Whether going by water route or land route makes no difference to Zhang Chen; he employs the Escape Technique, so either route has no impact.
Mrs. Zhang glanced over at the three little ones and, after a slight pause, said, "Let’s take the water route! The land route is too bumpy, and since we’re going to the Jiangnan Water Village, we should first become familiar with the water. Everyone can also take the opportunity to learn to swim."
Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this; Mrs. Zhang had a point, as one must be familiar with water when going to Jiangnan.
"Can I learn to swim?" Zhang Tuowei’s eyes sparkled like stars twinkling brightly.
"Of course." Zhang Chen patted Zhang Tuowei’s little head, "Since we’re taking the water route, learning to swim is a must. Once we reach Jiangnan, if we encounter adversaries and can’t defeat them, jumping into the water and escaping is also an option."
To navigate the water route, the most convenient way is to join a trading convoy. Though Zhang Chen could build his own boat and sail south, it’s too much trouble and would delay his cultivation.
Moreover, a journey would require government checks of the travel permit. Finding a trading convoy to join would be a good choice for Zhang Chen.
Beyond the Qinling is a network of waterways linked in all directions. Zhang Chen instructed the Blood God Child to search for a nearby large port; the Blood God Child flew through the air and ultimately discovered a port three hundred miles away.
Zhang Chen directed Zhang Tuowei to drive the carriage towards the port. Upon arrival, they found the port bustling with people, countless large ships docked there.
Zhang Chen scanned the port with his eyes, pondering where to begin when a boy about fifteen years old, wearing coarse hemp clothing, approached, "Sir, are you looking to board a ship?"
Looking at the boy before him, Zhang Chen noticed the coarse hemp clothing was full of patches but was well washed and neatly managed.
With a hint of confusion, Zhang Chen asked the young man, "Who are you?"
"I work at this port, running errands for people, relying on travelers’ generosity to grant me a meal," the boy looked at Zhang Chen’s horse with respect and said courteously.
Although Zhang Chen dressed ordinarily, the horse was uncommon, not something ordinary people could own.
"I want to go to Jinling; is there a ship heading there?" Zhang Chen asked.
"Yes!" The boy replied emphatically.
"Can we board without a travel permit?" Zhang Chen inquired.
The travel permit from before Qinling was no longer suitable, as it was a fake and couldn’t withstand verification. The family’s accent was the biggest flaw.
Upon hearing this, the boy observed Zhang Chen for a moment, then looked at the carriage behind him and hesitated slightly, saying, "It’ll cost more!"
Zhang Chen nodded with satisfaction, recognizing the boy as a resourceful guide with considerable influence.
"How much?" Zhang Chen asked.
The boy asked, "How many people?"
"Five people, along with this carriage," Zhang Chen replied.
Hearing this, the boy calculated briefly then held up one finger.
"Ten taels?" Zhang Chen probed.
"One hundred taels!" The boy declared, "I require a remuneration of one tael, fifty taels for the ship tickets, forty taels to arrange fake travel permits, and nine taels for food expenses," the boy explained.
One hundred taels of silver coins?
Zhang Chen inhaled deeply; before losing his silver coins, a mere hundred taels wouldn’t have meant much, but since that tumultuous day of wind and sand, his silver coins were gone, and now a hundred taels seemed like a substantial sum.
"From here to Jinling is seven thousand miles; you are five people in total, including your food expenses. Fifty taels of silver is certainly not excessive! As for the forty taels for the travel permits, they’re definitely worth it; even if presented to the government for inspection, they’re genuine travel permits. The remaining nine taels cover your food expenses, and I’ve resolved so many things for you, is one hundred taels excessive?" The boy defended the cost to Zhang Chen.
Of course, it’s not excessive!
So Zhang Chen turned to the carriage, "Mother, how much silver do we have left?"
Mrs. Zhang rummaged through the carriage, then handed Zhang Chen a purse, "Just one hundred and five taels left!"
These one hundred and five taels were painstakingly saved by Zhang Chen.
"How long will it take to complete this?" Zhang Chen asked the boy while counting the silver.
"Three hours! You only need to wait for me here for three hours." The young man raised three fingers.
Zhang Chen painfully counted out one hundred taels of broken silver and handed it to the young man: "Go ahead!"
Seeing Zhang Chen directly hand over one hundred taels of silver, the young man couldn’t help but look surprised: "Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away with the silver?"
"I wish you would run away." Zhang Chen said calmly.
Was his silver so easy to take? A drop of dark red blood had unknowingly dripped onto the young man’s clothes long ago. If the young man took the silver and ran away, Zhang Chen could make a profit without any cost.
Zhang Chen was currently proving the Dao and naturally wouldn’t commit any criminal acts, but if someone stumbled into his hands, he wouldn’t mind acting on behalf of justice.
