Chapter 202: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Forty-Two) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Although it's possible to use someone else to do one's dirty work, it's risky to raise a tiger that might eventually become a threat. After much deliberation, Yan An decided to keep a backup plan. He visited his old friend that very night, only to find that his friend's pageboy had already gone out.

Yan An then asked, "Where did he go? When will he return?"

The pageboy stammered, "The flower boats in the river bend."

Yan An immediately knew what kind of place it was.

After finding out which pleasure boat his old friend had visited, he immediately instructed the driver to detour to Hequli. Hequli was the most bustling and lively place in the capital, and even when the moon was high in the sky, it was still teeming with tourists.

The lights were on full display, as bright as day.

Whether they were literary figures or wandering knights, they all loved to linger here, giving rise to countless romantic tales of infatuated men and women.

Yan An rarely frequents such places.

But his old friend was a regular visitor here.

As soon as he boarded the pleasure boat, a servant who had been waiting for a long time came forward to greet him, asking with a smile, "Is this Yan Lang?"

Yan An said, "My surname is indeed Yan."

The servant beamed with delight, smiling obsequiously, and turned to lead the way: "That must be you, young master! Please come with me..."

Yan An asked, "Did someone tell you to wait for me here?"

She already has someone in mind.

"Yes, I've been waiting here for most of the day!" The wind wasn't very friendly this time of year, and the servant wasn't dressed very warmly. His hands were red from the cold and felt like he'd touched a big block of ice. He added with a smile, "I'm so glad you've finally arrived."

Yan An already guessed who was waiting for him.

We arrived at a private room on the third floor of the flower boat.

The servant respectfully pushed open the latticed door, and a warm breeze carrying the rich scent of rouge rushed in. Yan An thought to himself that his old friend's tastes remained unchanged, and changed into the wooden clogs handed to him by a maid. As he walked around the screen, the soft, melodious sounds of string and wind instruments clearly entered his ears.

Inside the private room—

A young man, wearing only a moon-white undershirt, was blindfolded with a woman's handkerchief and was playing a game with several people.

As soon as Yan An entered, he was unexpectedly given a bear hug by the young man. The chill from Yan An's clothes hadn't completely dissipated, and the young man knew something was wrong the moment he touched him, grabbing the handkerchief off. Upon seeing Yan An's face, he said listlessly, "Ah, it's Xing Ning."

Yan An calmly pried his hands open.

"Does that sound disappointing?"

The young man tossed the handkerchief into his arms and sneered, "You may be good-looking, but you should know your place. How can a stinking man like you be more pleasing to any of the ladies here? Besides, no one comes here without a reason. You've come here to cause me trouble, and I'm not even allowed to complain a little? That's unreasonable!"

Despite the young man's initial disdain, Yan An remained unperturbed, even smiling. The young man secretly rolled his eyes, picking up his scattered clothes and putting them back on one by one. They were rather unkempt, looking rather unkempt. Yan An glanced at the gambling paraphernalia on the ground and said, "Long time no see, how about a couple of rounds?"

The young man raised his hand and declined his invitation.

"No, no, I'll play a couple of rounds with you, then I have to strip naked, jump into the Qu River, and swim back. It's freezing cold; that could kill me."

Young people have two preferences.

One is admiring beautiful women, the other is playing cards with others.

With the added buffs, playing cards with a beautiful woman can bring double the joy. Others come to the pleasure boats in the river bend for entertainment, and if they get into it, it's common for them to stay away from home for three to five days. But the young men come to play cards, with all sorts of chips.

One time, he lost so much that he had to run home naked.

It's shameful, really shameful.

The person involved didn't seem to care, and as a friend, I couldn't say anything, since it wasn't him who was losing face.

Yan An chuckled and said, "You know you have terrible luck at gambling? Then why do you still gamble so tirelessly?"

The word "bad" doesn't even begin to describe someone's luck in gambling, because the word "win" simply doesn't exist in their games!

Anyone can beat him; he's a gambler who always loses. If he doesn't stop in time, he'll definitely lose everything.

“Because I know this, I never gamble with money, much less with my life.” The young man waved his hand, and the musicians and dancers in the private room curtsied and withdrew, leaving only the young man and Yan An. The young man, who had been relaxed and carefree just moments before, said seriously, “I know why you’ve come.”

Yan An asked, "You know?"

The young man chuckled, "The events of today's court assembly have already spread far and wide. What else could you possibly want from me at this hour? I was originally planning to pack my bags and leave tonight, but I decided to stay. Don't overthink it, it's not that I changed my mind..."

Fearing that Yan An might misunderstand, the young man simply laid it all out.

"There is no way I could offer Zheng Qiao any help whatsoever."

Yan An sighed, "But my junior brother..."

