CHAPTER 781: CHAPTER 780: ENTERED SOMEONE’S BACKYARD

The two boats journeyed on water for four days, and finally, they arrived at a large dock. Due to the battle they had previously encountered, everyone was exhausted, so they rested in a prefectural city called Nanyang. Moreover, the road ahead was still quite long, and they needed to recruit some more people.

Jin Lan was frightened and came down with a high fever that night, but with Bai Xiaobai, the Ghost Doctor, around, the situation was always under control. It’s just that she kept relapsing over the next few days, and her complexion wasn’t looking good.

After these days of turmoil, Jin Lan’s beautiful face had lost its shape, becoming even paler and so weak that she could barely stand against the wind.

Jin Yu, accompanied by Ah Jiu and his party, arrived at a residence and said, "This is the estate we purchased here. My sister and I will stay in the inner quarters, and Ninth Master, you and your people will have to make do with living in the front courtyard."

Having a place to stay was certainly better than an inn crowded with comings and goings. Since they were just resting for a few days, Ah Jiu also had no objections and accepted the kind offer.

Since entering the estate, Jin Lan hadn’t come out again, reportedly recuperating, while the others below also busied themselves with various matters. Wufu and Ah Jiu ended up having the most free time.

So, each taking a maid or a servant boy with them, they started exploring Nanyang Prefecture.

Nanyang Prefecture was quite prosperous, with shops everywhere and a constant stream of people walking about. It was hard to believe that just a three-day water journey from here was the daunting Gobi Beach.

Wufu even spotted blond, blue-eyed foreigners walking among the crowd.

"Foreigners here too?" Sitting in a famous restaurant, Wufu observed the foreigners walking on the streets.

Ah Jiu explained, "The western dock of Nanyang leads to the sea, and many people from foreign countries come here to do business. So this is also a reason why Nanyang is thriving. And despite knowing the difficulties of crossing the Gobi Beach, many still bring their merchant ships here, also because of Nanyang."

"That also feeds Sky Ghost Fort’s greed, setting up a checkpoint to collect money, a tidy profit." Wufu scoffed.

Ah Jiu coldly said, "It’s the will of those in higher positions."

Wufu asked curiously, "But how did Nanyang become so prosperous? Logically, with a Gobi Beach nearby and those mountains with small tribes, this place should be somewhat affected."

"Map!"

Hearing Ah Jiu’s command, Yuan Ye immediately handed over a scroll. Unrolled, it revealed a small map.

"Look at the geographical location of Nanyang." Ah Jiu pointed it out to her and then took a pair of chopsticks, connecting lines on the map, and asked, "Can you see something?"

Blinking her eyes, Wufu said, "The west faces the sea, the east backs onto the mountains, forming a natural barrier... this..."

"Rather than calling Nanyang a prefectural capital, it’s more like an island. Hundreds of years ago, Nanyang was indeed an island. It’s only through generations of development that it became a prefectural capital. The west is bordered by the sea, the east by mountains—suitable for both advance and retreat. Who would dare cause trouble here?" Ah Jiu spoke coldly. "Moreover, Nanyang is the Tenth Prince’s royal territory and his retreat. How could it not be tightly managed? The military presence here is certainly not for show."

Eyes wide, Wufu grabbed the chopsticks and traced on the map, "Are you saying this entire large prefecture belongs to the Tenth Prince?"

Ah Jiu nodded and added, "That’s why we need to stay a bit longer these few days."

"You mean?"

Mimicking her, Ah Jiu blinked and said, "Since we’ve come to another’s territory, why not tread on a few toes?"

"Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles." Sooner or later, Nanyue will be devoured by Beiyan. It isn’t too much to probe around a bit now.

Wufu inexplicably felt sympathy for the yet unseen Tenth Prince. An enemy nation’s prince had entered his backyard. She wondered what his face would look like if he knew.