TRT -Chapter 28 The Oolong at Drunken Immortal Pavilion

And so, under the relentless mental torment of the Big Fox, Minmin still stubbornly pressed forward to the east with Qingqing and Xiaotao, full of excitement…

Ahead lay the so-called “Hometown of the Medical Sage”—the Medicine Capital.

What awaited Minmin there?

By dusk, two massive convoys arrived at the Medicine Capital.

One flew blue banners with silver eagles, the other purple banners with golden dragons. They settled into the two most luxurious inns in the city. Although the two groups wouldn’t part ways until after leaving the city tomorrow morning, I had been so thoroughly tortured by the Big Fox along the way that I no longer had the strength to endure eating at the same table as him. So, with tears and reluctance, I parted from Xiaotao and obediently followed Lian Zuo back to the inn where Prince Luo’s convoy was staying.

People always get tired easily when traveling. After a whole day of commotion, I was exhausted too. I originally planned to skip the tedious welcome banquet hosted by the local officials and enjoy some “ancient-style room service” in my room.

Who knew that just as I was agonizing over whether I should tip the waiter and how much to give, Qingqing suddenly dragged me out of bed, gave me a full makeover, handed me over to Guo’er, stuffed me into a sedan chair, and rushed me off to Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

The Sixth Golden Rule of Time Travel:

Famous restaurants are always called “Drunken Immortal Pavilion.”

The waiter, unnerved by me staring at the signboard and giggling foolishly, nervously led us to a private room on the second floor.

Ancient wooden buildings had two major flaws: first, the toilets; second, the stairs!

It was bad enough that they creaked. It was bad enough that they were uneven.

But breaking?!

As soon as I stepped into empty air, I screamed in shock and instinctively reached out to grab Guo’er beside me.

Originally, as long as Guo’er held me steady and pulled my foot out of that shoddy construction, everything would’ve been fine.

But—wait—

Why was the Big Fox here too?!

Why were the Big Fox, Prince Luo, and Lian Zuo all flying over to help me?!

Why were they all pulling in different directions?!

Why did a bunch of martial arts experts only make things worse when trying to help?!

In the midst of their chaotic “whatever-kung-fu-this-is” moment—

Crack!

Everything suddenly went silent.

Guo’er… you practice martial arts, so you’ve got sharp ears. That sound just now… did it come from my ankle?

…Guo’er didn’t dare look me in the eye.

L-Lian Zuo?

W-Which sound? Lian Zuo replied stiffly.

Crack… crack… crack—that crack!!!

AAAAHHHH!!!

I’m going to kill you all! You idiots! You call yourselves martial arts masters?! You can’t even help someone without breaking her leg?! I’ll kill you all! It hurts so much! I’m going to—mmph!!

In front of all the diners in Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Prince Luo, blushing slightly, covered my mouth.

Guo’er gently lifted me. Lian Zuo reached to pull my foot out.

Suddenly the Big Fox shouted, “Don’t touch her!” and shoved Lian Zuo’s hand away.

One was pulling, one was blocking—

Crack!

MMMMMMMM!!!!

With my mouth still covered, I started convulsing, screaming in my heart:

I—WILL—KILL—YOU—ALL!!!! AOOO!!!

……

……

In the top-floor private room of Drunken Immortal Pavilion, there was only one table.

Two men and one woman sat at it, with three attendants standing nearby.

The girl’s background was unknown. She had neatly styled short hair and wore luxurious clothes. Her small face was flushed—whether from anger or pain was unclear. Tears filled her round eyes as she glared resentfully at the men. Her pink lips were tightly pressed together. Her left foot rested on a stool, simply bandaged at the ankle.

One man looked dignified and noble; the other elegant and imposing. Both avoided her furious gaze.

Of the two guards, one was cold and stern, the other silent. Both pretended to admire the scenery outside, not daring to look at her swollen ankle.

The servant, sharp and mischievous, glanced between everyone with barely concealed amusement.

What… what kind of situation is this? What kind of bizarre atmosphere is this?

Why do I feel chills down my spine?

The waiter bringing tea upstairs was silently crying inside.

“Big brother waiter~ Could you move a table and two chairs to the window for me?” the girl asked sweetly with a smile.

The waiter felt instantly comforted.

“What are you planning now?” Prince Luo frowned.

The girl rolled her eyes at him.

The waiter nearly fainted.

She dared to glare at Prince Luo?!

“I don’t want to eat with you guys. Lian You~ Come eat by the window with me~”

“No!” the two men said in unison.

