Chapter 43 Outsiders:
“Otherwise,” Shen Bingsi took a step back, “we can go back.”
"Go back? Didn't we come here for dinner?" Rong Xie asked in surprise.
“I think the vegetarian food at the temple is pretty good. It’s nutritious and delicious, and there’s nothing wrong with it except that it doesn’t have any meat,” Shen Bingsi said quickly.
Rong Xie grabbed his sleeve to prevent him from running away immediately.
“We’ve come this far, let’s go to town and take a look,” Rong Xie said gently.
...
Lotus Town is very small, with only one main street. There are quite a few restaurants in the town, which must be due to the frequent visits of tourists to the outskirts of Beijing, which brings a lot of business to the town.
Rong Xie chose a restaurant that looked clean. The stove was right in front of him, and the cook was a plump woman wearing a clean and neat cloth shirt and a purple floral apron.
The two sat down at a table facing the street and waited for the woman to cut the meat sauce and cook the soup dumplings.
The food in the small town is good because it's fresh, all picked from the fields. People cook their meals the same way they normally eat, making the food in Shengjing area truly authentic.
"Mmm, this sauce tastes just right!" Shen Bingsi nodded approvingly as she ate.
It's rare for someone to agree with him, someone who can let him taste all the delicacies of the land; they must be quite outstanding.
Rong Xie smiled.
Although I don't know why the town is so lively, like it's a festival, staying for dinner was definitely the right choice.
"Time to hang the clothes out to dry!"
Loud shouts came from the street, and soon someone came with a long clothesline, on which colorful clothes were hung to dry. The clothes, like heavy curtains, quickly blocked the street scene, and only some figures could be seen moving around behind the clothes and sheets.
Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi were sitting at a table on the street, planning to leave after they finished eating, but when they looked up, they found themselves surrounded by colorful curtains.
"I understand." Shen Bingsi suddenly slammed her hand on the table.
"What?"
"Today is Clothes Drying Festival." Shen Bingsi said with a sudden realization, "July is scorching hot, summer is almost over, so we have to take advantage of this opportunity to dry our clothes."
"Hmm...that makes sense." Rong Xie nodded. "So what do we do now? Wait for them to disperse, or go straight out?"
"It wouldn't hurt to take a look," Shen Bingsi said. He preferred basking in the sun outside to looking at musical scores in the library.
As the two sat waiting for the curtain to open, a noisy commotion came from one side of the street, as if a large crowd was surging toward them.
Suddenly, a loud-voiced girl shouted from the commotion:
"Fellow villagers, townspeople, young men and women! Don't be shy, today is the annual Flower King Competition in Lotus Town!"
"The winner will receive a single lotus flower, the king of flowers, personally plucked from the lotus pond by the mayor himself! And two lotus-patterned handkerchiefs embroidered by the former court embroiderer, Granny Huang!"
"Don't miss this opportunity! Two people per pair, sign up now!"
The girl's voice was incredibly penetrating; it could be heard clearly even through several curtains.
Rong Xie nudged Shen Bingsi's arm and said, "Why don't we leave now? Once that... championship starts, it'll be quite a commotion, and it won't be easy to get out."
Shen Bingsi agreed, as he had little interest in this kind of competition between ordinary people.
The two stood up from the table and walked along the wall. A corner of the curtain of colorful clothes fluttered open, revealing the main road ahead.
Just as they were about to walk over, a group of young people dressed in brightly colored clothes crossed the street and blocked their way.
At the loud-voiced girl's call, the group of young people swarmed around her like bees to flowers.
"Young master, you are quite handsome. Are you from out of town? You haven't participated in the Flower King Competition in our Lotus Town. You've come to Shengjing for nothing!"
"It just so happens that Seventh Sister is currently without a companion. Why don't you, young master, team up with Seventh Sister and participate in the Flower King Competition together?"
"If you don't mind, young master, could you please introduce me to that young hero next to me... Does he have any teammates?"