"He's no longer your junior brother!" The young man didn't flee that very night with his belongings for Yan An's sake; he didn't want to hear news of Zheng Qiao's brutal murder of his fellow disciple one day. "Xing Ning, for the sake of our past friendship, I advise you to give him up. None of the things he did were 'excusable'! His crimes are too numerous to count!"

The young man couldn't bear to see Yan An's dejected expression, but he still hardened his heart and continued speaking. He listed more than thirty names in a row, each one a well-known figure, with the only thing in common being that they had all died at the hands of Zheng Qiao, and some of them even had their entire families wiped out.

The young man said, "No tyrant has ever reigned for long. Zheng Qiao will surely die without a burial place. Xingning, by helping him now, you are harming even more innocent people. Yan Mingshi has lived a life without shame; can you bear to let his reputation be ruined because of Zheng Qiao?"

The "Yan Mingshi" mentioned by the young man refers to Yan An's father.

Yan An said, "But Father didn't let go of him even on his deathbed..."

Upon hearing this, the young man knew he couldn't be persuaded.

He said, "Since that's how it is, then so be it. I can't persuade you. From now on, be careful when you're with Zheng Qiao, and don't go against him. He's lost his humanity and is no longer the same as before. It's hard to say how much affection he still has for you, his senior brother!"

The air in the private room was quiet.

The only sound was the crackling and popping of the burning candlelight.

Undeterred, Yan An asked again, "Can't you even help me?"

Is it wrong to not be affiliated with Zheng Qiao, but simply to help him?

The young man shook his head: "It's the same, we're bound to lose."

Yan An was completely heartbroken.

However, some things are still worth discussing, such as the current situation in Northwest China. Zheng Qiao's series of questionable actions have squandered a winning hand, and Yan An has spent considerable time trying to understand the situation. The deeper Yan An learns, the more he realizes that Zheng Qiao has reached a precipice.

One step, and it's all over.

However, Yan An still wanted to take a gamble.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He always advised young people not to get too caught up in this, but he didn't realize that he himself was the biggest gambler, and in a gamble where he could hardly see any chance of winning.

The young man also offered a few suggestions, which coincided with his own ideas—to take a risky approach, first deal with the rebel army led by the King of Pigs, and then turn around and deal with the separatist forces that had grown ambitious.

As for the Northern Desert and the Ten Crows... we must not let our guard down!

The threat posed by these two forces is ten times greater than that of the Pig King's rebel army!

I don't know if Zheng Qiao has lost his mind, but he actually made such a terrible move and colluded with these two bastards!

Yan An had no choice but to remain silent! If Zheng Qiao weren't his junior brother, he would have cursed him too.

It's no fun just to curse people without drinking!

The young man clapped his hands, signaling the waiter on the pleasure boat to bring more wine. After so many years apart, how could they not have a few drinks?

After today, I don't know if we will ever meet again in this lifetime.

As Yan An watched the young man down cup after cup of sake, he suddenly remembered some details and asked with concern, "You just said you were planning to leave tonight, do you have somewhere to go?"

Young man: Not yet, I'm looking around.

Yan An sighed inwardly.

If Zheng Qiao hadn't turned into what he is today, or if he had conquered Xin and settled down to govern it, his old friend might have stayed.

It's no use saying anything now.

The young man added, "I plan to visit Sibao County."

Yan An said, "Sibao County?"

The young man laughed and said, "The two Pig Kings are just like Zheng Qiao, no need to consider them. But those forces whose ambitions were stirred by Zheng Qiao's decree are worth a look. Perhaps some of them will suit our tastes."

Yan An shook his head: "The odds of winning are too slim."

Zheng Qiao at least has territory, troops, and a complete team. If he can wake up and correct his mistakes, it will be easy for him to gain a foothold in the Northwest of the mainland. In contrast, those forces are just a flash in the pan. Old friends who bet on these people are likely to lose everything.

The young man said, "We have to give it a try."

Yan An: "...Who was it that said they wouldn't gamble with their life?"

The young man said confidently, "Once I place my bet, I'm guaranteed to win!"

Yan An had no idea where his confidence came from.

If he could win, who was the one who ran home naked back then?

Seeing the doubt on Yan An's face, the young man felt a pang of guilt—okay, he admitted to being stubborn, speaking with such confidence when he wasn't really sure himself. But was it his fault? Clearly, it was the fault of the scholar's way!

Which of the ways of scholars is not proper and correct?

Unfortunately, his philosophy as a scholar was that he would "always lose when gambling"!

Yes, you read that right.

His philosophy as a scholar was to always lose when gambling.

For a man who considered gambling a great passion in life to be taught the scholar's way of "always losing at gambling" made the young man feel the greatest malice that fate had inflicted upon him. However, there is no truly useless scholar's way in this world; everything has its gains and losses.

The young man looked down at the monogram he had carelessly tossed on the ground, a certain undercurrent surging deep within his eyes...

Always losing at gambling?

If you do the opposite, you'll soon be winning every time you gamble.

