Chapter 421 Shadow Two

Chapter 421: You City: Level Two

By this point, someone as perceptive as Meng Wan could see through it all. That masked man had been feigning deep affection, deliberately deceiving the woman who willingly walked into the tiger's jaws, all for the sake of those one hundred red crystals.

Most of the crowd had grown accustomed to such scenes; the rest just looked on, numb and indifferent. Clearly, this kind of thing was hardly rare in You City.

When money's power outweighs everything else, morality is nearly worthless here.

To be born human, no matter how hard the struggle, is still luckier than being grass, trees, cats, or dogs. Meng Wan had fought tooth and nail to survive, which made him all the more disgusted by such callous disregard for human life. Even the rich young heirs who toyed with people's hearts and treated them like playthings wouldn't casually take a life.

"Uncle Luo, what were that man and woman talking about earlier? Is You City easy to get into but hard to leave?"

The tiger hadn't finished feeding yet, so there wasn't much to see down there. Aside from a few sick-minded blue-masked people who watched with relish, most of the crowd had dispersed. People nearby had already noticed the colors of Meng Wan's group's masks and chose to keep their distance.

Sixth Uncle took his time explaining to Meng Wan: "I imagine you've noticed, young master, that everyone in You City wears masks of different colors. Actually, in the early days, You City wasn't so orderly. It was only after some upheavals that it became what it is now, with mask colors determining rank."

He gave Meng Wan a brief rundown of the city's background, saying what needed to be said without revealing any of the specifics.

More and more blue-masked people were starting to stare at them. Though Sixth Uncle wasn't afraid of them, he didn't want any unnecessary trouble either. He led Meng Wan forward as he continued, "Black, of course, marks honored guests like yourself, Master Meng—those who've been invited. You can come and go as you please."

Meng Wan's eyes followed the direction the young man had gone, casually fishing for information: "How did those blue-masked people get in? Is there more than one way to enter You City?"

Sixth Uncle laughed heartily. "Master Meng, our Luo family has been around for a hundred years, and this You City has been thriving for over twenty. Many people have left You City, but do you know why word of it never reached the late emperor's ears in the capital?"

There was no pride in his tone—just a matter-of-fact statement from someone in a position of power. "First, the high officials who leave here want as few people as possible to know about it. Second, for ordinary blue-masked people, getting in is hard, and getting out is even harder."

Aside from the few honored guests invited in, most of You City's population were blue-masked people. Two out of ten had committed capital crimes outside. Three had offended deadly enemies. And five were gamblers who came in willingly, ready to pay any price for what they desperately wanted—mostly money, then status and official rank.

Even a lowly seventh-rank official post was enough to let an ordinary person completely change their fate overnight. For anyone struggling in the mud with no hope of seeing the light of day, such temptation was like grabbing hold of a miracle and never letting go.

To them, You City was a holy city.

As long as you could pay the price—whether for information, rare treasures, or even making someone "disappear"—it could all be arranged here. Of course, the higher the price, the more astonishing the transaction.

Unfortunately, without any real skills, they couldn't take anything out of You City. Even if they somehow succeeded through countless trials, they still couldn't leave easily, because there were conditions to meet before they could go.

Just one condition: ten thousand red crystals.

Too many people died in various accidents before they could ever save up that much. Even getting ten thousand red crystals was like navigating treacherous rapids—and once word got out, that person would face nearly every blue-masked person in You City, all driven to near madness.

Those who had successfully walked out of You City on their own could be counted on one hand—fewer than ten.

Meng Wan's lips pressed into a thin line. He had faced the evil of human nature before, but a hell like this, so utterly wicked—he had truly never heard of anything like it.

Sixth Uncle wasn't surprised by his silence. Compared to the other high officials and wealthy merchants visiting You City for the first time, Meng Wan was far more composed. Once they got a taste of the conveniences You City offered and took care of the problems they couldn't handle openly, they'd gradually come to enjoy it—even get addicted.

He continued his persuasion: "Lord Song is a good official who serves the country and the people. When we heard about his achievements in Lingnan, we were deeply impressed. It's always hard for someone from humble origins to rise to prominence—he must have gone through a lot to get where he is today."

That old fox, he sure knows how to talk.

Meng Wan's eyes curved beneath his mask. "Since I've followed Uncle Luo to You City, we can consider ourselves on the same side. Feel free to speak plainly, Uncle."

His tone was much more polite than when he'd addressed Sixth Uncle outside—a sign of goodwill. Though Uncle Luo was confident in You City's pull, Meng Wan's behavior in Lin'an had been so arrogant and his temperament so unpredictable that having him soften so quickly was an unexpected bonus.

