Chapter 93: Perhaps the Immortal Venerable is thinking of someone while looking at the hairpin.
After a short rest, everyone boarded the vehicle again and decided to head to the next town—Qixia Town.
The horse-drawn carriage rolled over the wet cobblestone road and entered the heart of the Jiangnan water towns.
The air was moist and slightly cool, carrying the freshness of the river and the faint fragrance of unnamed wildflowers on the bank.
It was afternoon, and a light drizzle was falling.
The pedestrians in the town walked at a leisurely pace, holding colorful oil-paper umbrellas. The riverside taverns and teahouses displayed their banners, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments drifted over, adding to the charm of Jiangnan.
The carriage eventually stopped in front of the most impressive riverside building in town.
Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)
The building is three stories high, with upturned eaves and corners, exuding both grandeur and elegance.
The shopkeeper was already waiting at the door. As soon as Xie Chen got out of the car, his eyes flashed with respect. Before Xie Chen could speak, he warmly welcomed everyone in.
"Distinguished guests, you have come a long way and have had a long journey. Your rooms have been prepared for you. Please follow me." The innkeeper led the group through the corridor and arranged several superior rooms overlooking the river.
The room is spacious and elegant. Pushing open the carved wooden window, you can see the babbling river and the ancient stone bridge.
Everyone settled down.
Shen Yunzhou silently walked into his room.
His sharp gaze swept across every corner of the room. He opened the window to carefully examine the view of the river, then walked to the door to estimate the distance between the corridor and the stairs. His cold and aloof aura made the waiter, who wanted to ask if he needed tea, fall silent and retreat.
Xie Chen whispered a few words with the shopkeeper under the eaves, and the shopkeeper nodded repeatedly. After giving his instructions, Xie Chen strolled leisurely to the railing by the river, fanning himself, and admired the water town scenery in the misty rain.
Ji Qianqiu walked into his equally exquisite room, looked at the carved bed covered with brocade, reached out and pressed it, his brows furrowing: "This bed... it's so soft you could sink into it! Won't my back break if I sleep on it?" He muttered to himself, even clamoring to go sleep in the stable, but was stopped by Mo Yun who was passing by with a look.
Fang Li excitedly rushed into her room, immediately opened the window, and peered out from the window frame: "Wow! A textbook example of a picturesque scene of a small town with bridges, flowing water, and traditional houses! Tongzi, quick! Check what signature dishes this Zuixianlou restaurant has! Do they have crab meat lion's head meatballs? What about squirrel-shaped mandarin fish?" She was completely immersed in the ambiance of the Jiangnan water town and her longing for delicious food.
System: [“Host, calm down!! The signature dishes of Drunken Immortal Pavilion are loading… Steamed ribbonfish, crystal pork jelly, water shield and silver fish soup… Stop! Host, maintain your image! We are martial arts figures here to investigate a case!”]
Mo Yun quietly put her luggage away and habitually checked the latches and frames of the doors and windows.
Ling Shuang stood by the window, her cool gaze seemingly fixed on the stone bridge and painted boat in the rain and mist, but in reality, her divine sense had already spread out like ripples on water, silently sensing the flow of energy throughout Qixia Town.
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she seemed to catch a few wisps of mixed emotions.
Tie Pan's burly figure appeared unusually cramped in the exquisite room.
He carefully sat down on a rather delicate-looking carved round stool, as if afraid that he would collapse it with his bottom.
On the table was an exquisite white porcelain tea set. He gestured with his fingers, but finding himself at a loss, he simply gave up and sat down obediently.
After a short rest, the group was led to a riverside private room on the third floor of Zuixianlou for their meal.
Outside the private room window, a fine drizzle fell, and occasionally a beautifully decorated painted boat would drift by, leaving behind a blurry reflection and the faint sound of string and wind instruments.
The dishes were served one after another, all of them seasonal specialties from Jiangnan: the steamed shad had shiny scales and clear broth; the crab meat lion's head meatballs were plump and round, with a fragrant crab aroma; the Longjing shrimp were emerald green and crystal clear, with a delicate tea fragrance; the pickled bamboo shoot soup was milky white, savory and rich; the emerald green water shield soup was smooth and refreshing; and there was also a plate of pink and cute Dingsheng cake.
