Yancheng has ten city walls from the inside to the outside, so it is called the ten-fold city by the locals. Because the whole city straddles the south ridge from north to south, the most central inner city relies on the high terrain and divides the whole city into two areas, north and south, so it is divided into the south city and the north city.

Zhang Xiaopaw: They are currently in the urban area of the North Ten Cities.

The carriage stopped in front of a hospital called the Quande Hospital, and as soon as it stopped, a group of poor people in tattered clothes pounced on them, kneeling on the ground and shouting one by one, begging for a little money or a bite to eat.

Most of the people who beg here are poor people who are sick or have relatives and friends who have no money to consult and get medicine.

"Scattered, scattered. ”

"It's almost gone!"

"If you collide with a distinguished guest, don't blame us for being polite!"

At the entrance of the infirmary, two men dressed as running men saw that the carriage was surrounded by beggars, and hurriedly picked up the sticks erected beside them and drove them away.

"Do you want to consult first, or just grab the medicine?" asked the guy while leading Zhang Xiaopu and a few people to the medical hall, his attitude was average, because Zhang Xiaopaw and his party were dressed really ordinarily, and they didn't have any money at first glance.

"Grab the medicine. Call your doctor or shopkeeper to come and talk. Zhou Jian responded.

"Huh. The guy raised his eyelids and said in a sharp voice: "Our old gentleman and the owner of the pavilion are busy saving lives and helping the wounded, how can I have time to come and chat with you." Isn't it just to grab medicine, just tell me. ”

Zhou Jianlai glanced at him coldly, but he didn't bother with him, and said: "Two pairs of channeling agents, two pairs of immortal bone powder, two pairs of rejuvenation pills, and two solid Peiyuan pills." ”

"This—this—" The guy had his mouth half-open, his expression extremely embarrassed, because he had never heard of any of the four medicines that Zhou Jian said. In fact, he is just a miscellaneous man, not even an apprentice, only knows some common medicines for colds and bruises.

"This son, we don't have these medicines you caught here. An old voice accosted her.

"Ah, Mr. Du, you came just in time, these people are going to catch some strange medicine. The man was like a life-saving straw, and hurriedly saluted respectfully to the old man who was talking, and then retreated behind the old man with a red face and waited.

"Excuse me, old man, where can I catch these medicines?" Zhang Xiaopu asked anxiously.

The old man frowned slightly, pondered for a while, and said: "At present, everything is exhausted, medicinal materials are extremely scarce, and the medicines that this prince wants to catch are all sought-after medicines for cultivation, among which the solid Peiyuan Pill is the most sought-after, and the inventory of many medical halls has long been sold out." If you want to get all these medicines, I'm afraid you'll have to go to the Great Medical Center in the North Five Cities. ”

"Ahh ”

"How is it not easy?" asked Zhang Xiaopu.

"You have to pay taxes to get into the city. Zhao Daqiang responded, "You have to pay a poll tax of 100 taels to enter the North Nine Cities, 200 taels of poll tax to enter the North Eight Cities, 500 taels of poll tax to enter the North Seven Cities, 1,000 taels of poll tax to enter the North Six Cities, and 2,000 taels of poll tax to enter the North Five Cities, and the North Four Cities are said to have been closed, and you can't get in if you have money." ”

"!" Lu Kaixue bared his teeth and sneered: "You officials in Yancheng are really good at doing business, why don't you get him one or two hundred city walls?"

"Who's to say it isn't. Zhao Daqiang shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Let's go. Zhou Jianlai arched his hand at the old man, greeted Zhang Xiaopaw and the others, turned around and walked out, and at the same time instructed Zhao Daqiang: "Send us to Beijiu City." ”

The carriage drove along the bluestone road to the gate of the North Nine Cities.

The atmosphere in the carriage was a little dull, and I thought that I would be able to wake up Niu Dawa immediately, but in the end it was empty of joy and encountered greater difficulties. The amount of money that needs to be paid to enter the five northern cities alone is overwhelming.

Zhou Jian looked at Zhang Xiaopaw, opened his mouth to break the silence, and asked, "Have you thought of any way?"

