391: Cultural output of Daxia

Early the next morning, Lin Yue, with the help of Yi He and Yi Qian, changed, washed, and ate.

After all that was done, he wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair: "Yi He, massage my head."

"Yes, My Lord," Yi He, who was standing by, replied.

Lin Yue closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair, his head aching slightly.

"My Lord, would you like some sobering soup?" Yi He asked.

"No need," Lin Yue sighed.

Today was the day Lin Yue was to depart, so everyone had gotten thoroughly drunk again last night. It could be said that the amount of alcohol he had consumed in the past few days was more than all the alcohol he had drunk since birth combined.

But it was hard to refuse their hospitality, and with departure imminent, and since they weren't refined scholars who could compose poetry, there were only a few things they could do. They couldn't act like dissolute dandies, forcibly seizing common women after drinking, so they could only drink.

Thinking of common women, Lin Yue asked, "Nothing scandalous happened after drinking last night, did it?"

Yi He thought for a moment and smiled, "General Wang spoke nonsense after drinking and had a quarrel with General She. Afterward, the two went to the courtyard to wrestle."

"That happened?" Lin Yue was a bit surprised; he couldn't remember a thing. He then asked, "What was I doing at the time?"

"You were sleeping face down on the table, My Lord," Yi He said with a smile.

"That's good," Lin Yue thought to himself, relieved that he hadn't made a fool of himself. He then asked, "Who won between them?"

Yi He shook her head and said, "Just as the wrestling was getting intense, General Li jumped into the arena bare-chested, saying he wanted to fight ten people at once."

Lin Yue didn't need to think; the bare-chested General Li could only be Li Siye. Li Mu wouldn't do such a thing.

"Then General Wang and General She teamed up to take on General Li," Yi He said with a smile.

"And then?"

"Then more and more Generals jumped onto the stage and joined the wrestling," Yi He said with a smile.

"What about me?" Lin Yue asked again.

"You were still resting face down on the table," Yi He said.

"Who won in the end?" Lin Yue sighed with relief again, thinking that if he had gotten drunk and jumped in, he would have been beaten so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

"First, the two young brothers of the Yang Family were thrown out, then General Zhao jumped onto the stage, holding a wine jar, and said, 'Either drink, or fight me.'"

"Then it broke up, right?" Lin Yue smiled, thinking that since Zhao Yun was a Legendary General, no one would seek trouble.

"No, that's when you suddenly woke up, My Lord, and jumped onto the stage!"

"Huh?" Lin Yue's eyes widened.

"Then you did this," Yi He stopped massaging his head, walked in front of Lin Yue, and swayed her hands like lotus flowers!

"Flower... flower hands?" Lin Yue was a bit stunned; he didn't even know how to do that!

How had he unlocked a hidden talent after drinking some wine?

"At that time, the Generals were all dumbfounded, and then a martial arts competition turned into a dance battle..." Yi He said, stifling a laugh.

"Alright, go get ready. We should leave," Lin Yue said in a deep voice, feeling a bit ashamed and not wanting to recall the incident.

Immediately, he took Guo Jia, Pan Feng, Xing Daorong, Li Siye, Li Mu, Yang Dengshan, Yang Yanzhao, Yang Yansi, as well as Xia Qing, Xia Lian, Yi He, Yi Qian, and four girls and two young men from good families in the Fief, who would serve as maids and guards. They then set off out of the Fief.

Wang Da Tou and the Generals were drinking heartily, simply waving goodbye as a send-off.

"Wang Da Tou, drinking first thing in the morning, why don't you drink yourself to death?" She Jian cursed with a laugh.

"Get lost! I won't die even if you do, now scram, scram!" Wang Da Tou cursed back.

Then the group, with horses escorting three carriages, gradually drove out of the small town.

"My Lord, you must remember to come back!

You must not forget Feng Cai!

You must come home often to visit!" Feng Cai stood at the village entrance, wailing like a resentful woman.

It wasn't until the figures of the group disappeared into the horizon that Feng Cai withdrew his gaze, turned, and flicked his sleeves, his gentle eyes instantly turning sharp:

"My Lord is kind and benevolent, and has been very tolerant of you, but this old man is not!

