Castle of Black Iron

It took them almost 4-5 hours only to visit a small corner of the peach mountain. The peach mountain occupied a large area in Xuanyuan Hill. It was full of picturesque sceneries such as brooks, cliffs, waterfalls, stone carvings left by generations of literati and underground karst cave which was known as one of the top 10 sceneries in the peach mountain, and the like. It would take people at least 1 week to travel across the entire peach mountain.

After taking a walk near the place where Yan Feiqing hung over and beat someone, it was already noon.

As the taverns near the brook at the foot of the peach mountain started to be boisterous, Zhang Tie then pleasantly took Bai Suxian and Yan Feiqing to a nice-looking tavern for lunch and nap.

Those waiters were known by their sharp eyes across the country. As these people had been used to various people such as lords and dignitaries, rich businessmen and imperial households from other subcontinents, peddlers and exotic people, they had long formed great power of discrimination.

No sooner did Zhang Tie take Bai Suxian and Yan Feiqing to the gate of that tavern called Immortal Guests Pavilion, a waiter had shouted towards inside euphoniously like singing, “A ‘heavenly’ private room for the three honorable guests…” After saying that, the waiter immediately nodded and bowed towards the three people with a big smile as he extended his arm to invite them, “Please, come on in, come on in. It’s this humble tavern’s great honor to have you here. We guarantee to meet your demands…”

Zhang Tie burst out into laughter. He flipped a gold coin towards the waiter as he said, “Take the tip; lead the way…”

The waiter nimbly caught the gold coin as his smile became a bit more genial with a more enthusiastic service.

As it was lunchtime, there were already many people inside the tavern, making it pretty boisterous.

There was a courtyard in the tavern, which lay a platform in the middle of the courtyard. There was an echo wall behind the platform. A decent and beautiful woman was sitting on a stool and plucking strings of a dulcimer, sending out a jubilant, euphonious and fascinating music which was as tender as spring water.

Sitting around the courtyard, diners were eating and listening to the tender tunes of the dulcimer. They occasionally shouted “bravo” as they threw some copper coins and silver coins into the flume in front of the platform as an award.

Because it would be inelegant for them to directly throw their awards into metal boxes, which would cause noises and might influence the performance of the woman. Therefore, they threw their awards into the plume. Being silent, being elegant! After each music, the boss of the tavern would count the awards. After taking away his share, he would leave the rest to the performer. “Water” money was legal. Across the country, tens of thousands of people were living on “water” money. Performers and audience’s awards formed a spetacular scenery in taverns across Taixia Country.

With the guidance of the waiter, the three people came to the 2nd floor through the stairs in the winding corridor on the left of the entrance before entering an elegant private room.

The private room was isolated by a two-ply foldable peach wood barrier. The window in the back of the private room faced the peach brook while the other faced the performance understairs.

“What do you think about this room?”

“Not bad!” Zhang Tie wasn’t always picky about similar things. If not with Yan Feiqing and Bai Suxian, Zhang Tie even feel easy in the lobby understairs. As this private room was clean and elegant, the three people decided to stay here at the table.

“It’s said that the mandarin fish in the peach brook of Xuanyuan Hill tastes good…” Bai Suxian told Zhang Tie with a smile.

“This humble tavern doesn’t provide mandarin fish today. If you want it, you’d better wait for another 2 months…” The waiter immediately reminded them with a bashful smile.

“Ahh, but why?”

“Honorable guests, look!” The waiter then pointed at a painting and a couplet on two sides of the painting in the private room.

——mandarin fish with slightly bigger bellies are swimming in the limpid peach brook. Some of them were opening their mouths to eat the peach blossom petals that fell onto the water; some birds were twittering on the peach twigs as they were feeding squabs in nests. These birds and fish were all vivid.

A couplet was on two sides of the painting.

“Please don’t eat fish in March as a sea of roe are in their bellies.”

“Please don’t catch birds in March as their fledglings are waiting for their parents in nests.”

“This is this humble tavern’s rule. So was it in most of the taverns in the peach mountain. I beg for your forgiveness, sir…” These days, except for mandarin fish in the peach brook, this humble tavern actually has many special cuisines and brand dishes. Our peach pastry and peach blossom spirit are also superb. I promise to satisfy you…”

“Hmm, serve us your best snacks and dishes then!” Zhang Tie replied with a smile instead of making the waiter embarrassed.

