Upon hearing that they were not there to buy anything but instead asking about another shop the shopkeeper immediately lost his smile and replied evasively, “Mia Qing Hall is just a small shop. We may not have goods that satisfy you, sir. Why not look at what we have in this store first and see if it meets your needs.”
Knowing that the man had misunderstood, Yu Qing explained, “We are not here to buy or sell. We are looking for someone. Could the shopkeeper kindly point us in the right direction.”
The shopkeeper gave him a quick look up and down, then pointed in one direction. “Go straight that way, cross three bridges, turn left and keep going straight. You will see a small islet with dozens of shops. Mia Qing Hall is among them.”
Yu Qing thanked him and prepared to leave. Just as he was about to turn around he thought of something and asked curiously, “I heard there are over a thousand shops in Youjiao Port. Since the shopkeeper says Mia Qing Hall is just a small shop, how do you know its location so clearly?”
The shopkeeper, who had closed the directory on the counter, said, “You asked for directions and I gave them. Are you unhappy about that?”
Yu Qing quickly waved his hands. “No, no. I was just a bit surprised.”
The shopkeeper gave a chuckle and finally added with some amusement, “The owner is Tie Miao Qing. She is a famously great beauty. Every merchant in Youjiao Port knows her.”
“Uh…” Yu Qing was somewhat stunned. He knew Tie Miao Qing should be beautiful but had never seen her true appearance. He had not expected her to be someone whose beauty was known throughout Youjiao Port.
Another customer entered the shop and the shopkeeper hurried to attend to him.
Yu Qing did not disturb him further and cupped his hands in farewell. The shopkeeper simply waved his hand to urge him to go quickly.
Once outside, the three martial brothers followed the shopkeeper’s directions and walked straight ahead. They strolled along the street and crossed every bridge they came to.
There were many rivers winding through Youjiao Port and therefore many bridges.
Boats came and went on the rivers. The boatmen were all one-eyed people with arms about one zhang long. Their long arms rowing were more effective than real oars. When docking it was also convenient as they simply reached out with their long arms to grab the shore and the boat would steady itself without even needing ropes.
The boatmen’s appearance was a bit strange with only one large eye on their face. They stood up to two zhang tall, thin and dry. When their four limbs were together they looked like a stick. When swinging about they resembled stick insects, long and slender.
Although the one-eyed people looked odd, their long limbs and height were advantages. Many trades in the cultivation world quite liked to hire them.
Half-demons could often be seen coming and going on the streets and boats. Being half-demon did not mean their cultivation was weak. It only showed they had encountered setbacks during their cultivation journey. The number one person in the demon realm was a half-demon.
The “rat removers” that Yu Qing had seen in Xiyue Fang also appeared from time to time on the streets to clear away rubbish.
After crossing a bridge and passing through a column of natural light from an opening above, Yu Qing turned his back to the light and his eyes finally made out the unusual sight ahead. He was drawn to a towering cliff wall at the far end shrouded in darkness. Overall it looked like the character for “wind”. The crossing pattern in the middle of the wind character resembled steep intersecting stairs. One could vaguely see people walking on them. Lights flickered dimly and from time to time little specks of light appeared and disappeared, giving off a mysterious air in the gloom.
Without needing an introduction Yu Qing could guess that this was probably the legendary You Cliff, the place that controlled the rules of Youjiao Port.
Following the directions they crossed three bridges, turned left and walked straight to the end. Sure enough they saw a small islet surrounded by winding water. There were indeed only a few dozen shops. Compared to the bustle of the whole Youjiao Port it seemed rather quiet but it had its advantages. A beam of daylight almost covered the entire islet. It was probably one of the few places in Youjiao Port that did not need lanterns during the day.
The three martial brothers crossed the bridge and stepped onto the islet. Here they could see green plants similar to those outside. When the sun was directly overhead this place could probably be bathed in sunlight for a while.
The three were not in a hurry. They strolled unhurriedly around half the islet before finally spotting the shop with the “Mia Qing Hall” signboard. There was a storefront in front and a courtyard behind.
Yu Qing led the way inside.
The shopkeeper was a man. As soon as he looked up he stood up at once and greeted them warmly. “What would the three honoured guests like to buy?”
This man looked unfamiliar. Yu Qing did not know him so he said nothing. Instead he took out a small metal “button”, which was the Youju token that Tie Miao Qing had removed from herself back then. He placed it on the counter and pushed it over to the man.
The shopkeeper was stunned upon seeing the iron button. He picked it up to examine it and found that the three characters “Mia Qing Hall” on it were fine. Immediately he looked somewhat doubtful and suspicious. After looking Yu Qing up and down he quickly turned and went to the back door. He lifted the curtain and shouted loudly towards the rear, “Shopkeeper, come here for a moment.”
Soon a rather plump and fierce-looking woman lifted the curtain and came out from the back. It was none other than Sun Ping.
Sun Ping glanced at Yu Qing and the others then asked the man at the counter, “What is it?”
The man handed her the Youju token.
Sun Ping examined the token briefly, suddenly froze, then looked up carefully at the three visitors.
Yu Qing waved at her and smiled. “Shopkeeper Sun really is a busy person who forgets others easily.”
Sun Ping stared fixedly to identify him then showed great joy. She cried out in surprise, “A…” She looked around as if worried about eavesdroppers and changed her words. “Why have you come?” She quickly twisted around from behind the counter, came out and could not help punching Yu Qing in the chest. “So young yet you keep such an ugly beard. I almost did not recognise you.”
