Chapter 99: The Extraordinary Cultivator of Yundi, A-Ling's Marriage
Yizhou City.
Qingyu and the others didn't intend to stay in this city for long, after all, their destination was Qianshan Miao Village, and they would go to Qishan after finding the eighth star.
Ultimately, they planned to spend this spring leisurely in Yizhou in the southwest.
...
That being said, Yizhou City is the only main city in Yizhou, and the spicy and delicious food of the southwest is famous throughout the land. They should at least come and visit, taste the food, and buy some interesting and unique items.
It's both pitiful and laughable. Qingyu was only eleven years old when she left the mountain. She was a young and poor girl, and she was accompanied by Wen Guhuai, who was just like her and didn't even have any power yet.
The girl only knew where to find good food and fun things to do in Yizhou City, but she rarely actually enjoyed them.
...
"Sister Qingyu, is the food in Yizhou this spicy?"
Zhang Xuan drank his water and calmly said to Qing Yu that he had only tasted a few bites of spicy grilled fish before he frowned and started chugging water.
Qingyu clicked her tongue a few times, and the girl said helplessly, "I told you not to order the spiciest one, but you wouldn't listen."
Upon entering Yizhou City, they went straight to an eatery intending to have a proper meal. Putting aside everything else, they ordered all the famous classic dishes: grilled fish, hot and sour noodles, mushroom soup, twice-cooked pork—basically, anything within their budget that they could finish.
They've gotten used to it; they have to have this meal wherever they go, using food to experience the beauty of the place.
Zhang Xuan drank his water, while Lin Fanxiang looked at him helplessly, "Are you alright? Is it really that spicy?"
"It's very spicy, so eat less."
Zhang Xuan replied to her, the boy looking serious, with a hint of regret, "I should have known better than to ask for the spiciest one... but actually, it's pretty good."
I had long heard that people in Yizhou, Southwest China, love spicy food and that many of their dishes are spicy, numbing, and fragrant. After tasting it, I can confirm that it truly lives up to its reputation. The combination of spiciness and aroma makes one hesitant to eat more, yet the aftertaste is unforgettable.
Zhang Xuan: "Hey, eating slowly should make it better."
"It's alright, have some soup to calm down. The mushroom soup from Yundi is famous throughout Kyushu."
Qin Tianshu smiled and served him a bowl of light and fragrant mushroom soup, saying warmly as he did so, "Try it first."
Wen Chuan could tell what the scholar meant from his smiling face. He turned his head and asked Qing Yu in a low voice, "I remember, the mushroom soup in Yundi..."
Yundi is actually a general term for the mountainous and forested area of Yizhou, the home of a minority of people and a gathering place for Yizhou cultivators. With few people and abundant spiritual energy, a wide variety of things naturally grow there, among which the various kinds of mushrooms are the most famous.
It's delicious, but you have to be careful when eating it.
Qingyu smiled, and the girl shook her head, "It's okay, as long as the shop serves it, it means there's no problem."
This restaurant is the largest in Yizhou City, and the soup was served last, which clearly shows that the owner knows the importance of the soup and dares not be careless in the slightest.
Zhang Xuan was unaware of all this; he was touched by the scholar's rare kindness, and said, "Alright, I'll try it right away—"
"Mmm, it's delicious, really, and the different mushrooms even taste a little different."
Zhang Xuan had certainly tasted many good things, but this was the first time he had ever tried Yun Di Mushroom Soup. It was fresh and pure, and while each type of mushroom had its own distinct flavor, they complemented each other perfectly when cooked together, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
As he said this, Qin Tianshu smiled and nodded in agreement, and also served himself a bowl.
Qingyu picked up a piece of tofu with her chopsticks and said after thinking for a moment, "If we set off tomorrow, it will probably take another two or three days to get into Yundi."
"Cloud Land..."
"Are there really many monks living inside whose customs are different from ours?"
Zhang Xuan muttered to himself, his voice tinged with curiosity and doubt.
Qingyu smiled upon hearing this, "Pretty much, but most of them are the same."
