Luoyang was indeed a massive city, just as I had heard. From a distance of about a mile outside the city walls, the cityscape was clearly visible, and the walls themselves were incredibly high, stretching dozens of feet into the air. As a bounty hunter, I had never had a job that took me to Luoyang, so this was my first visit.
'Indeed, it is the largest city in the land... The capital of the Son of Heaven...'
I marveled inwardly as I passed the guard post. In other cities, a single inspection was enough, but Luoyang had a unique system: one inspection at the outer wall and another at a distance of about a hundred paces. Additionally, there was another inspection when entering the inner city, which gave a sense of its enormous scale.
The guard was inspecting my luggage when he said,
"What's this? Are you a diviner?"
I had already sewn the scroll, which I didn't want to be seen, into a hidden part of my pack. The only thing that could get me in trouble was the map of the imperial palace, so a book on the art of concealment wouldn't raise any suspicion. I smiled and said,
"I'm still in training."
"Hmm... Go to the Street of Red Strings. There are many like you there."
The guard clicked his tongue and gave me some advice for some reason.
'On the Street of Red Strings, diviners and fortune-tellers gather to read fortunes.'
I could have set up shop on my own, but in a large city like Luoyang, it seemed that people formed streets to attract more attention and compete. I found this unique to Luoyang and thought it was quite interesting.
As I entered the city streets of Luoyang, I opened my mouth in amazement.
"......!!"
It was truly enormous!
The streets and shops were far more splendid and larger than anything I had seen before. The buildings I had seen were mostly three stories high, but here, there were many five- and six-story buildings and pavilions. The roads were so wide that four carriages could pass side by side, which surprised me, and even more surprising was that the wide streets were packed with people.
"Whoa, whoa, move aside~"
Clatter, clatter
A carriage whizzed by. It seemed to belong to a high official, and people were already making space for it, as if they were used to such occurrences. As I moved further in, the city was filled with the chatter of people.
There were many food stalls selling all sorts of exotic dishes I had never seen before, and there were many restaurants that seemed to be professionally run. In particular, some taverns were as large as eight stories, and I had to crane my neck to look up at them. The smell of fried dumplings and fish wafted from somewhere, and the sizzling sound of oil could be heard.
In other cities, there were only a few inns to choose from, but not in Luoyang. Inns and taverns lined the streets, and there seemed to be dozens on a single street. Given that there were likely several such streets within the city walls, it was clear that there were so many that it would be difficult to keep track of them all.
'Amazing...!!'
I had once heard a bounty hunter complain that if he had the money, living in Luoyang would be the best. I had thought that people were the same everywhere and hadn't given it much thought. But there were reasons behind such statements.
I stood there with a bewildered expression and then decided to enter an inn. It was early evening, so I planned to have a light meal and then find a room to stay in.
"Welcome, sir."
In a large city, the scale of the taverns was different. As soon as I entered the first floor, the waiters, dressed neatly and with a refined appearance, bowed in unison to greet me. In a typical inn, there were usually about three waiters, but this tavern had at least ten on the first floor alone, indicating that it was a bustling and popular place.
I was led to a table by one of the waiters. To my surprise, the waiter handed me a wooden board.
"What's this?"
"Please choose the dishes you want and call out!"
"......!!"
I was taken aback. In a typical tavern, the menu usually consisted of dumplings, noodles, chicken dishes, and perhaps one or two side dishes. The waiter would call out the options, and you would choose from them. However, this board listed over twenty dishes and drinks. I asked with a slightly trembling voice,
"Are you saying the chef can cook all of these?"
"Ha ha ha! Our head chef is Hongtian Zhu. His skills are beyond doubt."
"Hmm..."
Hongtian Zhu!
I had heard of him before. Among chefs, there were four levels: Qing (青), Hong (红), Hei (黑), and Bai (白). Qingtian Zhu referred to the highest-level chefs recognized in the imperial kitchen. Hongtian Zhu, while below Qingtian Zhu, was still a master chef recognized as a grandmaster in a city. In the Guanzhong region where I lived, such a chef would only be found in the homes of high officials.
However, the prices were also high.
'What the... '
I was slightly shocked to realize that just a few dishes would cost me one silver tael. The more expensive dishes cost 3 to 4 silver taels each.
"Give me one plate of dumplings."
"Yes, sir..."
The prices were several times higher than in a typical inn. I wanted to leave but decided to order the dumplings to avoid drawing attention.
'Well... the cost of living will be high. Will I have to work here while I stay?'