"Nope. Zhang Xiaopai was full of sadness, and lowered his head and replied in a muffled voice. He clasped his fingers into his hair and hugged his head, feeling dazed and helpless in his heart.

He has lived in Liujia Village since he was a child, circling around the farmland and mountains, and the largest place he has been to is the county seat, and the number of times is only a handful, and he has never seen the world, so that as soon as he entered such a big city as Yancheng, he felt at a loss for a while.

Suddenly, he raised his head, his gaze resolutely met Zhou Jianlai's gaze, and said, "I want to make money to save the eldest baby, at all costs, does Brother Zhou have a way to make money?"

Zhou Jianlai didn't answer him in a hurry, but looked at Lu Kaixue and Old Man Wu, and said, "I'm afraid the three of you won't be able to enter the city with us." ”

"Hmm. Lu Kaixue nodded gloomily, in fact, he was mentally prepared, but when Zhou Jian said it, he still couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart, and he felt discarded.

Old man Wu also nodded, for him, it was already an unexpected surprise to be able to enter the city, and he didn't dare to ask for any more luxury.

"Leave you two hundred taels of silver, and you will find a way to solve the problems of life. Zhou Jian said.

"Ah, what's so embarrassing about this?" Lu Kaixue couldn't help but be overjoyed, he never expected that Zhou Jianlai would leave them silver.

Zhou Jianlai waved his hand to signal him not to say more, and said: "Two hundred taels of silver to save some flowers, it should be enough for the three of you to live for half a month, half a month is enough for me and the pawn to solve the problem and settle down in it, and we will come out to pick you up when the time comes." Since I, Zhou Jianlai, am your master, I will definitely do my best to protect you. ”

"Thank you for being in charge!" Lu Kaixue said gratefully with tears in his eyes.

Old man Wu followed and thanked him, his throat choked, if it weren't for the narrow space in the carriage, he would probably take Xi'er to Zhou Jianlai and kowtow to Zhang Xiaopu.

Lu Kaixue took out the silver ticket, picked out a silver ticket with a face value of two hundred taels and kept it for himself, and handed the rest to Zhou Jianlai, who motioned for Zhang Xiaopaw to put it away.

After Zhang Xiaopaw put away the money, Zhou Jian looked at him and said: "If you want to earn so much silver in a short time, you can only use extraordinary means, you have to be mentally prepared." There is a question that you need to answer truthfully. ”

Zhang Xiaopaw nodded and said, "Brother Zhou, even if you ask, I will tell you the truth." ”

"What is your cultivation realm?" Zhou Jianlai asked.

Zhang Xiaopaw's face flushed, and he felt that his cultivation was too low to speak, but he still replied truthfully: "I just broke through the force gate." ”

Zhou Jianlai's eyelids jumped, although he had faintly noticed Zhang Xiaopu's cultivation realm, but when Zhang Xiaopu said it himself, he was still shocked.

First of all, Zhang Xiaopu's battle gate was congenitally occluded, in Shuanglong Valley, he and the Qin family sisters, Duan Baifei and Xu Murong despised him so much, thinking that it would be impossible for him to penetrate the battle gate in his life, but Zhang Xiaopaw slapped their faces fiercely, and he penetrated the force gate in just one month.

The second is Zhang Xiaopai's District Limen Realm cultivation, which is so strong that he can hardly catch the full force of the Sea Realm cultivator's full punch, what kind of terrifying combat power is this?

Zhou Jianlai was extremely curious about what kind of adventure Zhang Xiaoshu had in the Black Forest, which allowed him to ascend to the sky in one step, but this was an extremely private question, and he finally held back his curiosity and didn't ask.

Thinking that Zhang Xiaopu took advantage of his adventure in the Black Forest to ascend to the sky, but he lost his right arm in the Black Forest, Zhou Jianlai couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly, this is really more popular than people.

However, when I thought that I came to this wild goose city because of the loss of my right arm, I was guided by a master by chance, and I realized the will of the sword heart, which can be described as a blessing in disguise, and the depression in my heart was suddenly swept away.

