Chapter 15 Playing with Dragon and Phoenix
Shuzhou City is very large, with four horizontal and eight vertical axes, long and narrow from east to west, and slightly narrower from north to south.
The Xiao family mansion of Marquis Dingyuan was located on the north side of Bashan Street, which runs along the central axis of the city, near Zhennan Street, at the intersection of the two streets.
It faces south and occupies a very large area.
After leaving the mansion, Chen Yi and his group turned two corners and headed south on Bashan Street.
Throughout the journey, he kept peering out from behind the carriage curtain with curiosity.
The road surface was paved with smooth bluestone slabs, with few potholes, not to mention dust and debris, so it was clear that someone was responsible for cleaning it.
On both sides are wooden buildings of the same height, with a dark purplish-red paint finish. Each doorway has a plaque with words such as "Wangyue Restaurant", "Jiangnan Cloth Shop - Shu Brocade" and "Wushan Inn".
Although it was morning, there were already quite a few pedestrians coming and going along the way.
Most of them were people dressed in fine linen, and many were martial arts practitioners carrying weapons.
During this time, Chen Yi also saw several foreigners dressed in colorful silks. Just as Xiao Die had said, most of them had various gems around their necks and wore headscarves or face coverings.
"Those are the Vajras, they're wicked!" Little Butterfly said indignantly as she looked through the curtain at the foreigners.
“The masters of the family have mentioned before that these Vasishsa people often disguise themselves as bandits and rob caravans on the Tea Horse Road. A few years ago, the second young lady even led troops to sweep them away.”
Chen Yi glanced at the slightly dark-skinned, curly-haired Poshisuo people, nodded, and then looked at the others, especially the Jianghu people carrying weapons.
However, after looking at it for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out.
Most of these people who roam the martial arts world are dressed simply—in tattered clothes, with unkempt hair and dirty faces. You can't tell what skills they have just by looking at them. They are not as sharp and capable as Miss Xiao's bodyguard, Shen Huatang.
At this moment, Xiao Die glanced at Xiao Wuge and quietly leaned over to say, "Young Master, could you... could you please not go to the south of the city?"
Chen Yi chuckled upon hearing this, feeling her hot breath brush against his face. He then reassured her with the fragrance in his nose, "Don't worry, I'll just go take a look. I won't do anything."
If it weren't for the "gossip" there, he wouldn't have chosen the brothel alley in the south of the city for his first outing.
"Even if there's something to do, I, your son-in-law, have to go at night, don't you think?"
Xiaodie lowered her head and thought for a moment, then asked in a daze, "Young master, is there any difference during the day?"
Chen Yi glanced at the curiosity on her face, realizing that this girl had only heard rumors and didn't understand the secrets behind it at all.
Seeing that he only smiled and didn't speak, Xiaodie realized that she seemed to have asked a stupid question. "I, it's just that the ladies in the manor said that it's not a good place. I, I'm worried that if people find out, they'll gossip about the young master."
Chen Yi chuckled and patted the bun on her head. "Let them talk. You can't shut them up anyway."
Xiaodie blushed and said, "Young master, hitting someone on the head will make them stupid."
“Indeed,” Xiao Wuge nodded solemnly, perhaps having overheard their conversation.
"The Crown Prince was often hit on the head by his father, which is why he turned out like this."
Chen Yi is also a curious and problem child.
“You guys…”
As the three chatted, the carriage traveled all the way to the south of the city and stopped in front of a secluded tavern.
Wang Lixing knocked on the carriage. "Young Marquis, we've arrived in the south of the city."
Originally, Wang Lixing was not among the guards who accompanied Xiao Wuge, but when the people of the Marquis's mansion heard that they were going to leave the mansion, they sent two more guards.
Besides Wang Lixing, an eighth-grade expert, there was also an older middle-aged man named Liu Si'er who was in charge of driving the carriage.
Several of the guards in the Marquis's residence called him "Fourth Brother".
Chen Yi jumped off the carriage first, then helped Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die down. He looked around, not knowing where the Lihong Courtyard was, so he made an excuse to go into the tavern next door.
A short while later, he calmly walked out, clapped his hands and pointed east, then led the way with his hands behind his back.
Xiaodie quickly followed him.
Several guards surrounded Xiao Wuge, clearly indicating that in their eyes, the young marquis's safety was far more important than Chen Yi's.
Liu Si'er remained seated in the carriage until he saw Chen Yi and the others had gone far away, at which point he entered the tavern.
