Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One-Chapter 76 - 72 The Black Store in the City

Li Ping’an thought for a moment, then answered:

“From Five Finger Mountain County.”

“Five Finger Mountain County? So you mean to say you’re from out of town?”

Li Ping’an didn’t understand why the inspecting soldier was asking this, but he still replied truthfully:

“Exactly, from out of town.”

“Does anyone in your family hold an official position? Do you have any relatives who are officials in Chang’an City?”

The more Li Ping’an listened, the stranger it seemed:

“None…”

“Hahaha, that makes things easier then!”

The six military inspectors, satisfied with the response, stared at Li Ping’an with a wicked smile.

“Excuse me, honoured sirs, may I enter the town now?”

“What’s the hurry? We haven’t finished inspecting yet.”

The lead inspector, Colonel, with a blade of grass in his mouth, walked over to Li Ping’an with a wicked smile and reached out for his travel bag.

“Oh? Carrying quite a bit of money, are you? How much in total?”

Li Ping’an was completely annoyed by this group of soldiers and pushed the Colonel away, retorting:

“It’s none of your concern how much money I’m carrying, Colonel. I steal not, nor do I rob; I walk the path of righteousness and have not violated any laws. What is the meaning of this pestering?”

“Whoa there, kid, you’ve got some guts! How dare you talk back to me?”

The Colonel was about to seize Li Ping’an while speaking.

Having been tempered over the past several days, Li Ping’an had gained a deeper understanding of the customs and practices of the Great Tang, local customs, and the situation at the Imperial Court. He was not someone to be bullied easily and immediately pulled out the Hundred Plays Steel Rod to defend himself, saying sharply:

“What’s there for a lowly Colonel like you to be arrogant about? I am a Taoist of the Qingyun Sect; just try to lay a finger on me!”

“Qingyun Sect? Never heard of it, but a Taoist, you say…”

Upon hearing that Li Ping’an claimed to be a Taoist, the Colonel immediately softened his approach, and his attitude changed drastically. Not only that, but all those surrounding Li Ping’an also looked at him with respect.

The reason for such behavior was that the current Emperor of the Great Tang, Li Gai, was obsessed with Cultivation, seeking immortality with all his heart, thus establishing Taoism as the state religion. In the Three Auxiliaries of Chang’an, which consist of the three regions surrounding Chang’an—Jingzhao Yin, Zuo Fengyi, and You Fufeng—any Taoist from any Sect or faction from any place may commit minor offences three times without facing punishment.

Qi County was precisely within Zuo Fengyi, part of the Three Auxiliaries of Chang’an, and it was because he knew this that Li Ping’an dared to confront the officials.

“Boss, how can you say you’ve never heard of Qingyun Sect? Didn’t a female Taoist who claimed to be from there pass through here not too long ago?”

reminded a gate-guarding soldier.

“Right, right, right, that woman looked frail, but damn, she was fierce; my back still hurts from the beating she gave us!”

The Colonel then remembered the incident involving the Qingyun Sect.

“What?”

Li Ping’an immediately realized that the female Taoist from Qingyun Sect was Zixia and quickly inquired:

“Is that female Taoist heading to Chang’an?”

“Indeed, that is the case…”

“Have you finished your inspection? I need to get going!”

Li Ping’an became excited in an instant, thinking about hurrying on his way to find Zixia as quickly as possible.

“Hold on!”

The Colonel immediately raised his hand to stop Li Ping’an.

“Taoist Master, please wait, our Qi County has a rule: every Taoist passing through the city must tie a red scarf around their arm, and hand it over to the city guards when leaving.”

“How peculiar your place is…”

Li Ping’an had traveled all this way and had never heard of such a rule in the Great Tang, but in order to get into and out of the city sooner, he had no choice but to agree:

“Then make it quick!”

The Colonel immediately took out a red scarf and tied it around Li Ping’an’s arm, then together with the other soldiers, respectfully gestured for Li Ping’an to enter the city.

“What a hassle!”

Li Ping’an grumbled as he entered the city, yet no sooner than he had stepped through the gates, the Colonel and several soldiers began to snicker, while the surrounding people looked at Li Ping’an’s back with pity.

Since Li Ping’an’s rations had run out long ago and after traveling the whole morning, he was both tired and thirsty, so he looked for a restaurant in the county town.

Before long, he arrived at the busiest T-junction in Qi County. Looking left and right, he wanted to find a luxurious restaurant where he could treat himself to a good meal.

“You there, sir! Come dine at our restaurant!”

At the entrance of a restaurant named Lion Tower, a shop assistant spotted Li Ping’an who was looking around and immediately ran over enthusiastically.

“Sir, you are from out of town, aren’t you? Come dine at our place.”

Li Ping’an was puzzled and asked:

“I haven’t even spoken yet, how do you know I’m from out of town? And why must I specifically go to your restaurant?”

The shop assistant helped guide Li Ping’an towards their restaurant, patiently explaining:

“In our restaurant, we don’t cater to locals, only to visiting guests, free of charge.”

“What? Free?”

Li Ping’an hadn’t expected to find such kind-hearted people doing business in these troubled times.

“Did I hear that correctly?”

“Young master, it is indeed free. If we ask for a single copper coin after you have finished eating, feel free to burn down our restaurant. Please, this way inside.”

“Well, it’s good to save money while traveling.”

Li Ping’an naively trusted the shop assistant and entered the vast Lion Tower, only to find that he was the only customer. He didn’t mind and chose a seat near the street:

“It’s free, right? Bring me a pound of cooked beef, five dou of wine, and six steamed buns.”

“My, the young master has a hearty appetite. Please wait a moment, the food and drink will be served shortly.”

After the shop assistant left, Li Ping’an patiently waited while he glanced at the shopkeeper behind the counter and muttered under his breath:

“Never thought there’d be such a place in the world where you could eat and drink for free. Could it be that this shopkeeper is a fool or an idiot? If everyone claims to be from out of town, wouldn’t they be able to freeload here every day? This must be someone who is rich and believes in Buddhism, doing good deeds here.”

In a short while, the shop assistant brought over a pound of cooked beef, and the shopkeeper served five dou of wine. Li Ping’an started eating and drinking, wolfing down the food and guzzling the drink, almost wishing he could eat the plate itself, while the shopkeeper and shop assistant kept staring at him intently.

After Li Ping’an enjoyed his feast, full and content, he patted his round belly, ready to continue his journey to Chang’an. But as he stood up, his head began spinning, his strength drained away, and his body uncontrollably fell backward, his eyelids continuously fighting each other.

“Damn it!”

Only then did Li Ping’an realize something was wrong with the drinks. Before collapsing, he used his Divine Skills: Secluded Cave to inspect the remaining liquid in his cup and noticed some impurities, exclaiming in surprise:

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“This is…”

“Hahahaha! That’s a Knockout Drug! Down you go!”