Half-Day Leisure

The night was deep.

Gray mist spread through the air.

A colossal black shadow faintly appeared above Hun City.

When the morning sun rose, the shadow that had hovered all night fell and silently vanished into Hun City.

Jiang Wang had risen early today.

It was because Zhao Si was howling like ghosts crying and wolves baying.

"Why?!" Zhao Si burst into Jiang Wang's courtyard, his face full of grief. "Everything before had been settled so quickly. Why was it that after I slept, there was no lovely wife or beautiful concubine by my side, no fortune worth ten thousand strings of cash, and everything was still exactly the same?!"

Jiang Wang looked sleepily at Zhao Si wailing before the door and said, "It's better to be practical in life. Stop daydreaming and letting your imagination run wild. If you don't have that fate, then honestly go paint your pictures. I don't even have a lovely wife or beautiful concubine, so what are you thinking?"

The door to the neighboring room opened, and Xiaoyu walked out.

Zhao Si was heartbroken. Could it be that he had once said one thing and meant another, always shouting that he only cared about painting, and now Heaven had taken him seriously?

Even if there were no lovely wives or beautiful concubines, what about a fortune worth ten thousand strings?

What about leaving his name in the annals of history?

What about my identity as a great painter?

Jiang Wang had originally planned to sleep until he woke naturally, but Zhao Si had chased all sleep away. He brought Xiaoyu out of the Marquis's residence. There was nowhere else he could go, but he could stroll Qixia Street as he pleased, though there was not much to stroll around there either.

Old Xu's tailor shop had opened early.

It stood at the intersection of Qixia Street and Pinglan Street, though the shop still belonged to Qixia Street.

There was only one clerk in the tailor shop. Apparently, Old Xu had business outside the city and would not return for several days.

Jiang Wang sat at the entrance of the tailor shop, idly watching the pedestrians on Pinglan Street across from him.

Xiaoyu looked at Jiang Wang, then at the longsword in her hand, thinking that her sword practice would be delayed today.

Having truly stepped onto the path of a martial artist, Qi flowed endlessly through her limbs and bones. Every swing of her sword carried the thunderous roar of tigers and leopards, yet she had never found a way to make the Qi linger and thereby temper her physique.

She had asked Shan Qiyu about it.

But Shan Qiyu had been utterly shocked.

For the Second Realm of martial artists only allowed one to initially sense the existence of Qi. Only then could Qi be made to adhere to the surface of the skin. Directly making Qi course through one's limbs and bones was something only a Third Realm Martial Artist could accomplish.

He felt that Xiaoyu was more than a martial arts prodigy—she was practically a monster.

At the First Realm, she could already strike with power comparable to the Third Realm. Having entered the Second Realm, she had already crossed into the stage that only Third Realm Martial Artists could cultivate. Just how formidable was her true combat strength?

Shan Qiyu had no desire to fight Xiaoyu. He worried that if he lost, he would have no face left to show anyone. He merely taught Xiaoyu how to guide Qi.

But strangely, although Xiaoyu did every step correctly and did draw Qi in, none of it could adhere to the surface of her skin.

She guessed that the stream of energy the young master had poured into her was extraordinary, repelling all the Qi between Heaven and Earth.

So she focused on guiding the energy the young master had given her. Though Xiaoyu stood right beside Jiang Wang at this moment, her spirit had long wandered beyond all things, and she heard nothing around her.

Jiang Wang stretched and briefly moved his stiff body. Compared with the silent Qixia Street, Pinglan Street was truly bustling.

The tailor shop clerk handed Jiang Wang a cup of tea and said, "The City God Festival will be here in a couple of days. I wonder if the shopkeeper can make it back in time."

Jiang Wang was slightly taken aback.

The City God was the greatest proof behind the worldly rumors that immortals existed.

Compared with the elusive immortals, records concerning the City God were the most detailed.

It was said that six hundred years ago, when Monsters first descended upon the human world, ordinary people had avoided great calamity under Lord City God's protection. That had been a war belonging only to Monsters and cultivators.

It was Emperor Gaozu of Sui who had first issued an imperial decree that a City God Festival would be held every autumn. It was the grandest temple fair in the Sui Kingdom and lasted a full ten days.

The City God temples throughout every prefecture would be unprecedentedly lively, as all of Sui offered worship.

But during the second war, the City God had never appeared. There had not even been immortals anywhere under Heaven. As it had happened only a hundred years ago, compared to the scant records of the first war, this war could truly be called a time when all living things lay ruined and countless lives were lost.

The kingdoms had also suffered internal turmoil. The deaths of elder cultivators had severed much of the old knowledge, and all sorts of ancient texts had been destroyed. Though only the legend of the City God saving the world remained, the temple fair had become a custom.

Hun City's City God Temple was built outside the city. Jiang Wang did not know the specific reason.

Because of his illness, he had never experienced the City God Festival in previous years, and this time, he clearly would have difficulty participating as well.

Watching the busy commoners on Pinglan Street, Jiang Wang noticed a little girl standing before a bun shop. Her head had only just risen above the four stacked bamboo-and-wood steamers placed on stools.

Judging only by her height, she looked to be around the age of fifteen.

The little girl rose slightly onto her toes, picked up two buns, and stuffed them straight into her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled.

The bun shop owner smiled and held out his hand. "Three coins."

The little girl froze for a moment, then began searching herself for money. She abruptly pulled out a huge sickle and slapped it down before the owner, scaring him pale.

