Volume One: River City — Chapter 22: Hengzhou Prefecture and the Luo Tian Sect

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Li Ling leaned weakly against the side of the donkey cart, feeling as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart. He truly had not expected that traveling in this era would be so arduous. The cart jolted as if he were a dish being tossed in a chef’s frying pan—bouncing up and down, swaying left and right, never a moment of stability.

The official road ahead looked decent enough, but once the donkey pulled the cart forward, it kept hitting bumps relentlessly. The dirt path was riddled with potholes, and the cart’s wooden wheels had no shock absorption whatsoever, magnifying every jolt. After only half a day and night’s journey, Li Ling felt utterly overwhelmed.

Suddenly, with another heavy bump, his body was flung upwards, and his stomach churned violently. He groaned, “Not again...” Hastily, he turned to lean out of the cart, but though he gagged a few times, nothing came up—the small amount of bread he had eaten that morning had already been vomited out cleanly earlier.

Up ahead, Gu Gang, whipping the donkey to hurry along, slowed slightly at the noise and looked back with a simple, concerned expression. “Young Master Li, are you alright? Should we rest a while in the shade of those trees up ahead?”

“No...” Li Ling waved him off, settling back into his seat and gasping for breath. “We shouldn’t be far from the prefectural city now. Let’s push through in one go. It’s almost noon; we can’t delay any longer.”

Because they had left the city just around noon the previous day, their schedule was tighter than originally planned, which explained the faster and rougher pace of the donkey cart. If Li Ling hadn’t been jogging every morning for the past few months to strengthen his body, he might have fallen ill from the strain of this journey.

Still, the ordeal left him miserable. If it weren’t for the urgent need to borrow money, he might have begged to slow down and travel more comfortably. The day on the road felt painfully long, teaching him the true meaning of “a day feels like a year.”

Seeing Li Ling so distressed, the honest and earnest Gu Gang no longer hesitated and urged the donkey onward with renewed vigor. The reckless shaking of the cart resumed, turning Li Ling’s face pale and his body into a miserable, chaotic wobble.

After more than an hour of this torment, as noon passed, Li Ling finally heard Gu Gang shout excitedly, “Young Master Li, we’ve arrived at the prefectural city! Look!”

At last, his spirits lifted. He quickly raised his eyes to see a city many times larger than Jiangcheng County standing several miles ahead. The towering, dark-hued city walls loomed before him, and despite the distance, the formidable aura and oppressive presence of this ancient city were palpable.

Truth be told, no modern city could evoke such a feeling in a newcomer, for by now cities no longer had walls. Instead, high-rise buildings rose abruptly, lacking the quaint grandeur of these old fortifications.

The donkey cart picked up speed again. Whether by will or mind, Li Ling no longer felt as ill as before. He scanned the growing clarity of the city gate on both sides, already planning how he would present himself once he met the people at the Wan Family Money Shop.

Yet, he soon noticed that the city gate’s guards were far stricter than those at the county city. Not only were soldiers with weapons stationed on both sides and atop the walls, but common folk entering or leaving had to queue, undergo questioning, and have their belongings inspected before being allowed through. This puzzled Li Ling, and he glanced at Gu Gang. “Is the gate here always this strict?”

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“I’ve been here several times before, and it wasn’t like this. Something must have happened,” Gu Gang replied, equally puzzled and tense. He slowed the cart, following behind a few pedestrians as they approached the gate cautiously.

During this time, Li Ling heard snippets of conversation around him:

“Why has the prefectural city’s defense suddenly tightened so much? Now they’re frisking and questioning everyone just to enter?”

“It’s all because of the Luotian Sect’s scoundrels! Just a couple of days ago, in nearby Zhengding Prefecture, they uncovered a group of Luotian Sect followers plotting mischief. The officials sent troops to capture them...”

“Did they catch all of them?”

“If they had, would there be this much trouble? Hundreds of soldiers surrounded a few dozen rebels, yet more than ten escaped. I heard one was an important figure. Then word came that they were heading this way, so the prefectural government is on high alert. They’re even planning to scrutinize travelers in the surrounding counties. I wonder when they’ll finally catch them...”

