Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 6 Baihua Tower

The carriage stopped in front of an extremely luxurious and gorgeous building. Inside the building, there was a lot of noise and laughter. The door was decorated with red tiles and bright lights. On the plaque, three large red characters "Baihua Tower" were clearly visible.

"So this is the Baihua Tower. It seems very lively inside!"

Ah Shu followed Murong Huan and chased the carriage to the Baihua Tower, but she saw that all the passers-by were men. Occasionally, a few drunk men would come closer when they saw Ah Shu and Murong Huan, with lewd smiles on their faces and shouting, "Young lady, give me a hug!" Ah Shu was so scared that she pulled Murong Huan and quickly ran to the side.

"What is this place, Huan? Can we still go in and sleep?"

"Yes, the young man in the carriage is here too. We want to get my father's fish talisman back!"

"Yes, yes, the fish talisman is more important!" Ah Shu said repeatedly.

Murong Huan thought for a moment, then raised his head again: "Let's change our clothes before going in!"

……

When they came to Baihua Tower again, Murong Huan and Ashu had both changed into men's clothes and had mustaches stuck on the corners of their mouths. These were left by their master when he was making puppets for puppet shows.

"Hey, gentlemen, which of our girls are you looking for?"

"Girl? No, no, we're not looking for a girl, we're looking for a man. Hello, sister, have you ever seen a white-haired man enter your Baihua Tower?"

When Ah Shu asked this, the madam's expression changed immediately.

"Looking for someone! Then we're not welcome here. Why don't you look somewhere else?"

Ah Shu was confused and about to get angry, but Murong Huan stopped her and went up to the madam and said, "We're not looking for anyone, we just want a place to sleep!"

"Sleep?" The madam covered her mouth and chuckled. "My dear, you really know how to joke. Every man who comes to our place comes to listen to music and sleep. It all depends on what price you can afford, my dear."

Before she could finish her words, Ah Shu held up a large bag of silver in front of the madam: "You're bullying us because we have no money, right? Let me tell you, we're not some peasant girl, we have plenty of money!"

"Isn't it just a place to sleep? Just pay, why are you talking so much nonsense?"

"Hurry up and take us in. Arrange a room. We need to sleep!"

The madam was stunned by Ah Shu's almost commanding tone. Looking at her raised purse, her eyes became hesitant.

Baihua Tower is in Sigongfang, and most of the people living in Sigongfang are from aristocratic families and high-ranking officials. Although these two young men look plainly dressed and do not look like nobles, they can take out so much money at one time and say they are looking for the white-haired young man. Could it be that they are from "that place"?
The madam's gaze soon stopped on Murong Huan, and she thought to herself: This young man seems to be more extraordinary. He actually has an aura emanating from the inside out. This aura seems to be the calmness and composure that can only be cultivated through long-term experience in the battlefield.

After looking her up and down, the madam quickly spotted a jade ring in her hand.

"Taiyuan Wang family... This is a jade ring that only the Taiyuan Wang family has. Could it be that you are..."

Murong Huan didn't answer, and the madam immediately put on an attentive expression: "Please, please come inside. I will immediately prepare a good room for you and find the best maid to accompany you!"

"I've already said that we don't want to..."

Before Ah Shu finished speaking, several young ladies dressed in gorgeous clothes ran out of the building and escorted them into Baihua Tower.

Ah Shu took great effort to push away the young ladies who were pestering Murong Huan one by one.

"What are you doing? We want a room to sleep in, no maids, do you understand?"

"Oh...I think I understand!"

Several prostitutes covered their mouths and giggled, exchanged glances with each other, and then left with their snake-like waists twisted.

After a long time, the madam took them into a side room, but there was still a beautiful woman sitting in the room playing the piano, singing some tunes they could not understand through a screen.

The madam glanced at the woman playing the piano and was about to leave when Ah Shu called her back.

"Wait, I already said we don't want a maid, so why are you letting her sing and play the piano here? It's so noisy."

When the madam heard this, she was so frightened that she rushed forward to cover Ah Shu's mouth.

"This is Lady Zhu Qi from our Baihua Tower. Countless scholars and scholars have longed to see her but haven't been able to. How dare you, a young man, say her singing is too loud? This is something so many people have begged for but couldn't."

Lady Zhu Qi didn't mind. She smiled beautifully and said, "It doesn't matter. Since this young man says my singing is too noisy, it must mean he's heard better voices. I'd like to ask for your advice."

