novelraw Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25: What They Saw While Dining Out
Fortunately, Lin Su had never liked elaborate makeup. She only applied a light touch of powder before stepping out.
Lin Bai immediately perked up and sprang to his feet, striking a dramatic “let’s go” pose before sweeping a hand toward Lin Su and Mo Ling.
“Elder Sister, Little Ling, let’s go!”
“Caw, caw~”
Mo Ling was very cooperative and chirped along, while Lin Su also nodded with a smile.
Thus, Lin Bai set out in high spirits with Lin Su and Mo Ling.
Unfortunately, before they had even truly gotten started, disaster struck. The moment Lin Bai stepped out of Benevolent Heart Hall, he realized he did not know the way.
He immediately began pretending to remain calm, glancing left and right in an attempt to find some sense of direction amid the unfamiliar streets.
Watching him act like this from the side, Lin Su could not help covering her mouth and laughing softly. Then, with helpless amusement, she patted him on the head.
“How can someone invite others out to eat without even knowing where the place is?”
When Lin Bai heard that, his face reddened at once, and he protested, “I do know! Drunken Fragrance Tower is near our market district.”
“Oh? Then you lead the way.”
Lin Bai instantly fell silent. He could only try to move Lin Su with a pitiful look that said, Please let me off, and Stop talking already.
Unfortunately, Lin Su remained unmoved and met Lin Bai’s gaze with a heart of stone.
Having no other choice, Lin Bai could only surrender.
“All right, Elder Sister, I don’t know where it is. Please stop making this hard for me.”
Having obtained the answer she wanted, Lin Su was fully satisfied. She waved a hand, signaling for Lin Bai to follow her.
Lin Bai trailed after her, pretending to sulk.
But after a short while, he could not keep it up any longer. Lin Su knew Lin Bai far too well and had never had any intention of coaxing him in the first place.
Lin Bai rarely went out to stroll through the night market. Whether in his previous life or this one, he had always had something of a homebody streak.
In his previous life, it had been because of games and work. In this life, it was because he was busy improving his strength.
Still, Lin Bai liked the life he lived, both then and now.
The only pity was that in both lives, he had been troubled by money.
Spirit Stones, ah, Spirit Stones. You really do torment a man.
The scale of Yunmeng City’s market far exceeded his imagination.
At night, it became even more full of flavor. Apart from the areas surrounding the territories of the major powers, every corner was filled with hawkers crying out their wares, and every one of them was advertising things supposedly beneficial to cultivation.
Flying Wontons, Calming Lotus Seed Soup, Breakthrough Jujube Cake.
Take the Calming Lotus Seed Soup, for example. As the two humans and one bird passed by, they heard the vendor loudly proclaiming that this stuff could effectively prevent Heart Demons.
That vendor really dared to say anything. He was not even afraid that someone might overturn his stall.
If that thing could truly prevent Heart Demons, then the vendor should have been respectfully invited to some grand restaurant in the prefectural capital long ago.
Still, you got what you paid for. The people buying it here were probably just doing it for fun.
Under normal circumstances, Lin Bai really would have stayed to try it. But today he was on his way to a proper feast.
At this point, a bit of explanation was needed regarding Drunken Fragrance Tower. It was run by the Jade Hall Society, one of the three great gangs of Yunmeng City, with the support of the city’s three major families behind it.
Branches of Drunken Fragrance Tower were spread throughout Yunmeng City. As for the main establishment, it was more like an invitation-only restaurant, a place only the true great figures of Yunmeng City could enter.
The one Lin Bai and the others were going to now was the Drunken Fragrance Tower branch in the market district. It could not compare to the main establishment, but it still served Extraordinary-Realm spirit cuisine.
Before long, they arrived.
Drunken Fragrance Tower was a five-story building in an ancient style, with red walls and golden tiles, occupying an enormous area with doors on all four sides. The moment they stepped into the main hall, they were greeted by a roaring sea of voices.
