socalfunplaces Chapter 115 Old Cai's Tavern
Chapter 115 Old Cai's Tavern
Lao Cai's Tavern is located next to the official road. The store is not big, but it has a certain charm.
Gu Qianbei and Yang Guo each rode a horse and arrived at the entrance of the tavern.
Gu Qianbei was empty-handed, while Yang Guo was carrying a bundle on his back and two jars of calming wine in his hands.
After leaving Lu Family Village, Yang Guo kept these two jars of wine.
Gu Qianbei didn't want to put it into the Cangguang Gourd, lest Yang Guo notice something strange about it.
This kid is incredibly shrewd; if we don't do things thoroughly, it'll be easy for him to spot the problem.
Six horses were already tethered at the tavern entrance, and lively conversation could be heard coming from inside the closed doors.
Clearly, there were people in the tavern, quite a few of them.
Gu Qianbei didn't care about this and immediately dismounted and pushed open the door to enter.
As soon as the door opened, the noise inside grew even louder.
Several bodyguards were chatting around a table, and one of them, a young man in white, was talking to an old man and a young man in front of the counter.
"Old sir, what happened to Old Cai, the former manager of this tavern?"
The hunched old man had a kind face, and he responded with a smile to the young man in white's question.
"Young镖头 (Young镖头 is not aware of this), Old Cai is getting old and doesn't want to work hard, so he sold the shop to me for thirty taels of silver."
"My name is Old Man Sa, and this is my granddaughter, Sa Wan'er. I hope you will take good care of her in the future."
As the old man spoke, he finally pointed to the young girl beside him.
The girl was dressed in coarse cloth, with a graceful figure, but her appearance was quite ugly.
"I see. No problem, no problem."
Gu Qianbei overheard this conversation and immediately understood the identities of the people in front of him.
The white-robed young man who spoke was Lin Pingzhi, the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Fuwei Escort Agency, while the old man and the young woman were Lao Denuo, the second disciple of the Huashan Sect, and Yue Lingshan, their junior sister.
These two men were sent by Yue Buqun, the head of the Huashan Sect, to monitor the Fuwei Escort Agency.
Ostensibly, they said they had received information that the Qingcheng Sect was going to take action against the Fuwei Escort Agency, and they sent the two of them to investigate the situation and see if they should help.
Behind the scenes, Yue Buqun had his eye on the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual and wanted to take advantage of the chaos, so he sent the two of them to check out the situation first.
In this incident, both the Qingcheng Sect and the Huashan Sect were the hunters, while only the Fuwei Escort Agency was a lamb to the slaughter, destined to die either way.
Yang Guo was unaware of the many thoughts flashing through Gu Qianbei's mind. He had already found a seat by the window, wiped the chair with his sleeve, and looked at Gu Qianbei with a smile.
"Master, please sit here. I've cleaned the chair for you."
"You're getting more and more eager, lad. But there's no need for that between master and disciple."
Gu Qianbei smiled and shook his head, then sat down.
"Hehe, it is my honor to serve Master."
Yang Guo said with a smile, then placed the calming wine on the ground and put his bundle aside.
Upon seeing this, Laudenuo, who was disguised as Old Man Sa, quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"What would you two like to eat?"
"Give me a roast chicken, a serving of beef with bok choy, a steamed fish, two bowls of rice, and a pot of tea."
Gu Qianbei said casually.
"Alright, please wait a moment, it will be ready shortly!"
Laudenau agreed and turned to go to the kitchen.
"Second Senior Brother, those two, master and disciple, seem quite extraordinary. Do you know them? Could they be disciples of the Qingcheng Sect?"
Yue Lingshan asked curiously.
Laudenau shook his head.
"I don't know them, they shouldn't be disciples of the Qingcheng Sect."
But this man in the green robe had an extraordinary demeanor and walked silently; he was definitely a master.
The white-robed youth didn't seem to have much martial arts skill; he probably hadn't been practicing for very long.
"A master? Even more powerful than Pigsy?"
"It's hard to say without a fight, but his agility is definitely better than mine."
"Could they also be after the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual from the Fuwei Escort Agency?"
Yue Lingshan guessed.
"It's hard to say, let's wait and see."
Gu Qianbei was unaware of their conversation in the kitchen; at that moment, he was secretly observing Lin Pingzhi.
Lin Pingzhi was handsome, though not as good-looking as Yang Guo or Lin Pingzhi, he was still a first-rate man.
His eyes were clear, and his demeanor was full of youthful spirit.
It's obvious at a glance that he comes from a good family and hasn't suffered much hardship.
"I didn't expect to arrive at such a good time. Lin Pingzhi, Yue Lingshan, Lao Denuo, almost all the actors are here."
Gu Qianbei thought to himself, but remained outwardly calm. However, Yang Guo, who had been paying close attention to him, noticed that his gaze was fixed on Lin Pingzhi and the others.
"Master, do you know them?"
Yang Guo asked in a low voice.
