Just as it was getting chaotic, the sound of the drums suddenly came from fare away.
“Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang…”
Following the sound of beating drums a huge acrobatics group slowly traversed through Dragon Gate street.
This acrobatic group was skilful, some walked on stilts, some threw bowls, human pyramids, some breaking a large stone on their chests… The people on the streets moved so make way for them, stopping to watch the acrobatic group’s performance, occasionally letting out exclamations.
“Another! Another!”
“Amazing!”
Seeing the acrobatic group coming closer, Li Jiang was pulled by a bunch of big and burly family servants, still struggling as he shouted, “Brother, brother! You can’t do this! Hurry up and get them to let me go!”
“You bastard, getting into trouble outside all day. If I don’t teach you a proper lesson now, I’ll write my surname upside down!” Li Zhiyuan fumed as he glanced at Lu Xiao’s expression.
Lu Xiao looked indifferent, without an expression.
“Brother! This situation can’t be blamed on me! It’s those two, they provoked me first!”
“This bastard still dares to argue! I’ll cut off your tongue!”
“…” Qiu Yutong carried the lantern in one hand while the other carried a candyman, watching the farce he caused, and he didn’t know what he should say.
Lu Xiao smailed and pulled Qiu Yutong, “Let’s go look over there.”
Qiu Yutong nodded. “En.”
Just as the two of them were about to leave, Lu Xiao’s face suddenly changed, embracing Qiu Yutong and jumping to the side, “Be careful!”
It turned out that as Li Jiang was fighting against the servants, the acrobatic group had come close.
Right in the front of this group were four children dressed as “Luck”, “Fortune”, “Longevity” and “Happiness”. They walked on stilts, wearing masks, swaying forward.
The child at the front who was dressed as the god of longevity was accidentally hindered by a family servant and fell headfirst.
Qiu Yutong was about to be hit when Lu Xiao immediately grabbed him and jumped back, avoiding it by a hairsbreadth.
However, that child on stilts that were metres long, in that instant, was about to fall on his head, blood would splash everywhere.
Qiu Yutong saw all this and with a twirl, he waved his sleeves and they unfolded, gently supporting the child! However, it was still not enough!
At the same time, a green shadow flashed on the opposite side and supported with a wave of the sleeve as well!
Two people worked together and the child gently floated to the ground. Then, he quickly crawled up, face full of anxiety and confusion, he probably didn’t know what happened, “How did I fall down?”
The people on the street pointed at the Li family brothers, “It’s them…”
“You bastard! Look at the trouble you’ve caused!” Li Zhiyuan lost face and was even more resentful; he cursed as he beat Li Jiang up. Li Jiang’s miserable howls could travel a few kilometres, “Brother, I don’t dare anymore, wuwuwu, Brother…”
Lu Xiao was too lazy to even spare them a glance, his eyes only looking at Qiu Yutong, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Qiu Yutong shook his head then looked down at the smashed candyman and lantern, saying in annoyance, “That was the last candyman… and the lantern is also gone.”
A youth in black clothes walked over. His face was delicate and pretty, looking around twenty. He gazed at Qiu Yutong and cupped his hands with a smile, “Thanking your distinguished self for your assistance just now, if it were only me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to save that child.”
Qiu Yutong regained his senses, “Oh, it’s no bother.”
As he spoke, he stared at the candyman on the ground out of the corner of his eyes.
The black-clothed youth stared at the shattered candyman on the ground, seemed to understand and smiled, “My friend booked a table at Zuixian building over there, with their famous Zuixian sticky rice dumplings there; if your distinguished self is amenable, why not go there together?”
Lu Xiao frowned slightly and looked like he was about to reject it but Qiu Yutong had already widened his eyes, looking very interested. “Zuixian sticky rice dumplings?”
Lu Xiao stayed silent.
The three of them went into Zuixian building, and exchanged names on the way. It turned out that the delicate and pretty black-clothed youth was called Xu Dongqing, a Baizhou native, specially coming to the capital to appreciate the lanterns.
Lu Xiao and Qiu Yutong also shared their surnames, one surnamed Xiao, one surnamed Tong.
Zuixian building’s waiter was extremely polite, leading the three of them up to the second-floor private room. A handsome and bright brocade-clothes youth stood up, “Dongqing, what took you so long?”
Xu Dongqing smiled, “Just encountered a small thing. Right, these two are Young Master Xiao and Young Master Tong, friends I just got to know. Young Master Xiao, Young Master Tong, this is my friend, Lin Zhufeng.”
Lu Xiao indifferently nodded.
Qiu Yutong smiled, “Young Master Lin, nice to meet you.”
