"The stones in Blue Moon Lake are all transformed from unjustly souls!"
Feng Gouer, who appeared small and thin, was attempting to become a Stone-Touching Worker, but it was feared that...
Feng Gouer's companions were obviously aware of the dangers in the lake and tried to persuade him,
"Stone-touching is like playing with your life. You'd better just stay with us and chip away at stones by the lake. Although it pays less, getting to eat meat once every three days is already quite good!"
Feng Gouer said,
"I know stone-touching is dangerous, but my mother is sick, and I want to earn more silver to take her to see a doctor!"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent...
Gu Shi Yi just followed this group of people into the small town.
In the small town by Blue Moon Lake, the tallest, largest, and most expansive property belonged to the Gu Family. However, it was mostly occupied by family and servants. The true practitioners of the Gu Family were on a Nameless Mountain nearby. Since all the caves hewn into the mountain were made by the Gu Family, the townsfolk referred to it as Gu Mountain.
When Gu Shi Yi entered the small town, he felt a wave of familiarity wash over him,
"This place hasn't changed much since I left!"
Twenty-five years had passed, but the small town by Blue Moon Lake remained the same. The largest property at the center of the town belonged to the Gu Family. A ring of concubines' and stewards' residences circled the exterior, followed by the homes of lesser stewards. Further outward were many shops and storefronts. On the very outskirts were the shanties constructed for the ordinary craftsmen, a collection of low, damp hovels. A main road ran straight through the center, leading directly to the heart of the town. However, without a token, it was impossible to pass through the lesser stewards' area to enter the inner circle.
Gu Shi Yi followed the group of young men into the town, watched them head for the shanties to find acquaintances, and then continued further inside. He found an inn to stay at. By then, the sky had darkened completely. There was scarce light on the outskirts of the town, for the craftsmen living there were too frugal to use oil lamps. Yet, the further he walked towards the center, the brighter it became. The Gu Family mansion was brilliantly lit, every corner ablaze with light.
Gu Shi Yi strolled leisurely along the streets of the town with his hands behind his back, but his eyes were keenly surveying the faces of passersby, as if trying to find a familiar one. Without realizing it, he reached a particularly bustling area.
Seeing those heavily made-up women, Gu Shi Yi just smiled slightly...
In the secular world, prostitution and gambling always went hand in hand, and this little town beside the Blue Moon Lake attracted a plethora of craftsmen. Many of them worked hard to earn silver, some to support their families, yet many others would spend their earnings in the Flower Tower Brothel on a woman, or gambling away in a fervently busy Gambling House. The street down the middle of the town was lined with such establishments. Gu Shi Yi, having followed the Old Taoist Priest and seen much of the world, entered the street as casually as if it was his own vegetable garden. When approached by a woman from the Flower Tower soliciting business, he even had the audacity to size her up,
"Miss, the powder on your face is rather too thick... tsk, tsk, tsk... are those wrinkles at the corners of your eyes?"
So not a miss, but more of an old lady, right?
"Ouch... Your Flower Tower boasts as the first in town, quite the tall claim. How much silver for a night?"
"Too expensive! Too expensive... With such quality, it's only worth one qian of silver..."
Just when the Flower Tower women were about to lose their temper and possibly resort to violence, he already slipped into the Gambling House. Inside, he weaved through the crowd and suddenly caught sight of a somewhat familiar face. After looking for a while, he finally remembered who it was,
"That's the third brother from the third uncle's place in the second branch, my cousin Gu Yongping..."
Gu Shi Yi was not actually called Gu Shi Yi; according to the generational order, her name should be Gu Wenqian. Though she was the legitimate eldest daughter, she was the eleventh child born in the Gu Family, which is why everyone called her Shiyi. And this Gu Yongping was ranked tenth in the family, referred to as Gu Lao Shi by relatives, and was no stranger to bullying Shiyi in their childhood.
Gu Shi Yi retreated to a corner, coldly observing as Gu Lao Shi squeezed beside the gambling table; he was red-faced and yelling excitedly. Li Yaner saw that the Gambling House was crowded, but amidst the throng of people, everyone's eyes were glued to the gambling table, and no one noticed her. Thus, she quietly poked her head out from Shiyi's chest and curiously asked,
"How many children does your family actually have?"
There's an old ten, this is eleven; are there twelve, thirteen, twenty?
Speaking of which, Gu Shi Yi showed a face full of helplessness,
"Quite a few... Our family is quite a large clan..."