In the bustling economy of Da Yan, the Cuiyun Corridor served as a vital transportation route, with teahouses and inns along the way being indispensable. Among them, teahouses were the most abundant.

Teahouses were a necessity along the official roads.

As one journeyed towards Yidu, the number of teahouses only increased.

These teahouses not only provided a place to rest and drink water but some even offered simple food, far better than the dry rations one carried. The quality of the tea provided varied, from the simplest salted water with a hint of tea flavor to the brewed tea sold in the city. The taste depended on the skill and conscience of the teahouse owner.

Song You hadn't walked far when he spotted a teahouse ahead, quite crowded. The steam rising from the steaming trays was a considerable temptation for travelers in the wilderness. He went over and sat down, ordering a bowl of tea and two steamed cakes, then opened the money pouch given to him by the merchants.

Inside were scattered silver coins, difficult to estimate their weight.

Roughly estimating, it was probably around ten or so taels.

The use of silver as a common currency in this world was a recent development, starting only in this dynasty. Prior to this, silver was rarely used in transactions among the common people. This change was convenient for travelers like Song You. However, at present, the common currency was still the Da Yan Tong Bao, copper coins, with silver being converted into coins when needed.

Last time he descended the mountain, one tael of silver could be exchanged for nearly twelve thousand coins.

Yesterday, before leaving, he almost emptied the savings in the temple, bringing a total of nineteen taels of silver. There were plenty of copper coins, but the old Taoist priest would have to refrain from buying meat for some time.

Altogether, it seemed like a considerable sum of money.

However, with the prosperity of commerce in Da Yan, there were many things to buy, many places to spend money, many wealthy people, and many job opportunities, with even the average salary being higher. Once out of the mountain and the villages and towns below, this money wouldn't last long.

Song You didn't bring much with him on his journey; everything had to be prepared along the way. Once he accumulated more things, he would probably need to buy another horse or mule.

He planned to buy one in Yidu.

Although the horse and mule market in Yizhou was controlled by the government, private transactions were still possible. However, buying horses and mules in Yidu was usually more affordable than elsewhere. It was said that a decent Southwest horse would cost only around twenty taels, and mules would be even cheaper.

Buying a horse or mule wouldn't be a bad idea...

Lost in thought, the tea and snacks arrived.

A bowl of the best tea in the teahouse, filled with various ingredients, and two steamed cakes the size of fists, with primitive light yellow dough emitting steam.

Song You took a bite of the steamed cake, followed by a sip of tea, while glancing at the other customers.

Most of the people sitting here were merchants or travelers, with some martial artists among them. They might be silent on the road, but once they sat down, they would engage in idle chatter.

Some talked about the recent tea-horse market, some mentioned the upcoming autumn imperial examinations, some discussed which temple had recently shown divine signs, which mountain road had monsters, some talked about temple fairs, and there were even martial artists discussing the grand events in the martial world. It was as chaotic as this bowl of tea, outlining a corner of the world.

Song You ate and drank slowly, listening quietly.

The tea table was bathed in dappled sunlight.

The tea was not clear tea; the tea soup was thick. Along with the two steamed cakes, Song You felt almost full after finishing. He called the shopkeeper for the bill.

In total, it was a little over ten wen, with the tea being more expensive than the steamed cakes.

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Counting the money, Song You casually asked, "Shopkeeper, how far is it from here to Yidu?"

"Nearly four hundred miles, passing through four counties."

"Four hundred miles..."

According to Song You's estimation, one mile in Da Yan was not as long as one mile in his previous life; four hundred meters was the limit. With good walking speed, walking a hundred and eighty miles a day was not a problem.

"Are there any inns ahead?"

"Going to Yidu, the nearest inn is sixty miles away. If you walk fast, you can make it there."

"Understood."

In this era, many temples accepted lodgers, especially Buddhist temples, which served various functions beyond just worshiping and offering incense.

However, as for the empty temples along the roadside...

Song You glanced at the two tables of martial artists nearby.

They should be their first choice, right?

Thanking the shopkeeper, Song You continued on his journey.

As the day progressed, the sun had passed its zenith, with the weather being just as fine as yesterday, making the Cuiyun Corridor exceptionally beautiful in the sunlight.

If one had the leisure, walking along it was a kind of enjoyment.

Song You followed a group of porters for a while, matching their pace. They walked as fast as he did. With someone leading the way, he could save a lot of mental and physical energy.

Sometimes he would follow them to find a small stream by the ancient road. Seeing them cup water in their hands to drink, he would do the same. Sometimes when they stopped to rest, he would chat with them, relying on his Taoist robe to strike up a conversation, asking about the road conditions and listening to stories from other places and dialects, all of which counted as gains.

In the afternoon, the sunlight continued to scorch, cicadas chirping incessantly. There was no sign of the heavy rain and fog from yesterday, when ghosts were said to appear.

When Song You stopped to rest, he couldn't help but take another short nap.

