madnovel Chapter 22 Searching for a Place in Sunset City
Chapter 22 Searching for a Place in Sunset City
At 3:45 AM, the sun sets over the south gate of the city.
The guards in black uniforms were changing shifts, and the new one kept yawning, as if he hadn't woken up yet.
People were already lined up for half a street to enter the city.
Most of them were peddlers carrying loads on shoulder poles and traveling merchants driving carts, while a few men with swords deliberately showed the scabbard ends outside their clothes.
That's the rule for escorting goods; showing your equipment saves trouble.
Chen Yu sneaked in through a side path and secretly slipped ten taels of silver to the guard.
The guard looked up at him, his gaze lingering for a moment on his identification document before quickly looking down again.
With his genuine new identity, Chen Yu successfully passed the city gate check and entered Sunset City.
Upon entering the city, one first passes through the city gate corridor, and then there is a 50-zhang-long avenue, with mule and horse markets and porter territories on both sides.
The air was filled with the smells of horse manure, sweat, and freshly baked flatbread.
A dozen or so shirtless men squatted against the wall, with a carrying pole and rope in front of them. They surrounded any unfamiliar faces they saw and asked if there was any work available.
At the end of the avenue stands a stone archway inscribed with the four characters "The world is not far away, the setting sun is still warm." The paint has long since peeled off, but the characters are still deeply engraved.
It is said that this was carved by a passing swordsman thirty years ago. That man later became the swordsmanship instructor of the city lord, and later died by the sword of one of his students.
Chen Yu looked up and glanced at the scene, but did not stop.
After passing the archway, the road suddenly widened, and ahead was a square.
The square is sloping, higher in the east and lower in the west, like a pot that has been split open.
To the east are the white stone steps leading to the inner city, and to the west is the muddy alleyway of rats.
Rainwater flows from east to west, carrying fallen leaves from the inner city and cosmetics from Ruyi Street, finally rushing into the ditches of Rat Alley, mixing into a filthy river.
This terrain is not natural.
Thirty years ago, this was a lake.
The city defenders filled in the lake and built a platform, saying it was to "gather the spirit of heroes from all over the world."
But the elders say that strange iron armor and broken swords were unearthed when the lake was filled in.
There is also a seated one-eyed stone statue, clutching half of a tiger tally in its hand.
The eerie stone statue is still there.
The foundation of the square always has a bloody smell; in summer it rises up and smells fishy, in winter it freezes and smells sweet.
At this moment, the square was crowded with people who had come to watch.
A portrait of the "Lotus Mother of the Blood Abyss" hangs high on the central earthen platform.
She was an old woman with a kind face, her hands loosely clasped as if holding a baby, but her gaze seemed to pierce through the paper, reaching the deepest desires and fears in everyone's heart.
The preaching "light-guiding master" was a middle-aged woman with a white headscarf and a red sash around her waist.
She spoke slowly in dialect: "You are all the lost children of the Blood Abyss Lotus Mother, wandering and suffering in this mortal world..."
Before he finished speaking, some people in the audience were already sobbing.
A weathered boatman suddenly collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly, remembering his son who had drowned three years earlier during a canal transport mission.
The widow with bound feet next to her clenched her prayer beads tightly and muttered incantations.
The monk took out a rough earthenware bowl from his robes, poured in water, and sprinkled in a few grains of white rice.
All eyes turned to them.
"Look at these grains of rice, floating and sinking uncertainly, just like how we suffer in this world. When the Blood God descends and the Blood Lotus blooms, it will be time to return home."
After saying this, she dipped her finger in water and gently touched the foreheads of each believer.
The icy touch sent a shiver down everyone's spine, as if some divine power was pouring into their skulls.
Then, she led everyone in chanting scriptures.
"The God of Blood descends, and the Crimson Sun will rise."
"The Dharma boat delivers all beings; those with the affinity are fortunate enough to board it."
"Recite the mantra three times, and you will be free from all diseases."
"Men cultivate and women uphold, each finding their proper place."
"Share clothes and money."
"The world is a community, and equality should prevail everywhere."
The chanting lingered endlessly, captivating and enchanting, drawing listeners in irresistibly.
Chen Yu didn't dare linger and quickly left.
