For heaven's sake, still daring to be stubborn? Fat Tang, in a moment of boldness, said, "Do you believe me...?" Originally intending to say "I'll kill him," he faltered halfway through, unable to deliver the full force of his words. Even here, within the interior provinces, he dared not kill—because he still had to return to the frontier. There, there was a legal system and moral code; he didn't want to return and suffer nightmares. So, the tone of his second half shifted: "Then, Brother Dong, what should we do with this man?" After all, he couldn't carry him around like Zhuan Shanhe—after all, this was a real person. Leaving him behind felt unsatisfying, while killing him felt too heavy a burden. The people here call it a "market town," and there's good reason for that—only a well-established market qualifies as a city. In the morning, he had spoken with the doctor. Though the small Yangzhou has been nearly half-abandoned lately, with many stalls in the market now empty, the market has far from collapsed. As long as one can afford the prices, one can still find plenty of goods, and it has always been the hub for the latest, most cutting-edge news. Changdong mainly wanted to buy gasoline—no matter how impressive the iron-bodied vehicles might be, without fuel, they were just empty showpieces. At the door, she felt puzzled and briefly doubted she had come to the wrong place: the building was indeed quite large, yet it had only one small entrance. As the old saying goes, "a large house with a small door—like a neck-crushing punishment," meaning that doing business would be difficult, as if choked off from prosperity. It was rare to find such a lack of attention to feng shui. A flowered cloth curtain hung on the door, and a person sat at the entrance, resembling a gatekeeper or ticket seller. The person looked up at the two of them, then down at their shadows: "Walk a bit forward, then turn right—there, go in." When the curtain was drawn aside, a narrow corridor revealed itself, with copper mirrors lining all four walls—so that the figures appeared blurry, their faces slightly yellowed, as though children suffering from jaundice. Ye Liuxi instinctively sensed these were mirrors meant to reveal illusions, and paused to examine them closely. Fortunately, the faces remained the same both inside and outside the mirrors; even when she shifted her posture, no tail emerged behind her. At the end of the corridor, when the door was pushed open, a spacious view unfolded before them. It truly is an indoor marketplace, with at least four entrances. Each entrance leads into a long street lined with dense rows of stalls. Larger stalls have tents erected on-site to create divisions. While not crowded to the point of overflowing, it's clearly bustling—several notches more lively than outside. Ye Liuxi is clearly enthusiastic. Originally trailing behind Changdong, he's now well ahead, constantly urging him, "Come on!" Changdong smiles—women truly love shopping. He walks and observes. There are stalls selling books, with maps hung from ropes suspended overhead; others selling tableware—bowls, plates, cups and saucers—crafted somewhat roughly but certainly durable; and clothing stalls, whose styles are indeed no different from those outside. Chang Dong felt that the interior of the country was not lacking in resources—only that the resources were poor and the technology behind them was outdated. Yet this did not necessarily mean people would live in constant frustration. People have always been miracles, creating from nothing, and then refining what they had into something better. Indeed, some ancient techniques are now difficult to replicate even by modern hands—such as Zhuge Liang’s wooden oxen and flowing horses, or the exceptionally strong blades and swords that could cut steel like it were mere cloth. "Ye Liu Xi pointed to the knife: 'This one?' 'Oh, we don't sell this one—it's quite expensive, but truly excellent,' said the man. He took down the knife and drew out a piece of wood for testing, then with little effort split it in half. 'See.' She saw it—the blade went deep into the wood, yet made not a single sound. The knife passed through the block so smoothly, it seemed as though it had shaved off a block of tofu. Indeed, this seller was quite shrewd—though he said he wouldn't sell, every gesture and movement was designed to entice her. Ye Liu Xi, therefore, didn't leave. She kept asking about the price, and Chang Dong listened beside her, finding it quite amusing. She said: 'What if I offer you ten bags of rice? A steel-wheeled cart? A box of cold medicine? A movie projector?' She mentioned these at random—she didn't even have them. The man only shook his head, maintaining a proud demeanor, perhaps assuming she couldn't afford it. Chang Dong grew slightly annoyed and reached out to pull her: 'Liu Xi, let's go.' Ye Liu Xi His eyes were fixed firmly on Chang Dong's wrist. Chang Dong looked down and realized it was his watch that had revealed itself. This was an explorer's military watch, bought abroad originally for over twenty thousand yuan. Though it had likely depreciated over the past two years, it had remained unscathed, with excellent condition—any time you looked at it, it always appeared