Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 78: First Meeting on Falling Star River

In the early morning, the rain stopped and the bodies had been thrown into the river. They were found carrying four small boxes of jewels, each of which was very expensive. Wuzhan asked Jin Xingzi and Ling Kongzi to pack them up and carry them on their backs. Two official certificates were also found, which were for the appointments of County Magistrate and Chief Secretary in Minzhong County. The names were not Guo Kai and Zhao Cong, so they must have changed their names.

The rest of the guests, together with the shopkeeper, the clerk, and the waiter, were all knocked out by the incense prepared by Wuzhan. When they woke up, they knew nothing and thought that those people had left. The incense was made from Aconitum carmichaelii, Aconitum chuanxiong, Herba Lycopodii, Peach decoction, and Datura stramonium, which Wuzhan asked Lingkongzi to steal from the pharmacy.

When Yang Yingjie came back, they rested in the inn for another hour before they boarded the boat again and went downstream. The three of them tossed around all night and went to sleep after getting on the boat. Yang Yingjie ignored them and continued to taste wine, enjoy the piano and appreciate the scenery.

The willows by the river are drooping, lush and green, the air is fresh, and the spring breeze is blowing gently. The number of boats on the river is gradually increasing, and there is constant traffic. Yang Yingjie talks incessantly about the customs and practices of various places, famous poems and elegant essays, and shows what he has seen and heard during his travels across the mountains and rivers.

Wuzhan envied him in his heart, not because he envied him for tasting fine wines from all over the world and hunting down countless beauties, but because he envied him for the free and carefree life he lived.

How nice it would be if there weren't so many impossibilities. How nice it would be if one could live longer.

This was Wuzhan's second time killing someone, and he had killed many people this time. He had become numb and calm, but this did not make him feel relieved. He knew that the two of them were just bribed by Daqin. It was Daqin who killed his parents and his master, and the five-colored stone was taken away by Daqin. He had a deep "feeling" for Daqin.

He found that his temperament had changed a lot since he came out of Changyang Mountain. It seemed that it was the dark matter in his body that made him cold-blooded. He was worried that he was really possessed by a demon and that one day the demon would take over his entire body. But then he thought, how long would his body last? If he was possessed by a demon, why didn't he find a strong body? Besides, he did those things when he was conscious and clear-headed. In fact, he had always been like this.

After another day of traveling, Yang Yingjie paid the boat fare and went ashore with Wuzhan and the other two. Jiujiang City was not on the river, so it was still two days' journey. They took a lot of effort to buy four horses and traveled slowly all the way.

Jiujiang was originally part of the Chu state, with fertile land, wealthy people and many talented writers. However, such a beautiful land was eventually destroyed by the barbaric Qin. The tall towers and pavilions seen along the way still show its once prosperous scene.

The population in the city increased, but most of them were old and young, and the middle-aged people were mostly officials and wealthy businessmen.

It was evening. Yang Yingjie bought a good zither and led the guests to Chunmanlou. Chunmanlou, with its back against the Huai River, is located in the most prosperous area of ​​the city. It has mountains upon mountains, colorful flowers, carved beams and painted buildings, and is very magnificent. Before the four people could enter, several beauties came over and greeted them, "That gust of wind brought Mr. Yang here. Oh, it brought such a handsome man here. Please come in!" They held the four people's arms and led them into the building.

Jin Xingzi and Ling Kongzi laughed and said, "I am a cultivator and do not want to be part of the secular world. I hope..."

"Come in and have a cup of tea and listen to some music. I won't eat you!" The two of them pretended to be hypocritical and were half-heartedly pulled into the building.

The building was extremely spacious, with bright lights and a pervasive aroma. Quite a few guests came here, singing and laughing, tasting wine and drinking tea.

Yang Yingjie smiled at the beautiful woman who came forward and said, "I have a piece of music for Miss Gongsun. Please pass it to her!"

Although Yang Yingjie was unruly, he was very polite to women. As he said, "A gentleman is a good match for a beautiful lady."

