The surname Shangguan is not common, and the first thing Xuezhi thought of was Shangguan Tou, the flower butterfly.
Wait... Shangguan Tou?
Xuezhi looked up abruptly, only to realize that although the young master Shangguan was no longer carrying a staff or wearing the snow-white cloak he wore at the Heroes' Gathering, but instead sporting a fragrant fan and brocade robes, the three peacock feathers on his head and the red mark under his eye remained unchanged. She was immediately dumbfounded. In her memory, Shangguan Tou's mother seemed to be the daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant in Luoyang. And the Fu family cloth merchants practically monopolized the entire Luoyang cloth market. So the young master those people had mentioned earlier must be…
"Ha, Shangguan Zhaojun!"
For the first time, Xuezhi found it so amusing to guess someone's identity correctly. She even called out Shangguan Tou's most hated nickname in front of so many people.
twenty one
Everyone's expressions froze for a moment, and then their gazes quickly shifted to Shangguan Tou.
Shangguan Tou paused in waving his fan, but quickly resumed waving it freely: "My surname is Shangguan, and my given name is Tou. I am honored by your compliment, young lady, but I cannot accept such a name."
Xuezhi laughed and said, "Why shouldn't I accept it? I think it sounds beautiful, and besides, you really look like Zhaojun in that white cloak!"
Everyone's expressions froze again, and their gazes once more flew to Shangguan Tou.
Shangguan Tou closed his fan and pointed to the door: "Miss, let's talk outside."
As soon as the two went out, someone whispered, "That girl is in trouble now. No one has ever dared to call him Shangguan Zhaojun in front of Yipin Tou."
Boss Zhuo wiped his sweat: "No, he's just eyeing that little girl. Most women would be smitten just by hearing his name; there's no need to even try to hook him. Even the slightly more difficult ones, after his elaborate baiting, would be caught in a matter of days. People say that Shangguan Zhaojun's way of catching women is easier than a fisherman's. I think he's just casting a net and catching the fish." A sinister smile played on his lips. "But once the fish are hooked, cooked, and eaten, what's left?"
"Wow, that sounds amazing. Boss Zhuo, how did you know?"
Boss Zhuo smiled mysteriously and held up three fingers: "I guarantee that Chong Xuezhi will be caught in the net within a few days."
Xuezhi and Shangguan Tou stepped out of the weapons shop and saw two servants waiting at the door. Shangguan Tou said, "Is this your first time in Luoyang, young lady?"
"No, I came here when I was a child, but I don't remember it at all."
"Where are you from, young lady?"
"I am from Dengfeng."
"So, you grew up near Chonghuo Palace?"
"I grew up in Chonghuo Palace. Is Young Master Shangguan from Luoyang?"
"No, I was born in Chang'an and lived there the longest. After that, I didn't have a fixed place to live."
"Did the young master return to see his family?"
At the same time, Boss Zhuo touched the sword on the wall: "He usually likes to find out the background of the other party. Anyone who is involved in the underworld, has enemies, or is an overly pampered young lady will be blacklisted."
"The old man just celebrated his seventieth birthday, and I came back to wish him a happy birthday. But I'll be leaving soon," Shangguan Tou said with a smile. "I haven't yet had the pleasure of asking your name, young lady."
Xuezhi said, "My name is Lin Yuzhi."
"The young lady did indeed give a false name just now."
"Did you hear me say that I am Chong Xuezhi?"
"That's right."
"But why don't you believe I am Chong Xuezhi?"
Shangguan Tou paused for a moment: "Although I don't want to offend Miss Lin, the way Miss Lin used the Hunyue Sword just now was very skillful, but it didn't reach the level of perfection."
This time, it was Xuezhi's turn to be frustrated. This Shangguan Zhaojun actually spoke to her like that. However, according to most people's impressions, they would think that Chong Xuezhi, the young master of Chonghuo Palace, would already be able to wield the Hunyue Sword backwards.
That's fine too. Letting him know his true identity would probably cause him a lot of trouble. Xuezhi smiled and said, "Young Master Shangguan certainly has a discerning eye."
"But Miss Lin is so beautiful and skilled, she must have been practicing martial arts for quite some time."
Xuezhi said, "It started almost as soon as I could walk."
