"Xiao's wontons are delicious, and the soup is rich but not greasy. You can also use the soup to make tea!"
"Cherry Biro, stuffed Hu pancakes, authentic Western flavor!!"
"The finest silk and linen, sir, take a look, they are so smooth to the touch. If you don't believe me, buy some and compare them with your wife."
The place was bustling with people, as noisy as day.
Strings of lanterns are hung, interweaving above the long street, while the streets below are bustling with pedestrians passing by.
The pancakes sizzle, the vendor takes the pan and hands it to the customer, shouting loudly on the street, the husband with his wife stops at the shop, picks up the copper box of rouge and powder, which makes the woman shy. On the street, the sound of Hu music fills the air, the sexy Hu girls cast seductive glances, twist their waists, ring the bell, the Hu merchants holding the money box smile, and take the copper coins and silver.
"Don't look!"
Hong Lian's voice was heard inside the bookshelf. Lu Liangsheng withdrew his gaze from Hu Ji, who was twisting her dancing skirt. He no longer blushed when he heard about matters between men and women as he did when he was in his teens.
"A Hu Ji with deep eyes and a high nose, whose body odor can be smelled from a distance, will definitely not be looked at for a long time!"
He squeezed through the crowd, leading the languid old donkey, and said with a chuckle, "She's not as pretty as my Hong Lian, who can dance and sing."
People passing by the scholar turned their heads away in surprise, thinking he was a madman.
After a moment, a hum was heard from inside the bookshelf, and a pleasant voice came out: "That's pretty good."
"Ouch, this... this... there's a ghost!"
Hearing this sound, several pedestrians turned pale with fright and hurriedly squeezed into the crowd, causing a round of pushing, shouting and cursing.
"Stop talking, both of you!"
The words of Toad Taoist were heard from inside the bookshelf. He used his magic power to transmit his voice, so others could not hear it.
"Go to the inn ahead. I can sense the people from the Fire Praying Sect."
Lu Liangsheng turned his head slightly and looked at the restaurant with two big red lanterns hanging on the side of the long street in front of him, and his throat rolled.
"How did Master find out?"
"You can't use the Soul Searching Technique even if you learn it at your current level. It hurts your mind. In my current state, I can only use it once every half a month."
"oh."
Anyway, Lu Liangsheng would not believe it, so he went to the restaurant in front. The waiter who greeted the guests walked to the door, put a rag on his shoulder, and diligently helped the scholar lead the old donkey.
"What would you like to eat, sir? We have stuffed fish with milk and chicken with scallions and preserved vegetables. We have also newly added fish, lamb cannon meat, and mutton mo. It doesn't matter if you don't want to eat. You can enjoy Sanle juice, black plum juice, peach juice, and grape juice. You can also have some iced cheese to go with it. It's the most comfortable thing in summer while watching the singing and dancing. If you are in the mood and want to try something new..."
At this point, the guy winked and whispered:
"Xiyu Huji, I can find one or two for you."
cough.
Lu Liangsheng had seen the world, but talking about this kind of thing made him feel a little embarrassed. The waiter spoke very quickly, and after he waved his hand, the other party had finished speaking.
He glanced at the bookshelf, coughed dryly, and took out two coins.
"We don't need that Hu Ji for now. Please help me take the old donkey to the backyard to feed it some grass. I will go in and order some food."
"Okay, the guest goes first."
The waiter took the tip with a smile, then led the old donkey to the alley beside the restaurant. Lu Liangsheng brushed off his sleeves, shook off the dust and walked into the restaurant.
As soon as you enter, you can hear the bustle of people. The guest seats are arranged around the red carpet stage in the middle. The second floor is also arranged in a cylindrical shape, with the middle suspended to make it convenient for the guests upstairs to watch the singing and dancing.
Dangdang…
The sound of plucking the pipa, accompanied by the music of hujia and reed pipe, the long sleeves fluttering, the hem of the dancer's skirt turning, a velvet flower kicked out of the tip of her shoe, her sleeves slipped down, and her delicate hands suddenly turned around and struck the small drum at her waist.
