Thirty Years of Demon Slaying at the Demon-Slaying Department - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Securing a Marriage

The male version of the Peach Blossom Star was of the Yang element. It symbolized fate.

The female version of the Peach Blossom Star was of the Yin element. It symbolized marriage.

According to the Qi Inspection Technique, the Peach Blossom Star would only react to ladies who were gentle and beautiful, and men who were suave in appearance.

A red thread drawn between the two stars would act as a go-between and signify that a couple would share deep affection upon marriage.

Of course, the Qi Inspection Technique itself had no binding force. It simply meant that Bai Yutang and Constable Li may be bounded by fate and if good fortune were to befall them, then they would tie the knot. However, it did not necessarily mean that they would definitely become a married couple.

Men whom the Peach Blossom Star reacted to tended to have romantic and passionate personalities and were popular with the opposite sex. Therefore, they were not easily bound by marriage.

“Scumbags like him who easily engage in frivolous relationships must be given a painful lesson!”

A ray of spirit light flashed across Zhou Yi’s palm and fell on the leg of the innkeeper who was serving tea.

Bai Yutang was following the innkeeper in a servile manner. He kept up his ruse as a countryman who had just been introduced to the city.

Not only did the guy have good acting skills, but he also understood the intricacies of trickery. After all, who would expect an escaped thief to approach the constables themselves?

“Ouch!”

The innkeeper felt his legs go numb, and he accidentally spilled the teapot in his hands.

The scalding tea spilled on Bai Yutang. Thanks to his Cultivation Base in martial arts, the scalding tea did not hurt him. However, he was quick to react and pretend that he was in pain. He wailed in agony like a pig that was about to get slaughtered.

“Oh you son of a—”

“Mr. Innkeeper, please take me to a physician will ya—”

Bai Yutang had impeccable adaptability. He showed his face, freed himself from suspicion, and used the excuse of visiting a physician to avoid getting caught.

After yelling in mock pain a few times, Bai Yutang realized that the innkeeper, who had always cooperated with him, was not doing anything. He opened his eyes, only to see Constable Li staring at him with stern eyes. The other four constables quickly blocked the door and windows.

The innkeeper pointed at his hand and kept gesturing to him with his eyes.

Hand?

Bai Yutang looked at his palm. The rough calluses had disappeared and its dark complexion had been washed away by the tea.

He was exposed!

Bai Yutang did not have time to think about what went wrong with the waterproof body paint he had produced with a secret technique. Instead, he flipped up like a carp and rushed straight towards the window.

“Oof…”

His legs went numb, and his energy was depleted within a fraction of a second. Bai Yutang fell to the ground in a daze.

Constable Li let out a cold snort. She stepped forward, reached out and grabbed the hair on the back of Bai Yutang’s head. She gave it a forceful tug. The middle-aged man’s mask fell off, revealing a young and handsome face.

“Tie him up and send him back to the dungeon!”

“Hongling… mmph!”

Bai Yutang’s mouth was stuffed with a rag.

“All men’s mouths are all filled lies! Let me ask you, are you gonna go back to the dungeon and wait for death, or are you gonna go meet my father?”

“You don’t have to talk. Nod or shake your head!”

Li Hongling drew her saber from the sheath on her waist and moved it around Bai Yutang’s neck and legs, “You can choose to shake your head, and after that, it’s over between us. Everything you owe me and all the times you cheated on me; I’ll take one of your legs as payback!”

Initially, Bai Yutang was prepared to go to the dungeon, thinking that he would still be able to find the chance to escape in the future, but looking at the saber’s position, he nodded with fear in his eyes.

“So, you agree to marry me?

Feeling shy, Li Hongling blushed.

Bai Yutang nodded in despair.

“Now that you’ve said yes, if you dare to go back on your promise ever again, my grandfather will get the Immortal Masters of the Deity-worshipping Department to deal with you.”

After Li Hongling finished speaking, she turned her head, glared at the innkeeper who shrank in the corner trying to reduce his sense of presence, ordered her subordinates to carry Bai Yutang, and left.

Bai Yutang still could not figure out why his legs fell numb at such a critical moment…

The initiator of the trickery, Zhou Yi, observed via the Qi Inspecting Technique. When Bai Yutang promised to marry Li Hongling, the red thread of marriage solidified. Generally speaking, their fates were even more intertwined now.

After Li Hongling and the others had gone away, the innkeeper immediately came back to life.

“Oh bother, oh bother, the young master has been caught.”

“Mr. Zhou, I must make a trip to the Yuzhou Prefecture at once. Please take care of the inn.”

The innkeeper said anxiously, “Pay no attention to the accounts, just make sure that the inn doesn’t catch fire. I will thank you with handsome gifts when I get back.”

Zhou Yi nodded his head. “That’s just a trivial matter. Set your mind at ease, Mr. Innkeeper.”