The girl lowered her head and said gloomily:

“…Crack…”

The two men fell into awkward silence.

Finally, Prince Luo said, “Do as she says.”

The waiter’s jaw dropped.

The girl and the clever servant leisurely sat by the window, happily eating pastries.

The two men were left at another table.

“M-May I ask what you’d like to order?” the waiter asked politely while pouring tea.

“Bring us the most famous, tastiest, and most expensive dishes here,” the girl suddenly said. “As for their table, just give them some tea.”

“Huh… what?” The waiter froze.

“Minmin… don’t go too far,” said the narrow-eyed man across from Prince Luo in a low voice.

A cold light flashed in the girl’s eyes as she whispered darkly:

“…Crack…”

The narrow-eyed man fell silent.

Prince Luo sighed helplessly. “Do as she says.”

The waiter no longer had a jaw to drop.

“Hey! Wait a moment, waiter bro~ Please clear away the pastries, fruits, and cold dishes from their table too~ Sorry to trouble you~”

The girl smiled sweetly. This time, no one dared to speak up in objection…

The private room at Zuixian Pavilion suddenly felt icy cold…

……

…………

While imagining the chicken leg as the Big Fox and Prince Luo’s group, I viciously tore at it with my “fangs,” fuming inwardly:

Why are Prince Luo and the Big Fox sitting together so harmoniously, eating like nothing’s wrong? Isn’t it okay for them to skip the local officials’ welcoming banquet?

Come to think of it, this time when they entered the capital and went to suppress the bandits, Prince Luo and the Big Fox made a huge show of it. Their progress was very slow too. Why did they do that? Was it intentional, or was this just how things were in ancient times? Am I overthinking it?

Is Prince Luo planning to cooperate with the Big Fox? If so, then this trip to Chang’an is bound to bring a storm of bloodshed… Or is this just mutual testing?

There’s also a question that’s been bothering me for a long time: why would Emperor Xi send the Big Fox to suppress the Sixth Prince? Wasn’t he afraid they might join forces?

While I was lost in these thoughts, the waiter beside me suddenly smiled ingratiatingly.

“Miss, your timing in coming to Yaodu is perfect. It’s the Lantern Festival right now—tonight will be very lively. After your meal, shall I find a local to show you around?”

(He had already decided that Minmin was the leader of this group… Well… in a sense… that was true.)

“Oh~ Right~ We really did catch the Lantern Festival by chance!”

Minmin shot a resentful look at the four men.

“Go~~ around, huh…”

The poor waiter was instantly “executed” by the gazes of the four men!

“Aiya—haha… Well, actually, it’s crowded and chaotic down on the streets. A noble young lady like you should stay upstairs and listen to some music! Listening to music is good, very good…”

Good my foot!

How could these soft, mushy ancient tunes compare to… Hmph! Compare to the pop songs I listened to in modern times? My Jay Chou, my Shin Band, my Sarah Brightman…

“Oh! You know what?” The waiter suddenly got excited. “Miss, you may not know this, but this month an exotic musician came to Yaodu. Golden hair, blue eyes, and the songs he sings are unlike anything anyone’s ever heard! Very novel! They say only Miss Minmin from Qiuyue City can compare with him~”

“Oh? Really? Golden hair and blue eyes? That sounds interesting~”

“Absolutely! And tonight, Zuixian Pavilion invited him to perform. Listen to how lively it is downstairs—he’s probably about to start!”

He piqued my interest… or maybe it was my competitive spirit.

“Alright! I want to see too!”

I turned excitedly to Guo’er.

“Guo’er, help me downstairs. I want to watch the performance!”

“No. Your foot needs rest.”

My face instantly darkened. My gaze turned icy as I said gloomily:

“…Ka…”

“Alright, alright, I’ll take you!” Guo’er hurriedly cut me off.

After a lot of fussing, we finally settled down in the main hall on the first floor. Compared to the venue at Cangchun Pavilion, this stage was far inferior, though it was simple and neat.

We arrived late and were seated far away. I could only vaguely see a slender man lazily sitting in the center of the stage. His hair seemed golden. The rest wasn’t very clear. He was plucking at a strangely shaped instrument—I couldn’t even tell if it was a pipa.

The noise gradually quieted.

He gently plucked the strings. The melody was melodious. For some reason, it felt incredibly familiar to me.

Then he opened his mouth and sang the first line:

“Dear Mom and Dad~~
How are you~~
I’m doing pretty well in ancient times~~
Just a little~ homesick…”

“Pfft—!!”

I sprayed a mouthful of tea straight onto the waiter’s face.

I was stunned.