Chapter 139
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
“Xiao Family Wontons—delicious and savory, the broth is rich but not greasy. Drain the broth, and you can even use it to brew tea!”
“Cherry Piluo—stuffed flatbread, an authentic Western Region delicacy!!”
“Finest silks and satins, all natural fibers—take a look, honored guest, smooth to the touch! Buy it and compare it with your wife’s, you’ll see for yourself!”
The streets roared with voices, bustling as if it were daytime.
Strings of lanterns were hung high, crossing above the long avenue, weaving a glowing canopy. Below, the street bustled in full bloom, crowds of people thronging back and forth.
Pancakes sizzled as oil hit the pan. Hawkers handed fresh ones to customers, calling out loudly to the street. Husbands accompanying their wives stopped by the shops, picking up brass boxes of rouge and powder, drawing shy smiles from the ladies. Across the avenue, Hu melodies drifted faintly. Hu maidens with bare limbs cast flirtatious glances, twisting their waists and jingling their bells. Foreign merchants from the Western Regions smiled broadly as they accepted copper coins and bits of silver into their cash boxes.
“You’re not allowed to look!”
From within the bookrack came Hong Lian’s voice. Lu Liangsheng averted his gaze from the Hu dancer’s swirling skirts. He no longer blushed like he did in his early teens whenever topics of men and women came up.
“Those Hu girls with their deep eyes and high noses, you can even smell their body odor from afar—who would want to stare?”
Squeezing through the crowd while leading his weary old donkey, he chuckled lightly, saying, “None of them are as pretty as my Hong Lian. She can dance and sing.”
Passersby turned their heads with surprise, mistaking him for a madman.
A moment later, from within the bookrack came a soft snort, a pleasing voice saying, “That’s more like it.”
“Yikes! Th-there’s a ghost!”
Hearing the voice, a few pedestrians turned pale and panicked, scrambling into the crowd and setting off a round of shoving and shouting.
“You two, stop talking!”
From the bookrack came the Toad Daoist’s voice—delivered via a transmission spell, unheard by others.
“Head to the inn up ahead. I can sense people from the Fire-Worship Sect.”
Lu Liangsheng tilted his head slightly, gaze falling toward a winehouse ahead on the long street, where two large red lanterns hung at the entrance. His throat bobbed with unease.
“How did Master notice?”
“Soul-Seeking Technique. Even if you learned it, your cultivation’s too low—it would damage your spirit. In my current condition, I can only use it once every half month.”
“Oh.”
Lu Liangsheng didn’t believe it anyway. As he approached the winehouse ahead, a waiter who had been greeting guests walked over to the entrance. Slinging a rag over his shoulder, he warmly helped the scholar lead the old donkey aside.
“What would you like to eat, honored guest? We’ve got fish steeped in milk-wine, scallion-cured chicken—all freshly prepared. Our tavern has just added braised fish, lamb cannon meat, and whole-stewed mutton hun yang hu mo. Even if you’re not eating a full meal, we’ve got sanle juice, sour plum juice, peach nectar, and grape syrup for you to sip and enjoy. Pair it with some chilled cream, and watch the singing and dancing while you dine—nothing’s more refreshing in summer. And if you happen to be in the mood to try something… new…”
At this point, the waiter leaned in, waggled his brows, and whispered:
“Hu maidens from the Western Regions—this humble one can fetch you one or two.”
Ahem.
Lu Liangsheng had seen the world, but hearing such things still made him feel awkward. The waiter had rattled off his words so fast that by the time he raised a hand to stop him, the man had already finished.
Glancing at the bookrack, he gave a dry cough and fished out two copper coins.
“No need for any Hu girls right now. Just take the old donkey to the rear courtyard and feed it some hay. I’ll go in and order something for myself.”
“Of course, honored guest—right this way.”
Grinning, the waiter accepted the small tip, took hold of the donkey’s reins, and led it down a side alley beside the winehouse. Lu Liangsheng dusted off his sleeves, patted away the road dust, and stepped inside.
At once, a hubbub of voices greeted him. The guest tables were arranged in a ring around a central red-carpeted stage. The second floor was also built in a circular design, with the middle left open so that upper-floor guests could watch the performances below.
Dang dang…
Pipa strings thrummed, accompanied by the hujia and reed pipes. Long sleeves fluttered and dancers’ skirts twirled. One dancer kicked up the tip of her shoe, tossing a blossom into the air. As both sleeves slid down, her slender hands spun inward and struck the small drum at her waist.
The elegant, lilting tune suddenly shifted—bold and unrestrained.
