Hearing Ji Yuan say this, Lu Shanjun stood up and asked in a slightly serious tone.
"I wonder what Master wants me to do?"
Lu Shanjun has always respected and admired his master, and to some extent he could also feel some of Ji Yuan's mental states. When he heard Ji Yuan say that he had something to talk to him about, he instinctively felt that it was not a trivial matter like catching up on the past.
Ji Yuan didn't say anything in detail right away, he just said "Let's find that old cow first", and walked towards the outside of the mountain. Lu Shanjun didn't dare to delay, he temporarily suppressed the thoughts in his mind and quickly followed.
Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun, one wearing a green shirt and the other wearing a light yellow robe, walked together towards the direction of leaving the mountain. Their steps seemed slow, but in fact they were very brisk, and the surrounding mountain scenery was in full view. Ji Yuan looked at his disciple who was being cautious beside him. He didn't say anything, and Lu Shanjun didn't say anything either. They seemed to be too respectful and not relaxed enough.
"Actually, you don't need to be so reserved in front of me. If you have any questions about cultivation, just ask."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shanjun smiled and said to Ji Yuan.
"The order of seniority must be respected, and etiquette cannot be abolished. Although I am a dull disciple, I have not had any major problems with the path of cultivation. I am slowly understanding the guidance given by my master."
This was not too unexpected for Ji Yuan, so he changed the subject and talked to Lu Shanjun about other things.
"After so many years, I don't think I have talked to you about too many things that are not related to cultivation. This time, I will just talk to you casually. Well, I know a lot of immortals, a lot of monsters with good senses, and some human affairs. Among them, the most worth talking about is a dragon, a Confucian, a Taoist, a god, and a monk..."
Lu Shanjun was slightly excited, and his usually calm and somewhat stern face also revealed his excitement. This was the first time that his master told him these things. Although he had always respected his master, to be honest, apart from the image of his master in his mind, everything outside of the image of his master was a mystery to Lu Shanjun, because his master almost never talked about it.
Ji Yuan spoke to Lu Shanjun in a conversational tone, and after the initial excitement, the latter no longer just listened carefully, but would ask a few questions from time to time and express his thoughts.
In Lu Shanjun's mind, the colors beyond the image of Master Ji Yuan began to become richer, no longer with mountains and rivers as the background, but with more people or things: the Yin family that he already knew; the Dragon King lineage of Tongtian River; the monks of Daliang Temple; the Taoist sect of Yunshan Temple...
There are too many things worth talking about, and they cannot be exhausted in a few words. Ji Yuan just said whatever he thought of. He mentioned some things in passing, and chatted with Lu Shanjun for a while about interesting things. He talked about human affairs and immortal affairs, and also talked about some magical powers. Then he talked about Lao Niu. Even a strict person like Lu Shanjun could not understand Lao Niu, but he also recognized him. After all, whether it was the fact that Lao Niu only went to prostitutes and never looked for decent families and forced others, or his usual way of dealing with things, he had his principles in mind.
The two of them did not flee, but talked as they walked, and before they knew it they had been chatting for a whole day and night.
To be honest, Lu Shanjun suddenly had a feeling, a feeling that it seemed that until this moment he was truly recognized by his master. His respect for his master was always there, but that excessive cautiousness gradually faded a lot, and he seemed relaxed.
…
Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun traveled all the way and soon arrived at one of the few large cities in the Zu Yue Kingdom, which was Luoqing City, where they had visited once before.
It was early morning at this moment. In the sight of the two, the manor that Niu Batian and Yan Fei bought appeared in the distance. The small manor that once had only four or five houses now had eight large and small houses including the kitchen, and the fruits and vegetables grown there were also very rich.
"I never thought they could live here for so many years."
Lu Shanjun looked at the smoke rising in the distance and said this with emotion. He stayed here for about half a year and then left. Firstly, he really couldn't stand Lao Niu, and secondly, he felt it was a waste of time. The oath with the Ninth Young Hero was temporarily terminated, and he planned to practice for a while before returning to Dazhen. He never saw Lao Niu and Yan Fei again, and thought they had left long ago. Yes, more than ten years was just a short period of practice for Lu Shanjun.
Ji Yuan understood the reason without even having to think about it.
"A big city like Luoqing City, in a place like Zuyue Country, will definitely concentrate resources on the vast land, and the brothels inside will also be extremely prosperous. Now that Yan Fei is not in a hurry to hone himself in martial arts competitions everywhere, Lao Niu will not be in a hurry to leave here either."