Lin Zhufeng swept his eyes across the two people, and curled his lip slightly, moving closer to Dongqing’s ear, speaking softly, “I say Dongqing, you keep going around and befriending people of dubious background, previously you were cheated of fifty spiritual stones, was that not enough? Luckily the Medicine Monarch Manor has your older brother to support it, if not it would fail under you.”
“Don’t speak like that, everyone is a friend.” Xu Dongqing smiled, “Moreover, I have an older brother, Zhufeng, don’t you have one too? Yuqin Palace’s palace master as an older brother, not everyone has one.”
Lin Zhufeng sneered, “Him? Don’t mention him.”
Lu Xiao wasn’t a cultivator so he didn’t feel anything, but as Qiu Yutong listened to these two’s discussion, he couldn’t help but be extremely surprised.
It turned out that this Xu Dongqing, was the Medicine Monarch Manor, while that brocade-clothed youth was Lin Zhufeng, was the younger brother of Yuqin Palace’s palace master, Lin Yurong. Medicine Monarch Manor and Yuqin Palace, even though they cannot compare to North Sea Sword Sect and North Snow City, but they were still considered important people in the cultivation world.
Lin Zhufeng was quite haughty and Lu Xiao ignored bystanders, the atmosphere turned awkward for a moment. Luckily, Xu Dongqing was extremely cordial, asking everyone to sit down. “Everyone sit down, the food will be here soon.”
Qiu Yutong hesitated for a moment then sat down, Lu Xiao followed and sat.
Lin Zhufeng rolled his eyes and also sat down.
“Your treat!” Not long later, a waiter served four cold and four hot dishes, and then four bowls of “Zuixian sticky rice dumplings”, in an instant, the alcohol smell permeated the room.
Qiu Yutong was long hungry so immediately ladled a white and fat dumpling into his mouth. Then, his face wrinkled, it was so hot he was breathing out through his mouth and sticking out his tongue, continuously using his hand to fan his mouth, “So hot, so hot!”
Lu Xiao looked at him, the corner of his mouth hooked up slightly, “Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you.”
“How would I know it was so hot…” Qiu Yutong spoke unclearly.
Just as the two of them were speaking, the storyteller on the stage clapped a board, and started to speak, “Ladies and gentlemen customers, previously this one said that the Feilai Peak Master* Qiu Yutong was currently fighting with North Snow City’s master, Xie Wanting; the two martial brothers are at a deadlock, immediately fighting upon laying eyes on each other.”
[T/N: The raws actually come from a story about a flying mountain that flattens lands and people when it lands. They liken QYT to that mountain I think.]
“Cough cough cough!” Qiu Yutong violently coughed, choking until his face went completely red.
With the heavens and earth as witnesses, how could he dare to fight with Zhangmen-Shixiong?!
“That Feilai Peak Master Qiu Yutong is an innate sword body, tall and big with a tough and stocky build. Muscled with extraordinary strength, once he bellowed, a sword hacked down from the sky. Xie Wanting couldn’t avoid it and could only take three steps back and forcibly resist the sword. Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood!”
“Cough cough cough!” Lu Xiao also choked on the tea.
Xu Dongqing said resentfully, “Mr Storyteller, stop talking nonsense, how can City Master Xie fail to beat his shidi?”
The storyteller stared with a pair of beady eyes, “How can this one talk nonsense?”
Xi Dongqing frowned, “You’re obviously speaking nonsense, City Master Xie he… is handicapped, so how can he take three steps back?”
Lin Zhufeng also nodded, “That’s right. Xie Wanting has been paralysed for many years. Because of this situation, even his ‘Zhige’ spot on the swordsmanship list, dropped to the third position, below Gui Wuya’s ‘Qixue’.
Xi Dongqing was momentarily unhappy, “ What kind of broken swordsmanship list is that, completely inaccurate! City Master Xie’s swordsmanship is definitely superior to Gui Wuya!”
Lin Zhufeng’s mouth twitched, “Forget it if you don’t believe it, but this is Mr Mystery’s swordsmanship list, don’t say too much, the first ten names are definitely reasonable.”
Xu Dongqing angrily replied, “So what if it’s Mr Mystery? Immortal Senior Qing Heng had long fallen in the Blood Prison Secret Realm, yet his “Sky Illuminates Clouds” is still first place. Feilai Peak Master Qiu Yutong’s Ascending Sun was not even on the list!”
Lin Zhufeng sneered, “Isn’t that because Qiu Yutong doesn’t have his own spiritual sword, this interesting thing called the swordsmanship list would thus be unable to rank him. Dongqing, I know you worship City Master Xie, but City Master Xie is indeed not Gui Wuya’s opponent. Qixue ranks second while Zhige is ranked third, this is how it should be. After all, the ending to North Snow’s sword discussion that year, everyone knows of it.”
Xu Dongqing went silent.
Lu Xiao looked at Qiu Yutong, wanting to speak yet remaining silent.
