Chapter 9

Riding the old yellow wolf out of the Qingliu Cottage, Chu Tian had just reached the street corner when a bold loafer boldly approached him and smiled at Chu Tian, saying, "Mr. Chu, you’re in a good mood. Hey, why are you leaving so early today?"

Chu Tian gave the loafer a sidelong glance, lifted his foot, and lightly tapped his shoulder, "Chattering, which courtyard are you recruiting for? As for Honggu, she hasn’t been feeling well these past few days, so, hey, when have I ever had to explain myself to a scoundrel like you?"

Chu Tian raised his right hand as if to strike, and the loafer hurriedly crouched down, covering his head with both hands and smiling obsequiously at Chu Tian, "Mr. Chu, Sir Chu, hehe, how dare I meddle in your affairs? It’s just that a new place called Qin Yun Ya Zhu opened up ahead!"

The loafer extended his hand, pointing in the direction of the street corner.

At the entrance of a large courtyard at the street corner, a very luxurious carriage had just stopped. The curtain was lifted, and a man in a loose robe, with a dignified demeanor and a touch of scholarly elegance, slowly stepped out. He stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back, looked around, and then walked into the courtyard with his head held high.

"County Magistrate Wang Yi of Shou Prefecture." Chu Tian looked up at the sun, which was high in the sky, and couldn’t help but be surprised, "At noon, a county magistrate, hey! What’s the deal with this courtyard?"

Seeing that Chu Tian was interested, the loafer stood up with a smile, eagerly trying to ingratiate himself, "This courtyard used to belong to the Wan Hua Lou, but about five or six days ago, the owner of Wan Hua Lou suffered a loss and sold the courtyard. This Qin Yun Ya Zhu just opened yesterday."

Licking his lips, the loafer stopped talking and looked at Chu Tian with a smile.

Chu Tian glared at the loafer, pulled out seven or eight large coins from his sleeve, and forcefully threw them into his arms.

The loafer quickly grabbed the coins and held them tightly, hurriedly saying, "Inside Qin Yun Ya Zhu, none of the girls are from Shou Prefecture. They are all from the southeast, from places like Qin Prefecture and Huai Prefecture, where they are known for their refined and talented women, all skilled in singing, dancing, and composing poetry."

With a sly smile, the loafer lowered his eyes and whispered, "From yesterday to today, countless officials from Shou Prefecture have been coming and going. It’s enough to scare anyone. I heard that even a cup of clear tea costs ten taels of silver. Only a man of your caliber, Mr. Chu, has the nerve to go in!"

Chu Tian raised his fist as if to strike, "Scoundrel, a place frequented by officials, can we just wander in?"

The loafer quickly crouched down, covering his head, and Chu Tian coldly laughed, "I’m asking you, what’s the background of this courtyard? Is it specifically to compete with Honggu?"

The loafer looked up and hurriedly said, "I was just about to say, I was just about to say. I heard that the entire courtyard is managed by Ling Shou, the chief steward of the Ling family. The courtyard is nominally under the name of a distant relative of the Ling family, but the actual owner is the new son-in-law of the Ling family, Scholar Zhou Liuyun."

Releasing his hands, the loafer stood up again. He weighed the coins in his hand and said with a hint of envy, "Does Mr. Chu know Shoushan Academy? Scholar Zhou is the new supervisor of the academy. With his backing, wouldn’t all the scholars in Shou Prefecture flock to support his business?"

Chu Tian remained silent, pulled out a piece of silver from his sleeve, and threw it to the loafer, then patted the old yellow wolf’s head forcefully.

The old yellow wolf let out a low growl and dashed forward.

The loafer, overjoyed, clutched the silver and called out loudly to Chu Tian, "Mr. Chu, Sir Chu, if you go to that courtyard for entertainment, remember to tell the madam that it was I, Er Gouzi, who introduced you. Don’t forget, okay!"

Chu Tian didn’t look back, just waved his hand, and spurred the old yellow wolf to gallop through the streets and alleys of Shou Prefecture.

Shou Prefecture has always been known for its eastern nobility and western poverty, northern officials and southern merchants. The eastern part of Shou Prefecture is home to the city’s high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and powerful businessmen, while the various government offices are mostly located in the north. The southern part of Shou Prefecture, like the瓮city Chu Tian passed through when entering the city, is a bustling area of shops.

Only the western part of the city is the largest and the most chaotic. It is home to all kinds of commoners, loafers, and various lower-class people. The streets and alleys here are narrow and winding, and the houses are arranged in a chaotic manner, like a giant maze.

The old yellow wolf dashed from the eastern end of the city to the western end, where he slowed down.

Chu Tian, riding on the old yellow wolf, scanned the unremarkable corners of the streets and alleys with his sharp eyes.

After passing through three or four streets, Chu Tian found the secret mark he was looking for. Following the mark, he pondered as he went. After about fifteen minutes, Chu Tian stopped in front of a large courtyard at the base of the western city wall.

In broad daylight, all the residents of the large courtyard had gone out to earn a living, leaving the courtyard empty.

A few emaciated guard dogs lay listlessly in the sun at the courtyard entrance, occasionally lowering their heads to nibble on their own or their companions’ tails. The massive and fierce old yellow wolf approached silently, standing steadily at the courtyard entrance. The dogs immediately shrank back, trembling and not daring to make a sound.

"Ah, ah, oh, oh," in broad daylight, there were subtle sounds of panting and calling coming from a tile-roofed house in the corner of the courtyard. Chu Tian stood on the old yellow wolf’s back, his upper body towering over the courtyard wall, squinting as he surveyed the courtyard.

After waiting quietly for about fifteen minutes, a nearly hysterical gasp came from the tile-roofed house. After a while, a man’s satisfied "hehe" laughter followed, then the sound of the bed creaking, a chair sliding, and the door bolt being pulled.

A short but fat and muscular man with a belly full of lard and a greasy handkerchief in his right hand, swaggered out of the house, grinning. He turned back and laughed into the house, "Mrs. Zhang, hey, I’ll come back in a few days when I’m fully rested. Boil that rib bone to nourish yourself, and hide that string of coins well, don’t let Brother Zhang take them to gamble again."

A hoarse and lazy woman’s voice came from inside, "Save it, get lost! Don’t let Brother Zhang see, or I’ll get beaten again, you heartless scoundrel!"

The fat man chuckled, rubbing his belly, and walked towards the courtyard entrance, looking back with a satisfied expression.

When he was still far from the courtyard entrance, the fat man suddenly saw Chu Tian, whose upper body was higher than the wall, and was so frightened that he took three steps back. He pointed at Chu Tian in a rage, "Where did you come from, you blind fool? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, dog’s liver!" Chu Tian casually pulled out half a broken brick from the wall and threw it.

With a "clunk," the broken brick hit the fat man’s forehead, sending his fat body flying three feet into the air and landing heavily on the ground, unconscious.

"Whistle," Chu Tian whistled.

On the roof of the tile-roofed house where the fat man had just come out, a silver light suddenly flashed, and in a flash, it landed on Chu Tian’s shoulder, crossing a distance of several dozen feet in the air.