Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 522: Fantasy Building

Mustering up the courage to inquire only made Pei Ye even more confused. He squinted his eyes and saw that there was clearly a smile on the corner of the girl's mouth.

"Well...why don't you ask Young Master Pei to ask Changsun?" Cui Zhaoye suggested seriously, "Although she respects Mr. Xu very much, if Young Master Pei begs her, she will definitely be embarrassed and half-hearted."

Pei Ye could actually imagine that scene, but he shook his head and said, "I am an upright person."

What she meant was that classmate Changsun was kind and easy to bully, and she couldn't refuse her friend's request, so Pei Ye refused to go along with her.

"Well, I'm just giving you some advice. It's none of my business whether Mr. Pei is willing to use it or not."

The carriage moved forward quietly and swiftly. Pei Ye tilted his head and lifted a corner of the curtain. The atmosphere was a little different. The noisy streets gradually faded away, replaced by a wider, flatter, and quieter black stone road. The walls on both sides also became taller and neater, and the eaves were covered with green tiles, with stone beasts standing on the eaves.

People passing by the road were either red or purple, and sometimes they wore jade. Sometimes there were men and women with silver dragon patterns on their clothes.

The people living in the eight eastern districts of the imperial city are by no means rich and powerful. Even though Lord Di is now the prefect of Jingzhao, he still has no official residence here.

Pei Ye watched quietly for a while, then lowered the curtain: "Miss Cui, is the person behind this Huanlou really that well hidden? You've been there many times, but you still don't know who he is?"

Cui Zhaoye hesitated: "I really don't know, but... I can't say it's hidden very deeply."

"Oh?"

"Because..." Cui Zhaoye tapped his chin gently, "If someone wears a mask, it means they don't want to reveal their true face, so naturally no one will spy on them."

"…Just an attitude is enough?"

"Just an attitude is enough." said the girl.

"You'll know when you go there, Young Master Pei. It's not an occasion where you need to introduce yourself, nor is it a strange place. If the people at the banquet don't meet in the Huanlou, they will meet somewhere else." Cui Zhaoye looked at the young man who still had a Jianghu mindset and didn't know certain things, and smiled as if he didn't know what to say, "No one will vigilantly explore the identity of the host - of course, if you know it, then you know it, and the host is not hiding anything."

She tilted her head and said, "Because Huanlou is not gathered secretly by one person with only his confidants. For example, Xunfang Garden, where we are going now, is the territory of Lu family, but there are not many direct descendants of Lu family in Shenjing, and they don't come here very often. And every time there is a banquet in Huanlou, there is always a Jinwu Guard to patrol, which is the business of the Southern Court or the military. As for dancers, singers, fine wines and delicious food, there are even more suppliers, and there is also the chef of our Cui family..."

Pei Ye nodded slowly. He roughly understood that this was a banquet, not a secret meeting. These resources with extremely high thresholds were always easy for some people to obtain. That person gathered the power around him to build this illusory building - perhaps just like he casually ordered Taipingcao and Fengshuiwu to bring the mermaid, which obviously also involved the power of the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

Such a master is not willing to reveal his identity to everyone, and his will will certainly be executed.

Pei Ye was thinking quietly. Suddenly, the carriage turned a smooth arc and then slowed down. Cui Zhaoye smiled at him and said, "Young Master Pei, we have arrived at Xunfang Garden."

Pei Ye lifted the curtain of the carriage and got out. It was completely different from the noisy scene he had imagined. It could even be called quiet here, as theirs was the only carriage around.

But it was definitely not deserted, because the first thing Pei Ye smelled when he stepped on the stone bricks was... the fragrant scent of flowers.

What blew on my face was actually the warm east wind.

He was a little confused about the season and subconsciously looked back. The wall outside the garden was still cold, it was clearly the first month of winter.

And in front of me are indeed green grass and soft flowers, tall poplars and weeping willows, and unique flowers and trees are hidden between the red walls and black tiles. Combined with today's sunny weather, it is a completely beautiful spring night.