When he woke up, the group of dark and thin porters had long disappeared, leaving only the empty, quiet ancient road with patches of sunlight filtering through the trees. There were small pits in the middle of the bluestone road, extending all the way into the depths of the shaded ancient road, the direction the porters had walked, invisible to the end.

Song You had to pack up his belongings and walk along these pits alone once again.

He had just seen—

The porters were leaning on bamboo poles, seemingly inheriting a tradition, each time precisely placing their poles in these pits, as if they were walking the same steps as their ancestors thousands of years ago, their strides even the same size.

Over thousands of years, drop by drop, had created indelible marks on this road, was this not also a form of inheritance?

As he walked, Song You felt that every cobblestone under his feet, every ancient cypress tree, was a witness to time. In a flash, he remembered the words of his master from the previous day:

"Do you think that sitting in meditation, studying, and practicing reading constitute cultivation?"

As soon as Song You heard this, he knew she wanted him to

leave the mountain.

This old Taoist had traveled extensively in her youth, exploring rivers and seas, and thus had acquired a decent level of Taoist practice. She had never believed that sitting still equated to cultivation. Coupled with Song You's prior understanding, the disciples of Fulong Temple all had to leave the mountain for travels. Some trips were long, some were short, but there were no exceptions.

As expected, not long after, he heard her say:

"You should leave the mountain, travel through mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, see the affairs of the world and human life, seek famous mountains and immortal masters, encounter demons and monsters, and see the real world that you cannot see on the mountain. In those thousands of miles of travel, not only will you cultivate yourself, but you may also find something of interest to you."

So she knew all along...

If she wanted him to leave the mountain, then so be it. Song You also wanted to see what interesting things lay beyond the monsters and ghosts in this world.

Unconsciously, it was nearing dusk.

Song You stood in front of a temple along the road, shaking his backpack and looking up at the couplet on both sides of the temple gate, softly reciting:

"Who on this road doesn't tread?

"What matter advises you against it?"

This was a village temple built by a nearby village, just a single house with many deities inside, encompassing both Buddhism and Taoism, as well as local deities, mostly formed from people of good moral character after death. Each deity had its name inscribed behind it, and some even had their life stories written.

The village temple was not far from the Cuiyun Corridor and often hosted travelers overnight.

Song You had decided to stay here tonight.

Stepping through the main gate, incense still burning, Song You first paid his respects to each deity, uttering a polite "disturbance" to each one, then found a corner away from the gate, bent down to blow away the dust on the ground, and sat down with his back against the wall.

The ground was cold and gradually warmed by his body heat.

Later in the evening, seven or eight people arrived successively, almost all of them martial artists with knives and swords.

They were also forced to stay here without any other choice.

Throughout the ages, to restrict population movement, ordinary people were usually not allowed to travel freely. However, these regulations only applied to honest folks, while businessmen, martial artists, and travelers like Song You each had their own ways of getting around. Traveling merchants had legitimate needs and official routes to follow.

Some martial artists had guides, and some didn't. Still, they all had their ways. However, it wasn't easy to find an inn midway, so they had to figure something out themselves.

Fortunately, there were many temples in Da Yan, and most of them, whether occupied or not, could accommodate lodgers. However, it was best to avoid those temples known for improper activities. Some martial artists were brave enough to spend the night even in abandoned temples rumored to be haunted.

This temple by the official road was undoubtedly legitimate.

Perhaps because they were all unwelcome to the authorities, or perhaps they valued human relationships greatly, when these martial artists met, whether they knew each other previously or not, they would quickly strike up a conversation. Even those with more reserved personalities, when greeted by others, would promptly return the courtesy, fearing a tarnish to their reputation.

They chattered away until late at night.

Some even came to disturb Song You, but upon realizing that he was not one of them, they left him alone.

Song You wasn't afraid.

Although these martial artists seemed fierce, they had their principles. Moreover, in this world, even if bandits encountered monks and Taoists, most wouldn't cause trouble.

Moreover, during the day, if Song You passed by a teahouse and didn't have any money, his success rate in getting a cup of coarse tea to drink with this robe alone was quite high. These martial artists were particularly concerned about their reputation and face. If he met them and said a few kind words, there was a good chance he'd get a steamed cake to eat.

After such a commotion, it was finally time to sleep.

The nights in the mountains were incredibly quiet, with only the sound of the wind blowing through the door and the distant snoring of guests from different lands.

Unknowingly, Song You fell into a dream.

In the dream, it was still this temple, with the same arrangement and statues, but without the scattered martial artists lying around. However, in front of him was an additional person.

This person was dressed like a merchant, but in vibrant colors, with a kind face, red as dates, and a figure that seemed clear yet indistinct, resembling and differing from the missing deity's appearance.

Before Song You could ponder further, the person bowed to him respectfully:

"I apologize for disturbing you, Your Grace. What brings you here so late?"

"Why has Master Wang come to me in the dead of night?"