The man’s eyes behind the counter flickered. He could tell they were acquaintances but it was rare to see someone who could make Sun Ping so delighted. He secretly guessed what kind of person had come.
He could not help observing the two people behind the visitor. One showed no expression and the other was cold and aloof. Their bearing alone showed they were no ordinary people, making him even more curious about Yu Qing’s identity.
Ugly beard? Yu Qing’s smile stiffened. He had always thought his beard looked quite good and did not like negative comments. He laughed dryly. “Disguise, just a disguise.”
“Come with me to see the owner.” Sun Ping grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the counter. Then she noticed Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie following and stopped in doubt. “Who are these two?”
This was the inner residence with female family members living there. Some unreliable men really should not be let in.
Yu Qing said, “My two subordinates. They are reliable. You can rest assured.”
Subordinates? Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie’s faces darkened slightly but they could not say he was wrong. His position was indeed the sect leader. It just felt a bit insulting.
Outside they could not expose their true relationship or Linglong Temple. This was the most basic conduct for Linglong Temple disciples when travelling. As the martial uncle put it, no matter what waves there are outside they must not bring trouble back home.
Since he had vouched for them Sun Ping had to allow Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie to enter the inner residence together.
The man sitting in the shop became even more surprised and even more curious about Yu Qing’s identity. One guarantee and he could bring two strange men into the inner residence of Mia Qing Hall?
Once inside the inner courtyard Yu Qing looked around.
The inner courtyard was neither too big nor too small, at least not as large as some of the bigger shops outside. The flowers, plants and trees were arranged tastefully with an elegant feel. It was clear much thought had been put into it.
Each of the four corners of the courtyard was sealed off by another wall with its own moon gate, creating four more private small yards. In the middle of the main courtyard was a pavilion and waterside pavilion layout with gauze curtains on all sides for receiving guests.
Sun Ping invited the three to sit for a while in the pavilion then quickly went to the small yard in the left rear corner.
Before long she came out again followed by a lovely woman whose appearance could instantly brighten one’s eyes.
Her figure was graceful as she walked over. A bundle of dark hair was rolled up and pinned behind her head, fully revealing her smooth forehead and face. One glance gave a refreshing feeling.
Her face was like jade and hibiscus, her brows and eyes like a painting, with snow-white skin and red lips. She was a woman so beautiful that one glance could enter the heart.
Because of her beauty every frown, smile, gesture and movement seemed to radiate a peerless charm.
This was what a truly beautiful woman looked like. That kind of elegance really had the power to captivate all living beings, enough to make many men envy the mandarin ducks rather than immortals.
The three men were stunned on the spot.
The serious look on Nan Zhu’s face disappeared. He looked astonished, surprised and stared fixedly at the approaching person.
The faint arrogance that always hung at the corner of Mu Ao Tie’s mouth also vanished. He turned his head over and no longer looked at people sideways with the corner of his eye.
Yu Qing’s mouth opened slightly. From her brows and eyes he roughly recognised that the person was indeed Tie Miao Qing. He was quite surprised. He knew Tie Miao Qing was good-looking but had not expected her to be that good-looking. No wonder she covered her face when going out and refused to remove her veil. Once removed it was simply a source of calamity.
He suspected that if this woman were not hiding in Youjiao Port where no one dared to act recklessly, her fate would probably have been full of misfortune long ago.
He also finally understood why the shopkeeper he had asked earlier knew the location of the tiny Mia Qing Hall so clearly.
However he noticed that Tie Miao Qing’s eyes held some different expression, a faint sadness.
She was wearing a black dress with a small white flower pinned at her temple.
This attire… Yu Qing, who had gradually come back to his senses, was surprised. This was clearly the dress for mourning at home.
Stepping into the pavilion Tie Miao Qing faced Yu Qing. Seeming used to men’s reactions upon seeing her she gave a shallow smile with her teeth showing. Her voice was still pleasant. “The top scholar has graced us with his presence. Mia Qing Hall is truly honoured.”
Seeing Yu Qing again she also felt quite emotional and glad.
Some things were unthinkable even in dreams. She had not expected that the person she met by chance would not only help her but turn out to be an unparalleled great talent.
When she heard the news of the Jin Kingdom imperial examinations she was truly shocked. Only when she saw the circulated articles did she understand what real brilliance was.
Not only her but Sun Ping and her husband also felt as if in a dream and dared not think about it.
Later they heard about the top scholar throwing away his crown and leaving, then about the news of him scattering all his wealth to save the lives of countless disaster victims.
Now who in the world did not know the Jin Kingdom top scholar? He had already become a legendary figure.
They had thought they might never have the chance to meet that top scholar again in this life. Yet another unexpected thing happened when the top scholar actually came to their door of his own accord.
When Tie Miao Qing heard the report she even had a momentary daze and misunderstanding, wondering if he had been attracted by her beauty. Later she realised he did not know what she looked like at all and that she had thought too much.
It was also precisely because the current “A Shiheng” was now different from before that Sun Ping had made that intimate move earlier and could directly pull the man from outside into the inner residence.
Upon hearing this form of address Yu Qing felt a headache. He smiled bitterly. “There is no top scholar here. That is all in the past. If there really is a top scholar the flower is right before our eyes. Shop owner, I really did not expect that you would look this beautiful.”