"What? Young Hero Chen?"
"The Zhao Family's Fifth Young Master is here?"
At the Iron Fan's greeting,
everyone turned around in unison, some rising to their feet, and all looking toward the teahouse entrance.
Chen Guan's tall frame, clad in a Hundred Beast Garment, stood out sharply in the doorway.
"I never thought I'd actually meet a True Person while listening to a story..."
"Does Young Hero Chen know Mr. Iron Fan?"
"I've met Young Hero Chen!"
Along with their questions and greetings, everyone promptly clasped their fists, some smiling as they welcomed him.
Most of those clasping their fists were people of the martial world.
After all, today's story was about the martial world, and most of those who had gathered were martial artists too.
"Everyone..."
Seeing so many Knight-Errants in the teahouse, Chen Guan returned their greetings with clasped fists, looking from side to side.
On the way here today, he'd gotten used to it.
After returning their greetings,
Chen Guan looked again at the smiling "Iron Fan" onstage, fan in hand.
Now he knew the gentleman's nickname.
"I didn't expect him to remember me too."
At the same time,
when Chen Guan saw that the man recognized him, he felt a happiness he couldn't quite put into words.
Naturally, it was a pleasure to be remembered.
Except by enemies he couldn't beat, of course.
"Young Hero Chen, please!"
Seeing that this young hero also seemed keen to get acquainted, Iron Fan smiled and gestured toward the back of the teahouse. Then he bowed apologetically to the audience, hands cupped, and said,
"Dear patrons, please forgive me.
Once I leave the stage, I'll invite Mr. Lin to take over."
"Good!"
"I'm quite fond of Mr. Lin too..."
The audience didn't mind the change of storyteller.
Mr. Lin was one of the teahouse's storytellers too, and his skill was every bit as good as Iron Fan's.
Besides, the two usually took turns.
If one of them had something to attend to, it was perfectly normal for the other to fill in for a few sessions.
After all, whoever told the story got the tips.
Nobody complained about getting fewer chances to earn money.
There were two small courtyards in the teahouse's back garden.
The storytellers usually rested there, and troupes also used them as dressing rooms.
Besides storytelling, the teahouse hosted opera performances too.
Little Liuzi Town had three opera troupes.
"Bone-Shrinking Technique?"
Now,
the moment Chen Guan entered the courtyard, he spotted a short, sturdy man in a strange pose, "shrinking" his body.
It looked miraculous, but really, it was the result of years of practice and a certain technique for vibrating the body, which narrowed the gaps between his bones.
"Who are you?"
The man was about to ask Chen Guan a question when he saw Iron Fan enter behind him. Straightening up, he greeted him, "Mr. Iron Fan!"
"My nephew." Iron Fan smiled, then introduced Chen Guan to the man. "For the past few days, you've been saying you wanted to go near Zhao Mansion and wait there, just to see what Young Hero Chen looks like.
Now that Young Hero Chen is here, why don't you recognize him?"
"What? Young Hero Chen?" The man was astonished, then eagerly clasped his fists toward Chen Guan. "Young Hero Chen! I truly never... never expected you'd come to a small place like ours..."
"You're too kind." Chen Guan returned his salute. "I should be the one apologizing for bothering you both today."
"You're joking..." The man was so excited that, at Iron Fan's gesture, he hurried into the room to brew some of the good tea he kept for himself.
"My nephew may look short, but he's the leading actor playing the Great General in the southern opera troupes."
Only after the man had left did Iron Fan explain to Chen Guan. "He's wanted to be a Great General since he was a child. He's always admired the Great General's martial arts and towering stature.
Now he's heard that Young Hero Chen is as handsome as the Great General he admires.
It's only natural that he's overcome with excitement. Please don't take it amiss that he behaved poorly in front of an honored guest."
"How could I take offense?" Chen Guan was at a loss for what to say, faced with the way they spoke to him.
They were simply too courteous, too polite.
At the same time,
after exchanging a few words and drawing on his ability to read people, Iron Fan felt that this "Strange Hero" was someone worth befriending. Changing the subject, he suddenly asked,
"Young Hero Chen, forgive me for asking, but has Constable Yan come looking for you?"
"Constable Yan?" Chen Guan studied him for a moment. He seemed to have something to say, so Chen Guan went along with it. "I haven't seen him."
"Then the constable must be investigating your background."
Iron Fan really dared to say a lot in front of a stranger, and he trusted his ability to read people.
More importantly, if you wanted to get to know an extraordinary person, you had to open with something unexpected.
"Young Hero Chen, if I'm not mistaken..." Iron Fan opened his fan. "Constable Yan will come looking for you within seven days at most.
