Continuous Amazement

"Hey sis, which direction should we head?"

Standing on the wide street, Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang looked around, appearing unsure about their next move.

"Let's just keep going straight."

While the road on De Sheng Street had been cleared, the shops along the sides were still open.

Siblings Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang surveyed the array of shops lining the street.

The street was bustling with a variety of establishments – there were herbal shops, tea houses, taverns, restaurants, massage parlors, butcher shops, temples, and government offices. The siblings strolled along, marveling at everything they saw, appearing like quintessential country bumpkins exploring the city.

"Boss, those two are definitely plump lambs!"

Following a dozen meters behind the siblings were a group of street ruffians, casually tailing them.

"Their waist pouches seem heavy, they must be carrying a lot of silver." The ruffians seemed excited, discussing their plan.

The leader, a young man with a hat, rubbed his chin without saying a word, as if weighing his options.

"Boss, shall we not go for these plump lambs?" A follower grew impatient when the young man remained silent.

The young man gave his follower a sharp look. "Did I say we shouldn't?" He squinted his eyes, "Those two kids managed to get through the city gate at this time. I wonder what their background is."

Having spent considerable time around the city gate, the young man had a good sense of the gatekeepers' personalities. They would never allow ordinary people to enter the city so easily.

The follower hurriedly agreed, "You're right, Boss. Even if they have some connections, judging by their appearance and behavior, their background probably isn't significant."

Li Wu Ya, Li Er Ya, and Li Qi Lang had developed tanned skin while learning to ride horses, having spent several months in the military city.

The follower rubbed his hands, eager to take action. "Boss, should I let Tang Guo distract them, then I'll bump into them and steal their pouches?"

The young man remained silent for a while. "To be cautious, let's investigate them first. If they seem harmless, then we can proceed."

The follower nodded in agreement. In the city, one must be cautious not to offend influential individuals.

Meanwhile, as Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang walked past a teahouse, they were stopped by an elderly fortune teller who had set up a stall outside.

"Please halt, young ones!"

Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang paused, then turned to look at the elderly man.

The blind fortune teller sat at a stool, his sightless eyes staring blankly ahead. He had a wooden table in front of him, adorned with a tortoise shell and a few copper coins. Beside the table, a banner hung with words "Master Liu the Mystic" and "Divine Insights."

With one hand resting on the table and the other stroking his white beard, the blind man had an air of profound mystery about him.

Li Qi Lang, intrigued by the sight, walked up to the fortune teller and waved his hand in front of the man's face. "Old man, are you blind?"

The blind fortune teller smiled without responding, tacitly accepting Li Qi Lang's observation.

Li Qi Lang looked amazed. "Since you're blind, how do you know about us?"

With a mysterious grin, the blind man responded, "When you two passed by, I sensed a unique fragrance."

Li Qi Lang widened his eyes and then raised his arm to smell his armpits. Afterward, he put on a thoughtful expression and said, "After morning practice, I rushed to travel and forgot to take a bath. I didn't expect my body odor to be so strong that people several meters away could smell it!"

He turned to look at Li Wu Ya. "No wonder we've been attracting attention all along the way. It's all because of my body odor."

The blind man's lips twitched involuntarily upon hearing Li Qi Lang's words.

As they continued walking, a few street ruffians followed them at a distance.

"Boss, those are definitely plump lambs!"

After they passed by a tea stall, the leader of the ruffians burst into laughter, approached Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang.

"Old Daoist, these two youngsters are lucky, no need for your fortune-telling."

After finishing speaking, he signaled towards the siblings, indicating for them to follow him.

Seeing this, Li Wu Ya's lips curled into a smile, and she cast a glance at the blind fortune teller before motioning for Li Qi Lang to follow.

Noticing the interaction, the blind fortune teller grew slightly displeased. He gave a deep hum, wanting to pull Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang back.

"Your complexion doesn't look good; danger may be approaching."

With a drawn-out accent, the blind fortune teller shook his head while sighing.

"Old man, be careful what you say!"

Li Wu Ya kept walking, responding casually.

Hearing her words, both the young man and the blind fortune teller faltered in their expressions.

