Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Fatal Slope and Self-Sacrifice Cliff face each other across the distance, located in the middle of the main road leading into the interior of Yuzhou.

Unlike the Cliff of Self-Sacrifice, it is a steep rocky slope with bottomless abysses on both sides.

It stretches for over ten miles, and is about three or four zhang wide, with the narrowest point being less than two zhang. It is winding, twisting, and extremely dangerous.

Both sides are sheer cliffs with no obstruction. Walking on them, you could fall off the cliff at any moment. From a distance, it looks like a ribbon floating in the clouds.

Ten miles from the Desperate Slope lies a small town called Dongying Town.

Because if you walk another two or three miles outside this small town, you will reach the westernmost part of Yingzhou, which is the closest place to the western corner island. It is the only way for merchants from the corner island to enter Yingzhou.

Most people traveling between the two continents choose to stay overnight in a small town to rest and regroup before setting off again.

For no other reason than that once you leave the town, there is a mountain road that stretches for hundreds of miles without a single person in sight.

If you don't leave the town early, you won't be able to reach the next market town for lodging before dark.

The town welcomed a new day as usual.

As soon as it was light, the travelers in the various inns got up one after another, quickly ate breakfast, packed their bags, and prepared to set off.

Most of them were merchants traveling between the two continents, including individual travelers and caravans.

Because they were all regular customers, the shopkeeper treated them with exceptional courtesy and provided attentive service. The fodder, water, and dry food for the livestock were prepared for them overnight, and hot meals were served to them early in the morning.

This makes these businesspeople feel at home.

Of course, guesthouses also benefited greatly from this. Although the cost was slightly higher than that of guesthouses in mainland China, people were still willing to spend money.

The first to set off were the individual travelers. They would usually rest for a while in a covered pavilion about half a mile outside the town, so that they could wait for other individual travelers to travel together and look out for each other on the road.

This is a habit formed over many years, so at this moment, absolutely no one passes by the Death Slope, which is ten miles away.

Although Mo Yuming's hot air balloon was quite large yesterday, it didn't look that big from several miles away. Moreover, there were trees, mountains, and boulders blocking the way, as well as the thick mountain mist in the morning, so the chances of it being seen were extremely slim.

Even though Mo Wen's loud shout was heard by others, very few people would bother to investigate.

Surrounded by rolling hills and towering peaks, the sound echoed multiple times through the valley, making it difficult for anyone without a high level of profound cultivation to discern its origin.

Even if a highly skilled person heard the sound, they could still roughly discern the level of cultivation of the person who made the sound.

How many experts like Mo Wen, at the second level of the Heavenly Rank, travel across the continent? And how many of them happen to pass through here?

Therefore, although Mo Wen's shout was somewhat reckless, it did not affect everyone's departure from the valley.

Furthermore, the people traveling on this road are either merchants or江湖人士 (jianghu figures), who have seen all sorts of strange and unusual things. That loud shout will not arouse their curiosity at all, but will only make them hide further away.

Just as the merchants gathered to wait for their lagging companions, two strangely dressed people, an old man and a young boy, entered the pavilion.

Both were covered in animal skins. The older one had white hair and a hunched back, leaning on a gnarled cane. The younger one was twelve or thirteen years old. Although his hair was messy and his skin was dark, he was still quite handsome, especially his big, bright eyes with long eyelashes, which were even more charming than a little girl's eyes.

The old man and the young man did not come from the small town, but came from the mountain road on the other side.

Therefore, the moment the two appeared, they immediately attracted everyone's attention, not because of their strange clothes, but because of the direction they came from.

As soon as the two entered the pavilion, a kind person asked them:

"May I ask, sir, did you travel all the way from Yuzhou overnight?"

"What? I didn't hear you. Can you speak louder?"

The old man turned his head slightly and spoke loudly to the person who was speaking.

"Grandpa, he's asking if we came from Yuzhou!"

"Oh, Yingzhou? Is this Yingzhou? Don't lie to me! We haven't even left Yuzhou yet. Don't think this old man is easy to fool!"

"This old man is incredibly hard of hearing. You should ask the child instead!"

A middle-aged man standing nearby said to the person who asked the question.

"Who said I'm hard of hearing? When have I ever been hard of hearing?"

The old man, his face contorted with rage, shouted at the crowd.

"How come this old man can hear clearly again?"

"Was he faking it on purpose?"

"That's how it is when people get old; their hearing is sometimes good and sometimes bad, but when the wind is blowing in their direction, they can hear very clearly..."

The group whispered among themselves, afraid that if they spoke too loudly, the strange old man would hear them again.

"Little friend, are you and your grandfather going to Yingzhou?"

Someone bent down and asked the little boy in a low voice.

