Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 693 A Dream of Yellow Millet (Two chapters combined)

Xiao Ran pocketed the ghost money, ignoring the man's angry curses, and walked straight towards the "Eight Immortals Restaurant".

According to the man, shortly after Xiao Ran turned left along the main road, the aroma of spices in the air grew stronger, but mixed with an indescribable, greasy, fishy smell similar to that of boiled fat, which was nauseating.

Before long, a brightly lit, ornately decorated three-story restaurant stood prominently.

The three gilded characters "Baxianlou" on the huge plaque hanging in front of the building gleamed in the sunlight.

However, the light had an eerie, pale quality. The entrance was bustling with cars and people, and guests thronged the area. The sounds of waiters greeting customers and the laughter of diners mingled together, creating a noisy and lively atmosphere.

If we're talking about who lives the most comfortable life in this place, it's definitely Wu Man, the sixth brother.

Xiao Ran believed that given Wu Man's personality, she would never be bound by her identity and would definitely choose the industry she was best at as her entry point.

Standing across the street, Xiao Ran's spiritual power spread out like an invisible spider web, quietly infiltrating the interior of the restaurant.

Inside the lobby, the noise was deafening, and plates and cups were scattered everywhere. Waiters darted about carrying trays, the plates not filled with ordinary chicken, duck, or fish, but with a nauseating feast of blood and flesh.

Dishes like steamed pork knuckle and crystal braised pork knuckle were simply laid out naked on the dining table.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately withdrew her spiritual power and turned to leave.

Based on the few dishes he saw, he was able to conclude that Wu Man was not in this restaurant.

Wu Man's food was never laid out so openly in front of her.

No matter what kind of ingredients they are, if they can't even get the color, one of the most basic elements of color, aroma, and taste right, then at Wu Man's place they're no different from garbage.

Since the Eight Immortals Restaurant wasn't there, Xiao Ran decided to continue searching in other places.

Since it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, Xiao Ran wasn't in a hurry at all. He even planned to go to the direction of the imperial city to take a look. If he had the chance to sneak into the imperial city, he would like to give it a try.

Having been to Chang'an before, Xiao Ran knew the way well. He walked slowly, like an ordinary person taking a stroll, while his immense spiritual power spread out like a large net, covering every rustle of grass within a hundred meters of him.

"Strange, how come we haven't found a single person yet?"

After walking for half a day, Xiao Ran sat on a rock, her brows furrowed, and took out the talisman that Jin Chanzi had given her when she entered the Ghost Capital.

With the aid of his own mental power and the presence of this talisman, he should have been able to find the three of them easily.

But after walking on the street for so long, he still couldn't find any sign of the three people.

Not only were there no traces of the three of them, but he also couldn't find any trace of Gu Xintang or his associates.

Just as Xiao Ran was wondering about this, pedestrians on the street suddenly began to walk quickly in one direction.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran stood up and walked forward with the crowd.

As a result, more and more people walked by, forming a dense, dark mass in front and behind. Xiao Ran took the opportunity to spread her mental energy, hoping to find Wu Man and the other two.

The crowd pushed and shoved each other forward until they reached the city gate, where Xiao Ran finally saw a banner standing there.

What is a banner or pennant?

It's like those signs in residential communities specifically used for posting advertisements.

However, in ancient times, you couldn't just stick anything on a banner. If you said you would stick a brothel advertisement on it, the whole brothel would be flattened the next day, and even a dog in the brothel wouldn't be able to leave with a whole corpse.

This was a place used by the royal family to issue proclamations, such as new policies or imperial edicts, which were then posted there.

As for wanted posters, they can just be pasted on the wall at the city gate; they have no right to be posted on banners and flags.

Therefore, anything that can be posted on banners must be a major event that affects the world, which explains why so many people flock here.

"Dong Dong Dong!!"

A constable was seen carrying a gong and striking it along the street to attract the attention of the crowd. Then, a bailiff pasted a human skin, still stained with blood, onto the banner.

