The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 62 - 58: Floral Wine

Chapter 62: Chapter 58: Floral Wine

Guard Wang couldn’t help but speak up just now, and immediately felt a bit of regret after speaking. After all, Xu Sanyuan is a Three Elements Scholar who will sooner or later become a Scholar of imperial examinations. What a status that is?

He lectured the young man, who might bear a grudge, isn’t that unnecessarily alienating their relationship?

Luckily, Xu Qing’s response was still so appropriate and satisfying.

Guard Wang felt relieved.

Xu Sanyuan truly has a generous nature, not showing the slightest bit of arrogance despite his young achievements.

Following this, Xu Qing’s words even mended the deeply wounded heart of Guard Ma, making everything seem like a warm spring day in bloom.

Hmm, Xu Qing took the initiative to invite the two guards to drink amongst the blossoms.

The current dynasty only strictly forbids officials from visiting brothels during working hours and doesn’t regulate after work, let alone scholars.

How many lively places there are in South Zhili, without the support of scholars, where could they flourish?

Moreover, visiting such pleasure places, with scholars involved, it’s called the elegance of literati; without scholars, it’s just a vulgar brothel visit, which sounds unpleasant to hear.

Xu Qing invited the two for drinks amongst the blossoms partly to restore their dignity and also to conveniently inquire about the guards’ experiences in practicing Bull Demon Strength Fist while drinking.

Drinking amongst the blossoms would definitely not be right now.

Xu Qing set the time, and they would meet on Nanlou Street at dusk.

Nanlou Street is located on the south bank of the Jiangning River. The whole street along the bank is full of pleasure houses, with a denser commercial atmosphere; scholars frequent it less compared to "Water Cloud."

"Water Cloud" refers to the numerous flower boats on the Jiangning River, and they are all multi-storied boats; at night, the lights are bright, and the fragrance of rouge wafts over the water.

There, you’ll find more scholars and refined individuals.

Those literati who can enter are in fact supported by big landlords or wealthy merchants. They’re called scholars, but they’re not ordinary scholars; many of them are renowned local talents or Scholars, as well as temporarily unappointed officials...

Owning a flower boat on the river, the backers often aren’t simple folks.

Xu Qing is now able to do business in fishing and salt because it’s a small field and he has the support of Magistrate He and County Magistrate Wu.

For a larger business, on the surface, it’s controlled by local powerful scholars and landlords, but in reality, there are also influential people and high-rankers from Yingtian Prefecture investing behind the scenes. Even bigger businesses involve people from the capital court.

So starting a business like producing soap or glass, even if possible to manufacture, it would be hard to maintain.

Like those great nautical explorations of the past, behind them often were nobility or royal support.

Xu Qing has a long way to go to become a true influential figure.

And also...

The issue of lifespan hasn’t been resolved yet.

Although during the last prefectural examination, he created the Shocking the Saint’s Image and gained a strand of Holy Virtue, extending his life by more than a year, he has not received it again since.

With his current Kung Fu accomplishments, his short lifespan definitely isn’t due to any physical problems.

If it’s not an internal cause, then it must be external.

And the black energy in the Qi Fortune reflects recent fortune, not something seen in the long term.

So the trouble is mostly likely in over three years’ time.

"The provincial exam is three years later, and if I encounter a gracious examination session, it might even be a year or two earlier. I wonder if during the provincial exam, I can write another article like Shocking the Saint’s Image." Xu Qing has been contemplating ways to acquire the Qi Fortune of Holy Virtue.

During the prefectural exam, he shocked with the Holy Image article, but not in the scholarly exam.

The difference is not in the level of skill, but that the prefectural exam paper included some viewpoints of Heart Study. Since this era has not yet seen Heart Study, and it is a major complement to Confucianism, this might be the fundamental reason he shocked with the Holy Image writing.

This is just Xu Qing’s current speculation, without concrete evidence.

