Chapter 184: Jianghu Rumors

While examining the Cheap Wine Shop, Ding Songyan did not forget to tell Li Baima and Wu Mo, "You two order. I just arrived and do not know what’s good here."

Twelfth Madam Luo’s eyes shifted toward Ding Songyan when she heard this.

As Li Baima sat down, he said to Twelfth Madam Luo, "One jar of Jade Spring and one of Silver Light. Both are excellent local wines."

The latter sentence was for Ding Songyan’s benefit. He continued, "Four small dishes to accompany the wine, plus Eight-Treasure Steamed Duck, pork belly with preserved mustard greens, pork and shrimp meatballs, and mixed vegetables..."

Twelfth Madam Luo carefully memorized the order and was about to relay it to a server when Wu Mo reached for her sleeve.

She lightly stepped back, leaving him grabbing at empty air.

Accustomed to this, Wu Mo grinned shamelessly.

"Twelfth Madam, we patronize your shop every day, yet you never join us for a drink."

Twelfth Madam Luo glared at him.

"Would you like to drink foot-washing water?"

"Yes! If you dare serve it, I dare drink it!" Wu Mo was equally unwilling to concede a war of words.

"Fine. That makes two." The corner of Twelfth Madam Luo’s mouth curled upward.

Ding Songyan glanced at Wu Mo, drew out a pair of wooden chopsticks, and casually asked Twelfth Madam Luo, "Whose foot-washing water do you intend to use?"

Twelfth Madam Luo looked at Ding Songyan, and her smile suddenly blossomed like a flower.

"Seventh Yu’s."

A young server doing odd jobs nearby looked up blankly.

"Boss, did you call me?"

He was not old, and red bumps covered his forehead.

"Boil some water later and soak your feet in a basin. We must not disappoint our honored guests," Twelfth Madam Luo instructed with a teasing smile.

Wu Mo was rendered speechless.

He felt somewhat annoyed, but then remembered that Twelfth Madam Luo had never said it would be her foot-washing water.

The burly man surnamed Zhu, with an inflamed boil on his face, shot to his feet.

"Twelfth Madam, what is the meaning of this?"

"It means exactly what it means. When did I ever tell you it would be my foot-washing water?" Twelfth Madam Luo gave him a sidelong glance.

Embarrassed before the crowd, Zhu spat out several curses. Twelfth Madam Luo answered with even filthier language, and Ding Songyan recognized the choicest local profanity of Dingjiang, Yuejiang, Eastern Plains, and several other prefectures.

He could not help marveling inwardly, She has gathered the profanity of every province into one body...

Unlike Zhu, who keeps repeating the same three insults. Bitch, son of a whore, fuck your mother. Far too monotonous...

Within a few sentences, Zhu was red-faced and practically smoking from every orifice.

He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, ready to resort to violence.

"That is enough." Li Baima rose and stepped between them. "Trade insults if you must, but do not fight. This is the imperial capital, beneath the emperor’s feet. Show some dignity. The yamen is easy to enter but hard to leave."

Li Baima’s physical abnormalities were obvious. Coupled with Prince Kang’s guard uniform and the two short swords hanging from his waist, they quickly calmed Zhu. He glared at Twelfth Madam Luo, dropped some silver pieces on the table, and stormed away.

"Thank you for upholding justice, Young Hero Li," Twelfth Madam Luo thanked him with a beaming smile.

After sitting down again, Li Baima glanced at Twelfth Madam Luo as she walked toward the counter and lowered his voice.

"She gets away with it only because many of Prince Kang’s guards drink here. Most come from righteous sects and are too proud to behave disgracefully, so they keep the local idlers under control. Otherwise, Twelfth Madam Luo would suffer badly sooner or later.

"If this alley were near the workshops, markets, or docks, someone would have beaten her and smashed the shop long ago."

Twelfth Madam Luo seems quite confident. She did not panic at all... Does she trust you guards that much, or does she have some other backing? As the server delivered wine and porcelain bowls, Ding Songyan began chatting casually with Li Baima and Wu Mo.

