Chapter 128: Chapter 123: Approaching Lantern Festival, Beheading Gang

Let’s start with analyzing the text to understand its context, style, and characters:

[Step 1: Contextual Analysis]

Literary genre: This appears to be a Chinese cultivation/martial arts web novel (xianxia/wuxia) with urban fantasy elements.

Language style: The language is fairly straightforward narrative prose with dialogue. It has elements typical of Chinese web novels, including descriptions of cultivation practices (命火/Life Fire), martial arts references, and some action scenes.

Tone: Generally light and descriptive, with some moments of tension. There’s a contrast between daily life scenes and hints of underlying dangers.

Plot keywords: family life, shopping, restaurant, gangsters, conflict, martial arts cultivation, celebration, Chinese festival

Characters:

- 武良辰 (Wu Liangchen) - Male, protagonist, has martial abilities, cares deeply for his sister

- 武梦婵 (Wu Mengchan) - Female, Wu Liangchen’s sister, young and sheltered until recently

- 杨莲儿 (Yang Lian’Er) - Female, seems to be a friend who’s helping Mengchan adjust to their new life

- 谢三 (Xie San) - Male, appears to be a restaurant or business owner, has some power locally

- 牛大 (Niu Da) - Male, appears to be an enforcer for Xie San, has physical strength

The Chapter involves Wu Liangchen and his family/friends settling into life in Huangpu Guard after leaving Dinghai City. His sister is enjoying shopping with Yang Lian’Er, trying on new clothes. Later, Wu Liangchen meets with Xie San at a restaurant when there’s an altercation with members of the Beheading Gang.

Now let me perform the translation with the polishing rules:

[Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing]

Starting translation paragraph by paragraph...

I’ll translate the full text while meticulously applying all the rules provided in the instructions.

Wu Liangchen and the others gradually adapted to life here, especially Wu Mengchan and Yang Lian’Er, who fell deeply in love with this place.

After all, being able to go shopping right outside their door was an incredibly satisfying feeling.

This feeling was even more wonderful when most of what was sold on this street was exactly what women loved.

So during these past few days, Yang Lian’Er had taken Wu Mengchan on a shopping spree, buying things at a frantic pace.

All sorts of cosmetics and powders piled high on an entire table, and as for clothes—there was no need to even mention them. The clothes bought for Wu Mengchan alone filled an entire wardrobe.

The key point was that Yang Lian’Er had excellent taste, so when Wu Mengchan put on these clothes, she was completely transformed.

It’s worth noting that back in Dinghai City, although Wu Mengchan was extraordinarily beautiful, life was so hard that they could barely afford enough food, let alone money to buy clothes.

Later, when their conditions gradually improved, Dinghai City fell into chaos. To avoid trouble, Wu Mengchan didn’t dare leave the house, much less have the opportunity to go shopping for clothes.

So it wasn’t until they arrived in Huangpu Guard that Wu Mengchan, under Yang Lian’Er’s guidance, finally experienced some of the joy that girls her age should have.

"Brother, does it look good?" Wu Mengchan asked with a blushing face, somewhat shyly.

Wu Liangchen, who had been drinking tea, looked up at the sound of her voice, and his eyes immediately brightened.

Wu Mengchan stood timidly before him, wearing a moon-white embroidered dress.

The dress was perfectly tailored, displaying the young woman’s graceful figure to perfection.

Combined with Wu Mengchan’s already exceptional appearance, she was truly stunning.

"Beautiful!" Wu Liangchen evaluated sincerely.

"Isn’t it... too flashy?"

Hearing her brother’s praise, Wu Mengchan felt delighted. She was actually very satisfied with this dress and could barely recognize herself when standing in front of the mirror.

But she still had some concerns, wondering if the dress was too form-fitting and whether wearing it in public might be inappropriate.

After all, back in Dinghai City, she had never seen any woman dare to dress like this.

After hearing these words, before Wu Liangchen could speak, Yang Lian’Er was the first to respond.

"My goodness, why are you acting more old-fashioned than a grandmother? Haven’t you noticed these past few days how the women on the street dress even more revealingly than each other?"

"Besides, your dress just has a fitted waist, it doesn’t even show your arms. How is that flashy?"

Wu Liangchen couldn’t help nodding in agreement.

Yang Lian’Er was right about this. Although both Huangpu Guard and Dinghai City were coastal cities, their social atmospheres were completely different.

Dinghai City was conservative and traditional, while Huangpu Guard was far more progressive and open.

This was evident from the way women dressed on the streets.

"Come on, let me do your makeup, and I guarantee you’ll captivate everyone when you go out."

"Ah, that doesn’t seem right..."

But before she could finish, Yang Lian’Er had already pulled her away.

Seeing this, Wu Liangchen shook his head with a smile, feeling somewhat emotional.

His sister had been with him for so long, and now she could finally enjoy a few days of carefree life.

Wu Liangchen had planned to use this time to teach his sister some basic martial arts.

But seeing how things were going, Wu Liangchen decided to wait a few more days.

