Minglong

Chapter 327 The Manor Lord?

Shanhai Tower is located on Qingdi Street, at the end of which is the headquarters of the Yanbo City sect.

As night fell, the leaders and renowned figures from various regions who had come from afar arrived one after another outside the sprawling three-story building, where they were specially received by the disciples of Yanbo City dressed in brocade robes.

Xie Jinhuan stood at the entrance of a nearby alley and looked around. He could tell that most of the people who entered were local sect leaders from Longgutan.

According to the division after the chaos of the Witchcraft Cult, the entire Dragon Bone Beach was under the jurisdiction of Shang Lianbi. However, no matter how many disciples Yanbo City had, it was impossible to manage such a large territory. In addition, it was necessary to recruit cultivators to settle in and pay blood taxes. Therefore, the number of local sects in Dragon Bone Beach was no less than that in the interior of the pass. For example, Hundred Flowers Forest, Nightmare Soul Sect, etc., were all forces that relied on Yanbo City and were later divided into territories to become self-reliant.

Shan Hai Lou is a trading company opened by Yanbo City to sell various scarce resources produced in Longgu Beach. Local sects usually purchase various cultivation materials here. Now, due to the emergence of an opportunity, a large number of beggars from other places have come, so it has been temporarily converted into an auction venue. One must have an identity to enter, so as to prevent reckless idlers from sneaking in and disturbing the interest of the patriarchs from all sides.

Xie Jinhuan is currently the leader of the Blood Rain Pavilion. With the support of the gang, he can enjoy VIP treatment as long as he enters with an invitation.

But Xie Jinhuan, like everyone else who came here, was not primarily concerned with spending money; his main purpose was to observe his opponents.

After all, here everyone addresses each other as fellow Daoists, and you can get to know who's here. But once you leave Yanbo City, you're on your own, and there's no chance to interact with anyone anymore.

If he were to actually enter with the invitation, this newly emerged top assassin of the Southern Dynasty would inevitably attract everyone's attention, and who knows, Old Demon Shang might even try to find out his background.

But without a warrant, he'd have to reveal another identity with some status. Yanbo City isn't blind; revealing his identity randomly might backfire. As for climbing in through the window, what if Shang Laomo patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, young man, not bad skills," the moment he landed? He'd explode on the spot.

Xie Jinhuan was a little worried about this. He was hesitating whether to take the invitation and go through the VIP channel when he suddenly noticed a cute female knight walking from the street toward the gate of Shan Hai Lou.

The female warrior wore a long blue dress, her sword wrapped in white cloth and carried on her back, with a jade pendant hanging at her waist. She exuded a scholarly air about her. Although the white curtain concealed her face, her figure alone was enough to make her a beauty. Her waist was slender, and the hem of her dress was bulging with two semi-circles, revealing the texture of a ripe melon. As she walked, there was a slight tremor. Her shoulders remained still, showing the uprightness of a scholarly family, while the swaying of her skirt did not detract from the elegance of a mature woman.

Although both are common attire for female warriors in the martial arts world, compared to Bing Tuozi's cold and aloof demeanor and sword-like figure, Nai Gua Wuxia is more gentle, but compared to the gentle and charming Bu Jiejie, she also has a hint of the chastity and fortitude of a scholarly family.

In summary—it's a great car!
Upon seeing the newcomer, Ye Hongshang quietly appeared, puffing out her slightly more elegant clothes than the Milk Melon Heroine, and teased:

"Oh, Senior Sister Ye is here. Shall we go and strike up a conversation?"

Xie Jinhuan knew that Senior Sister Ye lived in the nearby Yuezhuo Tower, so it wasn't strange to run into her here. He did have to strike up a conversation, but his original intention was secondary; his main purpose was to sneak into the Shanhai Tower.

To conceal his whereabouts, Xie Jinhuan carefully disguised his face and voice whenever he was out partying with his wife, just like when he met Senior Sister Ye in Longyun Port last time. Today, he also came out with two plans. Once he took off his cloak and mask, he was a crude martial artist. After putting on his hat, he pretended to be strolling around and looked at the magnificent Shanhai Tower in the crowd.

Ye Yunchi was walking across the street, heading straight for the entrance of Shan Hai Lou, when he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye and stopped in his tracks:
"What are you doing here? Where is your young lady?"

"Eh? Senior Ye?"

Xie Jinhuan, mimicking what he had just seen, quickly approached and bowed respectfully.
"My young lady just arrived today. The pills Senior Ye needs are being prepared, and I was just thinking of delivering them to him later. I didn't expect to run into you here again. May I enter the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, Senior?"

Seeing the young swordsman's curious eyes, Ye Yunchi understood and turned to walk towards the gate:

"Qingming Sword Manor is a renowned family in the Southern Dynasty, so Yanbo City will naturally not block them from entering."

Xie Jinhuan walked to his side and said in surprise:
"Is Senior Ye really a disciple of the Azure Sword Manor?"

Ye Yunchi nodded slightly: "I am the manor lord. Your reaction last time was quite unusual. Did you have dealings with Qingming Sword Manor before?"

The owner...

That's Yunhong and Senior Sister Hua's master...

Could this be considered a disguised master-disciple relationship...?

Hearing her nonchalant tone, Xie Jinhuan felt that his mother-in-law, who seemed rather faking it, wasn't really pretending. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"No, I just heard that there's a female knight-errant named Hua Ruyue at the confluence of the three rivers..."

"That was Bu Yuehua from the Gu Poison Sect impersonating the Sword Manor. People often impersonate others in the martial arts world. There's also someone named Mu Yunhong in the Southern Frontier, but none of them have damaged the Sword Manor's reputation, so I didn't pay any attention to them."

