Chapter 141: Huage Tower

The name Huage Tower has its origins.

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Emperor Ming, because of the friendship of his brother yielding the throne, specially built the Huage Xianghui Tower in Xingqinggong to play music and drink with his brothers, and sleep in the same bed.

At that time, the status of this tower was even higher than the four great famous towers, known as the number one tower in the world, and later it became the place where Emperor Ming and his Imperial Consort lived for a long time.

And now, although the four great famous towers have experienced the flames of war and have been renovated many times, at least they are still there, but the Huage Xianghui Tower has completely disappeared into the dust.

The former Xingqinggong is now the Chang'an Prince's Mansion.

To avoid suspicion, the Prince of Chang'an only rebuilt part of the palace, not daring to have the slightest overstepping, let alone recreate this number one tower in the world.

And among the people, it is another matter.

Emperor Ming has another identity, the founder of the Pear Garden.

The so-called "Pear Garden" was an institution specializing in singing and dancing in the Tang palace. At that time, it gathered masters from all over the Shenzhou, and Emperor Ming himself was an all-rounder and even served as a conductor himself.

On the Shangyuan Festival in Chang'an, the lights reflected the snow, and the neon clothes and feather garments still make many scholars and poets dream.

Emperor Ming called himself Sanlang and often scolded during rehearsals: "Practice well, don't lose face for me, Sanlang!"

In many dialects, "Lao" is a nickname for "Xiao".

Therefore, Emperor Ming was also worshipped as the Old Lang God.

The Pear Garden disciples have worshipped him for generations.

Daring to name it "Huage Tower" is naturally extraordinary......

"Little Young Master, please come in."

Before even entering the door, a waiter greeted him with a smiling face.

Even though Li Yan was wearing a black coarse cloth cotton uniform, which looked very low-grade, the other party's words were still like a spring breeze.

Those who do this work are called "Big Teapots" in the north and "Turtle Publics" in the south, with low status. Once they do it, they are looked down upon by others for a lifetime.

Among them, some are truly miserable people whose mothers were brothel women, born in brothels and used to the cold eyes of the world.

Others are city foxes and social rats on the street, cultivated by the procuress, black-hearted and poisonous, more or less stained with human lives.

"Thank you."

Li Yan said habitually.

The waiter was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered, his attitude even more respectful, bowing and raising his hand to lead the way in front.

As soon as he entered the building, Li Yan stopped in his tracks.

The layout of this "Huage Tower" is truly extraordinary.

Entering the main gate, facing him is a huge stage, paved with Persian red carpets, with musicians playing and women dancing.

What surprised Li Yan was that several women had fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, and were all beautiful Western Hu girls.

Their eyebrows were full of affection, their jade arms were stretched, their snow-white bare feet were spinning, and their light dresses were flying with the dance steps.

"Little Young Master, this is the Hu Xuan Dance."

The Big Teapot on the side was not in a hurry, introducing with a smile: "In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Hu Xuan Dance was popular in Chang'an. These girls were all personally selected by the shopkeeper to the Western Regions."

"If you like any girl, you can let her dance for you alone in the room later."

"No rush."

Li Yan shook his head: "I'll set a seat first, and invite someone later......"

"Brother Yan!"

A familiar shout came from afar.

The main hall of this Huage Tower is not small. Behind the stage, there is a huge pool with a Tangli flower wood carving in the center. Around the hall are three-story red buildings with many rooms and people coming and going.

Li Yan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man with disheveled clothes leaning on the railing on the second floor on the right, his wine pot swaying, with a woman lying beside him, drunk and hazy, full of playfulness.

It was the "Night Crying Lang" Shen Sanyou.

Li Yan was stunned, then laughed dumbly.

There were too many people here, and the smell of powder was too heavy, so he didn't activate his supernatural powers and didn't find that Shen Sanyou had arrived early.

After going upstairs with the waiter, Li Yan was even more dumbfounded.

The layout on this Huage Tower is also different.

The corridors and walkways of the rooms are very spacious, also paved with red carpets, and there are scattered seats separated by screens.

Some are empty, and some have women drinking with guests.

The table in front of Shen Sanyou was already full of wine pots, and there were a few exquisite side dishes, but it was already a mess.

He looked at Li Yan, scratched his head embarrassedly, and giggled: "Little Brother Li, I've been thinking about you inviting me to drink day and night."

"You sent a letter this morning, and I couldn't hold back for a moment. Thinking it wouldn't be appropriate to keep you waiting, I came a little early..."

Pfft!

The woman beside him was middle-aged but still charming. Upon hearing this, she covered her mouth with a fan and giggled, "Sanlang, you didn't come a little early, you clearly drank from morning until now."

Li Yan wasn't angry, shook his head and smiled: "Senior isn't afraid that I would break my promise and leave you here?"

"It's fine!"