You should be careful."
Hearing a stranger express concern for him the moment they met,
Chen Guan felt a little unaccustomed to it. It was almost less comfortable than their earlier politeness.
At least that had left a little awkward distance between new acquaintances.
Still, Iron Fan's words made Chen Guan take note.
He'd already been prepared for Constable Yan to come looking for him.
He just hadn't expected the man to take this long.
"Perhaps Iron Fan's right. He must be trying to figure out my background."
Chen Guan sat steady as a rock, with plenty of plans in mind.
But as a last resort, if Constable Yan—his "old acquaintance from his previous life"—really came after him, and Chen Guan was facing certain death,
he could always claim to be the reincarnation of the Black Bear Spirit and see if that worked some miracle.
After all, his identity as the Fifth Young Master and the foundations of the Zhao Family's influence had only just begun to take shape.
Chen Guan wanted to establish a firm foothold here and grow a little stronger first.
"Thank you for the warning, sir."
Though Chen Guan had already prepared himself, he sincerely thanked the man for the heads-up.
You could never be too polite.
He'd just learned that from Mr. Iron Fan.
He was putting it into practice right away.
"No need, no need." Iron Fan smiled. "Seeing how composed you were when you heard this, I could tell you already had a plan.
It seems I've said too much."
He smiled, then suddenly pointed toward Yanhe Pavilion.
"I hear you're going there today? To meet the proprietor of Yanhe Pavilion?"
"That's right."
Chen Guan nodded. "The invitation arrived at my residence a few days ago. I gave my word, so naturally I'll go."
After speaking, Chen Guan wanted to hear what else the man might say from the heart.
Of course, he remained wary and didn't believe everything.
Plenty of people knew he was going to the meeting, so there was no harm in mentioning it.
"Hmm..." Iron Fan fell silent for a few breaths before speaking. "Do you know the relationship between the Bamboo Swordsman and the proprietor of Yanhe Pavilion?"
"I do." Chen Guan clasped his fists toward the south. It was only proper to show respect, even when out and about. "My father told me about it specially."
"That's good." Iron Fan tapped his fan against his neck, making a series of little clicks.
"That proprietor seems to have a murder case on his hands. Did you know?"
"What?" Chen Guan was puzzled.
"What do you mean by 'seems'? What are you saying?"
"That proprietor has listened to many of my storytelling sessions." Iron Fan recalled,
"Whenever I told a story about vendettas and killings in the martial world, he always seemed indifferent.
And when I spoke about bandits ambushing caravans and killing ordinary folk, he acted as though it was nothing out of the ordinary, even showing a hint of excitement that was hard to detect."
Iron Fan furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
"In my life, I've met countless people of all sorts.
But I've only seen that kind of expression on the faces of bandits and seasoned martial artists.
Yet this proprietor is said to be nothing more than an ordinary waiter who was lucky enough to inherit the old proprietor's inn.
Now, he seems so ordinary, yet he's close as brothers with the vicious Bamboo Swordsman.
Something... doesn't add up."
At that, Iron Fan looked gravely at Chen Guan.
"Young Hero Chen, you killed the Bamboo Swordsman a few days ago. Be careful."
"Now that you put it that way, it does sound suspicious."
Chen Guan didn't know what the proprietor was really like, but since the gentleman had brought it up,
he'd keep an eye out.
It never hurt to be more cautious.
The martial world was treacherous, and people's hearts were hard to fathom.
Click, click—
The tea was ready.
The man brought it over.
Chen Guan studied him for a moment, then said,
"Could you teach the Bone-Shrinking Technique to others? I can trade you some manuals for it."
The pedestrians had been far too enthusiastic during his walk around town today.
So Chen Guan wanted to learn this martial-world oddity. First, it would let him disguise himself and make it easier to go out while he was in the limelight.
Second, whenever he came across a new manual, of course he had to take a look.
But the man hurriedly shook his head. "Young Hero Chen! For someone like you, this sort of martial-world sideshow is nothing worth keeping secret!
If you want to learn it, I'll fetch the manual right away!"
The man spoke readily, set down the tea, and went straight back into the room.
Chen Guan paused with his hand poised to pick up his cup.
Good grief, were Iron Fan and this big fellow really just warmhearted?
"Young Hero Chen has seen enough of the martial world's treachery that my sincerity has left him muddled, hasn't it?" Iron Fan said calmly, lifting his cup and taking a tiny, pleased sip.
Oh, I got carried away. That sip was scalding.
"Young Hero Chen, please."
Though the tea was scalding, Iron Fan showed no sign of it. He still maintained the refined air of a storyteller.
Before you continue