“We’re not going to Yingzhou; we’re going to the big cities in Yuzhou.”

"Yuzhou? Didn't you come from over there? Yingzhou is just across from here!"

A short, stout man standing nearby exclaimed in surprise.

"I know, we just want to go to the town ahead to exchange magic crystals for some money, buy some items, and then head to Yuzhou! You don't even understand that? Honestly!"

The boy rolled his eyes at the man and said irritably.

"So you didn't come from the interior of Yuzhou? I've been traveling this road for over ten years, and I don't recall ever seeing anyone living within this area of ​​about a hundred miles?"

Another tall, thin man said.

"Why is no one living here? My home is over there on Deadly Slope, haven't you seen it?"

The boy put his hands on his hips and asked in return.

"Impossible! That stretch of Jue Ming Slope is flanked by cliffs on both sides. To the left is the forbidden Valley of Heartbreak, and to the right is another sheer cliff thousands of feet high. Below is a raging river. How could anyone possibly live there? Kid, don't talk nonsense!" the man said incredulously.

"Who's talking nonsense? Believe it or not, it's up to you. Anyway, I'm right here!"

The child looked disdainful, showing no remorse for lying.

"Dongying Town is not far ahead. Since you are in a hurry to go to town to sell magic crystals, why are you staying in this pavilion? If you linger here any longer, it will be too late to go to Yuzhou later!"

Someone kindly reminded me.

"That's our business, it's none of your concern! Humph!"

The little boy answered arrogantly, showing no gratitude whatsoever.

Everyone's curiosity and good intentions were shattered by this old man and young man pretending to be crazy.

Some even looked at the grandfather and grandson, who were dressed worse than country bumpkins, with disdain! They regarded the two as uncivilized, uncultured mountain savages.

Many people chose to leave and stop paying attention to them.

The old man and the young man didn't seem to mind, and they sat down casually in the middle of the pavilion.

The old man placed his cane horizontally on the stone bench, took off the tattered leather bag from his back and placed it on top, then dozed off.

The old man and the young man thus occupied a stone bench that could seat at least five or six people.

The pavilion wasn't very big to begin with, and as more and more people started resting there, their behavior left many newcomers with nowhere to sit. As a result, many people had expressions of anger on their faces, but they held back their rage.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been sitting silently on the edge of the pavilion stood up.

The man was in his fifties, dressed in brocade, slightly overweight, and his small, shifty eyes were fixed on the boy. Anyone with eyes could tell that this fellow was definitely a cunning merchant.

"You're too kind, sir. You mentioned earlier that you have some magic crystals you'd like to sell?"

"Yup!"

The child glanced at him and said.

"Could you show it to me? Hehe, I happen to need to acquire a batch of magic crystals recently."

The middle-aged man said with a smile.

"sure, no problem!"

The child readily pulled out a handful of magic crystals from his person and casually handed them all to the man.

Everyone around was dumbfounded. Giving so many magic crystals to a stranger so casually was far too careless!

Even the lowest-grade magic crystals are rare and valuable items; how can you just give them away like that?

The man's hand trembled slightly the moment he received the magic crystal.

He thought two or three would be enough at most, but he didn't expect there to be so many.

However, he quickly calmed down and said to the boy seriously:

“I’ll take all your magic crystals, but I don’t have that much money on me. How about we trade in town? I guarantee you a very good price. I, Jia Shan, have always been honest and fair in business, with clear and transparent pricing, and I never cheat anyone, young or old!”

As he spoke, he tried to put the magic crystal into his pocket.

"Tell me how much these magic crystals are worth first, and we'll agree on a price so we won't have to haggle anymore when we get to town!"

The child, quick-witted and agile, grabbed his hand and said...

Jia Shan originally thought that since there were many people here, he couldn't ask for too low a price, for fear of making people jealous. So he wanted to find a less crowded place, casually quote a price, and rip them off.

But unexpectedly, this kid was very clever and insisted on making the deal here.

Jia Shan was at a loss, but then he thought, since the magic crystal is in my hands anyway, when it comes time to pay, I can just find some excuse to deduct some money.

So he pretended to examine the magic crystal very seriously.

"The quality of your magic crystals isn't very good, and their levels are relatively low. Here's what we'll do: this level 5 magic crystal will cost you 100 gold coins, level 4 crystals will cost 50 gold coins each, and level 3 crystals will cost 20 gold coins each."

How about 10 gold coins each for level 2 and level 1? That's a total of one level 5, three level 4, six level 3, and four level 2 and four level 1, worth a total of 650 gold coins. Is that a reasonable price?

Jia Shan offered the lowest price on the black market. Moreover, the price of level one items was originally the same as, or even higher than, level three items. That's why Jia Shan dared to offer such a price in front of so many people.