"The east wind keeps the flowers alive for a long time." Cui Zhaoye came down from the back and said with a smile, "Xunfang Garden is like spring all year round. It has been like this since I came to Beijing."

“…Hmm.” Pei Ye nodded slowly.

The last time he heard about this courtyard was from Xie Chuantang. At that time, the woman found out that people would go to Huanlou after visiting Xunfang Garden, so she hid under the car with a dagger in her mouth. However, now it seems that people may not go to Huanlou after admiring the garden, but this garden is the only way to get to Huanlou.

He looked up and saw several unique buildings deep in the garden in the night, but he didn't know which one it was.

"Since we arrived earlier, it would be just right for us to walk there instead of taking the car." Cui Zhaoye smiled.

"it is good."

At this time, a servant came and led the carriages and horses to the side door. Pei Ye then understood why there was no carriage or horse at the door.

"How many people usually come to this banquet? I don't think the garden is very lively." After walking for a while, the scenery was indeed the most unique and beautiful landscape Pei Ye had ever seen, but he didn't meet a single person.

"It depends. Generally speaking, there are more than thirty people, but no more than sixty or seventy. Today, there should be more than fifty people."

Pei Ye was slightly surprised. There were fewer people than he had imagined. If he were to have a banquet at Fenghuai, there wouldn't be enough space for ten tables.

Cui Zhaoye didn't know what he was thinking. He just enjoyed the rare spring night. When he walked through the path, the branches of flowers brushed against his face. When he stepped over the small bridge, the spring water gurgled. The deeper he went, the sparser the lights and candles became. There were only flowers leaning against the moon and stars moving on the water. The girl suddenly turned around and smiled and said, "Young Master Pei, I heard that you like to recite poems. Can I teach you a few lines here?"

Pei Shaoxia naturally likes to share and doesn't like to be tested. When he heard the first half of the sentence, his heart tightened, but when he heard the second half, he felt relieved and smiled, "Okay."

Cui Zhaoye said, "If you want to recite five-character verses, you can recite 'The night dew contains the scent of flowers, and the spring pond ripples with the moonlight'; if you want to recite seven-character verses, 'The river flows around the fragrant meadows, and the moon shines on the flower forest like hail' is also suitable. These two poems are called 'Spring River Flower Moon Night', which is interesting, isn't it?"

"Hmm, interesting."

Pei Ye's eyes lit up slightly, and he wrote down each word carefully. When he looked up, he saw the girl looking at him with a smile.

"Then..." Cui Zhaoye said cunningly, "Just now, what Master Pei was thinking in his heart was, who should he read it to next time in such a beautiful scene?"

"..."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Pei Ye smiled helplessly, looked up at the moon, and remained silent.

"Hmm~ It seems there really is such a person."

"There are so many people here." Pei Ye chuckled, leaning over the railing of the small bridge, looking at the petals on the water. "No matter who I'm with, even if it's someone as boring as Yan Feiqing, it's a good thing to be able to spend a night in such a quiet and beautiful scenery... Unfortunately, what's missing is not the beautiful scenery, but the gathering."

Cui Zhaoye suppressed his smile, clasped his hands together and said softly: "At this moment, we can see each other but cannot hear each other. I wish the moonlight could shine on you."

Pei Ye tilted his head, his eyes slightly bright: "This sentence is really good, is it also from the poem just now?"

"Yes." Cui Zhaoye smiled, "It's suitable for writing in a letter."

"Haha."

"These two poems are not read randomly." Cui Zhaoye sighed and continued to walk forward, "The moon on the river flows year after year, and life flows from generation to generation... When Young Master Pei enters the Illusion Tower, he will inevitably have such feelings."

"Almost there?"

“There are only two turns left.”

Black Cat spoke for the first time in a long time: "Pei Ye."

"Ok?"

"How much of this bullshit, 'What's missing is not the beautiful scenery, but the gathering', have you secretly prepared?"

“……” Pei Ye ignored it.

The black cat leaned over to his ear and said calmly and earnestly: "You can't do this anymore. I already find you a little disgusting."

