in2ebook Chapter 332 Dragon Qi
Chapter 332 Dragon Qi
Yongzhou, Yongzhou City.
After all, it is a city in a state, and the prosperity inside the city is far beyond the reach of a small place like Qinghe County.
As night falls, the city remains bustling with activity, the lights ablaze. From brothels, the melodious sounds of stringed instruments drift, and the streets and alleys are filled with the aroma of a variety of snacks. Inside restaurants, scholars and scholars discuss poetry, laughter rings in their ears. On a nearby stage, actors perform classic plays to the applause of the audience.
Even at night, there are still many people walking on the street.
At the night market, numerous snack vendors set up shop, creating a dazzling array of delicious food. The air was thick with the aroma of life. The vendors' enthusiastic calls drew passersby to stop and sample their treats. Children, clutching candied haws, chattered and laughed, making the onlookers' mouths water.
Among the bustling crowd, there were two beggars, one old and one young, walking among them.
The old beggar had unkempt hair and ragged clothes. He walked unsteadily with a worn-out cane.
Unlike the old beggar with cloudy eyes, the little beggar next to him was born with a pair of bright big eyes.
The little beggar was also dirty, with tattered clothes and hair like a bird's nest. If you look closely, you can easily find that the little beggar's eyebrows and eyes are quite delicate, and she is actually a cute little girl.
However, the beggar-like appearance of these two people made others avoid them, and no one would take the time to look at them.
"Old man, I'm hungry..." The young beggar clung to the old beggar's clothes and looked longingly at the roadside stall selling roasted sweet potatoes. His nose twitched and he swallowed reluctantly. The old beggar sighed, took out a few copper coins from his rag bag and handed them to the stall owner.
The stall owner, though disgusted, took the copper coin and handed over a steaming hot sweet potato. The little beggar eagerly took it and gobbled it up, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.
After finishing the sweet potato, the young beggar wiped the residue from the corner of his mouth and glanced at the old beggar. "You old man are really conscienceless. You clearly still have copper coins in your pocket, but you lied to me and said you had none left. You made me starve all the way here!"
The old beggar smiled bitterly and stroked the little beggar's head: "You money-losing thing, shut up and go away! Grandpa used a trick to turn the stones into copper coins. When the merchant reacts, we will be chased all over the street!" The little beggar stuck out his tongue, as if he was not unfamiliar with the old beggar's trick. Instead, he pouted with some dissatisfaction.
"Since you've already used such a trick, can't you just turn some gold into something and treat me to a nice meal?" The old beggar glared at her and scolded her in a low voice, "How can you turn gold into something casually? Turning a few copper coins into something isn't cheating. At most, you'll get kicked a few times. But if you turn gold into something and get caught, you'll be hung up and beaten!"
The little beggar pouted and said, "How do you know so much? Have you been hung up and beaten?"
The old beggar's eyes widened, and he feigned anger, "How dare you, little girl, make fun of me! I should have thrown you into those mountains and left you to fend for yourself!"
"You might as well throw me into the Ten Thousand Mountains. In this land of Jiuzhou, people can neither transform nor eat humans. I really want meat..." Before the little beggar could finish his words, the old beggar covered his mouth with his hand.
The old beggar looked around nervously and whispered a warning: "Don't talk nonsense! If someone hears us, we'll be in trouble." The young beggar struggled to break free from his hand and muttered dissatisfiedly: "Huh, the people here don't even look at us. Who would listen to a dirty little beggar?"
The old beggar shook his head helplessly and quickly pulled her through the crowd. When the crowd had thinned out, he gave her a serious warning, "About your background, you must never reveal it to anyone. Your father has worked so hard to keep it a secret just to prevent your identity from being discovered. Otherwise, all our hard work in coming all the way from the Shiwan Mountains to Yongzhou would be wasted."
"Tsk..." The little beggar curled his lips in disdain, but said nothing more. Seeing this, the old beggar felt relieved and continued, "Although Yongzhou is large, it also has hidden dragons and crouching tigers. The eyes and ears of the Wushen Cult are everywhere. If you are not careful, you will bring about a fatal disaster." After hearing the name of the Wushen Cult, the little beggar's face changed slightly, and finally put away his cynical attitude and nodded seriously. "Grandpa, what should we do next?" A trace of worry flashed in the little beggar's eyes, and he grabbed the old beggar's sleeve tightly. The old beggar pondered for a moment and whispered, "Grandpa will take you to a good place."
"What kind of good place is it? Does it provide food and accommodation?" This is the question that the little beggar is most concerned about.
"Don't worry, food and accommodation are provided."
"Yes! Just provide food and lodging!"
"Where did you learn that accent?"
The two beggars, one old and one young, spoke and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
……
The threshold of Prince Ning's Mansion is frighteningly high, not to mention the towering gate, which is daunting just by looking at it.
The tall houses are connected together, and there is almost no end in sight.
The entire Ningwang Mansion is arranged along the central axis of Yongzhou City, and several towering buildings are the "landmarks" of this city.
The South Gate, also known as the main gate, is made of thick bronze. The auxiliary head and the ring in their mouths emit a cold metallic luster. In front of the gate, two stone lions are standing with their fangs and claws bared. The stone lions have natural charm and really look like living lions.
The main hall of the palace is majestic and imposing, with its flying eaves and brackets showing solemnity and majesty.
The roof of the hall is covered with golden glazed tiles, which still shines brightly even in the night.
The old beggar took the young beggar for a walk around the palace, and the grandfather and grandson's stomachs began to growl again.
However, the old beggar seemed quite energetic and kept telling the young beggar many things that needed to be careful about along the way.
"Those two stone lions are also a kind of puppets. They usually remain motionless, but if they sense any demonic aura, they will spontaneously move and firmly guard the gate."
