Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 677 Another Encounter
Seeing that Chen Yun finally accepted the handkerchief offered by the Taoist Mei, Qin Wen, who had been paying close attention and trying to gather intelligence, was also trying to glean more information from the conversation between the two that might help him infiltrate higher circles in the Southern Ming Dynasty.

In short, the Taoist Mei whom Chen Yun treated as an honored guest was a disciple and grand-disciple of Ti Wuliang (Yuanshi Zun), and the matter the two had just discussed revolved around Ti Wuliang's self-destructing incarnation.

"Mysterious Yang and Mysterious Yin—perhaps this is where we can start to gain the trust of those boundless Taoist priests."

Qin Wen thought for a moment and did not act immediately. He waited until Chen Yun and Mei Daoren left the old courtyard before calling the madam over. He then ordered a few of the most popular and famous courtesans and chatted with them over a table full of delicious food.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, under Qin Wen's intentional or unintentional guidance, the courtesans in the brothel steered the conversation toward the wealthy patrons who frequented the old establishment and spent money like water.

"Qiu Niang, you said that the person who booked the top floor tonight is Chen Xiao, the young master of the Chen family in Haining? I think he is very handsome and talented, and extremely good-looking. Why is he only accompanied by a Taoist priest? Where are those pretty young ladies in the courtyard?"

Qin Wen lowered his eyes to look at the soft, smiling woman who was clinging to his arm and practically pressing her whole body against him, and teased, "Did you all come to keep me company?"

"Young master, you may not know this, but the top floor is the most private viewing pavilion in the old courtyard. This young master Chen probably has something important to discuss with that Taoist priest, which is why he didn't even call the mute servant and just drank alone upstairs."

Listening to the various prostitutes' comments, Qin Wen finally understood the identities and backgrounds of the two men.

Just as he had guessed, Master Mei was a disciple of Ti Wuliang, and also one of the four heads of the "Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum" treasury in Jinling.

The young man was the patriarch of the Chen family, a prominent clan in Haining, Zhejiang Province. He was exceptionally talented in literature and was known as a child prodigy. He entered officialdom shortly after coming of age and became a ninth-rank registrar in Shangyuan County, a county under the jurisdiction of Jinling. The area where the Quzhong Old Courtyard was located, Chaoku Street, was one of the areas under his jurisdiction.

Although his rank was not high, only that of a junior official, he was still in the heart of the capital. To achieve such success at such a young age, no matter how talented Chen Yun was, he could not have done so without the strong support of his family.

The Chen family of Haining is a prominent family in Zhejiang Province, originally from Bohai. They are descendants of Gao Qiong, the Grand Commandant of the Song Dynasty. From the mid-Ming Dynasty, they flourished in the imperial examinations. By the Southern Ming Dynasty, they had formed a family with "three Grand Secretaries and five Ministers of the Six Ministries". Even when the young Emperor Zhu Yidi ascended the throne and purged a large number of old officials, the Chen family remained unshaken and had Grand Secretaries in their service, which was quite remarkable.

"In that case, this young master of the Chen family seems to be a suitable stepping stone."

By taking advantage of these courtesans who frequented brothels and knew a lot of gossip, Qin Wen got a basic understanding of the two men's backgrounds. Without lingering, he settled the bill and left the old brothel with the driver, strolling along the banks of the Qinhuai River, seemingly enjoying the night rain and bustling streets of Nanjing.

Wuding Bridge, with its stone base and wooden beams, spans the Huai River. The old courtyard and the examination hall stand on its east and west sides, with towering pavilions facing each other. It was built specifically for talented scholars and beautiful women and is a famous romantic place in Jinling.

As a renowned entertainment district outside Jinling, the restaurants, gambling dens, theaters and other businesses along the Qinhuai River had no curfew at night. So even though it was almost 7 p.m., and there was a light breeze and drizzle, the streets were still bustling with people.

Looking at the dazzling array of traditional folk performances, Qin Wen held up his oil-paper umbrella, looking no different from the thousands of pedestrians in the market every day. The wealthy people, dressed in bright clothes, either rode in carriages or had servants holding umbrellas for them, seemingly already accustomed to the heavy rain and mist of Jiangnan.

Qin Wen, dressed in a plain white brocade robe, walked along the street, glancing at the posters on one side and the shadow plays on the other. Every now and then he would stop and listen to the prostitutes in the brothels singing in a coquettish voice, "The curtains are light, the screens are heavy, and the balustrade is golden."

"Nanjing is just as prosperous as Yandu."

Although Qin Wen had lived in Yandu and Tianjin for a long time, he still felt that the scenery of Jinling had a unique charm. In fact, Jinling, the ancient capital of six dynasties, was not much different from the Forbidden City. In addition, sixty years ago, the entire court of officials followed the emperor south, bringing immense wealth and prosperity that truly gilded Jinling, making it feel even more special.

"Let's go, this prostitute's singing style is too sticky, it gets cloying after a while."