There were ordinary townsfolk gathering for meals, Martial Artists who had just returned from escort work, and young scholars drinking wine and reciting poetry... all manner of people from every walk of life had gathered under one roof.
The crowd was a chaotic mix, and all sorts of voices rang out without end.
“Fourth Brother, you’re still alive, huh? How much money can escort work even make? You’d be better off doing business with your big brother here.”
“Brother Wu, I wonder how our academy assessment will turn out this year.”
“Everyone, eat well and drink well. It wasn’t easy to finish this job. Tomorrow I’ll host again!”
“Heh heh, Father, Mother, you two are happy today, aren’t you? Your son successfully awakened! Didn’t I bring honor to you out there today?”
Faced with all these facets of life, Lin Bai felt even more deeply moved.
The moment Lin Bai arrived in the main hall, a sharp-eyed waiter came right up to him.
“Two honored guests, which floor would you like to go to?”
That immediately piqued Lin Bai’s interest.
“What’s the difference?”
The waiter explained at once.
“Honored guest, our Drunken Fragrance Tower has five floors. The first through third floors are open hall seating, while the fourth and fifth floors are private rooms that require advance reservation.”
“And what’s the difference between the first three floors?”
Lin Bai asked this because the fourth and fifth floors were clearly out of reach. Since those required reservations, he might as well find out what distinguished the lower three floors.
“The first floor is the main hall as you see it now. On the second floor, the tables are spaced farther apart. On the third floor, there are screens to shield you from view.”
“Of course, the second floor costs one extra tael of gold, and the third floor costs three taels, so which floor would you like, honored guest?”
Lin Bai thought for a moment and decided on the second floor.
After all, they had come out to dine at a restaurant. The whole point was to enjoy this atmosphere.
If he had wanted a few people to eat quietly, why would he not simply have had food bought and brought back to the courtyard?
“Elder Sister, what do you think of the second floor? We might even hear some recent news from Yunmeng City.”
Lin Su nodded. In truth, she found the idea rather interesting as well.
She liked peace and did not enjoy going out, but that did not mean she had no interest in lively scenes. She was only eighteen, after all. She had not reached the detached state of caring for nothing under heaven.
Seeing his sister agree, Lin Bai made the decision on the spot.
“Waiter, the second floor it is. Find us a good seat while you’re at it.”
“Right away, honored guests. Please follow me.”
The staircase had a rare spiral design. The second floor overlooked the bustling first floor through an open center, but the noise had been softened considerably by formations. After all, that extra tael of gold had not been spent for nothing.
This waiter was quite conscientious. He found them a good seat near the window, from which they could also turn and look down onto the first floor.
After guiding them there, the waiter prepared to withdraw, since he was, after all, a first-floor attendant.
Lin Bai found him pleasing to the eye, and since he had found them a good spot as well, Lin Bai tossed him a few taels of silver as a tip.
“Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!”
The waiter withdrew, thinking to himself, As expected of scions from a powerful family. If you do your job well, there really are tips to be had.
In truth, the moment Lin Bai and Lin Su had walked in, the waiter had already understood that these two were either rich or noble.
They were both extremely young, but their bearing clearly set them apart from ordinary people, so he had very perceptively gone to serve them.
And now look at the result. He had served these two attentively and earned several taels of silver.
The dishes at Drunken Fragrance Tower might be expensive, but attendants like him only earned around three to five taels of silver a month.
The silver Lin Bai had just given him was roughly equal to an entire month’s wages.
As for Lin Bai himself, after giving the money, he paid it no mind at all. It was only a few taels of silver. Since the waiter had been pleasant to deal with and had provided good service, then so be it. It was nothing worth mentioning.
Now Lin Bai picked up the menu and began discussing with Lin Su and Mo Ling what they should order.
Well, mostly with Lin Su.
Mo Ling was an illiterate bird and could not read the words on the menu.