The beautiful woman took the animal skin book and said in a tender voice, "Sir, you still won't give up. Do you really want to see her?"

"The harder it is to see her, the more I want to see her. Go and give it to her!"

The beautiful woman smiled and said, "Please wait here, sir. I will be back soon!"

The four of them were seated, served green tea, and accompanied by beauties. Yang Yingjie was particularly familiar with this place, and was very pleased to flirt with the beauties. Not long after, the beautiful woman came back and said with a smile, "My lady would like to invite Mr. Yang. Please follow me aboard. The other gentlemen will wait on the third floor!"

Yang Yingjie hurriedly said, "This Mr. Wu was brought here by me to learn the art of playing the zither with Miss Gongsun. I kindly ask him to come aboard with me."

The beautiful woman looked at Wuzhai with seductive eyes and said with a smile: "Young Master Yang has brought people to mess up the place again. All right, please follow me on board. Whether you agree or not depends on what our young lady thinks!"

There are many houses in the whole Chunmanlou. After winding around several corridors, it leads to the riverside. At this time, Wuzhan discovered that there was a huge passenger ship anchored on the river, like a pavilion on the water. The lights on the ship were bright. Beautiful women in gauze with graceful figures were looming. They danced to the music, like fairies descending to the earth. There were several martial arts masters guarding around. In front of the big ship, there were more than ten small boats anchored, and each boat was accompanied by beautiful women, all of whom were local wealthy people and officials. They tasted wine, watched the show, talked and laughed, and recited poems.

Wuzhan had never seen such a luxurious scene before, and now he understood why Jiujiang Manchunlou was famous far and wide. To be able to run a brothel to such an extent, the background must be very powerful.

Yang Yingjie and Wuzhan got on a small boat, which was rowed by four beauties, and slowly rowed towards the passenger ship. After docking at the passenger ship, the two of them boarded the ship and sat on the seats on the bow deck, making the people on the small boat envious.

The passenger ship's cabin has three floors and is built like a pavilion. The second floor is where the wind musicians sit, and they have all kinds of musical instruments.

The moon was high in the sky, the river breeze was caressing, the music stopped, the dance was over, Yang Yingjie waved his painted fan, looked at the third floor, and said with a smile: "She will be on stage soon, whether you can see her or not depends on you!" Wuzhan said lightly: "Let's give it a try!"

At this time, a beautiful woman walked out from the third floor and stood on the balcony. Yingying shouted, "Tonight, Young Master Yang gave Xing Tian the music score of "Fortune Telling". Our young lady will play a song of "Wind and Grass" to express her gratitude!" There was applause on the river and on the balcony on the shore, and then everyone listened attentively. You have to know that to listen to Gongsun Yu's playing, she has to be willing. If it weren't for Yang Yingjie, she doesn't know how many times she would have to come to hear her piano and see her figure.

Sure enough, I saw a woman with a veil on her head walking out of the third floor. This woman had her hair in a snake-like bun, and was wearing a green dress with red lace. She had a slender waist, which could be held in one hand, and a skin as white as ice, with a pleasant fragrance. Even through the veil, I knew that she must be as beautiful as a fairy. With a few steps, she was like a willow tree supported by the wind, graceful and attractive. With her eyebrows lowered and her hands moved effortlessly, she was even more beautiful than Xi Shi who washed her gauze, and was as shy and charming as a fish.

Yang Yingjie didn't even wave his fan. Although this was the second time he saw it, he was still staring at it in a daze.

Then, the sound of the piano rose up, accompanied by the gentle evening breeze, seeping into the heart and making people intoxicated. Xingtian's "Wind and Grass" is originally sad and lonely, and after she played it, it added more graceful sorrow, like clear springs on stones, mist in the woods, whispers of fallen petals, east wind in the small building, dusk snow on thousands of mountains, who is going alone, catching shadows in the wind, and morning flowers covered with dew.