There were quite a few people gathered around, but most of them were talking to Rong Xie. Only one or two people mustered up the courage to strike up a conversation with Shen Bing Si, but they were so frightened by his terrifying expression that they stammered before they could even finish their sentences.
"Sorry, we were just passing through..."
"Excuse me, please make way. We're in a hurry..."
Rong Xie tried his best to refuse the local villagers, hoping to squeeze a way through them.
However, Shen Bingsi, who was next to him, remained motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
"Bing Si, hurry up, or we won't be able to leave later," Rong Xie urged Shen Bing Si.
Shen Bingsi finally moved, reaching out to grab Rong Xie's arm.
Rong Xie: "?"
Rong Xie initially thought Shen Bing Si was going to drag him away, but the next moment, he heard her say:
Where do I register?
Thank you!
The crowd was quiet for a moment, then immediately erupted in excitement.
Of the two handsome young men from out of town, the one with a gentle temperament seemed more likely to be invited to participate in the competition, but unexpectedly, it was the one with the cold face who took the first step.
The young men and women immediately went wild, all wanting to rush forward and join Shen Bingsi's team.
Shen Bingsi, however, took Rong Xie's hand, raised it in the air, and gestured to the people around her: "Sorry, I have a teammate now."
"ah……"
The crowd groaned in disappointment, not expecting to lose two targets at once. But since the two had already teamed up, they couldn't disrupt their plans, so they dispersed.
Someone pointed out the registration place to Shen Bingsi, and Shen Bingsi pulled Rong Xie there.
"We? Participate in the town's competition?" Rong Xie was both amused and exasperated. "Do you really want to compete with these ordinary people?"
“Why not? We don’t need to use magic. Listen to them, this is a two-person team competition, it’s definitely not an ordinary competition. Aren’t you curious?” Shen Bingsi was eager to try.
"But……"
"We've finally managed to get out of town, so of course we have to participate in the most local programs. We missed the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, but we can't miss the Flower King Competition. The prizes are pretty good too, I want them, let's go get them!"
Rong Xie thought, the prizes were a freshly picked lotus flower and two handkerchiefs. It was really hard to guess which one Shen Bingsi, whose house was piled high with rare and precious materials, was interested in.
As they were talking, Shen Bingsi led Rong Xie to the registration table and wrote down their names.
Rong Xie couldn't stop him even if she wanted to, so she had no choice but to walk into the crowd of contestants with him.
"Why use your real name?" Rong Xie couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"What's wrong with that? Nobody in the village knows us. Of course we should use our real names in a competition that showcases our strength!" Shen Bingsi always had an endless supply of fallacies.
Rong Xie didn't know how a village competition could be considered a test of strength. He had never received such high praise from Shen Bing Si in the sect competition. However, he didn't want to ask, because asking would only result in another round of twisted reasoning.
“Don’t say that,” Rong Xie stopped talking, and Shen Bingsi leaned closer and whispered to Rong Xie, “When I walked into this town just now, I felt there was an eerie atmosphere. The men and women here are all very strange, sticking together in pairs, as if they are possessed.”
Rong Xie also noticed this, but he didn't call it possession.
"Luckily, I didn't rush to make a judgment. Now I'm relieved. It turns out they were just preparing for the Flower King Competition. After all, it's a two-person team, so they need to develop teamwork." Shen Bingsi added.
Rong Xie looked around and felt that these people weren't being so affectionate for the purpose of forming a team and developing chemistry.
Wait, could this competition be...?
Registration is now closed, and the competition has officially begun.
The loud-voiced girl, accompanied by a smiling old man and a well-dressed old woman, came to the open space in the middle of the street and announced the competition details to the crowd of participants.
The competition was divided into three rounds, the first of which was lotus boat rowing.
The lotus pond paths on Bailong River Bay are intricate, and the lotus leaves grow tall, making it easy to lose one's way while rowing. The contestants must row the same lotus boat, starting from one side of the shore and reaching the other.