Li Qi Lang, who understood Li Wu Ya well, quickly caught on. "Sis, was that fortune teller a fake?"

Li Wu Ya responded, "I don't know if he's good at fortune-telling, but he's definitely pretending to be blind." She shook her head and continued, "These scammers in the capital aren't very professional. Trying to act blind while keeping your eyes open – they really think people are fools."

Li Qi Lang sighed, "So, there are scammers in the capital too!"

The young man leading the way burst into laughter. He approached them and introduced himself with a cupped fist salute, "I am Gan Fan Ren, second in my family. You can call me Gan Second Young Master."

Li Wu Ya looked at him curiously, "Rice Eater?"

Gan Fan Ren looked puzzled, "What's wrong with that?"

Li Wu Ya shook her head, "Nothing, your name is quite interesting!"

Gan Fan Ren lifted his chin, "My mother specially asked a scholar to give me this name."

Li Wu Ya commented, "It suits you well."

Gan Fan Ren modestly replied, "The elders in my family always hoped that I'd become a kind and virtuous person. I'm working towards that goal."

Li Qi Lang chimed in, "So, you intentionally stood up to stop that old man from scamming us?"

Gan Fan Ren smiled but didn't say anything. Seeing that Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang were simply looking at him without expressing any gratitude, he continued, "Is this your first time in the capital?"

Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang nodded in unison, "Yes."

Seeing their interest, Gan Fan Ren continued, "Don't let the city's bustling appearance deceive you. There are many people who can't afford to eat here, so it's inevitable that there are some thieves and scammers around."

Li Wu Ya looked at Gan Fan Ren, "You know a lot about the capital?"

Gan Fan Ren smiled, "I was born and raised here. I know every nook and cranny of the city."

Li Wu Ya's eyes lit up, "Really? Could you show us around?"

Li Qi Lang chimed in, "Where's the liveliest place, with the most delicious food?"

Gan Fan Ren was unruffled by their questions. "I'd be honored to guide you both. However, don't you need to wait for your elders?"

Li Qi Lang replied, "No need to wait. They're still outside the city, waiting in line. It will probably take them half a day to get in."

Gan Fan Ren was taken aback, "Your elders are waiting outside, but how did you manage to enter?"

This time, Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang exchanged silent smiles.

Gan Fan Ren inwardly cursed these 'little brats' and continued, "Did your family recently relocate to the capital?"

Li Wu Ya nodded, "Yes."

"I had a feeling." Gan Fan Ren continued, "What does your family do for a living?"

Li Wu Ya replied, "We have no specific occupation."

Gan Fan Ren was surprised, "The cost of living in the capital is not small. How do you survive without an occupation?"

Li Wu Ya responded firmly, "We're still young. This isn't something we need to worry about."

Gan Fan Ren sighed inwardly.

He was starting to understand why the street bosses were reluctant to interact with these two rural kids – they had no idea how to communicate!

Li Wu Ya, fearing her brother might offend their guide, quickly intervened, "Can you show us around?"

Gan Fan Ren glanced at their bulging pouches and smiled again, "We're currently on De Sheng Street. After the street is cleared, there's not much to see. If you want good food, you'll have to go to the Northern Market. That's where the liveliest scene is."

Li Qi Lang urged, "Let's go then, lead the way."

Gan Fan Ren's inner frustration grew. These two really weren't mincing words.

As he turned away, Li Qi Lang whispered to Li Wu Ya, "Sis, there's something off about this guy. He keeps eyeing my pouch."

Li Wu Ya shot her brother a reassuring look, "It's okay, we need a guide, so let him lead us."

Li Qi Lang nodded, but still a bit concerned, he slipped his pouch into his pocket.

Gan Fan Ren caught a glimpse of Li Qi Lang's subtle action and his expression stiffened.

Did the kid figure out my intentions? That shouldn't be possible. I didn't show any signs.

"Speaking of bustling markets in the capital, the liveliest are the East and West Markets. However, both are quite far away. Even if you want to go to the North Market, it

'll take quite a bit of time."

"The outer city is vast, and on foot, it would take over two hours to get to the North Market from here."

