Chapter 005: The Tenfold Realm of Heaven and Man

  Qinghe Town is located at the foot of Shushan Mountain and is the closest town to Shushan. To call it a town is actually an understatement!

  Is there a small town with a population of 500,000 in the world? It is no less than a big city like Zhongzhou.

  A population of 500,000, which in the metropolises of past dynasties might have been the population of just one district. But this is ancient times, without skyscrapers. And with a low population density. Simply relying on land area to accumulate population, how big would Qinghe Town be?

  From a distance, Tang An saw the gate of Qinghe Town. Because Shu has many mountains and steep terrain, the city wall was only built for a short distance, and the rest relied on the mountainous terrain. However, that one section stretched for tens of miles.

  Tang An carried a small package and walked slowly forward. When he arrived at the city gate.

  "There are so many people. So many people leaving the city?" Looking at the crowded crowd, carrying poles and pushing carts. Most of them were small vendors. They left the city and scattered in all directions, each returning home. These small vendors came to Qinghe Town to do business during the day. Now that it's late, those who live outside the town naturally want to go back home, and rushing back also takes some time.

  Shu has been known as the Heavenly Kingdom since ancient times. Although there are high mountains, the land is fertile, the four seasons are warm, and grain production is extremely high. Tang An looked at the crowd coming and going, their faces all radiating a healthy rosy complexion. It seems that the lives of the people here should be quite good.

  At the entrance of the town, he was surprised to find that he had to pay a fee to enter. He knew that entering and leaving the county city required paying head tax, but he didn't expect Qinghe Town to have this rule as well. His heart couldn't help but feel a sense of strangeness. It seemed that the Shu Mountain Sword Sect was not the kind of purely Jianghu school that hid from the world as he had imagined. It was more like a force! A vassal state!

  As soon as he entered Qinghe Town, Tang An was even more shocked.

  "What a wide street!"

  Looking at the wide and spacious street paved with neat bluestones in front of him, he was really shocked.

  "This place is even more prosperous than Zhongzhou City! The streets here are so wide that they can accommodate ten fine horses galloping side by side. At the very least, they must be twenty meters wide." What's the point of having such wide streets? This isn't modern society, there aren't that many cars to pass through! Is it meant to be a pedestrian street or something?

  Come on, this is a main road! Who uses a main road as a pedestrian street? Besides, did ancient times have pedestrian streets?

  Tang An's heart couldn't help but rise with a bold conjecture - could this grand road be used for...

  Army!!!!!

  That's right, perhaps such a wide street is only used when the army goes out to battle!

  Also, the emblem on the city guards at the entrance, I seem to have seen it somewhere before. Ah, yes, the 4 men and 2 women who were chasing that black-clad person, didn't they also have this small sword on their clothes? It's just that the color of the sword is different.

  Shu Shan Jian Pai, is it really just a Jiang Hu school? It seems that's not entirely true.

  The Shu Shan Sword Sect recruits disciples from outside twice a year, once on the ninth day of September and once on the third day of March, each time only lasting three days. After three days, even if the King of Heaven himself came, Shu Shan would not accept any more disciples.

  Today is August 30th, and there's only one week left until Mount Shu recruits its disciples. Tang An doesn't know what conditions are required to recruit disciples for Mount Shu, and he's also feeling a bit apprehensive in his heart. Moreover, the system had just started and gave him a task that absolutely cannot fail, which makes his heart even heavier.

  "I mustn't fail! I also promised Mother that I would go back and see her! I absolutely cannot fail!"

  Tang An walked slowly along the main road of Qinghe Town, carrying a small package on his back, looking around and silently memorizing everything. Perhaps in the future, he would live here for a very long time.

  Behind his back, the small package contained a set of clean clothes and all the private savings he had accumulated over the years. The sheep fat white jade pendant was carefully wrapped up and buried in the backyard of his own home. He dug a very deep hole to ensure that no one could find it. He vowed that ten years later, he would proudly enter the Tang Mansion, retrieve the jade pendant, put it back around his neck, and become the young master of the Tang family once again!

