northernbook Chapter 93 When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Chapter 93 When in Rome, do as the Romans do
However, before going to find Old Man Jin, Xia Li instructed everyone to change into the clothes they had just bought.
"We should adapt to local customs; that way, at least the people of Duzhou City will have some goodwill towards us."
"Yes!"
"Also, the shopkeeper said that Old Man Jin's white sail has a golden 'Jin' character embroidered on it. Let's keep a close eye on it along the way."
Fortunately, following the crowd, Xia Li and her companions soon spotted the ship with gold lettering on its white sail.
"Senior, is the harvest plentiful this time?" Xia Li lowered his voice and leaned forward to ask.
Upon hearing this, the white-bearded old man glanced sideways at Sang Ying, puffing loudly on his pipe: "Abundant, but all the stuff inside is top-notch, so it's not cheap!"
Xia Li was prepared for this and immediately took out two gift boxes from her storage bag: "Then do you think these two items can be exchanged for your fish?"
The white-bearded old man accepted the gift box handed to him by Xia Li. He first opened the large one and found that it was a wine jar. He looked at it with a hint of disdain. How good could the wine they could offer be?
To his surprise, as soon as he opened it, a rich and mellow fragrance wafted out.
Fearing that the aroma would spread, the white-bearded man quickly closed the bottle cap!
The way he looked at Xia Li this time changed instantly: "I didn't expect you to be so wealthy, even able to afford something like this."
He didn't open the other jar. The first jar was already seven hundred years old, so how bad could the second one be?
Xia Li had anticipated this, as she already knew from the innkeeper that this white-bearded boatman loved both wine and tea.
Good tea is hard to find, and inferior tea simply won't meet the other person's standards. Fortunately, Yu Yang had given her a storage bag filled with fine wines of various vintages.
Using it for boat fare now would be perfect.
"So, how about I get your fish, this treasure?" Xia Li asked with a smile.
The white-bearded old man quickly stuffed the things into his pocket and laughed, "This is more than enough. You could charter the whole ship."
The preceding sentence was a code word for communicating with Whitebeard. Without this code word, even if he knew that this was the boatman who could enter Duzhou City, he would not have paid any attention to the visitor.
Moreover, knowing the code words is useless if you can't offer a reward that satisfies the other party.
The so-called "fish goods" refers to the space on the boat. Sang Ying first used a code to ask if there were any extra spaces on the boat. After learning that there were plenty of spaces, she took out the wine.
"My boat will set sail at noon tomorrow. Remember to come find me with your ticket then. Don't wait for me if you're late, and I won't replace lost tickets!" The white-bearded old man gave one last reminder before handing a token to Xia Li.
Xia Li examined the token and found that the front of it was made of a bunch of gems of different colors forming the character "令" (command), while the back was made of gold forming the character "金" (gold).
Xia Li quickly put it away. This thing didn't look cheap at all, and Old Man Jin actually used it as a ticket.
Luckily, I didn't take too cheap a drink, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to get on their boat.
As she turned to go back to her residence, she saw two people walking towards her in the distance.
It was Ji Qingluan and Zhu Jie!
However, they seem to be injured...
Xia Li's scrutinizing gaze caught their attention. Ji Qingluan, who had fled in a disheveled state and was seething with anger, suddenly saw her enemy, and her anger flared up. She immediately brandished the whip in her hand and was about to strike Xia Li.
Old Man Jin said unhappily, "Fighting is not allowed in Duzhou City."
"Who are you? What right do you have to stop me?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ji Qingluan realized she had been rash, but her pride wouldn't allow her to back down, so she simply pursed her lips.
General Zhu, who was standing beside him, was truly exasperated. It was truly a case of him not keeping an eye on the princess and causing trouble for him again.
However, he was still pragmatic and immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I'm sorry, sir! It's just that the man next to you is our young lady's enemy, and I couldn't help myself."
The old man was a man with a bad temper. If it weren't for those two jars of wine, even Xia Li wouldn't have gotten a few kind words from him.
So he just snorted and turned to go into the cabin.
Seeing that Old Man Jin had left, Xia Li immediately turned around and prepared to leave the dock.
Although both are injured, a princess favored by the nation certainly has many treasures. A direct confrontation would definitely not end well for them.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Ji Qingluan tried to chase after her. But after taking only a few steps, General Zhu pulled her back: "Miss, keep a low profile! Why are you still looking for her? Instead of wasting time, let's go find the boatman who can enter the city."
To cross the Snow God Mountain, it would be faster to go directly from the city.
Ji Qingluan was annoyed, and her tone unconsciously carried a hint of sarcasm: "Keep it down! Zhu Jie, where is that Golden Top ship captain you've been looking for all this time?"
Upon hearing Ji Qingluan's words, General Zhu was furious. Before entering the capital, he had repeatedly instructed the princess to act with humility and modesty, fearing that she might offend someone if she was displeased. But he hadn't expected Ji Qingluan to be such a fool, completely offending the First Prince, and they only managed to escape using magical artifacts.
As a result, this person still didn't learn his lesson and reverted to his spoiled and willful behavior as soon as he saw Xia Li.
They are currently on the run, so how could they dare to cause trouble for others?
Are they afraid that the people chasing them won't be able to find where they are?
He was truly exhausted.
If the other person hadn't been a princess, he really would have wanted to abandon her and leave.
General Zhu patiently advised, "Your Highness, our most important task now is to cross the Snow God Mountain back to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. As for her, we'll have plenty of opportunities to deal with her later."
At this moment, Ji Qingluan calmed down: "That's true. If we can't find Old Man Jin to enter the city, we'll have to take a two-thirds longer detour. As for her, she'll be going to Saint Qiong Academy after the New Year anyway, and then..."
General Zhu seized the opportunity to say, "Indeed, once we arrive at the Holy Jade Academy, are we afraid we won't be able to handle a mere Golden Core cultivator?"
As for Xia Li, they are currently staying in a small courtyard with three courtyards outside the city.
As soon as Xia Li opened the door, she saw many unfamiliar faces and became alert. However, she quickly relaxed because she realized that these were just servants delivering food.
Zhou Yan'er saw her: "Ali, come and try our local specialty, this is fish porridge. Don't underestimate it, it's made from fish from our Duzhou City, it's not only very fragrant but also good for longevity."
Xia Li didn't particularly like eating fish, but she didn't want to offend Zhou Yan'er's kindness, so she scooped up a small spoonful and gently put it into her mouth.
Just as Zhou Yan'er had said, the porridge was very fragrant and the fish was delicious. There wasn't a single bone in it, which made Xia Li, who doesn't like to pick out bones, feel very at ease eating it.
Xia Li couldn't help but finish a large bowl and praised, "It's really good."
"Of course! Alright everyone, pack up and get some sleep. We'll be heading into town at noon tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Xia Li's eyes narrowed slightly. It was Zhou Yan'er who pointed out the direction at the dock today, and now, before he even had a chance to say anything, Zhou Yan'er already knew everything.
she……