Heading north from the square, the terrain suddenly flattens out, revealing a flat area paved with blue bricks, roughly thirty zhang in size.
There was a high wall in between, its gray-brown surface covered with layers of notices of various colors, new paper pressing on top of old paper, and layers of paste crusting over.
Chen Yu looked up.
The most eye-catching thing was a wanted poster stamped with a large vermilion seal, the edges of the yellow hemp paper already curled up by the wind.
Fishing warrant:
The wanted criminal "Blood Blade Yama" Wei Rongfang, male, about forty years old, with a scar on his left arm, is skilled in bone shrinking and disguise. In the thirty-third year of Yongchang, he robbed and killed the salt transport commissioner of 30,000 taels of silver and killed 47 constables.
Anyone who captures the fugitive will be rewarded with 12,000 taels of silver, and anyone who provides accurate information will be rewarded with 3,000 taels of silver.
Appendix: The suspect is left-handed, likes to wear a blue cloth robe, enjoys eating mutton stew, and was last seen in the Changhe County area.
——Sunset City Guard
Wow, so Wei Rongfang's head is worth that much.
Chen Yu was dumbfounded. If he had known this would happen, he would have taken the risk and captured him.
However, I'm not sure I can beat him.
Now that we're in the same boat, I definitely can't go and tip him off anymore.
Further down, there's a job posting.
Chen Yu's goal is to find a job.
After all, I had just lost my job, and I couldn't just wander around aimlessly forever.
The Mingwei Escort Agency in the west of the city is seeking a skilled blacksmith to repair knives and guns and forge horseshoes.
Requirements: Able to read diagrams and perform steel clamping.
The monthly allowance is two taels and five mace, which includes food and lodging, and there are bonuses during festivals.
Those interested should bring their artwork to No. 3, Luomashi Street.
—Written by Zhu Yuanjing, the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort)
This treatment is pretty good, it's a pity I don't know how to forge iron.
Chen Yu shook his head and continued reading.
The Fan family in the eastern part of the city has a newborn son and is seeking a healthy, well-proportioned, and gentle wet nurse.
Requirements: Age 25 to 35, first birth within six months, three-year contract required.
The monthly allowance is 1.8 taels, and the host provides one set of clothes for each of the four seasons, showing the host's generosity.
Avoid: Those born in the years of the Monkey and the Tiger.
This job is for wet nurses; I'm a man, so it's completely unsuitable for me.
Chen Yu shook his head again.
Then look down.
Below are also cases of people selling themselves into servitude to bury their fathers and anonymously reporting others.
With a gossip-loving mindset, Chen Yu read it as well.
Since coming into this world, I've lacked entertainment, so I'll just watch the news for fun.
Selling oneself to bury one's father:
A very thin sheet of white paper, with delicate but messy handwriting, clearly written in a hurry.
My daughter, surnamed Pan, is seventeen years old. She is from Changfeng Prefecture. She came here with her father after fleeing famine. Her father died of illness, and they had no money for his burial.
She was willing to sell herself into servitude, asking only for a simple coffin to bury her father in the mass grave south of the city.
The contract is for three years, with no wages required, only meals provided.
Below are several annotations in vermilion ink, which seem to be the marks of a matchmaker. The latest one reads, "Wang Po has inspected it, and the price is negotiable."
Another anonymous tip was a headless notice, and the ink looked very fresh.
To all fellow villagers: Yuan Tianlu, the treasury clerk of Changhe County, frequents the "Drunken Spring Pavilion" every night. Where does the money come from?
His brother-in-law forcibly seized three hectares of farmland in the countryside. Does the county magistrate know about this?
Someone nearby wrote with a brush: "Spreading rumors and causing trouble, has been reported to the authorities."
The handwriting is neat and tidy, suggesting it was written by a clerk.
Chen Yu looked around for a long time but couldn't find a place that suited him, and was quite disappointed.
Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly felt someone tugging at my clothes from behind.
"Young master, I've noticed you've been lingering here for quite some time. Perhaps you haven't found a place you like yet?"
Chen Yu looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old.
The girl was dressed in a plain white dress, with a slender figure, delicate features, and her hair was styled in a simple bun.
"Would you like to come to our Sword Forging Manor?"
"No matter your background or qualifications, the gates of Sword Forging Manor will be open to you!"