After glancing around and seeing that the people inside were mostly ordinary folks who had come to have breakfast after visiting brothels, he went straight to the counter and asked:
"What did that young master ask you about just now?"
Upon hearing this, the shop owner behind the counter, while working on his abacus, slowly replied, "Five coins."
Liu Si'er narrowed his eyes slightly, then dropped five copper coins.
After receiving the money and finishing his calculations, the shop owner replied, "He asked for the location of Lihong Courtyard."
Liu Si'er memorized the name, turned around and returned to the carriage, pondering Chen Yi's purpose in going to this place.
He then looked at him with a strange expression: "He couldn't have gone to a brothel to relieve his pent-up desires, could he?"
I had never heard of this illegitimate son of the Chen family having a penchant for womanizing.
Moreover, in broad daylight, with the young marquis by his side, isn't he afraid that the second young lady will hang him up and whip him when she comes back?
I wonder if this information is worth reporting...
The other side.
After Chen Yi found Li Hong Courtyard, he led a few people around the area as if they were really just strolling around.
To be honest, the smell of perfume and cosmetics is really strong in this brothel alley.
In a narrow alley that stretches for two miles, there are as many as fifty or sixty brothels of all sizes, all with red lanterns hanging at their entrances.
Some of the more unique ones also have a few brightly colored bellybands hanging on them, which look almost like face towels if you don't look closely.
Xiaodie glanced at it, then blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look any longer.
Xiao Wuge, however, was extremely generous. He looked left and right, and suddenly asked, "Brother-in-law, what are we doing here? The smell is awful."
puff.
Upon hearing his words, one of the guards couldn't help but burst out laughing, which prompted the other guards to join in.
Even Wang Lixing's face turned red from holding it in, clearly unable to contain himself due to the "unpleasant smell".
Chen Yi turned around and winked: "Let me show you the world."
Of course, he himself also came to broaden his horizons.
Putting aside the personal items like bellybands, the words "Vajrasattva, Western Buddhist Kingdom, Japanese" written on the door alone broadened his horizons.
This Shu Prefecture truly lives up to its reputation as a major southern city of the Great Wei Dynasty; it really does business in all directions.
Xiao Wuge was still confused. "They all look like colorful clothes, nothing special."
"Don't pry into the children's affairs."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a group of more than ten people walked out of the alley. The leader was a plump woman dressed in luxurious silk and satin.
The women following behind her were no pushovers either, with fierce expressions.
Chen Yi quietly gestured for the others to step back, then had Xiao Die take out some melon seeds and distribute them to the others while whispering:
"This looks interesting, so don't say anything."
Before Xiao Wuge, Xiao Die, and the others could understand what was happening, they saw the woman walk straight to the gate of Lihong Courtyard and wave her hand, shouting, "Smash it!"
The shrew behind her immediately stepped forward, tore the clothes hanging at the door, smashed the signboard, and kept cursing.
A woman dressed in a bright red dress and heavily made up rushed out of the store, shouting as she ran, "Oh dear, what are you doing here?"
"Get Liu Man out here!"
"Yes, bring Liu Xiucai out here! I want to see which vixen has kept him out all night!"
Soon, to Xiao Wuge's bewilderment, a disheveled middle-aged man was pushed and shoved out.
Despite his slender build, the scholar was surprisingly agile, dodging and weaving to avoid the woman's grasp.
"Madam, Madam, let's talk this out, please don't hit me..."
But the woman behind him, who was only wearing a bellyband, was not so skilled. She was dragged out by those shrewish women and beaten and scolded incessantly, trembling with fear.
This scene left not only Chen Yi cracking sunflower seeds, but also Wang Lixing and the others dumbfounded, grinning from ear to ear.
Only Xiaodie was so frightened that she shrank behind Chen Yi and dared not look.
As for Xiao Wuge, he had no idea what was going on and just watched the fight with curiosity.
"Brother-in-law, shall we go?"
Chen Yi glanced at him, and then a notification appeared in front of him:
[You've gleaned the secrets of Liu Xiucai's movement techniques from his evasive maneuvers. Reward: Yellow-Rank Movement Technique - Playful Dragon and Phoenix, +4 Fortune.]
[Comment: When people arrive, their voices are heard, and the scene unfolds—observing the myriad aspects of life and the diverse faces of humanity.]
Chen Yi glanced at it, his face expressionless. "Let's go!"
Dragons playing with phoenixes?
If this movement technique were used against Madam Xiao Jinghong, she probably wouldn't even be able to dodge a single slap.
(End of this chapter)
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