This human skin was as smooth as jade, with skin as white and delicate as snow, and it even had a faint floral fragrance.

Some people, being so close, couldn't resist taking a sniff, and instantly felt a sense of euphoria spreading through their entire body.

"It smells so good! I wonder whose skin it is, as smooth and white as snow."

"I heard that there are three thousand beauties in the palace. Every time the emperor issues an edict, it is written on their skin, so it is called 'Beauty Paper'."

"Hey, it's not that exaggerated. Imperial edicts are usually written on paper. Only for special occasions would they use this kind of 'beauty paper'."

The crowd chattered incessantly about the beautiful woman.

Suddenly, the human skin on the banner twitched violently, and as blood seeped out, it emitted a faint scream.

This human skin is still alive.

Blood droplets twisted into bright red characters on the smooth skin.

He wrote the large characters "恩科" (Enke) in a crooked and awkward hand.

"Dong Dong Dong!!"

The bailiffs responsible for posting the imperial edicts beat the gongs and drums, announcing: "A grand imperial examination will be held in March. Those who make the list will be allowed to enter the palace to meet the Emperor and be promoted!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd cheered.

It was clearly a surprise that Nko appeared this time.

"It's been a very, very long time since we've had an Enke."

"I only learned about Enco from my grandfather last time. I never expected that after so many years, Enco would be reopened."

"Sir, what are the requirements for this special imperial examination?"

The crowd surrounded the official, bombarding him with questions, but the official, unaware of any of this, pointed to the beautiful skin behind him and said, "It's on there, see for yourselves."

After saying that, he pushed past the crowd and left quickly.

As Xiao Ran was pushed along by the crowd, he was gradually pushed to the foot of the imperial edict. His gaze swept over the edict and he saw that the crooked handwriting on the beautiful woman's skin contained three rules.

[Strange Tales Rule 1: To participate in the special imperial examination, please arrive at the examination hall gate at midnight three days later. If you cannot arrive at the examination hall before midnight, please do not linger outside that night!]

[Strange Tales Rule 2: Participants in this Enko will forget a portion of their memories. The forgotten content will increase as the Enko progresses, until the entire Enko is completed.]

[Rule #3: Participants in this event are prohibited from using cursed items.]

Xiao Ran looked at the three strange tales on the list, which were clearly prepared for beginners like them.

But at present, this seems to be a path into the imperial city.

However, these three strange tales were too targeted, and once one participated, one's strength would be greatly reduced. He even suspected that this so-called Enke might be a trap set by Huang Chao for him.

Otherwise, judging from the people around them, why would the Enko, which hadn't been opened for so many years, be opened at this time?

Just as Xiao Ran was hesitating about whether to participate.

A familiar feeling washed over Xiao Ran, making her heart skip a beat and a bitter expression appear on her face.

Sure enough, a mission notification popped up in my field of vision very soon.

Discover Main Quest 1: [Enko]

Task Description: Participate in this imperial examination and successfully pass the exam to gain entry into the palace.

Task difficulty: ?
Mission failed:?
Upon seeing the main quest pop up in front of him, Xiao Ran's expression became even more peculiar.

The task itself wasn't difficult, and the punishment was also questionable.

Compared to the penalties for completing my own side quests, the difficulty of the side quests themselves seems to be less.

But now that a main quest has appeared, Xiao Ran knows there's a problem, so she has to investigate.

"Now that there's a main quest, Wu Man and the others should also participate in this Enke event, right?"

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran felt a sense of relief.

Just as he was about to leave, Xiao Ran, who was beside him, suddenly seemed to notice something, raised her head, and looked towards the rooftop not far away.

On the rooftop stood a young man. Xiao Ran had never seen the man before, but she recognized him at a glance.

"Gu Xin Tang!!"

Xiao Ran was so certain because the guy had two swords hanging at his waist. One was gold and the other was silver. Xiao Ran recognized them at a glance. They were the gold and silver swords of Gu Xintang.