Ahead stood a rather mysterious stone building. The deeper they went into the city, the more of these buildings without name plaques they saw. The blue-masked people coming and going either hurried past or shuffled along with heavy steps, weighed down by worry.

Black masks really did hold a lot of power in You City. Sixth Uncle casually picked a building and sat down on the stone stool set out for guests. "You're too kind, Master Meng. I'll take the liberty of speaking as your elder and offer some advice. Lord Song currently holds a high position at court and enjoys the emperor's deep trust, but it's hard being a lone minister. The Song family isn't like the great clans—with no one behind them for support, Lord Song has to struggle forward alone. This southern journey alone is fraught with countless assassination attempts. Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden ones are hard to guard against—you can only be on guard for so long."

Meng Wan agreed wholeheartedly. It was true—Song Tingzhou was already a rare capable minister, but without the support of Meng Wan, Ge Quan, and the various officials in the capital, he could still solve problems on his own, but it would be far harder.

"Tall trees catch the wind. There will always be petty people lurking in the shadows, looking for faults in Lord Song. Though You City is tucked away in a humble corner, Master Meng has yet to scratch the surface of its wonders. If the Song family has any hidden threats lurking in the shadows..." Sixth Uncle left the sentence hanging, but Meng Wan could guess what he meant.

Meng Wan watched the blue-masked people coming and going from the stone buildings, reading their moods through body language since he couldn't see their faces. "Oh? And what does Uncle Luo have in mind?"

Sixth Uncle smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out soon enough, Master Meng. Level One is where the most superficial transactions happen—no need for us to waste time here."

Level One was the top layer of You City, only slightly smaller than an ordinary small county town. It didn't sound big, but for an underground city, it was already impressive.

Besides the city's own trade, it drew fugitives from all over, disgraced officials, and people with all kinds of secret agendas—a real motley crew of every stripe and station.

Transactions on Level One were mostly material trades, information exchanges, or petty shady dealings—naturally beneath the notice of power players like the Luo family and "honored guests" like Meng Wan.

Sixth Uncle clearly knew the place like the back of his hand. He led Meng Wan to the nearest "gate"—the same purple-black door with the same chrysanthemum design. This door was presumably one of You City's entrances, and according to Sixth Uncle, these doors could also lead to Level Two.

As Meng Wan's group approached, a blue-masked man got to the door just ahead of them. "I bought a jade token. I want to leave." He looked pretty calm, but his voice trembled a little at the end.

"Put it in." The red-masked gatekeeper spat out a single cold word.

The blue-masked man carefully pulled out a jade token just like the one Meng Wan had, and placed it in the clear water of a silver basin. Ripples spread, and the clear water slowly turned yellow.

"I can leave now!" the blue-masked man shouted, excited.

"Fake."

"Kill him!"

Two voices rang out one after another. Meng Wan didn't see how they moved—he only knew a red-masked figure acted, and the man who had been trembling with hope moments ago was already dead, his head separated from his body.

Blood splattered everywhere, a few drops landing on Meng Wan's water-blue robes, staining them an ugly brown.

The male guard who had been silently following Sixth Uncle suddenly darted forward with surprising speed, fishing the jade token out of the basin before anyone could react. Meng Wan's eyelid twitched as he followed the movement—the chrysanthemum petals on the token hadn't turned yellow.

So the Luo family had their tricks. There was more to these jade tokens than met the eye.

After making sure Meng Wan had seen it, the male guard handed the token to Sixth Uncle. Sixth Uncle took it, momentarily startled, his fingers gently tracing the cool jade as he explained to Meng Wan: "You City's jade tokens aren't ordinary keepsakes. Some people can't scrape together enough red crystals to trade for a real one, so they take a different route and forge their own. There are people on Level One who make a profit selling fake tokens—just a way to scam newcomers."

He explained this to keep Meng Wan from suspecting that his own people had rigged the process, deliberately refusing to let someone go.

The evil of human nature was their own fault; between partners, keeping up a facade of righteousness was a form of mutual respect.

Sixth Uncle casually tossed the fake token to the ground, and it shattered with a crisp crack. Throughout it all, the four gatekeepers didn't so much as flinch.

Inside the gate, even red-masked people didn't have jade tokens carved with the chrysanthemum pattern—only black-masked honored guests did.

They repeated the same cumbersome entry procedure as before, and Sixth Uncle told the gatekeeper: "Level Two."

