Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 115 Demon Suppression Division VS Little Demoness

Lu Xingzhou has traveled to the present day for twenty years and is visiting the capital for the first time.

The capital city actually has a name, Wanxian City, which means "ten thousand immortals come to pay homage," but people rarely call it that.

Perhaps it's because no one is worthy of being called an immortal, and the real immortals simply can't be bothered with you, that makes the city's name seem a bit clownish.

Let alone true immortals, even the lord of a holy land wouldn't give a damn about your emperor; everyone can still check and balance each other.

The Holy Land itself is not located in the capital; its exact location is rather elusive and few outsiders know it. The Holy Land's ruler rarely also serves as the Imperial Preceptor; the position is usually filled by a highly respected elder appointed by the Holy Land. Ye Tinglan, the current Holy Land's ruler, personally serving as Imperial Preceptor is a relatively rare occurrence in history.

This situation usually means that the Holy Land considers the country's situation to be quite serious... but Gu Zhanting himself doesn't think so.

Although there were intrusions by demons and the harm inflicted by demonic cultivators, the cases have all been solved, and most people are still good.

We also won the war against the northern demon tribes.

On the surface, the capital city is indeed prosperous. Just in terms of size, Xia Prefecture wouldn't even be big enough to be considered a single market town in the capital. The prosperity of Menggui City, which was praised a few days ago, immediately pales in comparison to this place. The flow of people entering the city here is far greater than that of Menggui City.

Pei Chuyun, who was like a country bumpkin entering the city when she went to Dream City, followed closely behind the "young master" this time, looking left and right.

"Didn't you come to visit the Pei family? Why do you still look like a country bumpkin in the city?" Lu Xingzhou asked without looking at him.

"I went out at night, and I was in a hurry. I didn't explore the area properly, so I'm not familiar with it."

Lu Xingzhou's heart skipped a beat: "Why are you sneaking out at night? You're not saying you can't enter the city directly without a travel permit, are you?"

Pei Chuyun: "...No."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Lu Xingzhou was so angry that he almost jumped off his wheelchair. "Is all you use your mouth for? Either eating oranges or babbling on and on? You've been on the road for almost half a month and you didn't say anything about something so important."

“I forgot.” Pei Chuyun said matter-of-factly, “It is the young master’s responsibility to resolve the maid’s identity issues.”

"Be careful, or I might actually put you in a contract of servitude." Lu Xingzhou said irritably, taking a travel permit from his ring and tossing it over: "Use it for now, and I'll find someone to pull some strings to get you into the city and get you a job as A Yi."

Pei Chuyun looked at it curiously: "Why do you always carry this with you?"

“I used to be an assassin, and I often needed fake identities. I was wondering why your Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect doesn’t have any, since you should have at least as many fake identities as I do…” Lu Xingzhou stroked his chin: “I think they didn’t prepare any for you, which is kind of like restricting your movement. Anyway, don’t tell me it’s because you’re new to the game and they forgot.”

Pei Chuyun frowned.

"Travel permit!" The city gate guards stopped them, and all three of them honestly took out their travel permits, even Anuo had one.

The guards glanced over, but no one cared about Pei Chuyun's share. They all looked at Lu Xingzhou with strange expressions: "You're Lu Xingzhou..."

Then, as if they were looking at a celebrity, several guards surrounded them and stared at them.

Lu Xingzhou was taken aback: "Oh, my fame has spread here?"

The guards all laughed. Of course he was famous. These past few days, the factional strife in the court had been fierce. Grand Tutor Huo was being attacked by Prefect Meng through impeachment, and recently, all sorts of impeachments had been flying into the court like snowflakes, leaving him utterly overwhelmed. Lu Xingzhou's role in this matter, and his suspected identity as Huo Shang, were now known to almost everyone in the capital.