When the swords were appraised, these two swords left a very deep impression on Xiao Ran, so when he saw the sword, he recognized it.

Xiao Ran quietly withdrew from the crowd, then found a secluded spot, climbed over the wall, and arrived not far behind Gu Xintang.

Gu Xintang naturally noticed Xiao Ran as well. He turned around and looked at Xiao Ran's appearance with a puzzled expression: "Who are you?"

At this moment, Xiao Ran's appearance had changed to resemble Li Xiao's, so Gu Xintang naturally couldn't recognize her at a glance.

"Brother Gu, you're sitting here fishing like this, and now that the fish have come, how come you can't even recognize which fish you caught?"

Xiao Ran grinned and teased.

Hearing this teasing tone, Gu Xintang immediately thought of Xiao Ran, and his expression changed slightly: "Brother Xiao!"

There aren't many people in the world who dare to tease him like that.

Very few people dare to tease him to his face, and Xiao Ran is one of them.

"I must say, you look much better now than before."

Xiao Ran walked up to him and carefully examined Gu Xintang. At this moment, Gu Xintang looked like a young man. Although his appearance was ordinary, his demeanor was more relaxed and at ease.

"Each each other."

Gu Xintang gestured for Xiao Ran to sit down. He sat there holding the gold and silver swords to attract the attention of the other visitors, which is why Xiao Ran teased him for fishing.

"How are you? My family runs a martial arts school. Life is a bit tough, but it's alright." Gu Xintang introduced himself and revealed his current identity.

"Not bad, isn't it, the owner of the salt shop?"

"Salt shop?"

Gu Xintang looked at Xiao Ran with some surprise, then couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're really lucky. Salt shops are big businesses, making a fortune every day. Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a martial arts school; the food here doesn't have much salt."

Salt is essential for people's livelihood; without salt, people have no strength.

Salt is expensive here, the martial arts school is quiet, and the food is bland and watery, with hardly any salt.

"Want some? Come to my shop, I'll give you a basket for free."

"Okay, then I won't be polite."

Xiao Ran meant it as a joke, but to her surprise, Gu Xintang immediately agreed.

Xiao Ran was taken aback and looked at Gu Xintang.

"Don't look at me like that, we're really short of salt at home."

Gu Xintang spread his hands, his face full of helplessness. As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought down by a penny. Gu Xintang and his group had made many preparations for this trip to the Ghost City, but they had brought very little money for the underworld.

They had expected their journey to the Ghost City to be fraught with danger and lurking with murderous intent, and they had prepared themselves for a life of fighting. However, they were surprised to find that the world they entered was like this, and many of their preparations proved useless.

"No, I feel like you've changed."

Xiao Ran looked Gu Xintang up and down, feeling that something was amiss.

Gu Xintang sighed upon hearing this: "Actually... I've come to like this place a bit. After being here for a while, I've found that living here isn't so bad. At least here, I'm not the Third Young Master of the Qiankun Alliance, and I don't have to carry any burdens anymore. I have family and parents. If I could live here for the rest of my life, I would actually be quite happy."

Upon hearing Gu Xintang's words, Xiao Ran finally realized something and frowned, asking, "How long have you been here?"

"More than three months, how about you?"

"More than three months?"

Xiao Ran's heart sank. She finally understood why she couldn't find Jin Chanzi and the others. Although they all came in at the same time, it seemed that everyone came in at different times.

Gu Xintang was the first to step in, and three months have passed since then. It's conceivable that Wu Man and the others, who entered later than him, probably haven't even truly entered yet.

Xiao Ran mentally compared the order in which they entered. She was first, followed by Jin Chanzi, then Dai Long, and finally Wu Man.

It's possible that Wu Man will not be able to enter until before Enke begins.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran's face immediately turned ugly.

Fortunately, Enke will not begin for another three months, so I can use this time to train properly and increase my strength.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran gradually felt at ease.

"Short of money?"

"lack."

Without saying a word, Xiao Ran took out a bag of ghost money from her spatial storage and threw it to Gu Xintang: "This is what you gave me before, I'm returning it to you now."

