The heavy rain poured down.
He Xiuyuan walked on the official road, holding a paper umbrella.
"Bibo Prefecture should be not far ahead."
He Xiuyuan looked around, recalling the map he had seen earlier in his mind.
According to the map, Bibo Prefecture should be visible not far ahead.
Beside the official road at this moment was the Luo River, also known as the Luohe, flowing quietly forward.
With the current downpour, if this were any other river, its water level would surely rise sharply.
But when He Xiuyuan stood by the Luo River, he did not see any trend of the river swelling or overflowing.
Looking at the Luo River, it seemed as if no matter what happened in the outside world, it remained as serene as ever.
"The name of this Luo River is truly well-deserved."
He Xiuyuan looked at the gently flowing Luo River, a slight sense of emotion in his heart.
After quietly admiring it for a moment by the official road, He Xiuyuan continued walking forward.
After about half an hour, He Xiuyuan saw Bibo Prefecture in the distance, appearing before him.
The entire city wall of Bibo Prefecture was already covered in moss, and under the heavy rain, wisps of white Qi lingered within, adding a sense of tranquility.
Under the heavy rain, many people wearing straw cloaks moved through the city; even with the heavy rain, the streets still appeared very busy.
He Xiuyuan walked for a moment before stepping into Bibo Prefecture.
After looking around, He Xiuyuan asked for directions and learned that the Hall of Hundred Flowers was on the south side of Bibo Prefecture.
Upon receiving this information, He Xiuyuan immediately headed south.
According to the previously mentioned scholar surnamed Li, the inn he stayed at was built next to the garden, so he could see the scene of a hundred flowers blooming upon waking up.
With this information, He Xiuyuan naturally planned to stay at this inn for a few nights.
He Xiuyuan walked for about half an hour, and after asking for directions along the way, he finally arrived at the Hall of Hundred Flowers.
Around the Hall of Hundred Flowers, there were many inns and hotels.
These inns and hotels were right next to the Hall of Hundred Flowers, and on the second floor, there were even staircases extending directly into the Hall of Hundred Flowers, making it convenient for guests to directly enter and enjoy the Hall of Hundred Flowers.
Presumably, the Hall of Hundred Flowers was extremely famous; even though it was raining heavily, when He Xiuyuan casually found an inn, he could still see tourists coming and going, many of whom were women.
"Guest, are you staying?"
As soon as He Xiuyuan stepped into the inn, the waiter greeted him with a smile.
He Xiuyuan nodded, seeing the large number of tourists coming and going in the inn, and couldn't help but ask, "Are there still rooms?"
"You came at just the right time, a room just became available, would you like it?"
The waiter said with a beaming smile.
He Xiuyuan nodded, thought for a moment, and then asked, "How much for one night?"
"Guest, one night costs three hundred copper coins."
"What?"
He Xiuyuan, who had been somewhat calm, was stunned upon hearing this, and his hand holding the paper umbrella paused.
Three hundred copper coins!
The other inns He Xiuyuan had stayed at before cost around one hundred copper coins per night, so why was it three hundred copper coins here?
This guy, he wouldn't be intentionally inflating the price, would he?
"Guest, all the inns and hotels next to the Hall of Hundred Flowers are this price. If you don't believe me, you can go around and ask."
"Moreover, it's very close to the flowering season now; it's estimated that you'll soon see the flowers blooming, and even more people will come then."
"It's just that the rain is untimely now, so there are fewer guests. Otherwise, normally, there would already be no rooms left in this inn."
The waiter, seeing He Xiuyuan's surprised look, was not surprised at all.
He had seen such situations many times.
He Xiuyuan touched his pocket, feeling the few remaining silver coins, and sighed slightly in his heart.
Fortunately, only the inns here were expensive. If all inns cost this much for one night, he would only be able to sleep on the streets.
Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan nodded, paid and booked a room, and then ordered some food.
He Xiuyuan had almost exclusively eaten dry rations on his journey here, and by now, it had been a long time since he had eaten a hot meal.
Not long after He Xiuyuan sat down by the window on the second floor, the waiter came up with dishes on a tray.
"Waiter, how long have you been here?"
He Xiuyuan asked as he picked up his chopsticks.
The waiter replied as he served the dishes, "It's been seven or eight years, I suppose."
He had been here for that many years.
"Then have you ever seen the Hall of Hundred Flowers in full bloom?"
Seeing that the waiter had been here for so long, He Xiuyuan immediately became interested and quickly pressed for more information.
If this waiter had also witnessed it, then what the scholar surnamed Li said back then would not be false.
The waiter subconsciously glanced at He Xiuyuan, then leaned in and whispered, "Guest, are you also here for the Baihua Fairy?"
"Baihua Fairy?"
He Xiuyuan's heart stirred upon hearing this.
This seemed to be the second time he had heard this name. Even this waiter knew about the Baihua Fairy, could it be true?
"Yes, aren't you here for the Baihua Fairy, guest?"
The waiter nodded in response, as if it were obvious.
He Xiuyuan became interested, "I also heard others say so, which made me curious to come here, but I heard some people say that this Baihua Fairy and such are fake. Is there really such a person?"
"Waiter, you've been here for so long, have you ever seen this Baihua Fairy?"
The waiter was not surprised to see He Xiuyuan pressing for answers like this.
Over the years, many people had asked the same question.
He shook his head upon hearing the question, "I have been here for so many years, but I have never seen any Baihua Fairy or the sight of a hundred flowers blooming."
"However, over the years, I have heard some guests talk about it."
"According to them, while getting up in the middle of the night, they suddenly saw the beautiful scenery of a hundred flowers blooming in the Hall of Hundred Flowers, and within the Hall of Hundred Flowers, they could also see a female."
"That female was dressed in a gown of a hundred flowers, with a veil covering her face, skin like congealed fat, hair styled in a spirit snake bun, and features as picturesque as a painting; truly the appearance of a Fairy."
"Over the years, countless guests have heard this rumor and been attracted by it, coming here to seek out that Baihua Fairy."
"However, after all these years, it's only been heard, and no one has ever truly found this Baihua Fairy."
"Moreover, those people all said they saw a hundred flowers blooming, but when everyone got up and looked, the hundred flowers in the garden were almost withered; there was no sight of flowers blooming at all."