Yang Yongding rode his horse all the way to a small town known as Guardian City about forty or fifty miles from Jingyang City. Though called a guardian city, it was merely the size of a small town—after all, the Western Regions of Great Qin differed greatly from the Central Plains, with prosperity found only within larger cities.
As the foremost scion of the region's powerful families, he now resembled a knowledgeable and well-mannered young scholar. Upon reaching the town, he dismounted from his horse, and only walked inside after the people in front of him had passed, indicating a unhurried demeanor.
His gentle and courteous appearance would surely have astonished his former companions, those with whom he galloped along the main roads and subsequently toured the Central Plains. They would probably reprimand themselves; had they been away too long? Had Yang Yongding's simple mind finally given way under pressure?