Seeing Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang furrow their brows, Gan Fan Ren continued with a smile, "However, we can take an oil-wall carriage. It will only take half an hour to reach the North Market."

"Oil-wall carriage?" Li Wu Ya asked.

Gan Fan Ren nodded and led the siblings into a carriage shop.

Inside the shop, there were quite a few people. Gan Fan Ren walked over to a middle-aged man and whispered a few words to him before motioning for Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang to follow.

Then, the siblings followed Gan Fan Ren onto a carriage pulled by three horses.

The carriage had a cabin but no walls on the four sides, only four pillars supporting the roof with translucent silk hanging from them.

The carriage was three meters wide and five meters long, with enough space for ten people at once.

When Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang took their seats, there were already five or six people inside, both men and women.

Li Wu Ya was truly amazed; this was like an ancient version of a public bus!

"I'll tie up the silk cloth, so you can enjoy the street view along the way," Gan Fan Ren thoughtfully tied the silk cloth around the positions where the siblings were sitting.

Li Wu Ya shifted to the side to avoid touching Gan Fan Ren and looked out, exclaiming, "The design is really thoughtful!"

After a short while, all the seats were occupied, and the carriage started moving, entering a 20-meter-wide street.

"De Sheng Street leads directly to the North Market. It's a pity that we can't take that route today; we'll have to take a detour," Gan Fan Ren said with regret.

But Li Wu Ya was surprised again – the street had separate lanes for left and right traffic!

In the center of the street, long wooden railings divided the road into two sides, with carriages and horses moving to the left or right. The carriages ran freely on the road without worrying about collisions with vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

Li Wu Ya looked at Gan Fan Ren and asked, "Are all the streets in the capital this wide?"

Gan Fan Ren shook his head, "Of course not. The major east-west thoroughfares are 30 meters wide, smaller streets are 20 meters wide, and the alleyways in neighborhoods are only 8 meters wide."

"Neighborhoods?" Li Wu Ya inquired.

Gan Fan Ren explained, "The city is governed based on neighborhoods. We usually live in the inner neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is enclosed by a three-meter-high earthen wall, with gates on all four sides."

Li Wu Ya pondered for a moment; this layout seemed reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty's Chang'an city.

As the carriage moved along, Gan Fan Ren occasionally explained interesting facts about the city to Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang.

Li Wu Ya noticed other similar oil-wall carriages running on the street, some pulled by four or six horses, all with the same design.

Every carriage was full of passengers.

Observing that both men and women were riding together, Li Wu Ya's eyes brightened, "Are the girls in the capital allowed to go out freely?"

Gan Fan Ren looked at Li Wu Ya in astonishment, cupping his fists in mid-air, "During the reign of Empress Wen De, she explicitly decreed that women should not be confined to their homes. Women of Da Chu can hold official positions, engage in business, and naturally, they can go out."

He said, raising an eyebrow at Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang.

"How come you don't even know this?"

Where did these rural newcomers come from?

People inside the carriage also heard Gan Fan Ren's words and looked at the siblings with eyes that seemed to be assessing them as strangers.

Li Wu Ya fell silent but didn't inquire further. However, she soon noticed another new aspect – the coachman driving the carriage was actually a sixth-ranked warrior.

"Are all the coachmen for these carriages warriors?" she asked Gan Fan Ren, surprised. He hadn't informed them about this detail.

Gan Fan Ren was taken aback by the question, "How did you know the coachmen are warriors?" He hadn't told them this.

Li Wu Ya responded, "I observed."

Gan Fan Ren's heart tightened slightly, "Yes, in order to prevent accidents, the coachmen for oil-wall carriages are all warriors. They need to obtain a driving license before they can operate."

Li Wu Ya sighed with amazement again, "Very considerate."

Gan Fan Ren felt increasingly uncertain. After chatting for so long, he still hadn't figured out the siblings' backgrounds. This left him feeling somewhat uneasy.

For the rest of the journey, Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang admired the street scenery. The carriage would occasionally stop, with people getting on and off.

After half an hour, the coachman called out, "We've reached the North Market."