Shen Sanyou was already a bit drunk, waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter if the person doesn't come, as long as the gift arrives. Just send someone to pay the bill."

"Hahaha, how can that be."

Li Yan laughed, then looked around: "Senior, there are too many people here, it's better if we book a private room and continue drinking."

"Booking a private room is not appropriate."

Shen Sanyou shook his head directly, looked up and smiled: "Look here, beauty is everywhere, bright and airy."

"Booking a private room is expensive, and if you want to see beauties, you have to spend more money. Isn't that a sucker?"

"And... I have a more cost-effective way!"

He giggled, leaned closer and whispered: "In the alleys of this Pingkang Lane, there are many empty residences of Chang'an nobles."

"If you like any girl, I'll take you to live there for a night, which is much more interesting than here."

"Especially that residence of the Chang'an Prince's Mansion, tsk tsk, it's really elegantly decorated, which is to my liking!"

Li Yan: "......"

"What's wrong, ashamed?" Seeing Li Yan's appearance, Shen Sanyou was a bit dissatisfied.

Li Yan said speechlessly: "We have already moved into that residence and promised the Prince's Mansion to watch it at night and expel Jianghu guests."

"Shameless!"

Shen Sanyou slapped the table hard and cursed: "Isn't a house for living in?"

"These princes and nobles have so many residences, they don't even take a look, they are almost molding, so what if I live in them?"

"Really stingy!"

"Hahaha..." The woman beside him was bent over with laughter.

Li Yan glanced at her, feeling a bit surprised in his heart.

Reasonably speaking, brothel women welcome and send off guests, have seen a lot, and have a good eye, so they wouldn't be like this.

It's mostly Shen Sanyou's old lover.

Shen Sanyou cursed messily, but didn't mention this matter again, instead picked up his wine glass and took a sip, sneering: "I know what you kid wants to do, it's nothing more than wanting to ask about the Mystic Sect road in Chang'an."

"Don't be in a hurry, there's a good show later, let's talk after watching it."

"A good show?"

Li Yan became interested.

Just then, Shen Sanyou's eyes lit up and he pointed downward, "Look, the good show is here!"

Li Yan looked down, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

I saw on the stage below, the Western Hu girls from before had already dispersed, and two people walked onto the stage with big strides.

One was wearing a green cloth gown, tall and thin, with deep wrinkles on his face, white beard and white hair, solemn expression, and his left hand was playing with a pair of walnuts...

The other was a middle-aged man, white and fat, wearing a squire's robe, full of smiles, looking very kind...

This fat squire coughed, and seeing that he had attracted everyone's attention, he bowed respectfully to the surroundings: "Dear elders, I am the troupe leader of the Wu troupe. Today, I am here to exchange skills with the Yang troupe."

"Eating this bowl of rice, we emphasize skills, but who is better, you all have to speak." "Later, the disciples will distribute some chips. After both sides show their unique skills, you look at which one you like, and vote for that one."

"Everyone, if there is any disturbance, please bear with it."

As he spoke, he raised his hands and bowed deeply.

"Good!"

"Tsk tsk, didn't come in vain tonight!"

"Show your true skills, I'll reward you if I'm happy!"

The surrounding audience cheered one after another, starting a commotion.

And this fat troupe leader Wu was also winking, bowing left and right, his expressions vivid and lively, and everything he said was funny, which caused bursts of laughter.

In just a few words, the atmosphere in the hall had been controlled by him.

The high and thin old man on the side saw this, and didn't want to be outdone, stepped forward and bowed: "Everyone, Zhou Banzhu Wu is right. Our line emphasizes true ability, just relying on glib tongue is useless."

!.

"Everyone is also a knowledgeable person. Our troupe has many skills, naturally we can't compare them one by one, delaying everyone's time."

"So next, we will fight three rounds: first is strength skill, second is clever skill, third is ancient color magic."

As he spoke, he turned his head: "Zhou Banzhu Wu, you first?"

The fat man hurriedly bowed: "I am a junior, naturally I should let Zhou Banzhu Yang."

"You first, please."

Although both sides were kind, they were tit-for-tat.

"Alright."

Zhou Banzhu Yang nodded, sneered, and turned to go off the stage.

So it's a troupe from the Play Color Sect.

Li Yan also saw it now, thinking how come these brothels and brothels are playing acrobatics?

The woman beside Shen Sanyou saw this, covered her mouth and smiled: "This little brother doesn't know, this Play Color was called Sanle Bai Xi in the old days."

"During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, on the Shangyuan Festival, troupes from the entire Shenzhou would almost gather in Chang'an to compete in Huage Xianghui Tower."

"Our shopkeeper naturally welcomes their entry. Therefore, in Huage Tower, there is no lack of Play Color performances every night."