The young man gave Zhang Chen a deep look, then counted out forty taels, handing back the remaining silver: "I only need forty taels to handle the travel permit, the rest you can give me when the work is done."
After speaking, the young man took the silver, asked for a few names, and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Zhang Chen quietly waiting among the people.
It wasn’t long before Zhang Chen saw the sweaty young man returning after two hours with five travel permits: "The permits have been handled, and I’ve also found out about the ships. As soon as you pay, you can head to Jinling."
Zhang Chen took the travel permits from the young man, his pupils involuntarily shrinking. These five travel permits were different from the fake ones he had obtained in Qinling; these were real permits.
Because on them, Zhang Chen detected the Dragon Qi of the Great Victory Dynasty!
"Are these real permits?" Zhang Chen asked in surprise.
"Sir, you have good eyes, but these permits are both real and fake!" The young man said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Chen asked.
"If no one digs too deep, then these permits are real. If someone does, then they are fake! The local government would never admit these permits are genuine." The young man said.
Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this, confirmed the permits were correct, and put them away, with the young man leading the way.
"The trading team I’ve found for you this time is a large one from Jinling: the Shen Family Trading Team. The Shen Family is a big merchant team, so the price is slightly higher. You don’t want to use your real identity to travel, and ordinary small caravans aren’t possible. With small caravans, there are numerous checks along the way. Only with a big caravan can you travel smoothly with fewer inspections." The young man said.
Hearing the young man’s words, Zhang Chen was taken aback: "The Jinling Shen Family? Is it the Jinling Shen Family I understand?"
"Of course! There’s only one Shen Family in Jinling. Only the Jinling Shen Family has such prestige to be called: the Jinling Shen Family." The young man said with a smile.
"It seems you’re in luck. This time, a young master from the Jinling Shen Family came here to visit relatives, coincidentally with a batch of goods to be escorted. That young master wanted to make some quick money, so they arranged a passenger ship. To be honest, charging you fifty taels of silver per person is absolutely a fair price." The young man explained to Zhang Chen.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen felt some inexplicable emotion in his heart. He was just planning to go to Jinling to visit relatives, and unexpectedly encountered people from the Jinling Shen Family.
The young man then led Zhang Chen and his group to the dock, to a medium-sized large ship, went up to a steward-like person, talked for a while, then took Zhang Chen to pay the silver, arranged everything, and finally left with the intermediary fee.
The steward of the Shen Family fleet was an old man in his fifties, who looked Zhang Chen and his party up and down: "Our conditions are limited, sleeping arrangements are communal. Men crowded together, and women crowded together. Meals are provided in the canteen, ordinary rice is unlimited, but if you want to eat well, you have to pay extra. As for your horses, we can only feed them regular fodder, ensuring they don’t starve, but we can’t guarantee they won’t lose weight."
"Thank you." Zhang Chen said to the steward.
The steward then allocated rooms, and Zhang Chen and Zhang Fei were assigned to a communal room for thirty or more people. The room already had seven or eight men sitting inside chatting.
Zhang Chen looked at the communal sleeping area, which was clean and tidy, so he and Zhang Fei settled in.
Zhang Chen had some free time to observe the entire ship, which had three floors plus a lower deck, capable of accommodating over three thousand people. At a charge of fifty taels of silver per person, the Shen Family would definitely make a huge profit.
Three days later, the dock was in an uproar. Zhang Chen sat in the cabin looking out and saw ten carriages approaching from afar, heading to the central large ship. Employees were setting up a floating bridge and then driving the carriages onto it.
"Could that be someone important from the Shen Family?" A scholarly-looking person next to Zhang Chen asked out of curiosity.
Upon hearing this, a local scholar replied, "No! That’s the daughter of the local Inspector of Salt: Jiang Nan! She’s on her way to Jinling for a family visit."
"The Inspector of Salt’s last name is Jiang. What connection does he have with the Jinling Shen Family?" someone nearby asked out of curiosity.
"You don’t know this, but Inspector Jiang Zehai married a daughter from the Shen Family lineage years ago. Jiang Nan is the legitimate granddaughter of the Shen Family matriarch." At this, the local scholar said, "However, I heard that the Cao Bang has already extended its reach here. Inspector Jiang Zehai has been assassinated multiple times. Without experts protecting him, he would have died. Even so, Jiang Zehai’s wife was decapitated by assassins. This time, the young master from the Shen Family is here to handle the matter."
Hearing this, someone nearby exclaimed, "The Shen Family controls seventy percent of the national canal transport. If they can’t use a thunderous approach to intimidate, they will inevitably lose control over Northern Land canal transport. I wonder if that young master has any thunderous means?"