“This is not easy for us out-of-town guests,” the loud-voiced girl said with a smile, looking at Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi. “If you two don’t change your minds, it’s not too late to find local teammates now.”
Shen Bingsi chuckled, completely ignoring the loud-voiced girl's provocation. She reached out and took Rong Xie's hand, smiling slightly as she surveyed the entire room.
Rong Xie thought to himself, thankfully the content of the competition wasn't too outrageous, so it wouldn't hurt to have a match.
A lotus boat is a small boat with pointed ends that can only seat two people. People who have never rowed such a boat before are likely to lose their balance. However, this was not a problem for Shen Bingsi at all.
After the race began, more than a dozen lotus boats started rowing shakily from different starting points. Strong male paddlers paddled hard in front, while the girls sat behind to keep up and keep an eye on the direction, and the villagers on the shore shouted encouragement...
Just then, a lotus boat braved the wind and waves and rushed into the lotus pond, disappearing in a flash. Only a straight line of water and white waves crashing against the shore proved that a boat had indeed passed by.
"Hey, what just passed by?"
"It looks like those two out-of-towners' boat?"
"Impossible! How could someone row a boat as fast as a water bird?!"
Shen Bingsi did not use spiritual power, but only used a little of the physical strength of a top-level sword cultivator. As he rowed frantically, the tall lotus leaves in the pond fell to both sides.
At this moment, if someone looks down from a high place, they will see that a path has been artificially carved out in the middle of the originally lush lotus pond, straight, precise, and leading directly to the end.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shen Bingsi had already paddled out from the other side of the lotus pond. He stretched his arms, jumped ashore, and then turned back to catch Rong Xie.
The villagers at the finish line stared at the two in disbelief. Only after Shen Bingsi reminded them did they take out a booklet and let the two register their names.
"The second match."
When half of the participants had made it ashore and regrouped, the atmosphere was completely different from before.
Everyone was glancing at Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Outsiders are terrifying.
Even the loud-voiced girl's voice was uncertain. The outsider's strength was unfathomable. Would the winner of this year's Flower King Competition be taken away by the outsider? That would be an unprecedented situation! Where would the young men and women of Lotus Town put their pride?
"Fellow villagers, townspeople, young men and women! Let's all do our best! We can't let outsiders look down on us! The second competition is—betting on spiders!"
The villagers who were watching cheered and encouraged the local girls and boys, and the participating teams were also eager to win back the game.
The so-called spider betting game involves placing a spider in a sealed box for a period of time, then opening the lid to see how much silk the spider has spun. The more silk the spider spins, the better, and the team that spins the most silk wins.
This round was purely a matter of luck. When choosing a box, you couldn't even see the spider inside, whether it was big or small, hungry or full. Shen Bingsi had also agreed beforehand not to use spiritual power or spiritual sense to investigate, so she wasn't very confident this time. After choosing the box, she just waited for the result.
"Has everyone made their choices?" the loud-voiced girl announced again. "The results won't be out for another half hour. Now that everyone is ready, let's move on to the third round of the competition!"
"The third competition is the highlight of this year's Flower King Competition, a classic event! I'm sure everyone knows what our Lotus Town is most famous for—"
"Lotus embroidery!" the local young men and women, along with the villagers watching, shouted in unison.
Shen Bingsi looked around, then at Rong Xie. Rong Xie shook his head. Every place has its own customs, and he really didn't know about this.
Shen Bingsi frowned slightly. Could the third competition be about embroidering a handkerchief?
This has nothing to do with tacit understanding.
However, the second match had little to do with teamwork, or even skill; that's how casual the matches are in small towns.
Thinking this, Shen Bingsi still rolled up her sleeves, revealing her well-defined forearms.
Even when it comes to embroidery, his eyesight and hand stability are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Just tell him how to embroider, and he can embroider the most amazing handkerchiefs!
