Chapter 46: Trapped in the Cave

  Madam Wang accompanied Wu Ming and Duan Yu through the flower forest, across the stone bridge, and along the small path, before arriving in front of a elegant little building.

  Wu Ming raised his eyes and saw a plaque under the eaves of the small building, with three dark green seal characters "Cloud Brocade Building", while downstairs, tea flowers were planted in all directions, with a elegant and leisurely atmosphere, and he couldn't help but secretly admire it, living up to its name Cloud Brocade.

  Wu Ming didn't quite understand camellias, but Duan Yu was an expert in this area. Seeing that these camellias were only third or fourth-rate goods in Dali, and comparing them to the exquisite buildings and pavilions, he couldn't help but secretly shake his head.

  At this time, Mrs. Wang had a very pleased expression and said: "Mr. Duan, you have the most tea flowers in your Da Li, but compared to mine here, I'm afraid it's still not as good."

  Duan Yu listened and shook his head secretly, unable to help but laugh: "This kind of tea flower, we Dali people really don't cultivate."

  "Really?" said Madame Wang with a smile.

  Duan Yu said: "These common tea flowers are quite unrefined, even in Dali they're only grown by country folk."

  Madam Wang's face changed, and she angrily said: "Nonsense! You say that these tea flowers of mine are all common goods? This is absolutely unreasonable. If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, then don't blame me for turning my back on you."

  Wu Ming feared that Wang Furen would suddenly strike out in her extreme anger, so he shifted his body to block the way in front of Duan Yu, while Ah Zhu and Ah Bi who were following behind did not dare to make a sound, and could only secretly pray for Duan Yu.

  With Wu Ming in front of him, Duan Yu's courage grew and he said coldly, "If you don't believe me, that's up to you." Suddenly pointing at a five-colored tea flower in front of the building, he said, "This one, I suppose is your treasured possession? Hmm, the jade railing next to the flower is genuine Hetian jade, very beautiful, very beautiful..."

  Wu Ming couldn't help but chuckle at this, and although Yu sometimes seemed a bit old-fashioned, he was actually quite skilled in the art of teasing. He praised the jade balustrade next to the flowers, but didn't say a word about the flowers themselves, just like when evaluating someone's calligraphy, he would only praise the ink being black and the paper being expensive, without commenting on the actual writing itself.

  This tea flower is multicolored and very beautiful, Madame Wang has always regarded it as a treasure. At this moment, seeing Duan Yu being so disdainful, her eyebrows furrowed, and a murderous intent flashed in her eyes.

  However, after seeing the faint smile in Wu Ming's eyes in front of Duan Yu, Mrs. Wang was startled and didn't dare to act rashly, otherwise she would definitely not get a good outcome.

  At this time, Duan Yu suddenly asked: "Excuse me, madam, what is the name of this flower in Jiangnan?"

  Madam Wang replied irritably: "We call it Wuse Tea Flower. How come you don't recognize it?"

  Duan Yu smiled and said: "Of course I know him, but we don't call him that name in Dali."

  "What's that?" Madam Wang exclaimed in surprise.

  Duan Yu smiled and replied: "Failed scholar."

  Failed scholar? Wu Ming couldn't help but burst out laughing at this, when suddenly he heard Madame Wang say with a snort: "Nonsense! A name as unpleasant as that is probably something you made up. This flower is rich and majestic, what does it have to do with a failed scholar?"

  "Ha ha, madam," Duan Yu said with a smile, "how dare I speak nonsense in front of you? Let's count them together, how many colors do these flowers have?"

  Madam Wang immediately replied: "I've already counted them, there are at least fifteen or sixteen kinds."

  Duan Yu smiled faintly and said, "There are seventeen colors in total. In Dali, there is a famous type of tea flower called 'Eighteen Scholars'. That's the best in the world, with eighteen flowers blooming on one plant, each with a different color, red ones are completely red, purple ones are completely purple, without any mixture at all. Moreover, the shapes of the eighteen flowers are different from each other, each with its own unique charm, they bloom together and wither together. Have you ever seen it, madam?"

  Madam Wang was stunned and shook her head, saying: "There's actually such a tea flower in the world! I've never even heard of it."

  Duan Yu continued: "Apart from the eighteen scholars, the next best is the Thirteen Taibao..."

  When it comes to tea flowers, Duan Yu talked endlessly about the "Eighteen Scholars", "Thirteen Taibao", "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea", "Seven Fairy Maidens", "Three Heroes of Wind and Dust" and "Two Qiaos" and many other varieties of tea flowers, as if they were his own treasures. Finally, he pointed to the five-colored tea flower from earlier and said: "This variety of tea flower has one less color than the Eighteen Scholars, but it's also mixed and not pure. When it blooms, some are early and some are late, and the flowers come in different sizes. It tries to imitate the Eighteen Scholars everywhere, but it just doesn't look like it. Isn't that just a half-bottle of vinegar? That's why we call it 'Failed Scholar'."

  At this time, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but laugh out loud when she heard the clever remark, saying: "This name is too sharp and sarcastic, it's probably something you bookworms came up with."

  Wu Ming didn't understand the tea flowers, but he also listened with great interest. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a deeper admiration for Duan Yu, a kind of admiration that was completely different from what he felt when reading the Tian Long Ba Bu.

  Of course, Wu Ming admired Duan Yu, but as for the task of getting the horoscope book, he wouldn't give in at all, that was related to the life and death of Little Dragon Girl, he had to get it no matter what, so he could only secretly apologize to Duan Yu.

  After Duan Yu's extensive discussion, Wang Furen was deeply convinced of his profound knowledge about tea flowers and led Wu Ming and Duan Yu up to the Cloud Brocade Pavilion.

