I have a little bit of talent

Ten days later, Fang Mu headed westward, passing through more than a dozen cities and villages. Along the way, he enjoyed the scenery and experienced the local customs and practices.

The people of Yangzhou are hospitable. People who passed by many places knew that Fang Mu came from Yangzhou City and went to Yizhou, so they asked Fang Mu to be their guest. Fang Mu couldn't refuse, so he drank a few glasses of wine. Of course, the taste was not as good as the good wine of Yuanxianlou, but this simple human touch really made Fang Mu enjoy it, better than fine wine.

The Great Zhou Kingdom had thirteen states, the most prosperous of which was Jingzhou, where the capital was located, followed by Fengzhou in the south, where the business was the most developed. Yangzhou, as the hinterland of the Central Plains, had extremely developed transportation, with both water and land routes extending in all directions, and had been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It was also the largest granary of the Great Zhou Kingdom at that time.

Yangzhou is divided into two parts by a river running from west to east. The name of the river is Tianshui River, which means that its source comes from the sky. Over thousands of years, the continuous impact of the flow of Tianshui River has formed a vast central plain. The fertile soil and water are very suitable for the development of fisheries and aquaculture.

Merchants from all over the country have to pass through Yangzhou, so all major cities in Yangzhou are lined with shops and many of them are engaged in escort business.

At this time, Fang Mu had arrived at Tongyang City, the westernmost city in Yangzhou.

Tongyang City was built along the Luoxia Mountains in the middle of the country, and is located north of the Tianshui River. The Luoxia Mountains are the dividing line between Yangzhou and Yanzhou. Crossing the Luoxia Mountains is considered entering the territory of Yanzhou.

Fang Mu had been traveling on the official road all the way before, but the road ahead would not be so easy.

It just so happened that Fang Mu also planned to stay in Tongyang City for some time to see what life was like for the people of Tongyang.

After finding an inn and paying the deposit, Fang Mu began to tour Tongyang City.

It was noon and there were not many pedestrians on the street. Before Fang Mu went out, he went to the inn to ask the shopkeeper about fun places in the city. Knowing that Fang Mu came from Yangzhou City, the shopkeeper smiled and mentioned several suitable attractions for sightseeing.

The first place to go is naturally the largest restaurant in Tongyang City, Piaoxianglou. The most famous thing about Piaoxianglou is the Qingmu fruit wine brewed with local grains and Qingmu fruit, a specialty of Luoxia Mountain Range.

Unlike pure fruit wines such as Peach Blossom Wine, this Qingmu Fruit Wine is brewed with a combination of grains. It has a high alcohol content and a strong aftertaste. Although it is fragrant and easy to drink, no one can drink much.

Fang Mu arrived at Piaoxiang Tower and found that more than 80% of the dozens of tables in the huge hall were already occupied by guests, and it was very noisy.

He found an empty table and sat down. Soon, a sharp-eyed waiter came to greet him. Fang Mu asked the waiter to serve some local specialties and a pot of Qingmu fruit wine.

"It's much stronger, and not worse than peach blossom wine."

Fang Mu tasted a glass of fruit wine and found that it lived up to its reputation. The wine was refreshing and had the unique sweetness of Qingmu fruit. Not long after he swallowed it, he could feel a surge of alcohol. It was much stronger than peach blossom wine!

Fang Mu drank the wine, took a bite of the dishes from time to time, and observed the other guests in the hall.

As the largest restaurant in Tongyang City, Piaoxianglou's customers, in addition to locals, are mostly traveling merchants from various places, especially those from Yanzhou.

Since they have to pass through the Luoxia Mountains, merchants from Yanzhou usually travel in groups, and they will hire a few warriors to escort them and carry swords and other weapons.

The guests sitting at several tables next to the square wooden table were obviously traveling merchants from Yanzhou, and they were talking in Mandarin with a Yanzhou accent.

"Thanks to your help, we were able to reach Tongyang safely. We didn't expect that after so many years of traveling in Luoxia Mountains, there would be bandits robbing us. If it weren't for your great martial arts, we would have lost our goods, but we would have also been worried about our reputation!"

The first person to speak was a thin man who looked very smart. He stood up with a glass in hand and asked other merchants to toast the other three people at the table.

"I'm sorry that you guys haven't been allowed to drink for a while. The Qingmu fruit wine from Piaoxianglou is the most famous. I'll drink first to show my respect."

After that, he drank a full cup before sitting down. The other merchants also drank their cups and said, "Thank you very much, heroes."

The three people who were toasted did not hesitate and drank a full glass as well.

"Thank you, Boss. We are only doing this for money. Fortunately, our Iron Fist Sect is quite famous in Yanzhou. You little thieves should retreat now, otherwise you will never get away with it!"

The leader was tall and mighty, about thirty years old, and was dressed the same as the other two, a black short-sleeved tights, with dozens of iron rings on his wrists. When he tilted his head back to drink, the iron rings collided with his arms, making a tinkling sound.

Obviously, this iron ring is made of real steel. It is not a fake.

The other two were both young men in their early twenties. They did not have any iron rings on their hands, but their hands were covered with thick calluses, and it was obvious that they were also martial artists.

The middle-aged man was the most prominent among the three. From his cultivation, it could be seen that the iron rings on his hands were not light, and he could easily wear them and control them freely. Unlike the other two who had calluses on their hands from long-term martial arts training, this man's hands looked no different from those of ordinary people, except that his skin and muscles were tougher. It was obvious that he had practiced to a certain extent, and his skin and flesh had been polished, and the calluses had disappeared.

"Yanzhou Iron Fist Sect. I saw some records about this sect in the books in my father's study. It's a pretty good sect." Fang Mu recalled.

"Big Brother is right, but those little thieves are just unlucky. Big Brother hasn't taken any escort business for a few years. If he had taken us to see the world this time, he wouldn't have taken your business."

"That's right. My senior brother Tieshan is very famous in Huaicheng. He won't accept any ordinary business."

The other two disciples of the Iron Fist Sect smiled and were full of compliments to the big man.

"Yes, yes, you are all good men from Yanzhou, true heroes. We will stay in Tongyang for a few more days before returning, and we will trouble you heroes again. You three can have a good rest in Tongyang City these few days, and I will arrange all your expenses."

Boss Xie didn't get angry, he just picked up the glass and drank another glass of wine.

"Zhao Ming, Sun Rong, the most important thing in the world is honesty. Since we have received the money, we must do our job with a clear conscience. Besides, there are countless powerful people in the world, and I am still far from them."

Tieshan was obviously disgusted by the two's flattery and began to preach.

"I understand, senior brother." Zhao and Sun did not dare to refute and could only accept it.

"Ha ha!"

When Fang Mu saw Tieshan lecturing his two fellow apprentices, he recalled the past when he was often lectured by his brother Fang Zheng, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The two tables were close to each other, and Fang Mu did not hide his laughter, so it was heard by several people.

Tieshan's expression did not change, but Zhao Ming and Sun Rong's faces turned ugly, but they could not get angry because of the presence of their senior brother.

"My dear little brother, is there anything funny in what I said to my two junior brothers?"

Tieshan had already noticed that the boy was eating and drinking alone at a table. As a cultivator, he had no idea that there was anything wrong. The boy's dress did not look like that of a rich family, but his temperament was very special. He looked like both a Taoist and a scholar, which was very contradictory. He was confused and thought that he was just an ordinary boy. At this time, he saw that the two junior brothers looked unhappy. It was because of his public lecture, so he had to stand up and ask.