The Lantern Festival was just two days away, so it wouldn’t be too late to start her martial arts training after that.

Although he hadn’t seen what the Lantern Festival was like in Huangpu Guard, from the shops already decorated with lanterns and colored ribbons, and the giant flower floats being prepared in the distant square, Wu Liangchen could sense a strong festive atmosphere.

Indeed, even before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month arrived, Huangpu Guard was already bustling with activity.

In the evening, various lanterns competed in brilliance and beauty. Many shops took the opportunity to launch promotional activities, giving Wu Liangchen a sense of déjà vu from his previous world.

Even the brothels in Flower Square joined in, spending lavishly to create numerous lanterns that covered the entire market district.

"What do you think? Beautiful, isn’t it?" In a private room on the second floor of the First-Class Restaurant, Xie San sat by the window, smiling as he asked.

Wu Liangchen nodded. "Indeed."

"This is nothing. On the fifteenth day, all the major businesses in the city will compete to set off fireworks for good luck."

"At the peak of the display, they can light up the entire night sky. That’s when it truly gets lively," Xie San remarked with feeling.

Wu Liangchen didn’t respond, as he was concentrating on the vegetarian noodles in front of him.

Though it was just a bowl of noodles—vegetarian ones at that, without a trace of meat—the taste was exceptional.

The broth in particular was rich and flavorful; each sip spread warmth throughout his entire body.

After slurping it all down, Wu Liangchen couldn’t help asking, "How are these noodles made?"

The reason Wu Liangchen asked was because after finishing the bowl, his Life Fire had actually increased by one strand.

It was worth noting that for Wu Liangchen to increase his Life Fire by one strand now, he would normally need to eat at least two pounds of pure beef.

Yet this single bowl of noodles had achieved the same result, which naturally surprised him.

"Haha, delicious, right? These noodles are our First-Class Restaurant’s signature dish. The broth is made by simmering fresh button mushrooms along with termite mushrooms, matsutake, and other precious fungi. The flavor is even more delicious than chicken noodle soup, yet it doesn’t contain a trace of meat," Xie San explained proudly.

"Your bowl in particular had special ingredients added, and even the noodles themselves are quite special. Most people couldn’t get this even if they wanted to."

After hearing Xie San’s explanation of the preparation process, Wu Liangchen understood.

Button mushrooms, termite mushrooms, and matsutake were quite expensive, even costlier than good beef.

It would be strange if a broth simmered with such ingredients didn’t taste good.

Just as Wu Liangchen was eating and chatting casually with Xie San upstairs, a commotion suddenly erupted below, accompanied by the sounds of plates and tables being smashed.

Wu Liangchen’s heart stirred. "What’s going on?"

He was about to get up to check, but Xie San stopped him.

"No need. Someone will handle it," Xie San said calmly.

Sure enough.

The commotion lasted less than ten seconds before abruptly stopping. Then they saw Niu Da dragging someone out to the street with one hand, looking up at the second-floor window, waiting for Xie San’s instructions.

Xie San nodded slightly. Niu Da grinned, then violently tore off one of the man’s arms before tossing him across the street onto the archway at the entrance of the market district, as if discarding trash.

With a thud, the man landed on top of the archway. The intense pain made his entire body tremble. He shot an incredibly venomous look at Xie San by the second-floor window, then turned and jumped down from the archway, quickly fleeing.

Wu Liangchen watched, somewhat bewildered.

Xie San calmly explained, "That man is from the Beheading Gang. Since we taught them a lesson last month, they behaved for a few days, but now they’re stirring up trouble again. They really never learn."

Beheading Gang.

Hearing this name, Wu Liangchen’s heart stirred.

During this time, he hadn’t just been hiding in his courtyard practicing martial arts; he had also been gathering information about Huangpu Guard.

So he knew about the Beheading Gang.

The Beheading Gang was one of the foremost powers in Huangpu Guard, with influence across various industries. They particularly controlled the highly profitable gambling halls and opium dens with an iron grip, allowing no one else to encroach on their territory.

The reason for this was that their methods were as brutal as their name suggested. Anyone who offended them would likely be beheaded in public as a warning to others.

Now, this Beheading Gang had repeatedly come to cause trouble at the First-Class Restaurant. Their purpose was obvious—they were targeting Xie San.

"This massive Flower Square attracts covetous eyes from many, and the Beheading Gang is just one of them. Others may fear the Beheading Gang, but I do not."

"After several failed attempts to make a move, they even sent people to negotiate with me, offering a large sum to buy this place and make me leave. How ridiculous."

At this, Xie San gave a cold smile. "With their style of operation, once they take over Flower Square, these girls would never have another good day."

"I may not be a good person myself, but Flower Square was built by my own hands. How could I possibly let those thugs run wild?"

With that, Xie San stood up, his expression stern. "Take your time with your meal. I need to go."

Without waiting for Wu Liangchen’s response, Xie San hurried downstairs. Then came a commotion from below, followed by Niu Da and a group of men following Xie San out of the First-Class Restaurant, quickly disappearing down the street.