After walking through most of Chaoku Street, Qin Wen wandered around, quietly observing the passersby, trying to find a few more officials and Taoist priests with some background, similar to Chen Yuncong and Mei Daoren.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he walked to the riverbank dock and looked at the many exquisite painted boats. Just as he was about to pick one to go aboard, he was suddenly attracted by an old man and a young man.

The old man was vigorous, with graying temples, and looked to be at least over fifty. Beside him was a handsome young man in brocade robes, who appeared to be his personal attendant.

Qin Wen looked the man up and down and noticed that he was wearing a deer-feathered hat and neither official robes nor casual clothes, but a white crane cloak. He could guess half of the old man's identity from this.

The Southern Ming Dynasty revered Confucianism and Taoism, and Taoism and Confucianism held a superior position. This crane cloak was not something an ordinary person could wear.

Moreover, the old man also had a black dragon jade talisman hanging from his waist belt, and on the small sandalwood token next to the talisman were the four small characters "Guiding Immortals and Protecting the Path" engraved in relief.

"The Boundless Taoist of the Tower of Ascension?"

Thinking of this, Qin Wen moved his feet lightly and followed the two men without leaving a trace, then boarded the painted boat chosen by the other guests.

Just then, the young man in brocade robes suddenly turned his head and glanced at Qin Wen, frowning as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"what happened?"

The old man in the crane cloak noticed the boy's unusual behavior and asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing, it's just that there's a strange sense of familiarity about this person."

The boy turned around, stepped onto the boat.

"Familiar? This little girl?"

The old man glanced at Qin Wen and immediately saw through his disguise as a woman, but he couldn't detect anything familiar about him.

Seeing that the madam on the pleasure boat had already approached the young man, the old man thought for a moment, made a note of Qin Wen, this stranger, and without making any move, turned around and followed the young man.

Qin Wen was also startled by the boy's actions, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he pretended to look back with interest, and didn't stop walking.

"Doctor, go ashore and fetch a pot of divine wine, and make a bowl of spicy fish soup. My young master has just returned to Jinling and is very tired."

Once inside the painted boat and on the second floor, the old man pointed to a small shop with yellow walls and gray tiles on the bank of the Huai River and gave instructions.

"Immortal Wine? What's that?"

Qin Wen looked at the blue signboard with its serrated edges hanging at the entrance of the small shop, on which the three characters "Divine Immortal Wine" were written in ink on a white cloth background. "Young master, this is an old shop. Legend has it that during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, a Taoist master named Wine Sword Immortal traveled here and formed a bond with the shop owner. He threw his gourd into the well by the river, and the well turned into a wine well. The well water turned into fine wine, hence the name 'Divine Immortal Wine'."

Perhaps having overheard Qin Wen's mutterings, the coachman who had been attending to him spoke up to explain.

"This shop owner really comes up with some ingenious methods to sell alcohol."

After hearing the driver's explanation, Qin Wen chuckled. He guessed it was probably an ancient advertisement, so he decided to order some food as well. He had been drinking and chatting in the old courtyard and hadn't eaten much. Now that it was past 7 PM, he was indeed hungry.

"Objectively speaking, that's your face."

The neatly dressed professor slammed the large white porcelain bowl onto the sandalwood table with a loud thud, but not a drop of soup spilled. Instead, the red oil on the surface of the soup, the crisp wood ear mushrooms, and the paper-thin slices of mutton all trembled.

"Good! On a rainy day, it's good to have a bowl of noodles to warm up."

Qin Wen praised it, took a sip of the boiling soup, and then threw a scallion into his mouth. However, his real intention was not the soup; his attention was entirely focused on the old man and the young man.

After waiting for a long time, the two of them didn't exchange more than ten sentences, and they were all just gossip about everyday matters. The only thing they kept doing was pouring wine, drinking it, pouring wine, and drinking it again.
Seeing this, Qin Wen followed suit, picked up the wine pot on the table, and poured himself a cup of "Immortal Wine." The wine was as thick as oil, and when poured into the cup, it produced a beautiful layer of foam and emitted a peculiar aroma, somewhat like the fishy smell of seafood and also somewhat like the mucus secreted by snails.

"This wine is strange."

After drinking the so-called "immortal wine," Qin Wen savored its flavor. Suddenly, he noticed that the old man and the young man had both put down their wine cups and looked up at a broken bridge in the distance.

"That's... Wende Bridge?"

Qin Wen also gazed at the broken bridge spanning both banks of the Qinhuai River, facing Wuding Bridge to the north and south, and turned to ask the driver.

“Young master, you recognize it correctly. That is indeed the Wende Bridge, which was first built during the Wanli era and later collapsed.”

The driver nodded and replied.

"Jinling is the capital of the dynasty, with a full national treasury. Whether it's the Shangyuan County government or the Yingtian Prefecture government, they should, both morally and logically, contribute money to repair the broken bridge. At the very least, in the Jiangnan region, a land of fish and rice, surely some wealthy merchants would donate money to repair the bridge and roads? Why?"

