Chapter 128

"This... Auntie Guan, hello."

Li Yan didn't know what to say, so he could only bow and deal with it.

Childhood memories flooded his mind; this woman was the one who was fighting with another woman at the door during the New Year back then.

The other one, it seemed, was surnamed "Jing"...

Just as Li Yan was letting his imagination run wild, that middle-aged Daoist nun turned her head calmly and said to Guan Wanche, "Let's go, the past is gone, no need to mention it again."

"Also, my Daoist name is Ziyuan."

Guan Wanche was helpless, "Sister, why bother? Forget it, forget it, Daoist Ziyuan, let's go."

Having said that, he led his men and rode away.

Whoosh~

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Sha Lifei was trembling with laughter on the side, giggling, "This one is still easy to talk to; there are two others who are truly difficult to deal with; Brother Li Yan, you must be careful, don't get stabbed in the back."

Li Yan glanced at him coldly, "Loose-lipped!"

Seeing this, Sha Lifei hurriedly shut his mouth, but looking at Red Yecha's puzzled gaze, he couldn't help but mutter and tell some of the romantic affairs of Li Yan's father.

"Oh."

After hearing this, Red Yecha understood immediately, but she didn't ask much, instead looking at the departing Daoist nun's back, lost in thought, "This Daoist nun, I seem to have seen her before......"

Li Yan asked strangely, "You know her?"

Red Yaksha shook her head, "I often take on errands for the Taixuan Orthodox Sect and have been to Mount Taibai several times."

"Just the year before last, I was cooperating with Doumugong disciples to track a wandering corpse and accidentally entered the depths of Mount Taibai, where I happened to encounter a small sect practicing in seclusion, and we joined forces to suppress and kill the wandering corpse."

"That small sect was proficient in the art of talisman arrows, and everyone was a sharpshooter; according to the Doumugong disciples, this sect was originally a descendant of the Divine Bow Camp of the Great Xing Dynasty and fought against the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom without falling behind."

"After the rise of the Great Xuan Dynasty, they hid in the mountains to practice in seclusion; their methods were similar to the Meishan Sect, but they were more proficient in talisman arrows."

"At that time, this woman was also among them."

"Talisman arrows?"

Li Yan frowned; he suddenly remembered that Guan Wanche had indeed said that his sister had gone to Mount Taibai to serve the Dao, and it seemed she had already entered the Mystic Sect.

But why did she come to Chang'an instead of practicing on the mountain?

Could it be that she wanted to join the Commandant Office?

Of course, this thought only flashed through his mind.

Practicing martial arts and techniques, establishing a foothold in Chang'an, investigating clues... he had many plans and couldn't spare the time to think more about this matter.

…………

Although the layout of Changancheng had changed and it no longer had the atmosphere of ten thousand nations coming to court, the habit of "East is noble, West is rich, North is solid, South is empty" had not changed.

The Xingqing Palace was in the northeast of Changancheng, and various government offices were basically concentrated there, while the west side was where merchants and the wealthy gathered.

The housing prices in these two places were shockingly expensive, often involving deep mansions and large courtyards, although ordinary families now had the qualifications to purchase them.

But who could establish a foothold there if they weren't extraordinary people?

"There are quite a few inns in Chang'an."

Li Yan and the others led their horses and walked, while Sha Lifei chattered on the side, "There are chicken-feather rooms and carriage-horse shops; one is for refugees to survive, the other is for carters traveling north and south to rest; although they are cheap, Brother Li Yan, you probably wouldn't want to stay there..."

"There are also underworld-style shops, where many people mixing in the martial world stay, with all kinds of news coming and going; people in the martial world often get preferential treatment when they visit..."

"There is also another kind, which is ordinary inns, where most of the guests are foreign merchants; the environment is good, but the price is slightly expensive; the trouble is that some public servants in the government offices who are not human often come to harass them; if you don't have connections, you really can't suppress them..."