The melodious and light vocal music suddenly became heroic and unrestrained.
Lu Liangsheng went up to the second floor and found a private seat close to the fence. When the waiter came over, he simply ordered some cheap food. After the waiter left, he glanced at the guests who were drinking noisily around him, and then went downstairs.
Across the stage, the Qi-observing technique passed through one figure after another, and finally landed on one of the musicians on the side of the stage.
"A warrior roaming the streets?"
The musician had an ordinary face, thin cheeks, and a long beard that swayed left and right as the erhu was played. He seemed to feel someone was watching him and opened his eyes.
The waiter came over with a plate of food.
"Sir, your white rice with buttermilk."
Anyone who comes is a guest. Although he ordered cheap food in the restaurant, the waiter still smiled and brought the bowl of white rice with a little milk cream to the scholar. Then he said, "Enjoy your meal, sir." and went to serve the dishes to the next table.
Lu Liangsheng picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth, then frowned immediately.
The taste is a bit uncomfortable...
At this time, after the song below was finished, the geisha left the stage, and the musician sitting over there also stood up, as if he was about to leave.
"Liangsheng, follow him. This man seems to be a martial artist kept by the Qihuo Sect."
The voice of Toad Taoist was heard from inside his sleeve pocket. Lu Liangsheng put down his bowl and chopsticks and nodded.
…
"Waiter, another jar of Chunhua wine." "This table wants a braised lamb leg!" "It's summer, eating lamb won't make you feel hot enough!!"
"Come on—"
"Sir, the white rice with milk puff pastry is so white and greasy. There's a dish on the table that hasn't been touched, and the guests have paid and left. How about..."
The waiter brought over a plate of sweet fish breast, then was stunned. Next to the bowl and chopsticks, there was a pile of meal money, and there was no trace of the scholar sitting on the seat.
"It's really a ghost. He just turned around and disappeared?"
Amid the muttering, the sound of stringed instruments spread outside the restaurant. The musician walked out of the back door of the restaurant, playing the erhu, and walked very quickly. He looked back from time to time and hurriedly went into the intricate and intertwined dark alleys.
Click…
Particles of dust slid down the wall, and the scholar in a green shirt ran on the top of the wall.
Occasionally, he would climb onto the eaves of a building, look around, and overlook the city. He was shocked by the prosperity displayed by the brightly lit streets.
The prosperity and splendor can only be seen here.
The next second, he kicked his feet, causing the buildings to shake slightly, and his figure plunged into the darkness, following the musicians moving through the dark alleys from a distance. Only by alerting the enemy in this way could he perhaps find the base of the Qihuo Sect in Chang'an City.
Tap tap tap…
Below, footsteps echoed in the alley. The noise of the long street outside formed a contrast with this side. The musician with a long beard and a thin face stopped at some point, looked around, picked up the huqin, and knocked lightly on the back door of a house.
"Who is it?"
An old man's voice came from inside, like a doorman's.
"He's an entertainer."
The old wooden door creaked and groaned, opening a crack, revealing half of the old man's face. The old man looked at the musician at the door, his eyes casually glanced outside, and then he stepped aside.
"Come in and close the door."
The musician entered the house, closed the door, and after bolting it, he went straight to the backyard where the two rooms were connected. On the way, he met a familiar companion and whispered:
"There's a monk in town."
The latter nodded, hugged his weapon and let it hang by his side, and walked quickly across the eaves with him.
In front of us, the lighted window frame cast a dim light. Several figures were cut out in the window, and voices could be heard slowly.
"Ming Zun has returned from Wu Se Zhuang... Most of the staff have been transferred out now."
"Humph, going out may not be a good thing. We are staying here and having fun. We also have women."
"Haha... Cultivate Taoism, cultivate Taoism. What's wrong with me cultivating the way of being a woman?!"
"... Don't interrupt. I heard that the last herb of the Five Colors Manor has been found in the Southern Chen Palace. Ming Zun borrowed a treasure from the Five Colors Manor to capture the monster."
There was a breeze in the courtyard, and the shadows of the trees rustled, as if there were guests coming.