Free Web NovelChapter 173: Chapter 154: Carrier Pigeon’s Message, Danger Looming Over Dinghai
## Step 1: Contextual Analysis
### Literary genre:
This appears to be a Chinese cultivation/martial arts web novel (xianxia/wuxia). It contains elements of martial arts, cultivation, and adventure.
### Language style:
The language is semi-formal narrative with straightforward dialogue. It has elements typical of Chinese web novels including cultivation references, martial arts hierarchy, and traditional Chinese cultural elements.
### Tone:
The tone is primarily serious with moments of humor. There are elements of tension toward the end as the protagonist receives urgent news and prepares to depart.
### Plot keywords:
Martial arts, cultivation, business dealings, alchemy/experimentation, friendship, urgent message, departure
### Characters:
1. Wu Liangchen (武良辰) - Male protagonist, skilled martial artist and alchemist who experiments with various substances
2. Yang Lian’Er (杨莲儿) - Female, appears to be close to Wu Liangchen, concerned for his welfare
3. Wu Mengchan (武梦婵) - Female, Wu Liangchen’s sister
4. Xie San (谢三哥) - Third Brother Xie, manages the Flower Fragrance Courtyard
5. Wei Tiantong (魏天通) - Male, referred to as "Master Wei," appears to be a wealthy businessman
6. Lu Shengjiang (卢升江) - Male, seems to be a shrewd businessman
7. Hua Ziqi (华子奇) - Male, described as narrow-minded and lustful
8. Niu Da and Niu Er (牛大, 牛二) - Guards or fighters who have been equipped with armor
## Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing
I’ll now translate the text line by line while adhering to the glossary and rules provided.
Starting with the translation:
Lu Shengjiang smiled without saying anything.
At that moment, Wei Tiantong walked in.
"Master Wei, why are you late today?" Lu Shengjiang asked.
"Oh, I just sent someone to deliver some gifts to the Flower Square, so I’m a bit late," Wei Tiantong said casually. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Upon hearing this, Hua Ziqi—who had just been declaring that anyone who went to the Flower Square was lowly—immediately shut his mouth, his face growing visibly awkward.
After taking his seat, Wei Tiantong glanced at him curiously. "Xiaohua, what’s wrong? You look terrible."
"Oh, nothing, nothing. Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night," Hua Ziqi hurriedly made up an excuse to cover his embarrassment.
After the three men had tea for a while, Hua Ziqi finally couldn’t resist asking.
"Master Wei, why did you suddenly decide to send gifts to the Flower Square?"
"It wasn’t a sudden decision. After all, the Flower Square is thriving right now. Sending some gifts won’t hurt," Wei Tiantong said casually, then glanced at the two empty seats.
"Old Cheng and Miss Wan’Er have both gone to the Flower Square. I’m too old to join such lively gatherings, otherwise I would have gone too."
Hearing this, Hua Ziqi felt even more frustrated, but he didn’t dare show it. He could only endure the awkward conversation for a while longer before making an excuse to leave first.
After he left, Wei Tiantong asked, "What was wrong with him today?"
Lu Shengjiang chuckled and repeated what Hua Ziqi had said earlier.
Wei Tiantong wasn’t angry; he merely shook his head. "This Hua Ziqi is narrow-minded and obsessed with women. He’ll never amount to anything significant."
Lu Shengjiang just smiled without commenting.
Seeing this, Wei Tiantong couldn’t help but joke, "You old fox, nobody lives as smoothly and shrewdly as you do."
"Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment from Master Wei. I should get going now—if I’m too late, I might miss the banquet." Lu Shengjiang stood up to leave.
"Get out!" Wei Tiantong waved his hand dismissively.
Lu Shengjiang left the silver shop and headed straight for the Flower Square.
As for gifts, he had already sent someone to deliver them yesterday; he just hadn’t mentioned it to Hua Ziqi.
For people like them, who had been immersed in the business world for decades, they would never act impulsively based on emotions.
Since the Flower Square was now influential, sending gifts and building goodwill was a sensible move.
It was truly foolish to nakedly display one’s true feelings as Hua Ziqi had done.
The feast at Jufu Pavilion continued until late into the night. With the kitchen masters competing to showcase their culinary skills, all the guests ate with evident delight.
Jufu Pavilion’s reputation was firmly established as a result. In the following days, it was constantly packed with customers, without a single empty seat. This prosperity even improved business at the Flower Square.
These matters no longer concerned Wu Liangchen, however. Now that Third Brother Xie had recovered from his injuries, he could manage the affairs of the Flower Square, which greatly reduced Wu Liangchen’s pressure and allowed him to focus on his own pursuits.
