Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the afternoon of the fourth day of the seventh lunar month in the 13th year of the Yuanping reign, a sudden summer storm assaulted the Imperial Capital city.

Today was the third day after ‘The Great Han Times’ was published and Yan Liqiang also welcomed the afternoon break he was allowed once every three days.

The afternoon sky of the capital city was still clear and filled with fluffy white clouds yesterday. When the storm hit this afternoon, the sky immediately darkened. The wind was violent and was accompanied by a heavy downpour. The surrounding mist reduced visibility to only a few dozen meters. Lightning occasionally streaked across the sky, illuminating the vast space…

Despite the storm, busy people inside and outside the capital city like Fang Beidou still carried on with their work.

While the thunder rumbled outside, Fang Beidou had reserved the entire floor of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant in the capital city. He then invited nearly one-third of the storytellers in the city to the restaurant today.

These storytellers were busy men who earned dozens of copper coins every two hours. It was usually not an easy feat to invite them somewhere. However, Fang Beidou used an extremely interesting approach in his invite. He merely stated the time and venue on the invitation card, then wrote the first two chapters of ‘Journey to the West’ on the papers and attached them with the invitations. The storytellers who received an invitation all came and arrived on time.

When those storytellers arrived at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant and noticed that many of their peers were also there, all of them looked at each other in confusion. Just when they were asking each other about how long the mysterious person who invited them here was planning to keep them waiting, Fang Beidou made his entrance.

Fang Beidou didn’t say anything after he made his entrance. With just a clap, Hu Haihe started distributing several copies of the first fifteen chapters of ‘Journey to the West’ that they prepared for all the storytellers. The bustling restaurant went silent instantly.

When the storytellers finally lifted their unsatiated yet extremely excited gazes from the handwritten copies in their hands, Fang Beidou cleared his throat. “The first fifteen chapters of ‘Journey to the West’ is in everyone’s hands. This is merely less than one-sixth of the hundred-chaptered tale. The rest of the story is even more exciting than this. As long as everyone is willing to make a pledge with me, you may freely use the complete version of ‘Journey to the West’ in the future…”

“Excuse me, may I know who the author of ‘Journey to the West’ is? An old man dressed in a gray robe that could be considered the most seasoned storyteller in the crowd stood up. “Would it be possible for me to meet and learn from him?” he asked politely.

“Our manager wrote the tale. There will come an opportunity for everyone who wishes to meet him. However, I’m afraid this is not a convenient time for that!”

“Is your manager perhaps surnamed Liu, Wang, or Huang?”

“What makes you say that, old sir?” Fang Beidou inquired with a smile.

“In the present time, I cannot think of anyone in the Great Han Empire who is capable of composing a tale that would give the storytellers in the world another opportunity aside from Lord Liu from Xi City, Lord Wang from River Gui, or Lord Huang from Three Great Literature Sect of Mount Bai!”

While the old man was speaking, the other storytellers were actually nodding along to express their approval in his words.

“Hahaha, our manager’s surname is not Liu, Wang, or Huang. His surname is Yan!”

“Ahh…!” All the storytellers were taken aback.

“Everyone will have the opportunity to meet our manager when the time comes! But for now, please consider my offer. Make a pledge with me…”

“How do we make a pledge?”

After Fang Beidou told everyone about the basic agreement, cheers immediately erupted throughout the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. Not even the roaring thunder outside could drown out the passionate cheers of the storytellers in there.

……

The sound of rumbling thunder from the sky outside resonated throughout the heaven and earth. Outside the window, curtains of water could be seen cascading down the eaves…

In the midst of the roaring thunder, it was tranquil inside Yan Liqiang’s room. The advancement phenomena around him was slowly dissipating while the image of clouds was absorbed into his body. He slowly opened his eyes as the recovery and strengthening process from Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing came to an end.

This wasn’t his first time experiencing an advancement like this. Instead of feeling surprised, he was actually getting used to it even though he had just attained the final advancement for the ‘Cloud Dragon’s Ten Transformations’ technique. His cultivation speed could probably make Ye Tiancheng die from shock if he came back from the dead.

“I can’t believe it’s raining today!” Yan Liqiang smiled as he looked at the curtains of water and the misty scenery outside his window. His body also felt like it had grown lighter by a few jin.

While Yan Liqiang was looking out of the window, he noticed several birch trees that were swaying in the violent storm outside, about twenty meters away from his courtyard. All of a sudden, a bird’s nest was blown off from the treetop and fell toward the ground…

The moment that bird’s nest fell, Yan Liqiang’s figure beside the window vanished as though he was a ghost. In just the blink of an eye, his figure returned to the window’s side again with only a few water droplets on his clothes and a small bird’s nest in his hands. Three featherless baby birds that hadn’t open their eyes yet stretched their necks in the nest as they chirped. It seemed like they weren’t aware that they had nearly made a trip to death’s door.

Two small birds flew to Yan Liqiang’s window in the rain and looked at the nest in his hands. They chirped loudly, seemingly wanting to get closer yet afraid to do so.

“Fine. I will be a good person until the end and find your family a safe place to shelter from the storm…” Yan Liqiang looked at the two birds, then lightly jumped up to the window ledge. He swept his glance over the beams under the roof and finally found a suitable space that was like a small tunnel near a huge pillar of the house. He stretched his hands out and carefully placed the bird’s nest at the space under the roof. After making sure that the nest was secure, only then did he jump off the window ledge.

The two birds immediately flew over to the nest as soon as Yan Liqiang placed it there. They sat in the nest and started chirping as though they were thanking him.

Seeing that it was about time, Yan Liqiang went back to his bedroom and changed into the clothes and boots he had prepared beforehand. He retrieved King Cobra’s mask which he had hidden in his luggage compartment and found a veil. Stashing both items on his body, he thought for a moment before retrieving a few more flying needles with strange blueish tips. He inserted them into his belt to conceal them, then put on a raincoat, took an umbrella, and stepped out…

“Commandant Yan, you’re still going out in such heavy rain?” The guards at Deer Villa’s entrance greeted Yan Liqiang with warmer smiles than before.

“A brother of mine is treating tonight, so it would be rude if I don’t show up.”

“There are carriages that shuttle between Deer Villa and the Imperial Capital every day. Why don’t you wait for a while? Let us find you one to send you to the capital city…”

“Hahaha, no need for the trouble everyone! It’s pretty fun to walk in the rain. Who knows? I might even meet some beauty and end up sheltering from the rain together with her!” Yan Liqiang laughed heartily and greeted at the guards at the Deer Villa entrance before he coolly walked into the rain…

Yan Liqiang was going to the Imperial Capital to attend a banquet and also kill someone…