Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

Then, looking up and around, my gaze bypassed the crowds and figures, and I saw another tall building with an imposing and spacious appearance.

The pavilion has red walls and green tiles, with flying eaves and brackets. Red lanterns hang down from the eaves like a string of candied hawthorns. The walls are carved with cloud and crane patterns. Its size is comparable to four other pavilions in the surrounding area. Even in the bustling Qin Xie Lane in the capital, it is quite eye-catching.

Xi Heng happened to stop in front of this tall pavilion. Before him was the plaque of the building, with three large characters as blue as jade.

"Hua Manlou..."

She looked around and saw strangely shaped rocks, as well as bamboo and spring water decorating the restaurant, but only a small cluster of flowers.

"There aren't many flowers," she casually remarked, but then she noticed a large "Yan" character above the flowerbed.

Xi Heng blinked.

At this moment, the guards in front of the pavilion noticed that she had been standing there for quite some time. They approached and asked if she was going to enter the pavilion. They also mentioned that today was a gathering of some mansion and the Qian and Sun families, and asked if she had an invitation or something similar...

Xi Heng pressed his temples and raised his hand to stop the other person from continuing to speak.

"Is this the Yan family's restaurant?" she asked.

The burly guard frowned slightly: "Indeed! What instructions do you have for me?"

The other party seemed quite sensitive to this, and Xi Heng felt a hostility as soon as he spoke.

"Nothing to advise you on." She waved her hand casually, and with her left hand she lightly hooked a jade pendant at her waist and held it between her fingers: "This is a token given to me by the Yan family. It is said that I can be treated as an honored guest."

The guard examined the situation carefully, but because of his lowly status, he could not make a decision on his own. So, Chao Xiheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and fetch Steward Lou."

"Mm." Xi Heng nodded casually. She had been gone for so long, a little longer wouldn't make a difference.

The guard turned and went into the pavilion. Not long after, he brought out an old man with gray hair, but still standing tall and maintaining a certain demeanor.

Before the old man even got close, he saw the jade pendant, rubbed his eyes, and hurried over.

"Yes... that's right."

After examining it carefully, the old man bowed and said, "The jade token in your hand is a precious token of my clan. With this jade token, you are a distinguished guest of our Flower Pavilion. Please follow me."

"It actually works!" Xi Heng muttered to himself as he followed the other person into the tall attic.

Upon entering, you'll first see two covered walkways on the left and right. In the middle, a small stone bridge stands over an indoor lotus pond. The lotus flowers and leaves appear to be sewn from pieces of cloth, with a layer of wax applied to prevent them from getting wet.

After crossing the stone bridge, a sandalwood screen carved with flowers and birds stands in front of the main hall. Behind the screen is a spacious hall filled with round tables of various sizes, and a stage at the far end.

As Xi Heng surveyed the surrounding scenery, the elderly man who appeared to be an official in front of him asked:

"Are you here to see Miss Yan?"

"Miss Yan?" Xi Heng casually repeated the four words.

She wasn't really paying attention to the conversation; she was more drawn to her surroundings and wanted to take a closer look.

“Miss Yan Hongji is the eldest daughter of our Yan family in this generation. Most of the family's businesses are now managed under her management,” the old man explained. “The token in your hand belongs to the eldest daughter.”

"Oh." Xi Heng thought for a moment and replied, "I guess I am looking for her, but since I'm new to the capital, I'd like to settle down first."

“That’s easy.” The other party nodded: “Whether you want to stay at Flower Pavilion or find a quiet courtyard in the city, we can help you.”

"Can I stay here?"

Xi Heng was quite satisfied with the entire pavilion environment, and the room furnishings must be quite exquisite... It was a good choice.

"You may do as you wish, but the Flower Pavilion usually stays open until late at night. If you are used to going to bed early, you may be disturbed by the noise from downstairs," the old man reminded him.

As a martial artist who has achieved the Great Perfection of Ming Jin, Xi Heng has a fairly good control over his body. As long as he is not in a state of emotional agitation, he can fall asleep whenever he wants.

What she cared about more was this: "How much is the monthly rent?"

"..." For some reason, the old official suddenly stopped talking.

He silently observed Xi Heng's appearance for a while, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then said:

"You are a distinguished guest of the Yan family. How can we ask our distinguished guest for gold and silver?"

"It would be even better if it were free." Xi Heng didn't stand on ceremony: "Take me to a room."

