Chapter 29: Yongle Laifu

Yongle Town is located in the heart of Zhao State's Taizhou. Its three sides—southeast, south, and west—are dominated by strange mountains and grotesque peaks, steep and jagged, where human footsteps are rarely seen. Only a single official road lies to the north, facilitating travel between the various prefectures and commanderies of Zhao State. Because the areas surrounding Yongle Town are rich in ores and medicinal herbs, merchants from all corners of the land come here to procure goods, making the official road bustling and lively with constant traffic.

On this particular evening, a carriage arrived on the official road. The driver was a man in green, appearing to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was quite handsome, though his face was unshaven and his eyes held a desolate look, making him appear more like a destitute, fallen scholar.

A bamboo curtain hung from the carriage, obscuring the figure sitting inside. Though the person was only a shadowy silhouette, the graceful posture suggested a woman.

On the wooden rack at the rear of the carriage sat a youth of sixteen or seventeen dressed in gray. Leaning against the carriage with a precious sword held in his arms and a willow leaf dangling from his mouth, his feet dangled outside, swaying with the jolts of the carriage without him even noticing. Upon closer inspection, one would find his eyes tightly shut and his breathing steady; he had actually fallen asleep atop the moving carriage.

Suddenly, an object was tossed from the carriage window. It struck the gray-clad youth squarely on the forehead. Startled awake, the youth reached out to grab it, only to find an orange in his hand.

At that moment, a coquettish voice drifted from inside the carriage: "Sleep, sleep, sleep! All you know is how to sleep! You haven't said a single word the whole way. What use is a page boy like you to this young lady?"

The green-clad driver also laughed, saying, "Young Brother Liang is truly a marvel unlike any I have seen in my life. Whether on official roads or narrow paths, he can sleep right there on the wooden beam at the back of the carriage. I, Chen, am truly impressed!"

The three people in the carriage were, naturally, Chen Zhuoan, Tang Diexian, and Liang Yan. Liang Yan peeled the orange, tossed it into his mouth, and said while eating, "The journey is tedious; sleeping is the only way to pass the time. I must replenish my energy so I can properly assist Big Brother Chen."

"Bah! With your meager skills, you just need to hand me my sword when the time comes. Just watch me leave those bandits without a single scrap left!"

"Yes! My Lady's martial arts are supreme and strike fear into the world. I shall simply play my part as your follower."

"Hmph, at least you know your place."

Just as Tang Diexian was about to say more, she heard Chen Zhuoan call out loudly from the front, "You two, we've arrived! Yongle Town is just ahead."

Leaning against the carriage, Liang Yan turned to look. At the end of the road ahead stood a stone monument engraved with the words "Yongle Town." Beyond the monument lay their destination.

"This Yongle Town is quite large. They call it a small town, but it seems similar to a typical small city, doesn't it?" Tang Diexian asked.

Chen Zhuoan nodded in response. "Indeed. Yongle Town holds a special geographical position. It is rich in minerals and medicinal herbs and must provide annual tributes to the imperial court, so it is naturally much larger than an ordinary town."

As the carriage slowly rolled into the town, Liang Yan realized that Yongle Town was indeed far more prosperous than the Huaiyuan Town where he had lived before. Though it was nearing dusk, the streets were still teeming with people, incredibly lively. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes darted toward the side of the street.

There stood a middle-aged man wearing a square hat, holding a straw rack laden with candied haws. He was selling them to passersby with a kind and friendly smile.

*Qi Refining Level 5!* Liang Yan thought in astonishment. *How strange. Most cultivators are aloof and disdain associating with mortals. How can a man with such cultivation be selling candied haws on the street? Furthermore, his aura is extremely faint; he must be using a secret technique or a treasure to hide his cultivation. If I didn't possess the 'Rogue Skill,' I wouldn't have noticed.*

Liang Yan observed him for a while. Although the man in the square hat appeared to be continuously hawking his wares, his eyes frequently swept across the street as if searching for something. Liang Yan felt a chill and quickly withdrew his gaze, fearing that further scrutiny might expose his identity.

*It seems things in Yongle Town are not as simple as they appear.*

After traveling for a while, the carriage swayed to a halt in front of an inn. Liang Yan jumped down and looked up to see the words "Laifu Inn" inscribed above the lintel.

Chen Zhuoan also disembarked and said to Liang Yan, "We've arrived. This Laifu Inn is run by my wife and me."

Liang Yan smiled. "So that's what 'Yongle Laifu' means."

"Laifu Inn—it's a good name!" Tang Diexian also jumped down, her large eyes scanning the surroundings.

With a slight smile, Chen Zhuoan led the two into the inn's courtyard. While they were still in the outer courtyard, a voice drifted from the main hall: "Yue Da, are you thick-headed? The guests said they didn't need tea this morning. Instead, you go knocking on their doors early in the morning and disturb their peace! Do you want me to make you regret it?"

The speaker was a woman. Her voice was crisp, and though she was scolding someone, it wasn't unpleasant; she sounded more like a chirping lark.

Chen Zhuoan frowned slightly and walked quickly into the hall, with Liang Yan and Tang Diexian following close behind. Behind the counter stood a woman in red. She was not particularly tall, but she possessed a curvaceous and exquisite figure. She had willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and small, vermilion lips as thin as a cicada's wing. However, upon her face, which should have looked like that of a delicate young lady, sat a straight, prominent nose that added a touch of heroic spirit.

Liang Yan was momentarily stunned. This woman in red bore a resemblance to Lin Xiaomei, whom he had met before, though the latter was more commanding in her aura, while this woman possessed a more spirited and feisty air.

Hearing footsteps, the woman in red turned around and locked eyes with Chen Zhuoan. She froze instantly, her beautiful eyes unable to look away. After a long moment, she ran to Chen Zhuoan with teary eyes and softly called, "Zhuoan..." before throwing herself into his arms.

Chen Zhuoan patted her back and said softly, "Min Rou, you've worked hard." He then added, "Let me introduce you. This is my distant cousin, Tang Diexian." Turning to Tang Diexian, he continued, "And this is my wife, Min Rou."

Tang Diexian nodded and smiled. "Big Brother and Sister-in-law are truly a match made in heaven. You are simply perfect together!"

Min Rou blushed and said happily, "You certainly know how to talk! You look like a goddess from a painting—ten times more beautiful than I am. You'll have a whole line of suitors in the future."

Being a young girl, Tang Diexian couldn't help but feel delighted by the praise, her face flushing. As she spoke, she inadvertently glanced at Liang Yan, only to see him observing Min Rou with a thoughtful expression.

Had she not looked, it would have been fine, but upon seeing him, she immediately became like a bristling hedgehog. Her eyes widened, and she brought her foot down hard on Liang Yan's foot.

"Sss!" Liang Yan cried out in pain, snapping back to reality. He said indignantly, "Why did you just stomp on me for no reason?"

"You are my sword-bearing page. I'll stomp on you however I please. Is there a problem?"

Liang Yan's face darkened as he cursed inwardly, *Crazy woman!*

Chen Zhuoan laughed and said, "The two of you have had a long journey. Let my wife arrange rooms for you to rest for the night."

To their surprise, Min Rou's expression stiffened. She said awkwardly, "This is quite unfortunate. Most of the guest rooms are occupied, and the remaining few are already reserved. There is only one room left on the second floor of the west wing..."

"It doesn't matter!" Tang Diexian interrupted, then pointed angrily at Liang Yan. "Just put him in the stables. He's just a servant anyway; it doesn't matter where he stays."

At these words, both Chen Zhuoan and Min Rou were stunned. However, Chen Zhuoan was a seasoned traveler and had long realized that the relationship between these master and servant was unusual. Though he didn't know why Tang Diexian was speaking out of anger, he certainly wouldn't let Liang Yan sleep in the stables.

He chuckled and said, "There's no need for that. Although the guest rooms are full, there is a woodshed in the inner courtyard used for storing firewood. If Young Brother Liang doesn't mind, I can set up a bed for him there so he can make do for tonight. How does that sound?"

Liang Yan gave a bitter smile. "As long as there is a bed, it's fine. I'm not picky. I'm sorry to trouble you, Big Brother Chen."

"Not at all. If anything, it is our lack of hospitality. Please forgive us, Young Brother Liang!" As Chen Zhuoan spoke, he gave Min Rou a look. Min Rou smiled, took Tang Diexian's hand, and led her toward the second floor, clearly taking her to the guest room.

Once the two had walked away, Chen Zhuoan said, "Brother Liang, follow me."

Liang Yan nodded and followed. A moment later, they entered a room in the inner courtyard filled with dozens of bundles of dry firewood. Chen Zhuoan asked him to wait a moment while he went out to find bedding, returning to lay it out for him. He then said apologetically, "Please excuse the inconvenience tonight, Young Brother Liang."

Liang Yan waved it off. "It's fine. This place provides shelter from the wind and rain, and since it's the only room of its kind in the inn, it will be quite peaceful."

Chen Zhuoan laughed heartily. "Young Brother Liang is truly a straightforward man; you suit my temperament well. I am staying on the third floor; if you need anything, feel free to come find me."

After a few more pleasantries, Chen Zhuoan left.

Left alone in the woodshed, Liang Yan lay in the darkness. However, the bright moon hung high outside the window amidst a canopy of brilliant stars, creating a rare and beautiful night view.

As the moonlight streamed through the window and fell upon him, Liang Yan felt a sense of trance. He felt as if he had drifted back six years to when he lay in his old home in Huaiyuan Town, also by a window, with the moonlight lazily spilling across his bed. His father, Liang Xuan, would be sleeping in the next room, his snoring rising and falling—a sound that was both intimately familiar and seemingly worlds away.

Six years of cultivation, tasting all the bitterness and sweetness of life, had passed for Liang Yan like a fleeting shadow, hardly worth mentioning. In contrast, the happy days in Huaiyuan Town remained vivid, as if they had happened only yesterday.

After an unknown amount of time, while Liang Yan was immersed in his memories, a sudden sense of alarm struck him. He turned his head and saw a faint silhouette beneath the wooden door of the woodshed, stretched long by the moonlight.

The figure stood outside for a long time without making a move. Just as he began to wonder, the wooden door creaked open. Liang Yan immediately sat up, his right hand reaching for the storage bag at his waist.

A fragrance wafted in as the door opened. A young girl stood gracefully before the entrance, dressed in a long white gown cinched with a sky-blue silk sash. Under the moonlight, her skin looked like fine jade and her eyes like stars, appearing like a figure stepped out of a painting.

Upon seeing her, Liang Yan was stunned and instinctively said, "Senior Sister Tang, why are you—"

Tang Diexian rolled her eyes and said irritably, "When we are outside, you must call me 'Miss.' You blockhead, have you forgotten again?"

Coming to his senses, Liang Yan looked down and said with a bitter smile, "Didn't Miss tell me to sleep in the stables? What business do you have with me in the middle of the night?"

Liang Yan waited for a response, but none came. Feeling strange, he looked up to see Tang Diexian biting her lower lip, her head bowed. After a long silence, she said softly, "I spoke too harshly during the day. Are you angry with me?"

Liang Yan hurriedly replied, "I'm not angry. Staying here is fine. I just don't understand why you suddenly lost your temper."

Tang Diexian immediately retorted, "You're still saying that? If you hadn't been staring at Sister Min Rou so intently, would I have had to stomp on you?"

Liang Yan slapped his forehead. "So you noticed it too?"

Confused by his cryptic words, Tang Diexian asked, "Noticed what?"

Liang Yan said, "Those two are not normal. Chen Zhuoan's manner is awkward; he is very unnatural when he is with Min Rou, not acting like her husband at all. As for Min Rou, she acts like a wife, but the way she looked at Chen Zhuoan at first sight was far too surprised and joyful—not like a couple briefly separated, but like someone seeing a lover who had been missing for years."

Hearing this, Tang Diexian frowned. "Is that so?"

Liang Yan nodded. "Yes! Wait... didn't you stomp on me because you saw me observing too intently and were afraid of drawing their suspicion?"

"I..." Tang Diexian was speechless. After a moment, she said indignantly, "I'm nothing like you, you little demon, with all those schemes in your head!" Despite her words, she felt a sense of relief. *So this little rogue wasn't lusting after Sister Min Rou's beauty; I misjudged him.*

Thinking this, she looked around at the dilapidated, lonely woodshed, hearing the occasional squeak of a mouse, and felt a pang of guilt. After a while, she spoke softly again, "Since you look so pitiful, I'll allow you... I'll allow you to move into my room tonight... to rest for one night. But you must behave and sleep on the floor..." Her voice grew lower and lower until it was barely audible.

Liang Yan's heart leaped. He looked at her and saw her eyes averted, a blush spreading across her porcelain face all the way to her ears. With her hands behind her back, she stood there like a lotus emerging from the water, breathtakingly beautiful.

Liang Yan felt his throat go dry and his blood rush to his head. His mind went blank. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.

At that moment, his ears twitched. It sounded as if someone had leaped over the wall on the roof of the southeast corner. Liang Yan snapped out of it, thinking, *That's right. Yongle Town is currently full of undercurrents; I cannot afford to be careless. If I were as lax as I was just now, our lives might have been forfeit.*

With that thought, he shook his head slightly, his mind clearing. He said slowly, "The night is long; I fear we have other things to do."