After passing through the alley, the view suddenly opened up. A street appeared before Jiang Cheng and the chubby man, just as bustling as the one they had been on before.
The chubby man froze. "No, wait, this is the same street we were just on. What's going on? How... how did we end up back here?"
Jiang Cheng turned halfway around to look behind him. The alley had already vanished, replaced by a sturdy wall of blue-gray brick.
A large sign hung near the wall. It read "Tianfu Zhai Tea House," the white characters sweeping across its black background in bold, elegant strokes.
"We didn't come back. We've been here the whole time."
After saying this, Jiang Cheng headed straight for the tea house. Several ragged beggars were squatting in front of the entrance, basking in the sun. The moment they saw someone approach, they held out their battered bowls and grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth. Their faces crinkled with wrinkles. "Sir, have mercy. We haven't eaten in days."
Without another word, Jiang Cheng took a small piece of silver from his robes and tossed it into a beggar's broken bowl with a clink. "Tell me, were you here the whole time just now?"
The beggar stared at the silver in his bowl, his eyes wide. After a long moment, he nodded frantically. "Yes, that's right, sir. We've been here the whole time."
"Then did you notice me?"
The lead beggar fished out the silver and carefully tucked it into his shirt. Then he put on a smile and showered Jiang Cheng with auspicious compliments. "Of course we noticed you, sir. You're blessed by the stars. I spotted you from far away. So dashing and distinguished, radiant and full of vigor! There can't be many men as