"You've also seen the roof of the main hall. There are at least three layers of formations engraved on it. If a thief wants to climb up and tear off the tiles, I'm afraid his end will be extremely miserable. Of course, there won't be any thief in the Ning Wang Mansion who is so blind." The little beggar was stunned when he heard this, and his awe of the Ning Wang Mansion became even greater.
"Of course, you don't have to be afraid. Since your father has already kept the secret from you, it won't be easily discovered. I'm telling you this because I want you to be more careful..."
"Snacks? What snacks?" The little beggar suddenly became alert and couldn't help licking his lips while looking around, as if he was looking for something.
The old beggar's mouth twitched slightly, and he sighed before continuing, "This isn't the end yet. Do you see that tallest tower? That's the tallest building in Yongzhou City, called the Stargazing Tower."
The old beggar pointed at the nine-story tower, which was decorated with carved beams and painted buildings and looked very imposing.
The tower is surrounded by a faint golden aura that is invisible to ordinary people, like stars hanging from the sky, implying mysterious power.
"What a beautiful golden pagoda! I really want to go up and see what the scenery there is like."
The little beggar said with some anticipation, his eyes sparkling.
The old beggar smiled and said, "From now on, that will be our residence."
"really?"
"More real than pearls."
"It's covered. So... is it included for eating?"
"..."
The grandfather and grandson chatted idly, and finally around midnight, they took a walk around Prince Ning's Mansion.
The little beggar was very tired at this time, and most importantly, he was really hungry.
She looked at the pair of stone lions in front of Prince Ning's Mansion and wanted to take a bite of them.
The old beggar patted her shoulder and whispered, "Be patient, there will be food when we get into the mansion." The little beggar swallowed and nodded reluctantly.
"Excuse me, Feng Shui Master Deng Qixian wishes to see Lord Ning. He has something important to report."
The old beggar took a step forward, took a deep breath, and spoke in a loud and polite voice. However, he was not talking to the guard at the door, and there was no guard at the door anyway.
The old beggar was speaking to one of the stone lions.
"Please let them know for me." Deng Qixian bowed deeply again, his eyes suddenly becoming deep, as if he was sensing something.
The stone lions remained motionless.
"Old man, you lied to me again!"
These are two ordinary stone lions!
The little beggar felt that he had been cheated.
Deng Qixian's expression remained unchanged as he added in a low voice, "What I'm reporting is...it's related to dragon energy. Please let me know."
As the words fell, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in the stone lion's eyes.
The next moment, the two stone lions seemed to have come to life. Their huge stone heads nodded slowly, as if responding to Deng Qixian.
With a heavy creaking sound, the door slowly opened, revealing the interior of the mansion.
The old beggar thanked him and led his granddaughter over the high threshold and into the room.
A servant came and led the two of them through the maze-like corridors. The grandfather and grandson felt as unfamiliar and strange as Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. After all, the Ning Wang Mansion was extraordinary everywhere.
"Your Highness Prince Ning, the person has been brought here." The servant led the two into the main hall and left quietly. However, the grandfather and grandson were shocked by the scene in the hall.
As you step into the main hall, you can see a lifelike five-clawed golden dragon carved on the caisson on the ceiling.
The dragon's body is winding and coiling, its beard is fluttering, and its eyes are wide open, as if it wants to break free from its restraints and soar into the sky.
In this era, "dragon" meant the emperor, and King Ning actually blatantly carved a five-clawed golden dragon, which shows his ambition.
Prince Ning, as the vassal king of Yongzhou today, controls the lifeline of this rich land and is already an extremely powerful figure, but his ambitions go far beyond that.
Yongzhou has vast plains and large rivers, lakes and swamps. Although it is not as magnificent as Yizhou and Jingzhou, it has always been a place of conflict between dynasties because of its rich mineral resources.
Therefore, although Prince Ning lived a luxurious life, he always had a vague sense of crisis.
Especially nowadays, with constant banditry and wars, the Dawu Dynasty is no longer able to take care of them, and the vassal kings are gradually becoming restless.
In the main hall, a figure in a python robe sat in the middle. It was Prince Ning, who had a majestic aura and deep eyes.
Prince Ning's face is somewhat similar to that of the current emperor "Emperor Wu", except that Prince Ning's eyes are deeper. He is tall and burly, and just sitting there gives people a vague sense of oppression.
"Your Highness, Prince Ning, I just learned about the dragon energy, so I rushed to see Your Highness immediately." Deng Qixian paused, then emphasized, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"
Prince Ning did not say anything, but silently looked at the grandfather and grandson, especially the little beggar, with deep scrutiny in his eyes.
Immediately, he nodded slightly and cast his gaze towards Deng Qixian. His tiger eyes exuded a coldness, as if he was quite displeased with Deng Qixian's charlatan-like opening remarks.
Deng Qixian was no stranger to reading people's expressions, so he immediately toned down his exaggerated tone and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, what I say is true. The dragon energy in Yongzhou is stirring strangely, and it could cause chaos throughout the land. I am willing to contribute my humble efforts to help Your Highness consolidate his foundation."
Prince Ning frowned slightly, a trace of thought flashing across his deep gaze. Finally, he spoke slowly, "Dragon Qi is ethereal and illusory. How can you observe it?"
Deng Qixian took a deep breath and said solemnly, "To be honest, I'm a Feng Shui master, and my specialty is the art of observing qi. Although the dragon energy is hidden, its traces can be found. Recently, observing the celestial phenomena and geography, I've discovered that the dragon veins in Yongzhou are moving strangely, and I'm afraid of a disaster. I'm willing to use my knowledge to help Your Highness foresee the opportunity and stabilize Yongzhou."