"Is there a big job?"
Li Yan heard this and imdiately beca interested.
He quickly dressed and pushed the door open.
Outside, the snow had just cleared, leaving the courtyard decked in silver and white.
Sha Lifei was also reeking of alcohol, his eyes bloodshot, as he crunched through the snow, heading towards Wang Daoxuan’s room.
Seeing Li Yan co out, Sha Lifei’s face imdiately revealed a aningful smile, "Brother Yan, was the view at the Huawei Building good last night?"
"Not bad, worth a visit."
Li Yan raised an eyebrow and nodded with a smile.
Sha Lifei had been thinking about it for a long ti and regretted it deeply, cursing, "It’s all the fault of those damn brokers, drinking like their lives depend on it; otherwise, I would have gone last night too."
"By the way, how much did you spend?"
Li Yan unconsciously touched his empty pocket.
"All gone."
"What?!" Sha Lifei was struck as if by lightning, "You... you took a thousand silver with you, and it’s all gone?"
Li Yan sighed, "Money just slips away in spending, doesn’t it?"
Shen Sanyou, although reliable when it cos to spending money and certainly widened his horizons last night, can be quite extravagant when not acting properly.
This guy simply does not treat money like money.
No matter whether it’s his own or soone else’s, he won’t leave until he’s spent every last penny.
"Let it be, let it be..."
Sha Lifei touched his chest, consoling himself, "After all, it’s the Huawei Building, returned a favor, and it also made you, Brother Yan, into a man."
Saying this, his interest was piqued, "Which girl did you fall for? I’ve heard that the Huawei Building is like a contest of a hundred flowers, with thin horses from Yangzhou, ladies from Mizi, and even Hu Ji from the Western Regions..."
Li Yan shook his head, "No, just drank and listened to music, did nothing else."
"What?!"
"You spent a thousand silver and didn’t even get on a girl’s bed!"
Sha Lifei exploded in fury, shivering with anger, "You must have been made a fool, you... how can you live up to your dad, he could walk sideways in a brothel without spending a penny!"
Li Yan chuckled dryly, "Let’s not talk about this, Uncle Sha, why are you so happy, exactly what big job did you get?"
Wang Daoxuan had also stepped out by then, and seeing the situation, he chuckled, "Yes, it’s close to the end of the year, how co there is still a big job?"
No wonder the two were puzzled; after all, this was Chang’an!
Here we have the City God Temple, the largest garrison of warlords in the northwest part of the Divine State. There would regularly be hunts in the mountains, capturing malevolent spirits, and fire ceremonies... ensuring the tranquility of the northwestern part of the Divine State.
Not to ntion, there were nurous Magic Veins and side door cultivators.
Especially before the winter solstice, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect had just carried out a large operation, uniting several Grotto Heavens with local City God Temples, conducting a grand ritual to suppress evil, sweeping clean the entire area north of the Qinling Mountains.
This had beco a habit over the years.
In ancient tis, during the New Year, with the change of Yin Yang throughout the seasons, people would dance to drive away evil spirits, hiding from the Nian beast, but now, such actions are taken right before the winter solstice, making the New Year peaceful.
It’s equivalent to a crackdown before the New Year.
So, during the New Year, the Mystical Sect gets very leisurely.
"Rember the Hall Master Bai from the brokers?"
Sha Lifei smiled, "It’s also a stroke of luck. I got so news from him; if things work out, we could have a prosperous year..."
...
To the southwest of Chang’an, the Wei River Plain was vast.
After a heavy snowfall, the entire plain was covered with a blanket of white, with the sky vast and the land profound, as far as the eye could see.
On the official road, a group of riders galloped, spraying snow in all directions.
"Gentlen, Guodu Town is up ahead."
The guide was a disciple of the brokers, eloquent and knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of Chang’an City, with a big smile, he said, "Gentlen, this Guodu Town is no ordinary place. During the Spring and Autumn period, it was the site of Ancient Bo State, where King Wen, King Wu, and King Mu of Ancient Zhou were buried."
"Later, the Guo and Du families moved here, forming Guo Village to the south and Du Fort to the north, collectively known as Guodu Town."
"By the way, Xiangji Temple is also here. During the Tang Dynasty, Wang Moji once wrote, ’Unaware of Xiangji Temple, one enters the cloud peaks several miles away...’"
"Enough already!"
Sha Lifei cut him off, impatient, "We never lack for historical figures and stories in Guanzhong. What’s the point in talking about all this? Have you found out how much Landlord Du can offer?"
"Well..."
The young man was silenced, but he dared not offend the group, and with a forced smile, he replied, "Landlord Du is imnsely wealthy, he owns a vast amount of land in Guanzhong, and he has even ventured out to sea with the Li family, reaping a huge profit."
"He’s not short of money at all; he’s as anxious as a headless fly right now. If soone is found, it’s up to you gentlen to na your price."
"Then let’s hurry up, lest we be beaten to the punch by the competition."
Upon hearing this, Sha Lifei beca anxious, shaking his reins to speed up his horse.
Soon, a decently sized town appeared before them, with clear and accessible roads in all directions, surrounded by rolling hills and a tributary of the Wei River running through it, making for an extrely advantageous geographical location.
The town itself had many guesthouses and carriage shops for traveling rchants to rest their feet, benefiting the locals considerably, making it one of the most prosperous towns near Chang’an.
Now in winter, as heavy snow sealed the roads, there were hardly any travelers on the official road.
As the group entered the town, they did not seek out an inn to stay in, but under the guidance of the broker’s disciple, they headed straight to the north side of the town.
Leaving the town, they saw amidst the fertile fields, a splendidly large mansion stood alone, several tis larger than Landlord Lu’s of Ancient Water Village, featuring high walls and a grand courtyard—quite imposing indeed.
"Hiss—!"
Wang Daoxuan looked at the distant hills and river, glanced around, and with a hand gesture, inhaled sharply, "This mansion has been arranged by a master."
Sha Lifei asked, "Dao Xuan, what do you an?"
Wang Daoxuan looked around, "Generally speaking, a solitary mansion in the wilderness isn’t good, lacking the nourishnt of town life, but being situated here, it ingeniously leverages the topography of the mountains and rivers, forming a Dissolution layout."
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