Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 143: Traditional Conjuring, a Chance Encounter in the Temple (Part 2)
"Yes, sir!"
A moment later, Liu Si brought the woman who had just finished her performance to the makeshift quiet room partitioned by cloth.
"Master Wu, this is Miss Juanzi. She’s here to thank you for what just happened," Liu Si introduced.
The woman then took a step forward and curtsied gracefully.
"Master Wu, thank you for helping me just now."
Wu Liangchen smiled faintly. "It was nothing. Don’t mention it."
"Our Gang Leader also said he would come to thank you personally after the show. He asks if you would please wait for a moment then."
"Alright. You can go back to your duties."
Liu Si bowed, then led the young woman named Juanzi away.
Once they were out of the quiet room, Juanzi patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
"That was so scary!"
Hearing this, Liu Si couldn’t help but chuckle. "Aren’t you usually the brave one? Why so timid today?"
Juanzi gave a wry smile. "I don’t know why, either. My heart was just pounding the moment I saw Master Wu. I didn’t even dare to look up."
"Master Wu is so handsome, and you didn’t even sneak a couple more glances?"
"I didn’t dare. Didn’t you see the kind of people around Master Wu? I might be considered pretty among ordinary folk, but compared to them, I’m nothing," Juanzi said self-deprecatingly.
Meanwhile, as calm returned and the performance continued, in a teahouse outside the Longxing Temple fair, Ni Jingtian sat on a chair, frowning at the man before him whose mouth was full of blood.
"You’re saying this just happened to you out of nowhere while you were sitting there?" freeweɓnovel.cøm
"Yes. I was heckling as you instructed, but after just a few shouts, something I couldn’t see suddenly hit me in the mouth," the man said indistinctly.
"Did you get a clear look at who did it?" Cao Juncai asked from the side.
"No!"
"Fine. Go and tend to your injuries."
Ni Jingtian waved his hand dismissively. After the man left, Cao Juncai spoke in a low voice.
"Master Ni, could it have been that kid with the surname Wu? I’ve heard he’s got some uncanny abilities."
Hearing this, Ni Jingtian sneered. "You’ve heard? Heh. If you listen to everything you hear, will you stop eating too? I refuse to believe that kid is all that powerful. I’ll have to test him myself eventually."
Cao Juncai didn’t dare say another word. After spending some time with him, she had figured out Ni Jingtian’s temperament. He was obstinate and conceited, with an especially strong jealous streak. He had to be first in everything and couldn’t stand to hear others being praised.
’Still, this could be a good thing,’ Cao Juncai thought. ’If he really can take down this Wu fellow, the Qingxiang Gang will surely be affected. Then, my Cyan Simurgh Association will be the sole power.’
As Cao Juncai was happily lost in her thoughts, Ni Jingtian suddenly yanked her into his lap.
She jumped in fright and couldn’t help but plead in a low voice, "Master Ni, not here! There are so many people outside!"
But Ni Jingtian just laughed strangely. "The more people, the better. It’s not exciting enough with too few. Kneel."
Cao Juncai’s body stiffened, her heart filled with humiliation, but in the end, she obediently knelt.
The performance ended, but the audience lingered, unwilling to leave. The applause continued for a long time without stopping.
It was simply because the show had been too spectacular.
Everyone from the Qingxiang Gang had given it their all today, showing off their best, most treasured skills.
The audience gasped in amazement at the various novel and brilliant tricks and acrobatics, all feeling that their trip today was more than worth it.
In the end, it took Jin Qiang and his men coming out for several curtain calls to finally send the reluctant audience away.
After the venue was cleared, Jin Qiang changed his clothes and came to the quiet room, respectfully and repeatedly thanking Wu Liangchen. He cordially invited him to stay for a few drinks, but Wu Liangchen politely declined. freewёbnoνel.com
"I appreciate the kind offer, Gang Leader Jin. Perhaps another time."
"Very well. Please do us the honor when you have the time, Master Wu," Jin Qiang said, not daring to insist.
By the time they left the venue, it was already noon.
"Are you hungry?" Wu Liangchen asked.
"Hungry!" the two women replied in unison.
They hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, and although they had bought plenty of small snacks at the fair, those things were just enough to whet the appetite, not fill a stomach. After watching the long performance, they were famished.
