At that moment, Li Yan's cart was passing through the long city gate tunnel. The tunnel was exceptionally long, yet it was not damp. Its tall and wide design allowed for good ventilation, keeping it dry and well-lit. It took them several dozen breaths before the cart finally emerged from the gate and entered the city proper.
Facing the gate tunnel were three roads, all paved with large green flagstones. Years of foot and cart traffic had made the road surface gleam as if oiled; even the slightly uneven cuts on the flagstones and the gaps between them were worn smooth and round. The central road was clearly wider than the two on either side, undoubtedly the main thoroughfare. The two side roads wound their way outwards, their destinations unknown. Buildings lined both sides of the road, mostly two or three-story structures, with various cloth banners and signs hanging from their entrances. People milled about, their shouts and greetings creating a lively atmosphere, a bustling scene even in the afternoon.
With pedestrians coming and going, Li Guoxin naturally slowed the cart. The three boys on board couldn't take everything in at once, their heads constantly turning, finding it all incredibly novel. Many things they had never seen or even heard of before.
"Brother Yan, look, that shop with the iron bars and counter, where the person outside has to stand on their toes and lean their face against the small opening to talk, that must be a pawnshop, right?" Li Yu asked, having spotted one.
"Little Yu, Little Yu, look at that three-story restaurant! It's so grand! And it smells so good! I've never smelled anything like it. Not even the aroma of a roasting wild boar is this fragrant! If you become an apprentice here in the future, you'll be really skilled!" Li Shan said, pointing to a restaurant they had just passed.
Li Guoxin turned back and smiled. "You'll all be living here for a long time, so you'll have plenty of time to look around. But you must learn your skills well. If you get sent back to the village, that would be a disgrace. The places you're going are still further ahead."
Li Yan also found his eyes filled with new sights. There were so many things he had never seen before; some he had heard his father and the other villagers talk about, but others were completely new to him. He couldn't help but marvel at how vast the outside world was and how little he knew.
After the cart had traveled for some time through the crowd, it stopped at a two-story restaurant. Although it was only two stories, it had a wide storefront, spanning seven or eight adjacent street-facing facades. The interiors of these facades were all connected, making the main hall exceptionally spacious and bright. It wasn't peak time for customers yet, but there were still people coming and going, likely the kind of place where one could eat whenever they arrived. The restaurant's sign spanned several of the central facades, looking very grand and eye-catching. It read: "Natural Inn."
Li Guoxin drove the cart to the rightmost facade of the Natural Inn, found a large tree, and parked underneath it, tying the reins to the tree. He then had Li Yu get down, told Li Yan and Li Shan to wait by the cart, and led Li Yu into the central entrance. Li Yan and Li Shan stood by the cart, watching the bustling street scene, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. In truth, with Li Yu's departure, they knew the moment of separation had arrived. From now on, they would have to live alone in this strange place. The excitement and anticipation from before had vanished, replaced by a trace of fear, a fear born from being helpless and alone in a foreign land. Lost in their own thoughts, they both remained silent.
After some time, Li Guoxin returned with Li Yu, followed by a portly man in his thirties wearing a loose, oversized robe. They walked slowly to the cart, where Li Guoxin said to Li Yu, "Get your things." He then turned to the portly middle-aged man and smiled. "Manager Li, I'll take this contract back to the boy's parents. I'll leave the child in your care. I hope that for the sake of our shared ancestry, you will look after him. I, Li, thank you for this." With that, he cupped his fists in a salute to Manager Li.
A smile also appeared on Manager Li's chubby face. "Guoxin, you're too kind. Our elders were from the same clan, so of course I will take care of him. You can rest assured leaving the boy here. As long as he can endure hardship, he will surely have a promising future."
Li Guoxin waved a hand at Li Yu. "Go with your uncle. From now on, you must be diligent and quick with your hands and feet. When you encounter problems, ask more questions and do more work."
