Chapter 22#
Famous Flowers Overthrow Kingdoms#
Xiao Man didn’t think there was anything wrong with his behavior, but seeing the girl’s strong reaction, he stepped back slightly. Still holding the portrait, he waited for her expression to soften before asking again, “Has the lady ever seen this object?”
The girl put her hands back on her hips, glanced at Xiao Man’s drawing, then looked up and retorted, “Is this what you’re looking for? Even if I’ve seen it, why should I tell you?”
“So, you have seen it then?” Xiao Man smiled slightly.
He had been watching her intently, not missing a single detail of the changes on her face. Thus, although it was a question, he asked it with great confidence.
The girl was indeed caught by Xiao Man’s words. Her expression stiffened for a moment, then her nose wrinkled, and she flicked her sleeve. Without hiding anything, she asked directly, “Why are you looking for it?”
“A sect mission requires me to find this object,” Xiao Man replied.
“Sect?” The girl repeated the word, crossed her arms, and walked around Xiao Man, scrutinizing him. “So, you’re a cultivator?”
Xiao Man nodded: “Indeed.”
The girl asked again: “In other words, your sect sent you to my house to take it?”
Xiao Man: “You could say that.”
“It’s my family’s property. You say you want it, and I just give it?” The girl laughed. “There’s no such easy thing in the world!”
“I’m willing to pay for it or exchange it for something else,” Xiao Man’s tone was sincere.
The girl shook her head: “I don’t lack money or things.”
Xiao Man rolled up the portrait, stepped forward to face her, and looked seriously into her eyes: “What would it take for you to be willing to give it?”
“Not giving it, not giving it!” the girl answered quickly, waving her hand at Xiao Man and turning to head up the mountain.
Xiao Man followed, calling out “Lady,” but this time it was her turn to ignore him.
He couldn’t help but recall Qu Hanxing’s remark on the way there about how neither low-level nor high-level weapons were easy to find.
The girl was very familiar with these mountain paths. Even in rugged and steep areas, she walked quite lightly and quickly. As a cultivator, Xiao Man naturally didn’t fear these hardships. After following her for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the girl looked back and said impatiently:
“Why do you keep following me?”
“Didn’t you follow me earlier?” Xiao Man said.
The girl said defiantly, “This is my family’s mountain. I can walk wherever I want. How can you call that following you?”
She continued forward, and Xiao Man kept a certain distance from her, never entertaining the thought of leaving.
A few minutes later, the forest came to an end, and a stream appeared in view. The girl quickened her pace, cupped a handful of water from the stream to drink, and then sat on a large rock to rest.
She plucked a blade of grass and toyed with it, looking up at the persistent person nearby and saying, “Hey.”
Xiao Man: “Yes.”
The girl said, “You said you could exchange it. Does that mean no matter what I want, you’re willing to help me get it?”
Xiao Man thought for a moment and said, “The value cannot be excessively higher than the Unheard Bell.”
“You know how to do business, and you even know its name.” A hint of surprise appeared in her expression, but then she remembered that since he was looking for the Unheard Bell, he naturally should have inquired about it. The surprise vanished from her eyes, and she asked again, “Do you know what its characteristic is?”
Xiao Man knew very little about the Unheard Bell. He didn’t pretend to know what he didn’t, and instead asked, “If the lady knows, could you tell me a thing or two?”
“In this world, except for me, no one can touch this thing, or it will rot.” Xiao Man hadn’t put the portrait back into his Qiankun Ring. The girl pointed at it, met Xiao Man’s gaze, and said with a smirk, “So even if I give it to you, it’s the same as if you hadn’t found it.”
“This…” Xiao Man was slightly stunned, then fell into silence.
No one had expected this, let alone discovered it. Seeing that the girl’s expression didn’t seem feigned, Xiao Man stood in the distance, pondered for a moment, and asked tentatively, “Could you take me to see it?”
