A Different World - Chapter 15: East Street

After reading the note, Ye Yin placed it on the table, calmly poured himself a cup of tea, and sipped it slowly. After a moment of deliberation, he said, “Since they’re all trying to track us down, let’s give them some information.”

Jiang Yunxiu cupped his fists and bowed his head, awaiting instructions. “What are your orders, Master?”

“Look into this person’s background, then discreetly send someone to spread a bit of news,” Ye Yin said as he set the teacup down.

They had more than one stronghold in Yan Prefecture beyond Zuixian Tower. Using another location to lure the enemy out while keeping their current whereabouts concealed seemed like a sound plan. However, to avoid arousing suspicion from prying eyes, they would only reveal a hint of information.

“Yes!” Jiang Yunxiu cupped his fists, bowed, and responded affirmatively. Taking two steps back, he turned and left the private room.

Ye Yin put away the cold expression on his face, glanced at the remaining dishes on the table, and sighed helplessly. “Chang’an, I really can’t eat anymore.”

He had once thought bringing Chang’an along was akin to raising a child. At first, this was indeed the case. But ever since Chang’an started calling him “Master,” he found himself constantly under Chang’an’s watchful eye, every detail of his life meticulously attended to.

Ye Yin always felt that something about this arrangement was peculiar, though he could never quite put his finger on why.

Watching from the side, Ye Chang’an chuckled softly. Deciding not to make things harder for Ye Yin, he stood up, cleared the dishes and utensils from the table, and said, “Take a rest. I’ll go downstairs to prepare the medicine and bring it up shortly.”

“Alright,” Ye Yin replied with a smile, speaking gently. He then rose and walked to the window, nudging it open slightly to peer down at the street outside Zuixian Tower.

Jiang Yunxiu worked with remarkable speed. In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, whispers had already begun circulating on the street below about having spotted people from Zheyue Tower in a certain location.

The street was bustling with people, and it didn’t take long for the rumor that Zheyue Tower had set up camp on East Street to spread.

Just as the server was about to enter the private room to clean up, he saw Ye Chang’an coming out with a tray in hand.

Noticing the server about to speak, Ye Chang’an raised a finger to his lips to hush him, softly saying, “I’ve got it. Don’t disturb him.”

The server immediately understood, nodding silently. He took the tray from Ye Chang’an’s hands and tiptoed downstairs to deliver it to the kitchen for cleaning.

Even outsiders, including the subordinates of Zheyue Tower, found their master to be quite mysterious. When the server had delivered the dishes earlier, he dared not lift his head but managed a stealthy glance. He saw that, aside from Manager Jiang, Guard Ye, and Doctor Zuo, there was someone seated with a cold yet ethereal demeanor, like an immortal descended to earth.

The person who could sit and chat so casually with these three must undoubtedly be their tower master.

Ye Chang’an gently closed the door and signaled the hidden guards to keep watch. He then went downstairs and headed to the backyard. Lifting the curtain, he stepped into the courtyard, where he saw Zuo Qingchuan, who was supposed to be resting in his room, sitting on a small stool by the medicine stove.

“There’s something fishy about this,” Ye Chang’an teased Zuo Qingchuan.

Leaning lazily against a nearby post, Zuo Qingchuan held a fan, occasionally fanning the stove and then himself. He responded languidly, “What’s so strange about it? I could be lying in bed daydreaming, yet here I am stubbornly insisting on preparing medicine for your master. Such a compassionate healer—shouldn’t you be moved enough to show some gratitude?”

Instead of replying, Ye Chang’an extended a hand toward him. “Shall I take over?”

Zuo Qingchuan, still clutching the fan, didn’t let go. Glancing weakly toward the back door, he muttered, “I’m hungry. I want the glutinous rice cakes from the East Street stall—red bean filling, with soybean powder sprinkled on top.”

Feeling somewhat put upon by being bossed around by someone other than Ye Yin, Ye Chang’an didn’t budge. “You!”