  Tang An walked for a whole morning, and had to say that Qinghe Town was indeed very large. This morning, he only walked a small half of Qinghe Town, and the road ahead was far, far away, and couldn't be seen at all. It was already noon, and his stomach was growling with hunger. Just then, he looked up and saw a three-story wine building not far away.

  This building is made of wood, with exquisite carvings on the outer walls, it's a top-notch luxurious hotel. The main entrance has a gilded signboard with the words "Dragon and Phoenix Dance" written on it.

  Tai Bai Lou

  Tang An was alone, with not many things on him, except for the bundle which had a lot of money. In this era, gold and silver were extremely valuable, ordinary people's annual living expenses probably wouldn't exceed 20 taels of silver. Of course, that was under the condition that they grew their own food. In that case, even if they spent money, it wouldn't be much.

  Tang An's package had several thousand taels of silver notes, which was only the gifts he received during the New Year and festivals over the past three years. From this, it can be seen how rich the Tang family in Zhongzhou is! And how much family property did Tang's father give away!

  Having money, one naturally cannot be humble with oneself.

  "Why don't we stay here for a few days and ask the shopkeeper about the entrance of Shu Mountain?"

  The higher the grade of the wine shop, the more knowledgeable the boss is, the more things he knows, and the easier it is to gather information.

  Tang An untied his bundle and had just stepped into the wine shop when a waiter immediately came up to greet him. The waiter saw that the customer was actually a small child, but his face didn't show any surprise. His face still wore a standard smile, and he bowed even lower, so that the little master in front of him wouldn't feel like he was being looked down on.

  "Little guest officer, where are you from? Our Taibai Building has local characteristic dishes that will surely satisfy your taste. However, business is good today and the second and third floors are fully booked. Only the first floor location is left. What do you think?" The little waiter said enthusiastically.

  Tang An's eyes scanned the room, seeing that it was almost packed to capacity, and the vast majority were parents accompanying their children. Judging by their attire, they should all be young masters from wealthy families. It seemed that those people were here in Shu Mountain to pay respects and learn martial arts just like himself.

  The second and third floors of the wine house are for dignitaries to dine, while the first floor is a bit more chaotic. In Zhongzhou City, wherever Tang An appears, all the shopkeepers will automatically give him a private room. All this is because his old man is a big rich man in Zhongzhou City, and everyone has to give face! However, this is at the foot of Shu Mountain, and Tang An doesn't care, casually pointing to the window.

  "Let's sit by the window. I like it quiet."

  Tang An took a seat, and the waiter immediately presented him with a written menu, which actually had various cuisines. Sichuan dishes are often spicy and numbing, but Tang An happened to be able to eat this kind of food, so he didn't mind and casually ordered two small dishes. He was just a young child now, his appetite wasn't big, and he couldn't eat too much; wasting food was also shameful.

  The little waiter was about to sing out the menu and leave when Tang An pulled him back. The little waiter immediately smiled, bowed his head and said: "Young master, is there anything else you'd like to order?"

  Tang An said: "I came to Shu Mountain to pay homage and learn the art, but I still don't know what conditions are required to pay homage and learn the art on Shu Mountain. Can you tell me in detail, Second Brother?" As he spoke, Tang An took out a gold leaf from his bosom and was about to hand it over to Xiao Er.

  When going out, wealth should not be exposed in vain. Tang An is well aware of this. However, this wine tower is so large-scale and located at the foot of Shu Mountain, with many people accompanying their children to learn from Shu Mountain. If something dirty happens here, Shu Mountain will definitely lose face. As for the murderer, it's a matter of course that they should be executed without pardon. Who dares not to open their eyes at this critical moment? Therefore, Tang An is also not worried.

  Kan Xiao'er saw the golden leaf and, although his face showed joy, he didn't dare take it over. Instead, he turned around and made a hand gesture towards the counter. The shopkeeper understood, smiled on his face, bent down and took out a blue leather book from the cabinet.

