"This... good day, Auntie Guan."
Li Yan did not know what to say, so he could only clasp his fists in a greeting.
mories of his childhood flooded his mind, this woman was the one who was brawling at the door with another woman over the Chinese New Year.
The other one seed to have the surna "Jing"...
While Li Yan was lost in thought, the middle-aged Daoist nun calmly turned her head and said to Guan Wanche, "Let’s go. The past is gone, no need to ntion it again."
"And, my Daoist na is Ziyuan."
Guan Wanche instantly felt helpless. "Sister, why bother with this, let it be. Daoist Ziyuan, let’s go."
With that, he led his followers and rode away.
Sigh~
Li Yan imdiately let out a sigh of relief.
Sha Lifei trembled with mirth beside him and said jokingly, "This one’s at least reasonable, but there are two others who are truly botherso. Brother Yan, be careful not to get stabbed."
Li Yan glanced at him indifferently, "Shut up!"
Sha Lifei quickly closed his mouth but, seeing the perplexed look in Crimson Yaksha’s eyes, he couldn’t help muttering so stories about Li Yan’s father’s amorous affairs.
"Oh."
Upon hearing this, Crimson Yaksha imdiately understood, but did not ask further. Instead, she looked thoughtfully at the retreating figure of the Daoist nun and said, "I seem to have seen this Daoist nun before..."
Li Yan asked, "You know her?"
Crimson Yaksha shook her head. "I often take jobs from Taixuan Orthodox Sect, and I’ve been to Taibai Mountain several tis."
"Just two years ago, I assisted a disciple of Doumu Palace in trailing a Wandering Corpse, and accidentally stumbled into depth of Taibai Mountain, where I t a hidden small sect and jointly suppressed the corpse."
"That small sect excelled in the art of charm arrows, and all were Divine Archers. As the disciples of Doumu Palace said, this sect was originally the descendant of the Divine Bow Battalion from the Great Xing Dynasty and competed in archery with Lang Country without falling behind."
"After the rise of the Great Xuan Dynasty, they hid in the mountains for silent cultivation, with magical thods similar to those of Ei Sect but especially proficient in charm arrows."
"That woman was also among them at the ti."
"Charm arrow?"
Li Yan furrowed his brows, suddenly rembering. Indeed, Guan Wanche had ntioned that his sister ran off to Taibai Mountain to pursue the Dao and, judging by the looks of it, had joined the Mystical Sect.
But if she was not cultivating in the mountains, why did she co to Chang’an?
Could it be she wanted to join the Captain Bureau?
Of course, this thought was fleeting.
Cultivating martial skills and spells, establishing himself in Chang’an, investigating trails... His plans were nurous; he had no ti to dwell on this matter.
.....
Although the layout of Chang’an City had changed and it no longer had the grandeur of receiving vassals from all nations like in the past, the practice of "the east being noble, the west being affluent, the north being solid, and the south being empty" had not changed.
Xingqing Palace was in the northeast of Chang’an, and various governnt offices were also mostly concentrated there, while the west was a gathering place for rchants and the wealthy.
The house prices there were astonishingly expensive, typically marked by large and deep residences, although ordinary families now also had the right to purchase them.
But who could establish themselves there, if not those who were extraordinary?
"There are many inns in Chang’an."
Li Yan and his companions led the horses while Sha Lifei rambled on the side, "The bottom tier includes shabby inns and carriage stops. One is for refugees to eke out a living, the other is for north-and-south travelling drivers to rest their feet. Although cheap, Brother Yan, you probably wouldn’t want to stay..."
"There are also those with pugilistic world’s brands – those are frequented by people from the pugilistic world, plenty of information cos and goes, and pugilists who pay respects to the local powers often receive special treatnt..."
"There’s another kind, just ordinary inns, mostly stayed in by traveling rchants. The environnt is alright, but the price is a bit high. The troubleso thing is, so authoritative henchn from the yan often co to extort, without so connections, you really cannot keep them at bay..."
