Chapter 312: Hibiscus Garrison
Tang Doudou recognized him with one glance.
“Didn’t you say that you were going to follow from the shadows?” Tang Doudou glanced around and only spoke to him when she saw that there was no one nearby.
Jun Xin pulled off his mask and said angrily, “Stinkin’ woman, are you trying to die?”
Tang Doudou was confused. “Why?”
When Jun Xin saw her dumb reaction, he became even more angry. “Why are you traveling at night?”
“Oh…” So this was what he was angry about.
Tang Doudou said with a smile, “This place is still pretty close to Huai City. By traveling at night, I’d be able to avoid more people. Once I get a little further away, I’ll start traveling during the day.”
“But where are you going? Why did you come back here?” Jun Xin of course knew what she was planning, but he couldn’t help but be annoyed when he saw her running around aimlessly.
Tang Doudou gave a light cough. “I feel like Wind Cloud Island is the only place Nangong Yan could’ve gone, so I wanted to go there and try my luck.”
“There’s no way she could’ve brought Baili Yu back to Wind Cloud Island.” Jun Xin shot down her idea. “Although the Island Master indulges Nangong Yan, Master is very strict towards us and Baili Yu is his favorite disciple. If Master found out that Nangong Yan had brought Baili Yu back against his will, she’ll be punished.”
“Then…”
“Go to Hibiscus Garrison.” Jun Xin stared at her hard. “That’s where Nangong Yan had first seen Baili Yu, so I think that’s where she’ll be!”
Tang Doudou nodded. Her gaze filled with resolve as she said, “Alright! Then we’ll go to Hibiscus Garrison.”
After she finished speaking, she immediately started running outside. Jun Xin covered his forehead speechlessly, but still called out to stop her. “Do you know where Hibiscus Garrison is?”
“Oh. I don’t think so, but I can ask!” Tang Doudou laughed ‘hehe.’ Jun Xin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at how dumb she was.
He threw her a map, then put his mask back on. “There’s at least a hundred places called Hibiscus Garrison in the world. If you want to find it by asking, you’ll probably die of old age before you find Baili Yu.”
“Hehe, thanks.” Tang Doudou glanced at the map and figured out the general direction, then tucked it in her chest. “Jun Xin, don’t follow so tightly, otherwise you’ll easily be discovered.”
“Just focus on minding your own business, stinkin’ woman!”
Once Jun Xin left, Tang Doudou shrugged and opened the door to head downstairs.
However, as soon as she stepped out, she ran into someone. That person trembled and hastily backed away into a corner. As he flailed his arms in a panic, he said, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t kill them! It wasn’t me! Don’t come for me…”
This voice sounded like the waiter of the inn.
“Hey, stop blocking the way.” In order to avoid being recognized, Tang Doudou had purposefully altered her appearance until she looked like a burly man. She had even stuck two slanting mustache strips on top of her mouth and added several moles to her face. When she spoke, she purposefully made her voice sound low and coarse.
When that waiter heard a reply, he peeked at Tang Doudou through the seams of his fingers. Seeing that it wasn’t a ghost, he stuttered, “You, are you human or ghost?”
“What’s with you!? Of course this great master is a human! Get out of the way already! What kind of crappy inn is this? There’s not a single person around!” Tang Doudou spat at the ground, then kicked the waiter aside before swaggering out.
She only furrowed her brows after she left the inn. It was fortunate that she had managed to react in time, otherwise she would have already been exposed.
Although the waiter looked panicked, she didn’t sense any fear from him. Someone had probably sent him on purpose to probe her.
But for what?
She rubbed her chin contemplatively. Forget it, she should focus on finding Baili Yu first. Once she found him, then she could come back and figure out what exactly Flowing Clouds Palace was up to.
Tang Doudou’s guess had been correct. That waiter had been sent by someone to probe her.
As soon as she left on horseback, the waiter had gotten up, pushed open a nearby door, and slipped in.
“Master, that person just now wasn’t Li Xueyi.”
“Are you sure?” There was a black silhouette in the room. Based on the outline of his body, he looked to be a young man, but his voice was abnormally raspy like the voice of an eighty-year-old that had something stuck in his throat.
The waiter respectfully replied, “This little one saw Li Xueyi just yesterday and had a strong impression. Li Xueyi’s appearance was soft and delicate like that of a doll’s, but that person just now as a very rough and burly man.”
