Chapter Ninety-Five: The Enigmatic Stranger of Yi City

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Liang Yan watched Yun Xuzi walk away, a myriad of thoughts flashing through his mind, but after a moment, he merely sighed softly. He had followed Yun Xuzi for nearly twenty days, during which he had tried every possible method and tactic to purge the deadly poison within him, yet to no avail. He could only silently admire the extraordinary skills of a Foundation Establishment Real Cultivator.

Yun Xuzi trusted him so completely that he allowed Liang Yan to wander alone within the city, evidently confident that he could not detoxify himself and therefore would not dare to escape. However, Liang Yan remained optimistic; since he was powerless to change his current predicament, he chose to let things take their course. After all, Yun Xuzi still had use for him, so for the time being, no harm would come to him.

Seeing Yun Xuzi vanish from sight, Liang Yan moved his feet and climbed down from the city wall, landing lightly within Mingyi City. Night had fallen, and despite the biting cold of deep winter, the city was festively adorned with lanterns of various kinds hanging along the streets. The bustling crowds flowed ceaselessly, creating a lively atmosphere.

“Could tonight be the Lantern Festival here?” Liang Yan thought, his youthful spirit stirred by the bright lights and lively scene. He wove through the throngs of people alone.

“Guess the riddle, guess the riddle! Ten coins a try, prizes for correct answers!” At a stall, a short, plump, and hearty shopkeeper smiled warmly at him.

“Young sir, with your broad forehead, refined and amiable demeanor, you must be well-read. Why not try guessing a lantern riddle? Just ten coins a guess, and the rewards are quite generous!”

Liang Yan glanced at the prizes—mostly calligraphy scrolls, writing copies, and some scholar’s stationery, all quite high-grade. Yet he was not here for the prizes, only for amusement. He smiled faintly.

“Then I’ll try one.”

He took ten copper coins from his sleeve and tossed them to the shopkeeper, then casually picked a lantern hanging from a thin cord. Written on it were the words: “Not impulsive.”

“Not impulsive?” Liang Yan furrowed his brow. The plump shopkeeper smiled kindly.

“Exactly ‘not impulsive.’ Guess the name of an emperor from the previous dynasty.”

Liang Yan sighed inwardly. He was not originally from Zhao; he had been brought here from Yue by an old monk. How could he know the emperors of Zhao’s previous dynasty?

The shopkeeper, seeing his hesitation, cheerfully pulled out an hourglass.

“When the sand runs out, if you haven't guessed correctly, you lose.”

“All right, I can’t guess. I’ll give you another ten coins—just tell me the answer!” Liang Yan waved dismissively.

The shopkeeper’s smile grew even wider, his small eyes nearly closed in a slit as he nodded eagerly.

Just as he accepted Liang Yan’s money and was about to speak, a commotion erupted from the far end of the street. The crowd surged toward the noise.

Liang Yan turned his head, a faint blue glow rising in his eyes. After a moment, a peculiar expression crossed his face, and he followed the crowd toward the source of the disturbance.

“Such a world we live in—nothing is impossible. Someone is being paraded through the streets at night!” a voice murmured among the crowd.

“Yes, I wonder what misdeed this poor soul has committed,” another replied.

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Liang Yan followed their gaze and saw a procession of over ten people. Two of them were pulling a cart on which sat a wooden cage containing a handsome scholar.

The young scholar had delicate features and wore white Confucian robes, his waist girdled with a brocade sash and jade belt, presenting the image of a refined and talented gentleman. Yet, oddly, a counting frame dangled from his waist, incongruous with his elegant appearance.

His hands were bound behind his back, and his body was smeared with melon rinds and fruit peels, evidence of frequent beatings and humiliations along the way. Yet he seemed utterly indifferent, even grinning mischievously at the surrounding crowd. It was unclear whether the onlookers were mocking him or he was mocking them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this man is a scoundrel who dared to seduce our Miss Lin in the dead of night. Our Miss Lin is pure as ice and jade, already betrothed to the Wang family’s son. Such shamelessness must be punished according to ancestral rules—paraded through the streets in a pig cage!” someone announced.

“Shameless!”

“That sort of person deserves death!”

Many in the crowd chimed in, some throwing eggs and banana peels, though most watched with the detached amusement of spectators.

“Haha, Miss Lin is a rare beauty and gifted in both looks and talent. To marry such an excellent woman to the Wang family’s good-for-nothing son—isn’t that a colossal waste?” The scholar in the cage laughed heartily at the crowd.

“What did you say?”

A fat man in the procession snarled. He was round and fleshy, with drool at the corners of his mouth—a fool’s visage.

Everyone knew he must be the “good-for-nothing son” the scholar mocked, and laughter erupted.

“Stop laughing!”

