Chapter 395: Lü Xiucai

Chapter 395: Master Lü

Surrounded by a crowd of people, Master Lü arrived at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion with a commanding presence, shouting and bustling about.

He paid no mind to the fact that it was still morning; dishes were brought out in rapid succession—seven or eight plates of rich, hearty meals. As soon as the carved wine arrived, someone with keen eyes quickly poured wine for Master Lü.

Master Lü raised his bowl and drank deeply in one gulp, prompting cheers from all around him.

Not a trace of disdain or dissatisfaction from the other diners could be seen.

"Master Lü has an enormous capacity! Master Lü is magnificent!!"

"Oh my, I’ve never had such a strong tolerance for alcohol. Master Lü, can you teach me how to build up my strength?"

"What’s this? Back then, I was with my master Li Huo Wang, helping the Qingqiu Emperor exorcise demons and ghosts. Look here—this whole jar of wine, I, Master Lü, picked it up and drank it all in one go!"

"Master Lü, tell us how you caught those monsters back then in Qingqiu!"

"Well, in Qingqiu, though the outside world seemed peaceful, the grass beneath was treacherous. If not for me watching over my master, he might have been gone!"

While eating and drinking, Master Lü regaled the crowd with tales of his exploits in Qingqiu. Most of these stories came from what he'd heard from Gouwa, but he placed himself firmly in the role of the hero.

Amidst the applause, a flush appeared on Master Lü's face, his tongue grew slightly thick, yet he still felt unsatisfied.

Once he had eaten enough, with his spirits high, Master Lü waved his hand again. "Let's go! To Yanzi Alley! I'll cover the bill!"

The cheering grew even louder, nearly tearing the roof off, and everyone around became more eager to serve him, almost treating him like a father. This made Master Lü feel an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

When Master Lü emerged from Yanzi Alley, already well into the noon hours, looking content and relaxed.

He wasn’t hungry anymore. The specialty of Yanzi Alley was buying girls and getting donkey meat dumplings.

After a busy morning, Master Lü was tired. Strolling leisurely, he headed toward his place of residence.

Normally, someone like him wouldn't be able to rent a house in Yiling City, but thanks to the influence of the Lord Kui, he found several guarantors.

With a creak, the door opened. By the well in the courtyard sat a girl dressed in colorful clothes, her hands moving swiftly. She looked diligent and hardworking.

This woman was bought by Master Lü with money. Her name was Tao’er. She wasn’t particularly attractive, had a small bottom, and was cheap to buy.

Originally intended to be his wife, after visiting Yanzi Alley a few times, Master Lü stopped touching her.

She lay motionless on the bed like wood—how could she compare to the lively courtesans from the brothels?

Now she just did laundry and cooked at home, serving as a maid.

Master Lü flopped onto the bed and began snoring loudly.

Tao’er stopped rubbing the washboard and took a wooden basin filled with hot water prepared earlier, wiping Master Lü’s face and body with a cloth.

After washing, she bent down to take off his shoes and socks and soaked his feet.

Once everything was clean, she covered him with a blanket, placing clothes on both sides of the pillow to prevent drafts.

As darkness fell outside, Master Lü slowly woke up, sniffing the air for fragrance, turned over, got out of bed, and sat by the table to eat dinner.

While eating, Tao’er wasn’t allowed to sit at the table. She had to wait until he finished before eating the leftovers.

Two dishes and a soup, plus fried eggs—everything was stir-fried with lard. This meal would have been unimaginable before, but now he found himself somewhat repulsed by it.

Drinking a large spoonful of winter melon soup, Master Lü wiped his mouth with his sleeve and prepared to head to the gambling den to win some money. He had to hurry, otherwise he’d be trapped outside when curfew came.

Just passing by Tao’er, Master Lü suddenly noticed blood on her pants and his face instantly turned furious.

"Damn it! What happened?! Who dares to touch my Master Lü?! I’ll kill them!"

Tao’er shook her head slightly, her voice barely audible. "It’s nothing. Just a bit too much menstrual blood."

"What menstrual blood? I’m asking about the blood on your pants! Don’t talk about monthly cycles!"

After hearing Tao’er’s quiet explanation, Master Lü finally realized that women bled every month.

"So that’s it. I remember during those opera performances, my sister-in-law always acted mysterious for a few days. When I asked her, she cursed me out."

Master Lü patted his waist, pulling out some loose silver coins from the bottom of his pouch and shoved them into Tao’er’s chest. Then he turned and left. "Tomorrow night, get me some meat. I don’t want to eat green leaves anymore! I’m sick of leaves. Every time I see them, I get annoyed!"

On his way to the gambling den, besides Master Lü, there were also many gamblers. Yiling City enforced curfew at night, but as long as one stayed in the gambling den all night, whether the curfew applied or not didn’t matter much.

Upon arriving at Lord Kui’s gambling den, Master Lü took out the five copper coins given to him by Li Huo Wang, held them in his palm and flipped them, a proud smile spreading across his face. With this skill, he’d never go hungry for life.

But just as he was about to go to his usual spot, he was blocked by Lord Kui, who had a dragon tattooed across his shoulder.

"Come come, Master Lü, no need to rush to make money right now. I have something to discuss with you."

The two walked to a small courtyard behind the gambling den where a purple bronze hotpot bubbled away, slices of lamb already cut and ready.

Master Lü sat down and started eating, having not fully satisfied his hunger at home. "Lord Kui, what’s the matter? Speak up! You saved me once, you’re my benefactor!"

Lord Kui smiled and poured wine for Master Lü. "Master Lü, I heard you once followed a great master?"

"Of course! My master, Li Huo Wang! A godlike figure! Even if he lost his head, he could grow it back! Demons and monsters are only fit to be his appetizers!" Master Lü pounded his chest loudly, making it seem like he was talking about himself.

"If you followed such a powerful master, you must be quite impressive yourself, right?"

"Heh heh~" Master Lü picked up a piece of lamb, dipped it in the hotpot, and stuffed it into his mouth, proudly saying, "Not bad. I have my master, so I'm four parts impressive, no, six parts impressive!"

"Excellent! Heroes have always emerged young! Respect, respect!"

Master Lü smiled proudly. Even the famous Lord Kui treated him politely. At this moment, he felt extremely proud and already imagined how he’d brag to his companions at the next drinking party.

He didn’t notice that Lord Kui pretended to frown. "Master Lü, I have a troublesome issue. Could you help me?"

"It’s a close friend of mine, who suffered misfortune and hit bad luck, went mad and erratic. I've tried monks and Taoist priests—they're useless."

"If you truly help me, you’ll get 80% of the profits!"

(End of Chapter)