Li Yan pondered for a while, shook his head, and said, "We didn't come to Changancheng just to pass through, and we can't avoid dealing with people on the road, so let's stay in an underworld-style shop; we can also hear quite a bit of news."

"If it's an underworld-style shop, I do know of one."

Red Yecha on the side suddenly interjected, "The owner of that inn and I have some friendship, which can save a lot of trouble."

"That's great, Red Sister, where is the place?"

"Yong'an Ward."

……

"Is this the one?"

Seeing the sign of the Phoenix Inn from afar, and the couplet "Phoenix flies together to pass good news, guests fill the seats to talk of affection," Sha Lifei was happy, "I saw this shop on the Qin Ling Road."

"At that time, when sending the soul-sending person back to his hometown, they wouldn't even let us in. I guessed at the time that the owner was a woman; Red Sister, am I right?"

"Hmm."

Red Yaksha also smiled, "She is from Fengxiang; her family was once a wealthy family in Fengxiang, but later the family met with disaster, and she started her business in Chang'an; her means are extraordinary, and we get along well; her name is Feng Feiyan."

Wang Fu heard this and stroked his beard, "Phoenixes gather at Mount Qishan, flying and singing across Yong, and since then the Zhou Dynasty flourished; the name is heavy enough! This owner establishing a foothold in Chang'an as a woman is definitely not an ordinary person."

Sha Lifei said happily, "I only know that her Old Qin wine is unique!"

"That's for sure."

Red Yaksha smiled, "After all, she's from Fengxiang; there, there is no banquet without wine, and even mice can drink two taels."

"Hahaha..."

While talking, the group had already arrived in front of the inn.

Before they even got close, they heard the sound of a three-stringed instrument ringing inside, and at the same time, an old and heroic voice came: "Pillowing the Yellow River~ facing the sky, singing in the small river~ shouting in the big river, one shout~ roared for five thousand years!"

"Guests, you... Hero Red!"

Seeing guests arrive, the waiter came out to welcome them; he had just said one sentence when he saw it was Red Yecha, and he was immediately all smiles, hurriedly stepping forward to lead the horses, "Hero Red, you've come at a good time; the owner has been talking about you..."

As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Li Yan and the others. Sha Lifei suddenly had a bad memory and scolded with a smile, "What's wrong with you waiters? The branch store on the Qin-Chu Ancient Road, the waiter's eyes weren't honest either."

The waiter bowed and scraped, "Returning to the guests, that is my younger brother."

Sha Lifei: "......"

Red Yecha laughed, "Take us to see Boss Feng; it just so happens I'm introducing a few fellow Daoists."

"Yes, Hero Red, I will hand the horses of you all to the little one; I guarantee to feed them until they are fat."

The waiter was very diligent and hurriedly called someone to lead the horses away.

Following the waiter into the inn, Red Yecha's expression changed rapidly, becoming that cold, ruthless, and unapproachable appearance again.

There were still some people sitting scattered in the main hall, including martial arts performers carrying long and short musical instruments, as well as martial arts practitioners with fierce faces and slightly bulging temples.

Seemingly drinking or chatting, they were actually drifting their gazes over without a sound, secretly guessing the background of the group.

Li Yan and the others didn't pay attention either; they followed the waiter up the stairs to the second floor and knocked on a room facing the street on the east side.

"Owner, Hero Red is here!"

!.

Li Yan looked up and saw that the room was elegantly decorated; on both sides, there were antique shelves with porcelain and antiques, as well as bookshelves filled with books.

By the window, there was a long couch, on which a woman in green clothes was leaning, her wine flask shaking back and forth, looking out the window leisurely, her fair neck revealing a beautiful curve.

Li Yan sniffed and was somewhat surprised.

He didn't know what this incense was made of, but it could actually clear away strange odors and bad luck.

Hearing the knock, the woman turned her head back; she didn't look old, about twenty or thirty, but she was extremely well-maintained.