But then he remembered that, from Jian Prefecture to Yan Prefecture, the sweets and pastries he had prepared to alleviate Ye Yin’s bitterness were running low. Checking the silver in his pouch, he vaulted over the courtyard wall to go buy some.

Watching Ye Chang’an’s retreating figure, Zuo Qingchuan smirked faintly and muttered under his breath, “Where on earth did this kid learn such behavior? Ignoring the front gate and scaling walls all the time.”

And with such seamless ease.

He ought to remind Ye Yin to keep an eye on this kid, lest he pick up any bad habits!

East Street was the busiest thoroughfare in Yan Prefecture, lined with shops of all kinds offering an array of goods. Hawkers’ cries rose and fell like a symphony.

With the martial arts gathering just two days away, heroes from across the land were flocking to Yan Prefecture, making the street even livelier.

Following Zuo Qingchuan’s directions, Ye Chang’an found the pastry shop at the mouth of East Street. In addition to the glutinous rice cakes Zuo Qingchuan wanted, he ordered a portion of every type of pastry the shop offered.

While the shopkeeper busied himself with packing, Ye Chang’an silently listened to the chatter on the street.

“Boss, can you tell me how to get to Doucai Square?”

“This gentleman is also looking for Zheyue Tower, isn’t he? You’re already the eighth person to ask me this today. See, just keep going straight. Once you pass that archway, it’s right there.”

Following the direction the shopkeeper pointed out, Ye Chang’an indeed spotted the archway not far ahead.

After scanning the surroundings, he lowered the brim of his straw hat and quietly moved through the crowd, intending to take a detour to check things out.

Sure enough, the guards stationed outside the courtyard belonged to Zheyue Tower. Streams of martial artists came and went at the entrance, some bringing gifts, others presenting name cards.

But there were also those who came to cause trouble, and the guards were unceremonious in driving such people away.

Ye Chang’an noticed a few individuals sitting at a tea stall across the street. Weapons were propped beside their table, and their gazes, deliberate yet seemingly casual, occasionally drifted toward the courtyard. They were likely observing the situation before making a move.

He only appeared briefly under the archway, taking a quick glance before turning to leave, careful not to disrupt anyone else’s plans.

However, someone at the tea stall took note of Ye Chang’an. Picking up their bamboo hat, they discreetly followed his steps.

Min Chengzhe felt the young man who had just appeared looked very familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen him before. He followed the swordsman for two streets, intending to continue tailing him to uncover more, but in the blink of an eye, the person had vanished.

Ye Chang’an crouched on the rooftop of a nearby building, observing the individual who had been following him. After memorizing the person’s appearance, he turned and headed back toward Zuixian Tower, moving in the opposite direction of where he had just been.

As soon as the person started tailing him, Ye Chang’an had noticed. So he deliberately walked in the opposite direction of Zuixian Tower, taking an extra two streets to shake the tail.

Lightly treading over the rooftops, like a swift swallow gliding through the air, Ye Chang’an pondered while on the move. Recently, many people had been probing into their affairs, yet Ye Yin and Jiang Yunxiu seemed particularly concerned about that person from Qingdu. Why Qingdu?

That individual just now was dressed in fine silk, clearly untrained in martial arts, yet seemed very interested in him. Could it be that the person knew him?

With questions swirling in his mind, he decided to return to Zuixian Tower and discuss it thoroughly with Ye Yin.

Meanwhile, inside Zuixian Tower, Ye Yin reclined in a soft chair, calmly listening to Jiang Yunxiu report the latest updates. Seeing the steam rising from the bitter medicine nearby, he suddenly asked, “Where’s Chang’an?”

Zuo Qingchuan opened his mouth, about to say that Ye Chang’an had gone out to buy him some food.

But Jiang Yunxiu spoke first, saying, “Chang’an just scouted around the courtyard but left quickly. It seems he caught that person’s attention.”

—

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading!