Chapter 122 - 115 Mingjiang Prefecture

Chapter 122: Chapter 115 Mingjiang PrefectureZhou Xuan sat in the rickshaw as Yu Zhengyuan pulled it with great enthusiasm, running with remarkable agility. "Senior Brother, how about you sit, and I’ll pull you instead," Zhou Xuan said, feeling sorry for Yu Zhengyuan’s hidden ailment. But Yu Zhengyuan wouldn’t hear of it, saying that the five senior brothers had discussed it, and each would take Zhou Xuan partway. *Though it felt rather formalistic, it was, after all, a gesture from the senior brothers.* "Xuanzi, I found a great article that’s really helpful for my business. When you return, I’m sure I’ll have grown the Zhou Family’s Troupe’s business several times over." "What article is it?" Zhou Xuan unscrewed his canteen and took a sip of water. "The Water Seller." "Pfft!" Zhou Xuan wiped away the water with a handkerchief and said earnestly to Yu Zhengyuan, "Senior Brother, you should read better articles, not those frivolous ones." As Yu Zhengyuan’s rickshaw got further away, Zhou Xuan remembered his sister-in-law Xu Li and said, "Senior Brother, I have a suggestion. When the troupe’s business improves, don’t just immerse yourself in work. Spare some time for sister-in-law. You see how Second Brother often takes Second Sister-in-law out for shows and shopping, wearing the most fashionable clothes..." Hearing this, Yu Zhengyuan’s rickshaw slowed down, and eventually, he turned back, his eyes a bit red, as if making a promise, saying, "I’ll take Xiao Li to watch a movie tonight..." "Remember to buy some snacks, cakes, and soda before you go in; don’t just watch." "Good thing you reminded me. I didn’t know you could eat in the theater." "..." Zhou Xuan. Yu Zhengyuan’s rickshaw traveled three blocks, where Second Brother Zheng Jiujang waited by the roadside. "Finally, I’m freezing." Zheng Jiujang took the rickshaw and headed down Taiping West Road. Passing by a pharmacy, Zhou Xuan suddenly called to Zheng Jiujang, "Second Senior Brother, pull over for a bit." "What’s up, Little Junior Brother?" "I need to get some medicine." Zhou Xuan went into the pharmacy alone and asked the clerk for paper and pen. "Ginseng, deer antler, morinda root, horny goat weed... gecko, three qian each in equal parts, and two liang of sea dog oil." After writing the prescription, Zhou Xuan handed it to the clerk, "Prepare the medicine!" The clerk prepared the medicine according to the prescription, wrapped it in paper, measured out two liang of sea dog oil into a small bottle, and handed it all to Zhou Xuan. After paying, Zhou Xuan took the prescription back, tucked it in with the wrapped medicine. Returning to the rickshaw, he patted the medicine packet and said, "Second Senior Brother, take it three times, once each night. It’ll be good for you." "What kind of medicine is this?" "It’ll make you vigorous," Zhou Xuan replied with a meaningful smile. "Is it eff~ective~?" Zheng Jiujang asked, a bit delighted yet uncertain about the medicine’s efficacy. "It should work." When Zhou Xuan was young, his parents were especially busy, so every summer, he stayed with his second uncle. His second uncle had a hidden ailment and sought a provincial old Chinese doctor who prescribed medicine that did work. But his second uncle was too embarrassed to get the medicine himself, so he always sent the young Zhou Xuan to fetch it. *A child’s memory is strong; after fetching it a few times, Zhou Xuan memorized the prescription perfectly.* Later, Zhou Xuan even used this prescription for a college roommate who felt "mentally willing but physically lacking" after starting work. One day, during a drinking session, the roommate confided in Zhou Xuan, who then shared the prescription with him. *Whether it worked or not was never explicitly stated, but no matter how successful he became, the roommate always tipped his glass low when drinking with Zhou Xuan.* *Second Senior Brother had occasional success, indicating no apparent physical issues, so the problem seemed mental. The medicine might be quite effective.* "Stick with this medicine for two months, and you should see some improvement." "Sure." Zheng Jiujang, happy as a child, pulled the rickshaw and ran with all his might. ... The one Zhou Xuan felt most indebted to was Liu Jiaotian. As the new Third Senior Brother in the group, she also pulled the rickshaw to send Zhou Xuan off. *But Zhou Xuan, being a grown man, felt embarrassed to have a woman pull him,* yet when Liu Jiaotian took up the rickshaw, he realized her reputation as the fastest in Ping Shui Prefecture was no idle boast. She was much faster than Yu Zhengyuan and Zheng Jiujang and steadier, comparable to a professional rickshaw driver. When pulling the rickshaw, *Zhou Xuan always felt he could see some shadow of Li Shuangyi in Liu Jiaotian.* "Old Yu, the Little Junior Brother is here," Fourth Senior Brother Yu Jia and Liu Jiaotian completed the handover. In the rickshaw, Yu Jia said to Zhou Xuan, "Little Junior Brother, I underestimated you before." "Why?" "I thought if you got tangled with the kidnappers, you’d be in real trouble." "Don’t worry, the kidnappers are just sewer rats, always..." "Little Junior Brother, I’ve recently learned from you about business. We shouldn’t just serve guests all the time; we should also show some presence when needed." Yu Jia pointed ahead while running, "Fifth Junior Brother, the Little Junior Brother is here." Lv Mingkun didn’t take the rickshaw; he was carrying a cane suitcase next to Little Fuzi. Little Fuzi shouted to Zhou Xuan, "Master, Master, I can go to Mingjiang Prefecture with you." Behind Lv Mingkun and Little Fuzi was the West Train Station of Ping Shui Prefecture. Lv Mingkun walked to Zhou Xuan, saying, "To go to Mingjiang Prefecture, we need to change identities; choose one." He pulled out three "citizen certificates," which were essentially ID cards, just a thin