In the end, Lin Bai and Lin Su ordered a whole table full of rich dishes, while Mo Ling randomly pointed at a stir-fried meat dish.
None of it was cheap. Quite a few of the dishes were made from Transcendent-Realm Demonic Beasts.
But Lin Bai had already figured it out.
Money was a bastard. If it was gone, he would just earn more.
Besides, how could spending money on offerings to one’s own stomach and internal organs possibly count as wasteful?
After summoning a second-floor server to place their order, Lin Bai began waiting for the food.
At that moment, Lin Su seemed to notice something odd. After that, she kept staring at Lin Bai’s face.
Her staring made Lin Bai feel a little depressed again, and he could not help asking, “Sis, is there something on my face? Why do you keep staring at me?”
“Nothing. I just feel that you’re different today from how you usually are.”
Because Lin Su knew Lin Bai so well, she had noticed the difference caused by the breakthrough in his state of mind.
“Oh, that. I just figured some things out today.”
Hearing that, Lin Su became even more surprised, because a possibility had occurred to her.
Without making a sound, she mouthed a question silently to Lin Bai.
“Perceptual Hindrance?”
Lin Bai nodded.
Seeing him confirm it, Lin Su was genuinely shocked.
Anyone who cultivated for long enough would definitely encounter Perceptual Hindrances. Lin Su herself had them, and not just one.
But simply knowing whether one had a Perceptual Hindrance was not especially useful. What mattered more was whether one could resolve it.
Knowing and letting go were two entirely different things.
There was even a rumor that the barrier between the Transcension Realm and the Rebirth Realm became easier to break if one had resolved a Perceptual Hindrance before reaching that point.
Her younger brother had been cultivating for less than a month. Not only had his realm risen at astonishing speed, but he had even resolved a Perceptual Hindrance in terms of his state of mind.
At the same time, Lin Su was happy for him.
This meant Lin Bai was also a genius in matters of mentality and heart. Some people advanced quickly in cultivation, only to collapse into frustration and ruin the moment they met a setback.
Lin Su also felt that one of her own knots of the heart, one of her own Perceptual Hindrances, seemed close to loosening.
This made her even happier.
After learning the reason, Lin Su did not ask for the details. Instead, she tactfully changed the subject.
She began talking about Lin Bai’s upcoming days at Martial Academy.
The food at Drunken Fragrance Tower arrived quickly. Lin Bai and Lin Su ate and chatted, occasionally picking up pieces of meat to feed Mo Ling.
Just as the siblings were about halfway through their meal,
a considerable commotion rose from the first-floor hall of Drunken Fragrance Tower, accompanied by loud arguing.
Curious, Lin Bai turned his head and looked down, only to see two groups confronting one another.
One group was made up of Drunken Fragrance Tower’s guards. The other wore black brocade uniforms embroidered with flying eagles. They were members of the Mountain Patrol Hall.
A steward in blue robes, who looked to be in his forties, asked the leading man opposite him with a dark expression, “Zhao Sanhou, what do you mean by this? Is your Mountain Patrol Hall planning to go to war with our Jade Hall Society?”
The opposing leader, Zhao Sanhou, ignored the blue-robed steward. Seeing that the people on the first and second floors had all turned to watch curiously, he clasped his fists in a Jianghu salute and shouted loudly, “Everyone, please forgive the disturbance. I, Zhao Sanhou, have no choice but to ruin your enjoyment today. Drunken Fragrance Tower grew jealous of the business of our Three Treasures Tower and actually caused the death of my Three Treasures Tower’s head chef! I came here today seeking nothing but justice!”
The blue-robed steward opposite him let out several cold laughs before also shouting loudly, “Esteemed guests, Three Treasures Tower counts for nothing. Everyone in Yunmeng City knows that our Drunken Fragrance Tower is the true number one. What is Three Treasures Tower, that we should envy it? This monkey over there is simply putting on a monkey show and slandering us with false accusations!”