Lu Liangsheng ascended to the second floor and found a quiet seat by the railing. When a waiter came over, he casually ordered a few simple dishes. After the waiter left, his gaze swept over the raucous, drinking crowd around him, then dropped to the floor below.
Beyond the stage, using his Qi Observation Technique, he scanned over each figure. Finally, his gaze landed on one of the musicians off to the side.
“A martial artist, hiding among the common folk?”
That musician’s face was unremarkable—lean cheeks, a wisp of beard that swayed side to side as he drew his huqin. As if sensing someone’s gaze, the man opened his eyes slightly.
Just then, a waiter arrived with a tray of food.
“Honored guest, your white rice with milk curd.”
A guest is a guest, after all. Though Lu had only ordered cheap fare, the waiter still smiled as he set the bowl of plain white rice with a dollop of milk curd before him and said, “Please enjoy,” before moving on to deliver dishes to another table.
Lu Liangsheng picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and took a bite, only to frown at once.
The taste is a bit uncomfortable…
At that moment, the performance below ended and the dancers withdrew from the stage. The musician from earlier also rose from his seat, seemingly preparing to leave.
“Liangsheng, follow him. That man appears to be a martial artist the Fire-Worship Sect has stationed among the common folk.”
From inside the sleeve pocket came the voice of the Toad Daoist. Lu Liangsheng set down his bowl and chopsticks and gave a small nod.
“Waiter! Bring another jar of Spring Blossom Brew!” “This table wants a braised lamb leg in soy!” “Eating lamb in this summer heat—gotta stoke the fire properly!!”
“Coming right up—!”
“Honored guest, that white rice with milk curd is smooth and creamy. And here, this table left behind a full dish untouched—the guest paid and left already. Why not…”
The waiter arrived carrying a plate of sweet-glazed fish breast. But he stopped short in surprise. By the bowl and chopsticks, a few coins of meal money had been left stacked neatly—but the scholar was nowhere to be seen.
“Truly haunted—just turned around, and the man vanished?”
Muttering to himself, the sound of strings and flutes carried outward from the winehouse. Meanwhile, the musician who had exited the rear door now held his huqin and moved quickly down the alley, glancing back every few steps before ducking into the tangled maze of shadowy side lanes.
Crack…
Dust and debris trickled from the wall as the scholar in the outer robe of azure blue leapt across the rooftop.
From time to time, he sprang onto a roof eave and scanned the surroundings, overlooking the city below. The brilliant lantern-lit streets stretched in every direction, dazzling in their splendor—leaving him awestruck.
Such prosperity… perhaps only here could such a scene be seen.
In the next instant, he pushed off with his foot, the rooftop beneath him trembling slightly. His figure dove into the darkness, trailing the musician, who was weaving swiftly through the alleyways. Only by startling the snake from the grass could he hope to uncover the Fire-Worship Sect’s foothold within Chang’an.
Tap tap tap…
Footsteps echoed in the narrow alley. The street’s outer clamor stood in stark contrast to the hush here. The lean-faced musician with the long beard had stopped at some point. After glancing around warily, he raised his huqin and gave a light knock on a courtyard’s rear door.
“Who is it?”
An old man’s voice came from inside, sounding like a gatekeeper.
“A performer.”
Creak. The old wooden door gave a groan, opening a sliver to reveal half of the elder’s face. He glanced at the musician, his gaze drifting casually to the street beyond before stepping aside.
“Come in, close the door behind you.”
The musician entered, shut the door, slid the bolt in place, and walked straight into the rear courtyard connecting two rooms. On the way, he passed a familiar comrade and said in a low voice:
“A cultivator entered the city.”
The other nodded, arms folded around the weapon hanging down at his side. The two of them moved quickly past the eaves together.
Ahead, the warm glow of lantern light spilled from a latticed window. Within that yellowed light, several silhouettes were cast against the screen, and voices drifted out slowly.
“The Ming Zun has returned from Five Colors Manor… most of our people have been deployed elsewhere.” [TL_Note: Ming Zun=Bright Honored One]
“Hmph. Being sent out isn’t necessarily a good thing. The few of us left here are living easy, with wine and women.”
“Haha… Cultivation, cultivation—who says I can’t cultivate the Dao of Women?!”
“…Don’t interrupt. I heard the last ingredient for the Five Colors Manor formula has been located—in the Southern Chen imperial palace. The Ming Zun borrowed a treasure from Five Colors Manor to capture that great demon.”
A breeze stirred through the courtyard. The tree shadows swayed and rustled—as though a guest had arrived.
