Chapter 38 - Wei Kingdom

The ship is shaped like a coconut, shining like silver, not sailing on water, but flying in the sky.
This ship is a flying ship.
Such ships are rare. Even though Arrow Wave City is the largest city in Wu Kingdom, there is only one ship every three days.
It belongs to an unknown and mysterious organization that operates in the capital cities or largest cities of various countries, providing the fastest transportation services.
This kind of service is bound to be expensive and not for the general public.
They only accept gold, and rumor has it that this type of spaceship runs on gold as its energy source.
The white spaceship passed through the colorful halo, emitting a dazzling flash and then disappeared into the darkness.
Xiaofeng and Qinqi sat in the narrow cabin, staring at what was in front of them in a daze. The old crab's gift was quite generous - the package was full of gold, with an unknown exact quantity. Xiaofeng tried lifting it, but couldn't budge it at all, while Qinqi had already strained her hands and was unable to lift it either.
This old crab, empty-handedly sending a pile of things, only made himself appear generous, without any consideration for the two's small and weak bodies and inability to carry.
However! The two quickly discovered that the old crab's consideration was appropriate and there was nothing to fault.
They set off from the ship at the hour of the Pig, and after a few moments of staring into space and chatting, they were just about to doze off when they heard someone shouting outside, "Tiankuo City has arrived!"
Tiankuo City, also known as the capital of the state of Wu, was about three to four thousand miles away from Jiantao City.
Since the departure of the ship, it has only been more than an hour. In this hour, the ship has crossed three or four thousand miles. Maybe this ship is a bit too fast.
The two looked at each other, looking naive and inexperienced. Seeing the ship flying in the air was shocking enough, but now with this speed, it was hard for them to believe.
With such doubts in his mind, Xiao Feng ran out of the cabin.
He saw a large ship docked next to a tall tower, and people on the ship began to disembark. The area around the tower was brightly lit, and the most visible feature was a huge restaurant with the words "Tian Kuo Airport Inn" written on it.
It seems that we have indeed arrived at Tiankuo City. Xiao Feng rubbed his eyes and finally confirmed what he saw with his own eyes.
This place is truly deserving of being the capital city, with all kinds of activities and amenities available.
Two people were carrying a large bag of gold and worried about how to transport it due to its weight. Soon, they discovered there were professionals in uniform who specialized in moving and handling. These people had a uniform fee, and were incredibly strong and efficient in their work. The two people's concerns were quickly resolved.
This kind of wealthy trouble was soon forgotten as they switched from the large city to a spacecraft bound for the Kingdom of Chu. They spent a total of 6,000 taels of gold, with each person paying for the fare. One of their packages was left half empty.
The old troubles have gone and new troubles have come, I wonder if the remaining gold will be enough for two people to fly to Wei State?
The journey to Chu State is quite long. The two of them took a boat, slept on it for a while, and had two meals before arriving at Chu State.
From the state of Chu to the state of Zheng, then from the state of Zheng to the state of Liang, and from the state of Liang to the state of Wei, the journey wasn't so long, but overall, including the time spent transferring boats, it took over ten hours.
Upon arriving in the capital city of Wei state, their packages were mostly dry and the gold had been thoroughly cleaned. In addition, there was a small bag containing about six to seven hundred taels of silver, which was already conveniently lightweight for carrying.
It seems that the old crab's calculations were very accurate. The gold is just enough for the travel expenses, and the silver should also be sufficient for the rest of the journey. There is no need to worry about having too much money, which may attract the attention of bandits on the way.
Seven or eight hundred taels of silver, it can be considered quite a lot, enough to let the two people's overland journey be completed relatively "luxuriously".
Taking a spaceship, except for the expensive cost, in other aspects, there is nothing to complain about, and it should be considered the best way.
This method is both fast and leaves no traces.
Firstly, the spaceship belongs to an independent party and has special security measures. As long as you have money, you don't need to worry about interception or accidents along the way.
Secondly, taking a boat is in a relatively independent space, which does not need to expose one's whereabouts.
Thirdly, each transit station can go to several different destinations. After passing so many transit stations, it is more difficult to find their final destination than finding a needle in the ocean.
Finally, the spacecraft operates on a schedule of either three days or five days, depending on the length of the journey. This particular spacecraft is operating on schedule and those who miss it will have to wait six or seven days for the next one.
Even if we select the most correct route among the complex flights, it will be days later before we track them down. By then, the two have already disappeared into the world, hidden and untraceable, far away and unreachable!
Riding on such a ship is the best way to escape and hide. It can be said that the ship moves without leaving a trace, just like people disappear without leaving a trace.
The Kingdom of Wei is located in the western part of the continent, with a vast territory. Its capital city is called Jieshu City, which is the center of the eight core provinces of Wei and is located in the center of these provinces. These core provinces produce abundant resources, accounting for more than half of Wei's supply of iron and salt, and also protect the capital city geographically, serving as the wings of the capital. Therefore, these eight provinces are also called the Iron Wing Eight Provinces.