"You're so disgusting."

……

……

The place where they stopped was completely beyond Pei Ye's expectations. It was not any of the buildings that he had seen from afar, but a quiet little garden. Although it was a unique view, it did not have what Pei Ye had imagined.

Not only was it unspecial, it was even somewhat remote. Pei Ye suspected that it was on the edge of Xunfang Garden because the flowers and flowing water were gone.

But there are people here.

Two servant-like men in blue were guarding the door. The door was a small, old wooden door, which was ajar. If one tried to close it, there would be several banging sounds.

There are broken thresholds, old steps and moss under the door.

Pei Ye could see through the gaps that there was no building higher than the courtyard wall, and there was probably not even a flat house behind the door. The old stone slabs that made up the path were tilted and cracked, with frozen grass roots in the gaps.

But there are guests here.

Two or three groups of people arrived earlier than them or at the same time. One of the women had a noble temperament and a long sword on her waist. Pei Ye recognized her at a glance. It was Lu Xiu, whom he had met several times in the Sword Training Institute.

Next to her was a handsome and gentle young man, but he had a strange face.

And the person who was walking into the garden was actually a familiar face. He walked over with big strides, and when he saw the two of them, he smiled and clasped his fists. It was Chu Shuiting from Shushan.

Pei Ye smiled back at him, but other than that, there was no other courtesy in the courtyard. Lu Xiu glanced at Pei Ye's face, paused at Cui Zhaoye's face, but didn't even nod. The young man next to her seemed to sense the atmosphere and felt a little awkward. He carefully glanced at a few people, but couldn't help but linger on Cui Zhaoye's face.

"Another scholar, is this the new top scholar this year?" Cui Zhaoye did not dodge, but smiled faintly, "Lu Xiu, you really can't live without a man."

"Miss Cui, you're talking about these things too. Is it because what you brought today is better?" Lu Xiu glanced at Pei Ye expressionlessly, "The new swordsman in the city is to your taste."

Pei Ye was at a loss.

The young man with a slightly stiff face looked at him.

Cui Zhaoye seemed to no longer want to look at her, and turned around and said with a smile: "Hello, Mr. Chu, let's meet up for a sword fight sometime in the future."

"Haha, thank you Miss Cui for your appreciation!" Chu Shuiting, who had been keeping his hands and mouth shut, clasped his fists and bowed, secretly winking at Pei Ye who was looking at him.

"Brother Pei, you'd better stay away from these women from Shenjing," the man said.

Finally, Lu Xiu and the other person went in first. When they reached the door, they took two pieces of silver paper from the servants and poured something into their mouths. Then each of them took a small soft bag, pushed open the wooden door and walked into the back garden.

Now Pei Ye could really see clearly what was behind the wooden door.

The moss in the abandoned well is cold, and the dew in the barren garden is wet.

Then the next moment the man turned around, lowered his head and closed the door, blocking his view.

Pei Ye looked at the scene in a daze and turned to look at Cui Zhaoye.

"The old stories of Qujiang are still there, and the ghost grass grows in Huameng." Cui Zhaoye smiled and said, "From this gate onwards, it is no longer Xunfang Garden. It was the site of half of the Qujiang Pond during the time of the previous emperor. Later, it was burned down in the war and the people took it away... The other parts have been renovated into new gardens and mansions, and only this part remains in its original state."

She walked up to the two green-clad ladies, took out two similar pieces of silver paper, turned around and handed one to Pei Ye.

Pei Ye looked at it in amazement. In the center of the shiny paper, there was a handful of fine powder, which sparkled brightly under the light gathered by the silver paper, like a divine object.

Cui Zhaoye smiled at him, tilted his head back and poured it into his mouth.

Pei Ye didn't have time to stop her. She subconsciously lowered her head to look for water, then raised her head and didn't see her choking.

Cui Zhaoye said with a smile: "Young Master Pei, if you don't eat now, we might get separated soon."

Pei Ye thought to himself that he had a black cat on his body and a quail on his heart, so he was not afraid and poured it into his mouth.