"Let’s go. I’ll take you to try the vegetarian food at Longxing Temple!"
Longxing Temple was the most famous place for vegetarian cuisine in the Huangpu Guard. The First-Class Restaurant previously opened by Third Brother Xie had largely copied and imitated Longxing Temple.
Since they were here today, they naturally had to try it.
Passing through the crowded streets, they arrived at the entrance of Longxing Temple.
A Little Novice Monk stood guard at the gate, controlling the flow of people going inside.
However, thanks to a "karmic donation" of a handful of copper coins, Wu Liangchen and his companions were naturally unaffected by the restriction and entered the temple smoothly.
The temple itself was also quite crowded, especially in front of the area serving vegetarian food, where a long line had formed.
But none of that could compete with the allure of silver coins. Longxing Temple had even set up a separate passage right beside the line, exclusively for patrons willing to pay.
And so, after paying an entrance fee of one silver coin, the three of them were led down this passage by a host monk.
There was no need to queue here, of course. Following the passage deeper inside and rounding a large hall, an exquisite small building came into view.
The scenery here was superb. From the upper floors, one could not only overlook the entire Longxing Temple but also take in the full view of the temple fair outside.
Of course, the price was also considerable. The entrance fee alone was one silver coin; one could only imagine how much a full meal would cost.
Therefore, everyone who could come here was either rich or noble, so there weren’t many customers.
Just as Wu Liangchen was leading his sister and Yang Lian’Er toward the small building, a young maidservant upstairs spotted them and exclaimed excitedly.
"Miss, Miss, look quickly!"
Zhu Wan’Er, who was drinking tea in a private room on the second floor, set down her cup and said with some exasperation, "What is it now? Can’t you just sit quietly and drink your tea for a while? You’ve been shouting and making a fuss all this time."
It turned out that Zhu Wan’Er had some leisure time today, so she had come to the temple fair with her personal maid, Taotao.
Of course, she couldn’t attend the fair like ordinary people, jostling through the crowds. Instead, she had guards clear a path for her and came directly into Longxing Temple.
After offering incense and praying to the bodhisattvas in the various halls, she had come to this second-floor room to rest and drink tea.
"This time it’s really different! Do you remember that Wu Liangchen from before? I see him!" Taotao turned and said urgently.
Zhu Wan’Er’s heart skipped a beat. ’He’s here too?’
Because of him, she had not only won several thousand silver coins herself, but her standing at social gatherings had also risen significantly. She was no longer an easily overlooked presence as she had been before.
But although she had heard his name and even sent someone to deliver a gift to him, she had never once met him face to face.
Thinking of this, she immediately stood up and went to the window to look down.
"Miss, that’s Wu Liangchen," Taotao said, pointing.
Sure enough, a man and two women appeared on the path below, being led into the building by a host monk.
When she got a clear look at the three of them, Zhu Wan’Er couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise.
Previously, after her personal maid Taotao returned from delivering the gift at Flower Square, she had endlessly praised this Wu Liangchen in her ear, saying he was devastatingly handsome.
At the time, Zhu Wan’Er had thought little of it, assuming her young maid was simply inexperienced and easily impressed.
But seeing him today, she realized it was all true.
His tall, straight posture and handsome features aside, the natural charisma he exuded with every movement was enough to captivate anyone.
But what truly surprised Zhu Wan’Er were the two women accompanying Wu Liangchen.
Although Zhu Wan’Er didn’t pay much attention to her own appearance, she knew that in the eyes of the world, she was an undeniable beauty.
But compared to these two women, for the first time, Zhu Wan’Er felt a sense of inadequacy.
’The one with the alluring, fox-like eyes must be the Saintess of the Heartless Dao, Yang Lian’Er.’
Zhu Wan’Er thought to herself.
By this time, Wu Liangchen and his group had entered the building. Taotao said excitedly, "Miss, I wasn’t lying, was I? Isn’t he handsome? Do you feel your heart flutter?"
Zhu Wan’Er found this amusing and tapped her on the forehead. "Hush, you jinx."
"Hehe, I was just saying. But Miss, since it’s such a coincidence, should we invite them up for a chat?"
