Chapter 355: Chapter 354: Showing Off is a Tradition of the Pure Yang Sect
Qinglan Prefecture, a tavern.
"No fame, no fortune, free to roam, meeting wine and song with a verse of my own. For years I’ve not approached the Emperor’s throne; for a millennium, my home’s been Xianzhou alone."
Taoist Yuan He listened to the singer’s tune while sipping the tavern’s light brew. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and he felt perfectly at ease. ’Back in the day, Lü Zu roamed the world with just a single sword. To think that I, an old Daoist, am now enjoying a similar fate.’
In the tavern, an old man plucked a six-stringed instrument while a young woman sang a soft ballad.
Unlike the three-to-five-minute songs of Blue Star, a single piece in this Otherworld told an entire story. Finishing one song would take half an hour at least.
The singer had just finished her song. She gently wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, picked up a small woven bamboo box, and went around the tavern’s tables with the old man, offering auspicious words as they collected tips.
This tavern was one of the better establishments in Qinglan Prefecture, both in location and quality. Its patrons were all fairly well-off, and after hearing the song, they casually tossed some Copper Coins as a reward.
But when the singer reached the third table to Taoist Yuan He’s left, she was stopped by several men who were drinking.
"Well now, the little lady is quite a beauty!"
"Good song, and a good-lookin’ woman too!"
"You must be tired, little lady. Come, sit down and rest. Have a few drinks with us brothers, and we’ll make sure you’re handsomely rewarded later!"
As they spoke, the three men began to force the singer down onto the table.
"Sirs! Sirs! Good sirs, we’re just humble folk. We wouldn’t dare sit with you, we might soil your fine clothes," the old Musician pleaded, rushing forward to stand in front of the singer.
"We’re talkin’ to the little lady. Who the hell do you think you are—"
"Hey, Brother Liu, let it go." One of the men stopped his companion, who was about to lash out. He glanced around the room, then said to the old Musician, "I’ll give you one last chance. Let this girl have some fun with us brothers. Tomorrow morning, I’ll give you three taels of silver."
"Thank you for your high regard, young master, but we truly don’t dare to impose." The old Musician pulled the singer back with him, bowing and scraping repeatedly. Not daring to ask for any money, they headed toward the back of the tavern.
They didn’t dare ask for any more tips. Instead, they gave the Shopkeeper his customary cut and prepared to leave.
As they passed a table in front of Taoist Yuan He’s, a middle-aged man drinking alone flicked his hand, and a dozen or so copper coins flew into the singer’s bamboo box.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" the old Musician said repeatedly. The singer also curtsied in thanks.
Then they brushed past Taoist Yuan He.
Taoist Yuan He chuckled and called out to them. He also dropped a handful of copper coins into the singer’s box and said, "One must pay for the music one hears. Debts should be settled clearly, lest they become tangled later."
"Thank you! Thank you!" The old Musician pulled the singer along as he thanked him again. He glanced back fearfully at the three men, then quickly hurried away.
Just as the old Musician and the singer stepped outside, the three men put down their cups, casually tossed down a small ingot of broken silver, and hastily followed them out.
Taoist Yuan He shook his head and drained his cup. When he looked down again, he noticed that the middle-aged man from the next table had also vanished, along with the conical hat and long, cloth-wrapped bundle that had been beside his table.
’Luring the snake from its hole, with a mantis stalking the cicada.’
Taoist Yuan He chuckled and shook his head. He picked up his chopsticks, put a piece of a cold dish into his mouth, and hummed softly, "Deeply drunk, I sleep in the moon’s grotto; with a lofty chant, I look down on the mortal world. Since my life was set by enlightenment’s grace, I’ve won eternal spring in that immortal place."
...
Meanwhile, the singer helped the old Musician along. The two bought a few steamed buns from a street vendor and continued on without looking back. After walking for a short while, they turned into a quiet alley.
They hadn’t even made it halfway down when they heard hurried footsteps behind them. The two turned to see the same three men from the tavern who had been harassing the singer, rushing toward them with excited expressions.
"Grandpa! Hurry!" The singer’s face was filled with terror. She helped her grandfather pick up the pace, and they ran toward the alley’s exit.
But one was old and the other was weak; how could they possibly outrun three able-bodied men?
Just as they reached the middle of the alley, the three men caught up and surrounded them, with two in front and one behind.
"Heheheh, little lady, we meet again."
