amaotonovel Chapter 338 The Intersection of the Rhinoceros and the Divine Deer's Heart
Chapter 338 The Intersection of the Rhinoceros and the Divine Deer's Heart
The East Market was bustling with activity, and three armored vehicles of the Xuanjia Guards were parked at the canal wharf. Niwanzi, the guard escorting the canal boats, carried a vermilion-lacquered and gold-painted box, the sea-blue ribbons tied to the copper rings at the corners of the box fluttering in the wind.
Shunfu, a scribe of the Court of State Ceremonial, wearing a scholar's cap and holding an ivory tablet, was talking quietly with a military officer.
Suddenly, a commotion arose in the crowd. Song Daqin and Song Erjiu pushed through the crowd of onlookers. The former had a broken-handled Tang-style sword hanging at his waist, while the latter flashed out a poisoned plum blossom-shaped sleeve arrow.
Erjiu cursed "traitor" as his hidden dart flew like a meteor towards Shunfu's throat. The Imperial Guards behind Shunfu reacted with lightning speed, knocking the dart away with their gilded shields. In an instant, the dock was filled with the flashing of blades, and passersby screamed and fled.
Just then, dozens of armored guards wielding spears rushed down from the city tower, the cold glint of their spear tips making Shunfu's face pale. Taking advantage of the moment, Daqin grabbed Erjiu, who had been shot in the abdomen, loosened the hem of her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) to tighten the wound, and slipped away among the refugees, stepping over the broken porcelain on the ground. At the corner where wine flags fluttered, the "Wolf King," who was supposed to be there to meet them, had already vanished without a trace.
Cong Xiaoye hid under the eaves of the silk shop and watched as the vermilion lacquer box containing the heart of the divine deer was loaded onto the armored vehicle. He took out a gold and silver inlaid copper box from his pocket and knocked on the mechanism three times in the direction of the West Market. The carrier pigeon hidden in the copper box fluttered and flew towards the direction of the Zichen Palace.
By this time, dusk had already settled over Zhuque Street. Erjiu, dressed in a brocade robe, crouched low and slipped into the Wolf King's Treasure Shop. This shop ostensibly sold Western Region glassware, but in reality, it secretly concealed countless shady dealings.
He took out a bamboo slip from his pocket and pried open the gilded lock in a few quick movements. Inside the box, the heart of the divine deer, wrapped in jade and agate, gleamed coldly in the candlelight. Erjiu spread a silk cloth on the ground and hurriedly wrapped the valuables into a bundle.
Just as he was about to leave, a strange "clucking" sound came from under the eaves. Erjiu looked up and saw a jet-black gyrfalcon perched on the shelf, its copper-bell-like eyes fixed on the bulging bundle in his arms. Erjiu had a bad feeling and quickly drew a dagger from his boot. With a flash of cold light, the gyrfalcon fell to the ground with a thud, its tail feathers sweeping away the Persian incense ash on the table.
At the same time, Cong Xiaoye galloped to Pingkang Lane, trampling the fallen rouge petals as he rushed into the clinic. The old doctor, who was wiping his bronze mortar and pestle, stroked his beard and sighed upon hearing this, "That young man in the moon-white robe just went to the West Market with some wound medicine."
Cong Xiaoye gazed at the winding Zhuque Street in the twilight, the jade pendant at his waist clinking against the saddle. He didn't know where to go next, only that he had heard rumors in the martial arts world that Qiu Rongmu's wine cellar held the secrets of the sun and moon, and that the Left Prime Minister he had transmigrated to was a "war god who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk".
In the popular online bar, Qiu Rongmu's legendary combination with the "Eight Immortals of Wine" has become a sensation across the internet: his calligraphy with A Zhang, created while drunk, fetched a sky-high price; his live stream of drinking and composing poetry with Xiao Bai garnered over 100 million likes; and his short video of creating ink paintings with A Xu has tens of millions of views.
As dusk settled on the horizon, the aroma of wine wafted from the Qiu Mansion for miles around. The party was a riot of lights and music, with everyone dancing and singing. A mischievous figure slipped in—it was none other than Xiao Mengsi, the palace's genius prophet. Xiao Mengsi rolled her eyes, pulled out her ancestral script, and began to perform.
"Brother Wood! It's me, Little Si! Look what treasure I brought you!" Little Si held a beautifully packaged jar of fine wine, her smile so sweet it could kill. "This is a limited edition 'Jade Dew' from the Tang Dynasty. There are only three jars left in the palace, and I specially saved one for you!"
Qiu Rongmu was so captivated by the aroma of the wine that he couldn't resist grabbing the jar and gulping it down. The wine was as smooth as Dove chocolate as it went down his throat, and he gave Xiao Mengsi a thumbs up, praising her as an angel on earth.
Seeing that he was getting increasingly drunk, Little Si immediately switched to "playing the victim": "Brother Wood, Little Si has a favor to ask..."