At the first pale hint of dawn, the guards stationed at Xi'an Prefecture's East Gate noticed something strange unfolding beyond the city walls.
A great mass of workers wearing yellow hats streamed toward the East Outercity, their figures moving in steady lines through the morning mist, pouring directly into the long-abandoned ruins.
The East Outercity had been decaying for years. Once lively, it had gradually turned into a wasteland of collapsed wooden houses, rotted beams, and half-fallen shopfronts, a bleak stretch of ruin where weeds grew taller than men and the wind howled through empty frames like a place already claimed by ghosts.
The Yellow Hats did not hesitate for even a moment.
They charged into the ruins and began swinging heavy sledgehammers, smashing apart the already fragile wooden structures. Beams cracked, walls collapsed, and clouds of dust rose into the air as if the Outercity were being demolished all over again.
The gate guards stared in disbelief.
"Good heavens," one of them exclaimed, eyes wide. "What are they doing? Isn't the Outercity ruined enough already? Do they plan to smash it into dust?"
Someone was quickly sent to report the matter to the Prefect.
Yet when the Prefect of Xi'an heard the news, he showed not the slightest concern. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Leave them be, leave them be. That land belongs to the Prince of Qin's estate. His people informed us this morning that they intend to rebuild a market street there. It's his land. He can do whatever he wants with it. It has nothing to do with us."
With that, the matter was settled.
The city gate guards could only stand aside and watch.
They watched as the Yellow Hats finished leveling the ruins until nothing remained but bare ground. Then came another group, the Blue Hats, who walked the cleared land slowly, measuring with their eyes, sketching lines, making notes, and murmuring to one another in low voices that no outsider could understand.
Before long, the Yellow Hats returned to work once more.
Building materials were hauled in, carts rattling across the ground, and construction began at a startling pace. Yet what they built were not solid houses or permanent shops. Instead, rows upon rows of frames were erected, each one quickly raised and topped with a simple rain canopy.
Compared to proper construction, this method was astonishingly fast.
In just a few short days, the entire Outercity was filled with vast stretches of these makeshift shelters, laid out neatly and uniformly, forming the rough shape of a planned commercial street.
Then, with a long, echoing whoosh, a steam train arrived.
It brought with it a flood of merchants.
These were no ordinary vendors. Every single one of them was a seasoned hawker, veterans who had survived the brutal competition of the Gao Family Village commercial hub. They were the elites of street trade, people who knew how to sell, how to shout, and how to seize attention with ruthless efficiency.
Their goods were even more astonishing.
Each stall was piled with strange, novel items that no one in Xi'an had ever seen before, things that felt unreal, as if they had dropped straight out of legends.
"Celestial Realm snacks for sale! Oreo cream cookie crumbs, a special gift bestowed by Dao Xuan Tianzun himself! I'm the only one left in the entire world with five catties. You won't find them anywhere else, absolutely nowhere!"
"Chips Ahoy chocolate mini cookies! General Lao Nanfeng earned great merit and was specially rewarded by Dao Xuan Tianzun. He couldn't finish them all, so this rare treasure has entered the market. Only three catties left in the entire world. Miss this chance and who knows when you'll ever see them again!"
"Xi Zhi Lang Jelly! A grand prize from the Huanglong Mountain Labor Reform Camp Fighting Competition in Gao Family Village, personally bestowed by Dao Xuan Tianzun. The last ten catties in the entire world!"
"Sachima! Sachima! Unique under heaven, scarcely seen in the mortal realm! I guarantee I'm the only one with stock!"
"Crispy Shark Wafers!"
"Daliyuan Chocolate Pies!"
"Want Want Senbei! Only ten catties left!"
The Outercity, which had been silent and dead for years, was instantly filled with shouting, laughter, and the clamor of trade. The city guards watching from the walls were dumbfounded.
"Are these people mad?" they thought. "The Outercity has been ruins for years. No one ever comes out here. Even if their goods are strange, who would buy them?"
After all, business depended on foot traffic. Without people, what use were even the rarest curiosities?
Yet that very evening, everything changed.
