Chapter 180 The Transmigrated Boy Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 27) Martial Arts...
As for the martial arts tournament, Mo Kaiyang had only heard a gossip about it at the small inn outside the Silent Forest. He only knew that it was being held in Jiangnan, but he didn't ask for details.
Now that we've arrived, when we inquired around, we realized that novels are indeed all lies. This so-called martial arts tournament was just a competition held by several martial arts sects in the area to gain influence.
Every year around this time, a competition is held, and the territories for each participant are divided according to the order of victory and defeat in the martial arts contest.
To put it in simpler terms, it's like a group of gangsters fighting each other for territory. The winner gets to take over more land and collect protection money, while the loser can only pick up what others don't want.
Of course, because of the involvement of a certain prestigious sect, the brawl turned into a martial arts contest and was given a legitimate name, but in essence, it was still the same old thing.
This was completely different from what they had imagined a martial arts tournament to be like.
However, since he was already there, he naturally had to go and take a look. After changing his mindset, Mo Kaiyang went from being a participant in the grand event to just watching the excitement.
Believe it or not, this has become a local annual event. Next to the fighting platform, there are vendors selling not only sunflower seeds and peanuts, but also small stools.
The second-floor window seats in the surrounding shops are more than ten times more expensive than usual, and even then, you need to make an appointment.
Money should be saved where it should be saved and spent where it should be spent. After paying ten taels of silver, Lin You and Mo Kaiyang successfully secured a spot on the best viewing platform on the second floor.
Of course, it wasn't for my own enjoyment; I was using someone else's private room. The owner of the room was a beautiful young lady with an equally beautiful young maid. Judging from the sword she carried and the way she walked, they were both martial arts practitioners.
To join in the fun, Mo Kaiyang and Lin You also took a sword and hung it on their waists, indicating that they were people of the martial arts world.
I heard that the pretty young lady in this private room spent fifty taels of silver to book it for three days. Mo Kaiyang and his companion only spent ten taels of silver to share the room for one day, which is quite a good deal.
The private room was large, with two windows facing the arena. Each window had a table under it, and a small screen was thoughtfully placed between them so as not to affect the viewing experience.
The small screen was folded up, but Mo Kaiyang casually pulled it open. Although he could still vaguely see the scene on the other side, it was still a relatively independent space.
Mo Kaiyang ordered some wine, snacks, and other treats to enjoy while watching the commotion. Although the food at this restaurant was ordinary, the wine was quite good.
The sweet fermented rice has a light, refreshing taste with a hint of alcohol. It's mixed with white rice grains. Pour a bowl of it into a shallow, open earthenware bowl and then gulp it down in one go. It really does give you a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) feel to it.
It would have been even more poignant to casually smash the ceramic bowl on the ground, but unfortunately, both Lin You and Mo Kaiyang had been taught thrift and frugality since childhood, so even if the bowl only cost two coins, they couldn't smash it.
With just two coins, wouldn't it be better to buy a vegetarian steamed bun?
The fight downstairs was intense, with punches landing hard. Perhaps due to a rule that only went as far as possible, no one was injured or blood was drawn.
Those who are taking the stage now are probably just small fry warming up the crowd; their moves are all over the place, but it's certainly lively.
The fighting platform was newly erected, reportedly funded by several nearby businesses to bring good luck to the martial arts tournament.
Of course, the reason for this can be seen from the fact that these two private rooms with windows can charge fifty taels of silver, not including food and drinks.
Listening to Mo Kaiyang's enthusiastic discussion next door and Lin You's casual agreement, Wu Qinshuang thought about the information she had gathered and quietly gave an instruction to her maid.
Before long, two waiters came in carrying trays. One tray had eight kinds of snacks on it, including crystal clear osmanthus sugar cake, tender Longjing tea snacks, soft and glutinous mugwort green rice balls, golden and crispy brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, and so on.
The other dish was a beautifully presented four plates: sweet and sour squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, refreshing Longjing shrimp, delicious crab roe tofu, and melt-in-your-mouth Dongpo pork.