“In case of waste, how about some branded fruits in season, some tea and pastry?”

“Fine!”

The waiter bowed as he exited the room by moving backwards.

After throwing another glance at that painting and the couplet, Zhang Tie suddenly told Yan Feiqing and Bai Suxian with emotions, “Not until now did I know that Hua people and Taixia Country are powerful not only in their large quantity of knights, but also in culture. Due to the rise and fall of dynasties and races, subcontinents would see a new overall situation in each 200-300 years. Dynasties and major clans in subcontinents would always decline after reaching their apex; however, since the Catastrophe, Taixia Country has grown more and more powerful. Because only Hua people know how to treasure good fortune and accumulate virtue. It’s rooted in the powerful genes inherited in Hua culture. How could Hua people not be powerful with such a cultural inheritance?”

Hearing Zhang Tie’s words, Yan Feiqing and Bai Suxian both nodded.

Only after a short while, the food and drinks had been served.

They then started to enjoy the food and drinks as they chatted and appreciated the performance downstairs in a pretty relaxed and pleasant way.

When they finished half of their meal, they heard heavy footsteps from the winding corridor outside. It seemed that a team of people were approaching them. Among the footsteps, a man shouted loudly in coarse, non-standard Hua language, “What? If we don’t consume more than 30 silver coins, we have to spend 2 silver coins as a service fee? It’s too expensive!”

Hearing that voice, Zhang Tie became spirited at once as he stopped his chopsticks…

Zhang Tie could never forget this voice as it belonged to Captain Kerlin, the cyclops who had left the most darkest and terrifying impression to all the horny male students in their puberty in National 7 Male Middle School in Blackhot City. None of those horny ones in National 7 Male Middle School were living in his shadow. Even Zhang Tie felt that cyclops might be the most terrifying person in this world during that period.

If he hadn’t recovered his hearing, Zhang Tie almost doubted that he had got a hallucination.

After realizing Zhang Tie’s abnormal movement, Bai Suxian and Yan Feiqing both fixated onto him as they guessed that Zhang Tie might be familiar with that person outside the door.

“You know that man?” Yan Feiqing asked Zhang Tie using battle qi. Zhang Tie nodded.

After exchanging a glance with each other, Yan Feiqing and Bai Suxian became silent as they both wondered the relationship between Zhang Tie and the one outside.

“Kerlin, it’s a private room, not a standard room. I’ve told you so many times. Why do you always mix them?” Another helpless and a bit sluggish voice sounded, which Zhang Tie was familiar with too——It’s Zerom. Compared to Captain Kerlin’s non-standard Hua language, Zerom spoke Hua language much more fluently, “Alright, as there’s no table downstairs, we will order a private room upstairs…”

Zerom told the waiter.

“Could we afford that? Who told me to be frugal this morning? Although it’s very cool to dine and dash, but I’m afraid that we can’t bear the outcome…” Captain Kerlin complained in Hebrew.

“Who told you we will dine and dash? Although we are a bit frugal, we shouldn’t treat ourselves too bad…” Zerom answered in Hebrew as a group of them entered a private room beside Zhang Tie, “If we run out of money, apply for a bit more expenditure from Milton…”

“However, that old d**chebag’s face has turned increasingly bad these days. I feel that he might think we’re liars. He might deal with us by chopping us into pieces!” Captain Kerlin muttered in Hebrew.

“Please show us your menu?” Zerom told the waiter in Hua language, ignoring Captain Kerlin.

After they ordered some dishes and the waiter left their private room, Zerom said in Hebrew, “He’s just suspecting us, nothing’s confirmed yet. We’re in Xuanyuan Hill, the capital of Taixia Country. Even knights would be beheaded if they killed people here. Any influential figures from any country doesn’t have the right to execute punishment here, neither does Milton. In addition, it’s not our fault. After coming here for over 3 months, he has not even got a chance to meet a diplomat of the Lesha Republic in Xuanyuan Hill, not to mention a diplomat of Taixia Country itself. What can we do…”