Chapter 234: Laughing at the Chu Residence or Laughing at the Expert

Sometimes, when interacting with another person, there’s no need to discuss profound philosophical questions about origins or destiny. For Ji Yuan and the old beggar, a pleasant chat was enough for them to understand each other’s character and outlook on life.

Da Zhen was not Ji Yuan’s to command, nor did he ever wish to impose his will. Especially with someone whose mindset and spiritual state were so righteous, if the old beggar didn't want to reveal his background, Ji Yuan wouldn't ask, just as the old beggar hadn't probed into Ji Yuan’s affairs.

‘This is quite good,’ Ji Yuan thought.

With this in mind, Ji Yuan and the old beggar chatted even more casually. Neither sought anything from the other; finding someone with whom you truly connect is a rare thing.

They drank their tea slowly, and the tea itself never grew cold. By the time the large teapot was completely empty, the old storyteller in the tea house had just finished recounting "The Legend of General Huang."

The wooden clapper gave a sharp "clack," concluding the tale with the loyal Huang family ultimately being discarded once their usefulness was over, leaving the tea drinkers sighing with regret.

As it was nearing noon and the weather grew hotter, storytelling was both physically and mentally demanding. So, the old storyteller’s face was inevitably covered in sweat. He wiped it with a damp cloth, listened to the applause, and collected the copper coin tips on his table.

"Well, the timing is just right," Ji Yuan remarked.

After listening to the story, Ji Yuan drained the last drop from his teacup and stood up.

The old beggar remained seated, but the young beggar dutifully rose. He felt the stool surely needed to be returned, and as for the plates on it, they were certainly empty.

Leaving one stool for the old and young beggars, Ji Yuan carried the other stool, along with the empty plates and teapot, back into the tea house. He also retrieved the change from the silver he had crushed to pay earlier. Then he walked out, nodded to the old beggar, and turned to leave.

The old and young beggars were interesting individuals, but the young beggar was clearly constrained by Ji Yuan's presence. And since they had already discussed what needed to be discussed, Ji Yuan had no intention of lingering.

After Ji Yuan left, the tea waiter walked to the tea house counter and, after a moment's hesitation, asked the manager, "Manager, should I go get that stool back?"

The manager lightly tapped him on the head. "Are you stupid?!"

Outside the tea house, the long bench was now occupied by the two beggars sitting together, which drastically reduced the number of curious glances from passersby.

The young beggar looked at the tea house, then at the direction Ji Yuan had left, and nudged the scratching, musing old beggar with his elbow, as if showing off a treasure. "Grandpa Lu, look!"

The old beggar turned and saw the young beggar's large side pocket filled with pastries, dried fruit, and melon seeds.

"Oh, so you didn't eat it all after all."

"How could I not save some for Grandpa Lu? More than half is hidden!"

Still, he had eaten half of it, and the amount of pastries on several plates had not been small.

"Then why were you so eager to clean it all up just now, not leaving any for Mr. Ji?"

The young beggar mumbled somewhat guiltily, "I saw he wasn't eating, and he's not short on money either..."

The old beggar smiled, saying nothing more.

They didn't sit on the bench for long. Both the old and young beggars felt it was too strange for beggars to sit on a bench watching people pass by, so they moved back to the ground, placing their tattered begging bowl on the bench instead.

About fifteen minutes later, the aroma of food from the surrounding restaurants grew stronger. Even though the young beggar’s stomach was full of pastries, he still salivated, while the old beggar lay back against the wall, eyes closed.

"You'er, good stuff is coming!" the old beggar said mysteriously. It took the young beggar a moment to realize what he meant: the tea waiter from Qingye Tower was walking towards them with a tray.

On the tray were two large celadon bowls, bigger than the young beggar's head, filled with fragrant noodles, drizzled with sauce, topped with meat pieces, and with two pairs of chopsticks inserted.

"Uh, good day to you both. Our Qingye Tower manager specially ordered these soy sauce roasted pork noodles from the shop next door for your lunch. Please enjoy!" The tea waiter placed the two large celadon bowls on the long bench, then bowed and retreated back into the tea house. The old beggar looked over, and the tea house manager was also bowing towards them.

One does not strike a smiling face, so the old beggar also bowed in return.

"Grandpa Lu... this... should we eat it?"

