In June, the heat gradually intensified.
On this day, dressed in a plain linen Taoist robe, white-haired and white-bearded, Zhang Xuansu, resembling an old immortal, appeared in the dazzling sunlight at Yuelai Inn. He tilted his head back to gaze at the entire Yuelai Inn, ripples stirring in his murky, ageless eyes.
Behind the counter, clutching a jar of chilled sour plum soup, Zhao Miao caught sight of him and kindly stretched his neck, smiling, "Old Taoist, if you’re tired from walking, why not come in for a cup of tea and rest your feet—it’s free..."
Zhang Xuansu lowered his head, stared at her for a few seconds, and, smiling, slowly stepped onto the stairs; "The layperson is indeed fortunate."
"I’ll take your auspicious words..."
Zhao Miao, beaming, stood up and gestured towards an empty seat near the entrance with a "please sit" motion, then turned her head towards the backyard and shouted, "Erniu, bring a pot of tea."
"Hold on!"
Yang Ge’s voice interrupted Zhang Erniu, who was shouting in the hall. He rose from the Mahjong table, walked out slowly with a furrowed brow, and scolded Zhao Miao with a stern face, "Haven’t I taught you that you should harbor no malice but must always be wary? How come you are inviting just anyone into the inn?"
Zhao Miao shrank his neck and was about to reply when he heard the old Taoist outside the counter laugh and scold, "Look at you mischief-maker, although I may not be older than you in generations, I am certainly older in age. Don’t you know to respect the elderly and cherish the young?"
Yang Ge narrowed his eyes, responded coldly without a good expression, and beckoned to Zhao Miao, "To earn the respect of others, one must possess virtues worth respecting. Do you have them?"
Zhao Miao, clever and quick, hurried out from behind the counter, walked swiftly behind Yang Ge, tiptoed slightly, and nervously peered at the white-haired, white-bearded old immortal opposite him.
Zhang Xuansu glanced at Yang Ge’s right hand concealed within his large sleeve, making no rash moves nor daring to make any that could lead to a misunderstanding.
Outside, the scorching sun was fiery hot and the oppressive heat was intense, but at that moment, he felt a chill growing within him.
He had initially thought that upon reaching Yang Ge’s territory, this catastrophe-inciting devil would at least talk nicely to him.
But this catastrophe-inciting devil was clearly harboring murderous intentions at that moment!
He gave a bitter smile, "Didn’t I tell you before, you are so young, can’t you think less maliciously and not always assume the worst in people..."
Yang Ge indifferently replied, "I also told you that I never hesitate to suspect the worst in others... I haven’t visited your Mount Longhu, have I?"
Zhang Xuansu was taken aback, suddenly realizing, "It’s my fault, I will leave now. Shall we talk outside the city?"
He had lived carefree for almost two hundred years, visiting Ziwei Palace as easily as if it were his own backyard, completely oblivious to the concept of boundaries.
Yang Ge thought for a moment, softly exhaled a breath, and gradually relaxed, "Forget it, I open my doors for business, and everyone who comes is a guest; why should I turn anyone away... Please, take a seat!"
He turned around and gestured towards the stairs leading to the second floor with a "please" motion.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuansu also relaxed completely, stepping forward speechlessly: "What changed your mind now?"
Yang Ge accompanied him upstairs, responding lightly, "Nothing much; I just suddenly realized you are the one wearing the shoes..."
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Zhang Xuansu opened his mouth but didn’t dare to respond.
The volume of their conversation wasn’t loud, so the gamblers playing Mahjong inside the inn had no idea that a terrestrial immortal had just passed by them.
They just curiously looked at Zhang Xuansu, muttering softly, "Who is this old Taoist? Er Ye is actually personally receiving him..."
"Erniu, bring the good tea!"
"Right away."
...
"Honored guest, your tea, please enjoy it slowly!"
Zhang Erniu, with a big smile on his face, placed a pot of tea in front of Zhang Xuansu and bowed before descending the stairs.
Zhang Xuansu picked up the tea cup and took a sip, seeming surprised as he looked towards Yang Ge; "The Zhao family didn’t send you some good tea? What about the Da Hong Pao from the mother trees of Wuyi Mountain? What about the eighteen plants from Hugong Temple?"
Yang Ge, as if he didn’t catch the implications in his words, tapped the table lightly with one hand, expressionless, and said, "Before we talk business, let me make this clear: this time, I’ll regard you as oblivious due to old age and won’t hold it against you. But if there’s a next time, don’t blame me for bullying an old man by dealing with you first before attacking your Mount Longhu."
Zhang Xuansu, aggrieved, put down his tea bowl, "Why won’t you believe that I truly mean no harm with my visit?"
Yang Ge remained unmoved, "If I didn’t believe you came with no ill intentions, would you still be alive to drink tea here?"
Zhang Xuansu shook his head, his face full of helplessness, "You, you..."
Yang Ge said softly, "Let’s get down to business."
Zhang Xuansu once again picked up his tea cup, sipped slowly, and said nothing.
Yang Ge slowly furrowed his brows.
Suddenly, Zhang Xuansu smiled, tapped the table lightly, and said slowly, "How about we make a bet, old man? Let’s bet that if I didn’t come to find you today, you’ll still go to Mount Longhu to look for me later."
Yang Ge, "Have I been too polite to you?"
Zhang Xuansu, smiling and shaking his head, "Young man, be patient... We still have a long way to go."
Yang Ge remained silent.
Then, Zhang Xuansu, still smiling, went on to say, "Speaking of which, the Feng Shui of your inn is not simple!"
Yang Ge sneered.
Zhang Xuansu, his expression unchanged, elaborated, "Have you ever heard ’A mountain need not be high; it’s famous if there’s an immortal, a river need not be deep; it’s divine if there’s a dragon’? Feng Shui also works this way; Feng Shui nurtures people, and people also nurture Feng Shui. Originally, although this place is backed by Mang Mountain’s dragon head to accumulate energy and faces the Grand Canal to draw energy, Luoyang, the Divine Capital, lies to the west, severing the central dragon’s pulse. This obstructs the flow of energy and stifles the wind, disturbing the balance of Yin and Yang, only sufficient for a pavilion."
"But because of you, Yang Erlang, the aura here exceeds that of Luoyang city, with harmonious weather and smooth energy, the dragon energy has shifted eastward, there’s already a lurking dragon in the abyss, a phenomenon of soaring up to the heavens!"