Chapter 794: Chaos at the Temple Fair

Ruyi went down to the river to wash her face.

Days of constant travel had left her hair a tangled mess and her face smeared with patches of grime, though a quick wash helped immensely.

She loved roaming the jianghu. In her earlier years, her skin had looked as pale and smooth as jade, but now her face bore the weathering of the road, having tanned significantly.

Ruyi let out a long breath and looked over at Lihua.

The cat scooted away. "Lihua is not a dirty street cat. I don't wash my face."

It wanted absolutely nothing to do with the riverbank.

There was water everywhere. How hateful!

Ruyi let out an amused sound and scooped the cat into her arms.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ruyi's hands are wet!"

"Oh, it's just a little water."

"Ruyi is so annoying."

"Haha..."

Cradling Lihua, Ruyi headed toward the Temple Fair.

The Temple Fair was far livelier than Ruyi had imagined.

"That's a lot of people..."

Ruyi stared at the scene in mild shock.

It was vastly more crowded than the temple fairs from years past; it looked impossible to even squeeze inside.

Ruyi opened her mouth, feeling somewhat helpless.

There were quite a few things for sale at the fair, including noodles and steamed buns.

The scent of meat wafted over.

Instantly, both girl and cat felt hungry.

Lihua smacked its lips. "Lihua is hungry..."

Ruyi sighed. "But we are completely out of money."

Lihua blinked. "Why don't we go to Chuanfeng Alley first? Lihua remembers there's a head of fish who seems to be very rich."

"It's just 'a' fish, not a 'head' of fish," Ruyi corrected.

"Is there a difference?" Lihua blinked.

It did not see much distinction. Weren't a head of fish and a fish basically the same thing?

"Of course it's different," Ruyi said. "It's like how I can say 'a Lihua,' but I can't say 'a lump of Lihua.'"

Lihua froze at those words.

"I'm not a lump."

"Right, right."

Lihua immediately asked, "So, are we still going to find that head... that fish?"

"That is someone else's money. We have to earn our own."

"No." Lihua shot her a look. "Ruyi always makes Lihua act like a fool. Lihua won't do it."

Ruyi offered a helpless smile. "That is called street performing. How is it acting like a fool?"

"It is acting like a fool."

Lihua's whiskers twitched in deep reluctance.

It felt that spinning around in endless circles was not something a smart cat should do.

"Well, do you want to eat or not?"

"..."

Lihua's stomach grumbled in protest again.

It finally lowered its head in defeat. "One last time."

Ruyi grinned and jogged straight into the Temple Fair, finding a relatively empty patch of ground to mark out a circle.

"Come look, come see!"

"A cat that understands human speech!"

"Step right up, don't miss out..."

Ruyi shouted her pitch with practiced ease, her voice loud and clear. She looked like a seasoned veteran; clearly, she had recited these exact lines many times before.

Such a novelty naturally drew a lot of attention.

Bit by bit, onlookers gathered around.

"It understands human speech?"

"Probably just a phrase or two. How much could it really grasp?"

"Let's just watch."

...

Yu Hongjin had split off from Chen Changsheng and Sister Yun.

Following those two was incredibly boring.

She decided to wander around and see if a kind soul would be willing to trade for some wine.

To that end, she had specially disguised herself earlier that morning to buy three flasks of wine from the tavern.

She wondered how many unlucky fools she would run into today.

"Whose little girl is this? Why is she out here without an adult?"

The words came suddenly from behind her.

Yu Hongjin looked back.

She saw a simply dressed figure with their hair tied up in a bun. The person carried a Sword at their waist, held a Folding Fan in one hand, and had a Wine Gourd dangling by their side.

Yu Hongjin's eyes immediately lit up.

Going by her past experience, anyone dressed in such a motley fashion was guaranteed to carry good wine.

Looking at the person, she immediately spoke up: "Kind soul..."

The person with the Wine Gourd froze, suddenly struck by an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

...

Chen Changsheng and Yunxiang strolled deeper into the Temple Fair.

Before their eyes was the Dragon King Temple.

Yunxiang purchased a few sticks of incense outside the temple, and Chen Changsheng accompanied her inside.

"Will Mister not offer a prayer?"

As soon as Yunxiang asked, she realized her mistake. "I almost forgot. Mister and the Dragon Lord are old friends."

Back in the day, even the Dragon Maiden had to call him Uncle Chen.

Chen Changsheng smiled warmly. "I will just watch."

Yunxiang nodded. She stepped forward, bowed three times, and planted the incense sticks.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the divine statue.

The Old Dragon King had not come this year. He likely hadn't expected the Temple Fair to be held again.

What a pity.

He didn't get to extort anything from him.

After paying their respects to the Dragon King, the two found a spot outside the temple to rest.

Yunxiang watched the people coming and going and couldn't help but say, "The rest of the world is fighting wars, yet Qingshan City only grows livelier."

Chen Changsheng said, "After all, it has been years since they last held the Temple Fair. It's only natural that there are more people this year."

Yunxiang nodded. Looking at the diverse mix of people, she said, "In past years, the crowds at the Temple Fair were mostly ordinary folks. This year, there are many more people from the jianghu. People carrying a saber and sword can be seen everywhere."

Chen Changsheng paused. "Are you saying trouble might break out?"

"It is guaranteed to," Yunxiang replied.

Chen Changsheng nodded. He thought so as well.

"Prince Wei must have anticipated this as well."

As she spoke, Yunxiang looked at a few people standing on the street. They didn't look like they were here to enjoy the fair; their eyes were constantly fixed on the diverse crowd around them.

Chen Changsheng said, "He is far from simple. He is baiting a hook."

The Temple Fair was one thing.

But of course, there was another.

Weidi seemed peaceful on the surface, but in reality, because it had taken in so many refugees in recent years, spies planted by other princes or the Imperial Court had infiltrated many places across the territory.

The benevolent policies of the past had naturally led to this lingering historical issue.

Because with so many people, there was simply no way to verify everyone's identity.

It was inevitable.

And the Temple Fair was serving as bait.

There were indeed many spies scattered across Weidi.

Qingshan City, however, had the fewest, as security here was relatively much stricter. By throwing the city gates wide open for the Temple Fair, an enormous crowd had flooded in. Under this lax security, it was only natural that many people with ulterior motives would slip into the city.

But Prince Wei was already entirely prepared. He had deployed his own men everywhere; the moment any suspicious figure was spotted, they would be closely observed.

Naturally, these spies also understood that this could very well be a trap.

Yet Weidi's consistent benevolence always made them inexplicably overlook these risks.

There would always be someone willing to walk right into the net.

Resting her chin in her hand, Yunxiang glanced at the people walking through the Temple Fair.

A short while later.

A chorus of exclamations and screams suddenly erupted from the Temple Fair.

It was entirely expected.