Gu Xintang took the money bag with a smile on his face. He had achieved his goal of fishing this time. So he stood up and said, "Let's go. How about we have a meal at my house?"

After saying that, Gu Xintang seemed to realize something and added, "Don't worry, they're all vegetarian dishes."

"That's annoying."

Xiao Ran nodded. Since Gu Xintang had entered the earliest, he could ask him for some information.

When Gu Xintang saw Xiao Ran agree, his smile widened, with an almost boastful familiarity. He led Xiao Ran down from the rooftop and into a narrower, darker alley.

The alleyway was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with a faint scent of old paper and cheap spices. It was completely different from the eerie floral fragrance emanating from the Human Skin List, but equally unsettling.

Deep in the alley, a low courtyard gate stood tightly shut. The gate was an ordinary wooden door, its paint peeling and faded, with a small, indistinct animal-head door knocker hanging on the door knocker.

Gu Xintang stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker three times in a specific rhythm; the sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet alley.

With a creak, the door was pulled open a crack from the inside. A sallow, wrinkled old woman's face peeked out. Seeing that it was Gu Xintang, she smiled and opened the door wider: "Xiao Jun's back! Did you catch any fish today?"

"Hahahaha." Gu Xintang grinned. "Not bad, I caught a big fish."

After saying that, she turned around and stepped aside, revealing Xiao Ran behind her, and introduced her: "Grandma, this is my friend."

The old woman's cloudy eyes immediately turned to Xiao Ran, scrutinizing her from head to toe with a sticky, cold gaze, as if she were assessing an object.

"Li Xiao." Xiao Ran nodded slightly to the old woman in front of her.

The old woman slowly opened the door after he introduced himself and stepped aside, saying, "Please come in, distinguished guest."

Some water stains remained on the bluestone slabs in the front yard, and several disciples were tidying up the weapon racks, the tassels of their red-tasseled spears swaying gently with their movements.

The sound of banging came from the west wing. Through the carved wooden window, one could see boys practicing their inch-force technique on a cotton-covered stake.

"You're back?" A woman wearing an apron poked her head out from the kitchen.

"Mother, you're back!"

Gu Xintang said to the woman, "This is my friend, Li Xiao. I met him today and invited him to my home as a guest."

As Gu Xintang introduced Xiao Ran, he took out the money bag that Xiao Ran had given him earlier and waved it in front of the woman: "I caught a big fish today and made a lot of money, enough to support our family for a while."

The woman was startled when she saw the money bag in Gu Xintang's hand and quickly reached out to press it down: "How come there's so much money?"

"Don't worry, the money is clean and there won't be any problems."

Gu Xintang placed the money pouch into the woman's hand, indicating that she should relax. The woman's face first showed surprise, then a genuine smile blossomed, smoothing out the fine wrinkles around her eyes. She weighed the money pouch in her hand, her eyes slightly reddening, her voice choked with joy: "Good, good! This is all right... Jun'er is truly capable, and his friends are so loyal! Please invite our distinguished guest inside, and I'll add two more dishes!"

As she spoke, she deftly tucked the hem of her apron tighter, then turned and hurried back to the kitchen.

Suddenly, the kitchen erupted with the louder sounds of spatulas clashing and sizzling oil popping. A rich, smoky aroma of home-cooked food instantly overwhelmed the damp smell of the alleyway, dominating the entire courtyard.

Gu Xintang led Xiao Ran through the front yard. The young disciples who were tidying up the weapon racks curiously peeked at Xiao Ran. When they saw Gu Xintang's gaze sweep over them, they quickly lowered their heads and nimbly put the last few red-tasseled spears back in their places. The red tassels bounced lively under their nimble movements.

The banging in the west wing had stopped sometime earlier. The wooden window creaked open, and several sweaty, flushed-faced boys peeked out. One of the bolder ones called out in a clear voice, "Senior Brother is back! Is this a guest?"