A Wang family servant stepped forward, scolding: “The marriage between the Lin and Wang families was arranged by our elders long ago. Our Wang family is prosperous—do you think we would disgrace the Lin family?”

The scholar sighed and spoke seriously:

“The marriage your elders arranged—did it ever consider Miss Lin’s own wishes? I am but a humble scholar, devoted to rescuing lost young women like Miss Lin, leading them from misery. Such a noble cause, even if I perish, I shall remain steadfast on this path.”

Liang Yan smiled wryly as he listened—here was a man courting a wealthy lady, yet speaking as if performing a great act of charity.

“Though this man seems wild and unruly, he is indeed a genuine cultivator, practicing at the seventh level of Qi Refining!” Liang Yan, skilled in the art of disguise and perception, could easily discern his cultivation level. Yet due to the Heavenly Secret Pearl’s interference, cultivators of the same rank could not see through his true realm.

“You shameless wretch, spouting nonsense here!” the Wang family members scowled, some rolling up their sleeves ready to lash out.

“Relatives, calm yourselves!” a Lin family member interjected. “He’s full of fallacies. No use debating him—just dunk him in the pig cage and see how he spreads his lies then!”

“Oh no! Being dunked in the pig cage can be deadly!”

For the first time, the scholar inside showed fear. His face hardened.

“If I cannot protect myself, then I care little for the rules of this world. Wang, you strike first, but don’t blame me for retaliating tenfold! I will expose all the dirty deeds you forced me to do!”

“What dirty deeds? What are you talking about? Don’t spread lies!” the fat Wang man shouted.

“Hmph, wasn’t it you who had me seduce Miss Lin? You said the Wang family is declining, that this arranged marriage was a foolish mistake of the elders, and that the Wang family is unworthy of the Lin family. You asked me to ruin Miss Lin’s reputation so you could annul the engagement with a clear conscience!”

“Nonsense! When did I ever say such a thing?” The fat Wang’s face flushed red.

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“Hmph! You’re doomed and babbling nonsense. Do you think I’ll believe you?” a tall, middle-aged Lin man frowned.

“Don’t doubt it!” the scholar urged urgently. “Lean in—I’ll tell you in confidence!”

The Lin man, half-skeptical, leaned close. The scholar whispered something into his ear, but though the voice was low, it did not escape Liang Yan’s keen senses.

Silently activating his disguise technique, Liang Yan heard the scholar say:

“Wang secretly said you are disrespectful and lazy, relying solely on your daughter’s wealth. To avoid being dragged down by your family, he asked me to stage this drama. He even drafted the divorce papers in advance. Don’t believe me? Look at this.”

He produced a document from his sleeve and handed it to the Lin man, adding:

“You know I’m a thief; I left this trick up my sleeve to protect myself.”

The Lin man unfolded the paper, his face darkening with rage.

“It truly is that scoundrel’s writing!” he shouted.

Turning to the fat Wang man, he accused:

“You, Wang, are too much! Your grandfather was nothing but a fish seller. Without my father’s help, your family would never have prospered. You’re ungrateful, scheming to humiliate us—true ingrates!”

The fat Wang, bewildered and angry, retorted:

“Lin, what are you saying? Look at your family’s current state. The Wang family overlooks your decline, yet you repay us with insults?”

“Ungrateful wretch!”

“Hey!”

No one knew who struck first, but soon the two families were embroiled in a chaotic brawl. The scene was wild and disorderly.

Though the Lin and Wang families had long-standing tensions, their ancestors once shared a bond of brotherhood. Both passed away early, and over decades, the Wang family rose while the Lin family fell, breeding resentment that had never openly boiled over—until now.

The scholar’s provocations were like sparks on dry wood, igniting years of pent-up anger. The families exchanged blows, servants fighting fiercely.

During the chaos, two servants wrestling near the cage passed by the scholar. The scholar, eyes to the sky, whistling casually, suddenly extended a leg and tripped one combatant to the ground, then flicked the other’s waist keys away with his toe.

The keys arced through the air and landed inside the wooden cage. The scholar grabbed them, leisurely unlocked his shackles, opened the cage, and slipped out.

By then, the families were shouting and wrestling, faces flushed with anger. The onlookers were caught up in the excitement, some trying to break up the fight, others cheering, no one paying attention to the supposed “prisoner.”

The scholar dusted off the fruit peels and rinds from his clothes, once again presenting the image of a gallant gentleman. He clasped his hands behind his back, swayed slightly, and melted into the crowd, vanishing from sight.

“A fine way to drive away wolves and tigers!”

Liang Yan, observing clearly, noted that although the man was a cultivator, he used no force. With just a few words, he had freed himself from trouble. As for the divorce papers, they were undoubtedly forged by the scholar.

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