Chapter 216: Entering the Pass

From richly colored to pale and clear, the tea was slowly finished, and the crescent moon had risen from the southeast to the northwest.

Exhausted and struggling to keep his eyes open, Cao Cheng ultimately failed to fulfill his grand ambition of talking for three days and nights. Mid-sentence, he blanked out and immediately fell asleep.

Using his arm as a pillow, Gu Ning’an reflected on the Great Wu that Cao Cheng had described, his brows furrowing.

According to Cao Cheng, Great Wu was far more chaotic and lawless than what Jiang Wanzhou had led him to believe.

Demons devoured people, the imperial court oppressed its citizens, and the common folk of Great Wu, struggling to survive in such an environment, had become increasingly extreme.

What puzzled him was that, even if Great Wu’s national strength was inferior to Great Qian’s, it shouldn’t be incapable of establishing City God temples, should it?

Even if he assumed that Great Wu’s City Gods lacked offerings or that there were no City God temples at all, according to the Heavenly Dao’s laws of balance, there should still be some righteous deities emerging to combat evil…

…

Half a month passed in a flash, and Gu Ning’an’s group finally crossed Great Qian’s border.

The journey had been largely uneventful, without any major incidents.

The only real difference was that, traveling with the armed escort team, Gu Ning’an now got to “enjoy” the same treatment they had previously—being avoided like the plague by others.

But after spending time with them, Gu Ning’an realized that the outward fierceness these escorts displayed was merely a protective facade.

In truth, they were all rather kind-hearted—so much so that they even helped an old woman up after she had fallen…

Though, to be fair, she had fallen because they had accidentally frightened her.

On a side note, based on the incense power that had continuously floated to him over the past half-month, Gu Ning’an could now confirm that its source was indeed within Great Wu.

At first, he had assumed it was simply people he knew offering incense and prayers for him.

But given the sheer speed and volume at which the incense power was accumulating, there was only one plausible explanation—someone had built a temple for him.

Who in their right mind would build him a temple in Great Wu?

Could it have been Jiang Wanzhou?

But that one-armed swordsman hardly seemed like the kind of person to do something like that…

At the Great Wu border, the weathered, ancient city walls stretched like a colossal dragon winding across the landscape.

From a distance, the walls seemed endless, vanishing into the horizon.

A seemingly endless line of carriages and horses queued up, while the gate guards stood solemnly, meticulously inspecting each vehicle before granting passage.

After waiting in line for over an hour, Gu Ning’an’s group finally reached the city gates for inspection.

Cao Cheng had already prepared several broken silver pieces in his hand.

As soon as a guard approached, he discreetly slipped both the travel documents and the silver into the guard’s hand, smiling. “Warden Yao, haven’t seen you in a few days—you’re looking well!”

“Looking well, my ass! I’m busy as hell!”

Without hesitation, Warden Yao pocketed the silver, glanced at the documents, then took a quick look at the four escort carts before waving them through. “Everything checks out. Pass!”

“Much appreciated, Warden!” Cao Cheng clasped his fists in thanks before mounting his horse and calling back to the escort carts, “Keep moving!”

At that moment, Gu Ning’an gained a basic understanding of Great Wu’s social customs.

The imperial court had clearly issued strict border controls, yet enforcement was selective.

For someone like Cao Cheng, who both knew the right people and handed out bribes, the inspection was just a formality.

But for those without connections or money? The three merchants ahead of them had been a perfect example.

The three traders had only a single cart with a modest amount of goods.

The three merchants, despite having proper documents, were surrounded by a group of city guards, who nearly stripped them down to their undergarments for inspection.

In the end, after a thorough ordeal, the three merchants were finally allowed in, though they looked utterly miserable.

“Hey!”

“The escort wagons up ahead!”

“Stop!”

Just as the last two escort wagons were about to enter the city gates, a loud voice rang out from outside!

Cao Cheng’s brows furrowed. He pulled the reins to halt the carriages and turned to look.

The speaker was a man dressed in a commandant’s uniform, appearing to be in his forties. He held a short whip in his hand, and his triangular eyes scanned the four escort wagons before finally settling on Gu Ning’an.

Lifting the hand holding the whip, he said in a deep voice, “Hand over your documents.”

Cao Cheng glanced at the guard who had just let them in, only to find that the man avoided his gaze entirely, even taking a few steps back.

Damn it, squeezing every last coin out of us… He cursed inwardly, but his face remained composed, stretching into a practiced smile.

He swiftly dismounted and, just as before, discreetly slipped a slightly heavier pouch of silver along with the documents into the commandant’s hand.

The commandant smoothly pocketed the money, squinted at the documents, then suddenly smirked as he pointed at Gu Ning’an, who was sitting on the carriage.

“A scholar? What are you doing in Tiger Head Escort Bureau?”

“Don’t tell me you’re an escort. With that frail body of yours, I bet a single bandit could pin you down with one hand!”

Seeing that this commandant was still making trouble even after taking the bribe, Cao Cheng was about to say something when Gu Ning’an calmly interjected.

“I can be an escort,” he said. “Just not for dealing with people.”

“Oh?” The commandant raised an eyebrow. “If not for people, then what? Don’t tell me you handle ghosts?”

Gu Ning’an replied indifferently, “I do.”

The commandant had planned to milk them for more silver, but he hadn’t expected the scholar to actually engage with him.

Spitting to the side, the commandant cracked his whip in the air with a loud snap.

“Scholar, don’t try to fool me!”

“I hate liars more than anything!”

Hearing the commotion, the people who had been blocked behind them and couldn’t enter the city stopped being impatient. Instead, they stretched their necks to watch the spectacle.

Gu Ning’an pointed a finger and chuckled. “Commandant, there’s a female ghost clinging to the back of your neck.”

“Oh?” The commandant sneered. “Then tell me, is she good-looking or not?”

Gu Ning’an answered coolly, “Why don’t you turn around and see for yourself?”

“Trying to spook me with tricks?”

“You think a little gimmick like that can fool me?”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve seen my fair share of gh—”

As he spoke, the commandant instinctively glanced over his shoulder—

And his words choked in his throat, stretching into a drawn-out stutter, “Gh…gh…gh…”

His peripheral vision caught sight of a long, crimson tongue hanging three inches out of a pale, cracked face.

Instantly, his complexion turned ashen, his body trembling like a sieve. He tried to turn and flee, but found his legs rooted to the spot as if filled with lead!

Gu Ning’an smirked. “Commandant, does she suit your taste?”

Damn it! I should’ve checked the almanac before leaving home!

Did I just kick an iron plate, or is there really a ghost clinging to me?!

Swallowing hard, the commandant forced out a smile more pitiful than a cry. “Sir, please… help me! I won’t dare anymore!”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “You’re blocking the way. Why don’t we discuss this after we enter the city?”

“Yes, yes, of course!” The commandant nodded frantically, stammering, “Sir, about the one behind me…”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine—for now.”