Unparalleled Duo
Chapter 46 - 46 32 Bogui Building

46: Chapter 32 Bogui Building 46: Chapter 32 Bogui Building Dusk.

The setting sun cast its slanting rays, deepening the sense of autumn.

On the southern imperial road of Luoyang City, pedestrians had long vanished.

Until the sound of horse hooves arose…

Two fine horses appeared, galloping side by side from afar.

The riders were three individuals: Sun Yixie, Huang Donglai, and Monk Chunkong.

Since Sun Yixie carried a lot of heavy luggage and an inconvenient trident on his back, Monk Chunkong, who hitched a “free ride,” shared a horse with Huang Donglai.

Fortunately, the young monk was not heavy and carried very little luggage, so their short journey was not hindered.

For Monk Chunkong, coming to Luoyang was perhaps not a significant occasion; even if he hadn’t found anyone willing to give him a ride, walking wouldn’t have taken him more than a few days.

But for Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai, reaching this place was not easy.

Though Huang Donglai had traveled a longer distance from Shu to Hangzhou several months earlier, he had traveled by the High-speed Train Gang’s coach to Jiangnan back then, merely enjoying the roadside scenery and resting at the stations without encountering anything particularly interesting.

However, the journey from Hangzhou to Luoyang with Sun Yixie was different.

In less than a month, they had encountered all sorts of extraordinary people and events and had even formed several grudges and alliances; this… was the true feeling of “wandering the Martial Arts world.”

…

Upon entering the city, the two immediately sensed how Luoyang differed from other places.

The city was bustling with activity.

Though the roads outside the city had few pedestrians early on, the main thoroughfare inside was brightly lit and crowded.

The closer they moved toward the heart of the city, the more people gathered; from street vendors and performers to shops that stayed open into the darkness of night and the lingering crowds of pedestrians…

it seemed the whole city was engaged in a lively “nightlife,” a rare scene in the Great Ming.

Typically, such a scene in Luoyang would only occur during the three or four days around the Mid-Autumn Festival, and even when the Youth Hero Conference was held, it might extend up to about seven days.

However… this year, Master Shen of the Justice Sect in Luoyang seemed intent on making the event even grander and longer-lasting than before, stirring up the city’s atmosphere days in advance.

But don’t think this was an easy feat—just the lanterns and lanterns along the main road cost a significant sum; not to mention the “overtime pay” for the vendors and shopkeepers, the “protection fees” to help maintain order, and the “bribery fees” to keep the officials turning a blind eye to their nightly activities, making this celebratory night market a daily expense for the Justice Sect.

Of course, such liveliness also served to enhance their reputation significantly.

As previously mentioned, running a large sect with over a hundred members is already challenging enough, let alone hosting a nearly half-month long major event, which truly tests the comprehensive strength of your sect.

Not only did they need money, but the administrative coordination at the higher levels, scheduling abilities at the mid-levels, and execution at the grassroots level were all crucial.

Handling such matters efficiently and impressively was akin to demonstrating strength to the Martial Arts community; and the successful hosting of such an event would become an intangible asset in future interactions with others.

Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai, both fond of stirring things up, were naturally attracted to the night market as soon as they entered the city.

Adding to their excitement was the fact that they had finally reached their destination, allowing them to relax a bit, so both appeared particularly enthusiastic, as if the hardships of their journey had been significantly alleviated.

But Monk Chunkong was different from them since he was a monk who valued simplicity and avoidance of trouble; if not for the official invitation from the Justice Sect specifically requesting his presence at the Shaolin Temple, Monk Chunkong wouldn’t have even considered attending the Youth Hero Conference.

Thus, Monk Chunkong had no interest in the bustling scene; after entering the city, he thanked Sun and Huang for the ride and promptly bid them farewell, taking his master’s letter to stay overnight at the White Horse Temple.

Of course, his departure… was perhaps for the best.

During their journey from Song Mountain, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai had chatted with him and found him to be extremely upright; to their eyes, Monk Chunkong seemed like dough made from naive flour and mundane water, leavened with a touch of Buddhist teaching… Such a recipe could only produce a bowl of plain noodles named “high monk.”

Meanwhile, the two of them were akin to stomach-upsetting hot pot and gout-inducing seafood, completely incompatible with this monk.

With Monk Chunkong gone, they felt freer and ready to revel in the night market.

After checking into an inn and dropping off their luggage and trident, they headed to the main street and strolled around before settling down at a roadside stall.

Each ordered a bowl of donkey meat soup with bread, filling themselves halfway.

Then they continued to roam the streets, watching street performers and inspecting fake jewelry at stalls, admiring the traditional candy sculpting craft, and taking deep breaths of the complex aroma in the air mingled with food, powder, soil, fodder, metal, horse manure, and lamp oil… it was truly wonderful.

If you asked why this was considered wonderful,

I would say this is the essence of “human flavor” or “market air.”

Such scents are hardly detectable in our era, especially in large cities; perhaps some older individuals might recall similar smells from their childhood or hometown memories, but for most young people… they are more familiar with car exhaust and the irresponsibly left behind dog feces in the green belts.

Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai continued their stroll until 8:45 p.m., by which time the night market was nearing its end.

The biological clocks of ancient people were much healthier compared to modern individuals.