The Zhou Dynasty unified the nine provinces, and apart from the demon race, all human beings were one family. The reason for the different ethnic names was that different regions had different people and different customs in the past, and this was especially true for the people in the Yun region of Yizhou.
Qin Tianshu: "Speaking of which, I also went to Yundi back then, but I didn't stay long. Putting aside everything else, the people there were really interesting, and the cultivation methods were also quite strange."
Lin Fanxiang listened with some curiosity and asked, "For example?"
"For example... the Miao people's Gu magic, the Xi people's witchcraft, the Wa people's belief in human heads... and even some Nuo magic, corpse driving and blood sacrifice, and funeral customs such as puppetry."
Qin Tianshu recalled for a moment and said, Qingyu nodded in agreement, "Yes, I had just come down from the mountain when I was fortunate enough to encounter one, a funeral being held deep in the mountains... In short, I was terrified and almost changed course and went back to the mountain. I was afraid that all of you humans were like this."
"However, I later found out it wasn't a big deal, as long as I didn't provoke those strange cultivators in Yundi and didn't talk nonsense."
"hiss……"
Zhang Xuan looked at Qing Yu, "As expected of a human cultivator who lives next to the demon race, he is indeed special."
"Are you curious? If you are, I'll take you to see it and let you experience the unique local customs and culture of Yunnan."
Qingyu winked at him, her expression serious yet playful, "How about it? I'll take you there in a couple of days."
"No, no, no, I'd rather not. I'm not that interested."
Zhang Xuan immediately waved his hand, saying that it was a joke, and that he still couldn't handle things like human heads, blood sacrifices, or puppets.
"Hahaha,"
Qin Tianshu laughed, "It's not that scary. We usually don't encounter those things. They are unique sacrificial customs of their people. And because our cultivation is so special, the cultivators of Yundi don't like to bother with people like us."
You think others are too special, but they think your handling of knives and swords is too ordinary.
Wen Chuan smiled upon hearing this, his voice gentle, "Just be careful. After all, we're going to the Miao village. We had a good relationship with them in Jianxue City before."
Qingyu nodded, "The Miao village is very beautiful. Sister Zhi and the others should have gone back there a long time ago. We can go and see them."
In the remote, verdant Miao village nestled in the mountains, the four seasons are distinct. The people, adorned in dark blue, red, and silver ornaments, exude a graceful and ethereal beauty, their simplicity imbued with deep affection.
Living in harmony with the heavens and befriending the earth, the art of Gu poison is particularly exquisite, capable of bewitching people and leading them astray into past and future lives.
Lin Fanxiang looked at Qingyu, the girl pursed her lips, her voice calm and gentle, "I am rather curious about Gu techniques."
Gu magic, also known as Gu poison, is similar to poison, yet different, even more vicious and mysterious, inspiring both fear and curiosity.
Cai Cai: "Coo coo coo coo coo coo".
Qingyu laughed, picked up Cai Cai and plucked her fur, then looked up and chatted with them, "I don't really know much about Gu. I've been tricked by it before. That thing is very strange, there are different kinds of Gu, like child Gu and mother Gu."
“Raising Gu worms is very troublesome, and basically no one except the Miao people cultivates them.”
"The book mentions something called a 'love potion,' is that true?"
"It should be... but it's said that kind of Gu is very dangerous, and the cultivator who uses it won't fare well either..."
"Love Poison...what a wondrous thing..."
"Coo coo coo".
They chatted casually, eating classic Yizhou dishes on the table. They ate the spicy dishes slowly and treated the non-spicy ones as side dishes, chatting leisurely as they went.
...
"Hey, isn't that A-Gu from Yizhou?"
Zhang Xuan, holding Cai Cai, said by the window that they had just finished eating and were about to go downstairs to pay the bill.
"Yeah?"
Upon hearing this, Qingyu walked to his side. Their private room was right next to the main street, so they could see the street scene directly through the window.
Agu walked out of the clothing shop carrying a pile of things, and strolled leisurely to a cart on the side of the street. The strong young man tossed the things in his hands, tied them with ropes on both sides, and it looked like he had bought a lot of things and was pulling the cart.
"It really is...maybe they came to Yizhou City to buy something."
