Aoyama

Chapter 184 Innate
At midnight, heavy snow covered the Red Lane, and there were no more bright lights.

She Dengke came in a hurry despite the snow.

He hesitated and came to the door of the "Glass Palace" and tried to knock, but no one opened the door for him.

He took a few steps back and looked up, only to see that the most famous "Glass Palace" in Red Lane had its doors and windows closed, the curtains drawn, and it was pitch black.

She Dengke muttered, "Didn't they say Brother Gou'er was in there? Why does it look so dark and there doesn't seem to be anyone there?"

At this moment, a stooped servant rushed out from the alley and said with a low, flattering smile, "Sir, are you going to play in the Glazed Palace?"

She Dengke replied: "I'm here to look for someone, Liang Gou'er."

The servant smiled and said, "So you are Brother Gou'er's distinguished guest. Please come this way, please come this way."

After that, the servant led She Dengke into the alley and walked all the way to the dim back door of the Glazed Palace.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard the chirping of birds in the building, the colorful lights in my eyes, and the hot and fragrant wind blowing towards me, it was so lively.

She Dengke was stunned: "I thought there was no one inside..."

The servant smiled and explained, "Now the city is full of the living devils of the Secret Service, so we dare not show off."

She Dengke walked into the building and was surprised to find that there was a heating system under the building, and it was warmer inside than in spring. The enchanting dancers who came and went showed off their snow-white skin, which almost dazzled him.

The servant led him upstairs and knocked on the door of the private room "Spring Late".

But then Liang Gou'er's voice came: "Come in!"

When he opened the door, he saw Liang Gou'er sitting at a round table, hugging two dancers and laughing wildly. Liang Mao'er sat there helplessly, stuffing food into his mouth.

She Dengke took a few quick steps, pulled aside a dancer, sat down next to Liang Gou'er and whispered a few words.

Liang Gou'er hugged the dancer and glanced at him: "Brother She, you know my rules. I don't help people with three things. One thing I don't help is..."

She Dengke said solemnly: "Brother Gou'er, we are all friends, can't you make an exception for once?"

Liang Gou'er sneered and said, "What friends? I just need money to spend. A drinking buddy only drinks your wine, but you want to kill your drinking buddy? What's the logic..."

She Dengke was silent for a moment, then took out a letter from his arms: "If you act according to the plan and take this letter with you afterwards, I guarantee that you will be able to see Jiang Liuxian."

Liang Gou'er suddenly sat up straight: "Say it again?"

She Dengke said seriously: "Jiang, Liu, Xian."

Liang Gou'er's expression gradually turned colder.

She Dengke continued: "If you don't act according to the plan, you will never see it..."

Before he finished speaking, Liang Gou'er pushed the dancer beside him away and said in a deep voice, "Get out!"

After the dancers had left the room, he took the envelope, pulled out a page of paper from it, and looked at it again and again, his expression changing from gloomy to ambiguous.

After a while, the alcohol in his eyes disappeared, and he stared at She Dengke: "You don't have the confidence to talk to me like this, and you shouldn't know where Jiang Liuxian is. Who taught you this?"

She Dengke hesitated for a moment, then looked at Liang Gou'er, neither avoiding nor giving way: "No one taught me."

"How dare you say the name Jiang Liuxian in front of me?" Liang Gou'er sneered, "I've already guessed who it is. This young man is so scheming that he would do anything to get what he wants... Isn't he afraid that I will settle the score with him later?"

She Dengke was also getting a little impatient: "Give me a definite answer whether it will work or not. I have several places to go and I'm very busy tonight."

Liang Gou'er closed his eyes and thought.

When he opened his eyes again, he drank the wine in the glass cup and said, "Tell him it's what he wants."

She Dengke left in a hurry.

When he went out, he glanced at the heavy snow falling from the sky, then he clutched his collar with his right hand, lowered his head and hurried on his way.

……

……

At the hour of Yin, the sky was still dark.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the granary in Luo City. The soldier on the sentry tower squinted his eyes while holding a lantern. “Who!?”