Fang Li's eyes lit up as she looked at the table full of delicious food, and she immediately got to work.
"Wow! This fish! It's so fresh it'll make my eyebrows fall off! Tongzi, quickly write this down! Save this high-definition video! We'll have the old man at Yixing Peak Restaurant learn from him later! This cooking is amazing!" She devoured the fish while mentally praising it wildly. "Wow! Crab meat lion's head meatballs! They melt in your mouth! So fresh I want to lick the plate clean!"
System: [“Recording...recording...host, can't you have some self-respect? Licking the plate? Mind your image! Shen Bingtuo is looking at you strangely…”]
Fang Li didn't care. When her gaze swept over the Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet cake), she noticed that Ling Shuang seemed to glance at the pink pastry twice. She thought to herself, "Huh? Senior Sister Ling Shuang is interested in sweets? Even the aloof goddess loves sweets?"
Tongzi: [“Cute contrast! Confirmed! But Ji Hanhan’s eating habits… Pfft! Like a large dog that’s been starving for three days rushing into a butcher shop!”] It saw Ji Qianqiu devouring a small plate of lion’s head meatballs, clearly complaining that the portion was too small. While eating, he muttered, “The taste is okay, but it’s too bland! Not strong enough!” Then he got burned by a mouthful of scalding hot crab roe and gulped down some cold tea.
Shen Yunzhou sat next to Fang Li, his dining manners upright and his silence impeccable.
Upon hearing Fang Li's inner thought of "ice cube," his hand holding the food paused, and a faint blush crept onto his ears. Then, expressionless, he pushed the entire plate of shad meat, which he had carefully deboned, in front of Fang Li.
Fang Li was struggling to finish a lion's head meatball when she saw the fish meat suddenly appear. She looked up in confusion and asked, "Huh?"
Shen Yunzhou looked away, his voice cold and hard: "Too many thorns, too much trouble."
Xie Chen sipped his tea elegantly, tasted a few bites of the dishes, and introduced the local customs of Jiangnan as if they were his own treasures, while his gaze occasionally swept over the bustling market outside the window.
Upon hearing Fang Li's inner thought that the old man in the dining hall should learn from her, he paused slightly while fanning himself, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
He looked at Fang Li and said gently, "Junior Sister seems to have a special fondness for these lion's head meatballs? It seems the chefs at the Xie family's Drunken Immortal Restaurant are quite skilled."
Fang Li, her mouth stuffed with food and her cheeks bulging, looked up at him with a bewildered expression: "Huh? Delicious! Especially delicious!"
Seeing her bewildered expression, Xie Chen's smile deepened. He stopped asking questions and found her confused state quite endearing.
Ji Qianqiu was engrossed in eating when he suddenly heard Tongzi say, "Ji Hanhan's eating habits... are like a large dog that hasn't eaten for three days!" He abruptly looked up, his face blank, and asked, "A large dog? Where's the large dog? I don't see any dogs." He looked at Fang Li and said straightforwardly, "Junior Sister, did you see a dog? Where is it? I'll go chase it away so it won't disturb your meal!"
Fang Li was even more confused: "Huh? A dog? No... Senior brother, you must have misheard me?" In reality, she was frantically muttering to herself, "Oh no! Did I accidentally say it out loud?!"
Ji Qianqiu scratched his head: "Oh... I might have misheard." He continued to eat heartily, but subconsciously slowed down his movements a little.
Mo Yun ate slowly and carefully, and even shared some health-related insights on the combination of ingredients in several dishes.
Ling Shuang ate in small bites, her demeanor aloof, her gaze lingering a little longer on the plate of Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet rice cake). Tie Pan tried his best to imitate everyone's eating manners, but still appeared clumsy. He felt that one lion's head meatball at a time wasn't enough, so when no one was looking, he secretly hid two meat buns in his pocket.
