Chapter 1271: Wine, Women, Wealth, and Desire Keep People Around Most

He Lingchuan laughed heartily. "How many conflicts did you prevent and how many lives did you save in the western Golden Plains by sealing the Rakshasa Armor? Who says only those who fight battles and turn the tide are heroes?"

Using his height advantage, he firmly pressed down on Fu Liushan's shoulder: "Look, even you're not sure what's right or wrong, or who counts as a hero. Do you think ordinary people understand? Don't you think someone should explain it to them carefully, to set the record straight!"

"You've wandered the world, seen the ups and downs of human nature, and dealt with people from all walks of life. Only you truly know what they want to hear, love to hear, and should hear!" He Lingchuan said sincerely. "There's no one more suitable than you."

Fu Liushan exhaled, composed himself, and unconsciously touched his face. "You're truly interesting. You even dictate what stories a storyteller should tell?"

Storytellers and taverns usually have a mutually beneficial partnership: good storytelling brings business to the tavern. Storytellers earn tips from customers, and some taverns also provide them with food and drink.

"Of course," He Lingchuan chuckled. "When I hire someone, don't I get to decide what content they deliver?"

Fu Liushan found this quite novel. "So, what kind of content do you want?"

"Naturally, stories about punishing evil and promoting good. The common people love to hear those, don't they?"

"Who said that?" Fu Liushan bared his teeth. "They love stories of romantic escapades and the scandals of the wealthy. Whenever I tell the tale of 'The Night Raid on Widow Village,' the house is always packed, and everyone begs me for more details!"

He Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder. "Exactly! These must also be written, and in great detail! If you don't have enough material, I can even provide you with more."

"Oh? You have something juicy?" Fu Liushan immediately perked up his ears. "Tell me about it."

"You've heard of Bo Nation, which just collapsed in the west, haven't you...?"

"No, tell me more, tell me all about it."

The two chatted as they walked. While He Lingchuan's storytelling prowess wasn't as captivating as Fu Liushan's, the story itself was compelling. Before He Lingchuan even finished one tale, Fu Liushan realized he hadn't left Ju City but had leisurely followed He Lingchuan all the way into the headquarters of the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce.

Oh, how did I end up here without even noticing?

Inside the headquarters, it was naturally quiet, with only the old doorkeeper secretly dozing off.

Two wind lanterns under the eaves cast a warm glow.

"Come, let's drink." He Lingchuan pulled Fu Liushan into the study, produced a pile of braised dishes from somewhere, and then brought out several jars of fine wine.

Fu Liushan had lost half a night gambling and was feeling quite agitated, but once he started drinking and eating the food, he couldn't stop.

He Lingchuan then chatted with him about more interesting anecdotes. Fu Liushan, full and content, soon fell asleep.

He slept until late morning.

When Fu Liushan rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up, a servant outside had already prepared a face towel and warm water for him, and even helped him tidy his clothes.

Then came another rich but somewhat bewildering lunch.

It had been a long time since he'd felt so comfortable. Fu Liushan let out a satisfied burp, intending to go to the courtyard to help digest his meal, and then he saw He Lingchuan.

Island Lord He had someone else with him.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is our future Chief Historian, Master Fu Liushan. Whether our taverns, restaurants, and theater troupes are packed will depend on his eloquent storytelling."

Fu Liushan quickly waved his hand. "Oh, I haven't..."

He hadn't agreed. Although he had been enjoying free food and drink.

Wait, theater troupes too?

He Lingchuan gave him no chance to speak, immediately continuing, "This is Dou Wenguan, who previously managed the external affairs of the Yangshan Archipelago. I've reassigned him to liaise with you."

Dou Wenguan smiled and bowed to Fu Liushan. "Master Fu, I've long admired your reputation. I look forward to learning much from you in the future!"

"Oh, not at all..." Just as Fu Liushan returned the bow, He Lingchuan clapped both their shoulders. "You two chat. I have matters to attend to in the headquarters."

He genuinely had things to do and had only just managed to find a moment.

Fu Liushan was vaguely pushed next to Dou Wenguan and only regained his wits to remember, "Hmm, the fellow named He just mentioned 'theater troupes.' What was that about?"

Dou Wenguan led him outside.

A row of buildings was connected behind the Chamber of Commerce. Fu Liushan followed him through corridor after corridor, finally entering a large courtyard. "Oh, it's like this: our Island Lord believes that once storytelling can be established in various places, we can start setting up theater troupes. People need leisure activities, don't they? How many people are there in Ju City, and how many can afford to go to establishments? Luckily, there's a garrison here..."

Dou Wenguan led him past a long row of rooms.

The area was bustling with people coming and going. The doors of the rooms were open, and Fu Liushan's gaze casually swept over them and then stopped:

Inside, several young women were applying makeup and changing clothes, chatting and laughing cheerfully, unconcerned by onlookers.

They wore light, thin clothing, and a fragrant breeze wafted out.

One of them happened to look over and even smiled at Fu Liushan.

Her makeup was heavy, her smile beautiful, her face and neck very fair, and her figure graceful.

Fu Liushan immediately swallowed.

Dou Wenguan stopped and waited for him. "Master Fu?"

"Huh?" Fu Liushan snapped back to reality and followed him through the rooms, walking past these charming women.

So many soft whispers, so many arms and fragrant shoulders—Fu Liushan felt his eyes weren't enough to take it all in.

After walking past them, he still looked back wistfully.

"These are...?"

"These are all new members recruited for the theater troupe. Some have poor basic skills, so they need intensive training over the next few days." In a small place like Ju City, it's hard to find suitable recruits right away.

"What? The theater troupe is recruiting women?"

"The first troupe will only perform in Ju City and a few other major cities. The Island Lord said women are fine," Dou Wenguan chuckled. "Once Master Fu's scripts are ready, they'll need to consult him and seek his guidance."

Consult? Seek guidance? Fu Liushan pointed to himself. "Me?"

"You write the scripts; don't they need to thoroughly understand them?"

Fu Liushan nodded delightedly. "Yes, we must communicate well!"

"By the way, Master Fu, can you write play scripts?"

"Yes, of course, I can." A story script, a play script—aren't they all just scripts? He could write anything! "I can churn out two scripts within three days!"

As He Lingchuan turned and stepped into the headquarters, the voices behind him faded.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror wondered, "Fu Liushan, who deals with ghosts daily and is even more cunning than they are, just stayed on, completely bewildered?"

"Bewildered?" He Lingchuan had long seen through him. "How can a wanderer find a wife?"

With the Rakshasa Armor gone, Fu Liushan's inherited mission was no longer what it had been.

"Huh?"

He Lingchuan, however, said no more and began to attend to matters within the headquarters.

An hour later, Dou Wenguan walked in, his face beaming. "Island Lord, it's settled. Master Fu will begin storytelling tonight at the Bamboo Haze Tavern. He said to strike while the iron's hot, so he'll lead with the story of Bo Nation."