While conversing, he listened to the boasts of Prince Kang’s guards, wandering jianghu heroes, and local idlers at the other tables.

"Xie Fengchao defeated Bai Qilin of the Tianyu Sect without using any of his five signature hidden weapons. Bai Qilin also specializes in movement arts, yet he could do nothing against him. That battle made Fifth Young Master Xie famous and earned him 96th place on the Orchid Fresh List..."

"A man named Yang Shiduo challenged sixteen famous martial halls in succession without a single defeat. He is a favorite for this year’s Orchid Grace Examination. They say he comes from no great clan and belongs to no famous sect. He rose to prominence with nothing but his fists. Many gambling houses expect him to place among the top thirty and enter the golden roll, so they have opened wagers. Interested in placing a bet?"

"Have you heard? Li Linquan, the man who captivates both women and men, recently reached the Dharma Realm. A Grandmaster at twenty-six, and one named on the Martial World’s Jade Tree Rankings! Comparing yourself to others really can kill you with envy. The Thunder Sound House is not even a major sect. How did it produce such a monster?"

"I hope Li Linquan visits the Flame Capital. I want to see how charming he truly is, and how explosive his temper can be."

...

Li Baima had clearly noticed these conversations as well. He could not help sighing.

"Sigh. Whenever I hear that someone has risen to prominence, someone has become renowned throughout the world, or someone else has become a Grandmaster, I feel desolate.

"Why can it not be me?"

"You spend every day hiding in the estate. Even at the Hengbo River, you behave yourself and offend no one. How are you supposed to gain fame?" Wu Mo teased. "The Langhuan Bureau gave you a third-rank Form Transfigured rating only out of respect for the estate and your cultivation realm. Why do we not find an opportunity to challenge a few arenas and test the Flame Capital’s martial halls?"

Li Baima fell silent for a moment.

"We can discuss that after I leave. We are currently Prince Kang’s guards and represent his estate wherever we go. We cannot act recklessly."

He ate a few bites from the newly served dishes, then turned to Ding Songyan with a smile.

"Brother Ding, you have not formally begun traveling the jianghu either, have you?"

"Correct. I came to the Flame Capital to experience the martial arts of different schools and sects," Ding Songyan answered frankly.

"What realm have you reached?" Wu Mo asked curiously.

"The perfected Great Proliferation Realm." Ding Songyan ate a bite of tofu mixed with scallions, making no attempt to conceal it.

"Hiss, you look quite young." Wu Mo was astonished.

"I turned twenty-two at the end of May." Ding Songyan had settled upon his birthday, choosing the one from his previous life.

"Twenty-two and already at the perfected Great Proliferation Realm..." Li Baima froze briefly. "Brother Ding, I offer this bowl in hopes that, like Li Linquan, you enter the Dharma Realm before turning thirty."

I will try to become a Supreme Master before thirty... Ding Songyan raised his wine bowl and drained it in several gulps.

He remembered Miss Xiao Qing mentioning in her last letter that her elder brother, Su Yunzhang, had effectively entered the Dharma Realm, becoming a Grandmaster at twenty-five.

Ding Songyan then wished Li Baima and Wu Mo fame in the jianghu, renown as heroes in their own right, and hopes of reaching the Dharma Realm.

As they ate, drank, and chatted, the sky gradually darkened. The Eight-Treasure Steamed Duck left the deepest impression on Ding Songyan. Its skin was rich and tender, its meat juicy and intensely fragrant, and its cavity stuffed with glutinous rice saturated in savory juices.

"It is already late, and the estate has many rules. We should return." Li Baima glanced outside the wine shop.

"Twelfth Madam, the bill!" Wu Mo stood and called toward the counter.

Twelfth Madam Luo had been resting her cheek on one hand, staring blankly at the points of lamplight throughout the shop. She looked up and thought for a moment.

"Four qian of silver. I will waive the remainder."