Li Yu had already taken his luggage from the cart. Choking back sobs, he said to Li Yan and Li Shan, "Brother... Yan, Brother... Shan, come... see me when you have time." He looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
Li Yan and Li Shan forced smiles that looked worse than crying and replied respectively:
"Alright, we'll come see you when we have time."
"Little Yu, you work hard. Brother Shan will come to eat the dishes you make."
Manager Li smiled at the scene. "Let's go." He gave a respectful nod to Li Guoxin, turned, and walked towards the inn. Li Yu followed behind him with his luggage, looking back every few steps, reluctant to leave, until he finally disappeared through the doorway.
Li Guoxin then told the other two to get on the cart. He untied the reins from the tree, sat on the driver's shaft, and said to them, "A real man doesn't act like this. You're here to learn a skill. Learning a skill and bringing your parents here, that's what a real man does." Without looking at them, he urged the horse forward.
The cart continued on. After a few more turns, it stopped at a place called "Ironware Pavilion." Just as before, he had Li Shan get off and follow him, leaving Li Yan alone to guard the cart. After a while, Li Guoxin and Li Shan returned, but this time they were followed by two others. One was a man over a zhang tall, bare-chested, with muscles even more formidable than Li Guoxin's, gleaming darkly in the sun. With every movement of his arms and body, his muscles rippled like mice skittering across his skin. He had thick eyebrows, round eyes, and was about forty years old. Beside him was a boy about Li Shan's age, but this boy was also sturdily built, with large hands and feet, a full size bigger than Li Shan.
Li Yan later learned that this man was the owner of the shop, named Lu Kui. He was a master craftsman, unrivaled in the city whether it was forging military weapons or farm tools. He also frequently repaired weapons for the city's garrison. The boy beside him was his eldest apprentice, Liang Shi. What followed was the same as with Li Yu. After a few words of instruction, Li Shan, with red eyes, also bid farewell to Li Guoxin and Li Yan and left with the two men.
Having experienced several partings in one day, the young man's mood was now at its lowest.
Li Guoxin looked up at the sky and said to Li Yan, "We need to hurry to the drill grounds. It should still be around three in the afternoon. Any later and we might have to wait until tomorrow." Li Yan quickly composed himself and nodded. The sight of Li Yu and Li Shan's earlier state had sent his own thoughts spinning, making him miss his parents, brother, and sister. But he knew that for now, he could only take things one step at a time. The future was a vast, unknown haze.
Li Guoxin drove Li Yan towards a certain location at a faster pace. Before long, they arrived at a large gate enclosed by high courtyard walls. Li Yan saw the walls extending in an arc on both sides, so far that he couldn't see the full extent of the compound. The area within the walls had to be enormous. Li Guoxin parked the cart some distance away, tying it to a hitching post where many other horses and carts were already tied. Then, he led Li Yan towards the main gate.
At the gate, a dozen or so soldiers stood guard with their weapons. A line of about a dozen young men and a dozen or so people who appeared to be their escorts were also waiting there. When they saw the two of them approaching, they didn't show much surprise, merely glancing over before turning their attention back to the soldiers at the gate.
When they reached the gate, a soldier walked over and asked, "Are you here for the Aegis Guard recruitment?"
Li Guoxin pointed to Li Yan and bowed. "Yes, Sir. He is here for the test."
The soldier pointed at Li Yan. "Just in time. Come over and go in with this group."
Li Yan quickly stepped forward and stood at the back of the line of young men as instructed by the soldier.
After seeing them line up, the soldier turned to Li Guoxin and the others and pointed to the side. "You can wait over there. The results should be out around five this evening."
Only then did Li Guoxin notice a large, dark crowd of people sitting on the ground or standing some distance away on the other side of the gate, looking in their direction. These must have been the escorts who had arrived earlier.
It seemed that many people were participating in this recruitment. After all, the duties of the Aegis Guard were appealing to many village households.
Li Guoxin looked at Li Yan, who was also looking his way. Li Guoxin pointed to the waiting area and then to himself, indicating that he would be waiting there. Li Yan nodded in understanding. Li Guoxin then walked with the other dozen or so escorts towards the waiting area.