Especially Huo Shang's identity, the power struggle within a wealthy family, the illegitimate son's revenge—it's full of juicy twists. Rumor has it he'll be coming to the Imperial Academy of Alchemy in the capital, and the entire city is practically glued to the screen waiting for his arrival. Some are even betting that with the current situation, he might be too cowardly to come. And now, they've actually seen him in person!
Not only did she not shrink her eggs, but she also brought a pretty little maid with her.

Oh, and there was a child too, but I didn't recognize him.

Lu Xingzhou naturally knew why he was famous, and said with a smile, "Brother Guard, could you tell me how to get to the Sheng family's residence?"

Of course, there were more than one family with the surname Sheng in the capital, but the guards quickly knew who was being referred to, given the question. Someone then pointed the way with a smile: "Miss Sheng heard you were coming a few days ago and even treated us to a pig right at the city gate. It was quite a sight at the city gate."

Lu Xingzhou was taken aback. Gua Mei was sending a message to the capital: "This person is under my protection"...

Although she can't really protect the Huo family—even her father isn't much of a threat—and the Huo family is currently overwhelmed with their own problems and probably can't afford to care about her, it's still commendable that they're willing to stand up for her. Gua Mei is truly loyal!

Upon entering the city, Lu Xingzhou did not go directly to the Sheng family. Instead, he found an inn on a nearby street to settle down.

He had barely moved in when Sheng Yuanyao swept into his courtyard like a gust of wind: "Anuo... eh?"

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Pei Chuyun standing in the courtyard eating an orange. Pei Chuyun blinked her big eyes and looked Sheng Yuanyao up and down.

Sheng Yuanyao's good mood from reuniting with her old friend was almost completely ruined by his gaze. What was with that wary, vixen-like look? Even Shen Tang wasn't wary of me. I'm an innocent and upright woman, who is this vixen?
Anuo jumped out of the house next door and hugged Sheng Yuanyao with both arms: "Sister Yao".

Sheng Yuanyao's mood immediately improved, and she cupped A'nuo's face in her hands and began to rub it: "Look, has it changed in feel? Not bad, not bad, it's even gotten a little plumper, making it easier to rub..."

Ah Nuo, with her short arms, couldn't hold on to anyone and ended up being pinned down and rubbed around first, her eyes filled with resentment.

Sheng Yuanyao leaned close to her ear, winked at Pei Chuyun, and whispered, "Who is this woman? She looks so seductive and doesn't seem like a good person."

Anuo was delighted. Pei Chuyun was dressed as a maid, in a green dress and white skirt, looking like a pure and innocent little cabbage, without any hint of demonic allure. Sister Yao, as expected of someone from the Demon Suppression Division, could see right through the cabbage.

“That’s Sister Ayi, Master’s new maid.” Ah Nuo was secretly pleased, but honestly introduced her, “Sister Ayi, this is Sister Yao from the Demon Suppression Division.”

Pei Chuyun had been sizing her up for a long time before finally saying leisurely, "Commander of the Demon Suppression Division, you've managed to come in like a gust of wind looking for a man quite efficiently..." "?" Sheng Yuanyao was furious: "I clearly called for Anuo when I came in! What do you mean looking for a man? What does Lu Xingzhou have to do with me?"

Pei Chuyun said coolly, "Yes, when men cheat, they also say they're going to see the cat."

Ah Nuo: “…”

Sheng Yuanyao was furious and asked Anuo in a low voice, "Where did you find this clueless maid? She's eating oranges by herself when guests come, and she keeps nagging."

Anuo scratched his head.

Pei Chuyun is a very good actress, and she even rehearsed the whole way... Although they bickered the whole time, it shouldn't have been like this...

Is she really jealous of Sheng Yuanyao? Or is she deliberately playing the role of a jealous maid?
"Ayi." Lu Xingzhou wheeled himself out of the house, his face grim. "Miss Sheng is our honored guest. What are you doing?"

Pei Chuyun sniffled and lowered her head, looking aggrieved.

"Go and make tea for our distinguished guest."

