Chapter 214: Sights and Sounds Along the Way

On the way to the river crossing of Southern Chen, the place was filled with a noisy bustle. Along the winding and straight official roads, merchants and travelers came and went without end. The clatter of carts and horses was urgent; pot-bellied merchants haggled loudly with ferrymen over the price of passage. Far out on the river, a boatman cast his net from a covered skiff, shouting for his son to haul it in. Silvery fish scales glimmered in the dim yellow light, thrashing noisily within the net. 

“Waiter, the bill!” “…Bring a few more flatbreads, and add a bowl of cold tea!” 

“Coming, coming!” 

At the roadside tea stall, voices rose in lively chatter. Many travelers heading for the ferry stopped here to rest and quench their thirst. The shop’s attendant answered loudly, “Coming!” He stuffed a piece of firewood into the stove, dusted off his hands, then lifted a teapot and a plate of flatbreads before hurrying over. 

A series of ding ding ding bell sounds came from outside. The attendant, who had been settling a table’s bill, turned his head to look. A scholar in blue robes and a white outer garment had arrived, leading an old donkey. He tied the reins to a wooden post outside. 

The attendant quickly broke into a smile and called out: “Esteemed guest, please take a seat first. I’ll come right after I finish with this table.” 

Lu Liangsheng tightened the rope, gently patted the donkey’s head, and said in a low voice, 

“There are many people here. Don’t run about.” 

Only then did he take a seat at an empty table, nodding to the attendant. “Go ahead with your work.” 

After a short while, the attendant came over, pulling down the cloth from his shoulder and wiping the table once. As he did, he asked: “Esteemed guest, what would you like? Tea here is one coin a bowl—refills are free. We also have flatbreads mixed with minced mutton, guaranteed to satisfy.” 

“Mm, then one bowl of cold tea and two portions of mutton flatbreads.” 

“Right away, please wait a moment.” 

The attendant slung the cloth over his shoulder and turned toward the stove. Lu Liangsheng picked up a pair of chopsticks and placed them before him. Just ahead lay the ferry crossing; along the road, travelers came and went in a steady stream. There was no sign of the desolation one might expect with war drawing near. 

“Esteemed guest, your cold tea and mutton flatbreads. The weather turns cool quickly—best eat them while they’re hot.” 

The attendant set the items on the table and was about to leave when Lu Liangsheng called out to him. 

“Little Brother, wait a moment.” 

“Does the guest require anything else?” 

Lu Liangsheng lifted his bowl and tilted his chin slightly, gesturing toward the crowded road outside, then spoke to ask him. 

“Word is that war is about to break out—so how is it that there are still so many people here?” 

Once war begins, the surroundings ought to be filled with tension and dread, yet this scene was far from the desolation described in books. 

“Ah… the fighting’s with the Southern Dynasty—what’s that got to do with us? Besides, the dynasty’s already changed. We’re all people of Sui now. The soldiers wouldn’t bully their own, would they?” 

With the conversation opened and seeing no new customers entering, the attendant pulled over a long bench and sat to one side. 

“From your accent, guest, you must be from south of the Yangtze River region. To speak bluntly, what’s so good about the South? That former emperor—writing poetry, building towers—no bearing of a ruler at all. He even took one of his own generals’ wives! An emperor like that deserved to die! And now they’ve put a child on the throne… tsk, tsk…” 

The attendant clicked his tongue several times, shaking his head. “How could they possibly withstand our Great Sui’s tiger-and-wolf army? Guest, I’d advise you not to go back. With your looks, finding a wife would be effortless. Staying here wouldn’t be bad at all.” 

Across from him, Lu Liangsheng swallowed a mouthful of tea and flatbread. Seeing how animated the attendant was, he smiled. 

“From the sound of it, you all seem quite fond of the new emperor.” 

“Heh, listen to that—who doesn’t like something new?” 

The attendant glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lightly wiped the table with his cloth. 

“His Majesty today is far better than the previous dynasty’s emperor. And the moment he ascended the throne, he granted a general amnesty. My brother-in-law got arrested for getting drunk and fighting in the street—we were thinking how much money it would take to get him out. Now we’ve hit good times. My wife’s been burning incense and kowtowing to His Majesty every day…” 

Screee— 

“Waiter! The water at the stove is boiling!” 

A customer at a nearby table called out. The attendant, who had been about to say more, stood up, slinging the cloth over his shoulder. “Guest, please enjoy your meal. I need to go tend the tea.” 

“Go ahead.” 

Lu Liangsheng replied politely. His gaze swept across the crowded tea stall, then beyond to the itinerant merchants and travelers coming in from outside to rest and grab a bite. With no seats left, some simply took a bowl of cold tea and a flatbread, squatting by the doorway as they ate and drank, chatting and laughing with their companions. When something amusing came up, they burst into hearty laughter. 

