Qinglu comforted him, "Don't be afraid. You might not be used to this. Come sit here, I have so much I want to tell you."
Ali turned his face away, feeling shy. "Qing, Miss Qinglu, I, I thank you very much. That, I, I won't sit over there. Please, just speak."
Seeing his innocent and cute demeanor, Qinglu felt a touch of affection. She slowly stood up and moved closer to him. Ali retreated helplessly. Qinglu moved closer again, cornering him until he had nowhere else to go.
Ali was very scared. He swallowed nervously and turned his face far away. Qinglu chuckled, covering her mouth, and slowly placed a restless hand on his cheek, asking flirtatiously, "Young master, do you have a girl you like?"
Ali thought for a moment and shook his head frantically, then immediately nodded wildly.
"Then it seems you don't have a girl you like. How about this? I haven't found a man I fancy either. Why don't you stay and keep me company, alright?"
Ali quickly shook his head, pushed her away, and scrambled to his feet, trying to escape. Qinglu grabbed him by the hand, pulled him close, and kissed his handsome face several times. Ali was struck by lightning, his face drained of color. His heart pounded with fear like a thousand galloping horses. In his panic, he transformed into a small狸猫, broke free from her embrace, and hopped towards the carriage window. With a leap, he was out the window and onto the main road, disappearing into the woods.
Qinglu laughed heartily, looking out the carriage window, and shouted, "Young master, you're quite something, hahaha!"
Ali, trembling, hid behind a large tree. His innocent heart pounded as if it would leap from his chest. Only when the carriage was far away did he calm his terrified emotions. He cautiously emerged, transforming back into his human form.
With a trace of fear and resentment on his face, he muttered, "Is it this terrifying outside now? People just kiss you on sight." Thinking of being kissed several times, he quickly wiped his face with his hands.
Fortunately, he had learned from Qinglu that the two people were heading to Beishen Capital. This gave him a destination. All he had to do was head towards Beishen Capital.
Meanwhile, Dao Lang and Fei Xiong, the two brothers, drove their carriage day and night for five days and five nights, finally arriving at Beishen Capital city just before dawn. They drove the horses to a quiet courtyard on the east street of Beishen Capital city. Looking up, they saw a vermilion and gilded plaque bearing three large characters: "Tai Shen Palace."
Then, they turned left into a small alley. Following the alley, they arrived at a small door, which was wide open. Standing by the door was a somewhat lecherous middle-aged man. He wore a brown long gown and a white square cap, the brim of which was inlaid with a circle of emerald gems.
He clasped his hands in his sleeves, a hint of joy on his face.
"Brought the person?" he asked.
"Here, here," Dao Lang replied.
"And where is that person?"
"Inside the carriage." Dao Lang lifted the curtain and saw Fei Xiong sleeping soundly on his side. He then noticed that one of the sacks was missing. Panic flared in his heart. He rushed in and opened the sack, finding the person still inside, which somewhat eased his mind.
Then, with a flick of his finger, he flicked Fei Xiong on the nose.
"Achoo!" Fei Xiong sneezed and woke up groggily.
Dao Lang reminded him, "We've arrived. Hurry up and help me carry the person down."
"Oh." Fei Xiong groggily stood up and looked around, only to be startled to see that the two sacks had become one. He immediately opened it to check. Seeing that the person was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then dragged the sack out, carried it to the small door, and handed it to the man.
The man opened the sack to inspect the goods. Seeing it was a girl, he felt a flicker of doubt. He hadn't seen this person before and didn't know if it was genuine. However, Fei Xiong and Dao Lang were known as the masters of kidnapping in the martial world, the "Jiangyang Er Dao," so there was no mistake. This must be the person the madam was looking for.
He then waved his hand, signaling for his men to carry the sack away. He then took two bags of gold from his pocket and handed them to Dao Lang.
"Well done. This is a reward from the Palace Master for you. Take it and go."
Dao Lang and Fei Xiong took the bags and cupped their hands in thanks. "Thank you, Palace Master. Thank you, Head Steward."
They then drove away with smiling faces, seemingly forgetting about Ali.
The few men carried the sack into an empty room in a side courtyard, unloaded the person, and then closed the door tightly.
The cold floor seeped through the clothes to the skin, and a chill permeated my dreams. I was vaguely woken by this cold. In my daze, I saw two blurry figures appear at the door, followed by a man's and a woman's voice.
"Is this a human?" a woman asked.
"Brought by those two brothers. No mistake," a man replied.
The woman was not entirely at ease. "But I'm still worried, as I've never seen them before."
