Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

"Bring out your best dishes, along with eight cups of fine wine and one jar of green silk wine."

"Green Silk Wine..."

The waiter looked troubled.

"What's wrong? Are you worried I can't afford it?"

"Young master, you misunderstand. Green Silk Wine was once a royal delicacy, but the Green Silk bamboo used to brew it withered and died overnight, and it has disappeared ever since. Only one jar remains in the Demon Market today."

"Bring this jar up."

"Young master, this jar of wine will be auctioned starting at a base price of one hundred bushels of pearls. The highest bidder will win."

With a gentle flick of her sleeves, Cui Luohan revealed several large bags of gold and silver jewelry on the table.

Golden and shimmering.

"enough?"

The waiter swallowed hard: "I will inform the owner that the honored guest will wait a moment."

Huang Quan opened the window of his room and looked out. Various vendors were gathered around the Qiqiao Bridge, and tourists were picking and choosing, making it a lively scene.

"Diyoulou and the restaurants in Kujing seem to be no different."

"Perhaps all restaurants in the world are more or less the same."

Before long, the waiter brought out a table of delicacies, as well as a jar of green silk wine.

But then I saw several large characters engraved on the wine jar.

"This is?"

"The 'yes' lock can only be unlocked before drinking; if it is forcibly opened, the taste of the wine will change."

"Where do all these rules come from? Step back."

"Yes."

boom.

Huang Quan slammed open the wine jar, and instantly the wine splashed out like a pillar, flying high into the air.

But then Huang Quan grabbed the wine column back into the jar with his five fingers, poured out another cup, and slowly drank it.

"It's not flavorful enough."

Cui Luohan covered her mouth and smiled: "The wine may be weak, but the person is strong."

Sure enough, from the pavilion, a beautifully made-up singer emerged, began to sing, and slowly swayed her slender limbs as she danced.

"The wind is gentle and the smoke is light, unafraid of being exiled to the grasslands."

The wild geese tirelessly yearn to soar through the clouds.

The lovelorn fish only wishes to be intoxicated in the water.

Don't let me get stranded...

"Even with such heavy makeup, you're still not as pretty as my wife."

As the two were chatting and laughing, the waiter brought over eight cups of fine wine and introduced, "Honorable guest, you are fortunate today. This is Lu Shu, the top female singer from Diyoulou. She only comes once a month and is extremely rare."

"It seems that not only are restaurants all the same, but the top-tier female escorts are also all the same. The number of times they are offered must be few, but the effect of each offer must be maximized. This is what is meant by 'a rare commodity to be hoarded'."

After Huang Quan's exclamation, Cui Luo Han asked, "I've heard that the Qin player at Di You Lou is also exceptional. Why is there only a singer and no one playing the qin?"

"To be honest, esteemed guest, ever since Qin Ji was presented as a sacrifice, no one has played the boat zither at Diyou Tower."

"The boat zither, may I have a look?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know where the original poster put it."

"I apologize for my presumption."

After the waiter left, the two men knew they had no choice but to wait until night to become thieves.

Huang Quan then tasted the eight small cups of mellow wine. On a tray, there were eight small cups, each with a different flavor: smooth, sweet, clean, refreshing, mellow, rich, pure, and authentic.

Huang Quan then recalled the two couplets he had seen when he entered the building—

"Eight cups of rich, mellow wine, flushed face, spiky hair, and an ugly, intoxicated state."

Before leaving, Luo Hou told him that if he came to the Demon Market again, he should pay attention to the couplets at Di You Lou.

This couplet is indeed strange, but what else is there besides strangeness?

Just as Huang Quan was racking his brains, a familiar person walked into the building, which immediately made Huang Quan's eyes light up.

Deciphering couplets is such a troublesome task, it's better to just leave it to him.

Chapter 311 When two countries are at war, it's all about land and money.

Qian Yuxie entered the Diyou Tower.

Qian Yuxie had been to Tiandu twice, once for a transaction and once to entrust Ruoye Ruying with something. Huang Quan naturally knew him.

Before Qian Yuxie could find a seat, Huang Quan came out of the room and pulled him into his own elegant room.

"Your Excellency, it's true that you can meet someone anywhere in life."

"Huang Quan, and Madam Cui, how could it be you?"

"We came here to buy things, so what brings you to the Strange Vendor Market?"

"Hehehe, I'm also here to buy some items."

Huang Quan naturally didn't believe his nonsense and poured him a cup of Qing Si wine.

Qian Yuxie took a small sip and exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually black silk!"

"You can even tell the difference between these high-end goods? Tell me, what's your connection to the Strange Vendor Market?"

"Back when the Green Silk Bamboo was still around, I visited the Demon Market and drank Green Silk Wine. But it really had nothing to do with the Demon Market."

Huang Quan laughed and said, "Your little servant is in Tiandu, so we can be considered as family. Since we meet in a foreign land, we should naturally cooperate."

Upon hearing Huang Quan mention Ruoye Ruying, Qian Yuxie's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

He took another sip of wine, ignoring Huang Quan, and instead asked Cui Luohan, "Madam has come from afar, what items do you wish to purchase? Perhaps I can offer some assistance."

"We have been entrusted by the Golden Kingdom to purchase a Fengdu Death Band, details are as follows..."

After listening to Cui Luohan's account, Qian Yuxie pondered and said, "The Fengdu Death Hoop was used by the eight people who offered their punishments back then. Could it be that the reason why Prince Heng wants the Fengdu Death Hoop is because of that person?"

"Which person?"

"This story begins with the establishment of the Strange Vendor Market..."