The next moment he saw Zhang Zhuo, dressed in a red official robe, riding a horse in the wind and snow, with hundreds of soldiers following behind him.

Zhang Zhuo stopped his horse in front of the village gate and said coldly, "Open the door!"

The gate slowly opened and the lieutenant general ran out while pulling up his pants: "Master Zhang, why are you here so late at night?"

Zhang Zhuo raised his chin and said, "Call all the soldiers to get up. The transportation of autumn grain and tax silver has been delayed due to the civil unrest. They must be transported tomorrow."

The lieutenant general was shocked: "Sir, why are you in such a hurry? It will take three days just to collect the autumn grain... and we haven't even told the Cao Gang yet, so they may not have large grain ships waiting at the dock."

Zhang Zhuo sneered, "Are you in charge of Luocheng or am I? Just prepare according to my instructions. Before the evening of Shen time, as many as you can count will be shipped away."

The lieutenant was hesitant.

Zhang Zhuo sat on his horse and looked down at him: "I have killed a general here before, so I am not afraid of killing another one."

The lieutenant lowered his head in panic: "Yes, I understand."

At this time, Zhang Zhuo said, "By the way, the grain transportation route needs to be changed. This time, we should pass through Guangji Street and then escort it to the dock to prevent the thieves from getting familiar with our route and arranging robberies in advance."

The lieutenant general was puzzled: "Sir, now our Luocheng is full of eunuchs and lackeys. No matter how powerful the robbers are, they would not dare to rob the government grain and silver even if they were given nine heads!"

Zhang Zhuo narrowed his eyes slightly: "I said, you do it, why are there so many problems?"

The lieutenant general was startled: "I understand!"

When the rooster crowed, Zhang Zhu looked up at the faint white light at the edge of the sky. It was the hour of Mao.

Zhang Zheng, who was hiding in the team behind him, rode his horse forward slowly: "Father, is it too late?"

Zhang Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "It should be in time... This is a big deal. I am putting the Zhang family's fortune on the line."

Zhang Zheng smiled and said, "It's okay. My brother and I are not suitable for being officials anyway." Zhang Zhuo glared at him, "How dare you say that?"

Zhang Zheng quickly changed the subject: "By the way, father, where is my sister?"

Zhang Zhuo looked into the darkness: "She has her own things to do."

……

……

At 9 o'clock in the morning, the sky was bright and the courtyard of Taiping Medical Clinic was covered with thick snow.

The snow on Anxi Street had been swept away by the merchants, but the snow in front of the clinic had not been cleared yet.

Old man Yao stood behind the counter in the main hall, taking the pulse and prescribing medicine for the patients. When there were no more patients, he would occasionally look towards the backyard to see if Chen Ji had gotten up.

Wuyun put his paws in his hands and meowed, "Master, is Chen Ji sick? He never used to sleep in."

Old man Yao sneered: "What kind of illness is it? The tiger's body can heal quickly from external injuries, so how can it get sick so easily?"

"Oh...then why isn't he getting up yet?"

Old man Yao stood behind the counter with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

He looked at the snow in front of the door and answered casually, "Maybe there's nothing to look forward to."

Hot pot in winter and wine in the evening are not very important.

At this time, in the apprentice dormitory, Chen Ji opened his eyes and looked at the beams. He watched the dust floating in the air swaying up and down, wondering what he was thinking.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but Chen Ji got up, changed into a new black winter coat, picked up the bamboo broom in the yard and walked out.

When he saw Old Man Yao and Wu Yun, he smiled and greeted them: "Good morning."

Old Man Yao glanced at him and said, "You still want to get up? What? Are you planning to wait for me to clear the snow? You're dressed up like a gentleman, and you want to go to Red Clothes Lane?"

Chen Ji smiled cheerfully: "Master, don't be angry, I will go sweep the snow now. I am going to entertain my colleagues tonight, so I need to dress formally."

As they were talking, the clear sound of copper bells was heard in the distance on Anxi Street.

