Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 104 Ancestral Heritage for Three Generations

Jiang Xun stammered, "You, you..."

The teacup wobbled in my hand, and I almost dropped it.

Ye Qingying looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her smile was not as aloof as usual, but rather carried a hint of mischief.

"Long time no see," she said.

Jiang Xun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Ye Qingying, on the other hand, sat down opposite him quite casually and spoke first: "What brings you to Tiebei Pass?"

"I...I'm here to do some business." Jiang Xunqian chuckled twice. "I'm going to Shuofeng City to buy some things."

"Buy things?" Ye Qingying looked at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "What kind of things do you have to buy in Shuofeng City?"

"Well... leather goods and stuff," Jiang Xun stammered. "I heard leather goods are cheap over there, so I'll buy some and resell them to make a profit."

Ye Qingying didn't say anything, just looked at him with a half-smile.

The gaze wasn't heavy, yet it felt almost tangible, making Jiang Xun feel extremely uncomfortable.

"And you?" he quickly changed the subject. "What brings Miss Ye here?"

Ye Qingying withdrew her gaze and poured herself a cup of tea.

"Senior Huang Hu has set up a challenge in Shuofeng City and invited me to participate."

"That sword guardian?" Jiang Xun frowned. "This guy sets up challenge arena everywhere, why is he doing it in Shuofeng City this time?"

"This is the last time," Ye Qingying said.

Jiang Xun was taken aback, then understood—the winner this time was the successor of the Sword God.

"You're also going to compete for that successor position?" He was somewhat surprised.

Given Ye Qingying's status and martial arts skills, it seems a bit beneath her to compete for the title of "successor".

"I have no intention of inheriting the Sword God's legacy." Ye Qingying shook her head. "But my master asked me to come and take a look, so I came."

Jiang Xun's heart stirred.

Why is the head of Mirror Lake so concerned about the Sword God?

The dragon crystal they had previously obtained also came from the Sword God.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed and glanced at Ye Qingying, only to find that she was also looking at him with a calm gaze.

He quickly looked away, picked up the teacup, and took another sip.

Ye Qingying seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, and suddenly smiled: "The Dragon Crystal has already been handed over to Yinzhai, and Mirror Lake will not concern itself with the rest."

Jiang Xun was taken aback, but immediately understood—Mirror Lake did not intend to pursue the matter of Dragon Crystal.

"That's good." He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "With the Dragon Crystal, Yin Zhai is like a tiger with wings..."

Ye Qingying rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to respond.

Jiang Xun chuckled awkwardly twice and wisely shut his mouth.

The two remained silent for a while, and the inn was so quiet that only the bubbling of the kettle on the stove could be heard.

Ye Qingying suddenly spoke up: "You're going to Shuofeng City alone?"

"Um."

"The roads over there are difficult to travel," she said. "Are you familiar with the North?"

"I'm not familiar with it," Jiang Xun honestly admitted.

Ye Qingying paused for a moment.

"Why don't we go together?" she said.

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Together?"

"I'm going to Shuofeng City too," Ye Qingying said. "It's better to go with someone than alone."

Jiang Xun was a little surprised—the world-renowned Fairy of Mirror Lake had taken the initiative to invite him to travel together. It was a story about a man and a woman alone together, and he could brag about it for three days.

But for some reason, he suddenly thought of Li Tang's reaction after she found out about this—the way her pretty face turned into a fierce demon—and couldn't help but shudder. He said with a hint of dejection, "I've already made arrangements with the caravan. I'll go with them."

Ye Qingying looked at Jiang Xun with some surprise.

Caravans are usually self-contained and rarely bring outsiders along.

Since this man could get the caravan to take him along, and judging from his tone, he could easily take me along... it seems that things are not as simple as they appear.

"Then thank you very much, Brother Jiang."

"No, no..."

…………

The caravan traveled for three days.

Over three days, Jiang Xun thoroughly explored the desolation of the northern border.

There are no trees, no rivers, and even birds are rare.

There is only one color in the world—grayish-yellow.

