Mo Li listened to Master Meng’s complaints while holding back a laugh.
There were many wild mosquitoes in the mountains, but not all were bloodsuckers.
Meng Qi had specifically wandered around the mountain last night, and though he used his spiritual energy to attract mosquitoes, only some rushed to bite people, while others were more interested in their own kind, buzzing and flying in swarms through the bushes, darkening the air.
The scene looked terrifying, but it didn’t actually cause much more harm.
—It felt like he was bringing mosquitoes to socialize and recognize kin.
The Dragon Vein of Taijing was extremely frustrated, and the leaders there were cursing up a storm.
Why were there so many mosquitoes? Did all the wild mosquitoes in the mountains flock to Mingchuan Temple? Was this a deserted temple or a mosquito den? It seemed almost the same, especially if a group of monks chanted indistinctly, sounding just like buzzing.
Du Biaotou’s identity was exposed due to the hidden weapon bamboo tube fitted with Lihua needles, but he remained unharmed. Not only did he have to endure mosquito bites that night, but also the scrutinizing gazes of Elder Cai and the leader of Changxin Gang.
The Escort Agency could handle dealings in both the underworld and the legitimate world, and as escorts, they had access to wealthy merchants and official figures. If one needed to gather information long-term, this was an ideal cover. Mo Li was not surprised that someone affiliated with the Jinyiwei used this profession as a disguise; he was more puzzled that the four gangs and twelve assemblies of Yuzhou had united against the Holy Lotus Sect, yet the imperial government remained indifferent. Had Du Biaotou not reported the matter concerning the Holy Lotus Sect?
With this doubt in mind, Mo Li immediately proposed visiting the nearby county town upon descending the mountain.
With the previous incidents of kidnapping and Elder Cai gathering troops without discretion, the small county town was already on edge, and even the street vendors selling steamed cakes and wontons knew something big was about to happen. They didn’t dare set up their stalls, choosing instead to carry their goods back and forth, looking around as if ready to flee at any sign of trouble.
As Meng Qi passed a man carrying a wonton load, the man nervously sized him up.
Given Meng Qi’s deceptive appearance, the vendor’s tense arms slowly relaxed, and before he could recover from the surprise of seeing such a face, his mouth had already unconsciously curved into a business-inviting smile.
“Freshly made wontons this morning, with the finest broth, would you like a bowl, sir?”
The vendor lifted the lid of the soup pot at one end just a bit, and immediately the scent of bone broth wafted out.
The broth of this wonton stall was aged, with large bones added daily, and the previous day’s bones discarded, simmered year after year. Even though the vendor only scooped the top layer of broth when heading out and had to add quite a bit of water when preparing the food, the delicious taste lingered on the lips and teeth for a long time.
Mo Li paused mid-step.
With Meng Qi’s acute hearing, just the change in footsteps told him what was happening.
He turned around and asked the vendor for the price with a beaming smile. The vendor, eager to do business, responded briskly and spoke in clear official speech, completely devoid of heavy accents, making it very pleasant to listen to.
Meng Qi looked at the bowls and chopsticks the vendor offered. Though they were coarse porcelain, they were very clean, so he nodded and pulled out a handful of copper coins for two bowls of wontons.
The well-wrapped wontons, still dusted with flour, were scooped into the soup pot. The vendor used tongs to stir the charcoal in the stove a bit, and sparks immediately flew up, quickly bringing the soup to a boil, the aroma intensifying.
When the wontons were ready, the vendor wanted to offer Meng Qi and his companion a piece of bluestone by the roadside to set the bowls on, but Meng Qi, acting as if nothing was amiss, casually took the steaming bowl without feeling the heat and handed it to Mo Li.
The vendor watched, dumbfounded, as these two men, who appeared as dignified as princes, unbelievably touched the hot bowls with their bare hands.
Mo Li looked down and saw the wonton skins, thin as cicada wings, floating in the bowl, the soup enhanced with a pinch of finely sliced tofu skin and a few chopped green onions, the rising steam hitting his face.
Meng Qi wiped the bluestone with his sleeve and settled down with the bowl.
In the narrow alley, the two sat side by side, each holding a bowl of steaming wontons.
Until they finished eating, not once did their spoons or porcelain bowls clink together.
In the alley where no one lingered, one could faintly hear the bustling noises from the street outside, like vendors calling out or bailiffs clearing the way.
“What’s that smell?” Someone peered into the alley from the entrance, unable to see clearly due to the darkness.
The wonton vendor hurriedly packed up his belongings, not daring to provoke either the authorities or the local gang.
“Ha, it must be Old Lu’s wonton stall! Let’s go, have a bowl! We’re all hungry this early in the morning!”
A coarse voice rang out, turning the wonton vendor pale with fear. He picked up his load, intending to flee.
But with the heavy burden and the narrow alley, outrunning the people behind him was nearly impossible.
The ground was uneven, and the vendor walked hesitantly, sweating profusely. Suddenly, it felt like he stepped into a void, instinctively wanting to shout out, but he dared not stretch out his arms, needing to hold onto his load tightly so as not to spill the charcoal-fired soup pot, which would be disastrous!
However, instead of falling, his body seemed to float on clouds, his kicking feet a foot off the ground.
The wonton vendor broke out in a cold sweat and before he could recover, he was back on solid ground.
“…”
He turned sharply, only to realize he was no longer in the same alley.
In the small town, narrow alleys led in all directions; a few twists and turns were enough to shake off pursuers.
