16 Chapter 16 – Qinglu City (1/2)
Zhu Xuan reached the central market in the village once he left from Bai clan building.
He found a cloth store to buy some new clothes and also bought an iron sword in a weapons store. Once he purchased them, he left the village immediately.
It is more than half a day travel from Clearwater village to Qinglu city, and he had to pass through two villages, and a small mountain to reach the city. He didn't bother about travelling in the night and he wasn't bothered by the bandits on road either. He stayed in Snowcape Demon Mountain, so compared to the dangers there, this is nothing for him.
He travelled fast and bypassed the villages directly and entered the mountain. He did felt some gazes on him when he entered the mountains but no one attacked him. Maybe they thought he didn't have any money since he is still in his ragged clothes or since he is travelling in night alone they had some apprehension towards attacking him.
He reached the peak of the mountain by the middle of the night, and sat in a clearing to rest. Entry is not allowed until sunrise in the city so he had to stay here for now.
Early next morning, he woke up and used his body transformation technique to change himself into a middle aged man. He increased his height, changed his skin tone, and made his body with more build and changed his face to a normal looking manwith a small scar on his left cheek using the technique. He changed his clothes and walked to the peak and looked at the Qinglu city a mile away from the top of the mountain.
The rays of sunrise were falling on the city and it gave an ethereal feel to the city. He looked at the city from the top of the mountain, which is formed in a circle with three walls in concentric circles, separating the central palace of the city.
He recollected his memories when he looked at the city in the distance.
Qinglu city has hundred feet tall sturdy Outer wall with ballista installed every few hundred meters, and soldiers patrolling all around the day, and it had four gates on four directions. In between the outer wall and middle wall lived lower class and middle class families and garrisons of soldiers of the city.
Middle wall was also the same height of outer walls and there were no ballista, but the people patrolling the walls were not soldiers but the clan members of five clans with five entrances. The area between middle and inner walls are separated into five territories, each governed by five prominent clans: Bai Clan, Zhu Clan, Fang Clan, Juan Clan, and Lan Clan. Prominent clan covers 70% of the area in a territory and the remaining 30% are covered by small clans and wealthy families that are under the five prominent clans.
Inner wall also have the same height of the other two walls and it was patrolled by the Special Forces soldiers of the Kingdom. It also had five entrances and anyone who wanted to enter the inner walls; they have to cross through the five prominent clan.
Zhu Xuan looked at the big palace inside the inner city wall which is visible clearly even from this distance.
He recalled the information shared by Bai Wuji and Bai Ling about Lei Shu Kingdom. He learned the kingdom worked like a monarchy and each city under the kingdom has a commandery and governed by the Imperial family. He also learnt about various clans and influential powers among these cities. There were hundreds of clans and influential families in the Lei Shu Kingdom and the ten most powerful families are living in the Imperial city.