Green Mountain
Chapter 410 - 325. Waiting

Chapter 410: 325. Waiting

The drumbeat from the Bell and Drum Tower arrived as expected.

Today, there were particularly many people outside the Eight Great Hutongs, and both the noodle stalls and wonton stands were filled with patrons.

The guests sitting at the stalls ordered a bowl of wontons without eating, vigilantly eyeing the passersby, sitting for four hours straight. The stall owner noticed the daggers and axes hidden in their arms but was puzzled that Heji and Furui Xiang could sit together at the same table without incident.

The stall owner could only swallow his urging, hoping these big shots from the fighting profession would finish their business quickly and leave.

In the twilight, over ten men emerged from White Jade Garden in Baishun Alley, escorting Du Qigong toward Li Shamao Alley. These men had various physical flaws; some were blind in one eye, some had lost an arm.

The time was still early, and the guests of the Eight Great Hutongs had not started to arrive.

As they passed through each Alley, bold women on the second floor threw down handkerchiefs: "Qigong, come pay attention to my business."

The men from the Three Mountains Association glared up angrily: "Get lost, Qigong isn’t someone you can tease!"

Yet the women were not afraid of them, laughing playfully: "What’s wrong with Qigong? Qigong is just a man."

With her instigating, women along the entire Alley pushed open their upstairs windows, mocking the men: "Big fool, why have you never come to patronize our Alley’s business? Are you all looks and no substance?"

The man raised his hand toward the second-floor angrily, but Qigong pressed down his arm with a smile: "Let it go, you big guy, why fight with them?"

The ten-plus men arrived at Li Shamao Alley and entered Yihong Courtyard.

The brothel owner of Yihong Courtyard greeted them with a laugh: "Rare guests, it’s my first time seeing you, old Qigong, here at our Yihong Courtyard."

Qigong gestured, and the men behind him took off a string of Buddhist Treasures, placing them in the brothel owner’s hand: "Let the girls rest today, Yihong Courtyard isn’t doing business."

The brothel owner smiled, brushing her fingertip over the micro-engraved patterns of the Buddhist Treasures, checking their authenticity.

The men from Three Mountains Association frowned: "What, you don’t even trust Three Mountains Association?"

The brothel owner patted his chest lightly: "How could I... Thanks to Three Mountains Association’s usual care, let me share some news. Today, not only has our Yihong Courtyard been reserved, but also the neighboring Chunfeng Courtyard, Red Plum Garden, and Dengxian Building. You know, it’s rare for high rollers to come to our Li Shamao Alley."

Qigong frowned: "Did guests from those few places arrive?"

The brothel owner laughed and said: "Dengxian Building’s guest arrived after noon, a solitary person sitting in the room drinking tea, refusing to let anyone in, very reclusive."

The brothel owner continued: "Chunfeng Courtyard’s guest just arrived at 5 p.m., not only did they reserve the courtyard, but they drove the brothel owner and girls out, giving each of them five taels of silver as benefits to stay outside for the night. Moreover, they brought their own stove, tea set, and tea leaves, not using anything from the courtyard."

"Oh?" Qigong seemed surprised: "So generous, how many people did they bring?"

The brothel owner whispered: "Over twenty, very fierce."

A man leaned over, whispering into Qigong’s ear: "Qigong, could it be the owner behind Furui Xiang has arrived?"

Qigong nodded: "Hmm, it’s possible."

The man asked again: "Should I go investigate?"

Qigong shook his head: "No need, if they bring so many people and act so generously, I can roughly guess who it is, don’t provoke them... Strange, who reserved Red Plum Garden and Dengxian Building?"

While they spoke, a group of people came in from outside the Alley, each wearing a bamboo hat, lowering the brim to avoid everyone’s gaze as they entered Red Plum Garden.

A man whispered: "Qigong, it’s Chen Wenren, the second house’s son from the Chen family, I’ve seen them at White Jade Garden."

Qigong pondered: "The Chen family’s second house, the people behind Heji have also arrived... Huh, and who’s that in Dengxian Building? Who else would join this commotion?"

...

...

At this moment, Chunfeng Courtyard was quiet.

A young man who had previously watched wrestling with Chen Ji sat leaning by the window, arm resting on the windowsill, tapping his fingers.