At the same time, Boss Zhuo turned around and drew his weapon: "If it's a woman who has practiced martial arts since childhood, that would suit her even better. Because women who practice martial arts are quite straightforward and won't cry and whine." He then raised his sword, its blade flashing: "Moreover, she's tough, resilient, and hot enough in bed!"
Shangguan Tou's lips curled up, and his voice became even gentler: "Then, Miss Lin must have suffered a lot of injuries, which would probably break the hearts of many men."
Xuezhi waved her hand: "No, no. I don't have many fans."
"Nobody likes it?" Shangguan Tou waved his finger. "I don't believe it."
"I'm really not lying to you."
If someone were interested in you right now, would you consider it?
"That depends on who it is."
Boss Zhuo brandished his sword, the blade whistling through the air: "What if this girl is unfortunately extremely slow-witted? What then?"
Shangguan Tou said, "I mean, if."
"I don't know."
Suddenly, Boss Zhuo's wrist twitched, the sword blade swaying, its light dazzling: "Don't forget, Shangguan Tou is a very handsome man. Moreover, he's tall! A tall man is charming! A tall man has the capital to charm young girls and young women! Even if this woman is slow-witted, she's still a woman, and women instinctively love tall men!"
"Alright." Shangguan Tou stepped closer, looked at Xuezhi, and lowered his voice, "Miss Lin, are you here on behalf of the palace?"
Xuezhi had to raise her head slightly to speak to him, and immediately felt it was very strange: "Uh, no, no... I plan to go to Chang'an in a couple of days."
Boss Zhuo's sword was still pointing straight ahead: "At this time, if the girl is shy, he will tentatively ask her where she plans to stay overnight."
Shangguan Tou asked, "So, where do you plan to sleep these next few days?"
Boss Zhuo narrowed his eyes: "If the young lady says she doesn't know, then what will he do once he has the fat fish?" Boss Zhuo chopped a chair in half: "—Eat it that very night!"
Xuezhi said, "Of course, it's an inn."
"Is this an inn in Luoyang?"
"Um."
Boss Zhuo said, "If the girl's answer is anything other than 'I don't know,' he'll be very happy, because this prey is challenging. What will he say then?!"
Shangguan Tou smiled and said, "Alright, I will come to the Luoyang Inn to find you tomorrow morning. If you are free, please allow me to be your tour guide and show you around Luoyang."
“Great!” Xuezhi said with a smile. “I was just thinking of going to your fabric shop. You’ll definitely get a discount if you go there.”
"Then I'll take you back to the inn."
Boss Zhuo suddenly stopped, his expression grave.
The person next to them was listening with great interest: "And then what?"
"To find out what happens next, please visit our shop tomorrow." Boss Zhuo put down his weapon and began to pack up the shop. "We're closing now."
Author's Note: 3 chapters on July 25th
22 23 24
twenty two
After Shangguan Tou escorted Xuezhi back, Xuezhi secretly slipped out again that night and went to Huamanlou alone. She learned that Helian Jinghong was not in Luoyang, so she had to give up. However, the nights in Luoyang were even more captivating. Xuezhi wandered around until midnight before returning, getting into six fights in the process.
Because I was so tired from playing the day before, and it was also cold, I didn't want to get out of bed once I got in, and ended up sleeping through the whole night. It wasn't until I woke up the next day that I suddenly remembered that I had made an appointment with Shangguan Tou to go out.
At the same time, Boss Zhuo, wearing a cotton-padded coat and carrying weapons, opened the door.
A group of people who had come to listen to the storyteller were standing outside the door, their faces already ashen from waiting.
"My apologies, my apologies. I was too excited last night and overslept. Let's continue." Boss Zhuo walked into the shop and moved a chair from the corner.
As soon as Xuezhi opened the door, she saw two servants standing in the stairwell. These two servants were sent by Shangguan Tou. As soon as they saw Xuezhi, they came over, bowed and greeted her, and asked her to wait in the room for a moment while they went to inform Shangguan Tou.
"Shangguan Tou usually prefers to travel alone when he's out and about, but when it comes to pursuing women, these two servants become indispensable tools. Why is that?"
Not long after, two servants informed Xuezhi that Shangguan Tou was waiting downstairs.
