An Jing went to the county government. After briefly applying some herbal medicine to a few prisoners, he donned a dark blue cloak and hurried out of Yu State City.
Jiang Sanjia was an old fox. An Jing wasn't sure if he would risk getting caught and stay near Yu State City, then take the Bodhi Bead first.
Leaving Yu State City, he had to travel eighty miles south to reach Qinghe Pier.
At this moment, the scorching sun was overhead, and the ground was as hot as an oven.
The trees in the forest provided some shade, offering a bit of coolness.
The Great Yan's territory was vast, divided into five regions which encompassed the divisions of Great Yan's influence. Among them, Jiangnan Dao, where wealthy families and merchants gathered, was one of these regions.
Jiangnan Dao had always had favorable conditions, with abundant rainfall and developed water resources, making trade very convenient. This led to a gathering of wealthy merchant families in Jiangnan.
As one of the core cities of Jiangnan Dao, Yu State City, blessed with the natural advantage of the Yu State River, developed very smoothly.
Thus, the size of Yu State City and the scope of its jurisdiction were unmatched by ordinary cities. Even outside the city, there were docks for transporting goods and receiving merchants.
An Jing swiftly made his way, running through the forest, his body as agile as a flying swallow, weaving through the greenery.
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, An Jing noticed signs of human activity ahead.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a tea stall.
"Big bowl of tea! Three copper coins for a big bowl of tea!"
A waiter holding a cloth towel was shouting, and when he saw An Jing approaching, he said, "Sir, it's hot. Why not have a big bowl of tea to quench your thirst?"
"I'll take three bowls."
After leaving the county government, An Jing hadn't drunk any water and was feeling thirsty, so he immediately sat down.
"Sure thing, please take a seat, sir."
The waiter shouted into the house, "Three bowls of big bowl tea!"
An Jing slowly sat down and then looked around.
In front of him was a woman in her thirties, voluptuous with curves where there should be curves, her slightly made-up face strikingly beautiful. She embodied the look of a mature woman perfectly, making men have all sorts of thoughts with her every move.
Besides the woman, there were a few burly men, with a carriage and goods nearby. From their conversation, they seemed to be from an escort agency.
The escorts chatted while their eyes occasionally glanced at the beautiful mature woman with a hint of greed.
An Jing didn't pay much attention, as it didn't concern him.
"Sir, your three bowls of tea are here."
Shortly, the waiter brought over the three bowls of tea.
An Jing stopped the waiter and asked, "Waiter, is Qinghe Pier nearby?"
The waiter enthusiastically pointed to the official road and said, "Yes, sir, are you headed to Qinghe Pier? Just follow the official road ahead for twenty miles and you'll reach it. Are you taking a boat? You'll need to hurry, there are only two passenger boats daily, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and they depart once they're full."
"Thank you," An Jing nodded.
"You're welcome." The waiter waved his towel and continued shouting.
Just as An Jing was about to drink his tea and get on his way, the voluptuous woman walked over, smiling, "It seems this young man is headed to Qinghe Pier?"
"Yes, why?" An Jing only felt an overwhelming surge from her presence, ready to burst out.
The woman giggled, "I also plan to go to Qinghe Pier. Why don't we travel together?"
Her alluring laughter was captivating, as if drawing out the deepest desires of men. To describe it in one word, it was 'seductive.'
Even the waiter and the shopkeeper glanced over occasionally, swallowing their saliva secretly.
Upon hearing the woman's words, the escorts looked at An Jing with unfriendly eyes.
"Men and women should keep a proper distance. It's inconvenient," An Jing wasn't a naive young man anymore.
He was out to find the Bodhi Bead and didn't want to get involved in trouble.
It was just a few dozen miles; why travel together?
"Young man, can't you reconsider?"
The woman pursed her lips, her eyes seemed to have a charming ripple that could captivate hearts.
There was something odd about this woman.
"No," An Jing shook his head, "I prefer traveling alone."
"Alright, I'll go ahead then."
She looked disappointed, then got up, took her bundle, and left.
Seeing her leave with her bundle, the escorts quickly put down their silver and followed her.
"Uncle, look at those Sanhu Gang escorts..."
The waiter saw this and understood the situation.
Those burly escorts didn't even take their goods, following the beautiful woman; their intentions were obvious. If they followed her, a battle was inevitable.
The shopkeeper frowned at the distant scene, saying nothing.
"Uncle, should we report..."
"Slap!"
Before the waiter finished, the shopkeeper slapped him.
Annoyed, the shopkeeper said, "Are you out of your mind? Those Sanhu Gang escorts work for the Sanhu Gang. If they know you reported them, they'll skin you alive and hang your hide on a tree tomorrow."
"Stay out of Jianghu affairs."
The waiter watched their receding figures, his heart pounding, imagining scenes in his mind, and couldn't help but sigh, "Uncle, it's great to roam Jianghu."
"Great, my foot!"
The shopkeeper sneered, "If you dare roam Jianghu, I'll skin you myself to save you from dying at others' hands and having to deal with your corpse."
An Jing shook his head, agreeing with the shopkeeper's words. He downed three bowls of tea in one go, left ten copper coins, and headed down the official road.
The official road was smooth.
For An Jing, twenty miles was less than half the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
The forest was dense, and he didn't encounter anyone else along the way.
Suddenly, An Jing smelled blood and stopped.
Taking a few steps into the forest, he found three crooked corpses on the ground, the very escorts from before.
"It seems that woman isn't ordinary either."
Looking at the wounds on the escorts' bodies, they were all killed with one strike, their pupils still showing shock and disbelief, indicating a quick death in the blink of an eye.
In Jianghu, escorts were quite strong, better than the average drifters, gang members, or new sect disciples, mostly at Sixth Grade or even Fifth and Fourth Grades, which meant Middle Third Grades in strength.
But these three were killed with one move, indicating the killer had some skill, likely at least an Upper Three Grades expert.
In Jianghu, it's hard to distinguish experts from common folk without showing inner strength. Only by leaking a bit of Qi mechanism could one tell. But many Jianghu experts practiced Qi Collection and Concealing Qi methods, making it even harder.
However, most experts in Jianghu leaked some Qi mechanism, as many couldn't control their inner strength well, and it avoided unnecessary trouble.
So, Jianghu was very deep water.
"Best to stay out of Jianghu matters,"
An Jing shook his head and continued down the official road towards Qinghe Pier.