A golden aura exuded from Bai Yutang’s body. This signified that he was from a wealthy family. A rich man working at an inn was just like driving a Ferrari to deliver food.

“I’m counting on you, Mr. Zhou.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped away and vanished into the dark of night. His Qing-gong was not inferior to Bai Yutang.

“Saving a marriage is better than building a seven-storied pagoda for the heavens! People like me do good things without leaving behind our names. On the day of their wedding, I will personally attend to give them my blessing.”

Zhou Yi was thinking about making the ink-stained Taoist scripture their wedding gift, though he wondered if Bai Yutang could even comprehend the wisdom within.

He was feeling great after having facilitated a wedding by accident.

As he continued to copy the Taoist scripture, he unexpectedly gained a different understanding.

The words left behind by Taoist sages were subtle and meaningful. As one read them at different times and locations, one would often acquire new insights.

After Zhou Yi was done copying Spiritual Master Fubo’s quotations, he left the sentence “Copied by Liuquan Jushi, Jing-Tai-Year 50, January 18” on the last page.

Liuquan Jushi was the pen name Zhou Yi had given himself. All his colleagues had a pen name, so he did the same to follow suit.

He blew across the page and the ink immediately dried. He straightened the papers and put them aside neatly.

When he was done copying all 12 Taoist scriptures, he would go to the bookstore and bind them into books for easy collection and reading.

…

Benevolence Bookshop.

Most of the capital’s bookshops were gathered in this neighborhood, including businesses such as those that sell brush, ink, paper and inkstone, as well as publishing, and printing.

One of the largest bookshops was called Scholar’s Library. It was said that a poor scholar came to the capital in a hurry to sit for the imperial exam and had no money to buy the Four Jewels of the Study.

The shopkeeper of the bookstore was willing to sell the scholar a brush and some ink on credit. He never thought that the poor scholar would score the highest mark in the exam. As the scholar was parading across the streets on a horse, he deliberately stopped at the door of this bookshop.

He had thanked the shopkeeper and left behind his beautiful calligraphy. Since then, the bookshop had been renamed Scholar’s Library.

From then on, the bookstore would provide free pens and paper to all students who came to the capital to sit for the imperial examination.

Should they pass the examination, they would naturally return and present the store with valuable gift. And even if they failed, the shop would at least have the scholars’ gratitude.

Scholars would also willingly visit the Scholar’s Library in the hopes of surrounding themselves with their predecessor’s wisdom.

At present, the Scholar’s Library had become the premier bookstore in the capital that no other shop could possibly rival.

When Zhou Yi first walked into the bookstore, he saw bookshelves in various shapes that were uniquely strewn at random. The place was brimming with an artistic atmosphere.

Books on the shelves were divided into categories such as Confucianism, Mohism, Law, Taoism, agronomy novels; any genre one could think of, the bookstore had.

On each bookshelf was a pair of exquisitely framed inscriptions. There were the characters Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, Tanhua[1], and also Jinshi[2].

The bookshop was largely unsupervised. Scholars were allowed to read whatever they want, and the shop was not afraid of its books being stolen. In this era, books were real assets, and one could go to the pawnshop to exchange them for money.

The sky was only just turning bright, and there were already scholars who have come to the bookstore to read. They were wearing ordinary clothes, and it was evident that they were not from rich families.

Zhou Yi walked around until he saw a counter at the far end of the bookstore. The shopkeeper was there, lost in concentration as he practiced his calligraphy.

The Scholar’s Library was decorated in this way to promote the concept of “read first, trade second”.

This store ran no business that was full of the stink of money. Instead, it was forging a culture and a brand.

The knowledge of the ancients was not comparable to that of the moderns, but their wisdom in the field of business was not at all inferior.

The shopkeeper put down his brush and asked, “Sir, do you wish to buy a book?”

Zhou Yi took out his Taoist scripture manuscript and said, “Please help me bind these manuscripts.”

The shopkeeper wiped his hands with a white towel and took the manuscripts. He took a quick look at the papers and could not help himself but praise, “Excellent writing!”

Zhang Cheng’s calligraphy was elegant and lively, away from the prospering world and unbound by conventions.

Scholars tend to prefer this calligraphy style the most. The higher one’s official position and the greater their power, the more they would admire the life of hermits.

Of course, telling them to resign from office was an absolute no-no.

“Zhi Mo, serve him tea.”

The shopkeeper asked, “May I ask who wrote these?”

“I’m the one who copied them.”

“Zhi Mo, bring us the Longjing Tea harvested after Qingming Festival!”

“…”

***

[1] Imperial exam winners: zhuangyuan 状元 (1st place), bangyan 榜眼 (2nd), tanhua 探花 (3rd). Qing Dynasty.

[2] Jinshi: Jinshi was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China.