He thought he had encountered someone trying to eat buns without paying, but the little girl soon handed over three taels of silver. She paid him no mind and began devouring the buns in the steamers.

In barely any time at all, she had eaten every bun from the four layers of steamers.

With a huge sickle in one hand and the only two remaining buns in the other, she mumbled a greeting to the owner through her mouthful of food, then ran off with a beaming smile.

Jiang Wang stared at the scene in astonishment.

The sickle in the little girl's hand was not the sort used for farming. It was larger and looked much sharper. What amazed Jiang Wang even more was where exactly she had pulled it out from.

Thinking of how Miss Shu had also produced a long spear from thin air, could this be a cultivator's divine ability?

Could the little girl before him also be a cultivator?

He watched in a daze as the little girl, despite having just eaten four large steamers of buns, turned and ran into a restaurant. Before long, she emerged gnawing on a chicken leg, then wandered off to a pastry shop.

She could really eat.

Jiang Wang secretly marveled.

As if he had discovered something immensely amusing, he remained seated at the tailor shop entrance, his eyes fixed upon the little girl as he watched with great interest.

But the little girl quickly noticed something unusual.

She stood in front of the pastry shop with several pastry boxes in her arms, her cheeks puffed out and her face covered in pastry crumbs. She looked at Jiang Wang with extreme vigilance.

The little girl was not captivated by Jiang Wang's handsome face. After merely pausing for a moment, she put on a fierce expression, hid the pastry boxes behind her back as if guarding food from a predator, and hurriedly ran out of Pinglan Street.

A smile unconsciously curled at Jiang Wang's lips.

When he looked again at Pinglan Street's bustle, it felt rather dull. He called out to Xiaoyu, bade the tailor shop clerk farewell, and returned to the Marquis's residence.

To his surprise, he saw Master Tao before the residence gates.

Master Tao had perhaps been waiting a long time. The moment he saw Jiang Wang, he hurriedly pulled him aside.

"Something strange happened last night."

Master Tao lowered his voice. "The Wangliang in the bronze mirror had originally been exceptionally quiet. No matter what I did, it did not react. But just after midnight, it seemed to be frightened by something, and cracks appeared directly in the bronze mirror. I found an old vessel for it to stay in temporarily, but it still looked terrified. It did not return to normal until dawn."

Jiang Wang asked suspiciously, "Could it be that you did something strange?"

Master Tao said in embarrassed irritation, "How could the Young Marquis see me that way? Hiding Monsters is serious business!"

Well, keeping a beauty in a golden house and keeping Monsters in a golden house differed by only one word.

"I suspect that a great Monster has appeared in Hun City, or perhaps a great cultivator has arrived. Wangliang is low-ranked to begin with, and quite weak. It is only normal for it to be frightened."

Master Tao continued in a low voice, "But I heard that the Monster Ao Yin once appeared on Pinglan Street in Hun City, yet Wangliang was never scared into such a state. That shows how extraordinarily terrifying last night's great Monster or great cultivator must have been."

Jiang Wang's expression turned solemn.

I killed the Monster Ao Yin, but I won't say it.

Yet Ao Yin's words before its death resurfaced in his mind. Could some great Monster truly have come to Hun City?

"I'll investigate this matter."

Jiang Wang felt both anticipation and some unease.

What exactly would a Monster more powerful than Ao Yin be like?

He did not consider the possibility of some great cultivator at all. Monsters understood the terror of Monsters better; only a powerful Monster could frighten a weak Monster.

After bidding Master Tao farewell, Jiang Wang returned to the Marquis's residence. Xiaoyu went off to practice her sword on her own.

He, meanwhile, continued sprawling in the rattan chair.

The exotic flowers and rare plants in the courtyard all showed signs of withering yellow. By rights, in this season, these flowers and grasses should have long since faded. But the Old Butler tended them, and Jiang Wang did not know what method he used.

He noticed a bird perched on the banyan tree by the wall.

After looking at it for a while, it resembled a crow, but was far prettier. It was likely some breed he had never seen before. He did not rise to chase it away, instead pondering how to find the Monster that might have appeared in Hun City.

If he had the power of the Mirage, he could naturally sense it with ease. But now he was blind despite having his eyes open; he could not even feel the Qi between Heaven and Earth.

He was truly strong, but he was also truly useless.

Thinking that Master Tao could capture Wangliang, did he perhaps have a way to find Monsters?

But Master Tao had not mentioned such a thing earlier, so he probably had no method.

In truth, Master Tao believed that the Young Marquis was so formidable that he naturally did not need his help. Why would he go out of his way? Because of the matter with Wangliang, he had already decided to stay home and not go out. How could he possibly help search for Monsters?

But after seriously pondering the matter, Jiang Wang was not entirely without gains.

He thought of Miss Shu.

A true cultivator naturally had the ability to find a Monster's aura.

Without the slightest hesitation, he gave Zhao Si the task of finding Miss Shu.

Though Zhao Si was very unwilling.

Standing at the entrance to Qixia Street, Zhao Si sighed mournfully. "I truly have only this kind of fate."

He dawdled as he began inquiring throughout Hun City about Miss Shu's whereabouts.

It was not until dusk that he found her at the Half-Day Leisure inn.

He collapsed into a seat and said listlessly, "My young master has an important matter to discuss with you, miss. Please come to the residence for a talk."

Miss Shu's first reaction was vigilance. Though she still had doubts about Jiang Wang being a Monster, it was already dark, yet he wanted to invite her into his residence. What exactly did he intend to do?!