The vendor couldn’t understand how he ended up here, his legs felt weak, especially since there were hardly any people around at this early hour, and it seemed he might have encountered a ghost. It’s usually ghosts that make walls, not ghosts that lead the way, right?
Finally, his gaze fell on the washing stone slab in front of a house in the alley.
On the slab, there were two coarse porcelain bowls, the soup drunk cleanly, with two spoons resting in the bowls, their handles intimately crossed.
“Sir? Young master?”
The wonton vendor called out timidly a couple of times but couldn’t find the two men from before.
As he set down his load and picked up the coarse porcelain bowls from the bluestone, he suddenly noticed a piece of broken silver underneath them.
At this moment, Meng Qi, who had already leaped across several layers of roofs to a guesthouse rooftop using light martial arts, suddenly reached into Mo Li’s sleeve and fumbled around.
Mo Li was initially startled, then gradually relaxed, allowing Meng Qi to search around.
—His weapon was a blunt knife, safe even in a child’s hands.
Meng Qi searched from the left side to the right, eventually finding the money pouch and began counting the coins.
“…Are you planning to rob again?” Mo Li blurted out.
In ancient times, one could understand profound meanings from a song; he, on the other hand, guessed the intentions behind counting coins.
Meng Qi stuffed the money pouch back and turned with a smile: “Since we know there’s an Jinyiwei here, how could we miss out?”
Mo Li kept silent.
He was the one who had given the broken silver to the wonton vendor, as Meng Qi didn’t have much money on him.
Or rather, if he had any, it was gone now. Meng Qi was thrown a bunch of explosives by the Piaoping Pavilion, and as a result, he was left with nothing but a sword; even his clothes were unsalvageable, and the ones he wore now were changed later.
Meng Qi had a habit of keeping fifty copper coins in every piece of clothing.
Mo Li didn’t stop him, finding Meng Qi’s preparedness quite admirable, especially since losing their luggage or suddenly running out of cash could leave them penniless unless someone had some money on them.
Across from the guesthouse was a large mansion.
The mansion belonged to a branch leader of the Dragon Head Association. The leaders of the four gangs and twelve assemblies were also here waiting for news. The mission to eliminate a branch of the Holy Lotus Sect wasn’t finished when suddenly they were confronted by an unexpected nemesis. Everyone from the Eight Rhymes Hall was incapacitated, and the leaders of Changxin Gang and Du Biaotou were captured, causing these rough men of the Jianghu to become restless.
Now, they refused to stay and were causing a commotion, wanting to leave.
Elder Cai went away, never to return. The others in the Dragon Head Association could not keep these spoiled brats in line.
In just one night, the four gangs and twelve assemblies began to confront each other, each with their own ideas, and negotiations broke down.
All relying on Yuzhou territory for their livelihoods, conflicts were inevitable for the sake of interests. Originally, under Elder Cai’s control and with shared interests as security, this group could sit together; now, to hell with it, troubles meant disbanding.
It almost came to blows.
Even so, the local authorities grew tense, quickly dispatching bailiffs to patrol the streets.
Catchpoles and minor officials were also eager to find out what was happening. Whether it was the local ruffians who usually bowed and scraped to them, or the jianghu bandits who called each other brothers and had both money and knives, all showed a troubled expression, indicating that this was a matter for the top figures of Yuzhou’s four gangs and twelve assemblies, and ants cannot meddle in the fights of leopards.
The officials were furious, raining curses on these jianghu people who had gathered in the town.
The activities in the mansion across, the catchpoles in the inn gathering news and cursing, the overt confrontations of the jianghu gangs on the streets…
Meng Qi took all this in, thinking it was quite the spectacle, worthy of buying a bag of sunflower seeds and peanuts to enjoy with Doctor Mo.
“In some towns in Jiangnan, houses are built along the riverbank, and boats are the main means of transport. The boats are very small, without even a rain shelter, just enough for two people who have to paddle themselves. When it’s time for a play, people just row along the river; one stage might be performing ‘Lin Chong at the Temple in the Snowy Mountain’, and from another distant stage, you can hear ‘Wu Song Fights the Tiger’, and around the bend, it might be ‘The True and False Li Kui’… It’s truly interesting how everyone knows each character, and all tales converge.”
Mo Li might not have known what these plays were like before, but after spending three days in Taijing Tile House and seeing all the southern troupes, he could not help but enlighten Meng Qi: “You just love to see lively scenes on stage with drums beating and weapons clashing. The river stage plays you speak of, if one performed ‘The Departure of Lady Zhaojun’ and another ‘The Sorrowful Vigil in the Cold Kiln for Eighteen Years’, you would be so engrossed that you’d paddle to the end of the town and then we wouldn’t return.”
No more watching night plays on the little towns’ black boats, only the sounds of cicadas and frogs.
Meng Qi’s smile froze on his lips; he wanted to argue, but found Mo Li’s point quite valid.
—How did the doctor understand his thoughts and preferences so thoroughly?
On second thought, could it be that the doctor had been really thoughtful towards him? It might not be apparent on the surface.
It turns out the doctor’s efforts were not only in brewing bitter medicinal concoctions but also in these other things.
Meng Qi, delighted by these recent days of closeness with Mo Li, could no longer restrain himself, and pulled him into an embrace.
Mo Li: “…”
If not for their high martial skills and a body free of sweat, what would they look like embracing in this weather?
Isn’t it hot?
Author’s note:
Mo Li: For some reason, my beloved is suddenly showing off again.
Meng Qi: According to BLABLA, the doctor has put a lot of thought into me… overwhelmed with joy.
