Scholar Lü

Under the escort of this crowd, Lu Xiucai swaggered into Drunken Immortal Tavern.

It was barely morning, but he ordered a full spread of heavy dishes—seven plates, eight bowls. The moment the warmed wine arrived, some quick-eyed sycophant hurried to fill his cup.

Lu Xiucai raised the bowl, tipped his head back, and took a long gulp, drawing another round of cheers from those around him.

He was completely oblivious to the disdain and displeasure on the faces of the other patrons.

"Master Lu, you've got a bottomless sea! Master Lu, magnificent!!"

"Ah, ah, I could never drink that much—Master Lu, could you teach me how to build up to it?"

"What's this? Back in the day, I followed my master, Li Huowang, to help the Qingqiu Emperor drive out ghosts and catch demons. You see this? A vat of wine this tall—I, Master Lu, hoisted it right up and downed the whole thing!"

"Master Lu, tell us how you and your master caught demons in Qingqiu!"

"Well, let me tell you—in Qingqiu, there might not be any evil outside, but under that grass it was dangerously unreliable. If I hadn't been there to look out for my master, he might not have made it!"

Eating and drinking, Lu Xiucai narrated the stories of what happened in Qingqiu, most of which he had heard from Gouwa, only he had placed himself as the protagonist.

Amid the cheers, a flush crept up Lu Xiucai's face, and his tongue grew thick, but still he felt it wasn't enough.

When the meal was nearly finished, buoyed by the excitement, Lu Xiucai waved his hand again. "Let's go! To Rouge Alley! Put it all on my tab!!"

The cheers grew even louder, nearly lifting the roof. The sycophants around him became even more fawning, practically treating him like a father. It gave Lu Xiucai a satisfaction he had never known before.

When a contented Lu Xiucai finally staggered out of Rouge Alley, it was already high noon.

He wasn't hungry. The specialty of Rouge Alley was: buy the girl, get the donkey-meat dumplings for free.

After a morning of carousing, Lu Xiucai was weary. He ambled back toward his lodgings.

Given his background, someone like him shouldn't have been able to rent a place in Yinling City. But Master Kui had connections everywhere and found him guarantors.

The door creaked open. In the courtyard, by the well, sat a woman washing clothes. Her movements were quick and practiced. She looked diligent enough.

This woman was someone Lu Xiucai had bought with money. Her name was Tao'er. Her face was ordinary, her hips small—she had been cheap.

He had originally planned to make her his wife, but after a few visits to Rouge Alley, he stopped touching her.

Lying in bed, she was like a piece of wood—what did she have compared to the girls in the pleasure houses?

Now she just stayed home, washing clothes, cooking meals. Basically a maidservant.

Lu Xiucai collapsed onto the bed and was soon snoring.

Tao'er stopped her scrubbing, picked up a wooden basin, and ladled out some hot water she had prepared earlier. She took a cloth and began to wipe Lu Xiucai's face and body.

When she finished, she bent down, removed his shoes and socks, and soaked his feet.

After everything was clean, she pulled the blanket over him and, to keep the draft out, covered either side of his pillow with clothing.

When the sky outside had darkened, Lu Xiucai finally stirred awake. He smelled the aroma in the air, rolled off the bed, and sat at the table to eat dinner.

When Lu Xiucai ate, Tao'er was not permitted at the table. She had to wait until he finished before she could have the leftovers.

Two dishes and a soup, with a fried egg on top. The vegetables were stir-fried in lard. A dinner like this was something Lu Xiucai wouldn't have dared to dream of before, but now he felt a little contempt for it.

He took a big gulp of winter melon soup, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and prepared to head to the gambling house to win some money. He needed to hurry—if the curfew caught him, he'd be locked out.

Just as he passed Tao'er, Lu Xiucai noticed a spot of blood on her trousers. His face instantly twisted with fury.

"Goddammit! What the hell! Who ate a bear's heart and a leopard's balls and dared to touch my people! I'll fucking kill him!"

Tao'er shook her head slightly, her voice very small. "It's nothing… just my monthly flow is a bit heavy. I didn't catch it in time."

"What monthly flow? I'm asking about the blood on your pants! Don't give me that 'monthly flow' crap!"

After Tao'er quietly explained, Lu Xiucai finally understood that women bleed every month.

"Oh, so that's it. I remember back when I was performing opera, my sister-in-law always acted mysterious for a few days every month. When I asked her, she chewed me out bloody."

Lu Xiucai felt his waist pouch, fished out some loose碎银子 at the bottom, and stuffed them into Tao'er's arms. Then he turned and walked out. "Buy meat tomorrow night! I don't want any green leaves! I've been eating leaves the whole way—I'm sick of looking at them!"

Heading toward the gambling house, Lu Xiucai was joined by other gamblers. Yinling City had a curfew, but as long as you stayed in the gambling hall all night, the curfew didn't matter much.

As soon as he arrived at Master Kui's gambling den, Lu Xiucai pulled out the five copper coins that Li Huowang had given him, tossed them in his hand, and wore a smug grin. With this skill, he would never go hungry for life.

But just as he was about to head to his usual spot, Master Kui, whose body was tattooed with a dragon crossing his shoulder, blocked his path. "Come, come, Master Lu. No need to rush to make money. I have something to discuss with you."

The two of them went to the small courtyard behind the gambling house. A brass hotpot was bubbling away, and slices of lamb were already laid out.

Lu Xiucai sat down and started eating. He hadn't been full at home anyway. "Master Kui, you have business? Speak up! You took me in back then—you're my benefactor!"

Kui Sanjin chuckled and poured Lu Xiucai some wine. "Master Lu, I hear you once studied under a real master?"

"Of course! My master! Li Huowang!! A figure like an immortal! He could cut off his own head and stick it back on! All those evil spirits and demons—they weren't even worthy to be his appetizers!" Lu Xiucai pounded his chest so hard that anyone listening might have thought he was talking about himself.

"Then if Master Lu studied under such a powerful master, you must be pretty formidable yourself, right?"

"Hehehe~" Lu Xiucai picked up a slice of lamb, dipped it in the boiling pot, stuffed it into his mouth, and said smugly, "Not bad. I've got about four—no, six-tenths of my master's skill!"

"Excellent! Truly, a hero is always a youth! Admirable, admirable!"

Lu Xiucai smiled smugly. Even the famous Master Kui was polite to him. At this moment, he felt incredibly honored, already planning how he would brag about this to his brothers over drinks tomorrow.

He completely failed to notice that Kui Sanjin had put on a show of concern, furrowing his brows. "Master Lu, I have a bit of a tricky problem here. Could I trouble you for your help?"

"I have this brother—we've been through life and death together. He caught some bad luck somewhere, ran into a curse, and went mad. We've tried monks and Daoists, but nothing works."

"If Master Lu could really help me with this, then from now on, you can take eighty percent of the earnings!"