The Demon Market was once a primitive region composed of several tribes. The Dragon Clan's founding emperor, Ancestral Dragon Zhiming, was the head of the Dragon Clan tribes. Later, he was elected as the common ruler by the various tribes, forming the first imperial rule of the Demon Market.

Soon after, chaos struck, and the royal family of the Demon Market personally led an expedition to wage an unprecedented war against the forbidden beings of the Sin Domain.

Long Zhiming used the power of the Primordial Combinations—the Heavenly Emperor's Combination and the Heavenly King's Combination—to severely injure and render unconscious the chief sinner of the Sin Domain, while also suffering severe injuries himself.

Before his death, Long Zhiming passed the Kaiten Emperor's Decree and the throne to his eldest son, Long Yi, who became the Second Kaiten Emperor, while the Yingtian King's Decree and military power were given to his second son, Long Jian, who became a regent.

Under the instigation of certain individuals, Long Yi gradually became suspicious of Long Jian and demanded the return of military power from his brother. Long Jian refused to relinquish it due to his father's dying wish.

Finally, Long Yi, on charges of treason, led his generals to capture Long Jian, cast the Blood Branding Curse, and sealed him with a cobalt gold seal, sentencing him to death and imprisoning him forever in the abyss of the Sea of ​​Death.

Several years later, Long Yi was assassinated and died. Pan Shenji, a member of a collateral branch of the Long clan, succeeded him and became the current Emperor Hui.

"It's just brothers killing each other, while others benefit. If I'm not mistaken, the current Emperor Hui has played a significant role in the internal strife between Long Yi and Long Jian. Perhaps he was the one who orchestrated Long Yi's assassination."

The story that Huang Quan comes from the royal family of the Moon Clan is something we've seen countless times.

It's normal for royal brothers to fight each other; the fact that these three brothers love each other so much is an anomaly.

"Ah."

"Let's continue with the origin of the Fengdu Dead Hoop."

"Long Jian set a cruel precedent for this kind of execution. A few years later, the Demon Market held another execution, this time for eight criminals who were put on the Fengdu Death Band."

Gui Fang Chi Ming: Under the dual stimulation of misunderstanding and jealousy, Bi Feng Jun held a banquet and used poisoned wine to dissipate Chi Ming's vital energy. In order to avoid the backlash of the sworn brotherhood, Bi Feng Jun took Chi Ming to the demon market to be executed.

Yi Qingqiu: To avenge his father, he conspired with Pan Shenji (who was then the villainous leader of the Huizai sect) and Ao Yin (the leader of the Dulou sect) to assassinate Emperor Kaitian II. After the assassination succeeded, Pan Shenji betrayed him and made him a scapegoat, crippling his tendons and rendering him a public offering.

Long Xia: To avenge his mentor and imperial uncle Long Jian, he conspired with other righteous men to assassinate Emperor Kaiten II, but was betrayed by his accomplices and captured, and sentenced to be presented as a sacrifice.

Qin Ji: He killed someone with his zither music for the last time at Diyou Tower, but also killed his beloved oil seller Qin Chongpu. He then surrendered himself and was executed by offering.

Elegy of the Wind: As a child, he was framed and bullied by his stepmother, which led to him being convicted of possessing the most prohibited item in the demon market, the Jade Root.

Chan Meng: Because Chi Ming killed the source of the nightmare for him and taught him martial arts, so that Chan Meng would no longer be bullied, Chan Meng served Chi Ming as his master and regarded him as his life. Even on the day Chi Ming performed the execution, he accompanied him through life and death.

Tsou Tzu-hsuan: In order to save Tsou Meng who was imprisoned, he killed several monster hunters. In the end, the rescue failed and he was sentenced to death.

Qian Yuxie would naturally not reveal that these seven people were the later Seven Red Crowns, nor would he reveal that he himself was Yi Qingqiu, the unlucky fellow who killed Long Yi and was betrayed by the current Emperor Hui.

As the eight men were being executed, a storm arose just as they approached the vortex of death. Seven of them were swept into the deep-sea vortex, while the third man's death band broke off and sank outside the vortex.

"The eighth death row inmate was named Ouyang Shuo. I remember he was a businessman from the Jin'ou Celestial Empire. His crime was theft."

"theft?"

"The person who reported him is Yao Kunbi, the former owner of Diyoulou, and the two owners of Chengshishangdian. You can follow this lead to investigate."

Huang Quan pondered for a moment: "It seems that after completing the transaction with Cheng Shi Shang Dian, I will need to have a deeper discussion with the tree demon. Do you have any clues about the Four Sick Boat Qin?"

Qian Yuxie smiled: "The owner of the Four Sick Boat Zither is one of the eight prisoners who were executed. The Fengdu Death Hoop, the Four Sick Boat Zither, interesting. It seems that someone is already planning everything in secret."

This unexpected meeting provided Huang Quan and Qian Yuxie with many clues.

"Huang Quan, Madam Cui, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. Also, I have one more thing to say: the demon market army must not be allowed to enter the Golden Ou Heavenly Dynasty, because the ambition of the Divine Punishment is the Bitter Realm."

"You mean the Demon Market will use the Golden Ou Heavenly Dynasty to invade the Bitter Realm? Hahaha, then let's bring it on, first we'll have to get past Grandpa Yellow Springs!"

"Please."

“I also have a secret to tell you. The couplet at the entrance of Diyou Tower is quite important. This was said by Wu Jun himself.”

Qian Yuxie immediately became serious: "Thank you."

Huang Quan saw that Qian Yuxie had indeed run to the front of the building to examine the couplets, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.