piece of paper. "Liu Damao? The name’s too ugly; Zhou Jun seems alright; Li Guomin? Too formal a name." Zhou Xuan chose the ID of "Zhou Jun," slipping it into the lining pocket with his diary, "Let’s go, head out to Mingjiang Prefecture." ... In the Yunluo Mountain Range, a priest covered in Copper Coin tattoos held a cane and gazed at the Human Skin Temple. Above the Human Skin Temple, Zhou Xuan’s face appeared confident, his lips moving slightly as he uttered a phrase—"Set out for Mingjiang Prefecture." The priest turned his head, shouting to the surrounding Ancient Tattoo Clan, "The Nuo God is coming to Mingjiang Prefecture! Peng Long, Peng Hu, head to Mingjiang Prefecture and guide the Nuo God to meet the Legend of the Hundred Spirits!" ... Zhou Xuan boarded the train. The train in Ping Shui Prefecture had different classes: first, second, and third class. Zhou Xuan, Lv Mingkun, and Little Fuzi bought first-class tickets, which had brown beds for rest and the amenities of electric lights and fans. Meals were provided with a choice between Western and Chinese cuisine. Little Fuzi had ridden a train before but never one so luxurious. Nestled in the cushion, he remarked, "This cushion is really soft..." "Is it much softer than third-class?" Zhou Xuan, who hadn’t traveled third-class in Jing Country, asked. "Third class doesn’t have seats; everyone stands, carrying large bundles. Standing is hard enough." Little Fuzi even imitated "shaking off clothes," saying, "In summer, the third-class car sits right behind the locomotive, and the coal ash floats into the car, and by the end of the journey, you’re covered in ash and have to shake it off when you get off." After hearing this, Zhou Xuan glanced out the train window. Sure enough, the smoke from the locomotive resembled a black dragon. By noon, Little Fuzi had lunch and went for a nap. Zhou Xuan and Lv Mingkun chatted softly. "Senior Brother Lv, there’s something I don’t quite understand. The Divine People appeared to hunt alien ghosts, search for Buddha’s head, and reignite the fire to the world, making the Divine People and alien ghosts natural enemies, but now it seems there’s no such great enmity between the Divine People and Ghosts." "There shouldn’t be any enmity," Lv Mingkun said. "The Ghosts’ skills were learned from alien ghosts, but those alien ghosts were initially captured by the earliest Divine People and linked to people with strong perception, who learned the skills from the alien ghosts." "So they learned forcibly?" "Initially forcibly, but later, some alien ghosts submitted to Jing Country voluntarily." Lv Mingkun said, "For example, our Tangkou’s ancestor submitted voluntarily, so the Divine People and Ghosts aren’t two opposing sides; their skill origins differ." "I see. Oh, right, Senior Brother Lv, now I want to learn the tattoo skill and need to get a bone needle for tattooing. Where can I get one?" Zhou Xuan thought, *Surely you wouldn’t just dig up a grave and take a random bone for grinding?* "There are two ways." Lv Mingkun said, "The first way is to find a child with strong spiritual energy, either gender, and when you’ve identified them, take their bone to make a needle." "That’s too cruel. What’s the second way?" Zhou Xuan asked. "Go to the black market in the local State to find a lively bone and grind it into a needle yourself." "Where does the black market get the lively bones?" "They find a child with strong spiritual energy..." "..." Zhou Xuan. *So it still comes down to getting bones from a Spiritual Child!* "Otherwise, why do you think the kidnapper’s business thrives so much?" Lv Mingkun said, "Blood, flesh, spirit, path—these are four ways to connect with the Heavenly God Aura. We won’t discuss the latter two, but blood and flesh rely on spiritually inclined people. Blood involves blood and skin, flesh includes flesh and bone." "The Heavenly God Aura has only been descending for thirty years, which means the kidnappers have only been around for thirty years. Before the kidnappers, where did the spirit bones and spirit blood come from?" "First, there were kidnappers before, just not as established as those connected with the Heavenly God Aura, forming specific Tangkou; second, finding spirit bones didn’t always require kidnapping—it could be a transaction, seeing someone’s foot and paying for it, not necessarily with money, but perhaps by fulfilling a wish, healing a family member, avenging someone, etc." Speaking of revenge, Lv Mingkun’s expression turned slightly grim. *Zhou Xuan knew there was a deep grudge between Lv Mingkun and Wuzuo. Judging by his expression, it seemed this grudge wasn’t yet resolved.* ... The train reached its destination. The prosperity of Mingjiang Prefecture was evident from the train station; Ping Shui Prefecture’s train station resembled a waiting room from a past life, with simplicity as its main characteristic. But in Mingjiang Prefecture, the tall buildings, wide-open windows, curtains, awnings, and station doors all had their unique aesthetic standards, forming the prototype of a modern train station. With a spacious station, there were many travelers, a diverse array of people milling around, while patrolmen wielding wooden batons maintained order. If someone wandered recklessly, they’d first scold them, and if they didn’t listen, they’d swing the baton until they did. Lv Mingkun was part of the Zhou Family’s Troupe’s Dark Door and had done dirty work for years, visiting many places. Zhou Xuan was also experienced, so he and Lv Mingkun, along with Little Fuzi, didn’t wander aimlessly, much less risk a beating from the patrolmen. The three walked in an orderly manner when suddenly a young man in a long robe staggered, bumping into Zhou Xuan and deftly reaching for his pocket. "Pickpocket." Zhou Xuan perceived the man’s intention the moment he reached out, so he lightly tapped on the gavel in his pocket...