The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#714 - Each with their own thoughts

Lu Jing thought about it. He and Xia Huai would still need this paper frog to guide them later. If someone saw it again, he would have to find a way to lie, and he might not be able to get away with it smoothly.

But if he was with this group of performers from the Qunying Society, others would probably just think he was playing some kind of trick, which would save him a lot of trouble.

Therefore, seeing that Master Bai took the initiative to invite him, Lu Jing also nodded and said, "Then let's go together."

"Excellent," Master Bai said, overjoyed. He took the lead and led the two to a passenger ship at the pier.

At this time, there were already many people sitting in the cabin.

There was a storyteller, a young woman singing Beijing opera, a sumo wrestler who was almost three times the size of a normal person, an old man with a monkey who performed various tricks, two chess officials playing chess, and a tall man holding a wooden box, closing his eyes and resting, not knowing what he did.

Master Bai clapped his hands, attracting the attention of everyone in the cabin, and then pointed to Lu Jing and Xia Huai and said, "Everyone, come and meet some new friends. This is Little Brother Lu and his…"

"Wife," Xia Huai bit her lip and said.

"Wife, Miss Xia. They are good at colorful magic tricks, especially the art of paper figures, which is truly eye-opening."

"The art of paper figures?" The man holding the wooden box suddenly opened his eyes and sneered, "How eye-opening is it?"

"Old Chen," Master Bai frowned, "Can't you be more polite to guests? Everyone is just trying to make a living. Shouldn't we help each other when we're out and about?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't help them. I'm just curious about how amazing this eye-opening art of paper figures really is," the man holding the wooden box said with a fake smile.

At this time, the old man with the monkey who performed various tricks also suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Old Chen, I remember that the art of paper figures is also your specialty, right?"

"So-so. Anyway, in the capital this month, the theaters where I performed were always full, and no one could see through my tricks until we left. Oh, right…"

The man holding the wooden box paused and then continued, "In the meantime, several disgruntled magicians came to challenge me, but in the end, they all scurried away with their tails between their legs, hahaha… Before coming to Lintian Prefecture, I heard people boast about how amazing the magic tricks here were, with many experts and hidden dragons and crouching tigers, but now that I see it, it's nothing more than that."

Lu Jing couldn't help but take a few more glances at the man holding the wooden box after hearing this.

It wasn't that he was provoked by the other party's arrogant attitude. He was purely curious.

Putting aside those top courtesans, this was the first time Lu Jing had encountered an entertainment star in this era, and one with box office appeal, which felt quite novel.

As for the other party's provocation, Lu Jing didn't take it to heart at all.

It's fine if his magic tricks are amazing. He and Xia Huai weren't really in this line of work, so they wouldn't be provoked.

On the contrary, Master Bai, who brought them here, couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "Chen Tong, you must know that there is always someone better, and it's best not to speak too definitively."

Chen Tong didn't care, "Master Bai, I, Chen Tong, have a bad temper and speak harshly. You're better at currying favor, socializing, and winning people's hearts, so you got the position of leader of the Qunying Society.

"But no matter what, it's always better than some people who are swindling and deceiving, right?"

He deliberately said the words "swindling and deceiving" very loudly, as if he was afraid that others wouldn't hear it.

Connecting it with what he had said earlier, Lu Jing finally understood why Master Bai was so attentive and enthusiastic to them at the ferry before, and where Chen Tong's hostility towards them came from.

Obviously, where there are people, there is strife.

Even in a small gang like the Qunying Society, where performers of the lower classes gather to keep each other warm, there are disagreements.

This guy named Chen Tong seemed to have competed with Master Bai, who brought them on board, for the position of leader of the Qunying Society, but unfortunately, Chen Tong had too bad a temper and ultimately lost.

If he could scare the two of them away, of course, that would be the best. But even if he couldn't scare them away, it wouldn't be bad to severely dampen Lu Jing and Xia Huai's spirits and prove to everyone in the Qunying Society once again who was the most indispensable person.

Thinking of this, Lu Jing knew that even if he was willing to take another step back, it would be useless.

He had no interest in the internal strife of the Qunying Society, but since he and Xia Huai were brought on board by Master Bai, the people on the ship would naturally default to him and Xia Huai being Master Bai's people.

"You!" Master Bai was furious when he heard this, but he couldn't utter any decent harsh words after saying "You" for a long time.

The others on the ship obviously already knew about the conflict between Bai and Chen, and seeing this, they all lowered their heads and closed their mouths, tacitly remaining silent, making it clear that they didn't want to wade into this muddy water.

Only the young woman who sang Beijing opera hesitated and persuaded, "Brother Chen, the guests have come from afar. Is there anything you can't say to Master Bai in private?"

"Little Lian, it's not that you don't know that Leader Bai is soft-hearted and likes to make friends. I'm just afraid that he'll be deceived," Chen Tong said sarcastically.

As a result, as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Lu Jing say, "Let's have a competition."

"What?" Chen Tong was stunned, suspecting that there was something wrong with his ears.

"Let's have a competition. As long as we win against you, we can prove that we have real skills," Lu Jing said.

"Are you sure you want to compete with me?"

"Otherwise, you'll keep nagging all the way, right? So, let's have a competition. After the competition, my ears will be quieter," Lu Jing shrugged.

"Alright, you asked for it," Chen Tong said with a sullen face, "What kind of trick will we compete in?"

"Anything."

"Then let's do the art of paper figures. Since Leader Bai said that your art of paper figures is eye-opening, then I, Chen, will come and learn from you," Chen Tong seemed very confident, and immediately challenged Lu Jing and Xia Huai's specialty.

Because only in this way, after defeating this young couple, could he make Master Bai lose face.

"Okay," Lu Jing's expression was a little strange after hearing his words.

"Do you need to prepare in advance?" Chen Tong asked again.

"No, what about you?"

"I don't need to either," Chen Tong didn't want to be outdone, and said directly, "Then I'll go first and embarrass myself."

After saying that, he opened the wooden box on his lap.