Chapter 982: Chapter 144: Xiong City of the Northwest, the Madman Drinks Freely (Double-Length) (Part 2)
A few horse-drawn carts gathered together, the carriage and the horses’ bodies blocking the increasingly strong wind on the plain day by day. A few rchants ford a circle, holding a wine jug, a large piece of at, and a dagger, sharing food and drinks at leisure.
One of them, a sowhat skinny man with sunken cheeks, saw a rounded-faced rchant walking back and called out a couple of tis, handing his things over. The latter seed familiar with them and took it without hesitation, slicing off a large piece of at with the dagger and began chewing vigorously.
The skinny man showed a slight smile and said:
“You’re not being polite at all.”
The round-faced rchant took a sip of wine and laughed, “We’ve been friends for twenty or thirty years. If I were polite with you, wouldn’t I be looking down on you?”
The skinny man smiled, clearly indifferent, while another tightened his clothes and looked at the round-faced rchant curiously, saying:
“Old Sun, where did you go just now? I saw you coming from behind. At your age, are you still personally changing horses?”
Sun Ren shook his head, sighed, and said, “That’s not possible; when you get older, you have to admit it. I hurt my back a few years ago and can’t even ride a horse anymore. Why would I self-inflict hardships? I just went to give that pharmacist so horse grass.”
“Otherwise, I’m afraid his horse won’t make it.”
After a pause in his voice, he couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh:
“That horse is really too thin and has no spirit.”
The skinny man frowned, then shook his head, seemingly disdainful, saying:
“It’s that guy? Hah, you’re too kind-hearted. That person calls himself a pharmacist, clearly a down-and-out man planning to seek fortune in the Western Regions. I’ve seen many like him.”
“Look at him, barely owning just that horse and having no goods. I guess he exchanged all his belongings for that mount. Even so, every ti he arrives in a city, he has to get himself a separate room, pretending to be luxurious.”
“People like him, pretending to be grand but actually poor, always return empty-handed from the regions outside, unable to hold onto their silver.”
Another person nearby ate so at and agreed, saying:
“Isn’t that true.”
“Back when I was young, I rode horses and wielded blades as well. That lad looks tall and strong, but even managing such a mount is beyond him. No skills, no capital; venturing out is just a wasted trip.”
“And that guy is quite timid; a couple of days ago, when robbers from the Green Forest appeared, he hid aside, not drawing his blade.”
“I reckon the black dagger on his horse is definitely fake, probably just painted black wood, hollow inside. Otherwise, the horse should’ve collapsed, and it wouldn’t be able to bear the weight, sooner or later falling to the ground.”
The crowd laughed heartily.
The skinny man chuckled and said, “Wouldn’t you know it, if he had the strength and grip to wield such a large black dagger, regardless of not having a good horse like ours, he wouldn’t have just that one skinny horse. Ultimately, Old Sun, your bag of horse grass was wasted.”
Sun Ren wiped the wine off his beard, smiled indifferently, and said:
“That’s fine.”
“Young people, it’s always good for them to go out more and see the world.”
The earlier speaker wondered, “Old Sun, when did you beco like this? You used to be quite stern, scaring many people away.”
The skinny man laughed and said, “This deserves a detailed explanation. Old Sun encountered sothing good, naturally improving his mood. When your mood improves, even such stern people beco more approachable…”
Others beca curious, continually questioning, and just as the skinny man was about to speak, a whistle was heard from the front. Upon looking, Zhou Chao, like an iron tower, had already mounted his horse, standing at the front, as the resting ti had ended.
The skinny man threw the last piece of at into his mouth, laughing:
“Let’s go; once we reach the city today, I’ll explain properly…”
The sound of horse neighs was endless, and the convoy, which had paused for about a mont, resud its journey. Wang Anfeng fed the horse grass to the skinny horse, then leisurely followed at the rear of the convoy, this thin horse still looking spiritless.
Just like when they first set out.
Zhou Chao indeed lived up to the term seasoned; he was highly confident about the distances between cities and towns and the speed of the group’s progress. Before the sky turned too dark to travel, they finally reached a city, entering before the large city gate closed.
Zhou Chao had an acquaintance with the inn, having already sent his subordinates on fast horses to prepare. The inn dispatched a servant to wait at the city gate, and upon seeing the group, quickly led the way forward.
Wang Anfeng walked his horse, remaining silent, observing the surrounding buildings, and ntally matching them with the information given by Senior Jiu Zizai, confirming that this city was ordinary and not worth special attention, then turned to appreciate the city’s scenery.
Indeed, it was different from the Central Plains and Jiangnan regions; the architectural style, city layout, seed rough, embracing the coarse sandy northwest wind, yet uniquely majestic. Even a county town felt like Xiong City.
While he was examining the city layout, the group had already arrived at an inn, where a burly man was waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Zhou Chao from afar, he let out a series of hearty laughs, opened his arms, and approached.
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