The Moon-Gazing Tower was the finest restaurant in Changle County.
Three stories tall, with sweeping eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters, it stood beside the flowing river in town.
Two large red silk lanterns hung outside its doors, lighting up every night. Managers, shopkeepers, proprietors from the Five Great Trades, and all manner of prominent figures generally chose this place whenever they hosted guests or discussed business.
It was mealtime now, and the ground-floor dining hall was already bustling, the waiters competing to call out dishes louder than one another.
Upstairs, the private rooms on the second floor were much quieter.
"Senior Brother Lu, please come in."
Liang Bao pushed open the door and let Lu Sui enter first.
"You're too formal, Junior Brother Liang. We both study at the Hundred Victories Martial Arts School. Don't fuss over who takes precedence. It makes us seem distant."
Lu Sui smiled as he walked inside.
The first thing that met his eyes was a pearwood screen embroidered with a lifelike portrait of court ladies.
A round rosewood table stood in the center, with four cold dishes laid out on it.
The braised beef was sliced paper-thin, the assorted braised meats arranged like a flower. Shredded cucumber salad and vinegar-pickled radish skins looked refreshing and whetted the appetite.
"Senior Brother Lu, you only hung your curtain two days ago, and you've practiced martial arts for barely over two months, yet your Qi and Blood already flow through your hands and feet. Such astonishing progress truly makes us ashamed of our inadequacy!"
Liang Bao agreed profusely, then ushered their fellow disciples inside.
Watching Lu Sui stand at the window and gaze out over the river, he grumbled inwardly:
Deng Yun had no sense and no brains, and his family's weapons forge nearly went under! How could I treat you as just a "senior brother"!
Bai Fangfang sat beside Lu Sui, dressed in a pale mauve outfit that looked especially lovely beneath the warm yellow lamplight.
Her beautiful eyes blinked as she covered her mouth and laughed.
"Good thing I didn't spar with you yesterday, Senior Brother Lu, or I'd have ended up stuck in bed, unable to get up."
What kind of wild, suggestive talk was that!
Lu Sui took the seat of honor and raised tea in place of wine.
"Thank you, junior brothers and sisters, for honoring me with your company. Today, let's forget seniority, talk only of pleasant things, and eat and drink to our hearts' content."
The disciples answered in a thunderous chorus, cheering loudly!
"Senior Brother Lu really goes big!"
"Our Hundred Victories Martial Arts School might produce another martial artist with perfected Qi and Blood!"
"Below Senior Brother Zheng Rong, Senior Brother Lu could be called the foremost disciple of the inner courtyard..."
Besides Liang Bao, Bai Fangfang, and Wei Erhe, whom he had met before, the private room also held several "juniors" who had recently entered the inner courtyard.
They all came from well-off families, "middle-class" youths clothed in silk and fed on delicacies, without a worry about food or clothing.
Yet before Lu Sui, who came from the local blade, spear, and cannon trades, every one of them put away their pride and willingly bowed low.
Anything could slip through, but flattery never failed. I knew it was false, but it really did feel good to hear.
No wonder bosses loved going to work and leaders loved holding meetings!
Lu Sui pressed his hand downward, signaling that he did not care for such flattery.
Liang Bao had a knack for keeping guests company. He smoothly picked up the conversation, sharing amusing stories to liven the mood.
Before long, a waiter brought in the hot dishes.
The first was the Moon-Gazing Tower's signature dish: silver carp head stew in white broth, with the bones removed.
The whole fish head had been stewed until its bones softened and its flesh fell apart, the broth thick and milky white, its savory fragrance filling their noses.
The second was charcoal-grilled lamb ribs, a hearty dish in the style of the Land Beyond the Pass. Choice young lamb ribs had been grilled until golden and glistening with fat, then sprinkled with cumin and pepper salt.
The moment it reached the table, the fragrance of meat filled the room. Wei Erhe stared with fixed eyes, swallowing mouthful after mouthful of saliva.
Liang Bao led the way, enthusiastically tearing off a rib and gnawing on it.
"Dig in as hard as you like, junior brothers! Senior Brother Lu is covering everything!"
Only then did everyone at the table scramble for food, rising to eat dishes and drink tea as they chatted about everything under the sun. It was lively indeed.
Most people who could enter a major martial arts school and learn real skills in its inner courtyard were "middle-class" or "county-town Brahmins."
Lu Sui occasionally took a few bites, merely sampling the food, and spent most of his time listening to everyone chat.
Their conversations mostly concerned "major events in Yongning Prefecture," "someone's fortuitous encounter at Shaqing Pass," and "young experts emerging beyond the pass"...
There were countless such topics.
"If I could learn a superior Qigong technique, I'd even be willing to live in a mansion and marry a beautiful wife!"
"In your dreams! Eating your fill and taking some home, too!"
"I wonder if the evil calamity in town has settled down at all?"
The conversation wandered in circles before finally returning to Changle County.
Liang Bao savored a mouthful of tender fish and put on a mysterious air.
"I've heard a little about the evil calamity at the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. It's connected to the massacre at Qiao Family Village thirty years ago."
His words immediately stirred up the private room.
The disciples burst into discussion. Even Wei Erhe, who had been eating with his head down, could not resist chiming in.
"Qiao Family Village? My sister went there once, pulling her cart to deliver a passenger. That place was terrifying! Even in broad daylight, it was thick with sinister Yin Qi!
"She came home that day and ran a fever for three days straight. I nearly worried myself to death!"
Qiao Family Village?
Lu Sui searched his memory, only to find no impression of it at all.
Bai Fangfang, sitting beside him, spoke softly.