In Xi'an City's vegetable market square, the Immortal Treasure Mirror flickered to life as usual, broadcasting the final segment of the Gaojia News.
"Now for business news," Gao Yiye announced calmly. "A large number of vendors have gathered in the East Outercity outside Xi'an's East Gate, setting up stalls to sell a wide variety of goods."
As he spoke, the image shifted.
The mirror showed an aerial view of the Outercity. From above, the newly rebuilt area looked neat and orderly, rows of small shops stretching along a carefully planned commercial street. Stalls were packed tightly together, their goods displayed in dazzling abundance.
Items no one had ever seen before filled the screen.
The common folk watching in the square were instantly dazzled.
Among them was Zhu Cunji, the Prince of Qin's heir.
He had developed a habit of watching the Gaojia News broadcast every evening, so much so that he had spent a fortune to purchase the house directly opposite the Immortal Treasure Mirror. From the second floor, he had built his own private viewing platform.
Each evening, he would sit there, snacking leisurely on fruits and sweets as he watched.
Tonight, however, the moment he saw the bizarre snacks displayed in the Outercity, snacks he had never tasted in his life, the candied fruit in his hand suddenly lost all flavor.
Zhu Cunji's eyes widened. "What are those?" he demanded sharply. "Why have I, the Prince of Qin's heir, never seen or eaten such things before?"
His steward hesitated, then said carefully, "Your Highness, you have eaten chocolate before. Your humble servant once obtained it for you from the salt smuggler Xing Honglang. Have you forgotten?"
Zhu Cunji froze, then brightened all at once. "Ah, yes, yes, yes. Chocolate. It was delicious, truly delicious. What a pity I only ate it those few times, and then never again. I heard Xing Honglang later ran off to become a roaming bandit, and only much later was pacified. She hasn't come to sell chocolate to me in ages."
As he spoke, his mouth began to water.
"What are we waiting for?" he shouted. "Quickly, prepare the carriage and horses. I, the Prince of Qin's heir, am going to the Outercity at once!"
His guards sprang into action, eager to obey.
Yet there was a problem.
Every evening, the vegetable market square was packed with people watching the broadcast, a dense, surging mass where even a single person could barely move, let alone a carriage and horses. Zhu Cunji's entourage found themselves completely blocked, unable to advance even a single step.
Unless they were willing to draw swords and hack through the crowd, which was unthinkable with Governor Lian Guoshi also present, there was no way through.
The carriage was stuck.
Zhu Cunji fumed, pacing in place, unable to go.
Just then, the Gaojia News broadcast ended, and the screen switched to "Corn Planting Methods." Farmers leaned forward with interest, but the city folk instantly lost all enthusiasm.
With a collective roar, the crowd dispersed.
They ran.
Every last one of them surged toward the East Gate.
Zhu Cunji saw the direction they were heading and immediately understood. "Damn it!" he shouted. "These scoundrels are all going to the Outercity. They're going to snatch up those rare snacks. Heavens above, hurry, hurry. We must get there before them. Those things are scarce. This mob will buy them all!"
With the square suddenly cleared, the carriage could finally move.
Zhu Cunji abandoned it at once and leapt onto a horse, gripping its sides tightly. "Faster," he urged. "Faster!"
"Your Highness," a guard cried anxiously, "the horse can't run fast. The streets are still crowded."
"Then cut across," Zhu Cunji blurted out, an idea striking him mid-ride. "Don't go through the gate. Go to the section of wall beside it."
Instead of following the crowd down the main road, he veered off, racing straight to the city wall. He scrambled up, glanced toward the gate, and saw that the small archway was already jammed solid with people.
The gate was completely blocked.
"Rope," Zhu Cunji commanded.
The guards understood at once. They tied a rope around his waist and carefully lowered him down the outer side of the city wall.
The moment his feet touched the ground outside the city, Zhu Cunji burst into triumphant laughter.
"Hahaha. In the end, I, the Prince of Qin's heir, still have my ways. A bunch of commoners, how could they ever be faster than me?"
He took off running at full speed toward the Outercity.
Splash.
He fell straight into the moat.