Chapter 438
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Chapter 438: Ghost Valley
On the morning of January 3rd, Bai Wei changed his clothes and went out. He took a tram and arrived at his destination at around nine o’clock.
In front, the Ming Country’s embassy in Yingzhou, among the buildings in Yingzhou, this unique Ming Country-style architecture stands out. It not only looks special, but also serves many purposes. At least, it can withstand earthquakes and even the full force attack of a second-grade heroic spirit.
Bai Wei walked into the embassy and easily entered after showing his identification. The Yingzhou people in line eagerly watched.
"May I ask what’s the matter?" a polite receptionist asked. "Is it for a visa, or…?"
"I’m looking for Mr. Wang Yu from the embassy."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"I guess I do."
"Please tell me your name."
"Bai Wei."
"Oh, Mr. White, Ambassador Wang Yu has been waiting for a long time. Let me take you to him," said a smiling embassy staff member.
"Trouble."
"You’re welcome. Mr. Bai is already a master in the Ming Country, why be so humble at such a young age?"
Bai Wei looked at the staff member and asked, "May I ask who you are?"
The staff member introduced themselves, saying, "I’m just an ordinary staff member. I have occasionally overheard the counselor and the envoy talking about Mr. Bai."
He led Bai Wei to the fifth floor office and politely stepped back after knocking on the door.
When Bai Wei heard the words "come in," he pushed open the door.
Inside the room, there was a melodious sound of a qin being played. A young man was playing the guqin. It was clearly work time, but he was leisurely playing the instrument with great style. He hummed along with the guqin for a few moments, then felt something was off and lowered his head to carefully tune the strings. Tuning a guqin is a skill in itself, much like a piano tuner is a separate profession from a pianist. Not every guqin player knows how to tune the instrument, while most tuners are skilled players themselves.
The young man casually opened the body of the guqin and began tuning it as if no one was around. His fingers glided over the guqin’s bone, much like tracing the patterns on a banana leaf.
Bai Wei wasn’t in a rush either. He found a seat for himself and noticed there was already a pot of hot tea and a waiting cup next to it. He poured himself a cup of tea and quietly waited for the young counselor to finish tuning the guqin.
After fifteen minutes, he played the sound of the ancient qin again. The sound was much clearer than before, no longer muddy, clear and even slightly piercing.
The young man’s fingers were cut by the strings of the qin, sighing lightly, "When things are unfair, they must make noise."
When this sentence was spoken, it revealed some insights that pointed straight to the truth. Bai Wei looked at him with admiration.
Then, the young man put down the ancient qin, took out a band-aid to wrap around the wound on his fingertip, and continued, "Cheap things are indeed not good."
Bai Wei, "…"
"Apologies for the trouble, Mr. Bai." The young man walked from behind the qin table and bowed with clasped hands. "I am Wang Yu, the counselor at the Consulate of the Ming Country."
"No need for formalities, I am Bai Wei, a humble commoner." Bai Wei also stood up and returned the bow.
"Even martial arts masters don’t call themselves so, it is somewhat embarrassing."
"Mr. Wang, you have achieved this position before the age of thirty, isn’t it the same?"
"Oh, it’s different. In politics, there are shortcuts to take. But in martial arts, hard work can make up for a lack of talent. I only got this job because of my connections with the school. I don’t have any skills or knowledge, so I was sent to Yingzhou. Otherwise…"
"Do you still want to go to Europe?"
"Going to Europe would be great. The mountains are high and the waters are far, the allied countries have beautiful scenery, and there are countless exotic people to see. In your free time, you can listen to concerts or participate in tea parties with noble ladies. Isn’t it wonderful?"
Bai Wei shook his head and said, "That’s not true. There are hardly any noble ladies left in Europe, and although there are tea parties, they won’t invite ordinary people. The cultural differences between there and the Ming Country are huge. If Wang Counselor goes, I’m afraid he’ll soon miss home and Sakura."
"Has Mr. Bai been to Europe?"
"I’ve always longed to go."
"Oh, then we really have so much in common. If we have the chance, let’s go to Europe together."
"Europe doesn’t have brothels or many noble tea parties, but their modernization is happening rapidly. You can taste authentic bubble milk tea there."
"Bubble tea, it really is bubble tea… But the way you talk about the Ming Country seems like there are brothels there. However, Yingzhou does have them. Unfortunately, I look down on those women with faces covered in white powder, they’re scary. Wang Yu raised his teacup and took a sip. "We are all young people, no need to be formal or polite. Feel free to call me Wang Yu or Brother. I’ll call you the same way."