  "Little official, this is the newly released 'Essential Knowledge for Entering Shu Mountain'. The questions you want to ask, we can answer them all here. If it's not in here, even if you ask us, we won't know."

  Tang An smiled and said, "The people here are really clever with their money-making ideas. They can even think of ways to make a profit from something like this."

  "Little Second, you should also know that I'm here to sign up for the art, right? But this mountain gate only opens on September 9th. So, can you open a room for me instead? That piece of gold leaf will serve as the rent first, and if it's not enough, we'll talk about it later." Seeing Little Second remain silent, Tang An immediately understood and looked gloomy, saying: "Hey? Little Second Brother. Am I really that unlucky...?"

  "Sorry, sir. We really don't have any more upstairs rooms available. However, we do have a shared room left. If you're not particular about it, you can share the room with someone else. As it happens, there's an old man here who can't afford to pay his rent. If you don't mind..."

  Tang An waved his hand: "If you mind, there won't be a room available, what else can I do...?" The little waiter's face lit up with joy, took the gold leaf, and muttered a few sentences in Sichuan dialect before hurrying off to other tables.

  Just then, 4 men and 2 women suddenly appeared at the door, all wearing brocade robes, with frost on their faces, obviously in a bad mood. The little servant saw the expressions of those people, and his face immediately showed bitterness, but his feet did not dare to stay still, and he ran to the door in a flash, bowed down, and said in a flattering tone: "Young Master Wang, you haven't come for many days. The private room on the third floor is still reserved for you. What would you like to eat today? The newly arrived sturgeon is not bad, would you like to try it?"

  The little servant was speaking, but he kept his head down and only dared to look at the young master's feet. He didn't dare raise his head or look directly at him, and his head almost touched the ground. Unexpectedly, the young master not only ignored the little servant but also kicked him with one foot, sending him flying out. The commotion was so loud that even the guests on the second floor stuck their heads out to see what was happening, but when they saw who it was, they immediately showed a look of understanding and then withdrew their heads again.

  The little servant let out a cry of pain, rolled around on the ground twice, but quickly scrambled to his feet again, not daring to make another sound. He hastily returned to the man's side, still with a flattering expression and tone: "Young Master Wang, are you satisfied now? Your body is precious, it's not worth getting angry."

  "Consider yourself lucky!" The young master Wang snorted, flung his sleeve and ignored the little servant, leading the people behind him to rush upstairs. His feet stomped heavily on the stairs, causing dust to fall down "rustling". It was almost as if he was going to stomp the ladder into collapse.

  Among the people eating, there were those who recognized that young master Wang. Their faces immediately showed disdain: "Isn't he just an outer sect disciple? How long can he be so arrogant? If it weren't for his old man's sake, there are at least a hundred people in Qinghe Town who could take him down!" The person looked at him with disgust, then turned to his own son and sternly warned: "Son, when you become a Shushan disciple, don't associate with this kind of person. It would be a waste of our Li family's face! What nonsense!" Although the child nodded, his face was very excited, perhaps because he saw that young master Wang was so powerful, and couldn't help but imagine things in his heart.

  That man finished speaking, and someone else chimed in, with a tone of schadenfreude: "That Wang fellow probably messed up the mission and got scolded by his superiors. Look at those six people, they're all dusty and exhausted. I heard that they received their mission a few days ago to capture two notorious thieves who have been wreaking havoc in Shu. Unfortunately, they only managed to kill one of them, but let the other escape."

  Tang An ate his meal, but his ears were perked up high. He heard their conversation clearly. As soon as he thought of the headless corpse on Mount Shu's mountain pass, it was probably one of the great thieves they were talking about.

  "If an outer disciple of Shu Mountain dares to be so arrogant, what would it be like if it were an inner disciple? " Tang An thought about this and shook his head immediately. If all the disciples of Shu Mountain are of such character, Shu Mountain is probably not far from being destroyed."