"Of course, only a fool wouldn't! Why the long face?" The old beggar looked at the young beggar, annoyed. They might not get a meal like this for half a year.

"Waaah... I wish I hadn't eaten so many pastries..."

The old beggar paused, then burst out laughing, drawing frequent glances from passersby.

Then, the two beggars grabbed their chopsticks, used the long bench as a table, and ravenously devoured the noodles from the celadon bowls. Even though the young beggar was full, he would rather burst than waste the noodles.

The slurping sounds were so enticing that some passersby couldn't help but change their minds and detour to the noodle shop next door, simply because the two were eating with such relish.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival drew nearer, more and more "masters" converged on the capital city of Jingji Prefecture from all over Da Zhen. Simultaneously, many wealthy and idle enthusiasts from across the country also flocked to the capital.

So, Jingji Prefecture, already bustling, became even more lively every day, like it was almost New Year's, with various interesting sights constantly appearing on the streets.

If you saw people dressed or looking strangely, or just generally peculiar, while out on the street, there was no need to doubt; you had encountered a "master."

The capital's populace and many enthusiasts held high curiosity for the Water-Land Dharma Assembly, treating it as a major festival.

However, for the officials in charge of the event, it was a source of endless complaints. Constructing platforms, building venues, and rushing the work meant money flowed out like water.

Especially with the converging masters, once they registered, the court had to cover their lodging and food, along with various miscellaneous issues. It was not only annoying but also costly. It was said that even beggars were among them; the imperial inn's clerks tried to drive them away several times but failed, and finally, fearing a scene, they reluctantly allowed the beggars to stay in the inn.

On August 6th, outside the Chu Manor on Yongning Street.

Today, Master Chu was inviting a reportedly extraordinary person to be a guest at his manor. Preparations had begun a day in advance.

In the evening, Master Chu and his two sons rode horses, leading a retinue of house servants and carrying an eight-bearer sedan chair, along Yongning Street towards the Chu Manor. The procession was quite grand.

Upon reaching the imposing manor gate, old Steward Xu, the head servant, had already come forward to take Master Chu's horse.

"Uncle Xu, how are the banquet preparations coming along?" Master Chu glanced at the sedan chair, then asked old Steward Xu again to be sure.

"Rest assured, Master, everything is ready."

"Good!" Master Chu nodded and, along with his two sons who had dismounted, walked towards the sedan chair, bowing with cupped hands. "Two Masters, we have arrived at my humble abode."

"Hm!" A lukewarm "Hm" came from inside the sedan chair. Then, a man and a woman, both in their sixties or seventies, emerged, dressed in long robes. The man was solemn, the woman benevolent, both possessing the demeanor of ethereal, wise masters.

Old Steward Xu squinted, observing them closely. Their movements showed no sign of martial arts training, but they might not be mere con artists either. However, with a martial artist's intuition, amidst their clashing energies, he inexplicably felt annoyed by them.

When the two "Masters," as Master Chu called them, stepped out of the sedan chair and saw the Chu Manor's grand entrance, smiles appeared on their faces. Just from the entrance, it was clear the Chu Manor was exceptionally wealthy and distinguished.

Master Chu bowed again, then gestured with an inviting hand. "Masters, please!"

"Hm, Master Chu, lead the way."

Old Steward Xu immediately frowned. His robust internal energy stirred slightly. How dare they treat his master like a servant by asking him to lead the way?

Master Chu, however, maintained his smile and indeed led the two into the manor, with the other servants following behind.

"Excellent, Masters, please come in!"

After the two masters had entered, old Steward Xu couldn't help but ask the two sons, who were walking a bit slower, "Young Masters, what exactly are the capabilities of those two masters, that they order your father around?"

The eldest son looked at the retreating group and leaned closer to the old steward, whispering, "Uncle Xu, those two are true masters. We saw with our own eyes: they can make mud clods assemble into little figures that dance, they can grab candlelight and swallow it, and they can even draw spilled water back into a basin."

"Yes, yes, I saw it too. As the saying goes, 'spilled water cannot be retrieved,' but they can do it. They say this is called 'water manipulation.' The master also said that this is all they can demonstrate to us mortals; if they were truly serious, they could overturn rivers and seas."

