Chapter 352: Exploring the Camp Alone
Zhao Yushu met Captain Chen, Lan Rong's confidant, in Xiangcheng. After Zhao Yushu understood the other party's intention, he simply said that there was no one left in the Yuan family and left.
Captain Chen also said a few polite words and left. What he was going to do next was very dirty. Mr. Liu was famous for his kindness, so it was better not to let him see it.
Zhao Yushu passed by Nanyang and headed straight for Xiangzhou. He did not stop at Dengzhou and Xinye along the way, but he did not feel that anyone was secretly watching him. He did not know whether the power of the Yuan brothers was too great, or the powerful figure in Xiangzhou had temporarily lost his trace.
He was circling back and forth between Nanyang and Xiangcheng. Unless there was an expert above the seventh level who was very skilled in tracking, no one could follow him without being noticed.
Zhao Yushu used the disguise item that Li Tong had given him that day, then put on a bamboo hat to hide his cultivation level, and slowed down his pace after passing Xinye.
First, sneak into Xiangzhou as a mortal. If you have to show your cultivation level, you can first show it to the fourth level. After finding out where the enemy is, you can use the sixth level's means to make a thundering attack. In any case, the fact that the underworld can issue a bounty in Xiangzhou indirectly proves that Xiangzhou is at least one of their main strongholds. You have walked into the enemy's lair, so you should be careful in everything.
According to the old man, the masters of inner scenes in the underworld are all leaders of large sects. So which is the largest sect in Xiangzhou? Is there any inner scene?
I don't think I have the ability to fight Neijing now.
Zhao Yushu shook his head, getting rid of these messy thoughts in his mind. Now that he has been targeted, there has never been a precedent of the academy's disciples giving in. No matter whether it is a dangerous place or hell, let's fight it out.
It was just after noon when they arrived in Xiangzhou. At that time, Xiangzhou's status was unstable, and coupled with its confrontation with Jingzhou, it was already considered a semi-independent military fortress.
So the chief official of Xiangzhou began to collect taxes according to his own ideas. Just entering the city required a payment of twenty cents.
"Bai Jin Tang, from Xijing?" The city gate officer took a look at Zhao Yushu's household certificate and read out his name word by word: "What are you doing here?"
"I'll borrow the help of Mr. Yuan from Xiangcheng to see if there is any business to be done." Zhao Yushu took off his bamboo hat, and a small silver ingot gently slipped into the hands of the city gate officer.
The city gate officer raised his hand slightly, and the silver ingot slid into his sleeve. The whole process was smooth and flowing: "Second Master Yuan? Oh, since you are Second Master Yuan's people, go in and don't make trouble."
Zhao Yushu thanked him with a smile. Yuan Er's name did seem to be famous. Although not as well-known as in Xiangcheng, it was not unknown either.
As soon as I walked into the city gate, I heard a shout from behind: "Hey, what's that white?"
Zhao Yushu's heart tightened, and he slowly turned around: "Master, are you calling me?"
The officer at the city gate waved his hand, and Zhao Yushu's muscles tensed. He didn't believe that his fake identity in Chang'an could be spread to Xiangzhou so quickly, but he still remained vigilant at all times.
Zhao Yushu walked over, and the city gate officer whispered, "I see you are a wise man, so I'll give you a tip. If you want to do legitimate business, go to the merchant house in Jiangbei."
Zhao Yushu suddenly realized something, and quickly handed over a larger silver ingot between the two men's sleeves: "What if you want to do some shady business?"
The city gate officer felt the weight of the silver ingot and smiled with satisfaction: "After crossing the river, walk a few steps southwest to a dirty street. Go there and find a place to stay. Tell the store owner that you are a friend of Lao Yu from the north city."
Zhao Yushu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Lord Yu. I will definitely reward you handsomely one day."
"Hey, it's easy to talk."
Zhao Yushu walked into Nanyang, first found a place to have lunch, and then walked into a bookstore.
Of course he wouldn't go directly to that dirty street. If someone told you, a foreigner, that you were running to a street that doesn't sound like a safe place, are you afraid that you have too much money to use for charity? Then you are really a smart little cutie.
This bookstore was a small outpost of an academy that his third senior brother told him about before he left. Letters could be sent through here on weekdays, and it was fast and safe.
Zhao Yushu wrote a letter in the name of an ordinary academy disciple. The main content of the letter was about the reward. The focus was to implore Boss Gu to come and help him deal with the possible inner boss in Xiangzhou. Although he was very arrogant, he had not yet expanded to that extent.
After sending the letter, Zhao Yushu walked all the way to the riverside, preparing to find an inn nearby to stay.
The scenery along the river is nice, there are plenty of river fish, and most importantly, this is the territory of the Cao Gang.
Cao Gang is not a specific gang, but a general term for a type of gang. The earliest ones were canal transport personnel who were employed by the government, including soldiers, sailors, trackers, and so on.
As time went by and the ruling power of the Tang government declined, the Cao Gang gradually developed into a local gang that controlled both black and white.
With so many people, there are naturally good and bad people. The Cao Gang is indispensable to the open river transport business, and the shadow of the Cao Gang is everywhere among the hidden water bandits.
The Xiangzhou Cao Gang controlled the waterway business covering a distance of two thousand miles from Jinzhou to Jingzhou.
The force is not small.
Such a big gang, with a powerful backer, may not necessarily be afraid to confront the academy head-on.
After all, although the old immortal is crazy, he is not crazy enough to kill people's entire family at will.
Zhao Yushu sat on the third floor of the restaurant, looking at the surging river below. Countless sailors shouted to dock the boats at the nearby commercial wharf, and then more coolies carried boxes and bags of goods down with their bare chests in the autumn wind.
The sun begins to move westward, and when it sets, some of these people will rush to a certain street to have some fun, and that is the core area of the Cao Gang.
Will it be a dirty street?
Zhao Yushu was dressed in gray and had scars on his face, so he looked to be in his thirties. No one could imagine that he was the sixth master of the academy who was famous in the Central Plains.
"Waiter!" Zhao Yushu drank a glass of wine and shouted. A waiter ran over in a hurry: "Sir, what can I do for you?"
"Master, I came to Xiangzhou from Xijing to do business. I wonder if there are any fun places here?"
The waiter's eyes lit up. If a guest from another place asked about this kind of work, it meant that his reward would be coming soon: "Let the master know that the best place to have fun in Xiangzhou is, of course, the red-light district."
Flower Street? Dirty Street?
Zhao Yushu quickly realized that this was definitely not the real street name, but a nickname.
"Puh!" Zhao Yushu spat fiercely, shocking the waiter: "What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? Is it possible that the master doesn't like that? Don't misunderstand the master, even that little husband has his own place in the red-light district."
Zhao Yushu resisted the urge to slap the waiter. Damn, Old Zhao, am I that kind of person?
"You bastard, I've seen everything in Xijing, and you just found me a red-light district? No matter how good a red-light district is, can it be better than Xijing?"
"Yes, yes, sir, I am teaching you a lesson. It is me who has not seen the world."
Zhao Yushu hummed and threw a small piece of silver: "Master, I like to play something rough."
The waiter took the silver in a hurry, showing a look of sudden enlightenment: "Then you must have asked the right person!"