Where the wind chimes sound, there is a god

Chapter 22: Zuye An

A group of neighbors were talking about it all around. Although he couldn't hear what it was saying, Mr. Qi knew it was probably just a story about a rich family bullying a poor boy with no power. This kind of talk would probably ruin his reputation.

But for the sake of the greater good, we have to do so.

Qi Li waved his hand, and the two second-rate mid-level masters beside him followed him to Tingyu Pavilion. More than ten servants behind them guarded the door to prevent outsiders from spying.

He looked up at the sign of Tingyu Pavilion standing tall among a group of low houses. The three characters "Tingyu Pavilion" written on the ancient vermilion wood were vigorous and powerful, giving him a thrilling feeling.

Qi Li had already stepped one foot into the threshold, but still took a few steps back with uneasiness in his heart. This house gave him a feeling of extreme danger. Even though he could not imagine how dangerous a teenager could be, he trusted his sixth sense more.

In his early years, he was engaged in business and sailing. He relied on his own sense to escape danger many times and turned danger into safety, which led to his current success. Caution is something that cannot be lost!
Seeing their master suddenly retreat and run away, the two second-rate masters couldn't help but look back. Could it be that they couldn't even take down an ordinary boy? Was it necessary for the master to be so cautious?

Qi Li stood in front of the main entrance of Tingyu Pavilion and said to a middle-aged man who looked a bit extraordinary beside him: "Mr. Han, please take a look."

Mr. Han had been hiding among the servants and keeping silent. After hearing this, he took out a bronze compass, which was engraved with the sixty Jiazi, the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. It was rotated by a floating silver needle. When it approached the door of Tingyu Pavilion, the still needle on the compass began to rotate wildly.

Mr. Han's face darkened. He tried to reach inside the door again, but the needle of the compass in his hand shattered spontaneously.

The two second-rate masters were not blind. Upon seeing this scene, they quickly retreated and did not dare to enter the pavilion rashly.

In the main hall of Tingyu Pavilion, Chen Beimo sat on the armchair. He unfolded his folding fan with a "swish" sound, fanning himself gently with a faint smile on his face as he glanced at everyone, "Mr. Qi, aren't you going to buy my Tingyu Pavilion?

Come in and talk?"

Mr. Han suddenly leaned close to Qi Li's ear and whispered, "Master, have you forgotten that Tingyu Pavilion was haunted and had snakes?
The Lin family is still lying in the house. We should not rush in yet. Wait for the prefect to come and support us. Any evil spirits and demons will naturally not be able to withstand the prefect's overwhelming power!"

"Well said." A drop of cold sweat inadvertently fell on Qi Li's forehead. It would be fine if they were just two martial arts masters he recruited, but Mr. Han was Master Feng Xuan sent by the sect. He said it was so dangerous. It must be a haunted house that one must never set foot in!

The onlookers looked at Mr. Qi in confusion. In their eyes, Mr. Qi, who had always been arrogant and wealthy, suddenly disappeared when he walked to someone's door, as if he was possessed by a ghost.

Some people also remembered what happened when Wang Xian was buried not long ago, and said that Tingyu Pavilion was haunted. Some also said that it was the spirit of Master Wang in heaven who blessed them.

However, all of this came to an abrupt end when a loud and majestic voice and the sound of gongs and drums came from the long street behind them.

"Dang~"

"The prefect has arrived!"

Everyone retreated to both sides of the road. Dozens of police officers holding water and fire sticks led the way to suppress all evil spirits. Behind them were soldiers holding axes and wearing armor to kill the evil spirits. Even if there was any evil spirit, it would be killed with a single axe.

In the official carriage, Magistrate Fu wore a black gauze hat and a scarlet robe. Above the roof of the carriage was a green cloud, which transformed into a divine bird called Yunyan. Even though ordinary mortals could not see it, they were still intimidated by the mighty power of the official and bowed their heads. Some people even knelt on the street and called him "Sir".

This is the official of this era, the highlight of a country’s court. No evil or strange magic can even get close to him!

Mr. Qi lost his arrogance instantly, and before the prefect got off the carriage, he personally went to the carriage to greet him with a charming smile, saying with a big smile on his face: "Mr. Prefect, you are finally here!

Look at these unruly people, they are really worthy of death, relying on their land and houses to dare to stop the government from doing its work!"

Before, he had secretly discussed with the prefect about requisitioning Tingyu Pavilion in the name of the government, but he didn't dare to use the name of the government privately when the prefect was not around.

"Bold and unruly!"

Prefect Fu, who was in the carriage, looked righteous. He got off the carriage and stood in the middle of the long street. Under his authority, everyone bowed their heads and dared not look up at him.

Only Chen Beimo stood quietly in front of the door of Tingyu Pavilion, bowing and smiling.

When Mr. Qi heard this, he couldn't help but laugh in his heart. It was done!
Prefect Fu had a stern face and shouted, "You wicked Qi, do you know your crime?"

"what?"