Li Yan pondered for a mont and shook his head, "We’re not just passing through Chang’an. It’s inevitable that we’ll have to deal with those from the Dao. Let’s stay in an inn with a brand, it’s also a good way to hear plenty of information."
"As for an inn with a brand, I do know one."
Suddenly, Crimson Yaksha chid in from the side, "That innkeeper and I have so friendship, it could save us a lot of trouble."
"That’s great, Sister Hong. Where is it?"
"Yong’an Block."
...
"Is this the place?"
Seeing the signboard of Fenglai Inn from a distance and the couplet at the door that read, "The phoenix soars delivering good news, guests gather sharing deep affection," Sha Lifei was amused, "I’ve seen this inn on the Qinling route."
"That ti I transported a deceased person back ho, they wouldn’t even let us in. I guessed then that the innkeeper was a woman. Right, Sister Hong?"
"Um."
Crimson Yaksha also smiled, "She’s from Fengxiang, her family was once a large household in Fengxiang. After suffering a tragedy at ho, she restarted her business in Chang’an with extraordinary ans. She gets along with and her na is Feng Feiyan."
Upon hearing this, Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, "The phoenix gathers at Qi Mountain, cries over Yong, hence Zhou flourishes. What a significant na! This innkeeper, as a woman establishing herself in Chang’an, is no ordinary person."
Sha Lifei laughed, "All I know is that her family’s Old Qin wine is unparalleled!"
"That’s true."
Crimson Yaksha grinned, "After all, she cos from Fengxiang. There’s no feast without wine there – even mice can drink two taels."
"Ha ha ha..."
During their conversation, the group arrived in front of the inn.
They had not yet approached when they heard the sound of a sanxian inside, along with an old and hearty voice singing, "Lying with my head by the Yellow River, I face the heavens, singing softly in a brook, shouting loudly in the river, with a single voice that has roared for five thousand years!"
"Dear guest, you... oh, Divine Archer Crimson!"
Upon seeing guests arriving, the waiter ca out to greet them. He had just uttered a greeting when he noticed it was the Crimson Yaksha. His brows rose in a welco smile, and he hurriedly approached to take the horse, "Hero Crimson, your arrival is serendipitous, the innkeeper was just ntioning you..."
As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Li Yan and the others.
Sha Lifei suddenly recalled so unpleasant mories and jokingly scolded, "What’s wrong with all your helpers, huh? Even the waiter at the branch inn on the ancient Qin Chu road can’t keep his eyes straight."
The waiter nodded and bowed, "Back to you, sir, that’s my younger brother."
Sha Lifei: "..."
Crimson Yaksha, on the other hand, couldn’t help but chuckle, "Take us to see boss Feng. It’s the perfect opportunity to introduce a few fellow martial artists."
"Yes, Hero Crimson, please entrust your horses to , and rest assured they’ll be well fed."
The waiter was very solicitous, promptly calling for soone to lead the horses away.
Following the waiter into Fenglai Inn, Crimson Yaksha’s expression quickly shifted, reverting to that indifferent, unapproachable deanor.
Inside the lobby, there were various people scattered about, from pugilistic artists carrying long and short musical instrunts to martial drivers with slightly bulging temples, looking quite fierce.
Though they appeared to be drinking or conversing, in reality, their gaze discreetly flitted about, silently speculating on the newcors’ origins.
Li Yan and his companions did not concern themselves with the others, instead, following the waiter up the staircase to a room on the east side facing the street.
"Innkeeper, Hero Crimson has arrived!"
Li Yan looked up to see that the room was elegantly decorated, with shelves of porcelain antiques on both sides, and bookshelves filled with books.
By the window sat a long couch, where a woman dressed in azure was leaning back, idly swinging a wine jug and looking out the window, revealing the beautiful curve of her fair neck.
Li Yan sniffed, sowhat surprised.
He wondered what kind of incense was used that could clear the air of unwanted slls.
Hearing the knock, the woman turned her head; she appeared to be in her twenties or thirties, but she was exceptionally well-maintained.
With an oval face and eyes that hinted at romance, her allure carried a trace of valor.