Li Ling stopped paying attention to the rest of their complaints, but the name “Luotian Sect” kept echoing in his mind.

Just like the dynasties of the Central Plains, when a regime reaches a centennial peak, believing itself at the height of prosperity, internal and external crises inevitably emerge. Now, the Great Yue faces constant raids from the northern barbarian tribes, while within its borders a faction known as the Luotian Sect stirs chaos, inciting desperate commoners to clash endlessly with the authorities.

Originally, the Luotian Sect was just a small force rising in the southwestern corner, and local officials had suppressed them several times. Yet, instead of disappearing, these seemingly weak bandits only grew stronger, learning tactics to evade the army and gradually infiltrating the Central Plains.

After two decades, the Luotian Sect has become a thorn in the side of the Great Yue court. Wherever their presence is rumored, local officials mobilize all resources to crush them. Yet, important leaders always manage to slip away and continue their mischief elsewhere.

Of course, this is the official narrative. Li Ling believed the endless failures to stamp out the Luotian Sect stemmed from official corruption and the people's hardships. It was more of a peasant uprising or a struggle of the oppressed against tyranny. He harbored no hostility toward the Luotian Sect, nor any real connection with them; his only desire was to secure a prosperous life for himself and his sister.

His thoughts were interrupted as the donkey cart reached the city gate, where two soldiers stepped forward to search and question them.

“Where are you from? What is your business in the prefectural city? Do you have a travel permit?”

Li Ling smiled and nodded repeatedly, presenting the small paper slip they had prepared—issued by the county government to prove their identity, essentially their ID in this era.

After confirming their identities, the soldiers still thoroughly inspected Li Ling’s belongings. Only after ensuring they carried no contraband did they allow them entry.

As the cart passed through the gate, a sudden shout came from behind: “It’s a misunderstanding! This knife is only being sent in for repairs!”

Li Ling turned to see a short, stocky man being pinned to the ground by three or four soldiers, his cleaver confiscated. It looked like he was about to face imprisonment.

Perhaps the man was innocent, but in such a tense atmosphere, he had no recourse. Li Ling sighed and turned his attention forward again.

By now, they had fully entered Hengzhou Prefectural City.

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This was truly a prefectural city—far livelier than a county town like Jiangcheng. A broad street stretched from the gate, lined with numerous shops. Well-dressed men and women came and went, a vivid testament to the city’s bustling commerce.

Li Ling even spotted about a dozen people inside a bookstore at the street’s front, each browsing books. Such a scene had only appeared in Jiangcheng when his own “Investiture of the Gods” had been newly published.

“If I could open a bookstore here and sell my ‘Investiture’ in the prefectural city, I’d surely earn far more than before,” he mused. Then, turning to Gu Gang, who was also looking around anxiously, he said, “Brother Gu, let’s focus on our main task first. Go find out where the Wan Family Money Shop is.”

“All right!” Gu Gang quickly agreed, catching two passersby to ask for directions. The Wan Family Money Shop was well-known in the city, so they soon learned its exact location and how to get there.

The donkey cart set off again. The city streets were much smoother than the country road outside, and Li Ling finally sat comfortably without suffering jolts.

After about half an hour, they arrived at the Wan Family Money Shop—a spacious and grand establishment. Its façade alone was as large as three ordinary shops combined, with a gleaming signboard that stood out in this era when most shops had only simple cloth banners.

Li Ling nodded approvingly. This was the style of a major merchant family.

Noticing Gu Gang’s obvious nervousness, Li Ling smiled at him. “Do you want to come in with me, or wait outside?”

“I... I’ll wait outside, Young Master,” Gu Gang replied hesitantly. Though honest, he knew his place and feared saying or doing something to jeopardize the matter.

Li Ling smiled again. “Fine. There’s a tea stall opposite; you can rest there and get me two sesame cakes. After this half-day on the road, I’m starving.”

Saying this, he smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes from the long ride, adjusted his hair, and ensured he looked presentable. Then, with head held high, he strode confidently through the shop’s door.

Today’s meeting would determine the future success or failure of the Gu family bookstore, so Li Ling had to give it his all, leaving no detail overlooked.