The figure in the shadow was silent for a few moments before he said, “Alright, you can withdraw.”
The waiter seemed to be extremely relieved as he bowed and withdrew.
The person in the room slowly rotated the two walnuts in his hand as he sighed, “Since he wasn’t the one, then let’s just wait a little longer. After all, we’ve already waited so many years, what’s a little more?”
It sounded like he was talking to himself, but it also sounded like these words were directed towards someone else.
Jun Xin gaze at the lit window from a distance away and rubbed his mask. Who exactly was Fu Liuyun? Why did he seem familiar?
However, when he saw that Tang Doudou was getting far away, he dropped this thought to follow her.
Three months later.
When Tang Doudou saw the words written on the sign above the entrance gates, she dusted off her clothes and pressed back her loosening mustache before jumping off the horse and heading into Hibiscus Garrison.
Hibiscus Garrison wasn’t very large. It was like one of those little towns in Suzhou. It was sprinkling a little, so the place seemed calm and artful. On the street made of limestone, a few people were walking around holding paper umbrellas.
Tang Doudou had a very good first impression of this place.
This would be the perfect place to live in seclusion. Although the Immortal Spirit Garrison Jun Xin had told her about wasn’t bad, it sounded too isolated and didn’t suit her personality.
Moreover, if she wanted to open a restaurant, she needed to be in a place where she would get customers!
Following that, she glanced at her dirty clothes, then looked around and saw the Yuelai Inn next to the street.
Yuelai Inn? It was truly a chain franchise that appeared everywhere regardless of space and era!
She smiled slightly and tied the horse near the door before swaggering in. “Waiter! Where’s the waiter?”
“Oh, Guest, are you here for a travel snack or a room?” Probably due to the fact that there weren’t many customers due to the rain, the waiter was napping when Tang Doudou walked in. He started awake when she called out for a waiter and hastily ran over, but when he saw how terribly she was dressed, the enthusiasm in his eyes immediately diminished.
Tang Doudou didn’t mind and just threw him a silver ingot. “Prepare the best upper class room for me and carry hot water to the room. This big master plans to take a nice long bath.”
When the waiter saw that he was liberal with money, his eyes immediately lit up and he took a closer look at him. He noticed that though the guest acted rough and strong, he wasn’t actually that old. He recalled the event that was occuring in the garrison, so he leaned over and whispered, “Guest, could it be that you’re also here for our garrison’s Lady Hibiscus?”
Tang Doudou looked him up and down and asked, “What Lady Hibiscus?”
“Eh? You don’t know?” The waiter started looking at her strangely.
Tang Doudou hastily said, “Oh, so that’s what you’re talking about! That’s right, that’s why I’m here. But I don’t know much about the details, so could you fill me in?”
As she spoke, she pressed some more silver into the waiter’s palm.
The waiter laughed and said, “Guest, you look quite worn out from your travels. Why don’t you bathe first. Once you’ve freshen up, this little one will tell you about it in detail?”
“Alright!” In any case, since she was in this inn, so she wasn’t worried about this waiter running off.
She went upstairs and took a hot bath. After changing into clean clothes, she leisurely called for food and started gorging herself.
The waiter took advantage of a lull in the flow of customers to enter her room.
“Come, come, sit.” Tang Doudou beckoned for the waiter to eat with her.
However, the waiter refused to. He could accept silver as tips, but as a waiter, he couldn’t eat with a guest.
After rejecting the offer, he started speaking, “Gongzi seems to have an extraordinary aura and gallant looks, and you are also very liberal in manners. You probably aren’t from around here, are you?”
When Tang Doudou saw that he was trying to get information from her, she reacted with displeasure.
The waiter hastily changed his tone. “Gongzi, please don’t misunderstand, I’m just curious. The garrison has been abuzz due to Lady Hibiscus’s matchmaking event. Many high officials, nobles, and even wealthy merchants have come to Hibiscus Garrison, but there are only a few young men of the right age. I’ve seen them plenty before in this inn, but I’ve never seen you…”
“Oh.” Tang Doudou relaxed her expression. “Indeed, I’m not from nearby, but I don’t live that far away. This time was because of that cousin of mine! He said that something fun was about to start here and told me to come join in the liveliness, so… hehe.”
Tang Doudou laughed vulgarly as she took a bite of some vegetables. Inwardly, she remarked, so it turned out that a lady was about to hold a matchmaking event? It was perfect since it could conceal her motive for coming here.