The two drank and chatted, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

As dawn broke, Yan An awoke from his hangover, his head throbbing with pain, only to find his old friend gone, leaving behind a thick letter. He read it carefully and chuckled softly.

Although his old friend did not agree to help him, the letter he left behind listed all of Zheng Qiao's subordinates, including those who were useful, those who were not, those who could be trusted, and those who could not be trusted, as well as their personalities and taboos.

This kind of content isn't something you can just get by "wanting to".

This proves—

An old friend once seriously considered Zheng Qiao.

Unfortunately, Zheng Qiao was a huge disappointment to him. Every single thing he did after taking control of Xin Kingdom was a minefield!

The young man couldn't possibly place his only bet on Zheng Qiao, much less entrust his life to her, but after all, it was a lot of hard work and effort, so leaving it to Yan An was just right.

The young man, carrying his bundle and accompanied by his page, left this land amidst the morning mist, heading towards Sibao County—the long-brewing storm had reached its tipping point! Almost simultaneously, many others who had received word of the situation also embarked on the same journey.

Shen Tang, caught in the vortex, felt nothing.

She slept soundly until dawn.

Chu Yao knocked on the door twice before waking her up.

With her hair all messy, Chen Tang half-closed her eyes wearily and splashed cold water on her face. The cold water dispelled her lingering sleepiness. She tried to tie her hair up two or three times, but the ponytail was still crooked.

"Forget it—I'm not going to fight it with myself anymore."

The longer you comb your hair, the more hair you lose.

Chu Yao couldn't stand it anymore and offered a helping hand.

"Goro still seems listless?"

Chen Tang yawned: "I haven't had enough sleep..."

If the dark circles under his eyes were any darker, he could easily pass for a giant panda.

She said, "Last night, my spiritual energy was completely drained, and the recovery was incredibly slow. I also had nightmares all night. In my dream, I was constantly running away, with more and more zombies gathering to chase me. I ran and ran for my life, and when I woke up, I felt like both my legs were going to be useless..."

Chu Yao opened the warm breakfast.

The aroma of congee wafted over, along with several small dishes of appetizers.

He asked, puzzled, "Zombies?"

"Zombies are the living dead. Their bodies are dead, but they can move. They like to chase after the scent of the living and the smell of blood." Shen Tang picked up the porridge, slurped up a big mouthful, and her empty stomach was perfectly soothed. Only then did she feel alive again. "They're so ugly!"

This dream was utterly bizarre.

In her dreams, she was hunted not only by zombies, but also by creatures that flew in the sky, crawled on the ground, and swam in the water—every single one was involved. Only through a series of incredible maneuvers and unwavering perseverance did Shen Tang manage to avoid being caught. Finally, she was simply too exhausted—

Shen Tang said, "...I jumped into a coffin."

Chu Yao: "A coffin? What kind of coffin?"

Perhaps due to his scholarly background, Chu Yao was fascinated by bizarre dreams. He listened with great interest to Shen Tang's nonsensical nightmares, occasionally offering his own opinions or questions. Qi Shan, listening from the side, could only roll her eyes.

Shen Tang stopped eating.

She thought carefully: "A wooden coffin."

As for what kind of wooden coffin it was, I have no recollection.

She jumped into the coffin, and the nightmare ended.

Qi Shan tried to join the group chat: "This must be a very bad omen."

Chu Yao glanced at him.

"What nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning? It's clearly about making a fortune from seeing a coffin!"

Even if it's a very bad omen, it should turn into a very good omen for Goro!

Qi Shan: "..."

Failed to join the group chat.

Before she knew it, Shen Tang had eaten seven or eight bowls of porridge.

The wooden bucket used to hold rice porridge was empty.

She licked the grains of rice from her lips and asked, "Is there any more?"

Chu Yao: "One should not eat too much for breakfast."

Shen Tang patted her stomach: "Not full, at most five-tenths full."

Upon hearing this—

Qi Shan said, "This is already your largest daily meal."

A whole big bucket of porridge!

Qi Shan secretly thought that Chu Yao was feeding pigs.

There's still not enough to eat?

Shen Tang: "But—I'm really still hungry."

The east kitchen of the prefectural governor's mansion is staffed all day long. Chu Yao stood up and said, "I'll go to the back kitchen to see if there's anything left to eat."

If you're not full, just get more; it's not a big deal!

When I got back, there was another big bucket of rice porridge.

Chu Yao was afraid she wouldn't have enough to eat, so he brought two more plates of pastries.

Qi Shan: "..."

Shen Tang buried himself in his food and finished it all in no time.

“Huh—” she exclaimed suddenly, “That’s strange.”

Qi Shan asked with concern, "Oh, are you finally full?"

"No, my literary talent has been restored, and there's even more of it."

After a nap, he recovered 40% of his energy. After eating two buckets of rice and two plates of pastries, his energy recovered another 10%. Although the total was only 50%, it was still more than before.

(End of this chapter)