He originally thought he would be refused and even had a plan for after the refusal, but to his surprise, the girl didn’t hesitate and nodded directly: “Fine, follow me.” After saying that, she rose from the rock, patted the dust and grass off her skirt, and began to lead the way.
Xiao Man still followed behind her. After a while, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid I might be some villain?”
“This is my family’s territory. If you attack me, you’ll be the first to suffer!” The girl laughed nonchalantly.
…She had a point.
“My surname is Xiao, and my name is Xiao Man. What is yours?” Xiao Man asked the girl in front of him.
“Shi Tang. ‘Shi’ as in poetry and literature, and ‘Tang’ as in the crabapple flower that withers not long after blooming.”
Her description of her name was a bit strange, but she didn’t give Xiao Man time to think. She suddenly pointed to a certain spot ahead and said, “Come, use the teleportation formation here.”
Under a crabapple tree to the northwest, there was a faint glow. When they stepped onto it, the teleportation formation revealed itself on the ground.
This was a short-distance teleportation formation, not particularly advanced. Shi Tang fiddled with the formation slightly, and the faint light turned into a brilliant glow. In the next instant, the two disappeared from the spot.
The destination was a courtyard, lit everywhere, revealing artificial hills, peculiar pines, flower beds, and ponds. Outside a long window sat someone dressed as a maid, holding a needle and embroidering.
“Miss, you’re finally back!” Seeing Shi Tang, the maid put down her work and greeted her with joy. Her gaze then fell on Xiao Man, and she looked puzzled and a bit shy: “This is…”
Shi Tang flicked her sleeve and walked towards the house: “Someone I brought back to keep me company.”
“Company is fine, but you can’t bring a gentleman back?” The maid didn’t question her lady’s behavior, nor was she surprised, but she was very concerned about Xiao Man’s gender. She cautiously glanced at Xiao Man, then immediately lowered her eyes to the bluestones at her feet.
“What’s wrong with a gentleman? He’s good-looking!” Shi Tang said, putting her hands on her hips, then waved her sleeve and said to Xiao Man, “Come, follow me.”
Shi Tang led Xiao Man through several turns in the residence to the top floor of a pavilion and pushed open a long window.
“The Unheard Bell is there.” She jerked her chin towards the window and said to Xiao Man.
Xiao Man looked over. There was a small courtyard, its walls covered in wisteria. The flowering season had passed, so the sight of cascading blossoms was absent, but the wind moving through the leaves and branches was still graceful.
The Unheard Bell was placed on a low table in the center. It was entirely silvery-white, very similar to the image Wei Chuyun had found, quietly reflecting the starlight and moonlight from above.
“My father says it’s a bell, but I think it looks like a bowl.” Shi Tang spoke softly. “It’s been here since before I was born. Everyone in the family is forbidden to approach it, except me.”
“Because only I can touch it without it breaking.”
“Why only you?” Xiao Man was quite puzzled.
Shi Tang shrugged: “You ask me, but who should I ask? My father, my grandfather, and the ancestors of my family don’t know.”
Xiao Man’s gaze returned to the Unheard Bell. The silver bell stood quietly there, not hung high, allowing the wind to blow. It didn’t move or shake, so naturally, those passing by wouldn’t hear any sound.
He found it very strange. The Shi family owned a mountain, so they must be wealthy, but was it too much to seal off this small courtyard to preserve a low-level magical artifact?
There must be a reason for this. Is there something special about the Unheard Bell?
Shi Tang had no spiritual energy fluctuations and no cultivation realm; she was an ordinary person. Asking her might not yield an answer. Therefore, Xiao Man bypassed the topic and only asked:
“Can you decide to give it to me?”
“As long as you agree to do one thing for me.” Shi Tang held up one finger.
Xiao Man: “Please say it.”
“I want to dance.”
Shi Tang turned, pointing out the window towards the east. “I want to go to the festival in Shenjing, to the place called ‘Famous Flowers Overthrow Kingdoms,’ and dance!”