The next moment, thirty-two monks wearing grey robes, with half of their arms bare in the cold winter season, steadily carried a huge Sumeru throne and a statue of Guanyin.

Beside the Sumeru throne, the monk holds a copper bell in his left hand and incense in his right hand. Occasionally, the incense and the copper bell collide with each other, producing brilliant sparks and crisp sounds.

Wherever he passed, the people prostrated themselves on the ground.

On the occasion of the 80th birthday of an old father in a wealthy family named Zhuang, he specially donated incense and offerings to invite the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to patrol and look after the world.

Chen Ji stood at the threshold, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and made a wish softly.

Old man Yao looked at his back and laughed: "You are going to kill someone tonight, so you want to pray for the soul in advance? Didn't you debate with the Buddhists before? When did you become a good man and woman under the Sumeru throne of Buddhism?"

Chen Ji opened his eyes and turned back with a smile: "Master, since there are forty-nine heavens in this world, it's always a good idea to make more preparations. What if the Bodhisattva really blesses me today?"

Old Man Yao lowered his eyelids and said, "This world is in such a mess. If they really have compassion in their hearts, they should open their eyes and take a look."

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Master, since Xu Shu and Hu Junyan can come down from the forty-ninth heaven, there must be a way to go up, right?"

Old Man Yao looked up at him and said, "Why, do you want to go up and take a look?"

Chen Ji leaned on the bamboo broom and smiled, "Just asking."

Old man Yao stood behind the counter and thought for a moment: "It is said that the forty-ninth heaven is where the immortals live. If one day you can transcend the divine realm and ascend to heaven, perhaps you can go up there and become an immortal."

Chen Ji's eyes lit up: "Master, has anyone successfully transcended the tribulation and ascended to heaven in recent years?"

"Have."

"Master, do you want to be a god?"

Old Man Yao looked at him with disdain: "If you don't have 100,000 years of age, what's the point of being an immortal in heaven?"

Chen Ji was stunned. This sentence seemed to have a hidden meaning. He swept the snow in front of the door slowly, as if thinking about something, from noon to dusk.

After the last piece of snow was swept away, he turned into the house and got the ginseng he had bought earlier. In front of Old Man Yao, he transformed it into crystal beads in one breath, which were swallowed one by one by the dark cloud.

Old man Yao looked at it silently for a while, then took out ten ginsengs from the main room and placed them on the counter.

Chen Ji raised his head and looked across the counter: "Master, how much do you sell this ginseng for?"

Old Man Yao pushed the ginseng in front of him and said, "No need to pay this time."

Chen Ji was shocked: "You are..."

Old Man Yao said expressionlessly: "Don't go in front of me."

Chen Ji grinned, and he transformed all the ice flow in his body into molten flow. One hundred and ten fires were burning, and stars seemed to light up in his eyes.

The dark cloud's body suddenly grew longer. It was originally only the size of two palms, but now it is as long as a forearm.

It shook its body, and the floating hair turned into dust in the air, and the new hair that grew back was black and shiny.

Chen Ji put Wuyun on his shoulder and walked out. When he reached the door, he turned around to look at Old Man Yao, only to see him staring at him quietly from behind the counter.
Old man Yao said slowly: "One step to a new level, a hundred steps to the clouds. Go ahead, you will be a congenital master in the future."

Chen Ji knelt down and kowtowed three times to Old Man Yao, then stood up and strode away.

The Taiping Clinic became quiet again. Old man Yao was casually fiddling with the abacus, but he didn't know what he was calculating.

After a long silence, he took out a handful of copper coins from his sleeve and scattered them on the counter. After seeing the hexagram, he gathered the copper coins and scattered them again.

He did this more than ten times, and then sighed.

A crow flew into the house from somewhere, landed lightly on his shoulder, and cackled.

Old Man Yao didn't say anything, he just collected the copper coins, put his hands behind his back, slowly walked out of the clinic, and walked into the sunset.

(End of this chapter)