Chapter 26 : Disturbance at the Wine Shop
26: Disturbance at the Wine Shop
The next day, the Heavenly Pole Sect's carriages and horses were assembled outside the villa. He Yangyao reluctantly held onto Lu Wencheng, trying to persuade him to stay a few more days, but Lu Wencheng declined, citing busy sect affairs.
Beside them, He Cong gazed reluctantly at the woman he admired and bid her a soft farewell. "Miss Lu, the world is vast and the journey long. You must take care of your health."
"Young Master He, please take care as well." With that, Lu Yanran turned without a trace of attachment. With A-Fu's support, she climbed into the carriage, leaving He Cong standing alone, secretly heartbroken.
Fu Peibai sat beside Xing Guang. She looked at He Cong and smiled, half provocative and half mischievous, nearly making He Cong so angry he wanted to draw his sword on the spot.
The caravan traveled grandly along the road they had come, moving unhurriedly for a day until reaching Weizhou City. They stayed at the same inn as before. The next day, the group split into two parties again. Lu Wencheng led one group back to the Heavenly Pole Sect, while Lu Yanran led the remaining people toward the northwest.
The northwest was a remote region, after all. The caravan stopped and started along the way, finally taking half a month to reach Langzhong City. This city connected the Central Plains to the northwest region and was itself a prosperous place.
The caravan arrived just at sunset, when the streets were bustling with people. They would rest here for the night before heading to Xingyang tomorrow.
Perhaps to experience the local customs and culture, Lu Yanran chose not to have the restaurant servants deliver food to their rooms. Instead, she took A-Fu, Fu Peibai, and Xing Guang to a famous wine shop in the city.
The wine shop was already packed with customers. They waited for a while before a table by the window freed up. Lu Yanran sat alone on one side, A-Fu and Fu Peibai sat together, and Xing Guang occupied the last side.
After ordering, everyone's gaze turned to the raised platform in the center of the hall. Upon it sat a white-haired and white-bearded elder before a wooden table. In one hand he held a wooden block, while the other stroked his beard. His mouth recounted magnificent tales of the martial world's turbulent past. When he reached an exciting part, the wooden block slammed down, his voice rose, and the audience below erupted in applause and cheers.
It was truly too noisy over there. Fu Peibai, thinking of Lu Yanran's preference for quiet, said, "Peak Master, it's too loud here. Should we find another place?"
"It's fine."
The platform remained boisterous. Fu Peibai couldn't hear clearly what was being said. She mumbled, "What are they talking about? Why are these people so excited?"
A-Fu was using tea to wash the bowls and chopsticks. She had accompanied the Peak Master down the mountain on travels many times and had long grown tired of these storytelling routines. She didn't even look up as she said, "It's nothing more than that business about Dengling Tower. It's been circulating for nearly a hundred years. How do these people not get tired of hearing it?"
Fu Peibai's interest was piqued. "Dengling Tower? What's that?"
"Legend says it's an extremely mysterious pavilion called Dengling. It was built by the emperor when the previous dynasty fell. Buried beneath the pavilion is a mountain of gold and jewels. They say if you can excavate this treasure, you'll possess wealth that can shake the entire realm. But that's just what they say. For a hundred years, so many people have gone searching for Dengling, yet no one has ever succeeded."
"Then how did this news get out? Could it be a story someone made up out of boredom?"
After finishing Lu Yanran's bowls and chopsticks, A-Fu took Xing Guang's and washed them with tea. "It probably isn't fake. I've heard the elders of the previous generation talk about it. When the chaotic army stormed the palace during the fall of the previous dynasty, the last emperor had already slit his throat on the throne. Later, when they cleared the palace, they found a box beneath the dragon seat. Inside was a letter written in blood and a piece of yellow silk. The blood letter instructed the imperial descendants to find this place and use the wealth to raise an army and rise again. The yellow silk was a map marking the specific location of Dengling Tower. Several regional warlords who witnessed this scene turned against each other to seize the treasure map. Each took one-fourth of the silk, dividing the realm into four and declaring themselves kings.
"After that, the world remained in turmoil for over a decade until the founding emperor of our dynasty emerged from the chaos and unified the realm. Everyone said the Dengling treasure must have fallen into the founding emperor's hands. But since the dynasty's founding, the court has been unstable and the treasury depleted. Even the imperial family has had to tighten their belts. So the rumor spread again that the treasure still sleeps underground."
"So those four fragments of Dengling are now missing?"
"Yes. In this world, in this martial realm, countless people have fought over the Dengling fragments over the past century. At the slightest whisper, they swarm in, only to find it's all false. First they say the treasure is beyond the border, then they say it's actually in the imperial city. Even more absurd, some say the treasure is in the Falling Shadow Sect. If the Falling Shadow Sect really had this much treasure, why would they be holed up in the west? They would have long ago used that gold to expand their territory and buy followers. They might even have swallowed the entire realm by now."
