Approaching dusk.

Clusters of fiery clouds surrounded the unusually large sun, tinted deep orange.

A young man leisurely rode a donkey along the winding border road, with the silhouette of the city gate visible in the distance. He had just made a trip to deliver a shipment. The donkey pulled the cart, leaving tracks in the yellow sand that were soon covered again by blowing sand.

As the wind picked up, unattended sand swept across the road, forming small whirlwinds. The young man reached up to adjust his hat, brushing off a handful of sand from his robe. He tapped the donkey's belly with his toe, and with a flick of its tail, the donkey finally made its way into Yanran City before sunset.

In the early years of Zhonghuan's reign, the new emperor swiftly drove out the Hu people who had clung to the border for nearly a century. Three years later, the Western Hu people paid tribute to the Great Ming Dynasty and requested to open up border trade, which the emperor agreed to.

Five years ago, Yanran was just a despised frontier town, but due to the border trade, it flourished into the city it is today.

Previously, Yanran only had one main street, Longhong Street, which covered the entire town. Three years ago, they opened up a border market, expanding the trade routes from west to east, north to south.

Streets of various lengths and sizes formed a vast web around Yanran, covering it instantly.

At the Cloud Guest Inn, the young man tied his donkey and placed his hat on its head. A waiter filled a pot of cooling tea for him at the table by the door, but before he could wipe the sweat from his brow, the door creaked open, and the young man stepped inside, shaking off the yellow sand stuck to his robe.

The newcomer, barely of age, wore a white robe and carried a five-foot long sword wrapped in gray cloth. One foot and two inches of the engraved sword handle stuck diagonally into his shoulder and disappeared behind him. After sitting down, he casually leaned to the side and placed the sword horizontally on the wooden table, his palm resting on the hilt as he nonchalantly said, "Two roast ducks, to go."

The one with the palm resting on the sword was named Hu Li, residing on a small hill in the southeast corner of Yanran. He made a living by taking people's money and solving their problems.

Hu Li was much more popular in Yanran than the officials in the yamen who only knew how to collect their salaries. After all, for trivial matters like stealing chickens and dogs, who wanted to go to the yamen? They wouldn't even be allowed in the door.

A few months ago, Hu Li had apprehended the runaway rooster of the waiter's family and brought it to justice.

Hu Li's business was still booming, but the income was barely enough to make ends meet.

The waiter called out to the kitchen and then turned to chat with Hu Li, "Haven't seen you in half a month. Just got back from a trip?"

"Went to Yuzhou City," Hu Li replied.

"How's Mr. Xu's health these days?"

"My master," Hu Li hesitated for a moment, then immediately forgot the honorific for his master, and said irreverently, "can climb trees and swim again, much better."

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Mr. Xu was in his fifties, still nimble on his feet but insisted on using a cane wherever he went. Xu Ji, on the other hand, found the cane cumbersome and always carried it in his hand. A change of season a while back caused a gust of wind to blow him over, and he fell ill. Xu Ji had been unable to get out of bed for over half a month, clinging to the cane on his heart.

After hearing this, everyone present smiled as if they were used to it, avoiding any mention of Hu Li's disrespect towards his master.

"Brother Hu, the white clothes can't stand the sand blowing everywhere in Yanran City," someone joked in the inn.

Yanran locals wore dark clothes that could withstand the sand, so anyone seen wearing light-colored clothes was definitely not a local; it was an unwritten rule.

Hu Li glanced down at his sleeve, covered in dust, and nodded in agreement. The gifts from Bai Huishui, that peacock, were all beautiful but useless.

This thought didn't give him a chance to show off his silver tongue. The waiter handed him the roast ducks wrapped in oiled paper. Hu Li took them, pulled out some silver coins from his waist, and placed them on the table. He slung the roast ducks over his back and left the inn.

Fortunately, Hu Li wasn't greeted with a face full of sand when he stepped outside; the wind had died down for a moment.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves approached from afar, and a group of horsemen passed by him. Hu Li tilted his head slightly, and they wore blue robes embroidered with silver thread and carried swords at their waists, heading towards the yamen.

Jinyiwei.

Hu Li squinted, tapping his temple against the hilt of the sword. What were the Jinyiwei doing in Yanran?

But this question only lingered for a short time; he immediately withdrew his gaze, no longer interested.

Yanran was now a delicious cake that everyone wanted to take a bite out of, whether they were from the martial arts world or the officialdom seeking power. The city was a melting pot of people, and managing one's face and intentions could save a lot of unnecessary trouble.

The sun had already set, and Hu Li walked southwest along Longhong Street. The street was brightly lit, and the red lanterns on both sides stretched along the street so far that they disappeared into the distance. The wind had died down a bit at night, and the sand spun around in place, unable to cause much trouble.

The sound of hooves on the road mixed with the bustling sounds, usually a leisurely pace, was unexpectedly balanced despite being out of place.

Longhong Street became more bustling, with widened roads and shops and taverns aplenty.

Longhong Street overshadowed all the major events in Yanran City.

The octagonal platform in the small square at the end of Longhong Street had not yet been dismantled, surrounded by clusters of red embroidered flowers. Half a month ago, the Black Horse Escort Agency held a contest here.

After the border trade, business at the escort agencies in the border area had been booming, and the Black Horse Escort Agency, with its limited number of escorts, wished they could grow eight legs to use each day. But that was not a solution. The Black Horse Escort Agency came up with the idea of sending out invitations to gather heroes from all over the world.

A well-known escort agency with long-standing contracts.

People vied for this opportunity all the way to the end of Longhong Street.

For the ten silver taels of the Black Horse Escort Agency's waist plate.

Inside the tavern, songstresses sang softly behind white veils. Hu Li glanced at them and turned his head away. As he took a few steps forward, a sudden fragrance wafted into his nostrils. Hu Li frowned, waved his hand in front of him, and a plain handkerchief fell onto the cobblestone path.

Hu Li had intended to avoid trouble, but he didn't expect to be immediately dragged into another, more blatant seduction.

He looked up. A woman in a white dress leaned against the railing on the second floor. When she saw Hu Li looking over, she smiled and pulled back her arm from the railing.

"Has anyone ever told you how handsome you are, sir?" the woman in white said, laughing unabashedly.

The Embroidered Spring Tower occupied the best location in Yanran, at the center, with business so good that it was beyond words. However, the success of the Embroidered Spring Tower had nothing to do with its location because it was a brothel.

The woman leaning against the railing was called Bai Yao, and everyone in Yanran knew her. A while back, Master Zhang of Yanran paid a hefty sum to redeem her and marry her, but when the red sedan chair arrived at the door, news came from the Zhang family that Master Zhang had died. The Zhang family refused to recognize her, so she returned to the Embroidered Spring Tower without a care.

"Pick up your handkerchief yourself," Hu Li said, mounting his donkey and leaving.