The sky was gray-yellow, the ground was gray-yellow, and the sandstorm was gray-yellow, covering everything like a pot of porridge without salt, so bland that it made one feel listless.

There was a road, though it was called an official road. In reality, it was just two ruts made by wheels, one deep and one shallow, so bumpy that it felt like your bones were about to fall apart.

Jiang Xun, wrapped in a sheepskin vest, huddled behind a carriage loaded with furs, squinting at the caravan ahead.

A dozen or so mules and horses, carrying cloth, tea, and porcelain, slowly made their way north.

The leader was an old businessman in his forties, surnamed Ma, known as Boss Ma. He had been doing business in the North for twenty years and knew this road like the backyard.

Xu Zhe greeted them, and Ma, the foreman, was polite to them, but not particularly friendly—people who work on the border are generally cold-hearted and not used to getting close to others.

The cold wind blew in, cutting my face like a knife.

Jiang Xun shivered and pulled his felt hat down even further.

Ye Qingying sat next to him, still wearing a bamboo hat, her veil hanging down to cover her stunning face.

She was dressed in a gray cloth dress and looked like an ordinary woman from the North, but her temperament was undeniable—sitting in the bumpy carriage, her back was still straight, like a sword hidden in its sheath.

"Are you cold?" She turned her head to the side, her voice very low.

"I'm not cold," Jiang Xun said stubbornly, but his teeth chattered.

Ye Qingying didn't say anything, but took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it over.

"What?"

"Pills to ward off the cold," she said. "The North is not like the Central Plains; it's very troublesome for cold to penetrate the body."

Jiang Xun took it, poured out one, and put it in his mouth.

The pill was small and slightly bitter. After swallowing it, a warm sensation rose from the lower abdomen and slowly spread to the limbs and bones.

"Good stuff!" His eyes lit up. "Is there more?"

Ye Qingying put the porcelain bottle away: "One a day, eat it sparingly."

Jiang Xun chuckled twice, lowered the ear flaps of his felt hat, and huddled inside the carriage, gazing listlessly at the distant mountain ridgeline.

"Have you ever walked this road?" he asked.

"No," Ye Qingying shook her head, "but my master walked by."

"Sect Leader Fu? What's she doing in the Northern Territory?"

Ye Qingying did not answer.

Jiang Xun was already used to her way of doing things, and wisely didn't ask any further questions.

After traveling for most of the day, the caravan crossed a low mountain ridge, and Jiang Xun suddenly saw the shadow of a city emerging on the distant horizon.

"Is that Shuofeng City?" He stood up, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked north.

"Not bad." The horseman rode back from the front and spoke up, which was rare for him. "It looks close, but it will take half a day to get there. We'll camp in the low-lying area ahead tonight and head into town early tomorrow morning."

Jiang Xun stared at the city, feeling a mix of emotions.

This is Shuofeng City.

Ling Xuan asked him to steal the treasure map, the Duke of Wei asked him to investigate the crossbows, and Shen San said he might be able to find clues about his origins.

A city crammed with so many things, I wonder if it can even contain them all.

The caravan finally arrived in Shuofeng City the next morning.

Jiang Xun stood at the city gate, looking up at the tall gate tower, feeling somewhat surprised.

He thought Shuofeng City would be like Tiebei Pass, rugged, desolate, and drab.

Although this city in front of us cannot compare to the prosperity of the Central Plains, it has its own unique aura.

The city wall is made of blue bricks and is taller than Tiebei Pass. The gate tower has three eaves with upturned corners. Although it is somewhat dilapidated, you can still vaguely see the shadow of Central Plains architecture.

"Shuofeng City was built in the style of the Central Plains." Ye Qingying stood next to him, her gaze sweeping lightly over the city wall from under her bamboo hat. "When the city was built, craftsmen from the Central Plains were hired."

Who built it?

"The Helian family," Ye Qingying said. "Helian Bo's grandfather defected from Dasheng to the northern border and built this city. It was passed down for three generations before it came into the hands of Helian Bo and his brother."

Jiang Xun nodded, having a general idea of ​​the city's situation.