There was no dust choking him, nor was there any gravel cutting his throat. Instead, a cool and smooth feeling slid into his throat, and the wonderful feeling almost made him groan.

Then he felt his body begin to float lightly and his vision started to blur. The girl then handed a small soft bag into his hand - it felt even better than the smoothest silk.

Then he found that his walking was not affected at all. However, the girl beside him still held his wrist and led him forward, saying with a smile: "It will be a little uncomfortable for the first time, and you have practiced, so your Qi will unconsciously resist this abnormality. You can try to relax."

Pei Ye did as he was told and indeed felt much better. Although his body was still light, his five senses were much clearer.

Cui Zhaoye pushed open the door: "Be careful with the threshold, take a step."

"I know that." Pei Ye defended seriously.

He lowered his head and walked over carefully.

Cui Zhaoye was very happy.

She turned around and closed the door: "Open your 'Phantom Silk'."

Pei Ye realized that she was talking about the small soft bag in his hand, but at this moment he froze.

Standing just a few steps away from the path in the deserted garden, staring blankly at what was in front of him... it was a door.

It was exquisite, elegant, and even had a hint of... prosperity, as if it had been here for many years and had welcomed countless distinguished guests. But Pei Ye clearly remembered... when Lu Xiu and the others pushed open the door just now, there was nothing here.

There is a poem engraved on both sides of the door, with iron hooks and silver paintings, which is elegant and graceful - "Fang Zhu holds water to mix magic medicine, and sprinkles the raw silk to change the cold and heat."

"Stop being in a daze and put it on."

Pei Ye turned his head and saw Cui Zhaoye draping the extremely thin "Fantasy Silk" on his body after shaking it open. So the girl's outfit was changed into a light silk skirt in front of him, and the tassels were like river water floating in the air.

Then she covered her face with a piece of soft gauze, creating a lazy and cold peacock face.

No wonder people think that this country bumpkin is her plaything. This girl is truly priceless.

"This is the game that runs through every session of the Illusion Tower." Cui Zhaoye said with a smile, "The illusion drug lasts for two hours. In the first hour, those who are recognized by others must remove the illusion silk. Those who still have the illusion silk after an hour can compete with the ancient sages. The winner of the competition always has some very interesting prizes."

Pei Ye draped the thin fabric over his body somewhat clumsily. At this moment, he already felt a little dizzy - unlike the discomfort in his head at the beginning, now there were really bright spots of light dancing in the air in front of his eyes, like the light leaking from a lamp.

Then these spots of light began to expand into cracks, like worms twisting in the air.

"You can disguise yourself as anything you want." Cui Zhaoye said beside him, and then his wrist was pulled forward, "Let's go, you should have seen that world."

Pei Ye followed her through the door in a daze. When his feet landed on the ground, it was not a slanted and soft stone slab, but a hard and flat surface.

He lowered his head subconsciously and was completely stunned.

A carved white marble floor.

One piece after another, one piece connected to another, and then it was endless, all the way to the bridge, the water, and the trees.

At this moment, the brightness at the edge of his vision pierced him. The boy slowly raised his head. The candlelight and moonlight illuminated his face, and everything on his face slowly relaxed.

At the end of the white marble, beside the Carved Dragon Bridge, behind the green trees and flowers, the wine and the bright candles, there is a huge and towering red building, as if it has caught the bright moon next to it.

The dancers dragged colorful silks down from the building, their bodies as graceful as the flowing silks, the pretty Hu Ji played the pipa, and two white cranes flew from the lake to the high building. On the high building, the poet in white clothes and black hat was leaning on the eaves, drinking to the moon, the Taoist's stove smoke and light rose together, and the swordsman laughed and danced a brilliant snow light.

"I once traveled to Wuling in the past, singing at midnight under the full moon. The day seemed long in front of the silver candle tree, and autumn was unaware among the dewy peach blossoms." Cui Zhaoye also raised his head and smiled, "I will teach you another poem, young man Pei. Welcome to... the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the Imperial Phoenix Era."

(End of this chapter)