When the Daoist Official travels, according to the Dragon Court regulations, he can enjoy ceremonial privileges.

These include the rights to ride in a carriage and sedan chair, the beating of drums and gongs, and the sprinkling of water to purify the street.

The common folk, should they collide with the Daoist Official’s carriage, would be held accountable.

A light sentence would be thirty strokes, a severe one exile to the countryside.

This is why the prestigious families of the Thirteen Trades in Yihai Prefecture all live lives of luxury and wealth.

Yet they still long to enter the Daoist School, to become scholars, and seek the Child Talisman as the fundamental reason.

Da Fu can never compare to Da Gui, financial power can never surpass authority.

Like Chongxu Zi, who rules over a prefecture, controlling various villages as the "Earth Emperor."

Ceremonial standards could be set with four green flags, green fans, and a yellow apricot-colored umbrella.

Eight warriors wield copper rods, beast swords, and wooden plaques of clearance and silence.

Even the sedan chair and the carriage used by the Daoist Official must comply with the Dragon Court’s standards.

For instance, the Prefecture City Daoist Official’s sedan top uses silver, while the carriage and curtain use black, but the County Daoist Official can only use tin.

From all aspects, it showcases the treatment differences among the three registers and six households.

This time Chongxu Zi was on a pilgrim journey, therefore he did not raise the army and battalion.

Nor did he wear the silver-thread embroidered Daoist Official court robes depicting the sun, moon, and stars that symbolize his identity.

He only wore a simple straight-collared robe with plain color, his hair tied with a pine-patterned wooden hairpin, with the elegant aura of a crane in frost, accompanied by a red-lipped, white-toothed, sword-carrying Little Daoist Child, quite ethereal.

On the dock, the local scoundrels who fleeced foreign fat sheep were perceptive, recognizing the might of the old Daoist.

Silently, they retreated thrice backward and began dispersing the crowd, maintaining order.

They chased away beggars, displaced disaster victims, and impoverished people selling their children.

"Big Brother, why do you do this?"

"You don’t understand, noble people are kind-hearted and can’t bear witnessing suffering."

The scoundrel leader educated his minions:

"Yihai Prefecture has been peaceful for a long time, thanks to the blessing of Daoist Officials, with favorable weather every year, so there shouldn’t be beggars and disaster victims unable to eat."

The underling suddenly understood, realizing that the Big Brother thought it through deeply.

"We make a living under the Pai Bang, with such a big business in water transport, we pick a bit of leftovers to fill our stomachs."

The scoundrel leader huddled in a corner, arms crossed:

"Thus, we must not let the Government Office lords perceive that the Pai Bang isn’t doing their job, making the people below live poorly."

A group of minions immediately comprehended, usually when those stewards from Pai Bang came by, they would also put on a show of working diligently.

To let the higher-ups know, they didn’t raise a group of brothers for nothing.

The same applies!

"From now on, you all should be more observant in your work. Outsiders coming into the city for the first time, most haven’t seen the world, finding everything new and interesting."

The scoundrel leader shared his experiences, eyes scanning around, suddenly landing on a pair of brothers stepping off a boat. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Look, they’re the typical fat sheep. Wearing well, but only two of them, without attendants, the small one looking around like a country bumpkin; the older one is also unfamiliar... Later, Xiaoliuzi should be attentive, investigate and probe them."

The underling asked:

"Big Brother, shall we follow the old rules?"

The scoundrel leader nodded:

"As usual. Relatives, first help them find an inn to settle, lead them to Yuelai Tower in the east of city, we can earn a reward.

If they’re sightseeing, check if they fancy women and are frequent brothel visitors, introduce them to Mrs. Sang at Silver Hook Workshop, if they’re rookies yet have thoughts, too shy to ask directly, hehe, find two pleasing ones to attend them.

Make sure there’s no background, Lao Wu plays the elder brother, Lao San acts as the husband, put on a convincing show, extorting a hundred taels isn’t difficult.

If they have status, we just fold our flags and retreat, act like we accompany them for fun."

The youth called Xiaoliuzi, fifteen or sixteen years old, looked smart, and when he smiled, he was particularly charming.

"Big Brother, Wu the Second from Golden Tower approached me, saying that if we do business with these fat sheep in the future, we can take them there, offering half of the profits."

The scoundrel leader frowned, eyeing Xiaoliuzi:

"Did you agree?"

The latter trembled inside, shaking his head vigorously:

"No, I always follow Big Brother’s words, if you do not consent, how could I agree,"

The scoundrel leader breathed a sigh of relief, his tone softened:

"Golden Tower is a hellhole that drains a person dry, we must never skirt it.

They’re too ruthless, unless you belong to the high door of the Thirteen Trades, they wouldn’t stop unless all your blood is drained, you and I cannot afford such karmic debt."

Lao Wu chuckled:

"Big Brother, when did you start believing in Buddhism? You even talk about cause and effect."

The scoundrel leader snorted coldly:

"As the saying goes, you often walk by the river, how can you not wet your shoes? We don’t do honest work, how could we always be lucky and trick the fat sheep every time."

Not partnering with Wu the Second to harm people, it’s seeking peace of mind, because even if you kick a steel plate, encounter a tough character, bowing and scraping like a grandson, paying for mistakes and begging forgiveness, you can keep your life.

If you consistently take the fat sheep to gamble there’s bound to be trouble, people wouldn’t dare smash the Golden Tower, but wouldn’t they dare to kill a few worthless minions like you?"

A group of minions felt alarmed, admired more deeply, no wonder Big Brother could hold on to a spot like the dock.

"Big Brother, watch my skills!"

Xiaoliuzi immediately strode forward, chest out, heading toward the two "fat sheep" already disembarked.

He was covered in worn leather, hands in sleeves, despite looking shabby, he was groomed neat, not to the point of repulsing people.

...

...

"Ah brother, so many shops, so many vendors, so many people..."

Bai Ming’s eyes were sparkling, the usual stern face while patrolling fish stalls now burst with youthful excitement.

The breadth of Nu Yun River is far greater than Black Water River, it’s the waterway connecting the entire Prefecture City and even Dragon Court.