She spoke with conviction, her gaze fixed on the distance, full of desire and determination.
The moonlight elongated her shadow, and the wind caught her sleeves. Xiao Man glanced at her sideways, sensing something, but when he focused his mind to pursue it, he found nothing.
However, Xiao Man thought of a problem: “If it’s as you say, and no one but you can touch the Unheard Bell, how am I to obtain it?”
“Young Master Xiao, that is your problem.” Shi Tang lowered her hand and laughed cunningly.
Xiao Man thought, As expected. His expression remained unchanged, and he said softly, “I need to discuss this with my companions.”
Shi Tang nodded: “Of course.”
“I will give you an answer tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you out.”
The two walked out of the pavilion, and Shi Tang saw Xiao Man to the door.
The mountain was quiet under the starlight and moonlight. Xiao Man, dressed in white, quickly moved away.
“Miss, the medicine is ready.” The maid who had been embroidering in the courtyard earlier walked to Shi Tang’s side, glanced in the direction Xiao Man had left, and spoke softly.
Shi Tang waved her hand: “Bring it here.”
“Yes.”
The maid brought four or five bowls of medicine in succession.
Xiao Man’s agreed meeting time with Qu Hanxing and the others was at the beginning of the Hour of the Boar, at an inn on the street where they had drunk tea during the day. The time hadn’t arrived yet, but since he had already found news of the Unheard Bell, there was no need for the others to continue searching. Xiao Man quickly took out a talisman to send a message.
He flew on the wind. When he arrived, the other three in Yuntai Town hadn’t come yet. He lit the lamp, brewed a pot of tea, and waited patiently.
Wei Chuyun was the first to return, followed by Qu Hanxing and Mo Juntian. In the voice transmission talisman earlier, Xiao Man had already recounted the events on Tiger Drum Mountain, so there was no need for an introduction. Qu Hanxing was the first to speak.
“I know about this ‘Famous Flowers Overthrow Kingdoms.’ I heard someone mention it when I was asking around in town earlier. You have to be the best among all the performances at the festival to be able to perform there.”
He sat opposite Xiao Man and unceremoniously poured himself a bowl of tea.
“It’s said to be a truly grand scene. The Emperor, officials, the townspeople, and tourists who come to the festival can all see it. If you can play a tune or dance on it, you’ll be famous throughout the world!”
This meant it was extremely difficult to get on stage.
Xiao Man frowned; Shi Tang had given him a quite difficult condition. He tapped his finger on the table, took a sip of the plain water beside him, and asked, “How can one perform at the festival?”
“That, I don’t know.” Qu Hanxing spread his hands. “Didn’t someone mention earlier that some Wuxiu Hui troupe was going to perform at the festival? Let’s go there and ask tomorrow!”
Since that was the only way, Xiao Man nodded and said, “Everyone has worked hard all day. Let’s get some rest.”
“It wasn’t hard, and I even found some storybooks along the way.” Qu Hanxing smiled and waved his hand. “Being near the capital is different; there are even more storybooks than in Huaman City, and many I haven’t read!”
The three of them left, the light in the room was extinguished, and Xiao Man lay on the bed with his clothes on, closing his eyes and waiting for the next day.
The sun rose later in Yuntai Town than in Gushan. When Xiao Man woke up at his usual time, the outside was still gray.
A few stalls were scattered on the street, the vendors busy preparing breakfast. Occasionally, when they had a free moment, they would chat. Xiao Man rose, cast a cleansing spell, went out the window to the street, and ordered a bowl of beef noodles at one of the stalls.
The beef here also tasted different from that in Gushan. The ingredients on Gushan all contained spiritual energy, while those in Yuntai Town did not. The meat was slightly coarser, but the broth was well-made and full of flavor.
The noodle soup was also sprinkled with green onions and cilantro. Xiao Man didn’t use to eat these, but for some reason, they smelled particularly fragrant today.
So he tasted some.
“I heard that the girls from Wuxiu Hui actually got into a fight last night!”
“Isn’t that common? They’ve been arguing every day lately; it would be strange if they didn’t fight.”
Voices came from nearby. The noodle shop owner was chatting with a young man selling fried dough sticks. Xiao Man paused his movements.
“Three of them accidentally sprained their ankles and can’t dance for a while. The proprietress is very anxious!”
“The festival is in a few days. That is quite urgent!”
Just as Xiao Man was about to move, a hand pressed on his shoulder.
“You eat your breakfast, I’ll go investigate,” Wei Chuyun’s voice sounded.
He sat back down.
Wuxiu Hui was on this very street. With a cultivator’s pace, he arrived in the blink of an eye.
The noodles in Xiao Man’s bowl hadn’t decreased much when Wei Chuyun returned and nodded to him. “It’s true. The proprietress of Wuxiu Hui was so anxious she didn’t sleep all night and is contacting dancers everywhere. We can take advantage of this.”
“Isn’t this… too coincidental?” Xiao Man lowered his chopsticks and asked softly.
“Coincidental, but perhaps not entirely.” Wei Chuyun shook his head. “Yesterday we saw them arguing in the courtyard ourselves. Besides, whether one can be the lead dancer at the festival likely affects the rest of their lives, so it’s normal for them to fight.”
This made sense.
“How do you plan to take advantage of this?”
Wei Chuyun smiled. “I picked up quite a few talismans last time.”
Xiao Man immediately understood. “You plan to use techniques to help Miss Shi sneak in.”
“Exactly,” Wei Chuyun said softly. “This is a festival that happens once every ten years, and security is tight everywhere. We can’t let Miss Shi appear alone. The proprietress plans to find several familiar and manageable dancers. If we directly recommend or demand it, it would be extremely difficult. It’s better to use techniques to slip through.”
“Actually, there’s another way—bribing.”
Mo Juntian appeared with a yawn and chipped in. “But bribing might not work either, as this festival is very important. So let’s just use techniques and use the kind of talismans that can confuse people.”
“That’s exactly the idea,” Wei Chuyun affirmed.
“I’ll have a bowl of noodle soup,” Mo Juntian sat down and said to the owner.
The four-person team was still missing one. By the time they finished the noodles, Qu Hanxing was still sleeping. Mo Juntian decided to help him wake up.
Mo Juntian used an ice talisman.
In a moment, Qu Hanxing was heard shouting as he scrambled downstairs.
They used lightness talismans to speed up and arrived at the residence on Tiger Drum Mountain at sunrise.
Xiao Man went to knock on the door.
Presumably, Shi Tang had given instructions, as the maid led them inside without asking many questions.
Shi Tang was already up, wearing a bamboo-green dress, sitting in the courtyard watching birds eat. Seeing Xiao Man and the others, she dismissed the maid.
Xiao Man got straight to the point: “Wuxiu Hui is preparing for the song and dance at the festival. They are missing three people. We can help you sneak in.”
“Just me?” Shi Tang was startled, then shook her head and waved her hand. “No, no!”
Her reaction was unexpected. “What do you plan then?”
“You have to come with me!” Shi Tang rose from her chair and walked to Xiao Man. “I’ve never been to that Wuxiu Hui place. I’m unfamiliar with the place and the people. What if something goes wrong?”
“Since they’re missing three people, Xiao Man and one of you, it doesn’t matter who, come with me!”
This time it was Xiao Man and the others’ turn to be shocked.
Qu Hanxing’s hand holding the folding fan trembled slightly. “We’re all men, and Wuxiu Hui is all girls. How can we accompany you?”
“That’s easy!” Shi Tang smirked and waved her hand grandly. “Just dress up as girls!”
Xiao Man and the four of them were naturally unwilling.
Shi Tang squinted her eyes and began to threaten: “If anything goes wrong, don’t even think about taking the Unheard Bell!”