Chapter 3: An Encounter with Two Young Masters at a Tavern. Five days later, in the Northwest...

Five days later, in the northwest, at Gaoli City.

Nestled in the vast Gobi Desert lies a small town. As the sun sets and the sandstorm rises, the town appears and disappears like a phantom in the sand. Upon closer inspection, all that remains is a desolate and dilapidated scene, like a banner weathered by years of wind and sand, decaying yet standing, waiting for something in this desolate wasteland.

Perhaps it was the person who brought it back to light, or something else entirely.

Upon entering the city, however, the scene was quite different. Houses lined both sides of the road, and although it was located in the northwest, it was densely populated. People on the street dressed in different clothes and had cheerful expressions, creating a prosperous and harmonious scene.

A city with two distinct views, inside and out, it's truly a captivating place.

A hundred paces away, there is a tavern, a small two-story building with a square layout, but it doesn't look very big from the outside. It has a few waiters and is the liveliest place on the street.

On the second-floor sloping railing, a woman was idly fiddling with the silver bell on her slender wrist, occasionally glancing at the crowds passing by below, her expression unchanging.

Suddenly, a figure entered her line of sight: a girl in a gray dress, wearing a fishnet hat, covered in dust, as if she had been walking for a long time. As she got closer, she noticed that the fishnet hat was worn crookedly, and the black hair inside was blown wildly by the wind, forming clumps like a bird's nest, which was quite comical.

As they walked into the light, they noticed a crow perched on her shoulder. The crow's plumage was bright, and the moonlight shone through it, veiling it in a mysterious and dazzling way. Every now and then, the woman would take some berries from her bag and feed it to the crow, gently tapping its head as it looked around.

Although the girl looked exhausted, her steps were firm and her expression was calm. After feeding the crows, she looked around as if she was looking for something.

The woman leaned forward and beckoned to the girl, asking with a smile, "What are you looking for, young lady? Do you need my help?"

The girl looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tavern right in front of her. On the signboard, a woman was looking at her.

The girl gave a lazy smile and asked, "Excuse me, are there any inns nearby?"

The woman laughed upon hearing this and said, "It's far away yet right before my eyes."

Upon hearing this, the girl perked up a bit, let out a breath, and immediately felt weak all over. As soon as she relaxed, she plopped down in front of the tavern.

It was Liu Taohua.

As soon as she finished speaking, accompanied by a clear, silvery sound, a figure stood in front of Liu Taohua.

As she looked up, the woman leaned forward, her trailing veil enveloping her.

A strange fragrance wafted over.

The woman reached out and pulled her up, and Liu Taohua finally saw the woman's face clearly. Putting everything else aside, the woman was taller than most adult men, and Liu Taohua had to look up to meet her gaze.

This first glance revealed that although the woman's makeup was heavy, it didn't appear coquettish; instead, it exuded a certain heroic spirit. Her wrists were slender yet incredibly strong. Looking up her arms, one could vaguely see her well-developed muscles. Coupled with her exquisitely crafted long dress and her height, it didn't look out of place on her at all.

Liu Taohua thought to herself, "The people of Gaoli City are indeed as interesting as Gaoli City itself."

Liu Taohua dusted herself off and asked with a smile, "This pretty lady, the inn you're talking about isn't the tavern behind you, is it?"

The woman stepped aside and stretched out her arms to welcome Liu Taohua inside, saying, "That's right, I see that you look tired, young lady. You must have had a long journey and need to rest. My tavern mainly serves fine wine and good food, and the guest rooms are not often open. Today, I have the honor of meeting you, young lady. Would you do me the honor of patronizing my establishment?"

The desert should be sparsely populated, but this place is extremely bustling, with many people coming and going every day. The availability of hotel rooms must be very tight. Not only does the owner have to personally attract customers, but it also depends on fate.

interesting.

Since we're already here, having a place to stay is fine; staying in an inn is better than sleeping on the streets. Liu Taohua readily agreed, "Okay, and I'd also appreciate it if you could prepare some raw minced meat for me, pretty sister." Liu Taohua pointed to the crow on her shoulder and added, "I need to feed my little guy."

The woman glanced at the crow and said, "Alright, young lady, please come with me."