"Young people should act like young people, I agree." Bai Wei nodded and said, "Did I see you playing the piano just now, Wang Brothers?"
"I went to the market earlier and saw this ancient qin. I bought it on a whim. At first, I thought it was made of ga blue, but when I took a closer look, it turned out to be made of qie blue. No wonder it was so cheap. I’ve been playing the qin for a long time, but the sound isn’t right."
"It’s a fake and inferior product."
"Indeed." Wang Yu sighed and said, "Since graduating, I’ve come to Yingzhou as a counselor, but there’s not much to do. Besides work, all I do is play the piano. I’m getting rusty. I rely on some entertainment to get through the day."
"What kind of entertainment?"
"Well…" Wang Yu smiled shyly. "Just some small things from both inside and outside the country."
"Small things?" Bai Wei didn’t pursue further and changed the subject, asking, "Did you figure out that I would come find you through these small things?"
"I’m quite good at finding clues." Wang Yu humbly replied, but his mouth was smiling wildly with sparkling white teeth, giving him a healthy smile.
"Is it finding clues or predicting autumn with a single leaf?"
"Martial artists say, ‘The autumn wind has not started yet, but the cicada feels it first.’ In Wing Chun, there is a move called ‘Listening to the Bridge’. Many truths in the world are similar. Some things don’t come without warning but require time and patience." Wang Yu pretended to be knowledgeable.
"Do you know why I am here?" Bai Wei asked.
"Brother Bai should explain it himself," Wang Yu smiled and said, "Please have some tea."
"I already drank."
"Have another cup. It’s diuretic. I sit all day and need to use the bathroom more. It helps maintain healthy kidneys. Brother Bai, as a martial arts master, should understand this. Your skills may diminish as you age. Only hardworking oxen never ruin the field…"
"Stop, stop, stop. It’s getting more and more ridiculous. Generating energy and improving vitality is an easy task for a martial arts master. It’s unnecessary to talk about tiring out the ox. And moreover, I am still unmarried, so I take good care of my kidneys…" Bai Wei complained.
Wang Yu exclaimed, "Brother Bai, you are truly a model of a gentleman! You are able to resist the temptations of so many beauties!"
Bai Wei said, "I think you misunderstand the meaning of ‘gentleman’. There is a hint of ‘beast’ in your words. I believe you have misunderstood something; they are all…"
"Are they from Yingzhou? But Miss Xue and Miss Yun are not, right?" Wang Yu sneakily poked his head out, "White Jade Jing Immortal, Huaishui Dragon, they are all genuine people from the Ming Country. Why would Brother Bai surrender?"
"We’re just friends." Bai Wei sighed, "Are you all interested in gossip?"
"Even the experts in the field have to make a living, trivial matters are still part of their expertise, any exchange involving interests falls under their expertise, and so does matters of love. It can also bear fruit." Wang Yu flicked his sleeve, "Today is not like the past, human life is valuable now. The Great Ming Country has ruled for hundreds of years. The experts in the field are no longer needed and can only be sent to be diplomats in this place. They no longer have the same prestige as exchanging six miles for ten cities. At most, they’ll only haggle over buying a cheap ancient qin for three hundred dollars."
Bai Wei nodded, "Indeed, the experts in the field are not very good at doing business. You all like to engage in transactions with no capital, and stealing and cheating is your profession."
"That hurt."
"Well, it seems I was right."
"Sigh, what does the ancestral work have to do with me, Wang Yu? I’m just a consular officer at the embassy. Affairs that are a thousand miles away are beyond my control. At most, I read the newspaper and enjoy myself. Hey, just for fun." Wang Yu was already lying down on a soft couch, with his legs crossed, looking like he was starting to let loose.
Bai Wei, "…"
"Brother Bai, there’s no need to make that expression. In fact, I was sent to Yingzhou because I couldn’t compete. How much do you know about the experts in the field?" Wang Yu took a bite of the magical pastry from Yingzhou.
"Not much, I’ve only heard it’s a niche major in The Great Ming Academy Palace."
"That’s not good. It’s very specialized and competitive. I’m just trying to get my graduation certificate and don’t care much about it. The talented ones didn’t join the system, they all went outside to explore. In the past ten years, about half of my fifteen senior brothers and sisters have gone crazy or died. They were fighting with their lives."
"What are they fighting for?"
"The title of the Contemporary Ghost Valley Master. Wangyu’s tone was solemn, "Nowadays, the lords of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom are rising, whoever can strategize for the country will be considered the contemporary Ghost Valley Master.""