In addition to the Iron Wing Eight Provinces, the Wei kingdom also had 36 provincial capitals, and beyond these provincial capitals, there were also two vassal states.
To the south lies the state of Chentian, which is also the granary of the Wei kingdom. Although its territory is not large, it produces more than one-third of the grain and fodder of the Wei kingdom, as the saying goes, "Chentian is ripe, and Wei is well-fed".
On the west side is the country of Taiqiu, which controls the entire western barbarian region. The terrain is mostly mountainous and its territory accounts for more than half of the Wei Kingdom, extending to the desert areas with unclear borders.
The journey of the Little Wind Plan is to first go south and leave the eight counties, then head west along the Chen Tian Kingdom, then enter the Taiqiu Kingdom, and finally cross the desert and slowly search for the Arrow Sea City.
This plan can confuse the enemy who may have a certain probability of tracking and following. Furthermore, taking a detour allows for the chance to procure supplies along the way, and going south will not raise suspicion as it is a peaceful route.
Setting off from Jieshucheng, Xiaofeng hired a carriage and headed south. The journey was safe and after nearly a month of travelling, he arrived at the capital city of Chen Tian Guo, Taicang City.
Upon arriving in Taicang, Xiaofeng finally relaxed. Knowing that Qin Qixi enjoyed music, he searched for instruments throughout Jieshucheng, buying a harp, flute, erhu, bronze bell, and drum, among other things. Although they were all ordinary quality, he still spent over 200 taels of silver on the purchases. In addition, he also bought a variety of items for himself, such as talisman paper, golden needles, and medicinal ingredients. By the end, he only had just over 200 taels of silver left.
Money was spent to make the journey a little more comfortable. When bored on the road, Qui Seven would tinker with the instruments. These ordinary instruments, in the hands of Qui Seven, were transformed into marvelous melodies. However, Little Wind always felt a touch of melancholy in Qui Seven's music.
而小风，也算捡起了自己的手艺，没事就读读书画画符，更多时候是在研究些医术药理。他一心想配制出能医治琴七残疾的妙药来，只有平常地方能买到的药物实在有限，那断筋再生、眼瞎复明的药一时半分也研究不出。
However, Xiaofeng's Zhengyang Gong has already recovered two points. For some reason, during this period of time, he did not practice and could not feel the trace of true energy existence, but his strength has increased, and he can now lift one or two hundred kilograms. His strength is no less than that of adult men.
One day, they arrived at Qu Ben County and heard that the wine there was famous. Xiaofeng knew that Qin Qi liked wine, so they found an inn and ordered a few small dishes and a jar of seven-grain liquor to drink in the room. They told the coachman to eat on his own.
The Nine-Turn Seven-Grain Distilled Liquor of Qubianzhou is a local specialty that is different from other types of liquor. It is made using seven types of grains and the water from a local hundred-year-old well, and undergoes a nine-turn distillation process. The production of new liquor takes more than half a year. The liquor is often sold as a blend of new liquor and over ten years old aged liquor, making it quite expensive, at a price of two taels of silver per half jin.
That seven-grain burning liquor was incredibly strong. Xiao Feng took a sip and immediately choked, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Qin Qi chuckled and took a sip, exclaiming that it was great liquor. Seeing that Xiao Feng couldn't handle such a strong drink, he didn't bother with him and simply lifted his cup, drinking one cup after another. Xiao Feng poured his drinks for him, but only took small sips himself.
琴七酒量之豪，看他平常喝酒喝个十斤八斤也没事，但喝这七粮烧，他喝了两三斤就醉态尽显。
Qin Qi's alcohol tolerance was impressive; he could easily down up to ten or eight jin (a Chinese weight unit equivalent to 500 g) of liquor without getting drunk. However, when it came to drinking this seven-grain liquor, he would start showing drunkenness after just two or three jin. Xiao Feng tried to stop him, but Qin Qi was too carried away by his drinking to listen. He continued drinking heavily, gradually becoming delirious and displaying a behavior that was completely different from his usual gentle and refined demeanor.
小风再劝，琴七突然一摔杯子，两手猛地抓住小风的双臂，使劲摇晃叫道：“你知道吗？你知道吗？“
Little Wind felt as if his arms were being squeezed by two iron clamps, as if they were about to break. The strength in Qinqi's hands was far greater than his usual frailty. Little Wind looked at Qinqi, feeling confused and unsure.
Qin Qi suddenly exclaimed: "You shouldn't know, don't know."
Then he burst into tears and muttered incoherently, as if recounting his past, but unfortunately the drunken words were unclear and Xiao Feng couldn't do anything but let him be.
Kin Qi cried and struggled for a long time, then fell asleep. Xiao Feng carried him to bed and noticed that there was blood flowing from where his tendons had been broken. He had to apply medicine to stop the bleeding and wrap cloth around the injury.