Chapter 73: Billiards

All along the way, Jiang Qing looked at Zuo Zhicheng with amusement and said, “You’ve been in Xinlu for so long, but you haven’t gone out to play anywhere?”

Zuo Zhicheng shook his head and asked hesitantly, “What… is there to do here?”

“Of course there is! The big shrimp at Huanhai Lou, the cloud cakes at Deqing Lou, the shows at Lanyun Opera House, the street performances on Qingyun Street…”

Hearing one thing after another from Jiang Qing, Zuo Zhicheng had no interest in any of it. He opened his mouth and said, “I’d rather go home and rest…”

“You’re so boring! It’s rare for us to go out, and you’re already being a killjoy.” After casually chiding him, Jiang Qing made her own decision. “Let’s go to the City God Temple first. There are lots of performers there and plenty of food!”

Xiao Lan chimed in from the side, “I heard from A Fei that a new billiards hall has opened in the city. They say it came from the Westerners. Why don’t we go take a look?”

The two of them echoed each other and clearly had already tossed aside Zuo Zhicheng’s opinion. He shrugged and could only follow them.

So the three of them spent the journey eating snacks, watching street performances, and then went to the new billiards hall to play. This billiards hall had only opened in the last few months. It was said to be a sport that came over from the Western Continent and was very popular there.

The shop owner was a blonde, blue-eyed Westerner but spoke fluent Great Qi official language. Seeing that Jiang Qing and the others were first-timers, he enthusiastically taught them the rules and techniques.

But in Zuo Zhicheng’s view, this billiards game was quite similar to modern pool. Both used long cues to hit balls on a table. Only the rules were very different.

Zuo Zhicheng also knew that pool had appeared on Earth in his previous life as early as the twelfth or fourteenth century. So it was not surprising that it existed in this world too.

Jiang Qing and Xiao Lan were playing this sport for the first time and were quite excited. They even invited Zuo Zhicheng to play a few rounds. Zuo Zhicheng just played casually and let them win a few balls.

But just as they were having fun, another group entered the billiards hall. The newcomers made a grand entrance. Before the main person even came in, a large number of guards and bodyguards appeared.

Then, accompanied by several wealthy-looking men and women with glossy faces, a young woman with snow-white skin and a frosty expression walked in slowly. Behind her were several handsome young masters and young ladies, and Xiao Changhe was clearly among them.

Obviously, the cold-faced young lady had a significant background, and those accompanying her were children of high-level officials or important figures in Xinlu City. Although Xiao Changhe was among them, his position was clearly toward the back. After all, while the Chaoyang Martial Hall was impressive to ordinary people, it was quite ordinary in the eyes of the local government.

Besides, he was only the son of Xiao Jingyang.

That large group of young masters and ladies swarmed around the icy young woman, explaining the rules of billiards to her. A few who had played frequently recently even played a few rounds in front of her.

In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that billiards was still quite novel to the people of Great Qi, and the young lady had shown a slight interest after hearing about it, they wouldn’t have come to this place.

But the skills of these young masters and ladies were nothing to praise. On the other hand, Xiao Changhe had often come here to play over the past few months, and his skill level was among the top regulars at the billiards hall. Seeing a chance to stand out among the crowd, he couldn’t help but show off.

“Miss Qing, let me tell you, in billiards, accuracy is key…” As he spoke, he made an exaggerated hitting motion. “So having the right form is very important. It’s like martial arts—only when your form is correct can your movements flow smoothly, and the balls you hit will be accurate.”

Although the billiards of that time were somewhat similar to modern pool, there were still many differences. For example, the pockets were all on one side, and the balls didn’t have different colors or point values.

With Xiao Changhe’s explanation, he sank several balls in a row. His effortless and graceful style was indeed quite attractive to ordinary young ladies.

“That looks quite interesting.”

“Changhe, you’re really good at this.”

There was certainly some politeness in these compliments, but having the chance to shine in front of these children of the elite gave Xiao Changhe good reason to feel pleased.

The young man standing closest to the young lady, who appeared to be a noble youth, smiled at the cold-faced young woman after seeing Xiao Changhe’s skillful shots. “Miss Qing, this billiards game is quite fun. Would you like to try playing?”

This young man was Yao Youwei, the son of Xinlu City’s mayor, Yao Jinzhong. Among the men and women present, he likely had the highest status and background, and he was the only one who truly knew the young lady’s identity. The men and women surrounding him and Miss Qing like stars around the moon had mostly been sent by their fathers to accompany Miss Qing properly.

If they could build a connection, that would be best. If not, they should at least avoid leaving a bad impression. But as for Miss Qing’s exact identity, their elders had kept it secret and hadn’t told them anything.

Hearing Yao Youwei’s words, the icy young lady frowned slightly. “But… I don’t know how.”

“At least you can give it a try.” Yao Youwei thought for a moment and added, “Or you could watch some matches first?”

Seeing her nod, Yao Youwei breathed a sigh of relief. Over the past few days, she had been like an ice sculpture—perfect in appearance, but every time he spoke to her, he felt a chill that kept people at a distance.

Now that the young lady had finally shown a bit of interest in billiards, Yao Youwei quickly arranged for Xiao Changhe to compete with a few other skilled players in the hall.

“So impressive!”

“That was a beautiful shot!”

After several matches, with so many people around the icy young lady trying to liven up the atmosphere, every impressive shot Xiao Changhe made was met with cheers and applause.

He did not disappoint. Thanks to his frequent practice and the coordination and agility of a martial artist, he won several games in a row, defeating all the other skilled players who had come to the billiards hall at that time.

After the matches, aside from the young lady, some of the other young masters and ladies also developed an interest in this novel sport and started chatting with Xiao Changhe. Seeing that people were asking for advice, Xiao Changhe was delighted and began talking nonstop, explaining various techniques, demonstrating moves, and sharing tips one after another.

Then, the icy young lady and Yao Youwei played a game together, while the other accompanying members spread out to other tables. This led to a problem: there weren’t enough billiards tables.

Xiao Changhe had long noticed Zuo Zhicheng and the other two playing at a table in the corner. With a superior air, he walked over to Jiang Qing.

“Xiao Qing, this is Young Master Zhang and Young Master Lu.” He spoke as if it were only natural. “There are no free tables. We want to play a game, so please move aside.” Then he glanced at Zuo Zhicheng, who had just hit a ball awkwardly off the table, and sneered, “You can watch from the side and learn something.”

If they were ordinary people, seeing the large, well-dressed group surrounded by guards and bodyguards, along with their superior attitude, they would have immediately moved aside. But Zuo Zhicheng and Jiang Qing were clearly not ordinary people—especially since the person in front of them was someone Jiang Qing disliked.