Someone Offered Him Wine and Food (Please Vote)

In an old alley in the ancient city, an old man crouched against the wall while a young scholar stood bent over before him.

One gaze was murky, the other clear. They met.

"Can this be repaired?"

"The canopy can be fixed. I'll make a new one out of bamboo. The cloth inside has been torn, too, so that'll need needle and thread."

"As long as it can be fixed."

"I'll have to charge for both things!"

The old man was dark-skinned, his face lined with deep creases. He looked at Lin Jue with some worry, as if he felt bad for him—or perhaps as if he feared Lin Jue might not be willing to pay.

"How much?"

Lin Jue began to worry, too.

"Three cash to sew the cloth, five to repair the book case." The old man spoke as he counted the amounts off on his fingers.

"Eight cash..."

Lin Jue couldn't help spacing out for a moment.

From what the old man had said earlier and the look on his face, Lin Jue had expected to pay a hefty sum, or for the old man to make an outrageous demand. But it turned out that here in Danxun County, just as in Shu Village, all the old man fretted over, all he worried about, all he hoped to earn from a spell of work, was a mere eight cash.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Lin Jue paid him first, arranged a time and place to pick up the repairs, and then left.

After walking a long way with his book case on his back, he now wandered through the city empty-handed. He felt light all over. Nothing tugged at his shoulders, and it was wonderfully comfortable.

With time to stroll, he found himself looking around more.

But mostly, he wanted to buy a blade.

The world had been a mess these past few years. People were in disarray, Demonic Ghosts were running wild, and merchants on the road had no choice but to carry weapons for protection. A little knife really wasn't enough.

Besides, the Demonic Ghosts in this world clearly didn't gain the ability to kill people as easily as chickens the moment they attained enlightenment. Most of them were flesh and blood, so an iron weapon could protect against people and demons alike. Even against ghosts, those more ethereal and elusive beings, holding a more formidable weapon would bolster his courage and Qi and Blood, making it harder for a ghost to catch him off guard.

Lin Jue had also heard tales of wandering martial artists slaying ghosts at night. They said the frost on their swords never melted for three years, though he didn't know how much of that was true.

In any case, he needed to buy a blade.

His first choice was a pudao.

As the saying went, "An inch longer, an inch stronger." Even though masters in the army all claimed that a single saber could break spears and snap halberds, when they went into battle, every one of them carried a spear or halberd. None took a saber.

That was true of experts, and all the more so of the weak.

A pudao was also cheaper, more versatile, and less conspicuous.

Lin Jue made a round of the shops and soon found one.

Pudaos were simply that common.

It was a weapon made of two parts:

A Firewood Knife;

A whistle staff.

Normally, they could be separated and used on their own. He could also put the Firewood Knife in his book case and carry only the whistle staff, which made a handy walking stick. When he needed a blade, he could use the knife; when he needed a stick, he could use the whistle staff.

If danger arose, he could put the two together.

The weapon had come about because of the Imperial Court's strict controls on long weapons—

Back then, the Imperial Court forbade ordinary people from carrying long spears and great sabers at will. Even long staffs had to have a hole bored through the tip so they would whistle when swung; these were called whistle staffs. Staffs without holes were called silent clubs. That was where the phrase "strike someone with a silent club" came from. They weren't allowed. But martial artists traveling the jianghu needed weapons for self-defense and fighting, so they came up with the idea of combining an ordinary household Firewood Knife with a whistle staff. The knife already had a hollow handle that could fit over a wooden shaft, and the whistle staff already had a hole at the tip. Put them together, and the blade grew longer while the staff stopped whistling—a solution that killed two birds with one stone.

And so the pudao was born.

It was very practical for Lin Jue.

He would have not only a walking stick, but also a Firewood Knife. If he later had to travel through the rugged mountain paths of Mount Yi, the knife would be more useful than a sword for clearing branches and brambles from the road.

A scholar with a book case on his back and a wooden staff in hand made a fairly harmonious picture.

Leaning on the staff, he walked back to the inn.

Lin Jue could smell that he was getting a little ripe. The last time he'd washed had been in a riverside stream. The water had been cool and refreshing, but it was no match for a hot bath. So he asked the inn's attendant:

"How much for a bucket of hot water to bathe?"