After all, this garrison was only so large. If Nangong Yan really was here, she’d definitely be keeping an eye out for suspicious newcomers. This was very lucky timing.
“So it was like that.” The waiter then said, “Since gongzi is also here for Lady Hibiscus, why don’t I tell you all about it?”
“Could it be that there’s actually a story behind it?”
“Of course!”
After she finished the meal, she sent off that waiter and rubbed her chin as she mulled over everything she heard. She had been probing that waiter earlier but he didn’t seem to have seen anyone like Nangong Yan in the garrison.
Logically, based on how outstanding Nangong Yan and Baili Yu’s looks were, they’d definitely make a huge commotion if they appeared in a small town like this.
However, there was not a trace of them. Could it be that Jun Xin’s guess was wrong?
Aiy, what was the point of worrying about this now? Sleep first. Tomorrow she would head to the matchmaking competition to take a look around. There was bound to be a lot of gossipers there!
After deciding on this course of action, Tang Doudou hugged the box to her and went to sleep on the bed.
When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
The Heavens were beautiful and the sunlight was enchanting as it spilled into the room. It was already autumn, so when she opened the window, a refreshing fall breeze swept in. In the distance, yellow leaves were lazily drifting down poetically.
“Drifting leaves blanket the courtyard, as the breeze sighs the news of fall.” Tang Doudou gave a soft sigh. When she left Huai City, it had still been midsummer, but in the blink of an eye they were already in autumn. Time truly passed so fast.
“Wonderful poem!”
A frivolous sounding voice came from downstairs. Tang Doudou glanced down and saw about five silk pants gongziwaving fans.
The person who was speaking was the one in the lead. He was actually quite good-looking, but that strong indolent aura around him made people feel uncomfortable.
All of them were dressed quite nicely. When she noticed that they were all about the same age, her eyes lit up with realization. They were probably all here for that Lady Hibiscus.
It was perfect timing. She had just been wondering if she’d have to go by herself when a bunch of people showed up.
Thus, she laughed heartily and cupped her fist in salute towards the people downstairs. “It was a thoughtless and unworthy composition, Sirs are too kind.”
__________
Chapter 312: Hibiscus Garrison
Tang Doudou recognized him with one glance.
“Didn’t you say that you were going to follow from the shadows?” Tang Doudou glanced around and only spoke to him when she saw that there was no one nearby.
Jun Xin pulled off his mask and said angrily, “Stinkin’ woman, are you trying to die?”
Tang Doudou was confused. “Why?”
When Jun Xin saw her dumb reaction, he became even more angry. “Why are you traveling at night?”
“Oh…” So this was what he was angry about.
Tang Doudou said with a smile, “This place is still pretty close to Huai City. By traveling at night, I’d be able to avoid more people. Once I get a little further away, I’ll start traveling during the day.”
“But where are you going? Why did you come back here?” Jun Xin of course knew what she was planning, but he couldn’t help but be annoyed when he saw her running around aimlessly.
Tang Doudou gave a light cough. “I feel like Wind Cloud Island is the only place Nangong Yan could’ve gone, so I wanted to go there and try my luck.”
“There’s no way she could’ve brought Baili Yu back to Wind Cloud Island.” Jun Xin shot down her idea. “Although the Island Master indulges Nangong Yan, Master is very strict towards us and Baili Yu is his favorite disciple. If Master found out that Nangong Yan had brought Baili Yu back against his will, she’ll be punished.”
“Then…”
“Go to Hibiscus Garrison.” Jun Xin stared at her hard. “That’s where Nangong Yan had first seen Baili Yu, so I think that’s where she’ll be!”
Tang Doudou nodded. Her gaze filled with resolve as she said, “Alright! Then we’ll go to Hibiscus Garrison.”
After she finished speaking, she immediately started running outside. Jun Xin covered his forehead speechlessly, but still called out to stop her. “Do you know where Hibiscus Garrison is?”
“Oh. I don’t think so, but I can ask!” Tang Doudou laughed ‘hehe.’ Jun Xin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at how dumb she was.
He threw her a map, then put his mask back on. “There’s at least a hundred places called Hibiscus Garrison in the world. If you want to find it by asking, you’ll probably die of old age before you find Baili Yu.”