The man suggested, "Then why don't we put the person on the main street tomorrow and see if anyone recognizes them? Beishen Capital is full of talented and unusual people, so someone is bound to recognize them. If no one does, then it's a fake."
"That's a good idea. Then go do it now."
"Yes."
Just as I tried to force my eyes open, a floral scent suddenly wafted over, and my consciousness gradually weakened, and I fell back asleep.
I don't know how long I slept. In my dream, I suddenly felt a shaking force. I heard the creaking sound of wooden wheels rolling on stone slabs, followed by the clanging of iron chains. Then I heard a cacophony of discussions.
As my consciousness gradually returned and I slightly opened my eyes, I saw people surrounding me. I thought it was an illusion, but then I heard someone among them laughingly say, "Whose master's plaything is this again?"
"The one guarding the cage looks like someone from Tai Shen Palace."
"It seems so."
Listening to their discussions, I patted my dizzy head and woke up hazily. I shook my head slightly to clear it. Looking closely, I realized I was trapped in an iron cage, suspended in mid-air like an animal on display. Below the cage stood a person holding a gong and drum, beating them and shouting, "Come, come, take a look! Does anyone recognize this new item?"
Are they treating me like a monkey?
The man, while shouting, proudly boasted, "This item is said to be extremely rare, rarely seen by anyone. Our master has brought it here specially for everyone to broaden their horizons. Take a look and see if anyone recognizes it. If you do, speak up so everyone can gain some knowledge."
After speaking, he shook his head, picked up the gong, and walked to a cool pavilion nearby, leisurely drinking tea.
Passersby, coming and going, speculated about which mysterious race the person in the cage belonged to, worthy of such a grand display.
I looked at them, their clothes luxurious, all made of gold-threaded silk, adorned with jade and agate. It was clear this was a place flowing with wealth. If I could make a fortune here, then my and Ali's future lives would be secure.
I couldn't help but swallow, sighing. I supported myself with both hands on the iron bars, half-crouching, looking at them with pitifully small eyes.
"Mother, Mother, she looks like a ball!" a child pointed at me, hitting the nail on the head.
"How can she look like a ball? She clearly looks like a mountain spirit," his mother said with a serious expression.
Good heavens, what imaginations!
I could hear these unpleasant remarks clearly and couldn't help but inwardly complain: What ball? What spirit? I'm clearly a person! Those with long hair and short knowledge deserve to stay home and babysit. Little brats who don't learn well will get hit on the head with a ball sooner or later.
However, the crowd came and went, but no one could provide the answer the gong-beating man wanted. I could only remain on the street, waiting for a fated encounter.
Throughout the day, enduring the sun and wind, I could only watch him eat and drink leisurely. I wanted to shout at him to let me go, but the words caught in my throat, unable to be spoken.
The capital at night was still as bustling as ever, with lanterns everywhere and crowds surging. The buildings, with their carved beams and painted pillars, dragons and snakes, were exactly like ancient Chinese architecture, possessing the charm of the Tang Dynasty's prosperous era.
However, looking at their clothing, some simple and refined, some in brocade robes, some with long flowing hair, some with short, heroic hair, they were like free versions of ancient elements, blending into antiquity without being constrained by classical elements. This greatly broadened my horizons and allowed me to feel the charm of this world.
Just as I was engrossed in watching, I suddenly heard a drunken recitation carried by the wind, "Roam freely, uncared for; half-drunk, seldom two coins."
I looked with confusion and saw a drunken man staggering from the opposite side of the street, disrupting the beautiful scene. Unlike others, he wore a gray robe, with a gourd-shaped wine flask at his waist, a disheveled beard, and hair as messy as wild grass on his head.
When someone passed by him, he couldn't help but rush forward and grab them, starting to peddle, "I see you have clear eyes and pure looks. You're clearly single, not married, right? I can introduce you to a peerless match. The price is negotiable." Well, he had turned himself from a beggar into a matchmaker.
At this, passersby would flee from him in terror, and he would relentlessly pursue them until they ran away scared.
Then he would laugh to himself, pick up his wine, and continue drinking, slowly turning and walking forward. His gait gradually returned to his initial stumbling, slovenly manner. At this point, people who saw him approaching would all panic and hide, either walking far away or peeking cautiously, afraid of being entangled by him.
However, when he passed by my cage, he suddenly stopped. He sniffed left and right, then frowned, and immediately regained his sobriety, muttering to himself, "Someone!"
Following the direction of the scent, he looked up and was surprised to find a large iron cage suspended above his head. Curious, he asked into the cage, "Who is up there?"