"Oh..." Pei Chuyun obediently went to boil water. Sheng Yuanyao watched her go and laughed in exasperation: "Where did you find this weird maid?"

Lu Xingzhou was also in a bind. He still needed to pull strings with Sheng Yuanyao to get Pei Chuyun an Ayi travel permit, but how could he have offended her so badly right from the start? It shouldn't have happened...

He could only force a smile: "I picked up a homeless person on the street. She doesn't know the rules and hasn't been properly trained yet. Um... she's currently unregistered. Could you help her get an identity?"

Sheng Yuanyao crossed her arms and said, "Oh ho, I thought you were some kind of outsider, but it turns out you're so arrogant even though you need my help. I won't help you."

Lu Xingzhou said with a forced smile, "It's for my sake..."

"Do you think you have a lot of face?" Sheng Yuanyao glanced at him sideways. "Have you forgotten that you're the one who tricked me the most?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "I've heard people from other Demon Suppression Divisions praise you to the skies, and this is how you see me..."

"Commander Jing?"

"Yes."

Sheng Yuanyao was silent for a moment, then sighed: "It's a pity about him... Our family has discussed this matter, talking about what to do if we encounter him in the future. He's a wanted criminal, should we take action?"

"Why set up such a difficult problem? I think he would avoid you if he saw you."

As they spoke, the two sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. Pei Chuyun brought over a teapot and poured tea for Sheng Yuanyao.

Sheng Yuanyao moved aside with a look of disdain.

Pei Chuyun was on the verge of tears: "Miss Sheng, it's all my fault. It's understandable that you're angry with me. Don't blame the young master..."

Sheng Yuanyao stared in disbelief: "No, your tea is quite green, no wonder you're called Ah Lü. Don't pour it out, I'm already full."

Lu Xingzhou almost burst out laughing.

He probably knew what Pei Chuyun was doing. She deliberately offended her so that people wouldn't suspect that she had ulterior motives. After all, someone with ulterior motives would never offend someone right away. Now, even if you beat Sheng Yuanyao to death, she would never think that this was a witch.

But actually, it's not necessary. The little vixen is too tense and doesn't seem very secure.

Pei Chuyun dutifully poured tea, secretly pursing her lips. She knew perfectly well it was unnecessary… but a woman barging in shouting and yelling, and then appearing quite beautiful, suddenly made her feel as if her territory had been invaded, which was extremely unpleasant.

While the offense was partly intentional, it was also partly unintentional.

Sheng Yuanyao was saying, "Giving your green tea bitch an identity is no big deal. The real issue is, why have you become so lecherous and started playing around with the maids?"

"We may be close, but I can still sue you for defamation if you talk nonsense. What did I do wrong?"

"You have nothing to do with her, but she treats me like a major enemy? Don't waste your precious youth on this kind of thing." Sheng Yuanyao slammed her hand on the table in deep sorrow. "There are so many important things to do..."

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "What important business? The Dan Academy assessment is still a while away."

"Hey, if you're planning to mess with the Huo family lately, don't forget to let me know. My entertainment these next few months depends on you, so don't get too caught up in playing with the maids and go back empty-handed!"

"Whether we can notify them in time is hard to say... but I'm wondering if the Huo family will come looking for trouble with me first tonight. Do you want to stay here and watch the show?"

“The Huo family is under the watchful eyes of countless people right now, so they shouldn’t cause you any trouble for the time being,” Sheng Yuanyao said with a smile. “Also, you asked me if I wanted to visit my father because you wanted to. Don’t come. My father said he won’t see me.”

Lu Xingzhou: "...Your dad's such a coward."

“You’re not involved in officialdom, so you don’t know the whirlpools… You can make a mistake in this kind of thing and it could cost your entire family your life, okay?” Sheng Yuanyao patted his shoulder: “Don’t think too much about it. On behalf of an old friend, it’s no problem for me to treat you to a meal to welcome you back. Let’s go, take your little green tea dumpling with you, let’s go eat together.”

(End of this chapter)