Ah Shu waved her hands repeatedly and said, "I didn't mean that! We are just sleepy, tired, and want to sleep. We absolutely don't mean to slander Zhu Qi Niangzi's singing. In fact, she sang very beautifully just now, really! It's just that we are not in the mood to listen now!" "I see!"

Zhu Qiniang still smiled, carried the zither to Murong Huan, and said, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest, my dear. I will leave now!"

After saying that, she really left the room, but when she stepped out of the room, she turned around and looked meaningfully in the direction of Murong Huan before leaving with a smile.

As soon as everyone here left, Ah Shu quickly closed the door, stretched, and sighed: "Finally, I can have a good sleep! Oh, no, aren't we going to find that white-haired man to get the fish talisman back?"

"It's okay, you can get some sleep."

Murong Huan took over, and Ah Shu said again: "No, no, we have to get the fish talisman back, otherwise the girl will not be able to return home."

Ah Shu said this, but unexpectedly Murong Huan replied: "That home, it's better not to go back!"

"Ah Huan——"

Ah Shu didn't know what to say for a moment. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and changed the subject, asking, "By the way, Ah Huan, how did you heal that lady from the Wang family's heart? Ah Shu didn't see you do anything, so how did that lady from the Wang family suddenly get better? She even told us everything she had experienced."

"I just gave her a dream, a dream of something that might happen after she died."

"Master once said that people are born free, but everywhere they live they are in chains. Every life carries a mission and is important. We should live not only for ourselves, but also for those who love us. Giving up on ourselves is often a disrespect for life and a harm and torture to those who love us."

"If that Lady Wang were truly gone, her mother, Lady Liu, would likely live in agony for the rest of her life, devoid of joy and even more disliked by her husband's family. Lady Wang Wu's suicide would only bring grief to her loved ones and joy to her enemies, further tormenting those who loved her. Those who hurt her would receive no punishment at all, and instead would become even more unscrupulous in transferring this harm back to her mother, Lady Liu."

"These are not the results Wang Xueying wanted to see."

Ah Shu nodded when she heard this. "I understand. So, Madam Wang Wu dreamed about the harm her death might cause to her mother, Lady Liu, and that's why she woke up from the dream?"

"You can also say that!"

Admiration immediately appeared in Ah Shu's eyes.

"Ah Huan, you are really amazing now! It would be great if you were really a gentleman..."

Before Ah Shu finished her words, she heard a burst of snickering that seemed to come from the next room. A man's voice said, "My dear, did you hear that? These are the funniest two idiots I have ever seen! Didn't you see what happened outside just now..."

"Who's scolding us there?"

Ah Shu suddenly jumped up and kicked the "wall" opposite. Originally, she was just demonstrating to the eavesdropper and trying to scare him, but she didn't expect that this kick would actually kick the wall open, and two people immediately appeared in front of her.

A man was wearing black armor and had a handsome face. His originally serious face was now filled with a sly smile.

The other person was wearing a crane-white cloak and sipping tea from an exquisite glass jade cup. His silver hair was eye-catching.

However, at this moment, what attracted Ah Shu the most was no longer his silver hair, but his face, his almost perfect profile, his lips as red as a dot, his face as beautiful as jade. Just sitting there, it was like a peerless painting of wind and snow, and the moon shining on the cold river, which made people feel intoxicated and ecstatic at first sight.

Ah Shu was stunned again, and couldn't help but sigh, "Could this young man be one of those immortals who have lived for thousands of years? How come his hair is all white, but his face still looks so young and handsome?"

Murong Huan continued, "He's not an immortal. Judging from his appearance, he should be just a young adult. However, he's also a patient, and his hair has turned white because of his illness!"

As soon as Murong Huan finished speaking, the white-haired man suddenly put down his teacup and cast his gaze towards her.

Murong Huan felt as if his heart was hit hard: such a clear and insightful look!

Ah Shu was once again taken aback by the man's pair of extremely clear and beautiful phoenix eyes. It took her a long time to regain her consciousness and she sighed:
“So he’s also a patient!”

When saying this, Ah Shu's eyes almost sparkled, and she looked extremely happy, which made the young man in black standing beside her very uncomfortable.

Why are you happy when someone is sick?
In a flash, she said, "My dear, do you want medical treatment? My dear can cure diseases, especially strange ones!"

Before the white-haired man could reply, Murong Huan said, "I can't cure his illness right now!"

"Ah? Can't you treat it?"

Ah Shu expressed deep regret and pity.

At this moment, Murong Huan stood up, walked towards the white-haired man, and extended his hand to him: "Sir, please return my father's fish talisman to me!"

(End of this chapter)