"Would you like a small bucket or a large one, sir? A small bucket is filled to the brim, and there's a bathing room downstairs with screens for privacy. It's only five cash a bucket. The large bucket's big enough to sit in, and we can bring it up to your room. Water and tub are just twenty cash, plus two to carry it upstairs." The inn attendant continued, "We draw our water from the canal. This is right at the head of the stream, so it's very clean."

The price was higher than Lin Jue had expected.

It was probably because water and firewood were costly these days. The cost of fuel was always a major expense for the people in town.

Lin Jue hesitated for a moment.

He'd just earned some money, but he didn't know how far he still had to go. He needed to be frugal.

Besides, his uncle, aunt, and cousin were probably still pinching pennies at home. The merchants' route from Shu Village overlapped somewhat with his own, and Lin Jue had been thinking that if he happened to meet merchants from his village on the road, he'd ask them to take ten taels of silver back home and repay at least some of what he owed them.

But after a moment's thought, he let the idea go.

It was rare to get a proper, comfortable rest. If he passed this up, he might end up thinking about it for days and resenting himself.

"I'll take the large tub. Make the water nice and hot!"

"Should we bring it upstairs?"

"To save you some effort."

"Sure thing! Please wait a moment, sir. I'll come get you as soon as the water's hot!"

The attendant went off to draw water and heat it.

Before long, steam rose in the bathing room.

Lin Jue sat soaking in the wooden tub, scrubbed himself clean, and then stayed where he was, motionless. Everything below his neck was submerged in the hot water, and a wordless bliss swept through him.

He hadn't felt this kind of comfort in half a month. In fact, he hadn't felt it at all since coming to this world. Once the hot water had opened every pore, his head even began to swim and grow heavy with sleep. In that state of utter bliss, all the frustrations he'd experienced since arriving in this world seemed to fade for a while, leaving him with the feeling that it had all been a dream.

"Would you like more hot water, sir?"

"Does it cost extra?"

"Four cash for a bucket, two for half a bucket. We'll bring it to you freshly boiled."

"No, thanks."

"Would you like us to start preparing a meal?"

"Just stir-fried acanthopanax with eggs." Lin Jue was so relaxed he could barely speak. He paused, then added, "And a bowl of rice. A big bowl. Plain white rice."

"Sure thing!"

For a while, he seemed to be savoring the moment—or perhaps he fell asleep.

"Splash..."

At last, Lin Jue got up and picked up his old clothes. They smelled even worse now. Fortunately, he had clean clothes beside him.

As he headed out, he ran into the inn attendant coming over.

"Enjoy your bath, sir?"

"I feel half a jin lighter."

"Your meal's ready. I was just about to come get you."

"Good, I'll be right there."

Lin Jue couldn't be bothered to go upstairs and put his things away. He took his clothes outside, set them on a stool, and began to eat.

Acanthopanax was a wild vegetable from this region. It grew vigorously in both spring and summer and could be served cold, stir-fried, or boiled in soup. Best of all, it cost nothing. It was a common vegetable for the locals.

The inn hadn't skimped on the oil; if anything, the dish was a little greasy. Still, the wild greens and egg tasted pretty good, and made for a nutritious meal.

With a bowl of white rice, it might have been a little plain in his previous life, but now Lin Jue found it deeply satisfying.

He was used to drinking porridge at his uncle's house, after all.

The satisfaction brought with it a sense of ease.

It was his own hard-earned money, after all.

The young scholar bent his head and shoveled down mouthful after mouthful. Tiny bits of egg and loose, distinct grains of rice, all slick with oil, went down wonderfully smoothly.

He didn't notice the person nearby watching him.

Just then, the inn attendant came out carrying a pot. Steam poured from it, and he used a damp cloth to protect his hands from the heat. He hurried toward a nearby table.

But the person sitting there suddenly spoke up:

"Are you the young gentleman who helped the wandering heroes wipe out the Strange Monkeys outside the city this afternoon?"

"That's him."

Before Lin Jue could answer, the attendant spoke for him.

"Give my pot of soup to the young gentleman!"