"Uh... what if it gets spoiled?"

Ye Yunchi slowed his pace slightly and turned past the curtain:

"Have you heard of such news?"

Xie Jinhuan quickly shook his head: "No, I was just asking out of curiosity."

Ye Yunchi nodded slightly and continued walking forward:
"My Qingming Sword Manor may have fewer people, but it's not that it's gone. Those who impersonate others and slander our reputation will naturally come to our door to demand an explanation..." After chatting for a few minutes, Ye Yunchi arrived at the gate and introduced himself.

Because Qingming Sword Manor was truly a minor sword sect in the south, with very few people having ever seen it, the gatekeeper from Yanbo City hesitated a bit. However, Ye Yunchi never tried to hide his identity; just from his air of "a person with a wealth of knowledge and refined manners," it was clear that he was no ordinary person. Therefore, the gatekeeper still invited the two of them in.

Upon entering, Xie Jinhuan was greeted by a magnificent hall filled with common treasures, such as magical artifacts, soft armor, and even a phoenix-embroidered robe.

Several beautiful maids led the guests around the hall, introducing various treasures. Their demeanor and attire were all elegant, completely devoid of the worldly air of brothel girls. To accommodate some of the female cultivators, there were also some handsome male models acting as tour guides.

Xie Jinhuan originally thought that the people who came to this place to join in the fun must have some skill, and shouldn't be as unrepentant as him. Even if they were, they should at least put on an act when they're out in the world.

But after a quick glance, he realized he was overthinking it. There were quite a few men in the room who had been seduced by the beautiful women's charming smiles and turned into crooked dragon kings. There were even some old scoundrels who pretended to listen to the introductions while secretly touching the female saleswomen's hands.

With Senior Sister Ye in front of him, Xie Jinhuan couldn't very well follow the local custom and choose a pretty girl as his tour guide. So he just pretended to be a follower and walked behind, looking around.

Ye Yunchi was also looking around, seemingly searching for someone. After finding no one in the hall, he turned to head towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Halfway up, he stopped and looked at a decorative calligraphy and painting.

Xie Jinhuan, who had been reading since he was three, saw that Senior Sister Ye had found something he excelled at, so he naturally stood in front of her and looked up at the painting on the wall:

"From afar, the mountains are colorful; up close, the water is silent... A landscape painting of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains?!"

Xie Jinhuan was stunned.

Seeing this, Ye Yunchi turned to look at the young swordsman who was 'somewhat literate':

"You've also studied calligraphy and painting?"

Xie Jinhuan blinked, his eyes filled with a strange expression:
"After studying it for a few years, I learned that this is a masterpiece by a painting master from the previous dynasty. It was kept in the study of Li Gongpu, a corrupt official of the Southern Dynasty, and was later acquired by the chivalrous thief Bai Zhan. It is quite unexpected that it is now hanging here."

Ye Yunchi nodded slightly: "I was worried that this painting would be damaged after I heard it was stolen. It seems that Bai Zhan is a connoisseur and sold it to Yanbo City."

As they were talking, Ye Yunchi called over a maid and asked:

Is this painting for sale?

The maidservant quickly bowed.
"You'll have to ask the owner. The day before yesterday, Master Lü Yan asked for 10,000 taels, and the owner didn't part with it. He probably won't sell it."

Ye Yunchi seemed to really enjoy calligraphy and painting, and responded:

"I'll offer 30,000 taels; you can go and ask them what they think."

Xie Jinhuan sold all the stolen goods on the black market, including the calligraphy from the Shuangsheng Ye Temple, for only thirty to forty thousand taels of silver. Seeing how extravagant Senior Sister Naigua was, she couldn't help but interject:

"This painting is worth only eight thousand on the market. Even if it's a rare find, there's no need to inflate the price several times over. We can actually negotiate the price slowly."

Ye Yunchi shook his head and said, "The owner of Shanhailou is Shang Mingzhen. He is not short of money. It is a favor that he is willing to sell. If the price is too low, it will not show sincerity. The painting master of the previous dynasty was known as the demon among paintings. After his death, very few people in later generations have been able to learn even a fraction of his charm. Once you miss a painting, there will be one less painting available."

Xie Jinhuan said earnestly, "Not necessarily. Hou Jiye, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of the Great Qian Dynasty, has only mastered four or five parts of the skill. I have also seen people who can master seven or eight parts of the essence."

"Oh?"

Ye Yunchi was slightly surprised: "To be able to learn seven or eight parts of the essence of the Sage of Painting, one must be a famous master of calligraphy and painting in this region. How come I've never heard of him?"

Xie Jinhuan doesn't make a living this way; he only uses it to seduce girls. He also went into hiding overseas three years ago, so probably very few people have heard of him. He can't exactly show off in public right now, making Senior Sister Ye's eyes sparkle. He simply said:

“I have indeed seen him, even in Yanbo City. Later, when I deliver the medicine to you, I will introduce you to Senior Ye.”

"..."

Ye Yunchi didn't believe anyone could capture even seven or eight tenths of the spirit of the painting master from the previous dynasty, but seeing that the young swordsman with thick eyebrows and big eyes didn't seem to be lying, he decided to give up the idea of ​​buying the painting and took Xie Jinhuan to the second floor of the club first...
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(The words below are added after the text and do not count as points.)

I finally managed to get my sleep schedule back on track, but after three days I'm back to having my days and nights reversed...

There's a character summoning event on Qidian. Xie Jinhuan is in the top 2. If you're interested, you can sign in and summon him to get a free accessory. Thanks everyone!

(End of this chapter)