“Hehe, thanks.” Tang Doudou glanced at the map and figured out the general direction, then tucked it in her chest. “Jun Xin, don’t follow so tightly, otherwise you’ll easily be discovered.”
“Just focus on minding your own business, stinkin’ woman!”
Once Jun Xin left, Tang Doudou shrugged and opened the door to head downstairs.
However, as soon as she stepped out, she ran into someone. That person trembled and hastily backed away into a corner. As he flailed his arms in a panic, he said, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t kill them! It wasn’t me! Don’t come for me…”
This voice sounded like the waiter of the inn.
“Hey, stop blocking the way.” In order to avoid being recognized, Tang Doudou had purposefully altered her appearance until she looked like a burly man. She had even stuck two slanting mustache strips on top of her mouth and added several moles to her face. When she spoke, she purposefully made her voice sound low and coarse.
When that waiter heard a reply, he peeked at Tang Doudou through the seams of his fingers. Seeing that it wasn’t a ghost, he stuttered, “You, are you human or ghost?”
“What’s with you!? Of course this great master is a human! Get out of the way already! What kind of crappy inn is this? There’s not a single person around!” Tang Doudou spat at the ground, then kicked the waiter aside before swaggering out.
She only furrowed her brows after she left the inn. It was fortunate that she had managed to react in time, otherwise she would have already been exposed.
Although the waiter looked panicked, she didn’t sense any fear from him. Someone had probably sent him on purpose to probe her.
But for what?
She rubbed her chin contemplatively. Forget it, she should focus on finding Baili Yu first. Once she found him, then she could come back and figure out what exactly Flowing Clouds Palace was up to.
Tang Doudou’s guess had been correct. That waiter had been sent by someone to probe her.
As soon as she left on horseback, the waiter had gotten up, pushed open a nearby door, and slipped in.
“Master, that person just now wasn’t Li Xueyi.”
“Are you sure?” There was a black silhouette in the room. Based on the outline of his body, he looked to be a young man, but his voice was abnormally raspy like the voice of an eighty-year-old that had something stuck in his throat.
The waiter respectfully replied, “This little one saw Li Xueyi just yesterday and had a strong impression. Li Xueyi’s appearance was soft and delicate like that of a doll’s, but that person just now as a very rough and burly man.”
The figure in the shadow was silent for a few moments before he said, “Alright, you can withdraw.”
The waiter seemed to be extremely relieved as he bowed and withdrew.
The person in the room slowly rotated the two walnuts in his hand as he sighed, “Since he wasn’t the one, then let’s just wait a little longer. After all, we’ve already waited so many years, what’s a little more?”
It sounded like he was talking to himself, but it also sounded like these words were directed towards someone else.
Jun Xin gaze at the lit window from a distance away and rubbed his mask. Who exactly was Fu Liuyun? Why did he seem familiar?
However, when he saw that Tang Doudou was getting far away, he dropped this thought to follow her.
Three months later.
When Tang Doudou saw the words written on the sign above the entrance gates, she dusted off her clothes and pressed back her loosening mustache before jumping off the horse and heading into Hibiscus Garrison.
Hibiscus Garrison wasn’t very large. It was like one of those little towns in Suzhou. It was sprinkling a little, so the place seemed calm and artful. On the street made of limestone, a few people were walking around holding paper umbrellas.
Tang Doudou had a very good first impression of this place.
This would be the perfect place to live in seclusion. Although the Immortal Spirit Garrison Jun Xin had told her about wasn’t bad, it sounded too isolated and didn’t suit her personality.
Moreover, if she wanted to open a restaurant, she needed to be in a place where she would get customers!
Following that, she glanced at her dirty clothes, then looked around and saw the Yuelai Inn next to the street.
Yuelai Inn? It was truly a chain franchise that appeared everywhere regardless of space and era!
She smiled slightly and tied the horse near the door before swaggering in. “Waiter! Where’s the waiter?”
“Oh, Guest, are you here for a travel snack or a room?” Probably due to the fact that there weren’t many customers due to the rain, the waiter was napping when Tang Doudou walked in. He started awake when she called out for a waiter and hastily ran over, but when he saw how terribly she was dressed, the enthusiasm in his eyes immediately diminished.
Tang Doudou didn’t mind and just threw him a silver ingot. “Prepare the best upper class room for me and carry hot water to the room. This big master plans to take a nice long bath.”
