As they spoke, the two women came up together to help Chen Xiaobei get dressed. This treatment made Chen Xiaobei feel a bit embarrassed himself.
But he also knew that if he refused, both women would feel uneasy, so he let them have their way.
Chen Xiaobei got out of bed and walked out of the inn. He was surprised to see that Feng Xiaoyue had also gotten up. She was standing by the entrance of the inn, looking towards him.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei emerge, she waved excitedly, "Brother Xiaobei, hurry up."
Looking at Feng Xiaoyue's radiant smile, Chen Xiaobei felt conflicted about how to respond.
Cui Hongyu, however, was observant and immediately sensed Chen Xiaobei's awkwardness. She quickly stepped forward to greet them.
Cui Hongyu strode forward and took Feng Xiaoyue's arm.
"Little sister Yue, let's go. We'll go have breakfast together."
Seeing this, Huang Ying felt a pang of inexplicable sadness. She found herself even more resistant to Feng Xiaoyue. After all, it was natural for a woman to be a little petty.
The group still went to the noodle shop next door and ordered several bowls of noodles. The four of them sat around a table, eating and chatting.
From their conversations, they could tell that the common people dining around them were all talking about the strange phenomena in the city over the past few days. The fish in the moat were circling endlessly, which made everyone feel even more uneasy.
"These schools of fish have been circling the four city gates for so many days. Who knows when this will end!"
"Did you hear? They say a master has answered the call. The Crown Prince is ordering the preparation of the magic array, and the ritual can be performed tomorrow."
"Alas, weren't there also eminent monks performing rituals outside the city a few days ago? But they all fled within a day. I hope this time it will be someone effective!"
"You, stop worrying. Since the Crown Prince is making such a big fuss, he's probably confident!"
"Alright, hurry up and eat. Talk less. Be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself with your words."
"It's all the same whether we talk a lot or a little. Who has the heart to care about ordinary people like us now? I'm afraid even the Emperor's youngest son can't eat or sleep well."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei was secretly excited. Only in this way could his so-called Two Forms, Four Spirits, Eight Trigrams Array be more significant.
Before they could finish eating, they heard hurried footsteps. Yang Chun walked in quickly. Seeing them eating, he shouted from a distance, "Brother Xiaobei, I finally found you here."
Chen Xiaobei waved at Yang Chun and pointed to the seat beside him, "Brother Yang, sit down and eat with us."
Yang Chun walked up to him, his face full of urgency. "Just now, the head steward Liu Kai, along with Liu Ce and Liu Tie, came to find us. Leader La Erduo sent me to look for you."
Upon hearing this, several people nearby immediately stood up and prepared to leave.
It was clear that the names Yang Chun mentioned, Liu Ce and Liu Tie, had frightened them. The common people now feared any association with the Liu family.
This made Chen Xiaobei even more anxious. He had to rescue Liu Rumei as soon as possible. If this situation continued to escalate, the people might petition to have the Liu family executed. Perhaps this was the result the Emperor desired.
Chen Xiaobei quickly finished his noodles and followed Yang Chun to the horse market.
La Erduo and others were accompanying Liu Kai for tea. Although Liu Kai was anxious, he appeared calm on the surface. After all, as a steward who had followed Liu Xiangnan for many years, he had this composure.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Liu Kai and the others instinctively stood up and saluted him.
La Erduo got up from the main seat and beckoned Chen Xiaobei over. "Brothers, you're here. The head steward has been waiting for you."
He then moved aside, intending to offer his seat to Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei understood that this was the host's seat and he was merely a guest, so he absolutely could not accept. He quickly stepped forward and steadied La Erduo.
At this moment, La Mu, who was sitting next to La Erduo, also stood up.
Chen Xiaobei also held La Mu down and sat to his left.
After all, he was an outsider. This was the place belonging to La Erduo and La Mu, and moreover, they were in the capital.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei's demeanor, Liu Kai secretly praised him. This young man was tactful and knew the rules.
La Erduo's gesture of yielding the host's seat also earned Liu Kai's quiet admiration. It showed that Chen Xiaobei had gained the approval of La Erduo, La Mu, and everyone present.
"Village Chief Chen, I am anxious. Please forgive me for inquiring multiple times. When can your promised magic array be activated?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled and raised his teacup. "Head Steward, please don't be anxious. I agreed with the Crown Prince for three days. According to the timeline, the altars should all be constructed today. I wanted to have a full meal and then look around."
Hearing him say this, La Erduo, a man of quick temperament, immediately put down his teacup. "Alas, since that's the case, let's take a look around. By the way, I have horses, let's ride them."
With someone suggesting it, everyone was eager. Chen Xiaobei also joined them, mounting a warhorse and heading out of Wannian. Outside the city, the eight trigrams array required the construction of eight altars, which was the most extensive part of the project.
According to Chen Xiaobei's descriptions, the positions were in the four cardinal directions of east, west, south, and north, and then in the four directions of southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast.
Although he didn't understand the specifics of the eight trigrams, he knew these eight directions.
As they passed the South Gate, Chen Xiaobei specifically took a look. Outside the South Gate, by the moat, a massive altar was already nearing completion.
The altar blocked more than half of the exit of the South Gate. From this, one could see the determination of Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
Running forward for about three to four li, they encountered another huge altar on the official road. This should be one of the eight trigrams he had marked.
The scale of the altar was identical to the one outside the South Gate.
Seeing the guards signaling them to stay back, they waved, "Stay far away and don't approach."
Chen Xiaobei and the others reined in their horses and then veered towards the West Gate.
There were small paths connecting the official roads between the two gates. In a wide-open area, there was another scene of great activity, and yet another massive altar.
The guards again drove them far away.
In this manner, they circled Wannian City in one go. The eight altars were essentially in their final stages, and their scale was clearly not diminished, being almost identical.
From this, it was evident that Xiao Jingyun had shown considerable sincerity.
After circling back into the city.
What Chen Xiaobei found particularly surprising was the central altar.
He had only roughly estimated a position and marked it, but Xiao Jingyun chose to build it in the center of the main road leading out of the city, directly facing the imperial palace. This was originally a large open square where important events like generals returning victorious from campaigns or farewell ceremonies were held.