Jiaomo accompanied them.
We are about to reach the next big city. Along the way, the few of them didn't encounter any more accidents, and they didn't get much useful information. Perhaps that’s why more preparation is needed. When Han Chang was on duty at night, he saw that Xie Zhe was not resting peacefully. He was gathering up some scattered trinkets and putting them back into the bag. Han Chang passed by him, took a look, and seemed to catch a glimpse of something like Suan Zhang.
"It's late at night, what are you doing?"
"Let's calculate the future." Xie Zhe said briefly, "It seems that there will be an opportunity for us in the city ahead."
"Do you still have this hand?" Han Chang's eyes lit up slightly.
"I just know a little bit, but I'm not good at it."
Xie Zhe shook his head. His expression was sincere, not showing any pretense of humility, and Han Chang couldn't help but feel his heart beat.
"Then...it's hard to say whether there will be anything ahead."
No matter what, the city ahead called Cangye City is the place they must pass.
This is also an old city that has gone through several dynasties. There are many business travelers coming and going, and you can hear the noise of people near the city gate. They haven't seen a living corpse for a long time, and there is also no trace of the epidemic inspections in the big cities earlier. But perhaps because there were so many people coming and going, the city gate guards were still very strict about questioning strangers entering the city.
Fortunately, they are not people who violate laws and disciplines, and they are set off by their peers, which makes people feel that this group of people does not do bad things at first glance. They answered a few questions politely, and the guard waved them through, much faster than the people in front of them.
The city is bustling with people, and the streets are filled with the sounds of selling, bargaining, and shouting for customers. None of the three people liked to join in the fun, so they hurried past the crowded shop, looking for a slightly quieter place. Finally, Han Chang saw that there were still empty seats in a restaurant, and he quickly called his companions over, not even caring about what food was in the restaurant.
Business is booming here, but compared to other places, there is a place where you can sit and talk. The store owner came up to greet him, exchanged greetings with him, and said some kind words about bringing in money, and then took the opportunity to say:
"I don't come to Cangye City very often. When I saw it today, it was so prosperous and prosperous that I could not imagine. This must be a favorite place for business people with a radius of several hundred miles, right? Otherwise, how could it be so lively?"
"Our Cangye City is indeed an important place for business. However, you only know one thing, but not the other." The store owner smiled and made tea for them. "It has been particularly lively recently. The city gate has just opened in the past three days. Reason. The city was closed before, and merchants and travelers had to take a detour. Everyone was frustrated. Now that it is released, isn't it full of energy and excitement? "
"Closing the city?" Xie Zhe caught the key, he frowned, a little wary, "I only know that there was an epidemic in the winter, and many places closed the city. Although we should not be careless now, the overall situation has improved. Quite a few. I heard that the situation here is not serious, so how come they have closed the city again recently?"
"Hey, what the superiors said is to prevent the spread of the epidemic, but let alone you coming from outside, I haven't seen any signs of the epidemic. How can ordinary people understand these official decisions? Anyway, , all I saw was that in the past few days, no one could enter or leave the city gate. Only the sergeants of the city defense had to transport supplies and could move around inside and outside the city. Some time ago, there was also a curfew in the city. If it was an epidemic, there should be a doctor. , just because of the curfew, no one knows whether there is one."
Han Chang and Xie Zhe exchanged a look. The former secretly nuzzled his lips towards the store owner, indicating that there was something fishy in his words. Reading between the lines, it sounds like he doesn't believe the government's rhetoric at all.
"Although there is no word from above, but-" The store owner looked around mysteriously, approached them, and lowered his voice. "The people in our city are not fools. During that time, the city was not peaceful at all! Many people saw strangers acting suspiciously, with their lapels pressed against their left lapels. If the city was really closed due to an epidemic, what would happen to those people? What happened? I don’t know how I got into the city. It’s really scary.”
After finishing speaking, he looked at the two people with calm expressions and the beautiful lady-like woman beside them. Probably afraid of scaring away the guests, he quickly added:
"Having said that, no one has lost their life in the city. After the martial law ended, I didn't hear anyone say that they saw those people again. I think they took advantage of the city gate to open and left on their own. You guys, please pay attention to your safety. That’s fine, don’t be too nervous.”
After that, he waved his hand, picked up the teapot that had poured water for them, and went straight to work.
They thought about it with their own thoughts, and they were even a little worried about whether this unforeseen incident might be related to the evil angel. Moreover, had Ling Huan been brought here before, and would Zuo Jinmen have anything to do with her matter? Regardless, the bad news is enough to make people frown. I haven’t seen her for a long time, and I don’t know if she is okay. It’s normal to have random thoughts, but it’s also very scary.
