Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

The prefect warmly welcomed the two men, but was taken aback when he learned that Zhuang Xing intended to walk to the capital.

"Why would you think that, Daoist Master? Yidu is 1,800 li from the capital. It would take several months to walk there."

"It's my master's request," Zhuang Xing said. "Master Qingxuzi hopes that I can make it to the capital step by step, which can also be considered as a training experience for my spiritual practice."

"Well... then at least let Li send some soldiers to accompany you, just in case something unexpected happens on the way."

"The division commander said that I should not accompany the officers and soldiers. Since we are going to be down-to-earth, we must take every step steadily and not take shortcuts."

"Truly a celestial master and a master of the Dao..." the prefect exclaimed, thinking to himself that true masters are always humble. "In that case, I, Li, will prepare a special permit for the Daoist, so that he will not have to worry about crossing the border while he is outside Chenzhou. As for the capital, I will submit a memorial to inform the emperor of the truth. The emperor will be delighted to know that the Daoist is willing to go. Once the Daoist arrives in the capital, the emperor will definitely hold a banquet to welcome him. The Daoist should just go. Although I may not be in the capital at that time, I will definitely make all the arrangements."

"Thank you for your understanding, Prefect," Zhuang Xing said, bowing.

He and Yunling had a meal at the prefect's place. When they finished eating, two new "Special Permits" were in their hands, which meant they had the tokens to pass through the checkpoint.

Chapter 177 Leaving Yidu

"Are you talking about that tall woman who always carries a sword and wears a straw hat and raincoat?"

"It's her. Has she left?"

“She left the year before last. She knocked on the door, gave me the key and the rental agreement, and left without saying a word. I called her, but she didn’t answer.” The woman said irritably, “There were still six months left on the lease. When I went to inspect the house, the yard and the house were all tidied up.”

"You're someone she knows, you're not here to collect rent, are you?" The woman's face showed a wary expression.

"We're not here to collect rent," Zhuang Xing said. "I'd also like to ask you, did she leave a note or anything when she left?"

"There's no such thing." Seeing that Zhuang Xing didn't mention money, the woman's tone softened. "That woman is very strange. She carries a sword wherever she goes and doesn't speak. She's quite frightening. If it weren't for the old broker vouching for her, I wouldn't have dared to rent the house to her."

"She's been gone for over a year, and I haven't seen her since. If you want to find her, you can go to the brokerage firm next to Nanshi and look for an old broker named Granny Qian. She seems to know that woman."

"Thank you very much." Zhuang Xing cupped his hands in thanks.

He left the alley and went with Yunling to the brokerage firm next to Nanshi.

A "brokerage firm" is essentially a place similar to a labor union.

Yidu has many outsiders. When they come here, they are unfamiliar with many things and need brokers to guide them.

Brokers introduced them to houses, horses, mules, and boats, charging a commission in the process. In addition, they were also involved in trade between the four major cities in the east, west, south, and north.

When Zhuang Xing arrived at the brokerage firm, it was bustling with activity.

Besides brokers, there are also bodyguards and demon hunters active here. Brokers are the most well-informed and skilled in martial arts. If you want to make money, you can't go wrong by finding them.

However, Zhuang Xing wasn't there looking for work. He inquired around the brokerage and found out about Qian Po.

It turns out that Granny Qian had long since stopped working as a broker, but she was one of the founders of the Nanshi Brokerage Firm, so many people knew her.

Zhuang Xing found out where Granny Qian lived, went out, and wandered around until he arrived at an inconspicuous courtyard. He knocked on the door and met an old woman with a cane.

When she heard that Zhuang Xing wanted to find Yan Huai'an, Granny Qian shook her head.

"How could I possibly know where Immortal Yan has gone?"

"I have known Immortal Yan for over forty years. Many years ago, I was saved by the immortal and was able to escape from the jaws of a monster."

"I just often help the gods with some worldly matters."

"Two Taoist priests, please go back. You can't just see immortals whenever you want."

Through the crack in the door, Zhuang Xing saw a clay sculpture and a portrait enshrined inside Granny Qian's room.

Beneath the clay sculptures and portraits, there is an incense burner with a dense array of incense sticks inserted into it. Even now, three unburnt red incense sticks are still emitting wisps of smoke.

Granny Qian actually began to worship Yan Huai'an as a deity.

Seeing this, he knew that Granny Qian only had a slight connection with Yan Huai'an, and probably regarded them as outsiders who came to seek immortality.

Since Granny Qian had barely spoken to Yan Huai'an and had never heard of Zhuang Xing, Zhuang Xing did not linger.

After the two young Taoist priests left, the hunched old man knelt devoutly on the prayer mat and continued to burn incense and worship the clay sculptures and portraits.

He murmured, "May the God of Yan bless my ancestors with peace and protect me so that I may live a few more years."

...

Knowing that Yan Huai'an had left Yidu two years ago, Zhuang Xing stopped trying to find out about her.

It's fate that we can get together; it's normal that we can't.

He and Yunling visited their old friend, first going to see Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng is now an agricultural official, in charge of cotton cultivation.

It wasn't a high-ranking official position, but it was still an official post.

Moreover, their family received a considerable amount of reward money for their successful cotton cultivation.

Now, apart from him who lives outside the city because he needs to watch over the cotton fields, his father, younger brother, and younger sister have all moved into the city.

He said his younger brother is now in school, and his sister has hired a teacher to teach her needlework and etiquette, hoping to find her a good husband in the future.