As soon as Liu Taohua walked in, she was taken aback by the environment inside the tavern.

The hall was brightly lit and packed with people. In the very center was a round platform about the height of a person, surrounded by colorful gauze curtains hanging from the ceiling. Music was playing all around, but there were no dancers performing under the gauze curtains.

The strangest thing was that none of the people drinking around them noticed anything unusual.

The interior of this tavern is also quite unique. The seats are arranged in a circle around a high platform, with curved staircases on both sides leading to the upper level, ending at the gauze-draped ceiling. The seats overlap and stagger, and the gauze curtains flutter in the wind, like fairies emerging from a mural. The diners sitting on top seem to be floating in the air, like immortals riding on clouds. This tavern can also accommodate more people than ordinary taverns.

Another point is that its appearance looks a lot like two snakes intertwined.

The woman who had just entered greeted someone inside, and now another woman is gracefully walking out from behind the gauze curtain.

Unlike the woman from before, this woman was slightly shorter and thinner. She wore a strapless long dress with a silver chain around her waist, and her short hair, which reached her chin, was styled into two small braids wrapped with silver threads on either side. Beneath her veil were a pair of deep, alluring eyes, as if one glance would make you fall into their depths.

Like the woman from before, they all possessed a unique fragrance.

The woman didn't say much, but simply led Liu Taohua to a square table on the right side of the platform and gestured with her eyes to the menu made of sheepskin on the table, meaning that she could choose whatever she wanted to eat. She swallowed back the question Liu Taohua was about to ask.

Liu Taohua glanced at the menu and said, "I've heard that the wine here is very famous, and that wine paired with mutton is an absolute must. Let's have a pot of wine and a plate of braised mutton."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Taohua looked up, but the woman had vanished. She didn't know if she had even heard what she had just said.

Liu Taohua rubbed her face, leaned on the table, and looked at Crow in bewilderment. "Mo Mo," she said, "do you think I've stumbled into some kind of den of thieves...?"

"This place...is not...a den of thieves."

"......"

Liu Taohua sat bolt upright, gasping for breath, thinking, "This feeling of being caught talking behind someone's back is so exciting! She swears! It was really just a casual remark!"

The speaker was the short-haired woman from before. Her tone was somewhat stiff, and her voice was dry and hoarse, which was quite surprising to hear.

After she finished speaking, she seemed to realize something and immediately fell silent.

Perhaps because she was afraid of startling others with her voice, she seemed to have not spoken for a long time.

The short-haired woman placed the wine and meat that Liu Taohua had ordered, along with a plate of raw minced meat for Momo, on the table. Her expression was serious, and she was about to say something when Liu Taohua said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I just said it casually and didn't mean anything by it. This is my first time here, and I misspoke. Please don't take it to heart."

The short-haired woman paused for a moment after hearing this, her expression softened slightly, she shook her head, and said nothing more.

The short-haired woman was about to leave when she was drawn to the chatter of a group of people at a table behind her and stopped in her tracks.

"Have you heard? The current Holy Maiden of Yez is going to remove the previous Holy Maiden from the Crescent Moon Platform!"

"Which saintess?"

"It seems... to be that saintess from the Great Battle of Hegutai a hundred years ago..."

"What's your name? Mei Ling. Yes! It's Mei Ling..."

"Isn't Mei Ling a good person?"

"Then who is the current Holy Maiden?"

"I don't know... But why does this saintess even target people from a hundred years ago?"

"No one has entered Yezi for many years. Over the years, many people have gone there in search of wealth, but none of them have ever come out. Ordinary people like us can't get into Yezi. Who knows what Mei Ling did? More than a hundred years have passed, and his corpse is still being dragged out and whipped by later generations."

For some reason, the short-haired woman seemed to frown slightly when she heard the name Mei Ling, and her hand holding the food tray tightened subtly. Furthermore, upon hearing about the Holy Maiden's actions, a hint of sadness, or perhaps indignation, flickered in her eyes.

Liu Taohua pretended not to see, picked up a piece of mutton and put it in her mouth, then took a sip of wine with a sweet aftertaste, nodded with satisfaction, and asked, "Excuse me, is the city of Yezi, which is not far from here, going to hold a 'Three Turns and Nine Trials' elopement ceremony recently?"