During the meal, the market across the river outside the window was bustling with activity. Acrobats were blowing fire hoops, vendors were shouting "Fresh water chestnuts!", scholars were reciting poetry in the teahouse, and women were washing clothes on the stone steps by the river.
Just then, Ling Shuang, who had been concentrating on her senses, slightly moved her eyes, and her clear, cold voice rang out in everyone's minds: "Southeast, at the corner of the alley, there are two people. Their auras are cold and mixed, as if they have a faint cultivation. They are acting suspiciously, and their eyes are shifty."
Xie Chen continued fanning himself, his gaze subtly sweeping in the direction Ling Shuang was pointing. After a moment, he replied telepathically, "They should be local bullies lurking in the underworld, or perhaps connected to some shady black market transactions. Their aura is mixed and unstable, and their cultivation is weak. We need not alarm them, lest we alert them."
Shen Yunzhou's gaze instantly locked onto the alley entrance, accurately memorizing the figures, appearances, and clothing of the two people.
Upon hearing this, Ji Qianqiu immediately became excited and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Local bullies? The black market? I'll go and meet them!" But Xie Chen stopped him with a look.
Fang Li: "Local thugs? The black market? Wow! A live-action Assassin's Creed reconnaissance mission has begun! System, quickly scan those two suspicious individuals!"
System: ["This is the cultivation channel, host!! Scanning... The target's energy fluctuations are weak but mixed, suggesting an incomplete cultivation of some low-level evil technique, with an unstable foundation... The mixed aura contains trace amounts of cold, yin toxins, which highly match the energy characteristics of the Soul-Eating Grass! Host, mark these two people carefully! Write them down in your notebook!"]
This sentiment was captured once again.
Upon hearing the words "Assassin's Creed" and "Mission Begins," Shen Yunzhou's brows furrowed instinctively. His hand was already on the hilt of his short sword, and his gaze swept sharply around his surroundings, as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
Upon hearing about the live-action Assassin's Creed, Xie Chen covered his face with his fan, barely suppressing his laughter, finding his junior sister's choice of words truly amusing.
Ji Qianqiu, who only heard about assassins and fighting, had his eyes light up: "Where are they fighting? I'm going!" He was once again held down by Mo Yun beside him.
As night falls, the town lights twinkle, reflecting on the wet cobblestone streets and the river, creating an even more tranquil atmosphere.
The drizzle continued, pattering softly against the tiles.
Everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Fang Li was inside the room.
Sitting by the window, listening to the fine rain outside, I unconsciously fiddled with the hairpin that symbolized longing for home.
The hairpin, nestled in the humid air of Jiangnan, felt even warmer than usual, subtly resonating with the atmosphere of this water town.
She gazed out the window at the misty, rainy night, her thoughts drifting: "Jiangnan is so beautiful, as quiet as a painting. Tongzi, what do you think the Immortal Venerable is doing right now? Reviewing memorials from the Immortal Realm? Processing official documents from the Three Realms?"
Tongzi: ["Pfft... Host, you have quite the imagination! (bursts into laughter) Maybe... someone's peeking at you? Or maybe they're thinking of someone while looking at the hairpin?"]
At this moment, Ye Wuyang was casually placing a chess piece in the Forgotten Dust Palace when he heard the words "reviewing memorials from the Immortal Realm and official documents from the Three Realms." The warm jade chess piece between his fingers instantly turned into dust! A frost seemed to freeze on his indifferent face.
Then he heard the words "peeping" and "reminiscing about someone upon seeing an object," and a blush rose to his ears. He snorted coldly, closed his eyes, and forcibly severed the wisp of divine thought that had reached out.
Inside the window, Fang Li was completely unaware of what was happening and was still playing with the jade hairpin.
Before long, unable to resist the fatigue and the cool night air of Jiangnan, she fell into a deep sleep.
A small, soaking wet bird silently landed on the wooden window frame outside her window.
It turned its tiny head, and its eyes were blood red! Those blood red eyes greedily peered at the sleeping girl on the bed in the room.
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