"The constables of Wanfu County have visited several gangs this afternoon. In the past month, of the suspicious characters known to be alone in the county town, there are four," Chu Jin said.
"A middle-aged beggar, who usually begs at the West Gate, doesn't talk to people, and stays overnight at the Yizhuang in the northwest of the town.
A down-and-out scholar who rented a small courtyard in the west of the town and makes a living selling calligraphy and paintings on a small stall.
A storyteller who found a job at Taizhen Building in town and tells a book story every morning, seemingly preparing for a long stay here.
And a brewer who acquired a two-entry courtyard in the southern alley, brews in the backyard, sells wine in the front yard, and makes a living from it."
Qi Fengyun looked at the other three, who all shook their heads, "The people buying dicine have all been elderly living in the county for years, with no change in the quantity and nothing special about it."
Qi Fengyun nodded, "Either he has dicine, or his injuries aren't at the stage where he needs to use Mortal Item dicine, so barring any accidents, the Wolf Demon is likely one of these four people."
Chu Jin said, "These four individuals haven't left Wanfu County since they arrived a month ago."
Qi Fengyun nodded, "The four of you have vigorous qi and are not good at disguising, just wait at the inn. I'll go and have a look tomorrow, Lu Xiaoyou, would you like to co too?"
Lu Zheng could only internally curse, while outwardly he smiled slightly and nodded saying, "Honored by your regard, senior, it is exactly what I want!"
...
The next day.
Early in the morning, Lu Zheng accompanied Qi Fengyun to Taizhen Building, asked the Tea Master for a pot of tea and so lon seeds snacks, tipped fifty cents, and sat in the front row.
A mont later, a middle-aged man in a blue robe, slim build, looking about forty or fifty years old, erged from behind the curtains, struck the gavel, and began storytelling.
"Continuing from yesterday's tale, Scholar Wang Ling was walking in the chaotic stone forest when he suddenly heard a woman's cry.
He looked up at the sound and saw a stunning woman in a goose-yellow floral dress sitting on a stone not far away, with two parcels at her feet, clearly tired from carrying them, resting by the roadside."
The storyteller used varied tones, gestures, and expressions to vividly and grippingly convey a clichéd story of a scholar's love encounter with a ghost.
"Well told! Reward!"
Lu Zheng exclaid aloud, scattering a handful of Copper Coins onto the plate brought by an attendant.
"This gentleman has impressive skills, impossible to tell such a captivating story without a decade of hard work!"
"Thank you for the reward, young master!" The storyteller on stage flashed a keen glint in his eyes, his face bead with enthusiasm as he hurriedly bowed in thanks.
"Earning by one's skills is not shaful!" Lu Zheng waved his hand and left with Qi Fengyun.
"Not an ordinary person, but certainly not the one we're looking for," Lu Zheng said.
Qi Fengyun nodded, without a decade of hard work, it's impossible to tell such a good story, and Leng Li, the Wolf Demon, couldn't possibly tell such a good tale.
The two strolled from Taizhen Building and walked leisurely towards the West Gate of the city.
In the distance, they saw a middle-aged beggar with disheveled hair sitting under a large wall by the city gate, in the sunniest and warst spot.
A broken bowl lay in front of him, and he wore tattered hemp clothes, scratching his head with one hand and catching lice on himself with the other. When he caught one, he casually tossed it into his mouth.
Lu Zheng grimaced, feeling a bit nauseous.
A little further off, two or three other beggars were also there, but far away from him. Although they could bask in the sun, their spots weren't as good, so they could only rest for a while before getting up and moving into the crowd entering the town to beg from those who seed wealthy.
Unlike that middle-aged beggar, who was closest to the city gate, where the flow of people was the largest, he even got rewarded a few cents just by sitting without doing anything.
Lu Zheng and Qi Fengyun exchanged glances and shook their heads, turning to leave.
Getting closer, Lu Zheng could feel the beggar's surging blood qi, stronger than Duan Changzai, and although he didn't know why he was disguised as a beggar, begging every day, he was certainly not the Wolf Demon either.
...
"Hehe, let tell you, Young Master Duan is very handso and is also very good at painting. You should go and see for yourself."
"You've told over a dozen tis. I'm curious to see who this Young Master Duan is, that he can enchant you so much, even introducing to buy a painting."
Lu Zheng and Qi Fengyun arrived at the southern market district of the city, turned into an alley, and ended up behind two ladies walking ahead.
Judging by their attire, these ladies were daughters of middle-class households, with enough monthly allowance to buy costics and picture books.
The alley was lined with stalls, where small vendors set up shop to do business.
There were toy sellers, shoe and sock sellers, snack sellers, and even letter-writing services.
In the middle of the alley, a rope tied to trees on either side had several scrolls of paintings displayed on it, and next to it stood a wooden fra with a few paintings hanging on it as well.
A young scholar sat on a small stool beside it, holding a book in hand, looking down at it when there was no business.
"Young Master Duan."
"Miss Zhao."
"I brought my friend to see the paintings," the lady introduced her companion, but her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the scholar.
The scholar seed a bit reluctant, turned his head slightly and said casually, "They're all here, take a look, if you like any, I'll sell them to you cheaper."
Not far away, Qi Fengyun kept nodding, "Not bad, not bad, with looks like this young master's, why bother reading more?"
On the other side, Lu Zheng rubbed his chin with a pained expression, his teeth aching enormously.
No other reason, really; this Young Master Duan's looks, if placed in modern tis, could get him a direct debut just by lightly jumping and singing a little.
The two glanced sidelong at the scholar and saw that faced with two won interested in him, he appeared helpless, a look of sorrow flashing in his eyes.
"I'm suddenly craving sothing, let's go find so wine to quench our thirst," Qi Fengyun said.
Lu Zheng nodded, helped Qi Fengyun up, and naturally walked past the art stall, slowly disappearing at the other end of the alley.
This scholar was suspected of being Leng Li, but could mostly be ruled out for the mont. After all, if he wanted to hide and heal, he wouldn't make himself look so handso, right?
In that case, let's go see the brewer next.
The two strolled from the west of the city, arriving just at mid-9 AM at the southern alley.
"Hmm, the scent of wine?" Qi Fengyun sniffed and looked delighted.
Following the aroma of the wine, they quickly found a wine shop deep inside the alley.
"Shili Fragrance? Good na!" Qi Fengyun chuckled and laughed as he said and then stepped inside, "Is the shopkeeper here?"
"Are the two guests here for wine?"
A hoarse voice sounded, the door curtain of the shop lifted, and a burly man walked out.
His eyes seed to hang, slightly red, eyebrows sharp like swords, and cheekbones high.
When he smiled slightly at the two, Lu Zheng felt a jolt in his heart, this man, judging by looks alone, didn't seem like a good person.
User Comments
0 comments from readers