Not only did it look incredibly tempting, but the aroma was also irresistible. Mo Kaiyang and Lin You couldn't help but look over at the food. For foodies, delicious food is much more attractive than the fight downstairs.
Moreover, these snacks and dishes look much more refined than theirs. We're all consumers, so why are they being treated differently?
When questioned by the two, the waiter bowed and smiled obsequiously, "These were all brought by Miss Wu herself. They're from the best restaurant in town, cooked by the head chef himself. How could our little teahouse have that level of skill?"
Miss Wu, who was standing to the side, already had a smile in her eyes. She was about to have someone bring the food to their table before the two of them got angry, but she saw that Mo Kaiyang did not seem angry at all.
He also skillfully took out a small notebook from his sleeve and inquired about the waiter's specific situation.
Which chef made which dish? Can you buy it with just money or are there other conditions? Do you need to make a reservation? Are there any purchase limits? Which bakery has the most authentic pastries? Which snacks are the most genuine?
He rattled off a bunch of questions, but the waiter hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
Seeing his expression, Mo Kaiyang suddenly realized what was going on and took out a piece of silver and handed it over. It was an information fee, after all. He had been here for so long and knew the rules.
The waiter glanced at Ms. Wu next to him, and seeing that she didn't react, he then told her what had happened.
Although Miss Wu was generous, these two were江湖人 (jianghu people, people from the martial arts world). Even the most easy-going江湖人 were skilled in martial arts, and if things went wrong, someone could die.
The waiter tactfully finished explaining the recipes for Jiangnan delicacies and then quickly slipped away. Wu Qinshuang watched the two people having a lively discussion, oblivious to everyone else, and was momentarily taken aback.
Logically speaking, since she was the host of the private room, and these two people had entered the room because of her kindness, they should at least exchange a few polite words with her, or at the very least greet her and introduce themselves.
But after they paid, they found seats and sat down without even nodding in acknowledgment.
Although they consciously chose a window near the corner with a less open view, and they didn't make much noise talking or eating, something still didn't seem right.
For Lin You and Mo Kaiyang, there was nothing wrong with it. It was just sharing a room. The price was clearly marked, and they had already paid. Was there any need for further communication?
As for the waiter shrinking back, worried that he might overturn the table at the slightest disagreement or kill someone over a few words, that's even more impossible.
But if this guy is so scared, why would he ask for money before he'll tell us anything? It's not like he's asking for anything important; he can't possibly be risking his life for money, can he?
Mo Kaiyang caught a glimpse of the girl next door out of the corner of his eye. Although she had ordered a table full of delicious food, she had only touched her chopsticks once.
The waiter just said that the dishes and snacks were prepared by the head chef and were not cheap. That whole table of food must cost at least two taels of silver.
She brought it over but didn't eat it. Was it just for decoration? There was no way to take photos and record life in ancient times, so what was she after?
Besides, if someone can squander two taels of silver so easily, would they be short of ten taels? This person doesn't seem like a thrifty person at all.
If you don't lack money, then what's the point of sharing an order with them?
Mo Kaiyang and Lin You exchanged a glance, then worked together to pack up all the snacks on the table and ran off with them.
Rather than waiting here to be tricked, they might as well go downstairs and buy some small stools. If all else fails, they can jump up to the trees next to them; the view is better from there.
Mo Kaiyang also found a young master who seemed quite wealthy and liked to join in the fun, and sold him the right to use half of the private room for one day for nine taels of silver.
The young master's name was Zhang Yang. He was the young master of the Fuyuan Escort Agency. He had five older brothers, all of whom were plump and strong and were quite famous in the martial arts world.
He was a premature baby and was frail and sickly from a young age. His family didn't force him to learn martial arts. Of course, given their background, they didn't expect him to study literature either. His parents and brothers doted on him, as long as he lived peacefully.
Their family was also involved in this martial arts competition. The burly man who just took down four opponents on stage was their bodyguard.