‘Yang Jian truly seems to be a wise ruler.’ 

That night, he had indeed heard the other’s invitation to become the Imperial Preceptor of Sui as he departed. Yet after what happened in Chen—being treated as a mere entertainer—Lu Liangsheng had his reservations. For one who cultivated the Dao to stand within the imperial court—if he encountered an unwise ruler, suspicion would come easily. And if he were reduced again to being called a mere “trick performer”, it would be laughable. 

‘Forget it, forget it. I’ll focus on cultivating my Dao and properly teach those three disciples first.’ 

At that thought, Lu Liangsheng shook his head with a faint smile and finished his tea. 

The attendant, having finished tending to the customers, wanted to chat a bit more with the amiable scholar. But when he turned back, the seat was already empty—only a few copper coins remained on the table. 

“This scholar is truly strange… just the blink of an eye—how did he disappear?” 

The scholar who had just been spoken of had already led the old donkey less than half a li south along the official road, stepped onto a ferry, and was now drifting upon the river. 

The bow rocked unsteadily, yet the view was excellent. Gazing toward where the great river flowed east, within the depths of his eyes imbued with spiritual power, it was as if he could see distant water-forts, their banners fluttering. 

“Hey, guest at the bow—if you’ve seen enough, come down already! The bow’s unsteady. Be careful you don’t fall into the water.” 

Boatmen feared carrying these refined scholars the most. Once their mood rose, they insisted on standing at the bow—yet none were seen composing poems or creating works to last the ages. 

“I’m not trying to scare you. Last time, there were four fellows dressed just like you, all scholars. The four of them insisted on crowding the bow to compose poetry. Then one wave hit—splash! All four went straight into the river. Luckily, my son and I are good swimmers, so we managed to fish them out!” 

At the stern, the young man rowing the oar nodded in agreement. 

“What my father says is true. Though come to think of it, those four were regulars—we ferried them before, even on a rainy day. And that day, my father and I… we even met an immortal.” 

Lu Liangsheng did not wish to make things difficult for the father and son. He stepped down from the bow and stayed beside the old donkey, listening to their chatter. As they spoke of that rainy night crossing, the other three or four passengers also remained quietly to one side, treating it as idle entertainment. 

“You wouldn’t know—this immortal was also like that scholar, leading an old donkey. That night, lightning flashed and thunder roared…” 

By the time they got to the part about the pole smeared with crab roe, the boat had already reached the opposite shore. 

Lu Liangsheng led the donkey off the ferry and departed. The boatman’s son was still talking when his father suddenly tugged at him. Seeing that the other passengers had already disembarked, the old boatman took out a stick of incense from somewhere and lit it. 

“Dad, what are you doing? Why are you lighting incense all of a sudden?” 

“…Did you notice that scholar leading the donkey just now?” 

The old man lit the tip, raised it above his head, and bowed respectfully three times toward the shore. Only after inserting the incense into a crack in the deck did he speak the rest of his words: 

“That scholar… doesn’t he look like the one we met that night?!” 

At the boatman’s mention, the young man’s eyes widened at once. He slapped his thigh. 

“No wonder the moment he boarded, I felt strength surging through my whole body—I just couldn’t run out of energy. So that immortal has taken our boat again!” 

“Come, you should bow as well. Once you’re done, we need to leave—this southern bank won’t be peaceful much longer.” 

The old boatman urged him on. After his son finished paying respects, he braced the pole in his hands and pushed the ferry back into the river, heading toward the crossing they had come from. 

The sky gradually darkened. 

Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey, glancing at the heavens. In autumn, there were few stars or moonlight; the night was pitch black, with only a few scattered households nearby showing faint lamplight. 

“At a time like this, other families likely won’t take in strangers for the night.” 

He walked up along the mountain’s foothills, following the path for a while. Ahead, within a dim forest, stood a dilapidated small temple. 

“Master, Honglian, we’ll make do here for the night.” 

Entering the temple, it was not as ruined as expected. At the center stood a fierce deity statue, fanged and menacing, holding an iron trident, with a large green serpent pinned beneath its feet—it seemed to be some kind of mountain god. In front, the incense burner still held ash from burnt offerings; evidently, the dozen or so nearby households often came to clean and make offerings. 

“Pardon the disturbance. Lu Liangsheng of Qixia Mountain seeks shelter here for one night.” 

When lodging in a temple, proper courtesy must be observed. Whether this mountain god had formed spiritual awareness or not, respect was still due—one should not forget manners as a person. 

He led the old donkey to one side. A bookshelf descended out of thin air and settled onto the ground. The Toad Daoist pushed open the small door, stepped out with a yawn, and stretched his webbed limbs toward the fire to warm himself. 

“Hurry and cook. Your master is hungry.”