I rubbed my eyes, bored, and replied, "I am up here."
"Who am I?" he asked, full of confusion.
I found his question rather strange but still replied, "How would I know who you are?"
He laughed heartily and introduced himself, "I am Zhang Tianshi, the Wandering Immortal. Who are you?"
I replied vaguely, "I am someone who has been inexplicably locked up."
He frowned and pressed, "You are human?"
"Yes, I am human," I replied affirmatively without concealment.
Zhang Tianshi smiled indifferently, waved his hand, and said, "Impossible. How could a human appear here? Don't lie to me."
Seeing his disbelief, I crawled to the edge of the cage and said to him, "Don't believe me, I am truly human."
"What kind of person are you?"
After talking for a long time, it seemed like nothing was said. I told him, "My name is Liu Muye. I was captured and brought here by someone. Can you save me?"
I eagerly awaited his reply.
Zhang Tianshi waved his hand dismissively, as if it were none of his business. "Why should I save you? Are we close?"
Saying this, he was about to leave. I quickly called out to him, "Hey, don't go. I'll tell you, I know a friend who is very rich. I can give you money." Although lying was wrong, it was a desperate measure.
To my surprise, he wasn't swayed and directly said, "No!"
I then said, "Hey, I, I can buy you clothes, buy you many beautiful clothes."
"Tch, only little girls like those." He was still dissatisfied.
I looked at him carefully and noticed his fondness for alcohol, so I said, "If you save me, I'll buy you wine. Whatever wine you want to drink, I'll buy it for you."
Hearing the word "wine," Zhang Tianshi became interested. He looked up at me with a proud expression and asked, "Really? You'll buy me wine?"
Seeing his interest in wine, I quickly said, "Really, really. Whatever you want to drink, I'll buy." I was afraid that if I hesitated for a second, he would run away.
Zhang Tianshi thought this deal was acceptable, but then he thought about it again and felt it was unreliable. "You're lying to me. If you were really rich, why would you be captured?"
I made up a random excuse, "I am truly rich, I just don't have it on me."
"Then saving you would be in vain. You might as well stay put. I'm leaving."
"Hey! Don't go, hey!"
He hadn't taken two steps before the man who had been watching for a long time, the gong-beating man, blocked his path. The man, with a face full of smiles, asked him, "Master Tianshi, do you still remember me?"
Zhang Tianshi looked at him carefully and after a while, he recognized the person before him. "Oh, aren't you that, that, that what's-his-name, the subordinate of the Tai Shen Palace steward?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's me. Your memory is truly good. My name is Chen San."
"Oh, Chen San. I remember, I remember."
"Come, come, sit here." Saying this, he pulled Zhang Tianshi to his rattan chair and personally poured him a cup of tea, handing it to him. "Master Tianshi, please drink."
Zhang Tianshi took the tea and gulped it down. After finishing the tea, he asked, "Speak, what do you need my advice on?"
Chen San squatted down, massaging his leg, and explained the matter of the iron cage. "Nothing escapes your wise eyes, old man. Look at the person in the cage. It's a novelty item that someone sent to our Palace Master. They say it's human, but no one knows who she is, so we thought of putting her on the street for those who know to see."
Zhang Tianshi nodded while enjoying himself. "I see she does look like a person."
If I don't look like a person, what do I look like, a monkey? Speechless.
"Master Tianshi is knowledgeable. Please take a look and tell us what kind of person she is."
"She resembles the legendary beings."
Upon hearing this, Chen San immediately became excited. "Really?" He accidentally squeezed too hard, causing pain.
"Ouch, ouch, be gentle! It hurts so much."
"Hahaha, my apologies. I'll be gentle. Master Tianshi, would you be willing to accompany me to Tai Shen Palace?"
"Why would I go there?"
"Our Palace Master is worried about not finding anyone who recognizes her. You are learned and knowledgeable. If you go and speak to our Palace Master, whether you want money, food, or drink, I guarantee it will be arranged for you."
Zhang Tianshi was not interested. "You know, I am a free man. I am used to freedom and don't quite like that kind of place."
Chen San persuaded him, "Just go in and say a few words, and then you can leave. It won't take up your time."
"No, no, no, I still don't want to go." Saying this, he stood up to leave. Chen San, helpless, had to resort to his ultimate move.
Zhang Tianshi:
"Roam freely, uncared for; half-drunk, seldom two coins." Zhang Tianshi, a wandering immortal from Xizi Kingdom, his true form is an ancient divine beast, the Yinglong clan, belonging to the divine race.
He enjoys drinking, dresses casually, and is a very carefree person.