Chapter 73 Severe Drought

That evening, having obtained his father's permission, Yang Huazhang excitedly took his men and ran off to Pingkang Ward again.

He kept his word; he specifically didn't bring the guard who had been scared into a stupor by Jiang Chen during the day. That guard was already crying his eyes out in the latrine.

One must know that although Yang Huazhang was a playboy, he was good to his subordinates.

Usually, when he went to Pingkang Ward, he would settle the bill for everyone the next day.

Including the bills for his guards, he would settle them all together.

He just watched helplessly as the opportunity for a freebie slipped through his fingers!

Although Chang'an had a curfew, it was already quite relaxed.

At the moment, there were still some people coming and going on the main streets.

And the swaggering Yang Huazhang became quite the eye-catching sight in everyone's eyes.

People had seen those who went to Pingkang Ward for pleasure, but they had never seen anyone go so brazenly.

Yang Huazhang expressed disdain, "What do you know? My old man approved this, so it's practically an imperial decree for pleasure!"

"Yo, isn't this Eunuch Yang's son, Yang Huazhang? What's the matter, not afraid of your father discovering you going to Pingkang Ward today?"

A mocking voice rang out on the road.

Yang Huazhang looked up, and upon seeing who it was, he scoffed.

"I'm not like you; I'm doing this openly!"

"By the way, Cheng Ji, what happened to your ear? If the Saint were to see this image of a Jinwu Guard, tsk tsk tsk!"

Cheng Ji, riding on horseback, couldn't help but reach up and gently stroke his ear, his face instantly darkening.

His ear was wrapped in gauze. Although it had been reattached, it hadn't fully recovered, and there were irreversible aftereffects—his hearing was greatly impaired.

Thinking of the culprit behind all this, Cheng Ji gritted his teeth in hatred.

However, the Cheng family was currently searching everywhere for that scoundrel, vowing to make him pay the price.

Yang Huazhang had finally managed to score a point in their verbal sparring and wanted to beat a dog that was already down: "I heard that Grand Protector Zhang's daughter has come to Chang'an, and you were the one who went to pick her up. How is it that, in the end, you only managed to get your ear back?"

"In your current state, could Grand Protector Zhang's daughter possibly fancy you?"

Cheng Ji pretended not to hear Yang Huazhang's words, but the throbbing veins on his forehead betrayed his mood.

As the two walked along the road, Yang Huazhang kept mocking him the entire way.

It wasn't until they reached Pingkang Ward that Yang Huazhang was shocked to realize that Cheng Ji was also here to listen to music in the brothels!

"No way, you're in this state and you can still come here to fish for clams?"

Cheng Ji gave Yang Huazhang a cold look, dropped a single sentence, and walked straight inside.

"I have a lot of pent-up anger today."

...

The next day, Jiang Chen continued to go to the market at noon to sell Talismans.

The reason he came again today was purely because of the woman from yesterday.

Otherwise, that one tael of gold would have been enough for him to live on for a while.

However, after waiting for a long time, the woman didn't show up, so it seemed to have been effective.

During this time, two other people came by to buy Jiang Chen's Talismans.

Consequently, Jiang Chen simply packed up his stall, left, and returned to his residence.

Not long after Jiang Chen had left, a tall, dapple-gray horse trotted into the market with crisp hoofbeats.

Beside this horse, Yang Huazhang, looking listless with dark circles under his eyes, rode a black horse and followed alongside.

This was naturally General Yang Sixu and his son; today, they hadn't even brought any guards.

They had come directly to search for Jiang Chen.

"Father, Brother Jiang was right here yesterday... Huh? He's not here today?"

General Yang Sixu also frowned: "Could it be that I thought wrong?"

He had guessed yesterday that such a high-level Daoist expert would certainly not appear in Chang'an suddenly without a reason.

Linking this to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that the Saint was preparing recently, he guessed that this person must have come to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

"Or could it be that he didn't set up his stall today?"

Nearby, a pot-bellied official, who had just bought a Talisman from Jiang Chen and had not yet left, noticed that these two were also looking for Jiang Chen.

"You two, are you here to find the Daoist priest?"

"Exactly, do you know where he is?" Yang Huazhang's eyes lit up, and he asked hurriedly.

"You two are a bit late. The Daoist priest just left a short while ago. If you had come an incense stick's time earlier, you might have met him."

General Yang Sixu sighed: "I see. It seems my sincerity was not enough. Very well, since we are not fated to meet today, Huazhang, let us come back tomorrow."

Having said this, he pulled on the reins, turned around, and headed straight out of the market.

Yang Huazhang hurriedly followed behind.

...

For the next two days, nothing happened in Chang'an, at least not for Jiang Chen.

For these two days, he remained in his courtyard to Cultivate, ignoring external affairs.

Knock, knock!

Suddenly, the gate outside Jiang Chen's courtyard was knocked on.

Jiang Chen opened his eyes, stood up from his meditation cushion, walked out, and opened the gate with a creak.

Standing outside the door was an old man who looked to be about fifty years old.

The old man was holding a piece of oil paper in his hand, which contained a round, blocky object, and a pungent, appetizing aroma wafted from it.

"Old Man Chen, what is this?" Jiang Chen asked in confusion.

Old Man Chen was Jiang Chen's neighbor. His ancestors had once followed Emperor Taizong in the uprising at Xuanwu Gate, and because of their meritorious service, they had been granted a house in Chang'an.

"Hey, it's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival, right? Here, this is something my old woman made herself based on the sesame cake; it's very fragrant, you should try it!"

Old Man Chen had a kind expression. Jiang Chen did not reject the kindness of others and directly accepted Old Man Chen's sesame cake with both hands, as if accepting a treasure.

"Thank you, Old Man Chen. Then this Daoist will be sure to savor it carefully." Jiang Chen took out a Talisman from his bosom.

"Old Man Chen, take this piece of Talisman paper. It can keep your residence safe and bring blessings to your descendants."

"Hey, good, good, good! Then I, Old Man Chen, will not stand on ceremony!" Old Man Chen took the Talisman paper with a look of pleasant surprise and carefully tucked it into his bosom.

He didn't truly believe everything Jiang Chen had said, but the Talisman paper represented a blessing, which was rare and precious.

"My child is still at the Beiting Protectorate. With the little Daoist's Talisman paper protecting him, he will surely return home safely for the New Year!"

The two stood at the door and chatted for a while, then Jiang Chen invited Old Man Chen inside to have a cup of cold tea.

Old Man Chen didn't stand on ceremony either; he came in and sat on a stone stool in the courtyard.

"Eh, little Daoist, why does your courtyard feel so much cooler than other places!"

Jiang Chen smiled slightly: "A calm heart naturally feels cool."

"Old Man Chen, come and taste this tea."

Jiang Chen poured a cup for Old Man Chen. The tea was made by Jiang Chen using local materials—brewed with the locust flowers from the old locust tree in the courtyard.

"Hmm, this is tea made from locust flowers, right? How come it tastes so much better than what my old woman makes?"

Old Man Chen looked up at the lush locust tree above his head, feeling a bit surprised.

"This old locust tree seems to be growing much better than it was a few days ago!"

Of course, because Jiang Chen had been Cultivating over the past few days, it had stirred the surrounding spiritual energy, causing the tree to naturally be imbued with some of it.

"This tea is good; it nourishes the lungs and viscera, and all the heat of the day has disappeared from this old man!"

After a while, Old Man Chen suddenly spoke about something in a mysterious manner.

"Little Daoist, do you know? I heard that there is a severe drought again in Jiangnan Circuit and Huainan Circuit!"