"I can tell you don't usually visit teahouses to hear storytellers, Senior Brother Lu. The Qiao Family Village massacre caused a huge uproar at the time, alarming all four head masters of Changle County's martial trade. Afterward, many storytellers told the tale over and over..."
The original owner of his body had indeed only visited the opera theater, never listening to teahouse storytelling or tales in the entertainment quarters.
Lu Sui gave a helpless smile.
"Could you tell me about it, Junior Sister Bai?"
Bai Fangfang had wanted to keep him in suspense a little longer, but meeting Lu Sui's phoenix eyes, which would have looked affectionate even gazing at a dog, she could not help blushing faintly.
"Well, the Qiao family used to be one of the most prominent wealthy households around Changle County. Eight or nine out of every ten farming households worked for Master Qiao. Over time, everyone began calling 'Old Fox Gully' 'Qiao Family Village.'"
"Rumor had it that the Qiao family enshrined a Great Immortal and offered sacrifices every year. Old Master Qiao was charitable and generous, renowned far and wide. He had just one sorrow: he remained without a son."
"He took several concubines too, but their bellies failed him, with no sign of pregnancy. So Old Master Qiao sought the Great Immortal's counsel. Guess what happened, Senior Brother Lu?"
Junior Sister Bai, you really had a talent for telling stories beneath an overpass. Back in my hometown, you might even have joined the Deyun Society and been assigned a place in its hierarchy!
Lu Sui grumbled inwardly, but asked aloud:
"I imagine the Great Immortal granted him a son and fulfilled his wish."
Bai Fangfang giggled.
"The Great Immortal told Old Master Qiao not to worry, saying he was destined to have two sons, and they would come sooner or later."
"Old Master Qiao was overjoyed. After six long months of waiting, his principal wife indeed became pregnant and bore him a son, whom he named Qiao Nansheng."
"But fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye, and none of his wives or concubines showed any further signs of pregnancy. Old Master Qiao was deeply troubled, wondering day and night where his destined second son might be."
"Then one day, a youth arrived at his door bearing a letter. He introduced himself as Di Ao. His grandfather had once been a hired hand for the Qiao family. When mounted bandits raided, he had died beneath their blades while covering Great Master Qiao's retreat. Before his death, Great Master Qiao had left a letter promising to treat his descendants well."
Lu Sui found it vaguely familiar. He felt as though he had seen this story's progression somewhere before.
Bai Fangfang sipped her tea to moisten her throat, then continued.
"After verifying Di Ao's identity, Old Master Qiao was overjoyed. Convinced that he was the 'second son' the Great Immortal had spoken of, he adopted him. Di Ao ate and lived with Qiao Nansheng, attended the same private school, and practiced spear and staff techniques with him."
"That was where things went wrong. Di Ao appeared humble, composed, and eager to learn, but in truth, he was rotten enough to ooze pus. He was actually scheming to seize the Qiao family's wealth. While finding every way to please Old Master Qiao, he secretly tripped up Qiao Nansheng, driving a wedge between father and son..."
"Three to five years passed like this before Old Master Qiao suddenly fell gravely ill and became bedridden. Di Ao seized the chance to take over the Qiao family's business, then used a scheme to drive Qiao Nansheng, the true young master, out of the house."
"Unexpectedly, Qiao Nansheng didn't sink into despair after this crushing setback. Instead, he found a renowned physician, returned home, cured Old Master Qiao, and exposed Di Ao's poisonous schemes."
"It should have ended there, with Old Master Qiao rewarded for his kindness and Young Master Qiao Nansheng proving both brave and resourceful. But no one knows what happened afterward. The Qiao family estate became a sea of fire, burned to bare ground overnight. Not a single person in the household survived, yet Qiao Nansheng's and Di Ao's bodies alone were missing."
After listening, Lu Sui asked:
"How does the recent evil calamity in Changle County resemble what happened to the Qiao family?"
Liang Bao wiped his mouth and said:
"Before the Qiao family was massacred, there were abnormal signs of disaster. Cattle and sheep vanished for no reason, leaving only piles of white bones. Quite a few farmers also died sudden, violent deaths, their vital blood seemingly drained dry and their bodies shriveled... It was exactly like what happened at the Zhenyuan Escort Agency."
Doubts gathered in Lu Sui's mind. Thirty years apart, yet the horrors were identical?
Did that mean the evil calamity had never dissipated?
He quietly grew wary. Changle County was far from peaceful.
Or rather, the entire Land Beyond the Pass lived year-round beneath the shadow of all manner of disasters!
With the Qiao family's past recounted, Lu Sui was about to change the subject to keep the mood from cooling when the private room's door was pushed open.
A young gentleman in a brocade robe entered with a smile. He was around his early twenties, with fair, clean features, though his eyes were ill-favored, inexplicably carrying a hint of wickedness.
"Young Master Lu! When my servant said he'd just seen you in the dining hall, I could hardly believe it! I thought you were recuperating at home. How could you possibly be at the Moon-Gazing Tower..."
The brocade-robed gentleman strode casually into the private room, closed his folding fan, and cupped his hands toward Lu Sui with a beaming smile.
"You might not remember me, Young Master Lu. I'm Zhou Qing of the brokerage trade's Zhou family. I happened to be drinking next door today. Hearing that you were here, I came especially to offer you a humble cup of wine!"
[Seeing you exchanging toasts and encountering an outsider, the "Incomplete Grand Shaman Ghost-Capturing Compendium" surfaced.] [It seemed to catch a trace of Calamity Qi, suddenly felt hunger in its belly, and wished to feed...]