"Yes……"

The building manager led Xi Heng up to the third floor, past several halls and rooms, until they arrived at a mahogany door.

The doorman's room was open, and the first things that came into view were an exquisite embroidered red carpet, an eight-immortal table, and a counter with vases, tea sets, porcelain powder boxes, and various neatly arranged dressing utensils.

A light fragrance filled the room, resembling both floral and milky scents, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

The girl stepped inside and saw a four-poster bed with a red curtain on it, the bedding embroidered with clusters of flowers.

"Not bad." Xi Heng was quite satisfied with the room's exquisite layout and fine objects.

There's only one slight inconvenience: if you stay here, you'll have to find another place to practice martial arts.

It doesn't matter much, I can just ask again.

“I may need to practice swordsmanship from time to time in the future. It is said that women in the capital are not allowed to practice martial arts. Should we find a secluded place?” Xi Heng asked, turning around.

"This regulation was only strictly enforced a few years ago. Recently, the government has been more lenient in its management of women of some status, such as daughters of wealthy families and descendants of martial arts schools. They just turn a blind eye." The old man waved his hand: "If you need, you can practice martial arts in the backyard."

"I see." Xi Heng nodded.

It's good that the government isn't too strict.

She also had one last question: "As a martial artist who has reached the Great Perfection of Ming Jin, how do I usually acquire money?"

"Mastery of Ming Jin?" The old man seemed quite interested in this.

"Ah."

"Martial artists who have reached the peak of Ming Jin are already at the pinnacle of ordinary martial arts, possessing extraordinary strength. As long as you have this ambition, you can easily obtain silver in the capital with just a wave of your hand." The other party said, "Whether it's becoming a guest of the various families or joining various gangs, it's all a viable path..."

He added:

"If you wish to do some work, how about becoming a retainer in our Yan family? You already possess our token, making you one of our own. Why not take this opportunity to advance your career further?"

"What does Qingke want to do?" Xi Heng really didn't know much about this.

The old man paused there, as if he couldn't find a specific answer for the time being.

After a moment, seeing Xi Heng's suspicious gaze, he finally spoke:

"They are mostly talents recruited by various families to advise on clan affairs or to do favors..." He hesitated with an uncertain tone, "If martial artists are used as guest advisors, they are mostly used to decorate the facade and deter villains."

"Is it just for decoration?"

This sounds like an easy, cushy job where you don't do anything productive.

"If there are any important matters, we will still need your assistance," the other party added.

"How much is the monthly salary?"

"Our Yan family usually pays two hundred taels of silver a month to a master of the Ming Jin Great Completion level." Since the other party had the Yan family's token, Steward Lou stopped making empty promises and trying to entice them.

“So much.” Xi Heng blinked. She had lived in the Red Thread Sword Academy for two years and hadn’t spent more than two hundred taels of silver during that time.

Now that my martial arts have reached the peak of the Ming Jin level, I can easily find a place in the capital and earn a monthly salary of two hundred taels of silver.

However, it's also possible that the Yan family is quite wealthy, which is why they set such a high price...

Xi Heng looked around at the surrounding environment. Such a large restaurant was not something an ordinary family could afford to run.

No wonder she's her junior sister.

However, even though the other party offered a high price, Xi Heng was not in a hurry to agree.

"Hmm... let me rest here for a few days first, and then I'll decide whether or not I want to become a courtier or something," the girl said, waving her hand.

She had gone through a lot of trouble to get to the capital, and now that she had finally found a place to stay, she needed to rest well first, no matter what she was going to do next.

"I will do as you say, sir." The steward was understanding. "I will take my leave now. If you need anything, you can call the maids in the corridor."

"Okay, okay." Xi Heng yawned and said nonchalantly, "Could you please bring out some simple food now?"

The old man nodded and bowed, then left the place first.

Before long, several plates of delicious-looking stir-fried dishes and snacks were brought into the room by three or four maids.

Several maids asked Xi Heng if she would like some singing, dancing, or playing instruments to entertain her, which immediately reminded her of the palace singing and dancing she had seen in the Sijia Palace before her death in her previous life. She immediately waved her hand and refused.

After they left, Xi Heng sat on the spacious balcony, quietly watching the bustling city of Qin Xie Lane below, slowly savoring the delicious food.

One day passed.

After getting enough rest.

Xi Heng handed the dusty martial arts outfit he had brought to a maid to wash, and changed into a bright red dress with a dark cloak with golden butterflies embroidered on the cuffs. He then tied his hair up with a silver hairpin.