"I wouldn't say I know them, but judging from their appearance, they should be from the Fuwei Escort Agency. The young man in the middle is Lin Pingzhi, the young head of the Fuwei Escort Agency."
Gu Qianbei explained.
Upon hearing this, Yang Guo also looked at Lin Pingzhi.
Seeing his magnificent clothes, long sword at his waist, and the respectful escorts beside him, and the youthful spirit between his brows, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.
He had been a wanderer since childhood, his clothes were tattered, and he suffered the scorn and bullying of others. He had never had such a dignified and stable appearance before.
The man in front of me comes from a prestigious family and is well-off. He is cheerful and generous, has no shortage of attendants to take care of him, and both his parents are still alive. He lives a carefree and open life.
That was the life Yang Guo had fantasized about countless times when he was a child, living in a dilapidated kiln, suffering from hunger and cold.
A faint trace of envy quietly swept through his heart.
It turns out that there really are people in this world who can grow up without any hardships, without having to worry about food and clothing, without having to be mindful of others' opinions, and without having to live in fear alone in the dead of night.
Such a smooth and stable life was once an unattainable luxury for him.
But this envy only lasted a moment before he dispelled it.
He was worlds apart from the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Fuwei Escort Agency.
The other person was born into a life of privilege, while he was someone who crawled out of the mud. Now that he has a master to take him in, it is already a great opportunity. He doesn't need to envy the background of others.
He lowered his eyes slightly, suppressing his emotions, but his gaze towards Lin Pingzhi held a more complex expression.
There was envy, indifference, and a faint longing for a warm life that even he himself was unaware of.
Yang Guo shook his head, no longer thinking about these things, and got up to pour Gu Qianbei a cup of tea.
"Master, have some tea."
But after taking a sip of tea, Gu Qianbei frowned slightly.
"This tea is so-so, you can drink it yourself."
As he spoke, he took the wine gourd from his waist, uncorked it, and a rich aroma of wine immediately filled the entire tavern.
He took out his wine cup, poured himself a glass of calming wine, took a sip, and his expression was full of enjoyment.
It was the wine that suited his taste.
Yang Guo's nose twitched slightly as he looked at the clear wine in the cup, a look of craving appearing in his eyes.
"Master, may I have a small sip? I'm thirsty too."
Gu Qianbei looked up, gently tapped his forehead, and spoke with a gentle tone that left no room for argument.
"Why would a little kid like you drink alcohol? We'll talk about it when you turn eighteen. If you're thirsty, just drink some tea."
"Yes, Master."
Upon hearing this, Yang Guo had no choice but to obediently put aside his thoughts, picked up a cup of tea to quench his thirst, but he still couldn't help glancing at Tingbei with curiosity on his little face.
What does this wine taste like?
Why does it smell so good?
The rich aroma of the wine also alerted Lin Pingzhi and his accompanying bodyguards.
"My goodness, this wine smells wonderful."
Shi Biao sniffed hard, his mouth watering.
Lin Pingzhi loved wine, and upon hearing the aroma of such fine brew, he was itching to try it.
So he immediately got up, walked quickly to Gu Qianbei's table, cupped his hands in greeting, and spoke with great enthusiasm.
"I am Lin Pingzhi from the Fuwei Escort Agency. The aroma of your wine has captivated me. I wonder if you would sell it? I am willing to pay a high price for this gourd."
Gu Qianbei looked up at the young man and saw that he was open and polite, without any arrogant arrogance. He felt a sense of goodwill towards him and immediately picked up the empty bowl, poured a bowl of calming wine from the Cangguang gourd and pushed it over.
"I'm not selling the gourd, and I'll keep the wine for myself. But since we've met in the martial world, I'll give you a bowl."
Seeing that Gu Qianbei refused to sell wine, Lin Pingzhi was somewhat disappointed, but when a bowl of calming wine was brought over, his disappointment lessened considerably.
"Thank you very much, brother!"
Lin Pingzhi was overjoyed and quickly picked up the wine bowl to take a small sip.
The wine was sweet and mellow as it went down my throat, leaving a lingering fragrance on my lips and teeth. My eyes immediately lit up, and I praised it repeatedly.
"Excellent wine! Truly a rare gem! Brother, can you really sell me a gourdful?"
Gu Qianbei gently shook her head.
"I didn't bring much, just enough for my own consumption. I hope the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) will understand."
Although Lin Pingzhi felt it was a pity, he knew not to force others, so he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
"A gentleman does not take what others love; I was being presumptuous."
"If you really want it, there's a new Qianchou Si near Lujiazhuang. You can buy it there."
Lin Pingzhi was delighted upon hearing this and quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, brother."
After saying that, Lin Pingzhi took the remaining wine back to his table and distributed it to the five bodyguards who were with him.
Everyone took a sip and exclaimed at the wine's rich and delicious flavor.
"A winery near Lujiazhuang? I'll go buy a big jar tomorrow!"
One bite wasn't enough for Chief Escort Shi, so he slapped the table excitedly.
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, but at the same time, they were also filled with anticipation.
Just then, the tavern door was suddenly kicked open.