  However, he thought back, why did that young master dare to be so arrogant? Apart from the power of Shu Mountain, it's likely that his own strength is not bad either! Otherwise, why would the five people behind him listen to his orders? Moreover, judging from the tone of the person who spoke first, Qinghe Town can only deal with about a hundred men. And this Qinghe Town has a population of over 5 million!

  At this thought, Tang An's determination to become stronger grew even more resolute!

  Just a moment later, there was another loud "bang" sound outside, as if something had been thrown out of the window upstairs. Tang An was close to the window and immediately moved his little butt to stick his head out and take a look. He saw that Wang Gongzi, who had just been so arrogant, was now lying in the middle of the road, wailing pitifully.

  Immediately afterwards, another clear and cold voice came from upstairs, it was a woman.

  "King Rui! Take a good look at my face and remember to tell your old man to come find me for trouble! I'll be waiting for you anytime!" After that, there was a loud bang, and the window was heavily closed again.

  Those who knew the inside story looked at each other with a knowing expression on their faces.

  "I had forgotten, there is also a Miss Mu in this tavern today."

  "Haha... the young master of the Wang family, the young lady of the Mu family. No wonder business is booming at this wine house today. Everyone's been waiting to see the excitement here."

  "Hmph, compared to Miss Mu, that little brat from the Wang family is nothing. He's just an outer sect disciple! At 20 years old, he hasn't even reached the realm of [Tian Ren Fourth Heavy], if it weren't for his father's protection, he would have been killed long ago. Miss Mu from the Mu family, on the other hand, entered the [Tian Ren Fourth Heavy] at just 16 years old and became an inner sect disciple of Mount Shu, a true genius. Compared to that little Wang brat, it's like comparing white clouds to muddy water - there's no comparison! But fate is cruel, Miss Mu was betrothed to that little Wang brat since childhood..."

  "Ah, I see, no wonder Miss Mu always ends up fighting with this young master from the Wang family."

  As for the gossip about that prince, Tang An had no interest in it at all. When he heard "Tian Ren Fourth Heavy", he suddenly became curious. Seeing that the uncle was talking enthusiastically, Tang An had also eaten his fill and slowly moved to the side of the uncle, listening to him speak like a curious baby.

  That uncle saw a little kid with a round belly "winking" at him, and thought he was eyeing the good wine in his bowl. He laughed and said: "Little kid, do you want to drink? Your father probably never lets you have any." The uncle smiled and actually poured a small cup for Tang An. Tang An took it without hesitation and "gulp" downed it in one mouthful.

  But in an instant, he became tragic. His throat suddenly became fiery, and his heart felt like it was being burned by fire. His small hands desperately scratched at his clothes, as if wanting to scratch inside his flesh. His head also swelled up instantly, feeling dizzy and faint.

  Luckily, he spoke clearly. "Uncle, what did you mean by 'the fourth heaven of Tian Ren'?"

  That uncle looked at the little kid's face, which was completely red, obviously drunk, and his eyes were also red, almost crying from the strong liquor. He suddenly burst out laughing. Patting Tang An's head: "Little kid, you're so curious? But since I think you're cute and chubby, I'll tell you a few more things."

  "This Jianghu master, based on the depth of their skills, divides the realm into ten levels. Reaching the fourth level [Gang Rou Bing Ji] is the boundary of a second-rate Jianghu master, and this is also the first-class condition required for an inner disciple of Shu Shan to enter the room. As for the several realms above this, they are just legends in Jianghu, and there are very few people who can reach them."

  Tang An's head was already a bit dizzy, but he heard this and perked up, asking in confusion: "Then what is above the tenth realm?"

  The old man burst out laughing when he heard this, and the others who were listening also followed suit: "Little kid, you're really interesting. If there's still a realm above the tenth realm, then the Jianghu should be divided into eleven or twelve realms. The tenth realm is said to be able to fly and escape, and nothing can harm it. If there really is an eleventh realm, that would be a divine skill, not something we ordinary people can imagine. Little kid must have had too much to drink and started talking nonsense..."