That truly is cheap... Ding Songyan looked at the table covered in dishes and the four wine jars.

Four qian for three martial artists would have been slightly expensive in Dingjiang Prefecture, but this was the Flame Capital. He had expected the meal to cost six.

As soon as he took out some silver, Wu Mo grabbed his sleeve with a smile.

"Give it to me. I will take it to the counter."

Ding Songyan had no objection. He watched the 1.9-meter-tall man approach the counter and say something that made Twelfth Madam Luo unleash a torrent of filthy abuse.

Wu Mo set down the two pieces of silver and returned with a satisfied, refreshed expression.

Does the Hengbo River not offer such special services? Ding Songyan muttered. He left the alley with Li Baima and Wu Mo, crossed the streets, and returned to the estate’s side courtyard.

Faint strains of strings and woodwinds drifted from the inner court, accompanied by graceful singing.

Fan Chunlin, the swelling still prominent on his forehead, stood listening in the small courtyard and sighed from time to time.

"What is it?" Li Baima asked, puzzled.

Fan Chunlin spoke with wistful fascination.

"Phoenixes excel at song and dance. If Crimson Phoenix Spear Zhang Yingbo sang and danced, what wondrous mortal sight would it create...?"

Wu Mo also stopped and tilted his head, trying to catch the faint melody upon the wind.

He clicked his tongue appreciatively.

"Miss Zhang certainly would not sing or dance anywhere else, but the princess is her senior sister from the Five Saints Sect. Perhaps she would perform in response..."

Are you two idol-chasing...? Dijiang also excels at song and dance. Should I sing and dance for you? Ding Songyan was accustomed to peerless beauties and felt nothing particular toward Crimson Phoenix Spear Zhang Yingbo, much less the excitement stirring Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin.

Seeing Ding Songyan’s calm expression, Li Baima asked in confusion, "Brother Ding, are you not curious or fascinated at all?"

"I am quite curious and fascinated. I even plan to buy Master Xiaozhang’s latest edition of Peerless Beauties of the Jianghu in a few days." Ding Songyan smiled, blending in with the others.

"We will go together!" Wu Mo immediately perked up. "Master Xiaozhang may have seen Miss Zhang by now. His portrait will surely be both lovelier and more accurate."

The conversation soon moved from Crimson Phoenix Spear to other women named in Peerless Beauties of the Jianghu. Ding Songyan occasionally joined in until they mentioned Nine-Evils Demoness Ji Hanyi.

"Ji Hanyi’s portrait is exquisitely beautiful, like an immortal maiden untouched by the mortal world. Nothing about her resembles a demoness." Li Baima sounded skeptical. "Perhaps Master Xiaozhang drew her entirely from imagination and never saw her in person. He may be famous for being difficult to kill, but if he had truly met Demoness Ji, he probably would not have survived."

"If a demoness looked like a demoness, she would not be much of one." Speaking from painful experience, Ding Songyan warned his three colleagues with exceptional sincerity.

Never be deceived by a demoness’s appearance.

"True. Ji Hanyi’s portrait on the wanted notice closely resembles the one on the Peerless Beauties of the Jianghu," Wu Mo recalled.

Ding Songyan did not wish to continue the subject. He returned to his room on the western side, washed briefly, and lay down in bed.

Nights in the Flame Capital were usually lively, but these streets were quiet. Only faint music from pipes, flutes, and strings could be heard.

Ding Songyan gradually drifted to sleep.

After an unknown period of time, his eyes suddenly opened.

A moment later, the sound of something cutting through the air abruptly ceased, followed by a cry of pain from the room beside his.

Ding Songyan sprang from bed and pulled open the door wearing only his underclothes.

Wu Mo stumbled from his room in a panic, clutching his forehead, his face filled with terror.

"What happened?" Ding Songyan asked gravely.

Frightened and bewildered, Wu Mo answered, "Someone... Someone threw a stone and struck me in the forehead!"

But this is inside Prince Kang’s estate!

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