Chapter Thirty-Six: Ji Jiang's Plan to Send An Out

  The old cat was furious, and said to Liang Xinqing: "Old man, you're useless now. Whatever you say is pointless, and I don't even have the face to stay here anymore!" He turned around and left quickly, seemingly planning to find a way to take revenge on Hei Bai Wu Chang.

  Liang Xindi thought for a moment, took a pair of chopsticks from the cabinet, and sat down at the table with wine.

  Qu Qing's eyebrows were furrowed in worry, and he sat down at the table with a pot of wine, asking Liang Xin: "What to do? Otherwise, let's go burn their shop tonight!"

  Liáng Xīn was startled: "Their shop is all wood and paper, be careful not to burn down the whole street!" He didn't have a good solution for the time being, so he just opened his heart to eat and drink, shaking his head and laughing: "Let's see how things go first!"

  At noon, firecrackers exploded and gongs drummed loudly. The two shops, one selling coffins on the left and paper horses on the right, opened with great fanfare. As a result, all the shops on the street were shocked, and the eyes of the owners and clerks were about to grow knives as they stared fixedly at these two funeral shops.

  Black and white are unpredictable, yet they are self-satisfied. No matter whether others glare at them with anger or scold them, they all respond with a smile. Some shop owners also found acquaintances in the government office and only learned after inquiring that Black and White had already spent a large sum of money on the government office, and it was normal business, so the government did not want to intervene in this matter.

  Liang Xin didn't follow those bosses to make trouble, he went out at noon and came back in the evening, with several servants following behind him. He had a couplet written for the day's banquet, with bright red background and black characters that were extremely eye-catching, and instructed those little servants to hang them up.

  The originally gloomy Qu Qingmo couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight, and loudly recited: "Knowing there are tigers on the mountain, yet deliberately heading towards the tiger mountain!" He then unscrupulously reached out to put his arm around Liang Xin's shoulder, and with a smile asked him: "Are you trying to attract customers or just venting your anger?"

  Liáng Xīn also smiled: "Let's take a look first, if there are any unbelievers in the Tongchuan government, then we'll think of a way to deal with them slowly."

  These three newly opened shops have become a scene on Iron Shoe Street. Passersby see two funeral homes with a restaurant in between, and they can't help but shake their heads and smile wryly. When they look up at the couplet on the restaurant that seems to be defying the surroundings, they burst out laughing. However, despite the laughter, not many people are willing to take a detour to Tiger Mountain.

  The business of the day was a thousand miles away, and on the opening day of the two neighbors, except for earning two silver coins that were black and white, no one else sold a seat. Before he knew it, it was noon the next day, Liang Xin sat in the store with his hands under his chin, thinking hard about a strategy. Xiaotianyou 'Yangjiao Cui' held a fly swatter and gently fanned him, when footsteps sounded, a sturdy man walked in.

  The man wore a pair of fur boots, a greasy leather jacket with an open chest revealing his bronzed torso, small eyes, a flat nose, thick lips, and every gesture exuded a rough energy, clearly a nomadic merchant from the grasslands.

  After the Miao man sat down, he first laughed loudly and said: "Knowing that there are tigers on the mountain, but still heading towards the tiger mountain, this couplet is interesting. Bring up the fatty beef quickly!"

  His tone was stiff, with every sentence's stress falling on the last word, making it sound like an exclamation.

  Liáng Xīn was overjoyed, and couldn't wait to rush over and give him a big hug. He quickly got busy, and in the blink of an eye, he had brought out wine and dishes, smiling as he asked: "Do you know Chinese characters?"

  The big Han character was rough and bold, nodded with satisfaction: "My name is Su Yaolatu, translated into your Central Plains' language, it means very talented." Then picked up the wine cup, took a look, and drank: "Get a bigger bowl, drinking wine in such a small cup is not pleasant!"

  The grassland nomads are also superstitious, but they have a completely different set of ghostly beliefs than the Central Plains. Suo Yulatu doesn't care about the mourning tents on either side, and it can even be said that if there weren't any mourning tents, he might not have come in at all. Not long after, Suo Yulatu was full of food and drink, raised his massive palm-like hand, and slammed it onto the table: "Settle the bill!" Before the words had even left his mouth, a loud crashing sound suddenly erupted. The table, which had been used for many years, couldn't withstand the big man's slap, and was directly shattered, with all the cups, pots, bowls, and chopsticks falling to the ground.

  Liáng Xīn was startled and hurried over to apologize, but Sū Yào Lā Tú burst out laughing and said something in the grassland dialect, seemingly pleased with himself for slapping Liáng Xīn. With a hint of drunkenness, he then magnanimously waved his hand at Liáng Xīn and said: "The table, the plates, I'll pay for everything! Bring me the bill!"

  After seeing off the "very talented" one, Liang Xin was about to clean up the mess on the floor when a slightly familiar clear and bright laughter came from outside the door: "Goodness, knowingly going into the tiger's mountain! Just for these ten words, we should go in and sit down."

  Among the laughter, a spirited old man in a Confucian robe slowly walked into the restaurant. He was none other than Dong Zhong Sheng, a learned scholar who had met Liang Xin at the inn not long ago.

  That big oaf named Eleven had a wooden chest on his shoulder and was closely following the old gentleman.

  Both parties met, and they were both slightly stunned. Mr. Dongling smiled and said, "Unexpectedly, it's a great coincidence." Then he pointed to himself and the big man behind him, and humbly said, "Just the two of us, don't bother ordering, would you please arrange a few suitable dishes for us?"