From now on, we must take good care of this Fief for My Lord, so as not to betray My Lord's trust and entrustment! Among you, if anyone dares to feign compliance, deceive superiors, or oppress subordinates, do not blame this old man for disregarding past affections and applying severe penalties!

You should know that this old man's steel blade does not recognize people!"

"Yes, we respectfully heed the City Lord's teachings," the new makeshift members of the Hou City government office bowed in unison.

"Good, follow me to the City Lord's Mansion to work!" Feng Cai flicked his sleeve and led the many scholars, full of vigor, towards the newly established City Lord's Mansion!

...Inside Liaodong Commandery City,

The crowds were bustling, a scene of prosperity.

Everyone passed through the crowd and headed straight for the Heavenly Tier Teleportation Array.

During this time, Xing Daorong, driving the carriage, was chuckling to himself.

"Candied hawthorn!

"Newly printed storybooks!"

The shouts from all around were incessant, and this lively scene attracted the attention of Xia Qing, Xia Lian, and others, who all pulled back the carriage curtains to look at the novel sight.

"Let's eat first," Lin Yue said.

Anyway, they were not in a hurry; the day of their appointment was the day after tomorrow. More importantly, for Lin Yue, who now only had a little over four thousand taels of silver left, eating a meal for their group of more than ten people in Xianyang City would be a bit painful.

No, it should be said that it wasn't that they couldn't afford to eat in Xianyang City, but that Liaodong Commandery offered better value for money!

The portion sizes here were generous!

Afterward, Pan Feng and his brother each took their wives to go shopping, while the rest of the group entered a restaurant called Four Seas Restaurant.

"Guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?" The shopkeeper, seeing the imposing demeanor of the group, pushed aside the waiter and came before them with a smile.

"A meal, bring us your best," Lin Yue said with a smile.

"Alright, esteemed guests, please come upstairs," the shopkeeper said with a smile, guiding them to the second floor, stopping at a spot near the railing: "Esteemed guests, how does this spot suit you?"

Lin Yue glanced around and saw that downstairs seemed to be a performance area. The crowd was gradually gathering, and their spot was an excellent viewing location, so Lin Yue smiled and nodded.

Soon, Pan Feng and the others also returned, and just as everyone was assembled, the dishes were served.

"It's about to start! That Supreme Bone from last time was so exhilarating!"

"Indeed, that saying is so true, 'Double pupils were originally...'"

At nearby tables, a few people were conversing excitedly.

Lin Yue was utterly bewildered.

Double pupils? Supreme Bone?

Why did that sound so familiar?

And just at that moment, with a "bang" from downstairs, a clapperboard sound, everyone's attention was drawn.

The first floor, which had just been somewhat sparse, was now bustling with people.

"Please calm down, esteemed audience. Today, we shall tell a new story!" A middle-aged man who looked like a scholar said with a smile, fanning himself.

"Good!" The crowd downstairs cheered, their shouts echoing incessantly!

Each story told by the storyteller would lead a trend, and they were even more delighted to hear a new one this time!

The storyteller's folding fan slowly lowered, and he slowly began, "This story takes place on a continent full of 'Dou Qi'..."

Lin Yue was a bit stunned. Could this be the cultural output of the Great Xia people?

This stuff actually became surprisingly popular in this world!

Countless spectators listened in rapt attention, and the Generals at his table also listened with shining eyes!

The Generals' chopsticks hovered in the air but did not descend, their gazes crossing the railing to fall upon the storyteller downstairs.

Especially when the storyteller spoke of, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young man into poverty!" At that moment, all the Generals slammed their hands on the table with a "bang!":

"Good!"

Immediately, countless people threw copper coins in front of the storyteller, showering him with rewards, and She Jian even pulled out a gleaming gold coin from his bosom and handed it directly to the child who came to collect rewards.

And the Generals all unfastened their satchels, throwing money into the basin as if it were worthless.

"Clink, clank!"

The coins falling into the basin struck Lin Yue's heart.

But the Generals were clearly a bit carried away at the moment, completely disregarding the dining table that had split into eight pieces, and the scattered delicacies on the floor!

Lin Yue watched with a pang of regret. If he had known that storytelling could earn money, why did he study code and make games back then!