Fu Peibai listened with great interest and was about to ask more when the waiter came to serve the food.
"Honored guests, please move aside a bit. Careful not to get burned."
Helplessly, she could only close her mouth, still wanting to hear more.
On the table were four dishes and one soup, two meat and two vegetable. Lu Yanran and A-Fu only ate a few bites of vegetables and a few mouthfuls of rice before putting down their chopsticks, saying they were full. At that moment, Fu Peibai was stuffing a piece of roast duck into her mouth, oil staining the corners of her lips, her face filled with satisfaction.
"Sister A-Fu, Peak Master, you're done eating? I hardly saw you eat anything."
A-Fu watched Fu Peibai wolf down her food. She was no longer surprised by it now, though she had been startled the first time. She hadn't expected such a thin, weak frame to be able to eat so much.
"Speak not while eating, speak not while sleeping," Lu Yanran said indifferently.
Fu Peibai could only fall silent and obediently eat her own meal. By the time even Xing Guang had put down his chopsticks, she was still eating. After sweeping through everything like a whirlwind, she downed the last bowl of soup, let out a burp that was neither too loud nor too soft, then immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry, Peak Master."
Lu Yanran glanced at the four empty plates with lingering sauce and asked, "Full?"
"Full, very full." As she said this, Fu Peibai burped again.
A-Fu laughed softly. "Why eat so fast? No one was rushing you. Remember to eat slowly in the future."
"Everyone else had finished. Waiting for me alone made me feel rather ashamed. Let's go, Peak Master."
Lu Yanran didn't move. She raised her hand to call the waiter over, ordered a pot of fine tea, and then said, "No rush. Let's rest a while before leaving."
Fu Peibai was naturally happy to oblige. She had eaten too much just now, so sitting a bit longer to digest would be good.
Before the tea arrived, new guests came to the table next to theirs that had just emptied. Three men in luxurious clothing fanned themselves with paper fans, their faces haughty and arrogant. One of them kicked a bench aside, tapped the table with his fan, and shouted for the waiter.
The waiter hurried over with a bow and an apologetic smile. "Three gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"
"The best wine, the best meat. Serve whatever you like. I have plenty of silver."
"Right away, gentlemen. Please be seated. It will come shortly."
Fu Peibai heard the commotion, glanced over, then turned back. She had always looked down on this kind of high-and-mighty scions, exactly like He and Mo.
She had intended to wait quietly for the tea to arrive, drink it, and then leave. But before long, fragmented voices came from behind her.
"Big brother, look. There's an ice-cold beauty over there."
"Where?"
"By the window. The one in white."
"Whoa, where did this beauty come from? She looks unfamiliar."
"Just passing through, probably."
"Tsk tsk tsk, look at those eyes, that nose, those lips. Top quality, absolutely top quality."
The deeper Fu Peibai listened, the deeper her brow furrowed. She suddenly stood up, walked to Lu Yanran's side, and used her body to block the appraising gazes from over there.
Lu Yanran looked up at her slightly and asked, "What are you doing?"
Fu Peibai's face carried obvious hostility. She adjusted her tone and said gently, "I wanted to look outside. The Peak Master has a better view from here."
She had barely finished speaking when she heard the conversation from behind again.
"Where did this brat come from!"
"Don't be angry, big brother. Shall I go invite that beauty over for you?"
"You really understand my heart. Go ahead."
Soon, one of the men stood up and walked over. He went straight to Lu Yanran's front, completely ignoring Fu Peibai beside her, and bowed with exaggerated courtesy. "This young lady, I am Luo Yun from the east of the city. The two gentlemen over there are my sworn brothers. The one on the left is the eldest son of the Prefect, Master Yuan. The one on the right is the heir of Marquis Weiyuan, Wei..." Before the man could finish, Fu Peibai interrupted roughly, "Do you have business?"
The man paused, looked at Fu Peibai, sized up her clothing, and said angrily, "I'm speaking to your young miss! What business is it of a servant to interrupt?"
Fu Peibai was just about to retort when Lu Yanran furrowed her brow and spoke coldly. "Do you have business?"
The man looked at Lu Yanran, then at Fu Peibai, finally spat on the ground, and returned to his table.
"Big brother, that woman doesn't know what's good for her."
"What? Did you tell them who we are?"
"I did, but she sent me away before I even finished speaking."
Hearing this, the man flew into a rage. He slammed the table hard, stood up, and was about to come over and cause trouble, but was held back by the quieter of the three.
"Big brother, don't be impulsive. The Marquis only instructed you to behave yourself the day before yesterday. Besides, I've been watching. Look at that man over there, do you see? He's carrying a heavy sword on his back. That sword must weigh at least several dozen pounds, yet his back doesn't bend at all. These people are likely from the martial world. We'd better not provoke them."
At these words, the man indeed sat back down. He seemed to have given up on coming over, but his mouth still spat threats. "Next time don't let me run into them again, otherwise... hmph."
"Don't be angry, big brother. That kind of woman looks all high and mighty, but who knows how wild she might be in bed. Wait until later, I'll help you find Dieyuan girl. That feeling..." The man spoke with a lewd smile. However, moments later, his laughter stopped abruptly.
A bowl flew straight at his face. The porcelain shattered, and the man's face was cut by the fragments, blood seeping out.
Fu Peibai faced the three men, her gaze dark.
Actually, as soon as the man had spoken those filthy words, A-Fu and Xing Guang had already stood up. But before they could act, Fu Peibai suddenly grabbed a bowl from the table, turned, and threw it hard.
The man didn't react to the blow until he felt pain on his face. He raised his hand to touch it, and seeing the red on his palm, he screamed. The other two men also reacted, cursed loudly, and charged at Fu Peibai.
A-Fu was about to strike, but Lu Yanran called her back. A-Fu didn't understand, but she could only obey the command, looking at Fu Peibai with worry.
On Fu Peibai's side, though her body and build were completely no match for those three men, she had the advantage of agility. Having also learned the movement techniques Meng Yan taught her, those three men who didn't know a single bit of martial arts couldn't do anything to her.
Fu Peibai didn't attack either. She relied on her nimble skills to dart everywhere, circling around the tables in the wine shop. The three men cursed in rage, occasionally grabbing wine bottles, tables, bowls, and benches to throw at Fu Peibai, but each one missed.
The wine shop descended into chaos and disorder.
Still not satisfied, Fu Peibai ran while also picking up wine cups from the tables to throw at the three men. Each throw found its mark.
"You little brat! If you have the guts, don't run! When I catch you, I'll flay you alive!"
"Then come and get me!" Fu Peibai taunted, ducking to dodge a strike, and conveniently sticking out her leg to trip one of them to the ground before running in another direction.
The three men were thoroughly played by Fu Peibai, clutching tables and gasping for breath. Fu Peibai stood opposite them with her arms crossed over her chest, looking completely at ease.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, calm down, calm down. Please stop this commotion. If you keep making trouble like this, my entire shop will be ruined." At this point, a white-haired old woman came out. She appeared to be the owner of this wine shop.
The man, frustrated with nowhere to vent his anger, shoved the old woman aside and roared, "Get lost, old thing!"
The old woman couldn't withstand such a shove and immediately fell to the ground with a cry of pain. She hugged the man's leg, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, "Good sir, this shop has been passed down through several generations of my family. It cannot be destroyed in my hands. Please, I beg you, have mercy. If you have personal grudges, please go somewhere else to settle them, won't you?"
The man spat a few more curses and tried to pull his leg back, but the old woman held on tightly. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a wine bottle from the table and was about to smash it onto the old woman's head.
In a flash, a chopstick flew through the air with incredible force. It struck the wine bottle, then embedded itself straight into a wooden pillar in the distance. The bottle instantly shattered.
This move stunned everyone present. Most of the people here were ordinary citizens who didn't know martial arts. They had never seen such a formidable technique, turning a chopstick into a weapon. If that chopstick had been aimed at a person, it wouldn't have passed through a wine bottle, but through the man's chest.
Everyone's gaze turned to the white-clad woman who had made this strike. Fear showed on their faces. The more timid ones immediately grabbed their companions and fled. The man whose leg was still being held by the old woman was also terrified. He finally realized he had provoked someone he shouldn't have.
He tremblingly pulled his leg back and called out to the other two men. "Let's... let's, let's go."
But he had barely taken a step when another chopstick flew over and embedded itself into the stone brick less than an inch from his foot. Now he completely dared not move. His face full of terror, he turned around and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Heroine, heroine, please spare my life! I was wrong, I was wrong! I didn't say anything, it was him, he was the one who insulted you!" The man pointed at the one who had earlier come to speak with Lu Yanran.
The man being pointed at turned pale with fright and also immediately knelt, trembling like a sieve. "Heroine, I was wrong! I spoke without thinking and offended you. Please forgive me this once. I won't dare again, I won't dare again."
Lu Yanran walked up to the two kneeling men. She studied them, as if considering how to deal with them.
After a long while, she asked, "How do you think they should be punished?"
This question was directed at Fu Peibai.
Fu Peibai raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat puzzled why the Peak Master was asking her. But since she asked, she would answer. She pointed first at the noble heir. "This one, a light punishment will suffice." She paused, her tone suddenly turning ice cold as she pointed at the man beside him.
"As for you, death would not be enough."