A Visitor at the Door

After searching for a while longer, Bai Yujun noticed the scent fading. The demon must have left.

"Wolf, it's gone."

Since it had left, there was no need to chase it. Dealing with evil cultivators and malevolent demons was the job of the local cultivators. It was like how special forces soldiers might encounter criminals on the street; if the situation allowed, they could assist in the arrest. If the criminal escaped, it was no longer the special forces' concern, but purely the local police's responsibility.

Most cities in the world had cultivators specifically tasked with handling such situations. Since the demon had left, Chu Zhe didn't pay it any mind and continued to tour Qingyuan.

The trio and the demon didn't imagine they would encounter that wolf demon again later...

At the entrance of Qingyuan, an unremarkable man turned and cautiously glanced at the four figures in the crowd. He felt nervous just from the aura emanating from three of them from a distance, forcing him to leave early. He knew he had encountered true experts today. His figure melted into the crowd, and he quickly disappeared.

"Let's go, let's go see those poems," Chu Zhe suggested, wanting to look at the scholars' works. Poems were always hung up for people to admire after they were written. If the quality was average, it wasn't worth showing off. There were no masterpieces, mostly just for fun.

"Okay, okay!"

Xu Ling was very happy and eagerly walked towards the long corridor where the poems were displayed.

Bai Yujun also went to take a look. As for the poems, she could only say they were readable. To call them earth-shattering or historically significant was not enough. The gap between them and famous poets like Li Bai was more than just a distance across different timelines.

"They're all really good poems! It's definitely more interesting than being on the mountain," Xu Ling exclaimed excitedly.

"No, there are many good poems on the mountain, you just don't pay attention to them. For example, there's an inscription under Lotus Peak, made by a senior of our sect, Daoist Wuwei."

Yang Mu wore an expression that clearly said, I knew you wouldn't remember anything.

"Really?"

Xu Ling found it unbelievable.

"Absolutely true."

This statement stimulated Xu Ling. She glared fiercely at Yang Mu, then immediately switched to a cute expression when she turned to look at Chu Zhe. Yang Mu was amazed by how quickly she could change her demeanor.

The poems were written on paper and hung on both sides of the long corridor. As the breeze blew, the air was filled with a rich scent of ink.

Ancient ink was nothing like the chemical concoctions of modern times that were pungent and unpleasant. Consuming those chemical inks could lead to organ failure. Ancient ink was considered safe; accidentally ingesting it wouldn't cause much of a reaction.

With light steps, Bai Yujun stopped in front of a particular poem. The poem was good, and the calligraphy was also good. Although it was slightly unrefined, it was rare, especially when surrounded by so many ordinary works, making it stand out even more.

People came and went in the long corridor, scholars and young ladies in endless streams, all gathering before their favorite poems, lingering.

Just as Bai Yujun was about to turn away, she accidentally stepped on someone's foot.

The scholar slowly turned around, appearing like a refined young master with a calm demeanor. To be able to remain so composed and even smile after having his foot stepped on showed how much practice he had put into it.

"S-sorry." Bai Yujun managed to get the words out.

The scholar was taken aback, then relaxed.

"It's alright. Miss, do you perhaps like my calligraphy? If you do, please take it. Meeting is fate. May I ask for your name and where you live?"

Bai Yujun looked around. It dawned on her belatedly that the scholar was addressing her as "Miss." But, wasn't this approach too cliché? He probably stepped on her foot on purpose, right?

Suddenly, the calligraphy she had thought was good moments ago now seemed displeasing to her eyes. She didn't bother to answer and turned to leave.

The scholar was annoyed and reached out to grab Bai Yujun's shoulder.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and another person appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Yang Mu looked displeased at the scholar, who was around thirty years old. He sighed inwardly, realizing that the historical anecdotes and obscure books were indeed correct. These scholars were either universally known for their goodness or impressively wicked. To deliberately strike up a conversation and then try to resort to physical force? He wondered if Da Bai would get annoyed and give him some snake venom to sober him up.

Seeing that the young man in front of him, though unfamiliar, had an extraordinary bearing, the scholar could only restrain himself to avoid offending anyone. The girl just now didn't have any valuable jewelry, and her clothes weren't made of expensive fabric. She was likely either the daughter of a poor family or a maid or dancer from a wealthy household. It wouldn't be difficult to find the main family and say a few nice words to obtain her.

Exchanging concubines was common in ancient times.

Bai Yujun, having walked far away, didn't dwell on the unpleasantness. She happily went to watch the scholars in the pavilion sitting by the windows, reciting poetry. Whenever a good poem was produced, it would elicit cheers from the surroundings, and sometimes sachets and handkerchiefs from young ladies would be thrown. Even courtesans from the city's brothels would extend invitations for intimate encounters. Perhaps it was the legendary fated meeting with a talented scholar, willingly offering oneself.

The poems continued to draw cheers from the crowd, but Bai Yujun found them all rather mediocre.

Fortunately, the food was very satisfying to the snake, and the prices were quite reasonable. Bai Yujun had no money, and Xu Ling hadn't brought any either. Yang Mu, however, managed to get a pile of silver from somewhere and bought a large quantity of desserts, eating them voraciously.

Chu Zhe watched with some amusement as Bai Yujun grabbed desserts and stuffed them into her mouth, swallowing them without even chewing. Xu Ling tried to have a speed-eating contest with Bai Yujun but was quickly defeated.

In reality, the poetry gathering wasn't very interesting. Listening to ordinary poems for too long made one feel numb and bored.

This was an exclusive event for scholars and young ladies from prominent families awaiting marriage. The scholars tried their best to attract the attention of these ladies. Feeling somewhat bored, the trio and the snake decided to return to the inn to rest. They finally managed to leave Qingyuan by pushing through the crowd.

On the upper floor of Qingyuan.

The scholar who had tried to chat up Bai Yujun earlier was now ingratiating himself with a richly dressed young man in brocade.

"Young Master Zhang, what did you think of that one just now?"

The young man in brocade nodded upon hearing this.

"Not bad. Pure and delicate, unforgettable. Her waist is very slender, and her legs are also slender. She's my type. Do you know whose daughter she is?"

"Reporting to Young Master Zhang, someone saw her at the Jufu Inn on East Street. She should be from out of town."

"Where has Brother Lang gone? Have Brother Lang bring that little lady over tonight. Tell him not to touch her carelessly, or he won't be able to mix in Liu City anymore. I'm not joking."

"Yes, Young Master Zhang."

The servant went to deliver the message. Inside the pavilion, they continued to watch singing and dancing, holding beauties and drinking wine. The poetry competition downstairs seemed entirely unrelated to what was happening upstairs.

Late at night.

A dark figure ran and leaped silently across the rooftops. It paused briefly on a certain tower, standing at the top to confirm the direction of the Jufu Inn.

At the inn.

The doors to four guest rooms opened, and the three people and one snake emerged.

Bai Yujun and the other two sensed something approaching, while Chu Zhe had already perceived the person's location. He smiled slightly, quickly formed a special hand seal to conceal his aura. Yang Mu and Xu Ling even yawned continuously. Fear? There was no need for that at all. Standing beside them was the personal disciple of the Chunyang Palace sect leader. To be honest, even the elders of Chunyang Palace might not be able to defeat Chu Zhe. Unless a top expert from a demonic sect personally came, there was truly nothing to fear.

Looking at the two personal disciples of Qingxu Palace acting so nonchalant and lazy, Chu Zhe shook his head. Should he... just stand by and watch them handle it?