Beside him burned a small red clay stove, with an exquisite silver kettle on top.

A burly man sat nearby, picked up the silver kettle and poured into a blue and white porcelain cup, pushing the teacup to his hand: "Master, drink tea."

The young man picked up the teacup to his mouth, slowly blowing on it, his eyes looking through the window crack to Li Shamao Alley downstairs.

The man reminded: "Master, tonight you are supposed to meet with Lord Wu from the Ministry of Rites to listen to opera at the Imperial Music Bureau. If the Imperial Censor knows, they will surely impeach you."

"Just don’t let them know," the young man laughed: "The Four Dreams of Bianliang, such pretentious theater, how could it be better than real gun and blade play? Heji and Furui Xiang have gathered over six hundred people to the Eight Great Hutongs, today this group probably won’t return. If I don’t see it myself, I’ll miss it. That group is intriguing, thirty or so people want to take down two major fighting professions, gutsy. Zhou Kuang, you came from the Five Armies Camp, do you think they have a chance today?"

The man named Zhou Kuang thought for a moment: "No chance, if one or two escape, it’s fortunate."

The young man downed the tea in the blue and white porcelain cup completely: "What a pity, I quite like that Brother Pao."

The man sitting by the small stove said: "Master, why not protect him a bit?"

The young man smiled: "If I protect him, then give him business outside the city to manage, and then watch him corrupt over ten years, transform into Zhu Guan’s likeness? That’s unattractive. Those storytellers love to tell of Heji’s old Dragon Head’s righteousness, but never dare tell how ruthless and exclusionary he became ten years after fame. Heroes should die early, Jianghu should have no living legends because as long as they live, there will be a day of decay. Better to die sooner."

The man remained silent.

The young man drew his gaze from outside the window toward the man: "Zhou Kuang, if someday I become like that, chop me down."

The man named Zhou Kuang shook his head: "Master, it would implicate nine tribes."

The young man scoffed: "Coward."

Zhou Kuang retorted: "Master, why not commit suicide yourself?"

The young man laughed: "Can’t, I’m afraid of pain."

Zhou Kuang lowered his head, secretly rolling his eyes.

The young man gazed out the window again: "I hear Lord Wu said, that Four Dreams of Bianliang talks about love and hate between two highborn and two humble couples, hahaha, I wonder which poor scholar had such a daydream, endlessly talking about love, isn’t it tiring? If I were to write, I’d write about four men abandoning their pens for the army, marching north, ending the millennium suffering of two dynasties, and giving the people a stable life."

The man preparing the tea murmured: "You did write once under a pseudonym, but it wasn’t good looking, Wenyuan Bookstore didn’t want it."

The young man’s face stiffened: "That’s Wenyuan Bookstore’s lack of insight... Huh, what time is it, why hasn’t that group come?"

Watching several distinguished guests waiting in Li Shamao Alley, hundreds gathering outside the Eight Great Hutongs, yet that group didn’t appear anywhere.

Everyone waited from 5 p.m. to midnight, as the candles in the lanterns were replaced again and again, red wax dripped all over the ground, still nothing happened.

In Yihong Courtyard, old Qigong was too sleepless, dozing off.

Until the night patrol rang the bell indicating 1 AM, awakening him abruptly: "Where are they?"

The men in the room whispered: "Qigong, they didn’t come tonight."

Qigong grumbled: "Using strategies now? Wearing us out!"

The man asked: "Will they never come again?"

Qigong chuckled bitterly: "If they truly don’t come again, wasn’t Qian Ping’s finger chopped for nothing... how’s business at home tonight?"

The man reported: "Tonight, White Jade Garden was full."

Qigong seemed surprised: "Full?"

The man explained: "They say Zhang Zhuo’s son, Zhang Zheng, led a group of friends to our White Jade Garden to listen to music, reserved several courtyards, played until midnight before leaving."

Qigong smacked his lips: "The old loves playing, the son loves playing too, this Zhang Family is indeed amusing."

The man asked: "Qigong, should we go back and rest?"

Qigong shook his head: "Wait a bit longer, maybe they’ll come later at night. I gotta see that array myself."

...

Sorry, something came up today to delay the update, making it a bit shorter