Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 78 Immortal Fairy

Chen Qing silently took a step back and looked up at the woman in the tent in front of him.

Having traveled together for over ten days, Chen Qing naturally paid attention to the women from the Qinhuai River that the chubby boy had mentioned.

The Qinhuai River in Yingtian was a place of pleasure.

These places of entertainment are not the same as brothels; they are more like platforms for creating idols.

Among the women who became famous in the Qinhuai River, some were forced to sleep with noblemen, but there were also women who remained virgins until they left the Qinhuai River.

In other words, you don't necessarily have to go to bed in that place.

These women from the Qinhuai River region are often like the elite of the world; without some ability, it's difficult to bring them home, no matter how much money you have.

Chen Qing initially assumed that a member of the royal family in the capital had taken a liking to her and had the chubby boy bring her to the capital. Therefore, he kept his distance from her the whole way, and the two of them didn't even exchange a single word.

However, at this moment, Chen Qing clearly sensed that something was wrong.

The woman from the Qinhuai River that Prince Jiang mentioned seems... not to have been forced to go to the capital.
After taking two steps back, he shook his head and said, "Miss, it's getting late. It's not convenient for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together. I'll head back now."

The woman looked at Chen Qing and said with a smile, "Aren't you two, young master and Miss Gu, also a man and a woman alone together? You've been spending every day in the same room along the way."

As she spoke, she stepped out of the tent, her slender waist swaying in the wind, her graceful figure evident even through her thick winter clothes.

The woman wore a veil, but her peach blossom eyes were visible. She looked at Chen Qing and said softly with a smile, "Young master, don't overthink it."

"The Seventh Master of Deqing said that The Romance of the Western Chamber is very famous. That day in Deqing, you men gathered together to drink, and I went to listen to a performance of The Romance of the Western Chamber."

"After listening to it, I burst into tears."

At this point, she looked at Chen Qing with a hint of sorrow in her eyes: "After the show, I spoke with Mr. Qi and learned that the Romance of the Western Chamber was written by you, Young Master Chen."

Chen Qing took another step back. He was silent for a moment before speaking, "Seventh Master doesn't easily talk about these things. He has been telling stories in Deqing for so long, but few local people know who wrote The Romance of the Western Chamber."

The woman paused in surprise upon hearing this, and looked at Chen Qing with a smile, saying, "Young master is indeed meticulous. No wonder you have so many vivid characters and so much love and hate in your writing."

She sighed softly and said, "My surname is Mu, and my given name is Ziran."

Seeing that Chen Qing was still retreating, she did not move forward. She simply smiled softly and said, "Young master, there is no need to be afraid. A weak woman like me cannot eat people."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Once you arrive in the capital, we might meet again someday."

After saying that, she turned and went back to her tent. Before entering the tent, she looked back at Chen Qing with a smile in her eyes: "Thank you for the charcoal, young master."

Chen Qing cupped his hands in greeting, and without further ado, turned and went back to his tent.

After entering the tent, Miss Gu was already adding charcoal to the stove. Seeing that Chen Qing's forehead was covered in sweat, Miss Gu looked outside and asked curiously, "What's wrong with Da Lang?"

Chen Qing was silent for a moment, then frowned and said, "It seems you've gotten yourself into some trouble."

He closed his eyes to calm himself down, then looked at Gu Pan and asked, "Pan'er, do you know that there is a famous courtesan named Mu Ziran on the Qinhuai River in Yingtian?"

Gu Pan thought for a moment, then nodded gently: "I know."

Chen Qing looked at her and said with a smile, "Pan'er actually knows these things?"

“The Qinhuai River produces famous courtesans every year. I don’t live in Yingtian, so I don’t know about the famous courtesans that have emerged in recent years, but I have heard of this Mu Ziran that you mentioned many times.”

She looked at Chen Qing and said, "This Mu Ziran is said to be almost fifty years old this year."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing frowned deeply and shook his head: "Impossible. I just saw her. The woman who called herself Mu Ziran was at most in her early twenties."

"That's why she's famous."