She swiveled around, got up from the couch, her eyes smiling, "Sister Crimson, I was just thinking you must have finished your errand, and with the snowstorm coming, you’d certainly stop by Chang’an for a drink. Who are these gentlen..."
"Ha ha, of course."
Seeing a friend, a smile reappeared on Crimson Yaksha’s face as she gestured with her hand, "Let introduce them. This is Li Yan, a promising newcor from the Mystical Sect in Xianyang. This gentleman is Daoist Wang Daoxuan, and this is Sha Lifei..."
After the introductions, the innkeeper Feng Feiyan smiled and said, "Since they are friends brought by Sister Crimson, they must be fine n. Gentlen, please feel at ease staying here, and feel free to co to with any concerns."
"Sister Crimson, since you’ve arrived just in ti, join for a few drinks."
Li Yan and the other two were sharp characters, and they could tell that innkeeper Feng had sothing to discuss with Crimson Yaksha. They promptly thanked her with a bow and, led by the waiter, walked to the inn’s back courtyard.
Fenglai Inn, situated in Yongan Square, wasn’t a bustling rchants’ district, hence the land was cheaper and the property more expansive.
To the rear of the inn were rows of small courtyards, probably ford by walling off certain parts of the market to create these spaces.
"Here we are, gentlen."
The waiter brought the three n to a small courtyard on the west side and began unlocking it as he introduced, "This courtyard doesn’t face the street, and it’s quite peaceful at night..."
After opening the door, Li Yan looked up to see that the courtyard wasn’t particularly large. Aside from the main house, there were two wing rooms, along with a kitchen and latrine.
Under an old tree, there was also a well.
Despite being small, the space was clean and didn’t have any unpleasant odors.
Li Yan liked it upon seeing and nodded, "Not bad."
"As long as the guest is satisfied."
The waiter handed over the keys to the three n, "If you need any food or drinks, just say the word, and soone will bring it over. You can heat water yourself."
With that, he left and closed the door behind him.
"This place is nice."
Daoist Wang Daoxuan laughed, "Last ti I ca, I was so poor I could hardly make a jingle; staying in a horse inn was quite a suffering."
Li Yan shook his head, "No matter how nice, it’s only a temporary dwelling. I need to practice spells and martial arts, and you, Daoist, need to set up the Ancestor Master Altar. With too many curious eyes, it’s ultimately inconvenient."
"Daoist, co with to the City God Temple first to get the Daoist certificate and pay a visit to Daoist Luo as well."
Sha Lifei, however, smiled and said, "You go ahead. The City God Temple is popular with worshippers, and I daren’t talk much there; I feel uncomfortable all over. I’ll take the opportunity to wander around and inquire with a broker about any available residences."
After setting the plan, the three had the waiter relay a ssage to Crimson Yaksha, then left the inn and went their separate ways.
Not far off, Li Yan felt sothing and turned around to look back. He saw the woman innkeeper, Feng Feiyan, from a window on the second floor, watching them with her wine jug in hand.
Noticing she was spotted by Li Yan, the graceful lady gave a slight smile and raised her wine jug as a gesture.
What a strange woman...
Li Yan nodded slightly and then turned to rge into the crowd.
Back at the window, innkeeper Feng Feiyan turned her head back and softly said, "Sister Crimson, this friend of yours is young but seems quite capable."
Crimson Yaksha took a sip of her wine and shook her head, "He’s from the Mystical Sect; don’t get any ideas. They don’t kill indiscriminately for money."
"Hahaha..."
Feng Feiyan pursed her lips in a smile, "Sister Crimson, where is your mind going? I’m just happy for you, you’ve finally made so friends to lend a hand in tis of need."
"Ah~"
Crimson Yaksha sighed, "In the end, I’m getting older. I nearly lost my life this ti, and I owe it to these fellows for their help."
Feng Feiyan nodded slightly and then her gaze shifted, "There’s been a significant event recently in the pugilistic world. Have you received any news, Sister Crimson?"
"What happened?"
"Near the old site of Haojing City in Ancient Zhou, they unearthed sothing quite remarkable..."
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