Qingyu said, Wen Chuan was holding Cai Cai by the door, "Shall we go down?"
Since they were going to the Miao village anyway, they could take this opportunity to say hello to Agu.
"Oh... Brother Tianshu has gone,"
Lin Fanxiang said from the window that she watched Qin Tianshu walk out of the restaurant where they were and start chatting with Agu across the street.
Zhang Xuan: "Brother must have just finished paying the bill and saw me from across the street."
"Then let's go down too."
As Qingyu spoke, the group took their things and went downstairs from the room. Just as they stepped out of the restaurant, they saw Qin Tianshu walking towards them, while Agu had vanished without a trace.
Qingyu: "Is that Agu? What were you two talking about?"
"You saw it? I was just about to say that,"
The scholar raised an eyebrow, then smiled. They walked slowly down the street, listening to Qin Tianshu recount his conversation with Agu.
"It's Agu. He rushed to Yizhou City today to buy things for his wedding."
Zhang Xuan: "Marriage? He's getting married?"
Qin Tianshu shook his head, "It's A-Ling."
On the journey of Yunzhou, Xue visited relatives. The woman who was getting married this time was a Miao girl named A-Ling.
The scholar and Agu spoke in a hurry, only knowing that Aling's marriage this time was quite special and the time was tight, so Agu hurriedly packed up the things he bought and said goodbye to Qin Tianshu. In the end, he also invited them to the Miao village, saying that they might be able to make it to the wedding.
Has anyone said who she's going to marry?
Qingyu asked, "The eldest daughter of the Miao tribe, Azhi, returned to the Miao village with Wen Gu and Li not long ago, and the second daughter, Aling, hastily got married again—"
I hadn't heard anything about A-Ling being engaged before; the marriage must have been arranged recently.
"He seems to be an ordinary person,"
The scholar said, "I can't say for sure. Agu was in a hurry. After buying the things, he rushed back to the Miao village, saying that he would be getting married in March."
"A mortal? The Miao people are a family of Gu cultivators, forming their own sect. How could they allow their second young lady to marry a mortal?"
Lin Fanxiang was somewhat puzzled. She knew quite well about the marriages of women from cultivator families. They were either famous or accomplished, except for a few special cases who were not under the control of their families and had their own abilities... They generally would not choose ordinary people as their partners.
Moreover, the Miao people's Gu techniques are passed down through generations, and they place particular emphasis on spiritual cultivation. Ordinary mortals cannot suppress the cultivators in the Miao villages.
Qin Tianshu: "It's hard to say. I was in such a hurry just now that Agu didn't explain it clearly either."
Qingyu nodded thoughtfully, then the girl laughed, "Oh, why worry about so much? The weather's nice today, let's go for a stroll around the city!"
The spring sunshine is wonderful; it would be a waste not to take a good stroll around the city and enjoy the springtime.
Lin Fanxiang smiled as well, her arms around Qingyu, their dresses brushing against each other, one bold and the other delicate, her face as beautiful as a flower and the moon.
The two women exchanged smiles, greeted their friends, and then went shopping. They bought flowers, clothes, and cosmetics—things that are always pretty and delicate for young women. The styles varied from place to place, and since they were there, they wanted to make the most of their time.
Zhang Xuan carried Cai Cai to a carpentry and blacksmith shop. He'd been enjoying tinkering with these things lately, and a few days ago he'd even pestered Wen Chuan to teach him how to carve wood.
Wen Chuan and Qin Tianshu strolled around casually. It's worth mentioning that as they walked, they discovered that a Falling Star Garden had opened in Yizhou City.
The entire street is just like the Falling Star Garden in Jizhou Extraordinary City.
Qin Tianshu: "This is quite novel. I wonder who the owner of this Falling Star Garden is."
Wen Chuan: "Cultivators from the North often gather in Extraordinary City, and the Cloud Land of Yizhou is also a well-known place for cultivators. This Falling Star Garden really seems to be opened specifically for cultivators."
The scholar gently opened his fan, tilted his head, and smiled, "Shall we go in and take a look?"
Wen Chuan smiled and said, "Please."
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