An egg-shaped face, eyes with peach blossoms, charming yet carrying a trace of heroic spirit.

She turned around and got off the couch, her eyes smiling, "Red Sister, I was just thinking that your errand should be finished; with the wind and snow arriving, you would definitely come to Chang'an to drink. These few are..."

"Haha, that goes without saying."

Seeing her friend, Red Yecha's face once again showed a smile, and she raised her hand, "Let me introduce them; this is Li Yan, a rising star of the Xianyang Mystic Sect, this is Daoist Wang Fu, this is Sha Lifei..."

After the introduction, Boss Feng Feiyan smiled, "Since they are friends brought by Red Sister, they must be heroes; you all can rest assured and stay, and if you have anything, you can tell me."

"Red Sister, since you've come, accompany me for two drinks."

Li Yan and the other two were all sharp people; they could see that this Boss Feng had something to discuss with Red Yecha, so they bowed to thank her, and then were led by the waiter toward the backyard of the inn.

The Yong'an Ward where the Phoenix Inn was located was not a place where merchants gathered, so the land price was cheap and the area was not small.

Behind the inn, there was also a row of small courtyards; it seemed that part of the original ward had been blocked by walls to create these courtyards.

"You all, it's right here."

The waiter led the three to the outside of a small courtyard on the west side, introducing it while opening the lock, "This courtyard doesn't face the street, and it's quiet at night..."

After opening the door, Li Yan looked up and saw that the courtyard was not large; besides the main room, there were two side rooms, as well as a kitchen and a latrine.

Under the old tree, there was also a water well.

Although it was small, it was very clean and had no strange odors.

Li Yan liked it as soon as he saw it and nodded, "Not bad."

"As long as the guests are satisfied."

The waiter handed the key to the three, "If you guests want wine and food, just say so, and someone will send it; you can heat the hot water yourselves."

Having said that, he exited and closed the door behind him.

"This place is good."

Wang Fu smiled, "Last time I came, I was penniless and stayed in a carriage-horse shop, which was a great suffering."

Li Yan shook his head, "No matter how good it is, it's just a temporary residence; I want to practice techniques and martial arts, and the Daoist also wants to set up the Patriarch Altar; with many people and mixed eyes, it's ultimately inconvenient."

"Daoist, go with me to the Chenghuangmiao; after receiving the Daoist certificate, we can visit Daoist Luo by the way."

Sha Lifei smiled, "You go; the Chenghuangmiao has heavy incense, and I don't dare to speak when I go there, feeling uncomfortable all over; I'll just wander around and find a real estate agent to inquire about what kind of mansion there is."

After setting the plan, the three asked the waiter to pass a message to Red Yecha, then left the inn and acted separately.

After walking a few steps, Li Yan felt something, turned around to look, and saw that on a window on the second floor, that Boss Feng was looking at them while holding a wine flask.

Seeing that she was discovered by Li Yan, the woman with lingering charm smiled slightly and gestured with the wine flask.

Strange woman......

Li Yan nodded slightly and turned to merge into the crowd.

At the window, inn owner Feng Feiyan turned her head back and smiled, "Red Sister, this friend of yours is young, but he looks like he has good martial arts skills."

Red Yecha drank some wine and shook her head, "People of the Mystic Sect, don't mess around; they won't kill people indiscriminately for money."

"Hahaha..."

Feng Feiyan smiled, "What are you thinking, Feiyan is just happy for you, finally having friends, and being able to help out when encountering trouble."

"Sigh~"

Red Yecha sighed, "I'm ultimately getting a bit old; this time I almost lost my life, and it was fortunate to have these few to help."

Feng Feiyan nodded slightly, then her eyes flowed, "Something big happened in the martial world recently, I wonder if Red Sister has received the news."

"What happened?"

"Near the ruins of the ancient Zhou Haojing City, something extraordinary was dug up......"

(End of chapter)