It was because he had planned it out in advance. He was very familiar with these individual customers, and they had been in the same business for many years. He knew their backgrounds well; they were all small business owners and didn't have enough money to buy these magic crystals.

Moreover, this price is above the bottom line that people can afford, so they won't be blinded by exorbitant profits and tear each other apart in competition.

So Jia Shan brazenly quoted this price. Moreover, because the two men's previous despicable behavior was so repulsive, everyone felt a sense of schadenfreude and no one reacted to Jia Shan's cunning; they all watched him cheat with indifference.

"Six hundred and fifty gold coins? Grandpa, should we sell it for that price?"

"What? Sell them? Of course we'll sell them! These magic crystals are meant to be sold, so you can get a wife!" The old man was shaken awake by the boy and said in a daze, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Fearing further complications, Jia Shan hurriedly urged the two to head towards the town.

By this time, most of the people who had traveled together had arrived, so they walked towards the direction of the Deadly Slope while whispering among themselves.

Jia Shan led the two to a secluded little inn, where they sat down in an inconspicuous corner. He then ordered some food and drinks for them to eat.

After glancing around and making sure no one was paying attention, he took out a money bag from his person and handed it to the boy, saying:

"Here are one hundred gold coins. You can eat here for now. This restaurant is owned by my brother-in-law. I'll go upstairs to get the money and come back right away to give you the rest. These dishes and drinks are on me. Eat as much as you like, and order more if you need more."

"Go ahead, but hurry, we're in a rush!"

The boy took the money bag and casually poured out all the gold coins inside, scattering them all over the table. Then, without looking up, he started counting the money.

The old man saw that there was wine to drink, so he picked up the wine jug and started drinking, not caring about the gold coins or magic crystals.

Jia Shan smiled slyly and then walked upstairs in the restaurant without looking back.

……

It was nearly noon when Jia Shan, riding a fast horse he had bought at a high price, sped along the Huilong Road to Yingzhou towards the Sheshan Cliff.

He needed to catch up with the caravan ahead around noon so he wouldn't be left behind.

The same applies to Yingzhou; after leaving Xiyu Town, one must travel over a hundred miles of mountain road to reach the next town.

Huilong Road is the only road in and out of Yingzhou in the east, and it is a necessary passage for travelers.

The Cliff of Self-Sacrifice is located in the middle of the Returning Dragon Road. It is a cliff protruding from the mountainside of a solitary peak. The Returning Dragon Road extends into Yingzhou only after bypassing this cliff.

This section of the road is also the most dangerous part of the entire Huilong Road.

The inner side is a steep, insurmountable mountain wall, while the outer side is a bottomless cliff. Moreover, this place is located in a windy area, with strong winds blowing constantly throughout the day. If you are not careful, you could be blown off the cliff.

Because of the previous delay, it was already late morning when Jia Shan sneaked out of the restaurant through the back door.

After hiding in a secluded spot for a quarter of an hour, he quietly left the town from another direction and headed towards Yingzhou.

I definitely won't go to Yuzhou. If the old man and the young man find out they've been scammed and come after me, I won't have anywhere to hide.

Besides, those who went to Yuzhou have already gone far away, and it would be difficult to catch up with them.

So he quickly passed through the Dongying Bridge pass, bought a fast horse at a high price in Xiyu Town, and headed towards Yingzhou.

As soon as he returns to Yingzhou, he can sell these magic crystals for more than three or four thousand gold coins.

In fact, those magic crystals were all high-quality magic crystals, especially the four level-one magic crystals, which were of very good quality.

Years of experience have enabled him to distinguish the quality of magic crystals at a glance.

Previously, because no one else was nearby, and because he deliberately concealed himself, making it difficult for others to see clearly, and because he used a poor-quality smokescreen, those who were interested in buying it lost interest.

It's important to know that the price difference between a good magic crystal and a bad magic crystal can be at least half.

As they approached the cliff of self-sacrifice, the wind was strong and riding a horse was not safe, so Jia Shan had no choice but to dismount and lead the horse on foot.

However, he was not worried. Once he passed the Cliff of Self-Sacrifice, he would soon be able to catch up with the caravan ahead.

This is how people who fell behind in the past got through it; everyone has gotten used to it.

If they still can't catch up with the group by the afternoon, they will turn back and continue the next day.

Unlike heading to Yuzhou, once you pass the She Shen Cliff, you've completed half of the return journey to Yingzhou.

If you cross the cliff at noon, you can expect to reach the town ahead by dusk.

It was only just past noon, and Jia Shan, standing on the cliff of self-sacrifice, could almost hear the neighing of the horses of the caravan ahead.