"Mm," Gu Xintang responded with a smile, his tone gentle and casual like that of an older brother. "After you're done practicing, hurry up and wash up so we can get ready for dinner."

The boys responded with giggles and laughter, and the window closed again. From inside came the energetic, playful sounds of boys, like little animals splashing water.

The main hall door was open, and a middle-aged man with a strong build and ruddy complexion put down the half-polished wooden knife handle in his hand and casually wiped his hands on his apron.

He looked up at Gu Xintang and Xiao Ran, his eyes gentle yet with the composure characteristic of a martial artist.

"Father, this is Brother Li Xiao, a friend I met on the street just now," Gu Xintang introduced.

"Hello, Uncle." Xiao Ran greeted him with a cupped-hand salute, following the seniority system of Gu Xintang.

"Good, good! You've got spirits, young man!" The man laughed heartily, his voice loud but not harsh, conveying a sense of cheerfulness and sincerity.

"Come in and sit down. We can have dinner together."

He pointed to the spotless eight-immortal table and several sturdy benches in the center of the main room, "The place is simple, please don't mind."

"Haha, Uncle, you're too kind. You can just call me Xiao Li."

Xiao Ran looked around. Although the house was small and simply furnished, it exuded a clean, tidy, and homey atmosphere.

The plaque that reads "Use martial arts to rectify the mind" hangs on the main wall. Below the plaque is a display shelf with several old but polished weapons. In the corner stands several blue and white porcelain vases with scrolls inserted.

The air was filled with the crisp scent of pine furniture, the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen, and a faint, almost imperceptible smell of clean, sun-dried fabrics. Everything seemed so peaceful and serene.

Gu Xintang's 'father' gestured to Gu Xintang that he would take care of Xiao Ran, and then got up and went to the kitchen, giving the two of them space to talk.

"This place is great, much better than my place," Xiao Ran nodded and praised Gu Xintang.

"Hahaha, yes, that's great." Gu Xintang nodded, sitting in the house, watching the busy figures outside. At this moment, he no longer seemed to be the famous third-place scholar in the martial arts world, but a child from an ordinary family.

This house, both inside and out, is crowded yet orderly, exuding a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Gu Xintang was unaware that Xiao Ran was staring at him with a meaningful gaze. He was completely absorbed in the sunset and the busy figures of his family.

"This guy, he's been completely blinded, hasn't he?"

Xiao Ran didn't know what kind of life Gu Xintang had in the Qiankun Alliance before, but judging from the second young master's arrogant attitude, it wasn't hard to tell that Gu Xintang's life in the Qiankun Alliance wasn't as good as he thought.

Now that he's in such a family, it's inevitable that he'll become somewhat trapped and unable to extricate himself.

Although Xiao Ran looked envious, she became even more vigilant.

"Huang Chao, what on earth are you up to??"

The more heartwarming everything seemed, the more bewildered Xiao Ran became. Judging from Huang Chao's personality, he was not exactly a benevolent person who liked to help others achieve their goals.

It was precisely because he understood Huang Chao well enough that he was wary of the current warmth, because he was always clear that no matter how wonderful all of this was, it was just a world created by Huang Chao.

But Gu Xintang clearly lacked this awareness.

He didn't know Huang Chao well enough and had no idea how cruel Huang Chao's methods were. Xiao Ran tried to remind him several times, but couldn't find a suitable opportunity.

At the dining table, chopsticks clinked against bowls and plates, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

The children chattered excitedly, sharing the fun they had during their daytime martial arts practice, and complaining about how one of their junior brothers almost knocked the wooden dummy askew.

Everyone chatted and laughed during the meal, until after dinner, when Xiao Ran saw Gu Xintang's back as he took the initiative to wash the dishes, she knew that it was no use saying anything.

This reminded him of a line of poetry: "The warmth of the pillow is still in my hand, but the dawn light outside the window has already killed me. I hope that when this guy wakes up, he will realize that it was all just a fleeting dream..."

(End of this chapter)