However, he is also in the Recovery Society, and while exchanging civil service essay writing techniques, he gradually reveals some insights of Heart Study.

But to directly establish a new school of thought would not be feasible.

Because of this, it’s very easy to be denounced as a heretic.

To lecture, one must first have significant background or rely on a shell listing. As for which shell to use, Xu Qing is also considering.

Academician Zhou and Magistrate He are both interested in him anyway.

However, both Magistrate He and Academician Zhou have been busy with their official duties recently and can’t attend to Xu Qing for the time being.

Moreover, Xu Qing is also in a period of growth; boarding anyone’s ship now would offend the other party.

Ah, he can only play the role of a green tea for now— not rejecting, not initiating, and not taking responsibility.

Speaking of which, it’s also a headache that King Lin on Qixia Mountain is thinking about him.

Looking on the bright side, his reputation is widespread. It’s like a monkey that can move freely in the Heavenly Palace, able to find a place anywhere.

The downside is, it would be problematic if one day he’s unlucky and used to settle scores.

In any case, take it one step at a time; one must make oneself strong enough to forge ahead.

After all, without a diamond-hard body, one does not even have the qualifications to be suppressed for five hundred years, let alone to travel to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures.

After washing up, at the agreed time, Xu Qing and the two guards met at Nanlou Street and entered a loft.

This place had style— the fragrance was subtle and elegant, not vulgar, and fake flowers made of silk were specifically used for decoration. In this early winter season, it had a hint of spring.

Humans and animals are indeed different; one can be in a spring mood in any season.

Both Guard Wang and Guard Ma usually followed Magistrate He to experience pleasure quarters and had never been customers themselves before. This was their first time.

Xu Qing was willing to spend the money.

Although he is now on good terms with Magistrate He, Guard Wang and Guard Ma still report to Magistrate He daily.

Human hearts are fickle.

Magistrate He appreciates him and is grateful to him now, but who knows when his thoughts might change.

If at that time there were two guards to speak a word or to subtly warn Xu Qing, he wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Wine and conversation intertwined; a courtesan beside them played the lute and sang songs.

In the end, technique outweighed emotion.

Xu Qing didn’t listen carefully to what was being sung; it was probably something like the slow songs he’d heard in his previous life.

The soft Wu dialect, so tender to the ear, it made one’s body go limp, wishing to go to bed.

Seizing the warm moment when wine had lifted spirits and music filled the ears, Xu Qing asked Guard Ma and Guard Wang about their experiences in training the Bull Demon Strong Fist. In fact, he had asked Niu Peng before, but there was a problem with Niu Peng— he had exceptional talent, and while training the Bull Demon Strong Fist, he only focused on taking medicinal pills and practicing martial arts, ignoring all else and advancing with fierce dedication.

Asking him was the same as asking nobody.

Moreover, Guard Wang and Guard Ma both came from the Great Zen Temple with formal teachings. They had a millennium of the temple’s experience and lessons in martial arts training.

What Xu Qing lacked most was precisely that.

During the drinks, the two guards became cheerful, and under Xu Qing’s flattery, they revealed their knowledge without reservation.

This was also because at a drinking table, it’s easier to extract information.

Otherwise, in regular times, asking directly would often lead to guarded responses, or they might speak a sentence but hide half of it.

As for the courtesans listening in, it didn’t matter much, because it was all just drunken chatter, not always on the same topic. Those not in the know couldn’t understand it anyway.

And it would take quite a good memory to remember some strange martial arts terminologies.

After all, for ordinary people, a message normally distorts after being passed through ten mouths, and after being heard by a few people, seven or eight out of ten details might be untrue.

In summary, the money spent on the flower wine was well worth it.

Xu Qing got what he wanted; both guards were thoroughly satisfied; everyone got what they needed.

After returning, Xu Qing organized the knowledge he gained, ready to begin practicing the Bull Demon Strong Fist!

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