Today was no exception. After completing his daily practice, Wu Liangchen went to his private room.
The room had been rearranged, with a long table against the wall covered with bottles, jars, and various medicinal ingredients.
This was his medicinal brew "laboratory"—the very place that made Yang Lian’Er tremble with fear. However, today Wu Liangchen wasn’t here to develop medicinal concoctions.
He opened the package of Fogging Powder, took a small amount and placed it on a tray, then added an appropriate amount of water and stirred gently.
In an instant, layers of mist rose from the tray and quickly enveloped the entire room.
Wu Liangchen’s eyes lit up. "Interesting."
Although in Wu Liangchen’s view, the East Sea country’s so-called stealth techniques were hardly worth mentioning—having gone to an extreme that neglected the fundamentals—this Fogging Powder was genuinely impressive.
He didn’t know what ingredients were used to create it, but just this small amount could generate such dense fog.
Wu Liangchen began carefully studying the properties of the Fogging Powder, trying to reverse-engineer its formula.
Soon, the room alternated between being shrouded in mist and erupting with flashes of fire. Sometimes explosion sounds could be heard—it was enough to make anyone nervous.
Yang Lian’Er, at least, didn’t dare approach this place, convinced that Wu Liangchen was developing some terrifying "poison" again.
That day, while Wu Liangchen was busy working in his room, a gray-white pigeon appeared in the sky above the Flower Fragrance Courtyard. After circling for a while, it landed in an artificially built nest under the eaves.
The nest contained Guiding Incense, specifically prepared for carrier pigeons.
Great Yan had a long tradition of breeding carrier pigeons to deliver messages. However, raising a high-quality carrier pigeon often required an extremely long time, with no guarantee of success.
For this reason, a superior carrier pigeon capable of delivering messages across thousands of miles was worth its weight in Gold.
Therefore, only the most important and time-sensitive messages were delivered by carrier pigeons.
When the pigeon entered the nest, it knocked against a Small Copper Bell placed inside, causing it to ring.
Wu Liangchen paused in his room, put down his experimental tools, removed his deerskin gloves, and walked outside.
Sure enough, a travel-worn carrier pigeon had appeared in the nest.
Wu Liangchen leapt up, grabbed the edge of the eaves, and carefully took the pigeon in his hand.
After untying the message container from its foot, Wu Liangchen fed it a few dried worms before letting it go.
Then Wu Liangchen opened the container and unfolded the message. His expression immediately turned serious.
The tiny slip of paper contained only four words:
Dinghai City in danger.
Wu Liangchen silently tore the note to pieces and returned to his room to start packing.
"What? You’re leaving? When?" Yang Lian’Er asked several questions in succession.
"Tonight!" Wu Liangchen said.
Yang Lian’Er fell silent.
"Did you... tell Third Brother yet?" Wu Mengchan asked from the side.
"I’ll say goodbye to him shortly. You two stay here during this time and don’t go anywhere. Wait for my return, understand?" Wu Liangchen instructed.
Wu Mengchan nodded. "Don’t worry, brother."
Yang Lian’Er added, "Rest assured, we know what’s important. But you... please be careful on your journey."
Her words were filled with concern and care.
Wu Liangchen smiled. "I’ll be fine. Though I can’t claim to be invincible now, few people could stop me if I needed to escape."
"Especially since I’m traveling light and alone this time—there definitely won’t be any problems."
Both women fell silent, not even asking where Wu Liangchen was going. They simply helped him pack his belongings.
Meanwhile, Wu Liangchen found Third Brother Xie and told him he would be away for some time, asking him to take care of his sister and Yang Lian’Er during his absence.
Third Brother Xie didn’t ask what Wu Liangchen was going to do either, only nodding and saying, "Don’t worry. Following your suggestion, I’ve had armor made for Niu Da and Niu Er. Now when they work together, even Third Realm Martial Artists wouldn’t dare confront them lightly. So you needn’t worry about the Flower Square’s safety."
"Good, then I’ll leave now," Wu Liangchen said, rising to his feet.
"Won’t you have a meal before leaving?" Third Brother Xie wanted to give Wu Liangchen a proper send-off.
"No need. Time is of the essence," Wu Liangchen declined directly.
At this moment, he was in no mood to eat. He was so anxious that he wanted nothing more than to rush back to Dinghai City immediately.
"Very well. Safe travels!" Third Brother Xie didn’t press further and stood to see him off.
By now, his luggage was packed. His bow and arrows were placed in a cloth bag that could be slung across his body.
Wu Liangchen gathered his belongings, nodded to the two women, then leapt into the twilight, racing westward.
