Vol 7 Chapter 34 (1/2)

VOLUME 7 CHAPTER 34: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS A SHORT REST IN XIANGYANG (3)

Liu Bei POV

The streets of Xiangyang city in Jing state are really different.

Compared to Xu state’s friendliness, Xuchang’s majesty and Shouchun’s sincerity, the impression I had of Xiangyang city was that of wealth.

Yes, wealth. A very obvious show of wealth.

Even after walking through the outer city, I didn’t even see a single beggar, nor did I see any obvious signs of poverty such as tattered clothing on anyone. There’s no high-ranking official inspection in this era so there’s no way that this is just a pretense, nor am I some high-ranking official to begin with, so this place is probably just that wealthy.

The ordinary people I walked past always had some jade or bronze accessories on them even if their clothing were normal and plain. And if you took a closer look, you would see that the accessory usually had exquisite designs. Though people feared and respected royal authority and obeyed the customs of not making dragon carvings, they went with other animals and mystic creatures. And I must say that the carvings are really lifelike.

Just from these tiny details, I could keenly sense why this territory was so well-sought after. There was its strategic position, and its socio-economic status, both of which were superior to most states.

“Uncle, shall we head towards the inner city?”

“Ah… Un, the market is in the inner city right?”

“Yes, most of the stalls are gathered there.”

And so, we decided to head towards the inner city.

“Liu Qi, which direction is it?”

“Ah, just turn left at the intersection ahead, uncle.” Liu Qi said as she pointed it out for me.

This experience has really taught me the importance of having a tour guide. This was so much easier than when I had to navigate Xuchang blind back then.

“This way?”

“Yes, uncle.”

Wu.

But… I felt really weird hearing her call me uncle. I’m not even 20 yet but I’m of an older generation than her. It’s the truth, but it’s difficult to accept.

“I’m sorry about this. You personally came to find me only to come along with us.”