The flesh on Mr. Qi's face trembled, and he looked up at Prefect Fu in shock, "Mr. Prefect! You..."

"Come here, arrest this troublemaker from the Qi family and take him to jail to await your punishment!"

"promise!"

The yamen runners on the left and right immediately stepped forward, holding water and fire sticks and hitting Mr. Qi on the legs, forcing him to kneel down in the street. Then he was picked up by the three shifts of yamen runners and mercilessly sent to the city jail in front of all the Qi family servants and the martial arts master. No one dared to stop Mr. Qi even though he cried out that he was wronged.

When the Qi family servants saw their master being taken away, they not only did not stop him, but they knelt down and cried, "Master, spare my life!"

When the prefect was investigating a case, if they dared to resist, they would be considered as rebels and would be killed in the streets, and even their entire clan would be implicated.

Fu Zhiliu ignored the servants who were begging for mercy. The short legal advisor beside him just shouted for silence, and immediately no one dared to say another word.

The two second-rate masters also stepped aside, not daring to say anything. The knights used force to break the law, that happened when the dynasty was about to fall. Now the world is peaceful, don't you see that the five great sects are all obeying the orders of the court quietly? The things in the picture books, such as the knights robbing the execution ground and beating up the evil prefect in the street, are just pictures.

The prefect came to Tingyu Pavilion and said slowly, "I met Wang Xian several times before, but I never thought that after he passed away, even his disciples would be bullied by the bullies.

Someone, bring it up! "

He turned around and called out, and saw two yamen runners carrying a plaque with the three characters "Tingyu Pavilion" written in large gold on a vermilion background against a black background.

"I have specially sent you a personally written plaque to be hung on the pavilion. I want to see who dares to violate the imperial laws and oppress the innocent people!"

Chen Beimo smiled and said, "Thank you, sir, for distinguishing right from wrong and protecting the safety of my ancestral property! You are truly the great judge of our Yunzhou City!"

"This is my duty. It is my duty to relieve the worries of the people, to help them settle down and build their careers, and to redress their grievances."

Fu Zhiliu waved his hand, and an officer took out a long box and handed it to Chen Beimo, "This is the Sutra of Rebirth and Peace written by me to mourn Master Wang Xian. Please burn it in front of the spirit for me to express your condolences!"

"Yes, I thank you very much, sir. If the master knew about this, he would be grateful to him!"

Chen Beimo took the wooden box, thinking that this was the prefect's apology to him.

Surrounded by officials, Fu turned and left, and the people saw him off respectfully. A few officials installed the new plaque on the spot, and complimented him after finishing their work. Chen Beimo smiled and took some copper coins to treat them to tea.

There was chaos in front of the gate. The Qi family servants fled in all directions. Two martial arts masters came forward and clasped their fists, saying, "We apologize for offending you, little brother. We were forced to do this because we were paid. Please forgive us!" Chen Beimo smiled and said, "Thank you for your courtesy, great heroes. If the prefect had not personally sought justice for me, I'm afraid there would have been bloodshed today."

The two martial arts masters thought it was ridiculous, but when they thought about how much the prefect and the mysterious Mr. Han valued it, one of them said modestly, "

Thank you for your kindness, sir!"

The other said, "We two are knights-errant, wandering the world, doing things for money. If you need anything in the future, you can go to the thatched temple twelve miles outside the north city and tell us about our Zhao family's double fists."

Chen Beimo was somewhat surprised by their attentiveness, but he still smiled and accepted their request and sent them away.

After the two people left, the neighbors nearby also came up to congratulate them, or said some envious and boastful words.

Aunt Zhao on the right smiled and said, "I knew Ermo was a promising guy. He was able to ask the prefect to help. Let's see who dares to bully our neighbors in the future."

Granny Wang San said with a look of relief: "Ermo, it's good that you can keep the house passed down by your master.

It’s better to have a profession that allows you to make a living, otherwise, the rest of your life…”

The old woman selling bud sugar came forward with a big smile on her face, shouting: "Ermo, what do you think of my girl? You are old enough to get married...."

All kinds of noisy voices gathered in front of Tingyu Pavilion. Chen Beimo did not have a stern face, but was smiling. He listened to everyone who spoke, neither refutating nor responding.

It was not until half an hour later that the crowd dispersed. He walked to the gate of the long street and raised his head.

The sun was shining brightly in the east, and the sunlight shone on the majestic plaque with a vermilion background and a black background. The three large light golden characters "Tingyu Pavilion" sparkled brightly. It stood out as being tall and majestic in this long Xishui Street, and its existence could not be ignored.

Chen Beimo stood in the sun, looking at the attic and whispered, "Master, Brother, Tingyu Pavilion is so magnificent."

Two birds flew across the sky and landed on the roof of the attic, chirping while they stayed on the roof. The neighborhood returned to its original state, with various hawking sounds coming one after another, and small vendors walking on the street busy making a living.

