Don't Pick Up Disciples Randomly by the Roadside - Chapter 10

Xuan Shuangxu had been frowning the entire time. Only after Shen Chunyi finished speaking did he ask, “Most spirits dwelling in such yin-dominant places are conservative and ignorant of worldly affairs. How could they think to use something as meticulously crafted by mortals as caltrops?”

Shen Chunyi blinked, not surprised by the question, and laughed, “If I’d known you’d say that, I wouldn’t have told you this story.”

The young man sighed without looking at Shen Chunyi. “Our master is too kind-hearted.”

Shen Chunyi unfolded his folding fan and waved it, chuckling. “I’m not as kind as you think, not at all. I really did step on the nail by accident. I just didn’t tell our master about it. After all, a girl who grew up in such a place must have had a much harder time than I did wandering the countryside as a child. It’s not hard to guess—what else could it be but wanting to escape?”

Xuan Shuangxu pursed his lips and said nothing.

Seeing the young man’s silence, Shen Chunyi changed the subject. “Besides, it’s not like I was completely unprepared. Even though I was half-delirious with fever, I still had a silver needle in my hand. If she couldn’t cure me, I was ready to take her down with me. Otherwise, how could I be standing here talking to you now?”

Xuan Shuangxu glanced sideways at Shen Chunyi but offered no comment. Shen Chunyi sensed his reluctance to continue the topic and dropped it. As they conversed, the two entered the main hall of the tavern. As soon as they stepped through the main door, a rich, overwhelming scent of cosmetics and spices greeted them. The tavern was bustling with business and uniquely designed—four stories high, with the center hollowed out on each floor. Only the outer perimeter was lined with private rooms, each with a long corridor outside its door, bordered by carved vermilion railings.

On lively days, a stage would be set up in the center of the first floor, allowing guests on the upper three floors to step out of their rooms and lean against the railings to enjoy the performance from above—a comfortable and commanding view.

Beside the reception desk at the entrance stood an artificial rockery pond, half-filled with crowded lotus leaves but only a single lotus flower.

The lotus bloomed vigorously, beautiful but not sitting upright on its receptacle. Instead, it drooped listlessly to one side.

Shen Chunyi stared at the lotus for a long time before tilting his head and asking, “Is this what the lotus you mentioned looks like?”

Xuan Shuangxu’s attention was also on the lotus. “Almost exactly the same—the number of petals, the size, everything.”

Shen Chunyi smiled. “You observed it quite closely.”

Lotus flowers of the same variety generally look similar, but it’s rare for even the number of petals to match exactly. After observing for a while, Shen Chunyi gave the young man a meaningful look. The young man turned and concealed himself in front of the rockery pond, silently forming a hand seal in the air.

After a moment, there was no reaction. He turned to Shen Chunyi and shook his head gently. There was still no trace of any demonic or ghostly aura.

But Shen Chunyi’s expression didn’t relax much because of this.

In other inns, the attendants at the entrance were called “waiters,” but at Jiaoyun Tower, they were all young women. Shen Chunyi felt it was inappropriate to call them “waitresses,” but he couldn’t think of a better way to address them.

Seeing the two men not taking a seat, a woman in red gauze approached and asked, “Are you two gentlemen here to order food or to stay the night?”

Unsure if this phrasing held any hidden meaning, Shen Chunyi replied honestly, “To stay the night.”

The woman giggled softly. “Very well.”

Shen Chunyi was waiting for the girl to ask how many rooms they needed, but to his surprise, she directly assigned them two rooms without inquiring about the number or the duration of their stay.

Xuan Shuangxu leaned against the corner of the front desk with his arms crossed, watching the girl work the abacus, his expression unreadable.

After a moment of calculation, the girl quoted a price to Shen Chunyi. He counted out several silver coins, thinking to himself how expensive it was. The girl, however, showed no sign of surprise. She took the coins with one hand and handed over two bamboo tokens with the other, her voice sweet as she announced, “One room on the second floor, one on the third.”

