Chapter Eleven: Like Jade

  Xu Xian woke up again when the sky was already dark, he touched his head and it didn't hurt, but he felt extremely thirsty.

  The wine and food on this table were indeed enjoyable.

  "Brother Xu, you're awake? There's iced tea on the table." Under Pan Yu's guidance, Xu Xian drank several cups of water again, gurgling and spluttering, and came to his senses. He looked around and saw Pan Yu leaning against the window reading a book, turning over the last page and smiling at Xu Xian: "Brother Xu is really good at writing poetry!"

  The sky had darkened, and the furnishings in the house were old and fragrant. Xuxian was still savoring the memories of his past life in his dream, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but pause for a moment and ask: "What poem?"

  Pan Yu read the poem that Xu Xian had recited while drunk, and heaped even more praise on it. Only then did Xu Xian understand what was going on, and he hastily pushed back: "I don't have such poetic talent, this is a poem that a wandering Taoist monk recited to me when I was young." After thinking for a moment, he added: "Brother Pan, it's better not to tell others about this poem."

  Pan Yu didn't understand, this poem if spread out will absolutely be a famous poem known to the world. The person in front of him not only said it wasn't his work but also told him not to say it out loud, truly strange. However, he thought again, this poem is good then it's good, but can't help giving people the impression that he likes drinking, which may not be a good thing for his official career path. This made him realize and feel that Xu Xian was profound and difficult to measure.

  "Please rest assured, brother Xu, I will definitely keep your secret."

  Xu Xian thanked him and smiled: "We, brothers Xu and Pan, are too cumbersome to be called that way. Why don't we just call each other by our names? Just call me Xu Xian."

  "My surname is Ming and given name is Yu, you can just call me Ming Yu."

  "What a beauty like jade?" Xū Xiān revealed a strange expression.

  "No, it's 'a gentleman is like jade.'" Pan Yu immediately corrected seriously.

  Xu Xian smiled and said: "You have both, you are a perfect combination of beauty and talent, you possess the qualities of both a beautiful woman and a noble gentleman."

  But unexpectedly Pan Yu said seriously: "I, Pan Yu, am a seven-foot-tall man, so please, Brother Xu, do not make such jokes, otherwise, please just call me Pan Yu."

  Xu Xian hastily apologized, guessing that the more handsome a man is, the more he cares about this! Da Da said some good words and finally calmed down Pan Yu's anger. However, Xu Xian secretly thought that even when Pan Yu was angry, he still looked like jade. As for being a beautiful gentleman, he didn't dare mention it again.

  The sky had completely darkened by the time they finished speaking.

  The Imperial Academy is a national selection, and these young scholars are key investments. The cost of food and lodging for them comes from the government's treasury. Xu Xian can also receive a sum of silver grain from Qiantang County every year, which has some meaning as a scholarship. This is because the county magistrate sees that Xu Xian's future prospects are bright, and he is spending public money to establish a good relationship with him.

  After traversing for over a decade, Xu Xian finally had some spare money on him, but it was only a few pieces of broken silver, probably enough to be considered the shame of all transmigrators. He himself was quite satisfied, having developed a lavish spending habit in his previous life that he couldn't resist indulging in now that he had a bit of money.

  "Ming Yu, how about I treat you to dinner tonight?"

  Pan Yuzhen had his heart set on inviting Xu Xian, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. So Xu Xian led Pan Yu around the West Lake, but they were all high-end wine houses. Xu Xian touched his own purse and smiled wryly in his heart, and could only continue walking.

  Pan Yu had a clever and sensitive heart, but couldn't help noticing Xu Xian's thoughts. However, she didn't want to speak up, so she just stood aside and secretly smiled to herself. After walking for a while, Xu Xian suddenly became excited when he saw a small wine shop in front of him, and was overjoyed as if he had found a treasure. But at the same time, he felt a bit hesitant and embarrassed.

  Pan Yuxiao said, "Brother Hanlin is obviously a connoisseur. The famous dishes of Hangzhou are all hidden in these small shops at the corners and alleys. Don't be fooled by those luxurious restaurants, the authentic flavors are still found in these local places."

  Xu Xian wasn't stupid and understood that Pan Yu was just trying to save face for him. But since things had already come to this, he relaxed and said with a smile: "Today I'm a bit short on cash, but once I've made some money, I'll definitely invite you to the most expensive restaurant in Hangzhou."

  This guy hasn't even made a fortune yet, but he already has the air of a nouveau riche. This should have been an attitude that Pan Yu disliked, but when this poor scholar said it, he found it refreshingly straightforward and lovable.

  "Hehe, don't be stingy with your money later, and don't think you can get away with being poor, I won't let you off."

  Xu Xianlian said he wouldn't, and the two of them entered the store, ordered a few small dishes, and didn't drink any wine. After the tea was served, Pan Yu took a sip and then stopped drinking. From childhood to adulthood, he had never drunk such bad tea or been to such a place.

  The wine shop's business is not bad, the sound of customers playing dice and laughing, the sound of the shopkeeper welcoming and sending off, the sound of the waiter shouting and complaining are intertwined together, making people feel that in this small store, there is a warm atmosphere, a lively and bustling air.

  It was also very noisy, Pan Yu couldn't help but frown slightly, Xu Xian noticed and felt a pang of regret in his heart. The white-clothed and ink-haired Pan Yu sat in the tavern, giving off a sense of a white jade being sullied by dust. Simply sitting there, yet feeling completely out of place with the surroundings.

