The road to Jianghu started from the martial arts hall

Chapter 54 Guangling Mansion

The warm breeze of early February dispelled the severe cold of winter, and the ice and snow gradually melted.

Flowers, plants and trees also regained vitality and began to sprout, covering the vast land of Jiangnan with light green spring clothes.

Daxuan occupied the fertile land of the forty-six states in the Central Plains.

Outside the forty-six states of Daxuan, in the East China Sea to the east, there are an unknown number of islands where people can reproduce and thrive.

Hundreds of Western Regions countries are located in the vast desert of the Western Regions in the west.

The Beiyuan in the north is an endless grassland where many nomadic tribes live along the rivers and green grasses.

The Miao area in the south is full of densely packed miasma forests.

Two or three thousand years ago, the eight states in the south of the Yangtze River were also a barren land outside the Central Plains, filled with miasma and deserted.

Due to the war in the north, a large number of people had to leave their homeland and migrate south. After dynasties dug and repaired canals across the Central Plains from north to south, the eight states in the south of the Yangtze River suddenly became the most prosperous land of fish and rice in the world.

The canal goes all the way south through the capital of Shuntian Prefecture in the north, passing through more than 20 states, and then winding its way to the eight states in the south of the Yangtze River, making another circle before finally merging into the East China Sea.

Guangling Prefecture, located in the southwest of Jiangzhou, has jurisdiction over eleven counties including Sanshui County. It has mountains, rivers, and thousands of miles of fertile plains. It is also a node on the canal.

The city is supported by the Nulong River that runs through the north and south, and is directly connected to the moat surrounding the city. It is equipped with white stone fences and can only be entered by crossing the bridge.

This thousand-year-old city is nestled between mountains and rivers, with convenient transportation by land and water. Now it is early spring, and cargo ships sailing down the Nulong River are keeping this ancient city thriving.

In addition to the developed water transport, the Corridor Mountains to the north of the city are also rich in resources.

This is a majestic mountain range that stretches across the land from south to north, stretching across half of Jiangzhou and spanning six prefectures. It has thousands of undulating mountains and many peaks competing for beauty.

Some martial arts sects and a large number of bandits have taken root in Huilang Mountain, and countless herbalists go into the mountain every day.

Menghu Mountain, where the Menghu Hall that had been killed by Fang Xun was located, is a mountain outside Huilang Mountain.

Ships loaded with cargo and carriages loaded with furs and medicinal herbs continuously supplied nutrients to this ancient city.

There was a brilliant sunset glow in the sky, and the setting sun was gradually setting. The west gate of Guangling City was still bustling with traffic.

Looking from a distance, it looks like a wild beast crawling on the ground, swallowing up a large number of people.

Outside the city gate, more than twenty elite soldiers were wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, each of them was a skilled fighter with full energy.

He glanced at the traveling merchants, passers-by, and wanderers entering and leaving the city.

Under the maintenance of soldiers, people, vehicles and horses were arranged into a long line, stretching more than a hundred meters from the city gate to the stone arch bridge. They were all people waiting to enter the city.

As the center of a prefecture, of course it is impossible to let anyone in casually. Everyone entering the city needs to undergo inspection, register, and pay an entry fee.

No matter whether it is a dragon or an insect, if they want to enter the city, they have to queue up and wait to pass through the city gate one by one.

There were quite a few seemingly unruly knights riding horses in the team, but at this moment they dismounted obediently and waited like other ordinary people.

If you want to gallop at the city gate, the powerful crossbows on the city wall will not let you down. You will be shot into pieces without any chance to complain!

But at this moment, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds suddenly sounded from afar, and instantly everyone turned their heads to look in that direction in surprise.

Suddenly, three small black dots appeared on the ground in the distance. With the sound of horse hooves coming closer and closer, everyone saw three riders galloping towards the west gate of Guangling Prefecture.

For a moment, one could hear a pin drop. There were at least a thousand people near the city gate, but at this moment no one made a sound. They all looked in astonishment at the three riders running towards them from a distance.

"Are these three people seeking death?"

The next moment, a man in a silk shirt in the team shouted in surprise, breaking the silence outside the city gate.

The faces of the twenty or so brave soldiers in front of the city gate also became serious, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Just as the captain was about to say something, a voice suddenly came from the top of the city wall.

"It's Lord Wei!"

The captain of the city gate was stunned when he heard this, and immediately took his men to push the crowd blocking the city gate to both sides to make way.

Although they complained in their hearts, no one protested. They all retreated and gave way obediently. After all, it was difficult to argue with this group of soldiers even if they were right.

Those soldiers and crossbows on the city walls are not just for show. It is best not to cause trouble if possible.

As the three horses in the distance got closer, they began to slow down, and the three horses stepped onto the stone arch bridge at a trot.

