I served as Li Bai's page.

Chapter 111 Wandering in Chang'an

Li Bai didn't return until dinner time, and he wasn't in good condition.

I took his manuscript and said, "Young Master, is it not going well?"

"It went fairly smoothly. I spoke with several officials and gained their approval, but I didn't have a good impression of them. They were too bureaucratic, unlike Lord Li Ting, and seemed unreliable."

"Didn't they say anything more?"

"You're telling me to explore Chang'an properly and experience the prosperity of the capital? Is this part of the story?"

"They really don't know what's what, young master. Don't be discouraged. If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will."

Li Bai gave me a forced smile.

After dinner, we went to bed early.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Bai, holding the manuscript, said to me, "I'm going to visit a few more important officials. Take good care of yourself."

"I know. Go ahead, young master."

I didn't go anywhere that day. Li Bai didn't return by noon, and by evening, a curfew was about to be imposed in Chang'an. Li Bai still hadn't returned, and I started to panic. I went out of the inn and onto the main street outside. I looked around, but I still couldn't find Li Bai.

The curfew drums sounded throughout Chang'an, and people on the streets began to jog, returning to their lodgings. I stood on the steps of the inn, silently praying that Li Bai wouldn't get drunk and would return quickly. Just as I finished my prayer, Li Bai came running back carrying a chicken in a cage.

I went to meet them, took the cage from them, and said:

"Young Master, where have you been? Why are you only coming back now?"

"Don't even mention it. I ran back. Look what I brought back!" Li Bai said, holding up the chicken coop for me to look at closely.

"It's just a fighting cock, what's so special about it?" I said.

"So you know this? I thought you didn't."

"Young Master, you can't play this game. If we really have nothing to do, we'll go back to Anlu."

"I know what I'm doing, so don't interfere. I'll take you to cockfighting tomorrow."

"I'm not going. Playing games is a waste of your time; it's not something you should be doing."

"There's no right or wrong about it. I'm just an ordinary person. Don't expect too much from me," Li Bai said angrily.

I saw Li Bai's face turn somewhat pale, and thinking of the misfortunes he had encountered in the past year, I suddenly lost the courage to argue.

Neither Li Bai nor I spoke, and we fell into a silence. I carried the chicken coop back into the room. The waiter saw me and came over, saying, "Young Master Li, did you just buy this? Your chicken is so majestic; it'll surely be invincible."

Li Bai smiled at the waiter and said, "I don't know much about it either. I just bought it because they said it was good. I've never been on the battlefield before."

"Look at the imposing presence of this chicken. You made the right choice; it's a fighting rooster. If you don't believe me, go to the cockfighting arena tomorrow and see for yourself," the waiter said.

"Brother, thank you for your kind words. I'll give it a try tomorrow."

Li Bai and I returned to our room. I tidied up the manuscripts on the table, placed the chicken coop on it, and the fighting rooster let out an inappropriate long crow. Li Bai quickly lifted it off the table. I turned and went back to my own room, closing the door behind me.

After a while, I heard footsteps stop in front of my door.

"Yuehua, open the door, I've brought dinner."

"I'm not hungry, I don't want to eat, you eat," I said.

"Open the door, quickly."

I opened the door, and Li Bai came in carrying a bowl of food. He said, "Don't be angry. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would waste my time on trivial pursuits? I was just trying to clear my head."

I said, "Young Master, I know we've had a rough time in Chang'an, but we shouldn't stray from our original intentions. Going to cockfighting is a bit too far from the main point."

"I know, I'll stop in time, don't worry. I tried cockfighting to cater to the tastes of some adults. Today I visited Lord Zhang's residence, and several officials were there. They only talked about the currently popular cockfighting, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. I sat there empty-handed for half a day. Therefore, I also want to study cockfighting."

I had nothing to say, so I picked up a bowl of rice and started eating.

"Tomorrow, you'll come with me to the cockfighting arena in the East Market to see what this fighting cock is all about," Li Bai said.

The next morning, I bought some rice. Besides what Li Bai and I ate, I bought extra and put it in the cage for the chickens to peck at. After the chickens finished eating and drank some water, Li Bai and I carried the cage to the cockfighting arena in the East Market.

Although it was morning, the cockfighting arena was bustling with activity, packed with people, and three pairs of cocks were already fighting on the platform. A large crowd of onlookers surrounded the area. Li Bai and I squeezed in, carrying our chicken coop.

At this moment, a pair of chickens on the stage had already decided their winner. The winner clucked loudly, while the loser lay motionless on the ground.

"Young master, look how cruel it is! Chickens fight to the death. It's either victory or death. Are you still willing to let your chickens go into battle?"

Li Bai didn't answer my question, but instead focused on watching the battle between the other two pairs of chickens. Soon, the other two pairs of chickens also had a winner, with each of the three chickens winning one match.

The host said, "Is there any fighting rooster that would pair up in an even number to ensure fairness?"

Just then, a wealthy young man carrying a chicken walked up and said, "Our servant is invincible; who wants to challenge him?"

Li Bai couldn't stand people who boasted, so he took a chicken out of the coop, walked up to it, and said, "I'm willing."

The host asked, "How far do you hope your cockfighting will go?"

Neither Li Bai nor I understood, but the rich young master said, "A duel to the death."

"Then you'll sign the waiver of your right to life or death." The host said, handing a piece of paper with writing on it to Li Bai and the rich young master, and asking them to put their fingerprints on it.

Li Bai glanced at the wealthy young man and pressed his handprint without hesitation. The wealthy young man hesitated for a moment, then also pressed his handprint.

Two chickens were placed on the cockfighting platform. It must be said that the rich young master's chicken was indeed a fighting chicken, plump and strong, and it made a grand entrance. Our chicken, on the other hand, was small and thin, but agile and nimble. I could tell at a glance that we were going to lose.

The rich young master, seeing that our chickens were small, pulled out two stacks of silver notes from his pocket and said, "Since your chickens are weak, this money is yours."

I said, "We're not here to gamble; our chickens won't pay you if they lose."

"I don't want your money, as long as your chickens win, this money is yours." After saying this, the rich young master threw two stacks of silver notes in front of my table, which gave me great encouragement.

I took a handful of rice out of my pocket and sprinkled it in front of our chicken. The chicken lowered its head and started eating. The rich young master's chicken saw the food and came over. To protect its food, the small chicken leaped over, stomped on the fat chicken's back, and grabbed the fat chicken's comb with its beak. The fat chicken struggled, but it couldn't get rid of the small chicken. The more it struggled, the deeper the small chicken's beak gripped. With just this one move, our chicken pecked the fat chicken until feathers were scattered all over the ground, and it was covered in blood.