Because Zhang Yang had never participated in fighting before, he had to pester his older brother for several days before he was allowed to come and watch the martial arts competition. Because of this, he couldn't even get a private room nearby.
Now that I hear Mo Kaiyang has a private room available, even though it's only for one day and there are other people in the room, it's only nine taels of silver, which is quite a bargain.
After all, his older brother had specifically instructed him to only watch the excitement of the first day, and he was not allowed to watch the competition for the next two days.
Before Wu Qinshuang could react, the two people next door had vanished without a trace. Their speed was far greater than any martial arts expert she had ever met, which further confirmed her suspicions.
Just as she was wondering what the two had gone to do, the door to the private room was pushed open again. Wu Qinshuang looked over expectantly, only to see that it was the sickly Zhang family member who came in.
Just as she was about to kick the person out, the waiter who had followed her explained the situation. Upon hearing this, Wu Qinshuang felt a lump in her throat and was so angry that she almost overturned the table.
Wu Qinshuang felt that the two people didn't take her seriously at all, but they did pay money. When they paid, Mo Kaiyang even had the teahouse manager witness it.
As for her wanting to be unreasonable, although the sickly Zhang family son was frail and weak, his brothers were not easy to deal with. Apart from making sarcastic remarks about bad luck, there was really nothing she could do.
Having been pampered since childhood, Zhang Yang wouldn't put up with her nonsense. He sighed to the guard beside him, "No wonder this position only costs nine taels of silver. You really get what you pay for."
Although he was facing the window, his words were clearly pointed. Wu Qinshuang slammed her hand on the table in anger, then swept the barely touched, exquisite dishes to the ground before turning and leaving in a huff.
Just as she was about to leave the private room, Zhang Yang lazily stretched, leaned back in his chair, and instructed someone, "Have the restaurant send someone over to tidy up. The room looks much better now that it's clean."
Wu Qinshuang touched her sword again and again, but in the end she just sneered at Zhang Yang, slammed the door shut, and then turned and left.
Zhang Yang's brothers knew his temper, or rather, his mouth, very well. Whenever he wandered around their neighborhood, he was always accompanied by three guards, all of whom were among the best in the escort agency.
After all, some people might not injure or cripple him out of respect for the Fuyuan Escort Agency, but if they get really angry, it's not impossible for them to slap him a couple of times.
After Zhang Yang had driven away the crowd, he happily ordered the screen to be removed and served fine wine and food. He ate while craning his neck to watch the excitement, and when he saw that his team had won, he cheered loudly.
An older guard standing nearby couldn't help but advise, "Young Master, you'd better be more careful in the future. This one is not like the previous ones; he's petty and narrow-minded."
Zhang Yang waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, I definitely won't leave you guys behind and act alone."
Seeing that he was so self-aware, the guards were helpless and had no choice but to decide to be more vigilant in the near future to avoid being taken advantage of.
Zhang Yang, however, saw through the window that the two men who had sold the private room to him for nine taels of silver were now sitting leisurely on a tree, each with a small stool, eating melon seeds.
Between the two, there was a piece of felt cloth with its four corners fixed as a table, which was piled high with snacks.
Wu Qinshuang, who had just been furious, was now glancing at the tree from time to time, clearly concerned about the two people.
Zhang Yang glanced around, whispered a few instructions to one of the guards, and then pretended nothing had happened to continue watching the commotion.
The girls at Cuiyun Tower are the most beautiful of all the brothels in the area, and Wu Qinshuang is the most popular courtesan there. What these girls are best at is not playing the zither or singing, but gathering information.
If it were just about finding out which man was keeping a mistress or which woman was secretly keeping a lover, and then asking the victim for a reward, that would be one thing.
But they also had another line of work: honey trapping.
There are many merchants coming to Jiangnan, most of whom bring goods or money. If they are targeted by these merchants, they may lose all their wealth or even face ruin and death.
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Author's Note: I took Wednesday off to write, but ended up spending the whole day mediating fights _(:з」∠)_
My throat still hurts, and I'm off the leaderboard too _(:з」∠)_
I need to work hard next week!
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