Chapter 9: Welcome to Chang'an (Part 1)

  Without mentioning Geng Shao Hua, the fast horse rushed back to Jiangzhou to report the news. Please ask Geng Nan Yi and others to strengthen their vigilance to prevent Eagle Yang's revenge. Xiao Si led a group of people through mountains and rivers, finally arriving in Chang'an, the capital city.

  This is Xiao Si's second visit to Chang'an. However, the last time was to invite Tang He Shang out for a ride, and they only stayed for less than half a day before hastily returning to Mount Ba with Wan Er.

  This time, Tong Bao Bureau will set up a branch in Beijing, and it is natural to stay for a period of time.

  It is said that "the army has not moved, but the grain and grass have already been mobilized". As early as last year, Tong Bao Bureau had sent someone to Chang'an to set up a front station. On the one hand, they bought a large mansion called "Liu Yuan" in Yong'an Fang, and on the other hand, they visited local wealthy officials and famous Taoist priests with heavy gifts. Of course, they also had to pay respects to Guanluo Bao Bureau, which was known as the number one in Guannei.

  After the New Year, Xia Peiheng and Yu Linglong couple arrived in Chang'an ahead of schedule, frequently entertaining famous escorts and martial artists in Chang'an City, and through Long Zhaoyuan's father Long Zhenwu's connections, they established a relationship with the Left Guard of the Imperial Army, only then did they start to openly recruit soldiers and prepare for the opening ceremony.

  Xiao Siyi entered the city of Chang'an and heard that during the Yuanxiao Festival, a group of thieves caused trouble with the flower lanterns, violating the palace ban, which made the current emperor extremely angry. The Ministry of Punishment issued a public notice to capture them, offering a reward. The wanted notices were posted everywhere on the streets and alleys. Xiao Siyi glanced at them casually and found that even the lowest reward was 1,000 taels of silver. Among them, there was a Shandong native named Qin Qiong, who was the leader of a group of robbers, with a reward of 10,000 taels of white silver.

  He was pondering how to catch some thieves and earn some extra money by turning them in, when suddenly he heard Bao Daizhi say: "I have some private matters to attend to for the next few days and will be leaving for a while. After I've taken care of my business, I'll come find you at Liu Garden."

  Xiao Si was startled, these days he had been nervous and afraid that Eagle Yang would come to take his head when he was free. With Lao Mang in his presence, he felt a little more at ease. Now hearing that he wanted to leave, he hastily said: "Master... uh, your business is my business, can I go with you?"

  "You don't have to worry, I have my own measure."

  Xiao Si said with a bad temper: "Nonsense, why should I care about you? I'm worried that Eagle Yang will come to visit old friends and can't find you, so he'll make a trip in vain and get angry."

  "You just need to stay in Chang'an City, and you won't come to harm. Under the emperor's feet are hidden tigers and dragons, and there are all sorts of laws and prohibitions, even a fierce old demon wouldn't dare to recklessly kill people."

  Xiao Si put down the small basket in his hand, and with a deep and long-lasting concern, he reminded: "Disciple, you must go early and come back early, I can't leave without you."

  Ba Suanzi's whole body stood up with goosebumps, without saying a word, he turned his horse's head and led it into a small alley, and soon disappeared from sight.

  Xiao Si thought for a moment and still felt uneasy, so he said: "Wan'er, I'll take you to find Li Jing and Hong Laoban, okay?"

  Wan'er had a good impression of Tang He Shang and Hong Bian, and upon hearing this, she happily said: "Great, I've been missing Hong Jie too."

  The two of them said goodbye to Geng Shaohua and parted ways with the crowd, heading towards Wenxiang Building.

  Xiao Si and Wan'er arrived at the Wén Xiāng Lóu, dismounted their horses outside, while the turtle-like doorman inside still remembered him vividly, each one turning away to pretend not to see.