Chen Beimo was dazzled by the bright sunlight. He turned around, closed the carved wooden door and locked it.

Then he returned to the inner room and opened the box, only to find a rare wild ginseng inside. Its whiskers were over a foot long and in excellent condition. The obviously twisted goose-necked stems and densely packed stems all indicated that this was a century-old ginseng!
This ginseng alone is worth hundreds of taels of gold. A martial arts master who practices internal strength would treasure it as a treasure. If the technique is suitable, it can increase internal strength by thirty to fifty years.

In addition to this item, there were also two silver notes in the box, each worth five hundred taels!

At this moment, Chen Beimo jumped from a first-class commoner to a wealthy family with no worries about food and clothing! You know, one thousand taels, ordinary three or five small landlords may not be able to raise it.

Looking at the four big words "Huangfu Qianhang" printed on it, Chen Beimo smiled. This Prefect Fu was a sensible man.

I just sneaked into the prefect's house last night, used the golden bell to confuse the secret guards, and put the dragon robe on the table, and Fu Zhiliu knew the deep meaning of it and was able to handle it so well.

Prefect Fu is by no means a simple person. An ordinary prefect cannot afford to give this one thousand taels to a quack.

Now Chen Beimo is just an ordinary citizen on the surface, and a sorcerer in secret, but in fact he is a cultivator, and only he knows that he does not seek fame or wealth, but only cultivates immortality.

After the trip in the mountains, he finally solved the biggest threat in the current environment, and from then on he became a guest of honor among the prefect's retainers. It can be said that there is no one in the entire Yunzhou city who can threaten him.

He can also concentrate on practicing the mysterious techniques and no longer be troubled by external things.

As the saying goes, when there is nothing to do, one feels light. At noon, Chen Beimo went to Huajian Restaurant, a big restaurant on Changyuan Street, to treat himself.

Although he could survive two or three days without food by drinking water, it did not mean that he did not need to eat grains. He was just a cultivator, not an immortal. If he did not eat after three days of fasting, he would feel extremely hungry, which would damage his internal organs and even disrupt the circulation of the five elements, causing imbalance of water and yin.

As soon as Chen Beimo walked into the three-story restaurant, a waiter came forward and said with a smile: "A distinguished guest has arrived. Would you like to eat or stay at the hotel?"

In ancient times, large restaurants would integrate accommodation and catering, which could effectively utilize kitchen resources and labor costs. The tricks here cannot be understood without years of business experience.

"Find me a nice room and a pot of your signature Spring Festival wine."

Chen Beimo looked around the restaurant and talked as he walked.

"Okay, okay!" The servant cleverly stepped forward to lead the way and took him to the third floor, where the walls of the corridor were covered with ancient paintings of spring flowers and autumn moons, and wind chimes were fluttering in the wind. The artistic conception, beauty and design were all top-notch.

The servant took him to the door of a small hall, on which was written "Orchid", which was obviously the name of the room.

As soon as he sat down, another servant came over with a set of classical and elegant tea sets and respectfully brewed a cup of tea for him.

Then the waiter smiled and said, "Sir, our restaurant has a total of 108 famous dishes, including oily, salty, sweet, sour, spicy, sauce and soup.

Please take a look at the menu.”

The so-called menu is a menu that lists the name of each dish, a brief introduction in small print, and the required price and time.

Chen Beimo had never been to such a high-end restaurant before, and he couldn't afford to eat there when his master was around.

This simple dish of stewed bean sprouts with meat, named "Spring sprouts and autumn beasts", costs 68 cents, but it can buy many kilograms of rice and flour. An ordinary family's daily income is just this one dish.

Chen Beimo thought that he was also living a wicked landlord petty bourgeois life. He ordered ten dishes in one breath, which surprised the waiter. He couldn't help but say, "Sir, I'm afraid you can't finish so many dishes."

"No problem, just go ahead."

Chen Beimo smiled and took a piece of silver, threw it to him and said, "This is a reward for you."

The servant took it and put it in his palm, and quickly responded with joy and flattery: "Hey! Sir!
I will prepare the food for you right away, just wait a moment!"

Chen Beimo nodded in response and sat alone in the chic and elegant living room, with a small jar beside him still burning with the scent of calming orchids. He took a sip of tender tea brewed before the spring rain, then stood up in front of the viewing gallery, with the bustling six streets in front of the twelfth street in West Square coming into view.

From the next room I heard the sounds of stringed instruments and the singing of an elegant woman, as well as wealthy businessmen chatting and laughing, flattering sycophants, happy words and laughter, singing and dancing, all kinds of delicacies from land and sea in front of me, and elegant music all around me. Is this the richness of the world?

Chen Beimo shook his head, he came here just to follow his heart and satisfy his appetite. Practicing Taoism to achieve immortality did not mean to be free from worldly desires, how boring would that be for an immortal to come?

He has tried the wandering world, the bustling immortal world, the ancient courtyards with green lamps, and the quiet mountains and rivers.

(End of this chapter)