When the waiter saw that he was liberal with money, his eyes immediately lit up and he took a closer look at him. He noticed that though the guest acted rough and strong, he wasn’t actually that old. He recalled the event that was occuring in the garrison, so he leaned over and whispered, “Guest, could it be that you’re also here for our garrison’s Lady Hibiscus?”
Tang Doudou looked him up and down and asked, “What Lady Hibiscus?”
“Eh? You don’t know?” The waiter started looking at her strangely.
Tang Doudou hastily said, “Oh, so that’s what you’re talking about! That’s right, that’s why I’m here. But I don’t know much about the details, so could you fill me in?”
As she spoke, she pressed some more silver into the waiter’s palm.
The waiter laughed and said, “Guest, you look quite worn out from your travels. Why don’t you bathe first. Once you’ve freshen up, this little one will tell you about it in detail?”
“Alright!” In any case, since she was in this inn, so she wasn’t worried about this waiter running off.
She went upstairs and took a hot bath. After changing into clean clothes, she leisurely called for food and started gorging herself.
The waiter took advantage of a lull in the flow of customers to enter her room.
“Come, come, sit.” Tang Doudou beckoned for the waiter to eat with her.
However, the waiter refused to. He could accept silver as tips, but as a waiter, he couldn’t eat with a guest.
After rejecting the offer, he started speaking, “Gongzi seems to have an extraordinary aura and gallant looks, and you are also very liberal in manners. You probably aren’t from around here, are you?”
When Tang Doudou saw that he was trying to get information from her, she reacted with displeasure.
The waiter hastily changed his tone. “Gongzi, please don’t misunderstand, I’m just curious. The garrison has been abuzz due to Lady Hibiscus’s matchmaking event. Many high officials, nobles, and even wealthy merchants have come to Hibiscus Garrison, but there are only a few young men of the right age. I’ve seen them plenty before in this inn, but I’ve never seen you…”
“Oh.” Tang Doudou relaxed her expression. “Indeed, I’m not from nearby, but I don’t live that far away. This time was because of that cousin of mine! He said that something fun was about to start here and told me to come join in the liveliness, so… hehe.”
Tang Doudou laughed vulgarly as she took a bite of some vegetables. Inwardly, she remarked, so it turned out that a lady was about to hold a matchmaking event? It was perfect since it could conceal her motive for coming here.
After all, this garrison was only so large. If Nangong Yan really was here, she’d definitely be keeping an eye out for suspicious newcomers. This was very lucky timing.
“So it was like that.” The waiter then said, “Since gongzi is also here for Lady Hibiscus, why don’t I tell you all about it?”
“Could it be that there’s actually a story behind it?”
“Of course!”
After she finished the meal, she sent off that waiter and rubbed her chin as she mulled over everything she heard. She had been probing that waiter earlier but he didn’t seem to have seen anyone like Nangong Yan in the garrison.
Logically, based on how outstanding Nangong Yan and Baili Yu’s looks were, they’d definitely make a huge commotion if they appeared in a small town like this.
However, there was not a trace of them. Could it be that Jun Xin’s guess was wrong?
Aiy, what was the point of worrying about this now? Sleep first. Tomorrow she would head to the matchmaking competition to take a look around. There was bound to be a lot of gossipers there!
After deciding on this course of action, Tang Doudou hugged the box to her and went to sleep on the bed.
When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
The Heavens were beautiful and the sunlight was enchanting as it spilled into the room. It was already autumn, so when she opened the window, a refreshing fall breeze swept in. In the distance, yellow leaves were lazily drifting down poetically.
“Drifting leaves blanket the courtyard, as the breeze sighs the news of fall.” Tang Doudou gave a soft sigh. When she left Huai City, it had still been midsummer, but in the blink of an eye they were already in autumn. Time truly passed so fast.
“Wonderful poem!”
A frivolous sounding voice came from downstairs. Tang Doudou glanced down and saw about five silk pants gongziwaving fans.
The person who was speaking was the one in the lead. He was actually quite good-looking, but that strong indolent aura around him made people feel uncomfortable.
All of them were dressed quite nicely. When she noticed that they were all about the same age, her eyes lit up with realization. They were probably all here for that Lady Hibiscus.
It was perfect timing. She had just been wondering if she’d have to go by herself when a bunch of people showed up.
Thus, she laughed heartily and cupped her fist in salute towards the people downstairs. “It was a thoughtless and unworthy composition, Sirs are too kind.”
__________
