a scathing critique of everyone on the Crouching Dragon List, especially showing utter contempt for those from Southern Chu.

This is also normal.

After all, the Northern and Southern Dynasties had developed a value system that had been established over five hundred years, meaning that two tigers could not share the same mountain.

"I say, Bai Yueguang appeared out of nowhere and made it onto the list of people in just a few months. Who knows if she got it by cheating..." Young Master Luo commented sharply, spitting as he spoke, and he felt quite pleased with himself.

Unfortunately, this flattery backfired. Not only was Zhuquejian unhappy, but Miss Xu also glared at her cousin and directly scolded him: "You can't talk about ice with a summer insect."

Only then did the Vermilion Bird Sword finally laugh.

His smile was both helpless and warm. Unexpectedly, Bai Xuan's charm was still outstanding in this Northern Zhou Dynasty, and he was able to accurately capture a large number of fans.

This gentle smile was one of the few good looks she'd had in the past few days.

Young Master Luo was completely stunned.

However, Zhuquejian quickly suppressed his smile and continued to try to find out how to enter the Chang'an black market.

It was on the bridge.

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure passing by.

The two stopped in their tracks and looked at each other.

At this point, it should be accompanied by sounds like "Eh—" or "Hmm—?", which sounds just like the poster scene in Your Name.

The other person's name was brewing in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, because once he did, he would reveal their identities.

"Sister Bifang?" Miss Xu exclaimed, "You're looking... Wow!"

She looked in that direction and saw a white-clad swordsman standing under the bridge. He had an extraordinary air about him, but his amber snake eyes were particularly intimidating.

Both women were looking in the direction of the white-clad swordsman, which made Young Master Luo, who had been following closely behind, jealous. He immediately asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Of course, it's to see the flower girls."

Bai Xuan looked the Vermilion Bird Sword up and down.

The latter then realized that he was wearing women's clothing and immediately felt completely uncomfortable.

Damn...

Even if he jumped into the Huai River, he still couldn't clear his name!
His face turned red with anger. If Bai Xuan hadn't insisted that his brother dress up as a woman, he would never have thought of dressing up as a woman to escape capture. It's all your fault!
But in Miss Xu and Mr. Luo's eyes, it was clearly a blush on her face and a rosy glow on her cheeks.

The two immediately conjured up countless scenarios in their minds: one shy yet excited (ω); the other angry and repressed (へ╬).

Bai Xuan strolled a few steps closer: "What's wrong? Don't you recognize me anymore? Not even saying a word?"

“I...I know him…” Zhuque Sword gritted his teeth, with an uneasy expression that said, ‘What the hell are you going to do?’

To others, however, this appeared as a 'shy and fearful' expression.

Young Master Luo felt like he'd been cuckolded, and roared, "Who are you? Get out of the way of Miss Bifang!"

“Bi Fang? Wow~” Bai Xuan deliberately dragged out his words: “You’re quite good at hiding your identity.”

"I learned it from you." Suzaku Sword realized that the death of the sect was inevitable, so he simply faced it calmly and looked directly at the other party.

Miss Xu, watching the two silently exchanging glances, became even more excited: "Sister Bifang, what is your relationship with this young hero?"

"Relationship? Of course it is..." Zhuque Sword was about to answer.

The next moment, Bai Xuan put his arm around her shoulder and grinned, revealing his teeth: "Use your imagination!"

Vermilion Bird Sword: "?"

Miss Xu immediately understood: "Fiancée?"

I have no idea what kind of stories she imagines in her head; her little head is always full of creative ideas.

Bai Xuan transmitted his voice, "Miss Bifang, please cooperate with me. You don't want your true identity to be exposed, do you?"

At this moment, Zhuquejian felt like dying, but he still managed a forced smile: "It's inconvenient to tell you."

Unwilling to accept the challenge, Young Master Luo let out a sharp, explosive sound and shouted directly at Bai Xuan, "I challenge you to a duel!"

(End of this chapter)