That's right, they're that competitive. They either don't play at all, or they absolutely have to win!
The loud-voiced girl signaled for the crowd to quiet down and announced the third competition: threading a needle.
A long embroidered table stretched from one side of the street to the other. The two contestants stood on opposite sides of the table and could not go to the other side.
At their positions, colorful embroidery threads and a box of embroidery needles of various sizes were already prepared.
All they need to do is, within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, one person takes a needle and the other takes a thread, and they must thread as many needles as possible onto the colored thread. Whoever threads the most needles wins.
"Remember, the rule is that each person can only use one hand, and they can't touch each other," the loud-voiced girl announced. "If there are no problems, let's begin!"
"etc!"
At the head of the table, Shen Bingsi, who was currently ranked first, raised his hand, signaling the loud-voiced girl not to rush to start and to listen to him.
"Um?"
"One question: if you get first place in both rounds, does that guarantee you'll be first in the end?" Shen Bingsi asked in a deep voice.
"Yes." The loud-voiced girl nodded.
“Very good.” He smiled with satisfaction. “Although there were some inexplicable parts, overall it was a competition that witnessed teamwork and strength. Let Kao grow in the water. I want those two lotus-patterned handkerchiefs.”
Shen Bingsi's attitude was one of certainty.
The loud-voiced girl opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say, so she decided to announce the start of the competition.
...
Before the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was up, the competition ended without any suspense.
Shen Bingsi pulled out the colorful thread, revealing a row of sparkling needles of varying sizes and thicknesses, arranged according to the rule that adjacent needles differed by only one size. As a result, when the whole thing was pulled together, it looked as neatly arranged as the short tassels on the top of a sedan chair.
Everyone gasped.
What a pursuit of perfection! Ordinary people are already doing well just to get the needle through the thread, but these two amazing outsiders have also taken aesthetics into consideration. Moreover, the needles on their colored thread look like they have more than all the others combined. How is that possible?
Grandma Huang, the former court lady who had been resting under the pergola and the referee of this year's Flower King Competition, stepped forward. When she saw the colorful thread that Shen Bingsi had pulled up, her eyebrows shot up.
"Young man, is this what you're wearing?" Granny Huang looked Shen Bingsi up and down. The scene of Shen Bingsi rushing into the lotus pond had left a deep impression on Granny Huang. "I never expected... young people these days are not only strong, but also meticulous despite their roughness, to wear such amazing clothes!"
Shen Bingsi always respected elders with skills. When he heard Granny Huang praise him like that, he immediately said seriously, "You flatter me. These are not what I wore. I was just holding the thread without moving it."
“These were all done by my dear friend Rong Xie.” Shen Bingsi stepped aside, exposing Rong Xie in the most conspicuous position.
Many eyes were focused on Rong Xie. Granny Huang nodded repeatedly, both surprised and pleased. Rong Xie felt a little awkward, but he had to admit that it was quite nice to be the center of attention and be admired by everyone.
With the results of both matches in, the remaining match, Spider Crawling the Box, is no longer so important.
"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, that's the truth..." the loud-voiced girl sighed, "The winner of the needle-threading competition, which Lotus Town is so proud of, is one of our outsiders!"
The local young men and women were not surprised by the result, but they were also quite disappointed.
"However, we should also thank our out-of-town team for allowing us to witness such a wonderful match!"
"And, to announce the final results of the Flower King Competition—'The perfect couple for Qixi Festival' is none other than our out-of-towners Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie!"
Upon hearing this, the participating young men and women, as well as the local villagers, cheered enthusiastically. They took out the flowers and herbs they had prepared in advance and threw them at the two people surrounded in the center.
Shen Bingsi was struck dumb, speechless, and stood there like a wooden stake, constantly being slapped in the face by the petals and herbs that were flying towards her.
What?! What is this?! Isn't this the Flower King Competition?! Why are the words "Taiwanese Valentine's Day" appearing here?!
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