“Oh? I’m making false accusations? Do you dare confront me face-to-face?”
“Hmph. Why wouldn’t I?”
Upstairs, Lin Bai ate his food while watching this scene with great interest.
He had only come out for a meal, and he was getting a theatrical performance thrown in for free?
What a bargain.
Lin Bai spent his days in Benevolent Heart Hall, so naturally there was no one so blind as to come looking for trouble with him. That was why he found scenes like this rather fascinating.
Below, the two groups exchanged sharp words, but neither side gained the upper hand.
After a while, another group arrived in force. These were the Jade Hall Society’s professional enforcers. Someone had clearly gone to notify them just now.
Just as Lin Bai was growing even more excited, thinking a fight was about to break out,
Zhao Sanhou suddenly changed his tone.
“Hmph. What kind of hero bullies the few with the many? Let’s go!”
With that, he took his men and withdrew in a noisy rush, while the Jade Hall Society did not stop them.
Lin Bai was dumbfounded.
In terms of theater, this was like reaching the climax only for the actors to suddenly stop performing and go home.
He had been excited for nothing. He had really thought he was about to see a gang war break out.
“Did you notice anything?”
Lin Su asked this of Lin Bai while continuing to eat gracefully.
Lin Bai recalled the scene they had just witnessed.
“Zhao Sanhou never intended to fight, and Drunken Fragrance Tower knew it too. That’s why once the Jade Hall Society’s people arrived, he used the opportunity to step down.”
“But why? If he didn’t want to fight, why come here at all?”
“Heh. Do you remember what I told you about the power structure when we first came to Yunmeng City?”
Instead of answering directly, Lin Su tossed back a question.
Lin Bai thought for a while and seemed to realize something.
“Elder Sister, you mean the three great families and the local families?”
“Very quick of you. A few days ago, the main branch of the Liu Family among the three great families changed hands, and their strength suffered greatly. The Zhong Family, one of the local powers, has long had greedy eyes on the Yin-Ghost Liu Family’s inheritance.”
“But they also have to be wary of the Yin-Ghost Liu Family’s main house in Yunzhou’s prefectural capital, so they don’t dare seize that inheritance openly. All they can do is probe in secret. Even if they can’t take the inheritance, they at least want to tear off a chunk of flesh, because the money the Zhong Family spends every year maintaining the Yin-Nurturing Ground is no small sum.”
“The other local families also want a share of the thick soup, so they’ve joined in the probing as well. Recently, the conflict between the three great families and the local families has become increasingly sharp. Sooner or later, they’ll have to truly clash.”
Now that Lin Su had supplied the necessary information, Lin Bai tried to answer.
“Because the upper powers are fighting endlessly, the lower-level groups like Mountain Patrol Hall and the Jade Hall Society are being drawn into it too. Is that it?”
“Heh, exactly. The struggles above will always spread downward.”
“But the people below have minds of their own as well. They don’t want to become cannon fodder for nothing. That’s why a scene like this happened.”
This time, Lin Bai answered before she finished.
At that point, he fully understood. One sentence from his previous life was enough to explain it all.
For a few taels of silver a month, whose life are you risking?
Lin Su nodded, indicating that Lin Bai was correct.
“Elder Sister, how do you know all this?”
That was Lin Bai’s other question. Lin Su was even more of a homebody than he was, so how did she know so much?
“This isn’t exactly secret information. And don’t underestimate the network of a formal Alchemist.”
Lin Su blinked at him.
After that, the two of them chatted as though idly talking after a meal, discussing these matters in passing.
These struggles had nothing to do with Lin Su or Lin Bai. The signboard of Benevolent Heart Hall was enough to suppress all demons and monsters alike, so there was no need to fear being dragged into it.
But through the process of learning all this, Lin Bai came to understand even more clearly what it meant that
where there were people, there were interests, and where there were interests, there was conflict.
Everyone beneath heaven was struggling to cross.