"You refused a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. We offered you money like gentlemen, but you refused. Don’t blame us brothers for not paying, then." The man who had held his friend back in the tavern now stood before the singer, cackling sinisterly.
"You... you stay away!" The singer pulled her grandfather back against the wall, her eyes wide with fear.
"Hahaha!"
"Heheheh!"
The three men—one on the left, one on the right, and one in the center—pinned the singer and the old Musician against the wall. Their eyes were filled with lewd smiles, the word ’thug’ all but written on their faces.
"You two sure know how to pick a spot."
"This alley is nothing but the back doors of large mansions. It’s deserted during the day and far from either main street. You could scream your lungs out, and no one would hear you."
"Just twenty paces ahead is the woodshed of my family’s backyard. We can go over there and have some fun."
The three men chimed in one after another as they closed in on the singer, reaching out to grab her. Seeing the old Musician cowering and the singer’s terrified expression, it was clear they were powerless to resist.
But just then, a figure suddenly leaped down from the high wall beside them.
The next moment, the figure simply swung the long, cloth-wrapped bundle in their hand. THUD! THUD! THUD! The three men were sent flying. A sharp-eyed observer would have noticed that the bundle had also struck each of the three men in the lower back, right over their kidneys.
"Ah!"
"Oof!"
"Who’s there?"
The three men looked up to see a person in grey robes and a conical hat standing before them. Although they couldn’t see the face beneath the hat, they were very familiar with the clothes and figure—it was the middle-aged man from the tavern.
"Who are you? How dare you ruin my fun?" the first man said as he got to his feet. "My father is—"
Before he could finish, he saw the middle-aged man gently lift a corner of the bundle in his hand, revealing the hilt of a Fine Steel Longsword.
Without another word, the man turned and left. The other two didn’t utter so much as half a threat, either. They just shot a hateful glare at the singer and the old Musician before following the first man away.
From beginning to end, the middle-aged man remained silent and did not stop the three from leaving.
Seeing that the crisis was over, the middle-aged man finally spoke. "Go on home. Be more careful in the future."
With that said, he began to walk toward the alley’s exit.
But just then...
"Stop!"
A crisp yet sultry voice rang out by the middle-aged man’s ear. He turned back in surprise, only to discover that the one who had spoken was the singer.
But now, the terror and helplessness in the singer’s eyes were gone, replaced by a sultry air. She looked at him playfully. "I was just starting to have fun, but you chased all my playthings away. Now, what are you going to do about that?"
The pupils of the middle-aged man under the conical hat shrank. Without a second thought, he launched himself into the air, aiming to leap onto the high wall.
But the singer wasn’t about to give him the chance. With a soft, sweet laugh, her form transformed into a streak of red light, appearing before the middle-aged man in an instant. Her voice whispered in his ear, "Since it’s come to this, you can be the one to keep me company. I am willing to offer you my body. Please, great hero, take pity on me."
The middle-aged man saw the killing intent in the singer’s eyes, and his heart sank to the abyss.
He was merely a Martial Arts Expert. How could he possibly face off against an Extraordinary Demon Fiend that had achieved near-sainthood?
’To think a single moment of compassion would end up costing me my life!’
But just as the middle-aged man, utterly hopeless, closed his eyes to await death, he caught a flash of silver light in the corner of his eye. It streaked past him, gone in an instant.
The next moment, the red light came to an abrupt halt. Instead of pressing against him, it fell downward, and the middle-aged man successfully landed on top of the high wall.
But curiosity kept him from leaving immediately. He paused on the wall and couldn’t help but look down.
’What’s going on?’
The middle-aged man was utterly bewildered. He looked down at where he had just been and saw the woman had landed gracefully. She stood there stunned, her eyes also filled with confusion, as if she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Then, the middle-aged man watched as the singer tilted her head slightly. A thin red line appeared on her snow-white neck, and her head rolled to the ground.
Immediately after, her body began to twist and contort, transforming into a colorful red-banded krait. The severed head, too, had changed into a hideous snake’s head.
The middle-aged man: !!!
Not far away, the old Musician’s body tensed, and he shot backward in retreat. But before he could take three steps, another flash of silver light streaked through the middle-aged man’s peripheral vision. He then saw the old Musician’s head separate from his body.
The next moment, an old yet dashing voice drifted to his ears.
"Refined by Eight Immortals, a bell of wondrous might; polished by four seas, its reflection a chilling light. A laugh points to a million wrongs to right; riding a dragon, sword in hand, to the ninefold heavens’ height!"
Comments