The one making the snide remarks was none other than the person collecting the money. He had a small mustache and looked like a steward.

He had already been very disdainful of Xiao Shan's appearance. After Xie Zhui handed over the silver, he noticed the bright red cinnabar mole on Xie Zhui's forehead and couldn't help but sneer, "The sickly one has quite a peculiar taste, but he matches well with the ugly ger."

His voice was loud, causing the people standing behind him to burst into laughter.

Xiao Shan was instantly displeased. It was one thing to look down on him, but to publicly belittle Xie Zhui like this made him very angry.

Xiao Shan gave the man a cold, sarcastic smile. Seeing his expression, Xie Zhui quickly grabbed his arm.

Xie Zhui's intention was clear: they were here to investigate a case, and there was no need to engage with this person right now. Such a petty individual could be dealt with later.

Xie Zhui didn't want to cause a scene, but the man collecting the money noticed Xiao Shan's look and raised an eyebrow, ready to cause trouble. "What's with that expression? Am I not right?" he taunted.

Xiao Shan sneered inwardly. There wasn't anyone born yet who dared to call themselves "master" in front of him.

Xiao Shan looked at the man and said slowly, "Do you know, there aren't many people in this world who dare to be more arrogant than me. Even my father has never spoken to me like that."

"Your father?" The man laughed loudly and arrogantly said, "Once you're in Liangzhou, I am your father. Since you mentioned your father in front of me, it wouldn't be right if I didn't teach you a lesson on his behalf today."

Xiao Shan narrowed his eyes and sneered, "I'm afraid you don't have that privilege."

Hearing this, the man collecting the money stood up and rolled up his sleeves. But before he could make a move, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his legs and fell flat on the ground.

He cried out, "Who ambushed me?"

The people behind him also panicked, shouting "Master Liu, Master Liu."

At this moment, the guards who had separated from Xiao Shan deliberately caused a commotion. They surged forward, seemingly in disarray, but in reality, they were beating and scolding the household servants while loudly protesting against paying the silver.

In the chaos, Xiao Shan stomped hard on the man lying on the ground. If his legs weren't weak, he would have crushed the man's mouth.

Many people took advantage of the confusion to leave the dock.

Xiao Shan and his group were among those who left. Zong Qing and Xie Chen, who had initially planned to separate from them, also gathered around and left together.

As they walked out of the dock, Xiao Shan glanced back at it.

Given the current situation at the Liangzhou dock, regardless of whether Liu Jingxuan, the prefect, was guilty of embezzlement or murder, he was certainly not clean.

Just based on today's incident, Liu Jingxuan was in for a beating.

The group entered Liangzhou City, which was bustling and lively, with people coming and going in great numbers.

The people who entered the city with Xiao Shan dispersed, and not long after, the guards who had deliberately caused trouble also arrived.

A group of a dozen people standing on the street was quite conspicuous.

At this moment, a young man dressed in simple, patched clothes hesitated for a moment before approaching Xiao Shan and whispering, "If you don't want trouble, don't stay at the inns in the city. Otherwise, those people will find you quickly."

Xiao Shan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this implied the household servants had connections with the city inns.

That so-called Master Liu must be related to the Liu family.

The Liu family, the inns—could it be collusion between officials and merchants?

The young man, feeling a pang of conscience, had kindly offered a warning. After saying this, he was about to slip away.

However, he didn't manage to escape, as Zong Qing blocked his path.

During the days on the boat, Zong Qing had become a bit tanned, but his spirits were still high. His face was stern and gave off a sense of safety and righteousness.

Zong Qing earnestly said, "Since you have kindly warned us, why not go all the way and help us find a place where we can stay temporarily?"

The young man: "..."

Was his good deed going unrewarded?

Xie Zhui said, "As long as there's a place, we can pay silver."

After saying this, he glanced around subtly, "Our master is a person of status. We just arrived in Liangzhou today and don't want to cause trouble, not because we're afraid of them. We can guarantee your safety."

The young man looked at their attire and then at their numbers, feeling a bit disgruntled, "What does your status matter? Once you're in Liangzhou, aren't you just like fish in a barrel?"

After saying this, he pursed his lips and said, "I can help you find a place to stay, but will you really pay silver?"

Xie Zhui replied, "Of course, we will."

The young man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Then follow me."

As they followed the young man, they learned that his surname was Jin, and his name was Jin Gui. He was a scholar who had left Liangzhou to borrow money from relatives due to his financial difficulties.

It was also for this reason that he took the risk of agreeing to find a place for Xiao Shan and the others to stay.

Jin Gui didn't take them elsewhere but directly brought them back to his home. He explained his family's situation in advance, making it clear that they were poor.

If Xiao Shan and his group intended to use their numbers to rob them, it would be pointless.

As they walked, they talked about the situation in Liangzhou.

Zong Qing said, "You just arrived, but you must have heard that an imperial envoy is coming. Aren't those people afraid of collecting money so recklessly?"

Jin Gui snorted and sneered, "They aren't afraid precisely because they know. The one coming is Prince Li! He and the Liu family are as close as sharing the same bed. What good will his arrival do?"

Xiao Shan: "..."

This was quite an injustice. He had only ever shared a bed with Xie Zhui.