Chapter 57: The Luo Book (I)

After parting with Nan Jiyun, Li Kuo called together his friends such as Zhang Yanji and Zhou Wucui to discuss their next steps. To Li Kuo’s surprise, Zhang and Zhou not only failed to question the large influx of Tibetan monks to Chang’an but also teased him for being overly suspicious. It was the chubby little Zhou Wucui who, upon hearing that Li Kuo had become a hermit, had his cheeks quiver as his flesh turned from pink to a dark purple.
“You… you really became a hermit?”
The chubby boy asked tentatively, rolling his eyes.
“Absolutely!”
Li Kuo smiled calmly and waved his hand.
Zhou Wucui’s lips twitched, but he managed to suppress his resentment and said sarcastically, “Oh, impressive. At just sixteen, you’ve become a hermit in our Great Tang—what a bright future ahead!”
Knowing Zhou Wucui was jealous, Li Kuo shrugged. “No matter how bright my future may be, wouldn’t it be because of you, genius Zhou, recommending me? Besides, geniuses and ordinary people can’t be measured by the same standards.”
Seeing that Li Kuo had made things easier for him, Zhou Wucui couldn’t be too pretentious and “generously” waved his hand. “Never mind. After all, I owe you from my past life. You’re now an officer in the Zhuque Regiment of the Divine Strategy Army, my direct superior. Even I, genius Zhou, have to think of myself!”
“You!”
Li Kuo gave the chubby boy a light glance and stopped arguing.
Based on the clues given by Nan Jiyun, most of the Tibetan monks who had flocked to Chang’an were staying in Anren and Kaihua districts. Since the Jianfu Temple in Anren District was home to many renowned monks whose fortune-telling was said to be accurate, crowds of pilgrims came there every day to pray. Whether seeking fame or fortune, children or grandchildren, as long as one had faith in Buddha and prayed devoutly, their wishes would surely be fulfilled.
By noon when the three arrived at Jianfu Temple, the number of pilgrims seeking fortune-telling hadn’t diminished at all; the queue stretched from the main hall all the way to the south gate. Li Kuo didn’t believe in Buddha, but he wasn’t averse to it either. In his view, anything that existed must have its reason, and there was no need to deliberately deny or belittle it. Having eaten nothing since early in the morning aside from a pot of good wine and a few dishes, the three finally entered a seemingly shabby small tavern after discussing it with their friends.
As soon as they entered, Zhang Yanji covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. “Brother Kuo, what kind of place is this? It stinks!”
Li Kuo frowned; he too could smell a strange odor. At first, he thought it came from outside, but now it seemed to originate inside the shop.

“How does this shop make a profit? Will customers even dare to enter?” Zhang Yanji shouted arrogantly, refusing to back down. Zhou Wucui shook his head and glanced at Zhang Yanji disdainfully: “Ordinary people, nothing more. Haven’t you noticed that this is the only tavern around the vast Jianfu Temple? Without competitors, he can run it however he wants.” Zhang Yanji still seemed dissatisfied, muttering under his breath, “They say big shops exploit customers, but I think even small shops can make huge profits if they’re ruthless enough!” Perhaps the pilgrims who had gone to pray hadn’t returned yet, so the shop was rather quiet. The three of them found a table by the window and ordered food from the waiter. The waiter was a Hu girl with sapphire-like eyes that kept blinking at them, melting their resolve. Hearing their call, the Hu girl quickly twisted her waist and freed herself as if by magic. “Sigh, what a beauty!” Zhang Yanji stared at her waist in admiration. “Dear guests, what would you like? We have premium bear paws, deer antlers, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup, paired with our exclusive chrysanthemum wine—a true paradise on earth.” She moved closer to Zhang Yanji and blew a breath of stale air on his neck. Zhang Yanji instinctively jumped back a few steps. “Giggle.” The Hu girl covered her mouth and joked, “This young man is quite shy. At his age, in our hometown, he’d probably already be married.” Li Kuo waved his hand at her and said, “No need for those dishes. Just bring us two pounds of braised mutton and two pots of chrysanthemum wine.” “Oh.” The glow in her eyes dimmed instantly. As she prepared to take their order, a loud voice called out, “Wait! Bring us another plate of ‘Shambhala’!” Li Kuo nodded slightly, signaling to her. Her previously lifeless expression gradually regained color as she smiled seductively, “This young man has great taste! Our ‘Shambhala’ is the best in all of Chang’an—it’s our signature dish!” Perhaps gradually accustomed to the smell in the shop, Zhang Yanji relaxed slightly, breathing heavily. “This shop is really strange—using a Hu girl as a waiter, and she’s so stunning. Aren’t they afraid she’ll eat them?” “I suppose she enjoys it that way.” Zhou Wucui narrowed his eyes and glanced to the upper right.

