Chapter 525
Chapter 525
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 525
>Chapter Title: Capital
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Chapter 525: Capital
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> Everyone's eyes were dazzled. Even rare items seldom seen at large fairs were commonplace here.
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> Gouwa bought a finely crafted red-faced rattle drum from a stall. After shaking it left and right a few times, his face broke into a silly grin.
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> "You're so grown up, still playing with that—aren't you ashamed?" Lv Xiucai, standing nearby with arms crossed, sneered disdainfully.
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> "What I play is none of your business. At least I'm better than you—your soul's practically hooked by those brothel women. You were drooling all over the ground and didn't even know to wipe it." Gouwa stuffed the rattle drum into his bosom and shot back.
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> Lv Xiucai was about to say something when the leader, Lv Zhuangyuan, spoke up. "Since we're all here, let's find a place to stay first."
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> Lv Zhuangyuan felt like he hadn't done much—just looked around—and two hours had already passed.
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> Seeing Gouwa say nothing, Lv Zhuangyuan led everyone to find an inn. After searching east and west, they walked into the smallest one they could find.
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> Though it was the smallest inn they found, when Lv Zhuangyuan asked about the prices, his eye twitched in shock. It was way too expensive.
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> "One bowl of yangchun noodles, sixteen coins~"
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> After the waiter left with a disdainful look, Lv Zhuangyuan cleared his throat lightly and said, "Actually, noodles are fine. It's been ages since we had them—time for a change of taste."
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> Lv Xiucai's attention wasn't on the noodles at all right now. He leaned close to Gouwa with furrowed brows. "So? We're in the capital now, but it's so huge. How are we supposed to find Master and his wife?"
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> Gouwa pulled two chopsticks from a bamboo tube and sucked on them. "What's the rush? Haste makes waste—you get that? Eat your noodles first. Do you think someone as clever as me can't figure it out?"
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> "Hmph, you're clever, huh? If you were, there'd be no fools left in the world." Though he said that, Lv Xiucai didn't press further. He reached into his bosom, pulled out half a copper coin sword hilt bound with hemp rope, and continued carefully threading coins onto it one by one.
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> Soon the yangchun noodles arrived. Though the cheapest option, to these people used to wind and weather, they were still a delicacy fit for kings.
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> Just as the entire Lv Family Troupe was slurping noodles noisily, a few people dressed in fine silk and satin stepped in from outside the inn and started chatting with a middle-aged man inside.
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> "Hey! Manager Wu. What a coincidence!"
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> "Hahaha, Old Wang, how's your theater been lately?"
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> "Hey now, isn't this Landlord Zhao? Why the long face? Did your pharmacy go bust?"
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> Lv Zhuangyuan, head down eating his noodles, heard this and craned his neck excitedly toward them.
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> After listening carefully for a bit, he couldn't be bothered with his noodles anymore. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, shook the dust off himself, and sidled over.
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> "Where'd your old man go?" Gouwa asked Lv Xiucai.
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> "Hmph! What else? That old fart went to buy himself a coffin!" Lv Xiucai snapped irritably. Just then, a burst of mocking laughter erupted from Lv Zhuangyuan's direction.
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> "What's this place? This is the capital! You think you're royalty just 'cause your surname's Ji? You think you can buy a theater here? Even if you had the money, you couldn't—haha!"
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> "That bit of silver, and you dream of buying a theater in the capital? Hahaha!! The tips my girl at home gets for one night outstrip that!!"
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> Lv Zhuangyuan returned with a grim face, sat back down without a word, and resumed eating his noodles.
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> After wolfing them down, he slammed his hands on the table and stood. "Let's go! Find another inn. No matter how cheap, we ain't staying here!"
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> "Oh wow, even low-class actors have some spine, eh?"
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> "You bastard!" Lv Xiucai cursed and raised his half-finished copper coin sword hilt, but his older brother Lv Juren immediately grabbed him. "Xiucai! Don't stir up trouble!"
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> Once outside the inn, the moment Lv Juren let go, Lv Xiucai kicked him hard.
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> "Fine! I don't care anymore! I'm not the actor—they were cursing you lot, not me! I'm a master of the supernatural now!! Gouwa, let's go! Find Master!"
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> After whispering a few words to Lv Juren, Gouwa quickened his pace to catch up. "Hey, slow down. What's the rush? You even know where Senior Brother Li is right now?"
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> Gouwa's words made Lv Xiucai halt on the stone bridge. He stared disdainfully at the flower boats in the distance. "Look at them! Supernatural powers right in front of their faces, and they act like idiots who won't learn! All they think about is that low-class theater crap! Tyrants to their own, but spineless against outsiders!"
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> "Heh, weren't you gonna kill your dad? What's with the tough love now?"
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> "Of course I'm gonna kill him!! You think I was joking? I'll go back right now and finish that old fart!!"
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> "Alright, alright. We still looking for Senior Brother Li or not? You think we came all this way for a picnic?" Gouwa's words made the fuming Lv Xiucai turn around. "Didn't you say you had a way to find Master? Where is it?"
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> "Just follow me, Xiucai. Be nice to me—your master's my senior brother, so you gotta call me Uncle Master no matter what."
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> Lv Xiucai followed Gouwa as they wandered the bustling capital. Gouwa skipped other places and headed straight for the doors of inns and restaurants.
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> Before long, he found who he was looking for—a group of beggars eating leftovers.
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> "Shasha shasha~" Gouwa tossed a string of copper coins up and down in his hand as he paced back and forth among the beggars.
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> Once he had their attention, Gouwa grinned and said to them, "I'm looking for someone. Whoever finds him, this string of coins is yours."
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> "This is your big plan?"
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> "Shh! Don't interrupt." Gouwa dangled the coins in front of the beggars. "I'm looking for two people. One's a male Daoist in a red robe, carrying two swords on his back. The other's a woman with extremely pale skin—like a dead pig's."
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> "I know! Six days ago, Little Pomelo said he was delivering a letter to someone in the south of the city!! That guy sounded like the red-robed one!"
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> "Oh?! Where's Little Pomelo? Is he here? Where'd he deliver the letter?"
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> "He never came back after. The south side's taken by other beggars now—I didn't dare go look."
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> As a grimy hand reached for the coins, Gouwa yanked them up. "Vague nonsense like that—what good's it to me? I asked where they are now."
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> "See them and bring me to them, then the coins are yours."
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> Spurred by the coins, the beggars scattered to search.
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> "Xiucai, let's head back. Now we just wait." Gouwa said smugly.
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> "This'll really find Master?" Lv Xiucai asked skeptically.
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> (End of chapter)