Chapter 226: Chapter 155: The Sword Is Not Yet Ready, but to Step Outside Is to Enter the Jianghu
The whip-wielding young man’s expression shifted several times in an instant.
Right before Zheng Xiu’s eyes, he was a textbook example of someone who tried to act tough, only to get completely owned.
"You’re the legendary... Chu Chengfeng!" The young man paled, his expression a mixture of shock and awe. He quickly adopted a serious tone. "So it is Chu Chengfeng, the Third Young Master of Meihua Manor. I’ve long heard of your esteemed reputation! I am Baili Jingfeng, Young Master of the Baili Escort Agency. This was all a misunderstanding. I hope Hero Chu will not take it to heart!"
Zheng Xiu’s mind was racing.
’First, I have to figure out why I’ve "transmigrated" again.’
’Second, why was this Baili Jingfeng so arrogant and tyrannical just moments ago, only to fold faster than anyone the second he ran into someone he couldn’t bully?’
He hadn’t figured out the first point yet, but the answer to the second came to him quickly.
’Escort agencies were the earliest form of the "logistics industry," also known as "escort companies."’
’In the early days, before transportation was convenient and before official roads connected the land, fierce bandits ran rampant in the wilderness. Anyone who needed to transport goods, valuables, or even people over long distances would pay an escort agency for protection.’
’Now that the world is at peace, these agencies have been rebranded as "transport companies," and the business has lost the inherent danger it was born from.’
’Most mountain bandits weren’t exactly upstanding citizens; "bully the weak, fear the strong" was their guiding principle. As for the escorts of old, they needed two things: first, to know some Martial Arts, and second, to have connections on both sides of the law and a wide network of powerful figures. They had to carry themselves with a certain swagger—an attitude that could intimidate lesser thugs into backing off.’
Chu Chengfeng laughed and waved a dismissive hand. "The Jianghu is a treacherous place; you can’t be too careful. The young master of the Baili family was just being cautious, which is understandable. I suppose you could say we wouldn’t have met if we hadn’t fought."
People in the Jianghu care deeply about saving face. With the whole town watching, the olive branch Chu Chengfeng extended allowed Baili Jingfeng to relax considerably. He eagerly took the way out, his voice booming, "What a man, Chu Chengfeng, the ’Lone Plum of Cangshan’! I had long heard of your great name but never had the pleasure of meeting you. Now that I have, Brother Chu, your magnanimity and extraordinary aura fill me with admiration! If you ever pass by the Baili Escort Agency, should you not find it beneath you, Brother Chu, please come in for a visit. I, Baili Jingfeng, will surely prepare the finest wine and delicacies to atone for today’s transgression!"
"Hahaha—" Chu Chengfeng roared with laughter. "Brother Baili, you’re being too serious!"
One moment they were at each other’s throats, and the next they were calling each other "brother."
Zheng Xiu, watching from the side, nodded in silent approval.
’The ways of the world.’
"Let’s go!"
Baili Jingfeng reined his horse around and departed without a backward glance. Before he left, he shot a deep, meaningful look at the one he had called a "Poor Scholar."
Zheng Xiu couldn’t help but feel that Baili Jingfeng’s hasty departure seemed more like a panicked retreat.
After Baili Jingfeng left, Chu Chengfeng’s bright gaze fell upon Zheng Xiu. He sized him up for a moment before shaking his head with a laugh. "The world is treacherous, and the Jianghu is in turmoil these days. It’s best for a scholar like you to stay off the streets. Heh, but no matter. I happen to be alone today. If you don’t mind, why don’t you join me upstairs? We can finish off that table of leftover food and wine. Consider it a fateful encounter."
Before Zheng Xiu could respond, Chu Chengfeng took a step closer and lowered his voice. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. I, Chu Chengfeng, am fairly well-known in the Shu Region. If word gets out that you and I shared drinks and conversation in this teahouse, I can’t make any guarantees, but at the very least, most people in the Martial World will give me enough face to not cause you too much trouble."
Zheng Xiu’s expression was hesitant. After a moment, a strange stream of words tumbled from his lips: "I am Gongsun Mo, born in Southeast Luzhou. Since childhood, I’ve been immersed in Danqing and classic books. I am well-read, and today, I heard the Holy Emperor..."
"Enough, enough!" Chu Chengfeng’s eyes lit up when he heard this, and he laughed so hard his thick eyebrows danced. He slapped "Gongsun Mo’s" delicate shoulder with a series of loud THUDS. "This is exactly why I’ll never understand you scholars! A man should have grand ambitions! He should either build a legacy on the battlefield or become peerless in Martial Arts and dominate the world! What good comes from burying your nose in a book? Hahaha! Forget it, forget it. More words are no match for good wine! Come on, the wine I was warming before I came downstairs should be ready. Let’s go have a few cups!"
"I... I don’t know if that’s a good idea."
"What’s there to feel bad about? We may be strangers who just met, but I feel like we’re old friends already! This isn’t a matter of good or bad, only of good fortune!"
"Brother Chu, you make a fine point."
"Calling me ’Brother Chu’ sounds too distant! If you don’t mind that I’m a few years your senior, you can just call me Brother Chu!"
"Then... it would be rude to refuse, Brother Chu."
After some token resistance, Zheng Xiu was led upstairs by Chu Chengfeng.
Sure enough, just as Chu Chengfeng had said, he had been sitting alone in a corner of the teahouse with a jar of yellow wine and a few side dishes.
The wine had just been warmed when he heard the commotion on the street below. He had seen an injustice and drawn his sword to help, leaping down from the second floor.
’So that’s what happened.’
Zheng Xiu quickly pieced together his current situation.
The acid in the white Snake’s stomach had dissolved the cloth wrapped around the painting scroll, allowing it to unfurl.
Zheng Xiu was swallowed by the painting scroll.
His current situation was the same as Feng Bei’s.
As for Ruchen.
All Zheng Xiu could do now was hope Ruchen was safe, because for the time being, he had no idea how to escape from the painting scroll himself.
But then he remembered that Ruchen possessed the Path of the [Ascetic Monk]. As a Mystic of incredible Talent, she could regrow flesh on a frostbitten foot. It was possible that even if she were fully digested, she could regenerate from nothing but bone dust.
’The insane power of an Innate Mystic couldn’t be measured by common sense. When it came to them, the more ridiculous the possibility, the more likely it was to be true.’
’The painting scroll contains a world of its own.’
’This Jianghu, Chu Chengfeng sitting across the table, and the identity I’ve assumed—they must all be part of this hidden world.’
’None of it is real.’
Zheng Xiu was certain.
’It’s a Ghostly Realm.’
But it was also obvious that the Ghostly Realm he was facing now was different from any he had ever known.
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