At this moment, there were only three tables of drinkers in the small shop. In the corner at the west end of the shop sat a swordsman dressed like a ranger—clothed in black, wielding a black sword, with black eyes and black hair. In Zhou Wucui’s view, this man was quite strange; despite having a warm spot by the window, he chose to sit in a dark corner and drink in solitude. The swordsman seemed unconcerned about anything else, merely fiddling with a small enamel stove, using a gentle flame to heat a pot of sake.

Across from the three youths sat four or five Tibetan monks. All of them wore red robes and black cassocks, with bare chests. Their thick earlobes stretched down to their jawbones, and though they had broad foreheads and faces, they didn’t exude any sense of kindness. They kept murmuring in Tibetan, discussing something unknown to anyone else. When the lead monk noticed Zhou Wucui looking his way, he glared at him, dissuading the youth from further curiosity.

“Really strange!”
Zhou Wucui stroked his bare chin, his face filled with confusion. “Logically, Tibetan monks should be debating Buddhist teachings at the temple at this time. Why do they have time to drink casually?”

“Here it comes! The fragrant and spicy ‘Xiangba La’ is here!”
The Persian woman twirled her waist as she rushed over with the delicious food for the youths.

“Is this… ‘Shangri-La’?”
Li Kuo asked in disbelief, his eyes wide.

“Yes, fragrant, crispy, spicy, and slightly burnt! Young sir, let me tell you straight—if you want to taste authentic ‘Xiangba La’ in Chang’an, you’d better come to our place!”

It turned out that this mysterious signature dish was actually the famous hairy crab. The mighty crab that had been fierce just moments ago was now tied up and became food for the youths.

Zhang Yanji shrugged. “Not bad. I was thinking of eating hairy crabs these days. It’s good to have meat thanks to Brother Kuo!”

The young man broke off a crab leg, bit into it, and enjoyed the delicious meat.

“Fools, mere mortals!”
Zhou Wucui adjusted his clothes, washed his hands with clean water, then carefully pried open the crab shell to extract the crab roe, savoring it slowly.

Li Kuo, however, wasn’t in a hurry to eat. He murmured softly, “The Luo Shu appears in the world; disaster strikes the Central Plains. The Buddha begins his fasting period; the two capitals fall. Five dou of rice enters Shangri-La…”
As if suddenly understanding the deeper meaning, Li Kuo slammed the table and said, “I get it! The Luo Shu must be a medium used by someone with ulterior motives. And that Buddha must be one of those Tibetan monks. After all, where else in the world would monks break their fasting rules? As for those five dou of rice, it must be part of some secret organization they’re involved in.”

The boys’ unusual reactions caught the attention of the Tibetan monks sitting across the table. They seemed to understand Tang language and quickly got up, ready to charge at the boys. At that moment, the silent black-robed swordsman who had been sitting in the corner took action. With a swift motion, his sword emerged from its sheath, its dazzling blade shining toward the monks, causing them to feel dizzy and disoriented.

“The man is from Chang’an; the dog is a Tibetan dog. Though I’m not very talented, I still know the rule in Chang’an—that Tibetans and dogs are not allowed inside. Don’t you all know Chinese and have accidentally come in?”

Although Yan Xu hadn’t drawn his sword, he exuded a fierce killing aura that made people shudder.

The Tibetan monks had never suffered such an insult before and immediately swung at Yan Xu. “Wait!”

The leader among the monks slowly opened his narrowed eyes and used clear Tang language to stop his men from acting rashly.

The leader in black robes hadn’t said a word since entering the tavern, sitting there like a statue. What stood out the most was the long red scar on his cheek, which seemed to wriggle as if it were alive. After studying the swordsman before him for a long time, his stone-like lips trembled slightly, and he gave a strange smile: “In Lhasa, there are no rules. Let’s be friends, Young Master Yan.”

Without waiting for Yan Xu to respond, he waved his hand and led the monks out of the tavern. Though reluctant, the monks seemed to obey their leader’s orders and left reluctantly.

“Thank you, Brother Yan!”

Li Kuo bowed to Yan Xu. Although he wasn’t afraid of trouble, he didn’t want to cause unnecessary issues either. They were secretly investigating the Luo Shu, so they needed to stay low-key.

“You don’t need to thank me. I helped you because you’re a true Tang person. Under the bright sky of the Great Tang, such barbarians from other races cannot act recklessly.”

Frowning, Yan Xu still warned them, “Their sudden departure isn’t because they’re afraid of me. They must have some secret mission and don’t want to draw attention. Wolves can’t be tamed. Once they set their sights on you, they’ll fight to the death. If you don’t want to be severely bitten, you must break their fangs and legs!”

With that, he picked up his sword, slung it over his shoulder, and left.

“Brother Yan, where are you from? Where can we find you?”

Zhang Yanji asked loudly.

“I am a man of the Great Tang; my sword is a sword of the Great Tang. Where there’s injustice, there’s me; where there’s conflict, there’s my sword. Be careful. Remember, you are Tang people, with the noblest blood in the world. You must never bow your head to a beast!”

Note 1: Jianfu Temple: According to records of the Tang Dynasty’s urban layout, Jianfu Temple was built in Anren Fang and was very popular among worshippers.