Bitter Realm: A Happy Person Traveling Across China

On the dark road, the moonlight was thin, and the streets and alleys were quiet.

A simple wooden-wheeled noodle cart creaked and groaned as it pushed across the cobblestone path, a dim oil-paper lantern hanging from its front, swaying gently in the night breeze.

The man pushing the cart was in his forties, wearing a gray straw hat that covered half his face and a faded apron. He slowly pushed the cart while calling out in a drawn-out tone:

"Chopped noodles, fried noodles, and wide rice noodles—delicious thick and thin noodles, black and white cuts, let's eat noodles!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the night, carrying the unique, lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

Just then, Qin Jiaxian, who was looking for a noodle vendor, led Ye Tuling and Yinshiren out of the alleyway.

Ye Tuling sniffed, then his eyes lit up: "Big brother, there's a noodle shop again!"

Qin Jiaxian was pondering the portrait in his arms when he heard this and looked up—

Under the dim yellow light, the vendor's profile, straw hat, apron... were almost identical to the person in the portrait!

His heart skipped a beat, but he remained expressionless, only squinting his eyes to examine the object.

The corpse-man leaned close to Qin Jiaxian's ear and whispered, "Big brother, we finally made some money, why don't we try his noodles and see why that young master insists on eating noodles with him... maybe we can get some information out of him."

Qin Jiaxian's eyes darted around, and he thought it made sense. So he swaggered forward, slapped the wooden plank of his stall, and said, "Boss, three bowls of knife-cut noodles, please!"

The vendor, who also sold sliced ​​noodles, paused in his kneading motion, looked up, and revealed an ordinary face beneath his straw hat, but his smile was polite: "Sorry, sir, I have all kinds of noodles here. You can have rice noodles, thick noodles, thin noodles, rice vermicelli, or glass noodles, but I don't have knife-cut noodles."

Qin Jiaxian raised an eyebrow: "Why isn't there any knife-cut noodles?"

Qiezai Mian continued kneading the dough, his tone indifferent: "No means no. We just sold out. There's no other reason."

These words were so well-spoken, but Qin Jiaxian found them even more suspicious.

He deliberately drew out his words: "Is the boss... local?"

Qiezai Mian chuckled, his hands still busy: "Businessmen are at home everywhere, and this place is our home too. Come, come, it's fate that we meet today! Side dishes are 20% off, and dried tofu is free!"

Seeing that he handled the situation with ease, Qin Jiaxian knew she wouldn't get any information out of him, so she simply went along with it: "Since you're such a good friend, I'll treat you to a meal today!"

"Thank you, thank you."

The three of them sat down around the small wooden table next to the stall.

At the noodle stall, the noodle maker worked quickly and efficiently, cooking the noodles, scooping them out, pouring the sauce, and sprinkling scallions. In no time, three steaming bowls of soup noodles were served.

The noodles are ordinary oil noodles, but the soup is rich and fragrant, the braised pork is stewed until tender, and the dried tofu is flavorful.

The corpse-man ate with gusto, and Ye Tuling even drank the soup clean.

Qin Jiaxian ate while secretly observing—

The noodle-cutting technique was skillful and the demeanor natural, just like any other street vendor.

But the more ordinary something is, the more suspicious it seems.

Why did that mysterious young master Ye Jinming specifically seek out such a noodle seller?

Even after leaving the noodle stall and walking half a street, Qin Jiaxian was still frowning and deep in thought.

Ye Tuling patted his round belly and burped contentedly, "Big boy, this noodle dish is really good!"

The corpse-man muttered under his breath, "But that boss... doesn't seem like anything special to me."

Qin Jiaxian shook his head: "It's precisely because it's nothing special that it's special."

He took out the portrait from his pocket and looked at it again by the moonlight—yes, it was that person.

Unable to figure it out, Qin Jiaxian simply stopped thinking about it. He unfolded the portrait, took out a tinderbox, and lit a corner of the paper with a "snap".

The orange-red flames licked the rice paper and spread rapidly.

The wisps of smoke rose gently, but instead of dissipating, they lingered and extended slowly in the air, as if guided by an invisible hand, drifting in a certain direction.

A moment later, the tobacco suddenly trembled—

The surrounding air vibrated slightly, like ripples spreading across water.

The moonlight seemed to dim for a moment, then returned to normal.

A figure in white had silently appeared before the three of them.

"Waaaaah—" Ye Tuling jumped back in fright.

"I saw a ghost!" The corpse-man immediately hid behind Qin Jiaxian.

"He is your God of Wealth."

Ye Jinming smiled slightly, flicked his sleeve, and three golden lights streaked across the night. With three soft "thump, thump, thump" sounds, three gold bricks landed steadily at the feet of the three people.

Qin Jiaxian looked down and saw the gold brick gleaming warmly in the moonlight. His face immediately lit up with a smile, and he quickly picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket: "Young master, you're truly generous! We've found the person you're looking for. He's just around the corner, pushing a noodle cart called 'Qiezai Noodles'!"

Ye Jinming nodded, his gaze drifting to the distant street corner, and said calmly, "As expected of Qin Jiaxian, you're incredibly swift when it comes to getting things done."

As expected of Qin Jiaxian, his ability to find people is first-rate.

Qin Jiaxian chuckled, rubbing his hands together, and said, "Next time there's a good opportunity like this, remember to look for me, Old Qin. I guarantee it'll be done perfectly!"

Ye Jinming withdrew his gaze and looked at Qin Jiaxian, a meaningful smile flashing in his eyes: "Don't worry, there will be opportunities later."

Having said that, he turned and strode away, his white robes brushing against the bluestone path, his figure gradually disappearing into the night, leaving only the lingering echo of his voice:

"Remember—do not tell anyone about what happened tonight."

Qin Jiaxian clutched the gold brick in his arms, gazing at the disappearing figure. After a long while, he clicked his tongue.

"It's all so mysterious... but as long as there's money to be made, that's all that matters!"

He patted Ye Tu Ling and Yin Shi Ren on the shoulder: "Let's go! Little one, I'll take you to Xiao Penglai!"

The three of them, arms around each other's shoulders, laughed and chatted as they disappeared into the depths of the alley.

In the distance, the lanterns of the noodle stall flickered in the night, like a firework that had not yet gone out.

Ye Jinming approached with unhurried steps. His white robes stood out conspicuously in the dim moonlight, yet strangely blended into the surrounding night, as if he were a part of the darkness himself.

The noodle vendor, head down wiping the cutting board, looked up at the sound of footsteps, his face immediately breaking into the warm, slightly weary smile typical of street vendors: "Welcome, sir! Would you like some noodles? I have cut noodles, fried noodles, bamboo noodles, and side dishes. What would you like, sir?"

His tone was natural, his eyes were calm, and he continued wiping his hands without stopping, just as he would any ordinary diner.

Ye Jinming sat down at the slightly greasy little wooden table in front of the stall, his sleeves brushing against the tabletop, his posture composed: "A bowl of knife-cut noodles, a touch of pickled mustard greens."

The hand wiping the noodle cutting board paused almost imperceptibly for a moment. He looked up, his smile still there, but less warm and more scrutinizing: "Sorry, sir, I have all kinds of noodles, but no knife-cut noodles."

Ye Jinming raised his eyes, his gaze calm as he looked at him. His voice was low, yet each word was clear: "A knife slices through a human head, blood is hidden in the snow—really not?"

A sudden night breeze swept through the alley, causing the lanterns to sway and casting flickering shadows on the two people's faces...