Xuan Shuangxu raised an eyebrow, displeased. Placing both hands on the edge of the desk, he asked, “Do we really need two rooms?”

Shen Chunyi, recalling how poorly the young man had rested the night before, replied, “Two rooms. You’ll have your own bed and can rest properly.”

Xuan Shuangxu had nothing more to say. He nodded, conceding reluctantly, though he still looked slightly aggrieved. After a moment’s thought, he turned back to the girl and asked, “Are there no adjacent rooms available?”

The girl didn’t understand the young man’s peculiar preference—why did he insist on rooms next to each other? Could it be that hearing sounds from the other room added to the excitement? Still, she answered honestly, “We’re fully booked today. There really aren’t any neighboring rooms available.”

Xuan Shuangxu, visibly unhappy, withdrew his hands and reluctantly agreed, “Fine.”

After collecting the payment, the girl smiled sweetly and asked, “Would you two like to rest first?”

“Later,” Shen Chunyi replied. “We’ll order food first.”

The sun was already high in the sky. Having traveled from west to south for half a day, it was now noon without them even realizing it.

As soon as they took their seats, the girl, perceptive as ever, handed them a menu. Shen Chunyi nodded slightly in thanks and pushed the menu toward the young man, signaling him to order. He then sat opposite him, gently fanning himself with a folding fan as he slowly analyzed, “No lingering traces of demonic energy, no soil nourished by water, yet the detached flowers remain vibrant and unwilted. As far as I recall, there seems to be only one possibility.”

Xuan Shuangxu didn’t look up, instead focusing on marking the menu with a piece of charcoal as he asked, “What does Master mean?”

Shen Chunyi didn’t answer directly, instead taking a roundabout approach. “It seems possible, but not certain. I just think the likelihood is too small.”

Once he finished marking the menu, he handed it back to Shen Chunyi, who didn’t even glance at it before passing it to the waiting girl.

Only then did Xuan Shuangxu ask, “But what if it is?”

Shen Chunyi replied, “Hard to say. I think it’s better to investigate thoroughly here.”

Xuan Shuangxu nodded and smiled. “Master is meticulous.”

Shen Chunyi fell silent for a moment, thinking to himself that this child always felt the need to flatter him before doing anything. The food was slow to arrive, so Shen Chunyi fanned himself as he glanced around at the vibrant surroundings, admiring how brightly and beautifully the girls were dressed. He couldn’t help but suggest, “Why don’t we ask one of the girls?”

Xuan Shuangxu mimicked Shen Chunyi’s expression, calmly pouring himself a cup of tea before pouring one for Shen Chunyi as well. Only then did he shift his gaze to Shen Chunyi’s face and say leisurely, “If Master has questions to ask, it might be more appropriate to call someone into the room later. If things are as Master suspects, asking in public might make even those willing to talk reluctant to speak.”

Shen Chunyi chuckled meaningfully but didn’t argue. The rest of the words went unspoken, but Shen Chunyi could guess them—if there really were hidden circumstances that couldn’t be uncovered, it would be difficult to resort to forceful questioning in public.

Shen Chunyi gave a polite nod and said, “That’s true.”

The youth smiled slightly and did not respond further. For a moment, the two fell into an awkward silence once more. Across from each other, only the sounds of string and wind instruments from the main hall, the clinking of cups and bowls, and the soft laughter and whispers of new guests and courtesans remained.

It was truly awkward. Shen Chunyi began to casually glance around, his thoughts wandering. This building is beautifully constructed, he mused, but who knows whether the courtesans inside are as lovely? No matter how beautiful they might be, he doubted any could compare to the youth before him.

Thinking this, he turned his head to glance at the person opposite him. Unexpectedly, during his moment of distraction, Xuan Shuangxu had been staring at him unblinkingly. Seeing Shen Chunyi look back, he tilted his head with a smile and asked, “What is Master looking at?”

Shen Chunyi withdrew his gaze and replied calmly, “I was wondering why you always wrap the collar of your inner robe so high.”

These early autumn days were still slightly warm, yet the youth’s attire was tightly bound, looking as though it must be constricting. Especially the collar of his inner robe, tied high just below the Adam’s apple, must have been stiflingly hot.