The gatekeeper took out a pink jade token shaped like chrysanthemum petals, closed the purple-black wooden door, pressed the pink petal token against it, and slowly began to turn it. A rhythmic clicking of mechanical gears echoed clearly through the silent doorway—strange and fascinating.

When it reached the right spot, the gatekeeper took back the pink token and shoved the wooden door open. The door was the same door, but the passage beyond had turned into a downward one—a deep, narrow corridor just wide enough for one person. A faint fragrance filled the passage, an indescribable scent as if it had seeped into the walls themselves.

Though pleasant, it felt unreal, as if you weren't standing in a stone corridor but in the depths of the underworld.

Sixth Uncle went first, and Meng Wan followed close behind. He discreetly tugged at the sachet at his waist, opened a small slit, and held it to his nose. A refreshing, invigorating scent hit his nose, clearing his head and sharpening his senses, leaving him light and alert.

He grabbed Chi Yu's arm, waved the sachet under Chi Yu's nose too, then tied it back up and hung it at his waist.

Again, steep steps going down, this time with wooden handrails on both sides. Looking down from above, Level Two was half the size of Level One, with fewer people moving around outside. The blue-masked people who dominated Level One made up only half the population here—the other half wore white masks.

The open space no longer had crude stone buildings and plazas, but proper single-story houses arranged in a ring around a central cluster of pavilions, each with its own distinct architectural style.

Every eight pavilions form a circle, surrounding a raised platform at the center.

There are nine such platforms throughout You'er, meaning seventy-two pavilions in total, with countless single-story houses filling the remaining space. Those coming and going are all white-masked figures, and they appear highly restricted, always moving in groups, each group watched over by a guard in a pink mask.

In You'er, black masks likewise represent the highest authority. Sixth Granduncle led Meng Wan directly toward a pavilion draped with an animal-hide curtain. The moment they stepped inside, the aroma of food hit them immediately. Apart from everyone wearing masks, it looked no different from an ordinary restaurant.

They headed straight for the second floor, with no waiter attending them along the way, nor anyone blocking their path. The second floor had only seven tables, all set against the windows, divided into seven private booths by boldly painted screens.

Few diners occupied the second floor—only one table of red-masked figures, plus two others wearing black masks like theirs. From the moment they arrived, those two had been subtly sizing them up.

Sixth Granduncle took it in stride. Black-masked individuals in Youcheng all held a certain status in the outside world; no matter how unlikely, someone had dared to come here. Even Prince Lian had once been among their number, having entertained princes and imperial descendants alike—no wonder Youcheng had such confidence.

Once Meng Wan settled in, he pushed open the window, which faced one of the platforms they had seen earlier. From this second-floor vantage point, he could look down at it at a slight angle.

Meng Wan had no idea what the other platforms were like, but the one before him was built from five-colored glazed bricks. In the sunlight, it would have been dazzling—but this was the shadowy depths of Youcheng.

Beyond the exquisite, dreamlike platform, a weathered stone pillar stood at its center, topped with a pink silk banner bearing the character for "dance."

"It's nearly noon now—this dance platform in You'er is the perfect place to rest and let Meng Fulang see something out of the ordinary." As he spoke, Sixth Granduncle rang a bell by the window. In no time, a white-masked attendant in plain short robes appeared silently at the table, bowing to await orders.

"Have them take the stage."

"Yes."

From his words, this stage was meant for performers. Meng Wan had little interest in such song-and-dance displays, but Sixth Granduncle gave him no chance to object—the man was pulling out all the stops to win Meng Wan over. For all the wealth the Luo family's Youcheng could amass, if their elite clansmen above were all slaughtered, they would be crippled.

As they had said, the Luo family had no wish to oppose Song Tingzhou. If only he would name his terms, they would do everything in their power to satisfy him. Unfortunately, Song Tingzhou's goal was simply to see them dead and defeated.

The food arrived faster than the dancers. Each person received one portion: two meat dishes, one vegetable, and one soup, all served in small bowls, with a single bowl of rice. If Song Tingzhou were here, he would need at least five portions to feel full.

Meng Wan had been walking for most of the day and was genuinely hungry. Watching Sixth Granduncle across from him begin eating, he furrowed his brow, picked up the small silver spoon, and took two mouthfuls of rice. Seeing no ill effect, he then tried a few bites of greens and fish, but left the other unknown meat untouched.

Sixth Granduncle glanced at him and silently lamented: if the Luo family's next generation had someone of this caliber, what would it matter if men like him died?