For most people back then, staying up till 9 p.m.

felt similar to how we feel staying up until midnight today—despite high spirits, they would begin to yawn (of course, many modern people stay energetic all night, only becoming sleepy by dawn; yes, I know you exist).

As a result, the number of pedestrians gradually decreased, and street vendors began to pack up.

However, the nocturnal adventures of Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai were clearly not over, and it might even be said that they were just beginning…

Both hailing from prestigious origins, they were well aware that any large city had “night markets” that operated all night.

In the Great Ming, most of these “night markets” were brothels with the most famous being the “Star Shining Building” located in Shanghai County along the Jiangnan coast.

It was said that many high-ranking officials, despite the risk of being dismissed, would disguise themselves to indulge in its allure, which speaks volumes about its charm.

Sun Yixie had always wanted to visit such a place, but Mr.

Sun was very strict about these matters and strictly forbade him from frequenting brothels.

Not to mention the Star Shining Building, he couldn’t even visit the brothels in Hangzhou.

Huang Donglai’s situation was similar: Firstly, as the sole heir of the prestigious Huang Sect in Shu, discipline was naturally strict; secondly, his family wasn’t as affluent as before.

Although they weren’t destitute, they didn’t have spare money to squander in brothels.

But today was different.

Both were far from home in Luoyang, with no one to supervise them.

They still had quite a bit of money on them; they weren’t exactly eager to visit a brothel out of lust, but having lived in this universe where brothels were legally permissible for so many years without ever stepping into one, they were curious to see what it was like.

Thus, just before 9 p.m., these two fools found a building that was still brightly lit and appeared quite luxurious on the street.

They exchanged a conspiratorial grin and cheerfully stepped inside together.

But once inside, they could no longer smile.

Because they immediately realized… they might have come to the wrong place.

From the street view, the sign on the building read “Bogui Building.” Depending on your interpretation… If you were thinking about finding a brothel, the name could indeed seem appropriate for one, but if you gave it more thought, the name would also fit a funeral parlor.

As they peered inside, they saw that the entrance was bright with light and blocked by a folding screen; this seemed normal… the screen served to block the wind and dust and to hide some of the indecent activities of men and women inside.

Moreover, just a few steps from the door, they could hear many people talking; both men and women’s voices were present, and the number of people seemed quite large, though it was hard to discern exactly what they were discussing—it sounded like they were all quite happy.

In summary, from a quick glance at the entrance, it was indeed possible to mistake this place for a brothel.

Little did they know, once they stepped inside—it was a legitimate restaurant, a place for dining.

Why was the business so good?

It was simple; this was the best restaurant in Luoyang, renowned not only for its cuisine but also because it only opened for dinner, starting at 5 p.m.

and continuing until midnight.

Those in the city who liked to stay up late and had money and leisure flocked here for supper, naturally drawing crowds.

“Two guests.” Soon, a middle-aged man, dressed similarly to a steward of a wealthy family, approached in a neither servile nor haughty manner and said to Sun and Huang, “It’s windy at the door, please come inside.”

Just this greeting upon entering was enough to show the uniqueness of this restaurant: instead of common waiters greeting the guests, there were designated welcoming staff.

Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai realized that someone had come to greet them, so turning around and walking out while asking for directions to the nearest brothel seemed somewhat shameful.

They exchanged a look and shrugged… might as well settle here.

The Bogui Building’s ground floor hall had plenty of seats, and at this 8:45 p.m., it still had ninety percent occupancy; the delicious aroma wafting from the tables, the content expression on the diners’ faces, and their joyful conversations all indicated that this place was indeed excellent.

The greeter led Sun and Huang to an empty table in the corner and stopped to ask, “Guests, is this spot acceptable?”

Sun Yixie thought to himself: This spot isn’t great; there’s a pillar not far away, making it inconvenient for serving food.

He looked around, and there were only a few corner spots left in the hall, so he casually asked, “Is there space in the upstairs private rooms?”

He… was just used to it.

Because back when he was in Hangzhou, whenever he went to high-end restaurants to treat someone to a meal, he always booked a private room.

What he didn’t know was that the “upstairs” of the Bogui Building wasn’t just casually accessible to anyone; only the first-floor hall was open to anyone who could pay for a meal, but going upstairs for a meal required some prerequisites… which was why so many people were on the first floor.

“Oh…” The greeter paused, a bit taken aback, but quickly put on a very professional smile, “Hmm… there are still spots upstairs.” He paused, “Are you… sure you want to go?”

“What do you mean ‘for real’?” Sun Yixie didn’t catch anything amiss from the other’s words and immediately answered, “Yes, let’s go.”

Huang Donglai also piped in from the side, “Buddy, hurry it up, will you?

We’re both hungry.”

He was speaking the truth; the snacks they had eaten on the street were long digested.

Moreover, after coming in and seeing so much good food and smelling the delicious aromas, their mouths were watering.

“Alright… alright.” Seeing that both were quite resolute, the greeter stretched out an arm and made a “please” gesture, saying, “Please follow me, this way.” With that, he led them up the stairs to the second floor.

This led to the fateful encounter—Sun Yixie’s blade battle with the old Imperial Chef and Huang Donglai’s literary duel with Little Dezu.

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