Xuan Shuangxu raised a hand to tap his collar and chuckled, “Don’t you know?”

“After all these years apart, does Master still need to confirm to feel at ease?”

As they spoke, a courtesan approached gracefully, carrying a lacquered wooden tray. The courtesan was as slender as a spring willow, and the dishes were named with equal elegance: “Butterfly Flirting with Flowers” and “Soft Water Entwining Branches.” Shen Chunyi glanced down and saw that “Butterfly Flirting with Flowers” was simply flower-filled glutinous rice cakes cut into butterfly shapes, while “Soft Water Entwining Branches” was a clear, shimmering soup of black chicken and cassia twigs, served in a large bowl placed at the center of the table.

Shen Chunyi picked up a sweet cake and took a bite, immediately finding it so revoltingly sweet that it felt as though his throat was about to stick together like glutinous rice. He pursed his lips but still politely finished the small piece in his hand.

He thought he had concealed his distaste well, but Xuan Shuangxu saw through it at once and asked, “Is it not tasty?”

Shen Chunyi swallowed the last bit of glutinous rice and replied expressionlessly, “It’s fine.”

Xuan Shuangxu then picked up a piece to taste and said, “Ah, it really is terrible. Master has suffered.”

Shen Chunyi kindly defended the restaurant’s honor, saying, “It’s not that bad.”

Objectively speaking, aside from being overly sweet, the flower cake was generously filled and well-sugared, hardly deserving to be categorized as “terrible.”

However, Shen Chunyi’s personal tastes were somewhat contradictory. In his early years of wandering, he had no particular preferences and would eat anything when desperate. Thus, no matter what he ate—whether watery noodle soup or clumped-up noodles—he would consume it without changing his expression and simply utter two words: “It’s fine.”

But to truly satisfy his palate was an extremely difficult task, demanding to the point of absurdity. Shen Chunyi preferred light flavors; too many seasonings displeased him, yet too few failed to mask the earthy or fishy taste of ingredients, which he also disliked. Overcooked dishes were unappealing—meat too tough, vegetables too mushy—and he disliked undercooked food even more, with its lingering raw, bloody taste.

During his time serving at Taiwu Mountain, no matter what feast was laid out for festivals or celebrations, Shen Chunyi would always take a bite without changing his expression and casually utter two words: “It’s fine.”

Fortunately, fortunately, it has always been just “fortunately.” His peers were used to it, and the Shuweizhai could supply Shen Chunyi with anything he needed for meals, since he wasn’t picky anyway.

But if Shen Chunyi were truly asked what he liked to eat, it would probably be the dishes made by Xuan Shuangxu. This little fox spirit treated cooking as an art, constantly pondering Shen Chunyi’s tastes. Today she would change one style, tomorrow she would modify another, ensuring that the dishes never repeated over several days. If he ate a little more one day or a little less another, she would gradually figure out his preferences bit by bit.

Shen Chunyi himself wasn’t much of a cook, though he had practiced fasting intermittently. His Qianliutang, aside from his three disciples and himself, had no other idle personnel. Often, he would forget to eat, and when he remembered, he would simply go to the Shuweizhai, which was shared by the disciples, to grab a bite. His personal eating and sleeping habits were utterly irregular, but he couldn’t let his little disciple go hungry along with him. Thus, it naturally fell to Xuan Shuangxu to take charge of all the meals for Qianliutang.

Thinking of this, Shen Chunyi let out an almost imperceptible sigh. Lost in thought, the girls came one after another with trays, plates clinking, bowls and dishes piling up. In no time, the table was filled to the brim. Shen Chunyi picked up his folding fan, clearing the last bit of space on the table, and said, “You ordered so much. If I can’t afford the bill, I’ll leave you here to wash the dishes.”

Xuan Shuangxu replied nonchalantly, “Even if there are many dishes, it’s not easy to find one that Master truly enjoys.”

Shen Chunyi’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he said, “I really will leave you here to wash the dishes.”

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