  Xu Xian sighed and said, "How can we use the pure white to dye the worldly dust? Let's change to another one." It was a quote from Qu Yuan's "The Fisherman".

  Pan Yuxiao smiled and slightly shook her head: "It's all just fleeting water, the noise of this world is everywhere, no matter where you go, you can't escape it. Who among us mortals can remain unblemished?" As she spoke, she picked up the teacup on the table and drained it in one gulp.

  The dishes arrived, and the small plates were still clean and delicate, allowing Xu Xian to secretly let out a sigh of relief. Xu Xian spent the afternoon eating and drinking, but wasn't very hungry. Pan Yu was busy hosting and was actually getting a bit peckish. Eating these plain tea and rice in small bites, it really had a unique flavor.

  Xu Xian looked on, and suddenly four words popped into his mind: elegant to the bone. This must be what they meant by Eastern nobility in their past life! Refined yet carefree, far surpassing those Western aristocrats who fuss over wine vintages and fashion sense, addressing each other as "sir" and "madam". Noble, simply because they carry the cultural heritage of a thousand years.

  After dinner, Pan Yu first took a sip of tea to rinse his mouth, then took out a plain white handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and finally lightly pursed his lips, smiled slightly at Xu Xian and said: "I've finished eating, thank you for the hospitality."

  Xu Xian was stunned for a moment before reacting, thinking to himself: "If Pan Yu were a woman, that would be great." But he quickly shook his head and told himself in his heart, "This is 'The Legend of the White Snake', not 'The Butterfly Lovers'". He silently recited "I am a man" ten times before getting up to pay the bill.

  A pair of lustful eyes had been fixed on them since they walked in, and now with the effects of alcohol, he couldn't hold back anymore. Seeing that they were just two weak scholars, he boldly walked over and said: "Such a beauty is truly rarely seen." As he spoke, he stretched out his coarse large hands towards Pan Yu's chin. The people at his table immediately started banging on the table and whistling.

  "Bang!" The whistling at the table stopped abruptly, and even the noise in the wine shop paused for a moment. Everyone's eyes focused on Xu Xian.

  Xu Xian stood up, full of anger, holding the long bench he had been sitting on earlier. The obscene middle-aged man was now sitting on the ground, dazed and covering his head with his hands, blood flowing from between his fingers. He groaned weakly, having been stunned by the solid wood bench hitting his head. It wasn't until after a while that he started to moan.

  Everyone did not expect that such a weak scholar would take action, without any warning signs. Even Pan Yu, who was stretching out his hand with ease, was now staring at Xu Xian with a slightly open mouth in surprise, is this really a scholar?

  The middle-aged man's accomplices then swarmed over, shouting "Brother, brother" in unison.

  The middle-aged man covered his head with one hand and pointed at Xu Xian with the other, "Kill him for me." His accomplices immediately surrounded him.

  Xu Xian stood tall and unafraid, saying in a loud voice: "I am a scholar of the Imperial Academy, with honors and fame to my name. Who dares to touch me? Are you not afraid of being cut into pieces?" His words were stern and severe, completely unlike his usual gentle and affable demeanor.

  The man on the ground shouted loudly: "Kill him." However, his companions shifted their gaze to the only person at the table who had not moved. The man looked like a scholar and after a moment of contemplation, he waved his hand. A group of people helped the injured man on the ground out, but he still wanted to argue. The scholar's cold gaze swept over him, and he immediately covered his head and stopped speaking.

  Xu Xian held onto the long bench, vigilant from start to finish, until those people left, before letting out a sigh of relief. Turning his head to Pan Yu, who was sitting calmly, he said: "Just now I made a hand gesture, didn't you see it?"

  Xu Xian's forehead was sweating fine beads of sweat at this time, while Pan Yu had a carefree and leisurely expression.

  Pan Yu blinked and pretended not to understand, "What gesture?" Just now, Xu Xian held a chopstick in one hand and made gestures under the table with the other hand towards Pan Yu, but Pan Yu just acted as if he didn't see it.

  "Let you run!"

  Pan Yuguang smiled and said: "Brother Han Wen is a hero of the world, intimidating all the little ones. Why should I run?"

  Xu Xian said, "Those who are not ordinary at first glance, several of them even touched their waists, and at a glance, they were carrying something. These fugitives can do anything, what if you can't stop them, won't you be in danger?"

  Pan Yuxiao said: "If I run away, won't it ruin your momentum and put you in a precarious situation?"

  Xu Xian held the jade-like gentleman in front of him, and sighed, "Forget it, forget it, it's getting late, let's go back!"

  The two of them walked out of the wine shop chatting and laughing. A pair of eyes in the corner stared straight at them, saw which direction they were heading, and hastily left.

  "That one move of yours is truly earth-shattering and soul-stirring. At the beginning, if we clearly show our identity as students of Tianxue Academy, they wouldn't dare to make a move. But if that move were to provoke them instead, it would be bad."

  Xu Xian shook his head and said, "Ming Yu, you've grown up in a golden house since childhood, you don't understand these people. They're all deceitful and afraid of the strong. If you reason with them, they'll think you're afraid of them. If you don't give them a good scolding, they'll really think we're weak and can be bullied, and they'll take advantage of us more and more."

  Pan Yu lowered her head as if in thought, and finally raised her head with a smile: "That's true too?"