“We Wushan tea merchants have a shop in Yidu, right in the west city. Just ask for the Wushan Tea Shop. Sir, when you arrive in Yidu, if you need anything—whether you want someone to show you around or need help with something—please don’t hesitate to come find us.”

　　“Take care.”

　　Brian Carter’s tone was gentle yet indifferent.

　　“Farewell, sir.”

　　“Farewell, sir…”

　　The merchants loaded their goods and hurried off.

　　Having walked less yesterday, today they had to make up for it.

　　In no time, only Brian Carter was left at the pavilion.

　　At this moment, the sun had just come out, suddenly revealing the blue at the edge of the sky. Light slanted through beneath the clouds, almost as if it had form, strand by strand. At first, it felt cool on the face, but soon it became pleasantly warm.

　　It seemed it would be another fine day.

　　“Yidu…”

　　Brian Carter looked up at the sky, murmured softly, then shouldered his pack and set off again.

　　No need to worry about a thousand-mile journey; the wind will bring you there.

　　Along the road, ancient cypresses looked as if they’d been washed in water, droplets hanging from their branches, crystal clear, occasionally falling to the ground. The morning mist still lingered, pooling quietly in the mountain hollows in the distance, and up close, blurring the Emerald Cloud Corridor, making the old road stretch out of sight, only to gradually dissipate in the morning light.

　　There would be no more fog ghosts along this stretch.

Chapter Four: The Village Temple Has a Spirit

　　Dayan’s commercial economy was highly developed, the most prosperous of all dynasties. As a major thoroughfare, the Emerald Cloud Corridor was lined with tea shops and inns, especially tea shops.

　　Tea shops were an essential need along the official horse road.

　　Heading toward Yidu, the further you went, the more there were.

　　These tea shops not only provided a place to rest and drink, but some also offered simple food—always better than dry rations. The tea itself came in different grades; the lowest was just water with salt, maybe a hint of tea flavor. Pay a bit more, and you could get boiled tea like in the city, though the taste depended on the shopkeeper’s skill and conscience.

　　Brian Carter hadn’t gone far before spotting a tea shop ahead, quite busy, with steam rising from the bamboo steamers—a tempting sight for a traveler in the wilds. He went over, sat down, ordered a bowl of tea and two steamed buns, and finally opened the purse the merchants had given him.

　　Inside were all small pieces of silver, hard to tell the weight.

　　A rough estimate—about ten taels or so.

　　Silver as a commonly circulated currency had only started in this dynasty; before that, it was rarely used in everyday transactions. This was convenient for travelers like Brian Carter. Still, most people used Dayan Tongbao—copper coins—and silver was converted into coin value when used.

　　Last time he came down the mountain, one tael of silver was worth nearly 1,200 coins.

　　Yesterday, he’d almost emptied the temple’s savings before leaving, bringing nineteen taels of silver and a string of copper coins. The old Daoist wouldn’t be able to go down the mountain to buy meat for a while.

　　All together, it seemed a decent sum.

　　But with Dayan’s commercial prosperity—so much to buy, so many ways to spend, so many wealthy people, so many jobs, and even higher average wages—once you left the mountain and the small villages below, this money wouldn’t last long.

　　Brian Carter hadn’t brought much with him; he’d have to prepare everything on the road. If he ended up with too much stuff, he’d probably need to buy a horse or mule.

　　Brian Carter planned to buy one in Yidu.

　　Although the tea-horse market in Yizhou was controlled by the government and private trading was technically forbidden, it was still cheaper and better to buy horses and mules in Yidu than elsewhere. It was said a decent southwestern horse cost only about twenty thousand coins, and a mule would be even cheaper.

　　Buying a horse or mule wouldn’t be a bad idea…

　　As he pondered, the tea arrived.

　　A bowl of the shop’s best tea, with all sorts of things floating in it, and two steamed buns, each bigger than a fist, made from pale yellow dough and steaming hot.

　　Brian Carter took a bite of bun, a sip of tea, and glanced at the other customers.

　　Most here were merchants and travelers, but there were also some wandering martial artists. They might be silent on the road, but once seated, they’d chat idly.

　　Some talked about the recent tea-horse market, some about the upcoming autumn exams, some about which temple had shown miracles or which stretch of mountain road had monsters, some about temple fairs, and the martial artists discussed grand events in the jianghu. It was all a jumble, like the tea itself, sketching out a corner of the world.

　　Brian Carter ate and drank slowly, listening quietly.

　　The tea table was worn smooth, dappled with sunlight.

　　The tea wasn’t clear and light, but thick and strong. With the two buns, Brian Carter was nearly full when he finished and called for the bill.

　　A little over ten coins in total—the tea cost more than the buns.

　　Brian Carter counted out the money and casually asked, “Shopkeeper, how far is it from here to Yidu?”

　　“Almost four hundred li, through four counties.”

　　“Four hundred li…”

　　By Brian Carter’s own reckoning, a li in Dayan wasn’t as long as in his previous life—four hundred meters at most. With good legs, you could cover a hundred and eighty li in a day without much trouble.

　　“Are there any inns ahead?”

　　“Heading toward Yidu, the nearest carriage inn is sixty li away. If you walk fast, you’ll make it.” The shopkeeper took the money from his hand, saw him counting, so he didn’t bother to count again and just pocketed it. “But there are two temples along the way, both empty. If you ask me, sleeping in a temple isn’t any worse than an inn.”

　　“I see.”

　　In this era, many temples accepted travelers for the night, especially Buddhist ones. They were highly functional, far more than just places for worship and incense.