"Huh?"

"Quickly, take it over."

The inn attendant, who had just reached the man, was taken aback. He didn't dare argue, so he hurriedly nodded, turned, and strode over to Lin Jue's table.

Clang! The earthenware pot landed on the table.

The attendant immediately let go and pinched his ears.

Inside was half a free-range chicken, left whole, along with some thin, seaweed-like strands, all submerged in chicken broth. The soup rippled in the pot.

"Hm?"

Lin Jue couldn't help feeling surprised.

At the next table sat a middle-aged man with an utterly unremarkable face. He cupped his hands toward Lin Jue.

"Please don't be surprised, young gentleman, and don't stand on ceremony. My older brother runs a teahouse outside the north city gate. He lent you the pudao today."

"That was your brother?"

"That's right."

"Then I ought to thank your brother. But why are you..."

"Please, don't be so formal. Those Strange Monkeys outside the city have been causing trouble for ages, and we've all been furious about it. Today, people all over the city have been saying someone finally got rid of them, took a horse-load of monkey heads to the county office, and collected the county magistrate's reward. Everyone who heard was delighted, and they all admired the two heroes' courage and daring. I'm no different. I came looking for you especially. It's nothing much. I just thought that after all your hard work clearing out those pests, a simple plate of greens and a bowl of rice wasn't enough, so I asked you to have a pot of chicken soup and replenish your strength."

"How can I accept this?"

"Why not? Perhaps you think it's not good enough. If so, attendant, bring another plate of Knife-Board Fragrance!"

"No, no..."

Lin Jue was embarrassed to accept so much and quickly stopped him.

But when he looked at the man, he saw that he was already beaming and cupping his hands again. "Thank you for accepting my humble offering, young gentleman."

"Well..."

He really couldn't refuse again.

Lin Jue could only continue eating.

"We get a lot of drizzly weather here, so it's often damp. Stone ear grows in the wet crevices along cliffs and streambanks. It looks thin and slippery, and not like much to eat, but it's actually delicious." The man kept up the conversation. "I wonder if people eat it in your hometown. We do around here. I like using it to stew chicken. It gives the soup a flavor all its own."

"We don't eat it much."

After the man had said all that while watching him, Lin Jue could hardly refuse to ladle himself a bowl to try.

They were in the city, at an inn on the main street, with other customers in the shop. Lin Jue wasn't worried that anything might be wrong with the food.

The clear chicken broth was flecked with thin, wispy stone ear. Lin Jue blew away the sheen of oil on the surface, then the plume of steam, and lowered his head to taste a mouthful.

It really was a little different from ordinary chicken soup.

The stone ear looked like seaweed, and tasted about a third or a quarter like it, too, though it didn't affect the flavor of the broth as strongly as seaweed did.

"How is it?"

The man watched him.

"Not bad."

"I'm glad you like it, young gentleman! If there are any other dishes you'd enjoy, just say the word!"

"Please, don't go to so much trouble." Lin Jue repeatedly declined, then changed the subject. "Are many people in the city talking about this?"

"About what? You taking down the Strange Monkeys?"

"Of course."

"Quite a lot of people are talking about it. I'd already heard the story once before my brother came to find me. Those Strange Monkeys were a great scourge to Danxun. Plenty of people have said that if they ever met you, they'd have to treat you to a cup of wine." The man went on, "But I'm the only one who got my wish."

"It wasn't just me. He did most of the work."

"Where is that gentleman?"

"He left the city."

"Then there you have it."

The man had the attendant bring over wine. He poured himself a cup, then offered Lin Jue one as well. Raising his cup to drink with him, he sighed, "It's a good thing not many people know which inn you're staying at. Otherwise, young gentleman, you might not be able to leave tomorrow."

"You're exaggerating."

Lin Jue didn't like drinking, but the wine of this era wasn't very strong. The man meant well, had treated him to a hearty meal, and had already raised his cup, so Lin Jue took a small sip.

It was rice wine, rich with the fragrance of rice.

The man kept chatting with him across the table, with no shortage of praise. For a moment, it really did feel a little like the stories where "heroes, gifted scholars, and poets were fêted and praised wherever they went."