Jiaomo remained quiet and never made any noise to disturb her. Xie Zhe looked at her and Han Chang and spoke first.
"This matter... I don't think it's that simple."
"It's natural, don't you say it...Zuojimen is well organized and disciplined. People under their rule cannot wander around without a purpose." Han Chang said, "Could it be that their goal is Cang Cang?" Who is such a big shot in Yecheng? So much so that the city had to be sealed off. The store owner said that he hadn’t seen anyone from Zuojimen recently. Maybe the government caught the killer, so the blockade was lifted."
Xie Zhe's eyebrows were knotted and he pondered for a while. He wanted to accept this explanation that sounded reasonable and somewhat reassuring, but he couldn't convince himself of it so easily.
"But from ancient times to the present, there has almost never been a mistake in Zuofenmen. The store owner also said that no one was caught. If the restrictions were caused by the killer and were lifted because of the arrest of someone, the government would make an announcement. The public should appease the people. At the same time, Zuojimen will not give up their goals easily. If they just catch the killer, their goals may not be safe. Furthermore, what kind of big shots will there be in Cangye City? Are you going to take action from them?"
"I don't know much about anything else. I just know that this place is different from other places. The city lord is still inherited from generation to generation rather than appointed by the court. Nowadays, this situation is rare. If there are people who are dissatisfied with this, it is not that there are none. Possibly. Maybe the city lord insisted on going his own way and violated the interests of some people...right? It's impossible. That's the Zuojinmen. As long as the money is in place, the head of the King of Heaven can be brought to you. Their glorious deeds, I’ve known it all these years.”
Before the waiter brought the dishes, Han Shang dipped some tea in his cup and drew something on the table for the two people to see.
"In the past, the name of this city sounded the same as it does now, but the words were not these two characters. Well, it used to be like this... However, later, an expert said that the feng shui of this city was not harmonious, and I'm afraid it was not very appropriate. It is said that here The soil is fertile, the forests are lush, and there are many minerals, accounting for earth, wood, and metal. However, water and fire are not prosperous, the original volcanoes are dead, and the rivers in the city are increasingly drying up. The five elements are out of balance, and both yin and yang are declining. If this continues, I’m afraid the city’s luck will be exhausted altogether.”
The solution is quite simple. Folks often use specific names to adjust the five elements of children, and the same can be done for a city. It should be noted that changing the name is not just as simple as changing a plaque on the city gate. People's impression of the city will also change. The new name of Cangye City will be linked to this place, and the thoughts of millions of people will secretly fill it in. The concept of water and fire.
"I suddenly remembered that Miss Ling Huan also changed her name?" Xie Zhe said.
"It seems that there is such a thing...she seemed to be Linglong Ling before." Han Chang nodded.
Ling Huan himself said that this method would not be effective just by anyone casually saying it. I think that the expert must have profound knowledge. After changing the name under this person's advice, Cangye City did not decline, but has continued to prosper to this day. Even after changing his name, the city lord retained his status. With the permission of the court, he retained the right to inherit the city lord's position from generation to generation due to his meritorious service.
If the timing and audience were different, such anecdotes might have aroused great interest. If you want to expand the statement, there are countless anecdotes about Cangye City. The three people who were busy with important matters didn't have much intention to talk about ancient things. After having a hasty meal, they didn't even think about sitting around and returned to the street. They walked through the streets and alleys of the city, asking merchants, residents or travelers if anyone had seen a girl named Ye Lingyu. It's not enough to describe her appearance. After all, although she has good features, she has no special features. Two eyes and one mouth, everyone looks like this.
Han Chang had an idea, and borrowed pen and paper from a place to draw a portrait of Ling Quan. Jiao Mo glanced at it and naturally didn't know if it was similar, but he also expressed approval and recognized Han Shang's ability. They also thought that since it was Wuyonglan who abducted her, they might hide her traces from others. However, having one eye counts as a feature on its own and does not require a special brush to paint. Besides, they don't know what's going on with Wuyong's blue eyes. Maybe, both of his eyes are very good, and this is just to deceive others. So, they asked about this man everywhere, but even the one-eyed man, no one saw him, let alone Wuyonglan himself.
Walking aimlessly on the street, Xie Zhe held the portrait in front of him and looked at it for a while. The more he looked at it, the more he felt that it seemed quite similar. After looking at it for a long time, he could feel Ling Huan's charm vividly appearing on the page, which made him feel a little sad.
Where could she be? Have you ever been to this city? Have you left any traces of your whereabouts?