as a solid, premium piece. This person had sharp eyes indeed. The other man chuckled: "This watch of yours—how about we negotiate on the price?" Chang Dong replied: "You're wearing it?" Sometimes, when something is sold, it's as if one is selecting a new owner for a pet—both price and buyer matter. Not everyone will be willing to accept a buyer just because they come along. "No, no, no—I wear it for what? Of course, I'll sell it on." Ye Liuxi quickly pulled Chang Dong along: "Come on, come on—I'm just asking. I'm not short of knives. Let's go and check out other options—we need to find some gasoline." She hurried along, focused and intently looking around: "Where can I buy gasoline?... Changdong, I think gasoline is quite precious and not many people use it, so they probably won't display it casually. We should find some connections." Changdong interrupted her: "Really not?" "I'm just browsing. Besides, I already have a knife and I'm comfortable using it." "Your knife has already been nicked several times." "Of course, it's been sharpened—each time it's sharpened, it feels more connected to me. After all, I've cut over a thousand watermelons now. It has feelings now, yes, it has feelings." When one can't find any real advantages in something, they often resort to saying it "has feelings" to make it seem more appealing. "Really not?" Yefu Xi lifted her face: "Truly." Changdong said: "The way you're looking, I think you're about to hang yourself." He turned and walked toward the stall. Yefu Xi was a bit puzzled, watching Changdong go, and then saw him kneel down in front of the stall, unfastening his watch strap. I don't know what Changdong said, but the man kept nodding. After a while, he took the watch, slipped the knife into its leather case, and then handed Changdong a thick stack of papers. Changdong stepped closer and offered her a sheet of paper first: "Look at the money here—doesn't it seem interesting? I forgot to mention that inside the pass, gold-leaf coins are used, because there are gold mines near Xi'an." Yefei took the paper and examined it. The coins were about the same size as regular 100-yuan banknotes, but different in that a square piece of gold leaf was embedded in the center. It felt thin and soft when touched. She couldn't help asking, "Does he actually give you money back?" "Yes, I negotiated. I told him that a good knife like this could be found elsewhere at markets, but my watch—there isn't a second one of it anywhere in the pass. If he sells it, he'll at least make double profit. So he thought it over and added some money." He then handed her the knife. Yefei didn't take it. She hesitated a moment and said, "I don't want "Although I really wanted it, I suspect it must be quite expensive—bought with money, and she didn't contribute any herself. Chang Dong said, "Are you overthinking? Did I ever say I was giving it to you?" What did that mean? Ye Liuxi looked up at him, "Then why present it to me? So I can hold it?" "Among the five of us, you and Gao Shen are the strongest in combat ability. A reliable tool makes all the difference. Since your blade is excellent, our safety will be greatly enhanced. That's why we've purchased it and are lending it to you." Ye Liuxi said, "So it's really for me to do the work..." She finally accepted it, slowly drawing the hilt from the leather sheath, and couldn't help laughing—it truly suited her well. It wasn't heavy, and the size was perfect. She'd make a scabbard soon and wear it at her waist. She had a slender figure and a graceful build—carrying a blade would be especially dynamic. She was starting to be completely overwhelmed by herself. Chang Dong reminded her, "Please clean it regularly—I'll check on it. You only "Yexiaosxi said, 'I understand now...' After she became financially stable, she would either buy the items from him or ask for more time—when he refused, she'd hold onto the knife firmly, refusing to let go, even rolling on the ground if necessary. She was used to bending and adapting. Changdong looked down at her. She gently bit her lower lip, a subtle upward curve forming at the corner of her mouth—something he recognized as a typical sign of quiet pride and quiet joy. He had seen it more and more recently. I heard Jiang Zhan has a terrible temper. Customer Beta sneered, "You don't understand. How can this be called a defeat? What's so important about Xiao Yangzhou? I'll tell you—this 'diversion and counter-movement,' sending out small detachments here and there, first scrambling Huangtu City, then Redbrick City—these are just pretenses, designed to confuse you. I heard something astonishing—" Jiang Zhan has already entered Blackstone City." The room fell silent in astonishment. Customer Gamma: "Isn't that suicide? What is Xi'an? There are large contingents of Yulin Guards and scholars there!" Customer Beta: "Doesn't he fear that? If he fears it, why would he rebel at all? Each of you take care of yourselves—perhaps after a millennium, we'll see another crisis of the Beasts' Heads." Customer Alpha finally found her chance to object: "You're simply out of touch. Two months ago, my family in Blackstone City just measured the Unmarked Heavenly Sign—back then, the Beasts' Jade Head hadn't even appeared yet."