The moonlight was bright, the water was sparkling, and the sound of the piano echoed on the river, bringing back homesickness, a sense of loss, and tears.

After the song ended, the only sound on the entire river surface was the rustling sound of the evening breeze blowing across the water. The sound of the piano still echoed in my ears, leaving me with a lingering feeling.

Yang Yingjie came to his senses and looked at Wuzhan again, wanting him to play a song, but he found that Wuzhan had fallen asleep while leaning on the table. He hurriedly pushed him and woke him up, saying, "Brother Wu, why did you fall asleep? It's your turn!"

Wuzhan woke up slowly, raised his head and whispered, "Sorry for making fun of me!" Under the moonlight, the collar of his clothes was soaked. This was the first time he cried in his dream.

Gongsun Yu was just getting up. After hearing what Yang Yingjie said, he frowned, glanced at Wuzhan, sighed lightly, and turned back to the building.

Yang Yingjie stood up and said loudly: "Tonight, I brought this brother Wuzhan here to play a piece of music. If Miss Gongsun thinks that his piano skills are not bad, can you let me see it so that I can complete this painted fan?"

After a while, a soft voice came from upstairs, "I'm all ears. If his piano skills are better than mine, I can see him. But if they're just average, please don't bother me again in the future, Mr. Yang."

After hearing this, Yang Yingjie smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss Gongsun!" He turned to look at Wuzhan, who had already put the piano away.

Wuzhan said calmly: "I am playing the song "Fearless" on the score. I hope you will forgive me."

The strings of the zither were plucked, and the sound of the zither once again swept across the surface of the river, the sound pleasant and melodious.

At first, the audience was cursing in their hearts: "Where did we find such a weak person? How dare he make a fool of himself here!" But when the piano music started, these thoughts were immediately dispelled and they listened attentively.

The reason why Wuzhan fell asleep was not because he despised Gongsun Yu's piano playing, but because her piano playing was too beautiful. It reminded him of his mother. It reminded him of when he was young, he closed his eyes tightly, his whole body was in pain and he couldn't fall asleep. His mother's piano playing made him forget the pain in his body and accompanied him into his dreams. Once upon a time, he looked for this voice in his dream, but he could never find it again.

If Gongsun Yu's piano music seemed to be confessing, then the unobstructed piano music seemed to be recalling, looking for shadows of the past, turning around, looking back, holding hands, smiling, evening by evening, layer by layer, floating in the mind.

The sound of the piano swirled and stirred, resonating with the surface of the river and jumping along with the rhythm. Each syllable was clear and connected, one after another, resonating with the evening breeze and blowing with each continuous rhythm. Every stroke, pick, hook, stroke, and attack was accurate and appropriate. He did not do this to show off, he wanted to express his feelings in this way.

Most of the audience who can afford to pay a high price to enjoy the piano here know how to appreciate it. When they hear Wuzhan's piano music, a special feeling comes to their hearts and they secretly praise Wuzhan's piano skills.

The rhythm of the piano music quickened, and the fingers flew until they were no longer visible. The strings rose suddenly, like thousands of overlapping sounds, and hundreds of flowers vying for beauty. It was as if I was facing towering mountains, surging seas, barren deserts, and the vast universe. I went in pursuit.

The entire surface of the river began to surge, jumping up and down with every high note, jumping higher and higher like a spring. The entire audience was stunned. None of them had ever seen such a strange scene. Gongsun Yu actually walked out of the attic, listened to the music, and looked around.

The sound of the piano had reached its apex and was extremely high. After turning around, it accelerated again and the water column sprayed up to a height of ten feet. Then, it sprayed up to more than twenty feet high. The water column went higher and higher, and the entire audience began to exclaim.

When the music reached its peak, "whoosh!" meteors streaked across the night sky, flying away in unison, like thousands of golden ribbons, continuing for a long time.

No one knew when the piano music stopped, but in any case, the meteor shower lasted for a long time.

(End of this chapter)