I can't help but feel that the world is impermanent, and blessings and disasters are unpredictable.

Zhou Jianlai stretched out his hand and patted Zhang Xiaopaw's shoulder, and said, "Hurry up and rest, adjust your state to the best, there is a fierce battle waiting for you." ”

"Good. Zhang Xiaopaw nodded, then closed his eyes and recuperated, without asking more, because Zhou Jian was right, if you want to earn a lot of silver in a short time, you must use extraordinary means.

What kind of extraordinary means are nothing more than shady deeds such as raiding homes and robbing houses.

As long as he can save Niu Dawa, he is willing to do anything.

Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the gate of the North Nine Cities, and several people cherished each other at the gate of the city, waving goodbye.

The three of them paid three hundred taels of silver, and after being interrogated in detail, they changed to an identity token that looked a little more advanced, and entered the city through the long corridor.

There was a carriage waiting for work on the side of the road on the inside of the city gate, and Zhou Jianlai hired one for ten taels of silver, and instructed the coachman to go straight to the gate of the northern eight cities as quickly as possible. He was anxious because it was almost time to close the city gate.

The coachman took the silver, smiled happily, and drove straight to the gate of the North Eight Cities.

It was another half an hour, and before the city gate was closed, the carriage stopped in front of the gate of the North Eight Cities.

As with the previous procedure, he paid the silver, accepted the interrogation and examination, exchanged for a more advanced identity token, and entered the North Eight Cities.

Zhou Jianlai hired a carriage again, because the remaining silver money was not enough to pay for the cost of entering the Northern Seven Cities, so he instructed the coachman to go to the largest medical hall, planning to grab a few pairs of general tonic medicine for Niu Dawa to replenish her body, and then set out to make money.

"Rest assured, he is recovering well and has no worries about his life, but because his body is too weak and his qi is blocked, he has not woken up. Zhou Jianlai knew that Zhang Xiaopaw was worried about Niu Dawa, so he said something of relief to make Zhang Xiaopaw feel at ease.

"Hmm. Zhang Xiaopaw forced a smile on his face.

"Let's go to the infirmary first to grab two pairs of body-tonic pills for him to take, and then find a place to settle him, and then the two of us will go to do a big job. With enough silver, as soon as the city gate opens tomorrow morning, we will go straight to the five northern cities, and after grabbing the medicine for him to recuperate, he will soon wake up. Zhou Jianlai briefly talked about the next plan.

"Everything is arranged by Brother Zhou. Zhang Xiaopaw said.

The Yancheng City Lord's Mansion is located in the northeast district of the central city, and there is a bamboo forest courtyard on the west side of the mansion, and the bamboo in the courtyard has long been destroyed by the drought to death, and it is yellow.

At ten o'clock in the evening, the lights were still on in the small building of the bamboo forest courtyard, and the light shone through the open windows of the study.

There was a beautiful woman with delicate facial features sitting upright at the desk, picking up the neat notes arranged by the maid on the side and reading them one by one. She read quickly, swept most of the notes at a glance, and threw them into the paper basket next to her for the waste paper.

These notes record the big and small things that happened in Yancheng today, which she ordered her subordinate intelligence departments to collect, no matter how big or small, as long as they feel interesting or strange, they can be recorded and submitted. She spends an hour each night reviewing the notes and capturing useful information from them.

She was holding a note in her hand, which she was about to throw away, but she took it back halfway through, frowning slightly as she looked at the events recorded on the note.

"Miss, what's wrong?" the maid on the side asked curiously.

"Command this man to be found, in case what he says is true." The woman handed the note to the maid and commanded.

The maid took the note and glanced at it, and couldn't help but sneer, and said with a smile: "This person is mostly talking nonsense, if he knows where there is water, how can he gamble to win water." ”

"What if what he says is true? For now, as long as the information is in touch with the water, we have to take it seriously. The woman said in a serious tone.

"Yes. The slave and maid ordered someone to do it. I promised to bring him to the young lady tomorrow. The maid commanded.