Chapter Nineteenth: The Sky-Splitting Sword Manual

  The fragrance that came rushing into the building almost made my mouth water, a small and not very tall shopkeeper saw me coming in and hurriedly ran to my side and said: "Ah, this young master is quite handsome, with an extraordinary air, he must be an extraordinary person. Please go upstairs";. He led me upstairs as he spoke.

  I followed him and asked: "Is there a VIP room on the third floor?"

  The boss turned his head and glanced at Xu Yuqian behind me with a smile, saying: "Of course there is, you've come to my small shop, even if there isn't one, I'll have to make one available for you."

  As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and rushed upstairs, shouting down: "Quickly serve tea to the noble guests, prepare hot water and towels for these two gentlemen to wash their hands, then bring up the menu, and have Little Three come up clean and wait on them."

  I went upstairs and chose a room with a window facing the rice store. After sitting down, I said to the boss: "You're very knowledgeable, so I won't look at the menu. Bring me eight of your signature dishes, don't worry about the cost, I'll pay for it even if it's expensive. I'm a person who loves to indulge in good food, and if you do well, young master will reward you with a few more. No need to bring wine."

  The boss's face lit up with a smile after hearing this and hastily said: "Look at what you're saying, someone like you we can't treat well? Not to mention it's you, even if an ordinary person came, we would still receive them warmly. Let alone a young master like you who is clearly a person of status."

  I waved my hand and said: "There's nothing for you here, go down."

  After the old boss left with a bow, I sighed and said: "In these days clothes are more valuable than people, you see when I first came to the city, everyone in the city covered their noses and walked around me, now look at them again". As I stood up and turned around, I continued: "This set of clothes is worth wearing, and these people immediately become a different face".

  Xu Yu Chan burst out laughing and continued: "This is not surprising to others, when I first saw you, I was also shocked. I thought you were a mud monkey from somewhere, wearing a military uniform, looking like an escaped soldier, covered in blood and with a messy hairdo, it's lucky that no one caught you and sent you to the authorities. And there's that stench on your body, even eight feet away, it makes me want to vomit. And then there's that horse of yours, which is just as shabby as you are, no wonder others avoid you."

  After listening to him finish speaking, I said with a red face: "I'm so miserable, it seems that others can't blame me."

  Xu Yu Chan said again: "Are all of you soldiers like this?"

  I said: "It's not like that either, I just had a fight before I came here, otherwise it wouldn't be so dirty."

  Just as we were talking, a young man who looked neat and tidy came in with a teapot and tea cups. After bowing and making two obeisances, he poured the tea extremely elegantly, placed it in front of us with both hands, and said with a smile: "The dishes will be ready soon, please wait for a moment, esteemed guests. This tea is our Zuiyuelou's self-made jujube flower chrysanthemum tea, which is very nourishing and beauty-enhancing. Please try some, if you think it's good, we'll give you a pack when you leave."

  Looking at his respectful appearance, I felt comfortable in my heart, slowly sipped a mouthful of tea, it was really good, full of fragrance, and had a great aftertaste. I nodded to the fellow and said: "This tea is not bad, you guys are doing a great job with this business. I just arrived in Yangzhou, what are some fun places to go around here?"

  "That fellow hastily said: '10 miles west of the city there is a large Buddhist temple, which is a famous Dachangkou. The Sanqing Temple in this city is also very good. There is also Zhang Garden not far ahead, but now it has been occupied by the old master Taigong and cannot be entered.'"

  As soon as I heard this, I immediately asked: "Isn't it a bit excessive for the local officials to do things like this? Is the land really that flat? Or is it that the official doesn't care about proper business?"

  That fellow smiled and said: "Your words have left me speechless, to be honest, all officials are the same under the sky, the only difference is how heavily they extort money. Now, the officials in Yangzhou are not bad, they do take a lot of money, but they also take care of the people's affairs, which is good enough. Unlike during the Sui dynasty a few years ago, the officials back then were much worse than the current ones. They only cared about extorting money and would leave as soon as their term was up, fearing that the Tang army would arrive and they wouldn't be able to escape. This official is different, he has done some good things for the people, and is fair in handling criminal cases. The head of security here also does a good job. Our Yangzhou is a rich place, we can accept his extortion, as long as he doesn't get replaced by someone worse."

  His words left me speechless, I didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and even opening my mouth, I was at a loss for what to say. All I could do was hear Xue Yuechun ask beside me: "If that's the case, can he still be considered a good official?"

  That fellow said: "Good or bad is not something that I, a small fellow, can explain clearly. In any case, the past few years have been much better than before. The private accounts of the high-ranking officials who came down from the top are also being audited by him, which is a great help to us common people. If an official like this were to really leave office one day, we common people would truly be able to present this 'golden wind' old master with a parasol for all the people."

  I smiled wryly and said: "This is what they mean by 'there's honor among thieves', I suppose."

  The waiter quickly put the dishes on the table and bowed, saying: "You two take your time, I'll wait at the door, if you need anything just call me." He then retreated out of the room.

  Looking at the delicious food on the table, I shook off the messy thoughts in my mind and started eating. Xu Yuqian only took a few bites before stopping, simply savoring her tea slowly.

  In just a short while, the dishes on the table were almost gone. I patted my bulging belly and stood up to take a few turns around the room. With a chuckle, I said to Xu Yuexian: "I'm afraid we've made a fool of ourselves, this is how we eat at our place - if you're slow, you won't even get a chance to grab a bite."

  Xu Yuqian saw that I had finished eating and stood up saying: "Shall we go now? You can finally take a break from dinner."

  I stood on the building and looked around in all directions, memorized the road after shouting: "Buddy, settle the bill".

  The young man rushed in with a smile and said: "You two ate too quickly, come back when you're done, that'll be 14 taels of silver."

  I took out 20 taels and threw them at him, saying: "More rewards for you. Is there a Ruyi Fang around here? What kind of place is that?"

  That fellow took the silver and almost knelt down to me, his eyes were laughing into a slit, and replied: "Ruyi Fang is one of the most famous places in our Yangzhou, inside there are several famous song and dance beauties in our Yangzhou." As he spoke, he swept his eyes over Xu Yuanchun again and said: "It's not that kind of dirty place, it's just a performance of songs and dances, nothing else."

  I nodded and walked downstairs. The shopkeeper ran down the stairs like a fly, took out two large packages of tea from behind the counter and said: "Take these two back to use." Xu Yujuan took it over and said: "Good".

  I didn't bother with the shop owner who was following behind me like a tail-wagging dog, and directly went to the rice store.

  When I arrived at the rice shop and stood at the entrance, Qin Qiong saw me coming and loudly shouted: "Your Highness King of Qin has arrived..."

  I faced the crowd of onlookers and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I, Li Shimin, ask you all, this time I have come to Yangzhou by order of His Majesty to investigate the officialdom here. Everyone can report truthfully, and I will take care of it for you."

  He smiled and nodded at the crowd in front of the door before entering the store. After brewing a cup of tea that had just been brought back, he felt like there was nothing to do, so he took out the knife manual from his body and studied it carefully.

  The knife spectrum started with a surprise, and I saw on the first page

  After reading this, I secretly admired the great vision of the person who wrote this knife spectrum. It must be a master who is not to be underestimated. Next is a section-by-section explanation and diagram, followed by a set of footwork that matches the knife, called "Shock Hundred Miles". Holding the book, picking up the feather duster beside me, I started practicing the first move.