  Wu Ming saw that the interior of Yun Jin Lou was decorated in an ancient style, very elegant and refined. The calligraphy and paintings inside were all works of famous artists, if they were to be put up for sale in modern times, they would be priceless treasures. He couldn't help but secretly admire them.

  Soon, the wine table was opened, and Mrs. Wang invited Wu Ming and Duan Yu to take their seats, while she herself sat at the lower end to accompany them, showing her great importance to the two of them.

  The dishes were served quickly, with bear gall and shark fin, all of which were extremely expensive and luxurious, opening up a new world for Wu Ming, who had been poor since childhood.

  However, Wu Ming had been hungry for several days, and although he had eaten a lot of water caltrops before, when he saw such delicacies, how could he bear it? So he didn't care about the astonished look in Wang's wife and Duan Yu's eyes, and started eating with gusto.

  It's just that when he savored the delicious food, Wu Ming inexplicably thought of Xiaolongnv who was still in a state of suspended animation. If only he could share this delightful meal with his beloved.

  Although it's been less than a day since leaving Xiao Long Nu, Wu Ming already felt a strong sense of nostalgia for her.

  "Dragon son, don't worry, I'll try to come back as soon as possible to save you, and I'll also bring the most delicious food in the world. At that time, we can taste it together."

  At the same time as thinking of Little Dragon Girl, Wu Ming also thought of Granny Sun, and in his heart he was actually not without a sense of relief. Fortunately, this time Granny Sun had left the ancient tomb first, otherwise the consequences would have been difficult to predict.

  "Mom, wait for me to come back. After I save Long'er, we'll go find you together and rebuild our happy home."

  Wu Ming savored the delicious food while thinking about his concerns, and this reflection made him more determined than ever to complete the mission of "Yu Yan's Return" as soon as possible.

  As for other things, Wu Ming couldn't care less, just pretend to be ordered to flirt with girls.

  After giving himself a sufficiently reasonable excuse, Wu Ming felt much more at ease.

  After drinking for three hours, Mrs. Wang thought about it again and again in her heart, feeling that with Wu Ming around, she had a lot of worries, so she decided to follow the idea she had previously thought of and control Wu Ming first.

  Madam Wang merely said, "Young Master Wu, I suppose these humble dishes of mine are still to your taste?"

  Wu Ming was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh. "If this is considered a small dish, then aside from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, there's nothing else that can be considered a big dish," he said with a smile. "Madam, you're being too modest. Thank you for treating me to this meal, thank you."

  Madam Wang smiled and said, "No need to be polite, as long as you're satisfied with the food, I'll be happy as the host. By the way, since you won the bet earlier, you've earned the chance to enter the Leng Xue Yu Cave. I'll go call someone to take you there."

  The deadline for the task 【琅嬛玉洞】 is only one day, Wu Ming didn't dare to slack off, because this task can reward a mysterious treasure chest, and the treasure chest may be able to open out a Book Spirit Fragment, so he nodded and smiled: "Then I'll trouble you, madam."

  "You all continue eating, I'll go and give some instructions." Madam Wang smiled and quickly went downstairs.

  Looking at the back of Wang's wife, who was like a fairy sister floating away, Duan Yu sighed softly and asked: "Wu brother, your martial arts are so powerful, why do you still want to go to the Leng Xue Cave to watch the classics?"

  Wu Ming didn't say where he wanted to go, but he wouldn't explain it to Duan Yu either. He just smiled and said: "I don't have any other hobbies, I just like practicing martial arts. So when I heard that the Manchu Mountain Villa has a Lengxue Jade Cave that collects all sorts of martial arts classics, I naturally wanted to go take a look."

  Wu Ming and Duan Yu were chatting when Madame Wang returned quickly with a little maid named Xiao Shi.

  Madam Wang said, "Young Master Wu, I'd like to continue learning about the cultivation of Camellia from Mr. Duan. Why don't you let Xiao Shi take you over?"

  Wu Ming didn't know it was a trick, so he nodded and said: "Alright, I don't dare trouble the madam, let Xiao Shi take me over instead."

  Xiao Shi slightly bowed and said: "Young Master Wu, please follow me."

  The little poem looked lovely and cute, Wu Ming nodded in approval in his heart, and then agreed with a sound, following her downstairs.

  The Manshan Villa was filled with camellias everywhere. The little poem took Wu Ming through the flower clusters, occasionally introducing him to those clever and cute appearances, which made Wu Ming nod his head in approval even more. She was indeed a sensible and lovely little maid.

  After walking for about a few minutes, the two came to a small hill in front of which camellias were also planted.

  Since mastering the Tian Jue Bei Dou Formation, Wu Ming had his own unique insights into formation techniques. The mountain tea flowers in front of this mountain looked a bit different at first glance, containing some kind of formation within.

  However, Wu Ming immediately thought that the Lang Huan Jade Cave stored the world's martial arts classics, and it was normal to have an array protecting them. He didn't ask any more questions and followed Xiao Shi into the array.

  After entering the formation, the scene in front of me suddenly changed, and a cave entrance appeared.

  Xiao Shi opened the gate of the cave and said softly: "Wu Gongzi, this is the Luanhuan Yudong, please come in."

  Wu Ming smiled slightly and stepped forward, entering it.

  As soon as Wu Ming stepped in, he felt something was wrong. At this moment, the ground suddenly collapsed downwards, and it turned out to be a trap.

  At the same time, the gate of the cave was also falling down with a crash.

  What a Wu Ming, in the face of danger, he didn't panic, and as he borrowed strength to rise into the air, his right hand performed the Ling Kong She Wu Palm, instantly grabbing Xiao Shi from outside the door.

  Xiaoshi's body was beyond his control, and he was sucked in by Wu Ming. At this time, the big gate happened to be closed tightly.