When she looked in the mirror, she transformed from a seasoned and unrestrained female warrior into a young lady from a wealthy family in the capital.

Xi Heng suddenly felt like changing her clothes and dressing up. As she slowly did her makeup in front of the mirror, she heard several gongs clanging downstairs.

Amid the fierce argument, several rough voices shouted, mostly uttering vulgar and offensive language.

Xi Heng, who was upstairs, frowned and waited for a while, but the noise continued for a long time.

She slowly put down the comb in her hand and went to the balcony to look down.

Then a group of young men dressed in dark brown clothes stood in front of the Flower Pavilion, shouting and making noise into the building.

It seems they came here on purpose to cause trouble.

……

Chapter Thirty-Three: Imperial Nobles

The Yan family's property, with flowers blooming in front of the building.

A group of neatly dressed, seemingly organized and disciplined brown-clad men, unlike the scattered hooligans, surrounded the huge pavilion, banging gongs and drums, shouting into the Flower-Filled Pavilion, adding a touch of filth and chaos to the once bustling and beautiful Qin Xie Alley.

The two guards in front of the building tried to shout for them to disperse, but the group clearly wouldn't back down.

Even if the guards went forward, they would be surrounded by thugs. The disparity in numbers made the guards of Hua Man Lou afraid to take action, so they had to notify the steward of the building first.

A moment later, the building manager also rushed over because of the noise, but he didn't have many strong men with him and couldn't get rid of these hooligans, so he had to first ask them in the calmest way why they were disturbing the peace.

Most people in the capital are reasonable. Even if someone is deliberately trying to interfere with business, they should first find an excuse and not make baseless accusations.

Even this group of scoundrels said the same thing: a gambler who owed money had taken refuge in the Flower Pavilion, and they had to make a scene here to force him out.

However, if asked to name and describe the gambler, their descriptions become extremely vague and contradictory. First, they say he is a thin scholar dressed in white who likes to drink, then they say he is a martial artist dressed in tight-fitting clothes with thin eyebrows and narrow eyes who often uses a sword. Their statements are inconsistent and cannot be explained at all.

The leader of the group, who was banging the gong, declared confidently: "If Hua Manlou doesn't hand over the person today and insists on protecting that debtor, they won't leave."

But how could they possibly find such a vague and unclear person? The situation thus reached a stalemate.

The sounds of gongs and drums continued to ring out in front of the attic, and business inside the building was also affected. The once bustling first-floor living room was now empty at mealtimes, with only a handful of people in it.

Xi Heng watched from upstairs for a long time, and only felt annoyed.

She assumed that the Yan family, like other large families, must have a large number of thugs who would arrive soon to deal with the trouble.

But after waiting for so long, no one has come to help.

"Is it because the Yan family lives too far away, and the family's thugs have to travel for a long time? Or have they fallen so low that they can't even afford to support their thugs..." Xi Heng turned around and went back into the room.

He picked up his sheathed longsword, which was covered in wear and tear and nicks, and went downstairs to deal with the situation himself.

The group of scoundrels below ruined her mood for getting ready today. In the past two months, any bandits who had affected her mood had all met a dead end.

However, being in the somewhat orderly capital city, Xi Heng planned to restrain her murderous intent... She did not want to be targeted by the capital's officials any longer.

"And while I'm at it, I'll also help Yan Hongji resolve the troubles with her family's business." Xi Heng muttered to himself as he went downstairs.

The maids in the pavilion seemed unfazed by what had happened that day, and were still working silently in their respective positions.

As Xi Heng passed by a long corridor, he asked one of the older maids:

Is this kind of thing common outside?

"Sir, you're asking... Sigh, this hasn't happened in the past few years, but in recent months, these bastards have been coming to make a scene every few days." The other party clearly showed a helpless expression.

"Even if the young lady gets someone to drive them away, they will soon emerge from all directions again."

"No one reported it to the authorities?"

The other party shook his head: "Which powerful family behind them bribed the government? And since no one was murdered, why would the government care? Even if they send someone, it'll just be for show..."

"Is it okay as long as no one dies?" Xi Heng asked thoughtfully.

After simply walking around a few layers of mahogany stairs and through a long corridor, we arrived at the entrance of Hua Man Lou and saw the appearance of this group of brown-clad scoundrels.

The elderly building manager, seeing Xi Heng walk out, had a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.