  Liang Xinmei's eyes sparkled as she personally ran to the back kitchen to arrange four light and refreshing dishes, roasted a leg of lamb for the eleventh, and brought out a small jar of Jiangnan yellow wine with a mellow taste but not much strength, smiling: "You're here, our humble shop is flourishing, this wine is on the house."

  Mr. Dongling was a humble person, but he didn't like hypocritical politeness and didn't decline, so he took the wine jug, brought it to his nose and took a deep sniff, nodding: "Not bad!"

  Li Qiang didn't say a word, and smiled as he asked: "Old Master, the topic of your lecture... this fresh goods..."

  Dong Ling smiled and nodded: "Not bad, it's indeed a heavenly calamity! The calamity of the immortals is more ferocious than a flood."

  Liáng Xīn suddenly realized that Mr.'s topic was not fresh goods, but a heavenly calamity!

  Qingmo originally was a cultivator, after hearing the topic clearly, he hesitated for a moment, and then frowned as he approached: "Your topic... might be too difficult to answer?"

  Mr. Dongling smiled and said, "It's not just that it's hard to please, but simply...". He paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Simply going into the tiger mountain knowing there are tigers!"

  The land of China is rich in spiritual heritage, with a long history of spiritual cultivation and enlightenment. From emperors to common people, everyone aspires to the Taoist way, and those who have the opportunity to embark on this path are revered wherever they go. Even during the reign of the great flood-like dynasty that rules through law, the affairs of cultivators are left unregulated.

  But Liang Xin had once seen with his own eyes that the True Person of Nanyang, for the sake of Qingmo's Dao heart, was about to take action to eradicate her worldly emotions. In the eyes of most cultivators, there is only the Heavenly Way, and human life does not exist at all.

  Everyone yearns to become an immortal and attain the Tao, but Mr. Dongli is doing the opposite, and the pressure on him can be imagined. Liang Xin had just hung a couplet on the door of his own shop yesterday, which happened to match the old man's mood, so he entered the shop.

  Liang Xin had killed Zhu Wu in the Kunlun Mountains and dealt with Nanyang, so he somewhat agreed with Dongling's views. Smiling, he said: "I'll definitely go listen to this class! However... I don't understand why you're coming all the way to Tongchuan to teach?"

  The Great Flood Dynasty ruled the Central Plains, governing countless prosperous prefectures. Tongchuan was nothing more than a fortress and a large market. The people here were either descendants of military households, merchants, or Hu barbarians. Before Dongzheng Mr., there had never been a Grand Scholar who came to lecture here.

  Mr. Dongling didn't answer him, but instead smiled and changed the subject, pointing at the broken cups and plates on the floor that hadn't been cleaned up yet, and asked with a smile: "What's going on here?"

  Liāng Xīn Lā recounted the story of moving a chair from black and white to visiting, all the way to "very talented" slapping the table, telling it in detail. Mr. Dōng Yí heard it and couldn't help but laugh and cry, while Dān Zǐ Shíyī also hurriedly followed along, laughing foolishly together.

  Mr. Dongling ate and drank, lost in thought, and didn't speak until after a while. He then looked up again, nodding at Liang Xin and Qingmo: "Your thoughts are not bad, that 'knowing there's a tiger on the mountain, but still heading towards the tiger mountain' is like going against the grain. It subtly implies turning a disadvantage into a unique advantage."

  Liang smiled bitterly and nodded, he indeed had such an idea. Anyway, under the sky, among the two funeral homes, there was only one restaurant with this name, after hanging up those ten words, although the effect was not obvious, at least there was some business.

  "But...the flavor still seems a bit weak," Mr. Dongliang said with a smile, savoring the mushroom: "Also, it's missing a gimmick!"

  Liáng Xīn saw that he had a deliberate intention to instruct, and with great joy immediately jumped up from his chair, respectfully bowing: "Please, sir, impart your teachings!"

  The old man drank wine very comfortably, haha smiled and waved his hand: "Pen and ink are ready!"

  After Qingmo hastily presented the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, Mr. Dongli wrote two lines of magnificent calligraphy on the paper:

  Sitting in a coffin, riding a paper horse, timid people should not drink alcohol.

  Kick the stool, hit the table, great strength doesn't cost money

  Qingmo took a deep breath of cold air and muttered: Is this the kind of poem that a learned scholar can produce?

  The world-renowned Mr. Dong Ling, what he writes is neither harmonious nor rhyming, and his couplets are not even strictly regulated in terms of tone and rhyme, not to mention being a tongue twister.

  Ke Liangxin, however, stared at the two lines of characters in a daze, and after a long while finally smiled and nodded his head. He bowed to Dong Xuan and said: "I understand now, thank you for your guidance, sir!"

  Mr. Dongling burst out laughing, suddenly stretched out his hand and slammed it on the table, staring at Liang Xin with a profound tone: "This trick may not work for others, but you... are no ordinary person."

  Liang Xin was stunned and wanted to ask more questions, but Dong Ling Mr. nodded his head and took the eleven out the door...and left without paying for dinner.

  Mr. Dongling had only taken a few steps when he suddenly felt that the back of his gown was tight, turned his head to look, and 'Yangjiao Cui' had followed him out, gnashing his teeth and pulling on the hem of his gown, as if to say "you can't leave without paying"