Zhuang Xing and Chu Sheng shared a drink and then went to their aunt's grave to light incense.

It was the time for spring plowing, and the agricultural officials were busy with their duties, so the farm did not disturb them much.

Afterwards, the two went to Wu's tea shop to see Xiao Moli.

Little Jasmine is seven years old now. She's grown a little taller, but she's still a petite girl.

In comparison, Yunling is almost a grown woman; she is already fourteen years old, and due to her cultivation, her body is more developed than that of a fourteen-year-old girl.

Little Jasmine was initially happy to see the two of them, but when she saw her much older sister, she lowered her head in disappointment.

She was a little sullen, but Brother Wu the Second and Brother Wu the First didn't take her gloomy mood seriously and just laughed.

“When my little sister is at home, she often talks about Master Zhuangxing,” Wu Erge said with a smile. “She even said that she wants to marry him as her bride in the future.”

"I'm ignoring my second brother!" Little Jasmine puffed out her cheeks and ran into the house.

Zhuang Xing scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

He doesn't like to joke about children. Adults might laugh it off, but children might remember it silently and never forget it even after they grow up.

He wanted to comfort Xiao Moli, but Yunling went inside first. After a while, when she brought Xiao Moli out, Xiao Moli held her hand and didn't cry or make a fuss.

"Master, are you going to the capital?" Brother Wu poured tea for Zhuang Xing. "I wonder when you will depart? If you are leaving in the next couple of days, I happen to be planning to go to Pingzhou to do business. Would you like to travel with us for a while?"

Zhuang Xing thought about it and decided that it wouldn't be bad to have an experienced merchant like Brother Wu leading the way for a while.

He knew that Master Qingxuzi forbade him to travel with the soldiers because the old Taoist was afraid that the soldiers would delay him, and he was also afraid that he would delay the soldiers.

But it was just on his way, and he also wanted to see what it was like to be a merchant.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Wu."

"Not at all! With the Taoist priest traveling with us, we can travel with greater peace of mind!"

So, the next day, Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling, leading their black horse, joined Brother Wu's caravan.

The caravan consisted of about seven or eight people, with two carts carrying goods and two hired warriors as guards.

Because the route was along an official road with patrols by soldiers, they didn't spend a lot of money to hire a famous guard; they only hired an archer and a swordsman.

The group left the city gate, and outside the city, a dirt road stretched to the horizon.

Zhuang Xing, carrying the letter given to him by Daoist Qingxuzi, headed north to the capital.

Many people walk on this road; some form groups like Zhuang Xing, while others walk alone.

Those who travel alone are mostly carrying swords or longbows, but no one knows where they are going.

Chapter 178 The Corpse Driver

Dayu was divided into nine prefectures. Yidu belonged to Chenzhou, and to the north was Pingzhou.

After traveling for ten days on the official road, Zhuang Xing crossed the boundary marker and arrived in Pingzhou.

After leaving Yidu, I haven't seen a big city like Yidu again. Along the way, there are only small villages, and there are fewer and fewer people on the road.

Before I knew it, there were hardly any people left next to the line.

Wu Erge led Zhuang Xing and Yunling to the village, and they stopped there.

They came here simply to buy this year's fresh tea leaves, and to sell the kiln-fired wares and other local specialties from Yidu to the locals.

The Wu family runs a tea business. People in Dayu love tea, and every household has the habit of drinking and brewing tea, so tea business is actually quite profitable.

However, the weather has been uncooperative these past two years, with the snow melting late in winter, sometimes even delaying spring planting.

When people can't even get enough to eat, fewer people will grow and buy tea.

Fortunately, Pingzhou is close to Chenzhou, and the wheat had already been transported here last year. When Zhuang Xing walked through the fields, he saw many winter wheat fields that had not yet been harvested.

With winter wheat easing the pressure of spring plowing, the people of Pingzhou have the leisure to pick tea leaves, which are a local specialty.

"Yunling, look! Those are the wheat seeds you cultivated!" Zhuang Xing looked at the vast fields, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

“Actually, it has little to do with me; you're the one who found the wheat seeds,” Yunling said, standing next to Zhuang Xing.

"That's all thanks to the two of us together," Zhuang Xing said with a smile to Yunling.

When Yunling saw him smile, she couldn't help but feel happy too, and smiled faintly.

They rested for the night in the village and replenished their food and water.

There are very few large and prosperous cities like Yidu.

Moreover, the main stream of the canal does not pass through Pingzhou, which is considered a relatively barren place among the nine prefectures.

The main reason is that the roads here are difficult to travel. The area near Chenzhou is okay, but further ahead, there are many mountains, the roads are rugged and uneven, cliffs and suspension bridges are not uncommon, and the roads are dangerous and treacherous.

The most convenient and fastest way to get from Yidu to the capital is by boat. Walking usually involves taking a detour through Huangzhou, which, although not a straight line, has a flatter road and is easier to walk on.

Zhuang traveled to Pingzhou mainly because the old Taoist priest had marked a place for him there.

Pingzhou is a place where corpses are transported, and the people there have a unique profession: corpse transporters.

As the name suggests, the job of a corpse driver is to bring people who have died far from home back to their hometown.

People in Pingzhou mostly live in ancestral halls and believe in returning to one's roots. If a person of the same surname dies unexpectedly while living elsewhere, members of the same clan and generation are responsible for bringing the body back to the ancestral hall cemetery for burial.

However, Pingzhou has many mountain roads, which are already difficult to travel, let alone carrying a heavy burden.