"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain," each symbolizes sothing different.
The so-called "Wind" refers to various rumors and news.
When two people form a "Forest," it implies finding a partner; in the pugilistic world, so jobs are too shady to handle alone, and when one cannot summon a companion in short order, this is the place to enlist help.
"Fire" in the pugilistic world usually signifies the presence of goods and money; for instance, when bandits rob a manor, a lucrative heist is called a "Fire Kiln," whereas a dry one is known as a "Water Kiln."
Here in the House of Rumors, "Fire" represents various commissions that, while they may offer generous compensation, are mostly unsavory tasks such as robbery, murder, and fraud.
As for "Mountain," it epitomizes immovability; when soone in the pugilistic world gets into trouble and needs to hide or seek dical assistance, they can have their needs t here, naturally, at a hefty price.
This is one of the pugilistic world’s ’Five Flowers,’ an inn; so welco custors from all directions openly, while others engage in questionable businesses.
Those that involve robbery and murder are terd "Black Inns."
Establishnts with a signboard, such as this one, usually belong to a faction with a presence in various regions; they uphold pugilistic etiquette and will not act rashly.
"Gentlen, please co inside."
The waiter opened a room and invited the two in.
The room was small and not very elegantly furnished; nothing was there besides chairs and a table, and even the windows had been sealed shut.
A candle was lit, casting a dim glow.
Of course, such arrangents were deliberate.
First was secrecy; once the door was shut, it beca its own world, indicating no eavesdropping, and second was safety; the visible furnishings showed a lack of traps and chanisms.
Once the two had sat down, the waiter promptly left the room and shortly returned with a wooden tray carrying a teapot, a small brazier, and several teacups.
He then left the room without a sound.
Wang Daoxuan shook his head and said, "People in Ezhou love tea; go to anyone’s house, and they offer tea as soon as you enter. Even if you refuse, they’ll still serve it."
"Dao Ye, you don’t know this?"
Sha Lifei smiled, "This is a setting up for a tea ritual."
Thud, thud, thud!
Before he had finished speaking, soone knocked on the door and entered.
It was an old man dressed in rustic black clothing, with a world-weary face but a smile, who greeted with hands clasped as soon as the door opened, "Gentlen, you’ve traveled far. It must have been difficult."
Soone who greets with an acknowledgnt of hardships is undoubtedly from the pugilistic world,
And those in the pugilistic world lead precarious lives.
The old man appeared ordinary, but his first words betrayed his pugilistic roots.
After sitting down, he did not rush to speak; instead, he picked up a small teacup from the tray, glanced at the two guests, placed the teapot and one cup onto the tray, and set the other cup outside it.
Wang Daoxuan saw this and knew it was a prelude to a tea array ritual.
The tea array is also a form of pugilistic covert communication.
One teapot, one tray, and several teacups can produce countless configurations, each with its aning.
Generally speaking, there are four main categories: testing, asking for help, visiting friends, and dueling, each comprising many formations.
Each formation has related counter-formations.
Do not underestimate or consider it cumberso.
One can’t navigate the pugilistic world without understanding the ways of the world; it’s beneficial to have many friends and connections. With many friends, you can travel everywhere.
After the Spring Festival, those well-versed in the pugilistic rules can get by in the world, even without a single copper coin to their na—at the very least, they’ll have sothing to eat.
Of course, in the pugilistic world, it’s even more important to "speak only a third of the truth" because where there are many relationships, there are many grudges. You never know if the one probing you has a vendetta against your faction.
One second they greet you with smiles, and the next, they’re swinging a knife at you!
Although Wang Daoxuan has been mixed up in the pugilistic world for many years, he does not share the sa path; concerning understanding these customs, he couldn’t compare with Sha Lifei, much less Li Yan.
However, even so, he recognized the first formation.
The formation was simple, known as the Willow Formation.
The Willow Formation implies a hidden depth, a pugilistic loyalty not known to outsiders, essentially testing if you’re a fellow traveler in the pugilistic world.
For soone like Sha Lifei, this minor formation posed no problem; he simply placed the external teacup onto the tray, made a tea-drinking gesture, and then replaced the cup, gesturing an invitation.
The old man was not surprised and continued to arrange the formations.
Subsequent formations grew increasingly complex, probing both your background and your intentions.
Though it seems tedious, the probing had its reasons.
If you were a greenhorn who only knew a bit of the pugilistic etiquette, sorry, but the price for certain information would be hiked up.
If you suffered a disadvantage, you would have to endure it, as this was the rule everywhere.
But Sha Lifei was no ordinary individual; he was soone who could turn sesa into waterlon with his words and was well-versed in the pugilistic rules, leaving the other old man in utter bewildernt.
Of course, the old man had a rough idea of their strength and began leisurely washing and steeping tea. After pouring it for both, he finally spoke up, "I wonder, gentlen, what news are you looking to find out?"
At this point, there was no need for coded language.
Sha Lifei didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked, "We are delivering a coffin back to the Wu Family Gully for a deceased elder of the Mystical Sect, but the whole village is gone, even the grave markers for the family mbers can’t be found. What happened there?"
"Wu Family Gully, huh..."
Upon hearing it was related to the Mystical Sect, the old man’s deanor instantly turned somber. After a mont’s thought, he dipped his finger in the tea and wrote a character on the table.
The two looked and saw it was "tiger."
Wang Daoxuan furrowed his brows, "Is Wu Family Gully troubled by a tiger?"
"Not a real tiger."
The old man sighed, "But sotis, people can be more terrifying than tigers."
"Wu Family Gully was originally unremarkable, very ordinary. Had you gentlen not ntioned it, I might not have known that an elder of the Mystical Sect was hidden there.
"But two years ago, gold was discovered in their riverbed. Although modest, it caught the attention of the County Magistrate, Qiao Sanhu.
"As you gentlen may know, the court has regulations prohibiting the private mining of gold, silver, copper, and iron mines. To cover up the news, Qiao Sanhu silenced those in the know. Through public and covert manipulations, he forced the young and old of Wu Family Gully to abandon their holand..."
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