Seeing that the driver the restaurant waiter had found for him seemed to have some knowledge, Qin Wen took the opportunity to ask further questions.

"Young master, you may not know this, but the construction of Wende Bridge dates back to the Wanli era, when the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices offered advice. He believed that few people from Yingtian Prefecture passed the imperial examinations because: firstly, leveling Xiaowei Mountain to build the Zunjing Pavilion had disrupted the feng shui of the Confucius Temple; secondly, the Panchi River flowed westward incessantly, failing to retain the scholarly energy. Later, while Shangyuan County and Jiangning County were renovating the Confucius Temple and Yingtian Prefectural School, they also built Wende Bridge on the inner Qinhuai River, which served as the Panchi, to retain the scholarly energy." However, this bridge later disturbed the Lord of the Huai River, causing many strange occurrences. One year during the Dragon Boat Festival, the streets were packed with spectators. On Wende Bridge, it was like a swarm of bees and ants, pushing and shoving, crying and shouting, the chaotic jostling causing the bridge railings to break and drowning many people. Fortunately, the Ascension Platform issued a decree forbidding the repair of Wende Bridge. Later, a temple to the Lord of the Huai River was erected, requiring merchants on both banks to offer incense every month. This calmed the Huai River, and it has been peaceful ever since.

At this point, the driver's words clearly carried a hint of emotion. There were many supernatural and ghostly things in Nanjing, and having driven around the city for a long time, he had heard many of them.

"So that's how it all started."

Qin Wen nodded, also pondering the deeper meaning behind the actions of the old man and the young man.

Along the banks of the Qinhuai River, craftsmen built exquisite riverside houses and pavilions with carved beams and painted rafters, nestled between north and south, creating a beautiful landscape. Even now, with the night rain pattering down and thousands of lights illuminating the scene, it is far more beautiful than a lonely broken bridge.

Just as Qin Wen was deep in thought, the rain clouds that covered the sky suddenly tore open a large hole, and the bright moon was revealed, shining on the shimmering water like a reflection in a mirror.

Seeing this scene, the old man and the young man both sat up cross-legged. The pimp in the painted boat also skillfully moved a screen around them, leaving only the sill window facing the water.

Gazing at the screen that only showed shadows, Qin Wen's mind stirred, his eyes flickered, and his gaze passed through the gaps in the brocade, silently watching the two Taoist cultivators who seemed to have come here specifically for this purpose.

His body was as firm as a rock, and his vital energy flowed like a cloud.

These eight words perfectly describe the old man in the crane cloak at this moment. Through Qin Wen's peculiar eyes, one can see wisps of black energy rising from under his nose, outlining its form. Dark gold also flows on the black dragon jade talisman hanging from his belt, detaching itself and merging into the black energy figure.

"Is this... the transmission of ordination and the bestowal of teachings?"

Qin Wen's eyes flickered. With his knowledge, he could naturally tell that the old man had summoned the Nose God Chonglongyu, one of the Twenty-Four Deities of the Three Parts, Eight Scenes, and Twenty-Four Bodies of Taoism.

As the Nose God Chonglongyu appeared, the bright moonlight that had broken through the rain clouds was gathered and condensed into a fine nectar, which then split off a line and drifted toward the young man in brocade.

The young man in brocade took a deep breath, let out a soft hum, and breath rippled from his nostrils, transforming into a small, phantom figure similar to Chonglong Yu, but in white gold. He wore a cloud-piercing crown, kui-head boots, and a blue-green Taoist robe embroidered with crane and dragon patterns, and held a sharp sword in his hand.

Soon, the stream of imperial essence fell onto the young man's head and flowed into his nostrils. A rune of mixed blue, gold, and white colors was drawn together and tattooed below the peak of his nose.

Suddenly, Qin Wenqiong sniffed, and the fishy smell of the Huai River surged up and became strong. The surroundings also began to quiet down, and a mist of varying thickness enveloped the unusually large painted boat, as if it would swallow it up entirely.

Qin Wen glanced around and saw that everything—from the brightly lit taverns on both banks of the river to the courtesans swaying gracefully in the embroidered pavilions, to the female sumo wrestlers wearing only strapless bras and underpants that revealed their thighs, and even the gold dust covering the moonlight on the Huai River—had vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air.

"Interesting, the Sumeru Illusionary Realm?"

Even though he couldn't use [A Glimpse of Beauty] at this moment, the experienced Qin Wen could still guess where he was.

The river was pitch black, without a single light or sound. A full moon hung in the sky, looking down on the desolate world.

Only the old man and the young man remained seated in meditation, seemingly unconcerned about the sudden changes in the world.

Qin Wen raised an eyebrow, his golden gaze falling on the moon's reflection in the river, and muttered to himself, "In this Qinhuai River, you, a mere little demon, cannot be allowed to act so presumptuously."

(End of this chapter)