Ye Beizhi and his companions proceeded south along the well traveled roads for over a month before finally arriving in Shaozhou, a city in the eastern part of Guangdong Province.
Eastern Guangdong is a seaside frontier region, far from the Central Plains. Due to the distance from the capital, it is not as prosperous as the heartland. However, it has its own unique advantages. Eastern Guangdong has abundant resources for its population, and every household is self-sufficient.
There are also no ongoing conflicts nearby. The Northern Qiang barbarians invade from far beyond the Three Passes, and the Southern Oirat pirates are only active in the Eastern Yue region, and have never ventured into Eastern Guangdong. Therefore, ever since Ye Beizhi and his companions enjoyed a rare period of peace since entering Shaozhou.
"It’s been a long time since I've seen such a peaceful little town," Fang Dingwu remarked as they walked through the streets of Shaozhou.
Ye Beizhi glanced around from time to time, noticing that the people were mostly dressed in ordinary attire. There were very few martial artists carrying swords or sabers. In fact, the number of martial artists they had seen had steadily dropped since leaving Western Hunan.
Thinking about the decrease of martial artists, Ye Beizhi remembered that after his assassination attempt on Qi Zongbi in the capital, he had not heard of the Ghostbane Association or the Imperial Guardians searching for him. The true reason for this was unclear, but it seemed like the court had put this matter aside after the war in the north broke out.
"It’s getting late," Fang Dingwu said, looking up and then turning to Ye Beizhi. "If we leave the city today, we’ll probably have to spend the night out in the wild again. I think it would be better to find a place to stay in Shaozhou for the night."
Ye Beizhi nodded, indicating his agreement.
"That would be perfect," Chi Nanwei agreed, "I also need to buy some more food and clothes for the journey." She then looked down at her feet.
Ye Beizhi followed her gaze and saw that the deerskin boots Chi Nanwei was wearing had become a little worn. Over the course of the journey, Chi Nanwei had forwent her robes and skirts for lighter traveling clothes. She now wore a short greenish-blue jacket and a matching pair of pants, paired with a pair of deerskin boots. Her hair was tied up at the back, giving her a heroic and graceful appearance. If she had a sword at her waist, she would indeed look like a heroine out of a martial legend.
Ye Beizhi lips parted slightly and he almost imperceptibly averted his gaze.
"Let’s find an inn first."
"Let's do that. Eastern Guangdong is by the sea, and there are plenty of merchants passing through. The inns will likely be full if we wait any longer."
Since they had no particular preferences, it was not hard to find a place to stay. Fang Dingwu casually found an inn after asking a local.
They booked two rooms at the counter, Chi Nanwei had one while Ye Beizhi and Fang Dingwu shared the other. After entering the room, Fang Dingwu threw his baggage on the bed and immediately went back out.
Standing by the door, he smiled at Ye Beizhi. "I’ll ask the innkeeper for the best restaurant in Shaozhou. We rarely eat out, so we should treat ourselves to a nice meal. I’ll wait downstairs. You two can come down when you're ready."
Ye Beizhi nodded. When he left the capital, Ye Fan had given him plenty of money, and he still had quite a bit left by now, so he didn’t say much as Fang Dingwu left.
There wasn’t much to unpack anyway. Ye Beizhi took out money from his luggage and tucked it into his clothes, leaving the rest of the clothing in the room. He grabbed his Tang blade and went downstairs.
When he reached the ground floor, Ye Beizhi saw Fang Dingwu leaning against the counter, chatting happily with the innkeeper, a charming woman who looked to be in her early thirties. The two were in high spirits, and Ye Beizhi noticed that Fang Dingwu’s grin nearly reached his ears.
When Fang Dingwu saw Ye Beizhi coming down, he waved and called out, "Brother, over here!"
Ye Beizhi nodded and walked over.
Fang Dingwu winked at Ye Beizhi and said, "It’s almost dinner time. We’ll head to Elegant Sound Tower soon!"
Ye Beizhi nodded but didn’t comment.
Fang Dingwu put his arm around Ye Beizhi’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "I’ve already asked. In all of Shaozhou, Elegant Sound Tower is the only place that’s worth going to. It’s a three-story building, and they have eight head chefs managing the kitchen. You’d better make sure you brought enough money."
Ye Beizhi took out a thick stack of banknotes from his robes and handed them to Fang Dingwu. "Is this enough?"
The innkeeper’s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing such a thick stack of banknotes. She quickly replied, "Enough, enough! With that much money, you could dine there for as long as you want!"
"She just told me that Elegant Sound Tower isn’t just famous for its food." Fang Dingwu winked at Ye Beizhi. "There are also graceful dancers I hear are all very beautiful. I’m looking forward to a feast for the eyes tonight."
The innkeeper smiled slightly. "You speak so bluntly. Just now, I clearly mentioned that Elegant Sound Tower has a guqin master and dancers that accompany the performance. How come you only mentioned the second part?"
Fang Dingwu waved his hand dismissively. "Close enough, isn’t it the same thing?"
The innkeeper smiled at Ye Beizhi. "Can you guess where the name of the Elegant Sound Tower came from?"
Ye Beizhi thought for a moment and shook his head. "I have no idea."
"Could it be derived from the phrase 'Understanding elegant intentions through the sound of the strings?'" Chi Nanwei interjected from behind.
Ye Beizhi and Fang Dingwu turned their heads and saw Chi Nanwei gracefully descending the stairs. She had freshened up in her room. Although she hadn’t changed her clothes, her face no longer had the tired and dusty look from traveling, and she had returned to her usual bright and cheerful self.
"Miss, you have a keen insight," the innkeeper complimented. "The name of Elegant Sound Tower is indeed derived from this meaning."
Chi Nanwei gave a modest smile. "It’s just a lucky guess. I’ve studied music theory, so it was easy for me to figure out."
The innkeeper continued, "Then you must visit Elegant Sound Tower. The skilled musician I mentioned is actually the owner of the establishment. He is a master of the guqin, and the music played by his hands is truly enchanting. They say that the sound of his performances can linger for three days without fading."
Chi Nanwei joyfully said, "I will certainly go and experience it for myself."
The three of them asked for directions and headed straight for Elegant Sound Tower.
It wasn’t too late when they arrived at Elegant Sound Tower. Upon entering, they found that the hall was already quite filled. A waiter warmly guided them inside.
The three of them found a spot on the first floor nearby, sat down, and ordered their food and drinks.
After the waiter left, Fang Dingwu pointed to the center of the restaurant and said to Ye Beizhi, "Brother Ye, look over there."
Ye Beizhi had already noticed the spot Fang Dingwu was referring to. In the center of the restaurant, there was a deliberately empty space, likely intended as a dance floor. Behind it, a separate area was partitioned off with a curtain. Their table was close enough to the dance floor to see clearly through the curtain where they could faintly make out the shape of an ancient guqin. There was no one around it.
"This is all so mysterious. I wonder if the owner of this restaurant is really as extraordinary as the rumors say," Fang Dingwu murmured under his breath.
Ye Beizhi stared at the guqin, his eyes slowly narrowing into slits. Fang Dingwu heard him softly say, "That guqin... is dangerous."