  Xiao Si didn't feel embarrassed either, and with a smile, he walked into the flower hall. He happened to see that turtle-headed guy who got beaten up last time, again wiping the table with his head down. So he went forward and slapped his shoulder, saying: "Shifu, where is Hong Laoban?"

  The tortoise didn't even lift his head and muttered: "The boss has been busy these past few days, no time to see outsiders."

  Xiao Si had long been prepared and took out a silver ingot to stuff into the hands of Gui Gong, saying: "We two brothers, who is with whom?"

  The old man's hand shook, and he neatly hid the silver in his sleeve. He looked around cautiously and lowered his voice: "Young Master Li has fallen seriously ill, and Old Red has been attending to him every day, not even taking care of the business on the floor."

  Xiao Siyi was shocked: "Li Jing is ill? With his cultivation, he won't get any ordinary illness like a cold. Even if he has some minor problem, with his abilities, he'll recover in two or three days. It's likely that something has happened to him."

  Thinking of this, he pulled on Yu'er's sleeve and quickened his pace through the back hall, coming to the small building where Tang He Shang lived.

  The two went upstairs, and Yuanni lightly knocked on the door: "Hong Jie, I and Fourth Uncle came to see you and Tang Da Ge."

  A red curtain inside the house responded with a voice: "Is it Miss Yuanyuan outside the door? Please come in and talk."

  Wan'er pushed open the slightly ajar door, and suddenly a strong smell of herbal medicine wafted up to her nose. She saw Tang He-shang sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating to heal his wounds. His upper body, from his left shoulder down to his hip, was wrapped in a thick bandage, with faint traces of deep red blood seeping through.

  Xiao Si exclaimed: "Who did it? Is Tang Xiao San seriously injured?"

  Hong Zhen was sitting at the edge of the table, stirring the black paste in the mortar, and replied: "It's Eagle Yang Old Demon." After a pause, he said again: "Fourth brother, from now on, you should call him 'Li Jing' when facing others."

  Xiao Si sucked in a cold breath, he had originally hoped to deceive Tang He Shang into taking action against Ying Yang Lao Zu, but unexpectedly that old demon had already become a devil and instead beat Tang Xiao San until he was lying in bed.

  Seemingly guessing Xiao Si's thoughts, Li Jing coldly snorted: "Don't be afraid, he also suffered a knife from me, his injuries are no lighter than mine, and he won't be able to come looking for you within a month."

  Xiao Si said strangely: "Your Tangmen's poisonous skills are famous all over the world. Can this old demon survive a knife from you?"

  "My blade has never been poisoned!"

  Xiao Si was greatly disappointed, secretly scolding the guy for being an idiot, poisonous and useless. Suddenly, he thought: "Tang Xiao San won't die to save face, so he's exaggerating the severity of Lao Yao's injuries on purpose? What if that old monster recovers first and kills his way back to Chang'an, I'll be in trouble!"

  Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and took out the bottles and jars from Jiangzhou's black market: "Hong Jie, I have some medicine here that is said to be not bad, take a look at these, can Tang... Li Xiao San use them?"

  Hong Yu glanced at the Dan medicine on the table and politely declined, saying: "Thank you for your kind intentions, Fourth Brother. Li Gongzi's injuries are no longer serious, so we don't need these medicines anymore."

  Li Jing sneered: "These medicines that are said to be quite good, were they bought from the Double Eagle Boat? How much did you spend?"

  Xiao Si didn't expect that his rare generosity would be met with ridicule, and he couldn't help but angrily say: "What business is it of yours how much money I spend?"

  As soon as the words came out, he suddenly realized: "This guy is the third young master of the Tang family. What kind of secret elixir or wonderful medicine in the Tang school won't be refined? What treasure should I offer here?"

  Li Jing said, "From now on, if you want to buy anything for the Twin Eagles, come directly to me and I'll give you a 50% discount."

  Xiao Si was overjoyed when he heard this, and looked at Li Jing with a more favorable eye. But as soon as he thought that this guy would still make a profit even if he gave himself a discount, he couldn't help but feel hatred for the scoundrels on the Double Eagle Boat, his teeth itching with rage.

  Hong Zan asked: "Wan Er young lady, I heard that your Tong Bao Bureau is going to set up a branch in Chang'an City?"

  Wan Er replied: "Yes, Hong Jie, your news is really timely."

  Hong Bu smiled and said: "Silly girl, under the sky, apart from casinos, your sister's place has the most and the most timely information."

  "Wan'er looked puzzled and asked: 'Why?'"

  Hong Fu smiled and said nothing, blowing the ointment cool: "The water in the capital is deep and turbid. You are new here and must be extra careful. Don't make a big show of things, first stabilize your footing."

  Xiao Si faintly heard that there was something hidden in Hong E's words and hastily asked: "Hong Jie, did you hear some rumor?"

  Hong Zan walked to the bedside with a medicine bowl, replying: "The head of your Chang'an branch is Xia Peiheng, isn't it? I've heard that this man is the son-in-law of Jade Head, ambitious and generous, quite impressive. Recently, he has become a legendary figure in the alleys of our city."

  Xiao Si smiled and said, "Usually half a bottle of water makes the most noise when shaken."

  One hand applied medicine to Li Jing, while the other said: "The escort business in the capital and Guanzhong region is basically monopolized by the Guanlong Escort Bureau. Although there are a few small escort bureaus in Chang'an City, they all look up to Duan Zhentian, the head of the Guanlong Escort Bureau. This man was originally hired as the chief instructor by the Yuwen family for a large sum of money, but later he was poached by the Guanlong Escort Bureau and has many connections among the officials in the capital."

  Xiao Si understood that Hong Chui was hinting at something, and quickly said: "Thank you, Sister Hong. As the saying goes, 'the big road leads to heaven, each walking on one side', we will pass through Tongzhou Bureau, just like country people entering the city, it's good if we can mix in and get a bite to eat, and we don't expect to be calling the shots in the capital. Besides, a big tree attracts wind, we only want to stay under the big tree and enjoy the cool breeze, and later on, there will inevitably be many places that need this Director Duan's care."

  Hong Zan looked at Xue Xiao Si with a hint of surprise and shook his head, saying: "It would be better if you could arrive in Chang'an a few days earlier."

  "Wan'er asked in doubt: 'Hong Jie, didn't our escort agency run into some trouble?'"

  It's getting late, I won't stay for dinner either, you all should head back to Liu Garden earlier.

  Xiao Si became more and more certain that something was wrong with the Liu Garden, and it was likely related to the newly appointed head of the Chang'an Branch, Xia Zong. Seeing Hong's refusal to reveal more, he smiled and said: "Hong Jie, then we'll take our leave first. You're an old timer in Chang'an City, if I make any mistakes in the future, I'll still have to rely on you to cover for me."

  "Hey, you little sly thing! You've always been one to take advantage of others, never the one to lose out. Scram!"

  Xiao Si thought to himself, "She didn't refuse, that means she agreed. From now on, if anything happens, I won't have to look at Li Xiao San's ugly face, I can just tell Hong Jie and let her whisper in his ear, guaranteed to be effective."

  Thinking of this, he smiled and said: "Hong Jie, I came in a hurry this time. Next time I'll bring you the best rouge and fragrant powder from all over Chang'an. By the way, because of the Hu Ge Village incident, Li... San Ge was injured, and I also feel uneasy about it."

  Hong wiped his nose and shook his head: "No need, actually, he agreed to go to Daba Mountain, I'm very happy."

  Xiao Si was stunned for a moment, vaguely guessing something, and bid farewell with Wanyu to leave the Wenxiang Building.

  Two men came to the street and had just mounted their horses when they saw Yi Bo's eldest son, Yi Bian, rushing over at a gallop. From afar, he saw Xiao Si and Wan'er and shouted loudly: "Xiao Siye, Wan'er, hurry back to Liu Garden, something big has happened!"