Chapter 247: Chapter 143: A Thousand Li in a Single Day

The two arrived at the entrance of the Luo Family’s Blacksmith Shop. As expected, a rather luxurious two-horse carriage was waiting there.

The usual carriages that solicited passengers on the street had only a single horse and a much smaller compartment.

A two-horse carriage, however, had a very spacious compartment and offered a much smoother ride. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The driver was dressed similarly to the apprentices at the Luo Family’s Blacksmith Shop. The carriage was clearly Luo Yunzhi’s private vehicle for daily travel.

After Mu Xiaowan boarded the carriage, Chen Cheng turned, cupped his hands toward Luo Yunzhi, and said, "Thank you, Sixth Madam."

Luo Yunzhi waved her hand and smiled. "Go on, now."

Chen Cheng smiled back, stepped into the carriage, and the hardwood frame let out a soft, muffled groan, as if struggling under the weight.

’I’d better not break the Sixth Madam’s private carriage.’ He silently thought, quickly trying to shift his stance to distribute his weight more evenly.

He had just sat down on the luxurious leather seat when the supposedly firm cushion instantly sank deep.

"Oh! This leather seat looked so sturdy. How could it give way so easily?" Mu Xiaowan was startled by the sight. She instinctively reached out and pressed on the seat, only to find it very firm with nothing out of the ordinary. A suspicious look appeared on her face.

Chen Cheng smiled faintly. "It’s probably because I’m wearing heavy Inner Armor. I’m a bit heavy."

Chen Cheng was now over 1.8 meters tall. Although he didn’t look particularly bulky on the outside, his body was a mass of hard, knotted muscle, and he likely weighed nearly 200 pounds.

The Mountain Pattern Mysterious Gold Armor he wore weighed a full 398 pounds, and the Long Saber at his waist, which Elder Luo had forged from the leftover Profound Gold, was a Treasure Saber weighing another 62 pounds.

All together, his total weight had reached a terrifying sum of over 600 pounds. It would be strange if he *wasn’t* heavy!

"Let’s go," Chen Cheng ordered.

"Right away!" the driver called back. He immediately raised his whip high and shouted, "Giddy-up!"

The two sturdy, tall horses neighed and suddenly bolted forward, their speed much faster than usual.

Pulling such a heavy load, their forward momentum was naturally greater.

"Whoa! Slow down!" The driver was startled. He quickly lowered his whip and reined in the horses, and only then did the carriage gradually slow down.

Watching the carriage depart, Luo Yunzhi turned to walk toward the Luo Family’s residence. Just as she reached the gate leading to the rear courtyard, she saw Luo Tiezhu leaning against the back of the gate, gazing in the direction the carriage had gone, clicking his tongue repeatedly.

"Dad, why are you still here?" Luo Yunzhi chided gently.

Luo Tiezhu stroked his beard and muttered, "That boy is truly incredible! Not even Brother Zheng was this formidable in his day!"

Luo Yunzhi laughed. "Dad, what nonsense are you spouting? Chen Cheng’s talent in the Martial Dao is indeed extraordinary, but how could he compare to my husband?

Unless... you’ve discovered some incredible ability of his?"

"Alas... It cannot be spoken of!" Luo Tiezhu shook his head and ambled leisurely toward the Luo Family’s rear courtyard.

Only he knew just how terrifying Chen Cheng was. After swinging a great hammer all night as an assistant to forge the Profound Gold, and then putting on the nearly 400-pound Profound Gold Inner Armor, he was still as energetic as ever.

In his many years of life, this was the first time Luo Tiezhu had ever witnessed such a formidable young man.

Even Brother Zheng, who had been called a genius the likes of which Linji City hadn’t seen in centuries, was far from his equal.

"Oh, right. Later, you should introduce that girl Chengfeng to Ah Cheng," Luo Tiezhu suddenly said, turning to Luo Yunzhi who was following behind him.

Luo Yunzhi said in exasperation, "Dad, didn’t you see how loving Ah Cheng and Xiaowan are? Why would you want to introduce Chengfeng to him?"

Luo Tiezhu glared at her. "Our Chengfeng is not bad either. She can at least be Ah Cheng’s concubine."

Luo Yunzhi replied, "Chengfeng is the apple of my brother’s eye. How could he possibly agree to let her be a concubine? You should just give up on that idea."

Luo Tiezhu snorted. "If Mingyu dares to disagree, this old man will break his legs!"

...

The carriage left the Inner City, but instead of heading to Bailu Avenue, it went straight to the Celestial Water Pier.

Chen Cheng had been busy all night and was truly a bit tired. It was the perfect opportunity to go to the Drunken Immortal Tower to eat some Demon Beast Meat and Spirit Fish to properly replenish his qi and blood.

The sky was cloudless for miles, and the vast Jishui Lake was a stretch of azure blue.

Sunlight poured down, plating the occasional ripples on the lake’s surface into shimmering fragments of silver and gold. A southeasterly wind, carrying moist air, made the sails of the boats flap and snap.

Young masters and ladies on outings strolled leisurely about. Porters with bare, bronze-colored arms bustled around. Boat captains hawked for business one after another, their calls rising and falling. Gulls cried out from the sky. It was a truly bustling scene.

Mu Xiaowan held onto Chen Cheng’s arm, her face breaking into a joyful and excited smile as she gazed at the sparkling Jishui Lake.

The two hired a ferry and, knowing the way, arrived at the Drunken Immortal Tower Ship. They booked a quiet private room on the second floor.

Chen Cheng extravagantly ordered a huge spread: the Eight Treasures of the Drunken Immortal, five pounds of Demon Beast Meat, two Spirit Fish, and a jug of aged wine.

"Please wait a moment, honored guests. Your food and wine will be ready shortly!" Encountering such a generous customer, the waiter knew he could expect a good tip and went off cheerfully.

Mu Xiaowan blinked her clear, pool-like eyes and said, "Brother Cheng, a meal like this will cost over a hundred taels of silver. Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?

Even those wealthy masters from the Inner City probably wouldn’t dare to spend like this.

If you want to eat Demon Beast Meat, we could buy it and cook it at home. We’d save a lot of silver that way."

"Xiaowan, you’re still so mindful of our household," Chen Cheng chuckled, pulling Mu Xiaowan into his embrace. "We’re short on time for lunch, so we’ll eat at the Drunken Immortal Tower. We can cook dinner at home."

"Okay." Mu Xiaowan nodded. Feeling the familiar, fiery warmth from Chen Cheng’s body, a blush spread across her fair cheeks, which were as smooth as suet jade.

Chen Cheng’s heart stirred. He lowered his head and gently pecked her smooth, jade-like forehead.