Gu Pan looked at Chen Qing and said softly, "More than twenty years ago, there was a person like this on the Qinhuai River. She was quite famous. Over the past twenty years, she has appeared on the Qinhuai River from time to time, yet she still looks young."

"The people of Yingtian have all witnessed this with their own eyes."

Miss Gu paused here, then continued,

"When she met people on the Qinhuai River, she often wore a Taoist robe and dressed as a female Taoist priest. Many people spread rumors behind her back that she had achieved great success in Taoist cultivation, so she also had a nickname."

Gu Pan looked at Chen Qing and said, "Call me Fairy."

"Mu Xianniang..." Chen Qing read it aloud, his gaze flickering slightly.

Gu Pan poured Chen Qing a glass of water and continued, "Dà Láng said earlier that a woman from the Qinhuai River was coming to the capital with us. I thought she was some nobleman in the capital who wanted to take a concubine. Now it seems that the reason for inviting this fairy lady over is to ask her about the methods of longevity."

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes.

"Is this Lady Mu untouched by the world of prostitution?"

Gu Pan thought for a moment and then said, "It is said that he always wears no makeup when he meets people, and that he speaks eloquently."

Chen Qing took a deep breath.

Just now, that Mu Xianniang was calling me "this humble servant" repeatedly in front of me, and her tone and demeanor were full of coquetry.

He doesn't seem like some kind of deity.

Moreover, he could tell that the woman he had just seen was definitely not someone in her fifties; she looked to be eighteen or nineteen, at most in her twenties.

Some things cannot be faked.

What's more, during this time he learned that the White Lotus Sect often had this image in the folk: frequently engaging in superstitious activities and pretending to be supernatural to increase their influence among the people.

This "ageless fairy" is practically the perfect template for the White Lotus Sect!
Now that this ageless fairy is about to enter the capital, it suggests that this mysterious folk religion may be using her to launch activities in the capital or expand its influence among the capital's elite circles.

If one can truly cultivate a group of "believers" within the circles of high-ranking officials and dignitaries, it will be much easier to do whatever one wants in the future.

"The Ageless Fairy".

Chen Qing lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and gave a slight, cold laugh.

Gu Pan looked at Chen Qing and said seriously, "This matter should be true. My father used to go to Yingtian often, and he also told me about Mu Xianniang."

Chen Qing put down his teacup and said calmly, "This kind of thing isn't difficult to fake. This Mu Xianniang who's traveling with us might be the nth generation of Mu Xianniang."

At this point, Chen Qing stopped talking and said quietly, "Forget it, let's not interfere in their affairs. In a few more days, we'll be in the capital. Once we're there, we just need to be with the Prince of Zhou. As for the others, they're none of our business."

Although he had never actually come into contact with the White Lotus Sect, he had heard of it for a long time, and Chen Qing's current thought was naturally to keep his distance.

After all, he had learned a bit about the White Lotus Cult in this world during this time.

This is an extremely large organization, with numerous factions and sectarian groups within it.

Most of them are not good things.

Gu Pan glanced at Chen Qing, then lowered her head and did some calculations.

"If there is no rain or snow, we can reach the capital in four or five days. Then we can ask the young master for a place to stay and go find our father."

She looked at Chen Qing and sighed softly, "I wonder how Father is doing these past few months in the capital."

Chen Qing gradually calmed down and smiled at Gu Pan.

"We'll find out soon."

…………

The weather was kind to us; the next few days were sunny. Although it was still very cold, it didn't affect our journey.

Four days later, in the afternoon, the group finally arrived at the city gate of the capital. The chubby boy was the first to jump off the carriage, and looked back at Chen Qing, who had also gotten off the carriage, with his hands on his hips.

"This is the capital city, it's much bigger than your Huzhou, isn't it?"

Chen Qing was also looking up at the capital city at this moment, and upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "It is much bigger."

The chubby boy shook his head and sighed, "It's much bigger than our Bianzhou."

"Let's go."

He waved his hand: "If we get into the city sooner, we can stay at the Zong Mansion. If we stay any later, we'll be sleeping on the streets!"

(End of this chapter)