Qiu Yutong silently ate a sticky rice dumpling.
That year, during North Snow’s sword discussion , he was still a child, only hearing that Gui Wuya suppressed the other outstanding heroes, and crippled Zhangmen-Shixiong, Xie Wanting’s, pair of legs and broke Yuqin Palace’s palace master, Lin Yurong’s, qin. This was why in the song passed among the people would have the line, “Under North Snow City is Yuqin’s destruction.”
“North Snow’s Sword Discussion” that competition, how bitter the fight was, Qiu Yutong didn’t know. He only knew that Zhangmen-Shixiong had never mentioned it and no one in North Snow City dared to bring it up.
Lin Zhufeng clicked his tongue, “Forget it, forget it, let’s stop talking about these depressing things. Right, I heard that your older brother is back from wandering? And even brought back a sister-in-law for you?”
Xu Dongqing nodded. “En, it’s been decided to hold the wedding within three months.”
Lin Zhufeng smiled, “Congratulations, congratulations! A lot of people will be attending this time’s Medicine Monarch Manor’s wedding banquet right?
“En, over two hundred wedding invitations have been sent out.” Xu Dongqing sighed, “Originally, I hoped for City Master Xie to come, but I heard he’s in seclusion. Peak Master Bai also isn’t a person who cares for mortal affairs so I supposed Peak Master Sang is the one to come.”
Qiu Yutong blinked, looking pensive.
Previously, when San-Shixiong came by Daning Palace, he also mentioned Zhangmen-Shixiong being in seclusion. If San-Shixiong were to attend the wedding banquet of the Medicine Monarch Manor, then couldn’t he also follow along and allow the Master of the Medicine Monarch Manor, the godly doctor, Xu Qiushi, resolve the cold poison in his body?
Just as he was thinking about the possibility of this situation, Lin Zhufeng spoke again, “Speaking of Peak Master Sang, I heard a few days ago that he was also in the capital.”
“Really? Why didn’t I know? I didn’t see him in the immortal union guild hall in the capital,” Xu Dongqing said in surprise.
“He, this Peak Master Sang, how could he go to the guild hall? I heard that he had already stayed in Juanlian Alley for a few months, he had even gotten into a fight yesterday. I heard it was for a prostitute, Zhu Yan.”
Qiu Yutong, “…”
Humiliating.
If Zhangmen-Shixiong knew about this, he reckoned that San-Shixiong would be punished with meditation against the wall on Wenjian Cliff.
Also, when San-Shixiong came to Daning Palace, didn’t he say he was staying with some Maiden Xiang Xue? Why did that change? As expected, Zhangmen-Shixiong was right, San-Shixiong was a skirt-chaser, even Yuqin Palace’s little palace master also knew about San-Shixiong’s messy reputation.
Qiu Yutong was silent for a moment yet still decided to inquire, “Young Master Lin, this Peak Master Sang, which part of Juanlian Alley does he stay in?”
Lu Xiao inclined his head slightly and glanced at Qiu Yutong before looking back down.
Lin Zhufeng raised his eyebrows, “What, you want to go find him?”
Qiu Yutong perfunctorily said, “No, just curiosity. I don’t know what kind of prostitute would be able to make Peak Master Sang fight with others?”
“Let me recall… Peak Master Sang liked this lady, the lead in Yanzhi Pavillion, so he should probably be there.”
“Yanzhi Pavillion?” Qiu Yutong nodded, inwardly noting the name down, Yanzhi Pavillion.
Lu Xiao’s eyelashes dropped, not saying a word.
Not long later, the four people finished eating their meal when they heard the sound of drums “dongdongqiang——dongdongqiang——” from the outside, mixed with the messy sounds of exclamations, “The dragon is here, the dragon is here!”
“Move move move, let’s watch the dragon dance!” Lin Zhufeng hauled Xu Dongqing away, bidding goodbye to Qiu Yutong and Lu Xiao before hastily heading downstairs to watch the dragon dance.
“Let’s go look,” Qiu Yutong pulled on Lu Xiao.
The two of them walked down Zuixian Building side-by-side. The streets were already flooded with a huge amount of tourists, packed tightly together to watch the dragon dance group come over. “Hurry, hurry, it’s reaching now!” “Don’t crowd!”
Under such incomparable noise, Lu Xiao didn’t seem like he heard anything; his eyes were lidded as he silently stared at Qiu Yutong. Suddenly, he said softly, “Let’s go back, okay?”
Qiu Yutong was slightly stunned, and inexplicably felt some guilt as he stammered out, “But, I… I still want to roam around.”
He had to get rid of Lu Xiao, head to Juanlian Alley and find San-Shixiong.
Lu Xiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly and he didn’t say anything for a long while.