Xuezhi immediately went downstairs with dark circles under her eyes and saw Shangguan Tou looking refreshed and handsome. She quickly apologized, saying that she had overslept.
Shangguan Tou smiled and said, "It's alright, let's go."
At the same time, the two servants also disappeared.
"Extravagant!" Boss Zhuo turned around abruptly, pointing at an innocent customer, and said in a trembling voice, "That's exactly what he wants! He's the son of the Imperial Advisor and the eldest daughter of the Fu family, how can he not be extravagant! Making two servants wait not only adds to his face but also shows his utmost sincerity, and makes women from less affluent families tremble with fear! If I'm not mistaken, what awaits them outside the inn is—"
Shangguan Tou stepped aside: "Miss Lin, please get into the carriage."
Boss Zhuo shook his fingers a few times and raised his voice: "Actually, what Guan Zhaojun hates most is carriages!"
Xuezhi asked, "Would you like to take a carriage?"
"Don't you want to sit?"
Boss Zhuo yanked over another stool and slammed it onto the bench in the center of the shop, then turned around sharply and said, "If this woman says she doesn't want to sit, Miss Zhaojun will fall in love with her without hesitation!"
"No. I'd miss a lot if I took a carriage."
Shangguan Tou's face lit up with joy: "Then let's go."
“Although his nickname is Shangguan Zhaojun, most people prefer to call him ‘Shangguan the Destroyer of Zhaojun.’ He’s a playboy, everyone knows that. The women he sets his sights on know this even better, and they’re definitely wary of him. Of course, he also knows that this woman knows him, so what will he do?” Boss Zhuo dragged another stool over and piled it on top of the second stool, then turned around sharply once more, “—Reverse thinking!”
Xuezhi and Shangguan Tou walked through Luoyang City, attracting an astonishing number of stares. Shangguan Tou, however, was used to the attention he received, and even seemed quite content as he fanned himself with his folding fan. He pointed to a hexagonal building and said, "That's an antique shop. The items on the top floor are all priceless, so you see, from here, there are more than thirty people standing there guarding the treasures."
Xuezhi stood on tiptoe and widened her eyes: "Really, the building is packed."
Boss Zhuo dragged over another stool and piled it on top of the original three. Then, he turned around forcefully again and said, "A truly dangerous eagle doesn't easily reveal its talons! A truly vicious dog doesn't bark in front of people! A true playboy doesn't act like a womanizer in front of women! On the contrary, he'll act like a refined and arrogant nobleman! That's psychological warfare!"
"There are also many antique bronze artifacts, Tang tri-color pottery, and plum blossom jade inside, all of which are specialties of Luoyang. Tang tri-color pottery, in particular, is endlessly varied and colorful; you can find all kinds of it here. Some of the patterns are so exquisite that they are breathtaking. I buy a lot every time I come back."
Xuezhi stuck out her tongue: "I only know about Dukang (a type of Chinese liquor), peonies, and embroidery from Luoyang."
"Antique bronzeware, Tang tri-colored pottery, plum blossom jade," Boss Zhuo's eyes were bloodshot as he scanned the room. "Guess which one he'll give you?"
"Plum...flower jade?"
"wrong!"
Shangguan Tou chuckled, "Those are most people's impressions of this place. By the way, come with me." He then walked forward. Xuezhi quickly followed and saw him stop beside a small roadside stall, pick up a small whistle, and turn back to say, "This is Zhao Bingyan's copper whistle, named after Zhao Bingyan. It's made of high-quality brass and cork..." After speaking, he blew into the whistle.
Xuezhi said, "The sound quality is really good."
"Try blowing on it?"
Xuezhi took the brass whistle, looked at the mouth of the whistle, and blew it somewhat awkwardly: "It's really good."
“He wouldn’t give that!” Boss Zhuo brought over another stool, but he wasn’t tall enough, so he had to stand on tiptoe to place it on the fourth stool. Then he turned around with a thud. “Zhao Bingyan’s copper whistle is a famous product of Luoyang, but it’s an inexpensive little trinket that girls and children love. If he gives this to a woman, she can’t refuse it, and she won’t doubt his motives! He’ll make her feel that she’s his confidante, that he has endless affection for her, that he admires her like a saint, and that he will never, ever want to drag her into bed!”