The short-haired woman snapped out of her daze, turned to look at Liu Taohua, and seeing her curious and expectant expression, and seemingly unconcerned about her voice, she relaxed considerably and asked, "You...are you going to Yezi?"

Liu Taohua said, "Yes! I came from the Central Plains and happened to see the Yezi's 'Three Turns and Nine Turns' wedding custom in a book. I found it very interesting and wanted to see it for myself. But I heard that to enter Yezi, one must first pass through Gaoli and need someone to lead the way, so I came to try my luck."

Gaoli City was built a century ago after the great battle between Yezi and Hegutai, lying between the two cities. It is said that it was initially just an abandoned ancient city, a temporary dwelling for refugees. Over the past century, it has developed into its current prosperity without any government jurisdiction or disturbance, making it a truly remarkable place.

Liu Taohua thought to herself, "The first place mentioned in the Heavenly List is Yezi. According to the timeline, the current Holy Maiden's decree should have been issued before the Heavenly List. It seems that the Holy Maiden mentioned by those people is the key figure in this first case."

"What a coincidence! Before you arrived today, there were two other guests who were also going to Yezi."

It was the same woman from before.

The woman appeared at the right moment, whispered a few words in the short-haired woman's ear, and then dismissed her. Turning to Liu Taohua, she said, "The people who are going to Yezi lately are quite interesting. You brought a crow, while those two young masters came on donkeys."

Riding a donkey...Young master?

The woman then said, "Look, it's right there."

Liu Taohua followed the woman's gaze and, through the light gauze curtain, saw two men, one in blue and one in black, sitting opposite each other drinking.

The woman waved to them, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, and said, "You two gentlemen on donkeys, there's a young lady with a crow traveling with you!"

"......"

"......"

"...Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

Liu Taohua pulled her fishnet hat down further, trying to hide herself; it was so embarrassing!

One store suffered two embarrassing incidents; luckily, no one recognized it. They really should have checked the almanac before going out!

"Is the young lady also going to Yezi?" A clear, deep voice came from above Liu Taohua's head.

Liu Taohua looked up abruptly, but the woman who had just spoken was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a bright young man's face, as clear as the stars and the moon.

It was the man in blue.

He was a boy who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in blue, with fair skin like jade, bright eyes, and a smiling expression; he was exceptionally handsome. His black hair was tied up high with a blue and white ribbon, and he wore a small, exquisite silver wolf-shaped earring on his right ear, which carried a hint of wickedness. On his left wrist was a sandalwood bracelet, its fragrance lingering in the breeze; judging by its color, it had been worn for quite some time.

The man in black beside him was about the same height as the man in blue, wearing a black headband with red patterns on his forehead, and exuding a lazy, roguish air. He wore no extra accessories, and his cold face seemed to keep people at a distance. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his arms were crossed, as if he was still displeased with what had just happened. He looked older than the man in blue, but the man in blue clearly appeared more mature.

Liu Taohua thought to herself, "These two must not be ordinary people. Traveling on a donkey is truly unheard of. How interesting."

As she was pondering this, she heard the man in blue say, "My name is Lianxi, and this is my younger brother, Jiangyu. May I ask how you are addressed, young lady?"

Liu Taohua looked up at Lianxi and said with a smile, "My name is Liu Taohua because I was born in spring."

Lianxi smiled faintly and said, "What a coincidence, we both have a flower in our names."

Liu Taohua was surprised and said, "Is it Lianhua? That's a very rare surname. It seems we are destined to meet."

Lianxi smiled again and asked, "Then I wonder if Miss Peach Blossom would mind traveling with us? It would be nice to have company on the journey."

Jiang Yu glanced at Lianxi and said, "Yes, if you don't mind, Miss, please come with us to Yezi."

Liu Taohua thought for a moment and said, "With two young masters accompanying us, this journey will certainly not be boring. However, without a guide, how will we enter Yezi?"

Lianxi said, "Miss, don't worry, we've already found the person."

As soon as she finished speaking, the short-haired woman led a slender and handsome young man out from the back room.

A note from the author:

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Hope you enjoy watching! Have a happy day!