"For Jianghu artists, Huage Tower is a geomantic treasure land. These two are the most famous troupes in Chang'an. The two sides agreed to fight, and whoever wins will occupy the venue of Huage Tower next year."

"Oh, so that's it."

Li Yan nodded slightly, but he had no interest in his heart.

In his previous life, whether it was ancient color magic or modern magic, he had seen a lot, was knowledgeable, let alone various acrobatics.

Even in this life, there were Jianghu artists everywhere on Zhu Que Street, what hadn't he seen?

Shen Sanyou saw this and smiled mysteriously: "Just watch, these two troupes are different from ordinary troupes."

As he was speaking, a person had already walked onto the stage below.

This was a middle-aged man, sturdy in build, with a dark face, looking honest, and looking no different from an old farmer in the countryside.

"Dear elders and fellow villagers..."

As soon as the man opened his mouth, it was a thick Yuzhou accent.

He bowed to the surroundings: "I will perform traditional strength skills for everyone, lifting knives and pulling bows. As the saying goes, the Spring and Autumn Great Knife is one hundred jin, and the power kills four gates..."

"Boo—!"

Before he finished speaking, someone below booed.

"Eh~ this brother, don't be in a hurry."

The man on the stage was not in a hurry: "I know, most people have probably seen this stuff, but since I dare to take action, there must be a unique skill!"

"Lifting knives and pulling bows, everyone also knows, it's nothing more than playing with heavy knives and pulling hard bows. Ordinary people playing with a hundred-jin Guan knife, everyone must not be satisfied."

"Then, I'll add a little more..."

"What, what did you say?!"

"Add to two hundred jin?"

"Eh, this is embarrassing me..."

As he spoke, he suddenly stretched out four fingers,

"Add to four hundred jin!"

Everyone gasped.

Even Li Yan felt it was somewhat unbelievable.

He knew this traditional acrobatics, which was waving an iron Guan knife to show amazing strength.

Adding to four hundred jin and still having to perform blade flourishes.

That's not ordinary...

Seeing that everyone's attention was attracted, the man roared: "Come on, just talk and don't practice, it's a fake trick."

"Everyone, watch carefully, brothers, carry it up for me!"

As soon as the words fell, several men walked off the stage.

They were in groups of two, each occupying the left and right, carrying a long Guan knife on their shoulders, shouting numbers, and walking onto the stage.

This Spring and Autumn Great Knife was pitch black, forged from pig iron, the blade was two fingers thick, and there were two huge copper rings at the head and tail.

The Spring and Autumn Great Knife itself has extremely high requirements for waist and leg strength and arm strength, and this handle is more like a decoration than a weapon.

The one held by the temple statue is nothing more than this.

Boom!

Even though everyone handled it gently, it made a muffled sound when it landed.

"Pfft!"

The sturdy man spat, rubbed his hands, and was about to lift it, but halfway there, he pretended to hear something, widened his eyes and looked into the distance, "Eh, that brother over there, seems not to believe it. You say this is made of paper?"

"Come on, a few of you! Try it and see if I lied!"

"Good!"

Someone who liked to cause trouble immediately went on stage to check.

This handle of the Great Knife really had no tricks.

Some couldn't move it at all, and some martial arts men with amazing strength, even if their faces were red and their necks were thick, could only lift half an inch, gave a big thumb to the man in the Play Color troupe, and then went off the stage one after another.

"Hahaha!"

A probe, instead, caused the audience to burst into laughter.

And the man, at this time, didn't talk nonsense anymore, took off his clothes, revealing a shiny black body of muscles.

He gripped the Guan knife handle in a snatching posture, took a deep breath, and with the movements of his body, his muscles jumped rhythmically, actually starting to turn into a silk-drawing shape.

"Rise!"

Accompanied by a roar, the heavy Guan knife was slowly lifted.

And at the same time, his face became gloomy, his arms exerted force, and he turned a circle with the Guan knife.

Then, the speed became faster and faster, and he even played various tricks.

Pushing the boat with the current, looking at the moon while looking back, winning in defeat...

These movements, although present in blade techniques, are mostly fancy blades performed in drama. Changing to such a heavy object is simply shocking.

"Good!"

"Good!"

The heavy Spring and Autumn Great Knife flew up and down, whistling, causing everyone in the hall to change color, followed by thunderous applause, cheering one after another.

After Li Yan saw it, his expression also became solemn.

This is the Tong Shen technique!

That is, inviting something to possess the body.

This method is somewhat similar to a spirit medium. There are those in the folk who are good at Tong Shen techniques, often playing with knives and fire, and performing at various temple fairs and god sacrifices...

The man below hasn't practiced An Jin, but he is almost at the peak of Ming Jin, and has amazing strength.

But being able to wave the four-hundred-jin Spring and Autumn Great Knife so easily is because he used the Tong Shen technique.

At this moment, there is already a Yin soul attached to his body...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 142 =====