After the three riders slowed down, the man in the silk shirt who had spoken earlier could see clearly that the people coming were an old man and two young men. The old man looked to be about 40 or 50 years old, wearing a brown round-collared robe, and the gray hair on his temples and a few wrinkles on his face still vaguely showed the elegance and grace of his youth.

As for the two young men on the left and right, the one on the right is wearing short tights and has a simple and honest face, but his physique is really strong. It can be seen at first glance that he has achieved great success in external skills and is full of energy and blood.

The young man on the left of the old man was wearing a black robe that fluttered in the wind. He had a well-proportioned and slender body, and his short hair made him look smart and capable.

Holding the reins tightly, he wore a pair of black silk gloves with gold patterns on his hands. The gloves looked indescribably silky and were obviously woven from the finest natural silk.

The pitch-black sword hanging from his waist was even more eye-catching, and the captivating words "soul-chasing" were clearly visible to the people on both sides of the road.

"It's Black Hand Sword Fang Xun!"

Someone in the crowd whispered the young man's identity, which immediately caused a burst of murmurs.

Fang Xun's ears twitched slightly, and after hearing the name Black Hand Sword, he was speechless.

He glanced at the pure black Soul-Hunting Sword at his waist, and then at the black Silkworm Gloves on his hands. He saw that they were all black, and felt even more depressed.

"Fuck! Who gave me this nickname?"

I grumbled in my heart in dissatisfaction. After all, he is a handsome man, so what the hell is this "black hand sword"?

Suddenly he seemed to realize something and turned his head sharply to meet the gaze of someone in the crowd.

Then he saw a man in a silk shirt staring at him.

The man looked vaguely similar to Lian Zhenshan, the lord of Feiying Fort whom he had killed four months ago. His eyes were full of rage, as if he wanted to tear himself into pieces immediately.

"People from Eagle Castle?"

Fang Xun's eyes suddenly became as violent as fire. The man in the silk shirt felt a chill in his heart when he saw it and turned his head away.

Fang Xun smiled and turned away to pay no attention to him. After a while, he, Wei Lin and Yan Ming rode into the city gate.

The twenty or so soldiers on duty looked straight ahead, their feet rooted to the ground and they didn't move at all, and just let the three people in.

Soon, order was restored at the city gate and a long queue formed again.

The man in the silk shirt stared at Fang Xun's back, his eyes full of hatred. Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him.

"My dear brother, I am Duan Hai from Yuzhou. Do you know who those three people were?"

The man in the silk shirt was startled. He turned around and saw a man with a bronze complexion, thin cheeks, short hair, and a strong suit. He looked to be in his early thirties and was looking at him with a smile.

"Duan Hai?"

Hearing this name, the man in the silk shirt seemed to have heard it somewhere before, but his memory was vague and he was immediately shocked.

"He is from Yuzhou, and his name sounds familiar. Could he be a lay disciple of the Great Zen Temple?"

Thinking of this, he immediately suppressed the hatred in his heart for the other party, put on a smile on his face, and said, "It turns out to be Brother Duan. I am Lian Zhenhai, the second fortress master of Feiying Fort two thousand miles away."

"So it's Lord Lian, I've heard a lot about you." Duan Hai also bowed and said something politely, then asked, "Brother Lian seems to have a grudge against those three people just now?"

Lian Zhenhai's face suddenly turned cold, and a trace of resentment flashed through his heart.

"Hmph! Let Brother Duan know that the old man just now was the famous Iron Hand Divine Constable Wei Lin from Jiangzhou.

And his apprentice, Black Hand Sword Fang Xun, brutally killed my elder brother, nephew, and 193 brothers from Flying Eagle Fort for no reason four months ago. This feud is irreconcilable!"

"Wei Lin, Fang Xun?"

Duan Hai was stunned for a moment and his face turned cold.

"I saw that Wei Lin rode into the city in broad daylight. He must be a domineering person. It's not surprising that he taught such a cruel and ruthless disciple. I hope Brother Lian will mourn for you. You must know that evildoers will be punished in the end!"

When he mentioned Fang Xun and Wei Lin, his tone was also a little cold.

Lian Zhenhai's expression relaxed a little after hearing this, and he looked at Duan Hai and thought quickly in his mind.

"I always feel that Duan Hai's name is familiar, but I can't remember who he is. Could he have been famous in the past? But judging from his tone, he seems to have some bad luck with Fang Xun."

Thinking of this, Lian Zhenhai's heart moved, and he said with a smile: "Brother Duan has just arrived in Guangling Prefecture and is unfamiliar with the place. Why don't I treat you and go to Fujiang Tower in the city to have a few drinks together, so that I can introduce Brother Duan to the customs and habits of Jiangzhou."

"Haha, then I'll trouble you, Brother Lian, to pay for it."

(End of this chapter)