"Oh..." Old Steward Xu listened with a hint of disbelief, but his master and young masters were not easily fooled.

Fifteen minutes later, in a hall within the manor, the two masters struggled to maintain their composure, though their faces barely concealed their joy. Besides numerous gold and silver ingots on two tables, they had, as requested, prepared cooked five livestock (beef, dog, lamb, pork, chicken), raw five livestock (killed but uncooked), and live five livestock.

Even with the lamps lit, the hall remained somewhat dim, casting eerie shadows on the faces of the two masters.

"Moo..." "Baa..."

"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."

The live animals appeared extremely restless.

"Hehehehe... We are very satisfied with the Chu Manor's preparations, Master Chu. Please, all of you withdraw. We are about to begin our cultivation!"

Master Chu and his servants nodded and carefully exited the hall.

Outside in the corridor, old Steward Xu's brows remained tightly furrowed. These two masters were just too strange.

"Master..."

Master Chu immediately raised a hand to stop him and pointed towards the garden. "Let's talk there."

The group temporarily moved away from the hall and corridor, heading into the garden.

"Uncle Xu, His Majesty is holding the Water-Land Dharma Assembly because he wishes to meet truly capable individuals. These two masters are clearly among them, very different from the idlers and martial arts experts who pretend. As long as..."

Master Chu was only halfway through his sentence when suddenly, a white light erupted from the manor's rear courtyard, spreading rapidly in an arc-like ripple, sweeping over their location in an instant.

"Ah..." "Ah..."

"Bang!" "Clang..."

The hall doors were violently forced open from within, dislodging both intricately carved wooden doors from their frames.

"Mercy! Mercy!" "We're leaving, we're leaving!"

The two masters, who had been so arrogant moments before, stumbled out, scrambling and crawling as if pursued by a fierce tiger.

"Oh... Masters..."

"We're leaving..." "We didn't do anything, nothing at all!"

The two were clearly terrified, running wildly, even losing their hairpins, and fleeing at top speed.

Master Chu could only stare in stunned silence and call out, only to see them disappear from sight. He quickly led his people in pursuit.

All the way to the Chu Manor gate, the Chu family couldn't catch up to the two masters. They only saw them trip over the threshold and tumble down the steps, but they got up without even rubbing themselves and kept fleeing without pause. One master even forgot to stand and ran on all fours, frantically pushing with his legs.

The Chu family stood at the gate, dumbfounded. After a long silence, old Steward Xu's laugh brought everyone back to their senses.

"Hmph... Masters, indeed!?"

Master Chu looked at him, then suddenly remembered something. "What was that white light?"

"Uh, I don't know, it seemed to come from the back courtyard of the manor."

"Come on, let's go see!"

After witnessing the state of the two masters, no one bothered to chase them anymore. They all returned inside the manor and hurried towards the inner quarters, questioning servants along the way. From them, they learned the white light had originated from the study.

The Chu family group entered the study. The glow inside had not completely dissipated, and a faint luminescence still lingered in a corner of a large bookshelf.

Old Steward Xu strode directly forward and, without needing a ladder, lightly leaped up to retrieve a set of books from the top. The luminescence emanated from this spot.

"Annals of a Hundred Manors?" Master Chu looked around, then pulled out the books one by one. When he drew out the second book, a sheet of Xuan paper, the size of a book page, came with it. The glow came from the characters on it. As soon as the group saw the paper, the luminescence on the characters instantly vanished, as if it had become an ordinary calligraphy sheet.

"What fine calligraphy..." Master Chu couldn't help but read the content aloud:

"Dwelling in the study, observing the spirit of a hundred manors; a leisure body sweeping away the dust of evil from the courtyard."

The writing was clear and upright, imbued with a unique presence. It was precisely the decree Ji Yuan had left before departing the study years ago.

It turned out that the characters Ji Yuan had left behind years ago had not been noticed by the Chu family members. Instead, when a servant was cleaning the study, they assumed someone in the family had finished reading and forgotten to put it away. Since the paper clearly related to "a hundred manors," they tucked it into the book and returned it to the bookshelf, where it remained until this day.

At this very moment, Ji Yuan, who was cultivating in his sleep in a rented house, sensed it in his dream and a smile appeared on his lips, perhaps amused by the Chu Manor, or by the "masters."