Wangliang had given me 40 silver taels as a travel fund. Normally, this would be more than enough to explore and plan an operation. In other regions, this amount would last me three months, but in Luoyang, it would likely be gone in less than a month. The prices were strangely high, and it seemed that the costs for entertainment, including inns and taverns, were all expensive.
I had no intention of immediately storming the imperial palace. For the time being, I planned to stay in Luoyang, refine my martial arts, and thoroughly plan my infiltration. If I were caught, it would mean certain death and the extermination of my clan, so I couldn't act rashly.
I had plenty of time. I felt the need to stay in Luoyang for an extended period, find a way to earn a living, and gather detailed information that would help with my infiltration plan.
While eating the dumplings, I asked the waiter,
"Tell me, are there any ways to make a living in Luoyang through martial arts?"
It was still early, and the waiter who served me seemed to be a senior. He looked around for a moment, then smiled and answered my question kindly.
"You seem to be a martial artist. Well... I've seen people challenge dojos, but they usually don't fare well. If you really want to do something, it would be more practical to become a guest of a major sect."
"What do you mean by 'not faring well'? Have you seen or heard something specific?"
"Ha ha ha..."
The waiter only laughed and didn't say much. I soon realized he was hinting for a tip and carefully took out twenty copper coins from my pocket and handed them to him. When he didn't react, I added thirty more, and he finally spoke.
"From your accent, you seem to be from Anhui Province. In Luoyang, unlike Anhui, the influence of the Nine Sects and One School is strong, particularly the Zhongnan Sect and the Huashan Sect. However, even they don't have much power within the city walls because there are many grandmasters who have opened martial arts schools here."
"Grandmasters as strong as the Nine Sects and One School?"
I was surprised. Even the weakest of the Nine Sects and One School, the Huangshan Sect, had at least four top masters. The martial arts of the Nine Sects and One School were based on the renowned techniques of Daoism and centuries of combat experience, making them incredibly powerful. The idea of grandmasters who could match them was hard to imagine.
The waiter nodded.
"The most powerful and influential sects in Luoyang are known as the 'Double Gates and Four Families.' It refers to two major sects and four noble families."
"Hmm... Can you tell me more?"
I subtly added another silver tael to the waiter. It was a significant expense, but the effect was immediate. The waiter quickly took the silver and began to spout information as if he were giving a speech.
"These six sects are responsible for the annual selection of the imperial guards, the Jin Yi Wei, and the martial arts examination. Those who come from the provinces can hardly compete with the graduates of the Double Gates and Four Families unless they have exceptional skills. The graduates of the Double Gates and Four Families are known for their outstanding martial arts.
The two major sects are the Iron Blood Sect and the Great Sword Sect. The four noble families are the Zhang Family, the Xu Family, the Li Family, and the Han Family.
People in Luoyang usually refer to them as 'Iron Blood Great Sword' and 'Zhang Xu Li Han' for short."
Double Gates and Four Families!
Iron Blood Great Sword, Zhang Xu Li Han!
These were the sects I needed to remember for my activities in Luoyang. I repeated "Iron Blood Great Sword, Zhang Xu Li Han" to myself and then asked,
"So, all the martial artists who tried to challenge dojos in Luoyang were defeated by the Double Gates and Four Families?"
"The elder of the Huashan Sect was famously defeated by the head of the Great Sword Sect in just 100 moves. The Huashan Sect had been trying to expand its influence in Luoyang by challenging other sects, but this disaster occurred..."
"......"
I realized that the strength of the Double Gates and Four Families was even greater than I had imagined.
While the head of the Great Sword Sect could be considered a leader of a major sect, the elder of the Huashan Sect was a top master who had traveled throughout the Central Plains and had decades of sword practice. The fact that the head of the Great Sword Sect defeated the elder of the Huashan Sect in just 100 moves was not something to be taken lightly.
The waiter said with a serious expression,
"Ah, you shouldn't talk about this casually. Everyone knows, but if a lay disciple of the Huashan Sect hears it, they might cause trouble."
"I understand. Please tell me more."
My eyes glinted coldly.
"Where are the Double Gates and Four Families located in Luoyang?"
"Well, um..."
While the waiter enthusiastically described the Double Gates and Four Families, I ordered another dish. As I processed the information about the Double Gates and Four Families, I thought to myself,
'Perfect. Just the right opponents.'
Over the past three years, I had focused on my studies and neglected my internal energy training, causing my skills to stagnate. However, this didn't mean I had regressed. On the contrary, my concentration and vitality had improved through the Brain Calming Classic, and I had a strong intuition that my martial arts would rapidly improve with the right opportunity.
What I needed now was to integrate my powerful internal energy into my martial arts.
I needed practical combat experience.
After obtaining the internal energy from the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, I had no