Chapter 1971: Dragon and Phoenix (Part 3)

This time, the encounter with old friends happened in a town not so central.

The Western Regions town had unique charm; the sky was bluer than in the Central Plains and Jiangnan, clouds rolled, distant shadows of mountain ravines could be faintly seen, and the locals filled wooden baskets with dried fruits, dates, selling them, the aroma of oil and mutton accompanied by the subtle crackle of fire coals, enticing hunger.

People gathered together in a large circle at the trading spot of this city.

More and more people kept coming here.

Usually, what drew people together might be caravans from the Central Plains, bringing silk and porcelain, perhaps jugglers with hidden talents, or freshly grilled skewers sizzling with oil, but today was different.

In the center of the crowd was a patchy piece of felt with curled edges, on which sat an elder from the Central Plains, resting a huqin from the Western Regions on his lap, playing it, the tune was joyful and rhythmic, then suddenly his fingers moved, picking up a black wooden block beside him and slapping it on the nearby table.

With a loud clap, it was like thunder.

Everyone was immersed in the tune and was directly jolted to attention, focusing on the elder who then said in fluent Western Regions dialect: “A few days ago, we spoke of the free-spirited knights of the Martial World, discussed the poison warrior of the Western Regions, with the crowd cheering them on, but today we will not talk about these.”

“Today, we will share something thrilling and exciting!”

The storyteller raised his eyebrows, filled with an exceptional spirit, and proclaimed:

“Sword Madman Kuang battles across the world, defeating Red Dragon and returning; Emperor Qin fights side by side with the Turkic Khan, securing victory on the grasslands!”

The villagers’ eyes lit up instantly.

Suddenly, the crowd grew larger.

Good storyteller, good tongue, speaking of heaven and earth, discussing all directions, narrating in detail the great battle from years ago, immensely vividly, drawing an increasing audience, and the felt cloth in front of the elder piled with more and more coins.

On a nearby Western Regions styled stone tower, Shi Yisong sat cross-legged.

Seeing Tu Shengyuan storytelling, eloquently speaking, like a swordsman walking in his own world, confident, Shi Yisong smiled, his gaze scanning the surroundings but suddenly tensed.

That is!!!

Tu Shengyuan was narrating the climax of the story, exuberantly enthralling the audience, when suddenly someone asked, “Being Emperor Qin, with such deep friendship, why hasn’t he visited the Capital City to see Your Majesty after several years of founding the country?”

“Even if not for duty, he could meet as friends, is there something hidden behind it?”

This sudden question almost made Tu Shengyuan exclaim an appreciation.

Good question, good prompt.

Mind you, storytellers need someone to feed them prompts; if told dryly, it becomes dull, and if the audience is just wooden, it is immensely distressing to narrate, and this question came precisely like ice-cold sour plum soup during sweltering weather, scratching Tu Shengyuan’s itch.

Tu Shengyuan originally planned to invite the questioner as a witness, but his eyes scanned the crowd, unable to spot the person due to the sheer number of spectators, stifled by his intense nature, lacking time to think.

With a loud bang, the gavel slapped on the table drawing everyone’s attention, Tu Shengyuan stroked his beard and declared:

“Good question, good question.”

“Originally, the nation was founded by ruler and minister, entrusted with life and death, why the absence; although friends in youth were inseparable, intimately acquainted, why so difficult to meet, alas, wrong wrong wrong!”

Tu Shengyuan, in a grand flourish, drew the crowd’s gaze and then said, “Do you know why this is so, what exactly causes the absence and instability of such a world-renowned ruler and minister after five years; what causes originally inseparable youthful friends to become unfeeling?”

“Is it revenge, hatred, or a rebellious heart?”

“Wrong wrong wrong!”

Tu Shengyuan raised his white eyebrows slightly, scanning the curious glances, grinned and said, “It’s nothing but a word: ’emotion’.”

This word ’emotion’ cast, like a grindstone-sized stone thrown into a small river, exploded waves of ripples, inciting whispers among villagers, unaware of how many eyes lit up, be it hawkers or women and girls, the Martial World man selling vigor pills had glowing eyes, the elderly woman at the village head quick-footed, even children eager for play gathered around.

From ancient times, the heart for gossip is human nature.

Such is even more true for the friendships and gossip among emperors and ministers.

Moreover, the founder of the country now at the pinnacle of fame?”

These gazes gathered around, these subtle murmurings made Tu Shengyuan increasingly delighted, scanning through, smiling minutely and saying:

“It’s nothing but the word ’emotion’.”

“Do you know, when Your Majesty was young, he was a Guest Elder of the Xue Family, then corresponded with the Duke, and back in the previous Chen festival, it wasn’t supposed to be the current Duke attending.”

“Although the Duke was young at the time, he had foresight, early recognizing the impending turmoil and rising storms, but you are to guess, in such circumstances, why did the Duke leave stable days to go to the center of the disorder?”

This was almost handing the prompt over.

The villagers then responded: “Surely to see Your Majesty!”

“Yes, yes!”

The crowd eagerly discussed, the atmosphere Tu Shengyuan cultivated was indeed delightful, scanning through the crowd.