After saying that, Shi Tou stepped back.

Jing Zhe, who was on the second floor, stood at the top of the stairs, watching Shi Tou talk to him, thinking to himself that this guy was quite eloquent.

Meanwhile, the customers in the hall were whispering among themselves, discussing what a newspaper was, what a newspaper was, and what stories the White Dew Maiden would tell, and so on.

"President Jing, are you alright?"

Stone walked up and asked with a smile.

"Hmm, not bad!"

Jing Zhe patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, and then said, "Tell the kitchen to prepare all the food. Just start serving it after the story is over!"

"Yes, President Jing!"

Stone, having received the order, happily ran off.

Bai Lu stood beside Jing Zhe, her usual leisurely demeanor gone. Instead, she stared intently at the newspaper in her hands, muttering to herself, her brows furrowed, looking somewhat nervous.

"What, didn't you say you weren't stage-frightened?"

Jing Zhe smiled.

Bai Lu looked up at Jing Zhe, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I'm used to it in Wuxian Garden, so I'm not nervous. But this situation is very different. I've never told a story before, and I'm doing this at Young Master Jing's request. I'm always afraid of messing it up..."

Bai Lu said somewhat uneasily.

"fine."

Jing Zhe patted Bai Lu's soft shoulder reassuringly, "I believe in you, you can do it!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu looked up at Jing Zhe, her eyes regaining their former sparkle, and she became confident again.

"Young Master Jing, await my good news!"

So I went down from the second floor.

...

The crowd, who had been discussing amongst themselves, immediately stopped talking when they saw Bai Lu and stared intently at her.

Bai Lu, who had just regained her confidence, suddenly became nervous again.

She glanced back at the second-floor staircase and saw Jing Zhe nodding at her, which reassured her somewhat.

Arriving at the table in the lobby, he stood still and bowed slightly to the audience—this instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the crowd. The diners who came here to eat were much more uncouth than the scholars who went to Wuxian Garden, as they had very few opportunities to see Bailu.

Today, not only did they meet them, but they were also treated with such courtesy. Everyone immediately felt like they had reached the pinnacle of their lives.

Forget the stories, just look at the person! Just looking at that pretty face is enough to make you drink half a jar of strong liquor!

So Bailu cleared her throat and began, "Today, I, Bailu, will tell you a story. What do you all think? The poem goes: 'Before chaos was divided, heaven and earth were in turmoil, a vast and boundless void unseen by anyone. Since Pangu separated the primordial chaos, the distinction between clear and turbid has been made…'"

The first paragraph wasn't in the newspaper; it was added by Jing Zhe specifically for Bai Lu to elevate her style, while also ensuring it wasn't exactly the same as what was in the newspaper, otherwise who would read the newspaper tomorrow?

When Bai Lu first started speaking, everyone was only focused on her pretty face, but then they became somewhat bewildered.

She felt that what she was talking about was something she had never heard before, but it seemed to make some sense. When she heard that a monkey had jumped out of a rock, her eyes lit up with amazement.

Then, when they heard that the monkey had jumped into the Water Curtain Cave and eventually became the Monkey King, they all cheered in unison!

With the atmosphere created by the crowd, and seeing that everyone's expressions were no different from those of the children who had just heard the story, Bai Lu finally felt relieved and regained her usual radiance.

Upstairs, Jing Zhe saw that Bai Lu was gradually getting into character, and he smiled broadly, muttering to himself, "It seems the garden owner was right, Bai Lu has a good tongue, but I wonder how good she is in other aspects..."

At this moment, Wenxiangju was unusually quiet. Only Bailu's voice echoed in the lobby on the first floor. Everyone held their breath, afraid of missing even the slightest detail. No one cared about looking at Bailu's appearance or calling for dinner. To them, this story was much more interesting than anything else!

As the story unfolds, it delves deeper into the monkey's apprenticeship. When everyone hears that the monkey has learned seventy-two transformations and a somersault that can travel 108,000 li, they are amazed at the incredible imagination.

A single somersault can cover 108,000 li (approximately 54,000 kilometers). Even the territory of Anguo (Anguo) is probably not that long.

Seventy-two transformations? If I could do that, what would I become? Would I become a little bee or a mosquito, flying into a woman's boudoir and giving her a little sting...?

The crowd's thoughts raced along with Bai Lu's story. As the monkey returned from his apprenticeship and defeated the Bull Demon King, bringing glory to the monkey troop, the crowd's enthusiasm reached its peak, with shouts of approval erupting everywhere!

Those who had been waiting outside the restaurant because they couldn't get a spot at Wenxiangju were surprised to find that the restaurant was sometimes eerily quiet and sometimes filled with deafening shouts.

There must be something fishy going on!

Then someone started banging on the door. Jing Zhe gave Hanhan a wink, and Hanhan went out.

A short while later, with a few "bangs," it became quiet outside.

Finally, the story abruptly ends when the Heavenly Court, having learned of the monkey's supernatural powers, sends Venus to earth to recruit him as a stable boy.

Bai Lu bowed to everyone and went straight back to the second floor.

Just as everyone was getting to the crucial point, Bai Lu suddenly stopped talking, as if she had been forcibly pulled out at the critical moment. This made them very frustrated, and they couldn't care less about being gentle with her, so they started shouting.

"Why did it stop? What happened next? Tell us quickly!"

"Did that monkey go to Heaven? I'm so worried!"

"Needless to say, with such great abilities, why would a monkey like him go to the Heavenly Court to be a stable boy?"

"No, no! No matter how capable the monkey is, he is still under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court!"

"You're not your mother, my foot! Believe me or not, I'll smash your head open with my fist, as big as a clay pot, and then we'll see who's in charge of the monkeys!"

"Young man...you must uphold martial ethics..."

"I'll talk your mother's ass!"

"Young man...you'd better watch yourself..."

"Say it one more time, or I'll really punch you."

"..."

The man indeed dared not speak again and turned his head away.

This is just a microcosm of the story's popularity; such scenes are commonplace in the lobby on the first floor.

...

The arguing downstairs continued, while Bai Lu had already reached the second floor. Looking at Jing Zhe shyly, she asked, "Young Master Jing, was what I said... alright? Did I embarrass you?"

Bai Lu was even more nervous than when she was telling the story, staring intently at Jing Zhe, seemingly valuing his opinion highly.

Without even thinking, Jing Zhe said directly, "I'm not as good as you at storytelling! How could you embarrass me? You've actually brought honor to me and Wenxiangju!"

"real?"

Bai Lu's eyes shone brightly.

"Of course, I never lie!"

"..."

Seeing Bai Lu's somewhat disbelieving look, Jing Zhe felt a little awkward.

"What kind of look is that? Do you think I lied to you?"

Bai Lu shook her head, then said, "Young Master Jing hasn't lied to me, but the Master of the Garden says you often lie..."

"..."

————