The closer they got to the small manor, the slower their pace became. By the time they arrived at the manor, they were just walking like normal people. When they got to the cottage, Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun were both stunned for a moment, because there was a woman hanging clothes over there, and the key point was that the woman's belly was bulging, and it was obvious that she was pregnant.
"Is it Lao Niu?"
This was the first reaction of the master and disciple Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun, and then they immediately shook off the thoughts in their minds. With Lao Niu's temperament, it was absolutely impossible for him to hang himself on a tree. Could it be Yan Fei
The woman who was hanging clothes on the bamboo rack hung a few pieces of clothes to dry. When she turned around, she found someone approaching outside. Seeing that the two people had already entered the fence outside the manor, she knew that they must have come here.
"Excuse me, who are you two gentlemen? What brings you here? Are you looking for Hero Niu and Hero Yan?"
Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun's expressions relaxed slightly. It seemed that it was neither Lao Niu's nor Yan Fei's. Lu Shanjun spoke first.
"My last name is Lu, this is Mr. Ji, we are here to look for Hero Niu and Hero Yan, we are considered old acquaintances of theirs."
The woman quickly bowed slightly to the two men.
"So you are old friends of the two heroes. Please come and sit in the courtyard!"
At this moment, a strange middle-aged man in the house over there came out because he heard the noise. He happened to hear what Lu Shanjun said. Seeing the two men's polite appearance, he hurriedly and together with the woman warmly invited the two men into the yard and even made tea for them.
"Gentlemen, Master Yan has been out for a few days and his whereabouts are unknown. Master Niu should be in Luoqing City. Please wait here for a while. He will definitely be back before noon."
"Okay, we are not in a hurry, just wait."
Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun looked like learned gentlemen, spoke in a very friendly manner, and didn't seem to know any martial arts, so it was easy for the couple to gain their trust, and they were less wary of them.
While drinking tea and chatting with the two couples in the courtyard, Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun learned that the two couples were rescued by Yan Fei when he went out two months ago. At that time, they were really surrounded by several bandits. Although the man knew martial arts, he was not very strong. Yan Fei passed by and helped them out.
"Yang Qiudao started a rebellion, and the imperial court sent troops to suppress it. We couldn't make a living there, so we fled here. When Master Yan saw that I was pregnant, he let us stay here temporarily. We usually help with the cleaning, look after the manor, and grow some vegetables and fruits, just to do our best."
"Haha, I thought Yan Fei and that old cow would plant the fields so neatly."
Ji Yuanzheng smiled like this, then felt something in his heart and looked in the direction outside the manor. Lu Shanjun followed suit and after a few breaths, he could already feel a hidden demonic aura approaching. After a while, Lao Niu's figure appeared outside the manor.
It was obvious that Lao Niu had already seen the two people in the manor and was trotting over. The voice was heard before they arrived.
"Niu Batian greets Mr. Ji, and Lao Lu, you finally came to see me! Hahahahaha..."
When the laughter came, Lao Niu had already arrived in the yard. He stopped, bringing a gust of wind. After he bowed, he stepped directly in front of Lu Shanjun.
"Old Lu, help me! Lend me ten taels of gold, and I'll pay you back double someday!"
The smile on Lu Shanjun's face froze in an instant.
"No? No? Then there must be five taels of gold, right?"
Lao Niu took a few steps closer and tried to put his hand on Lu Shanjun's shoulder, but the latter waved his hand away.
"Hey, hey, hey, this is hurtful. Is our friendship not worth a little gold? Mr. Ji, don't you agree? By the way, sir, do you have any gold on you? Just lend me some... Uh, sir, just ignore what I said..."
Lao Niu saw Ji Yuan looking at him calmly, his eyes indifferent and without wavering. His originally lively words also became low-pitched. He felt inexplicably guilty, but then he thought, Mr. Ji had known about his hobby for a long time.
"It's not that I can't give you money."
When Ji Yuan said this, Lu Shanjun and Lao Niu were both stunned. Even the couple on the side seemed a little surprised. This great man did not look like a rich man, but Lao Niu looked happy.
"Mr. Ji is the best! Then lend me ten taels of gold, or at least five taels for me, Old Niu. There is a very pretty girl in Chunxinglou. I have known her since I was still an apprentice. We always have a good time chatting and flirting with each other. Tomorrow is her first time to receive a customer. I have discussed it with the madam. For five taels of gold, I will choose her!"
Ji Yuan's eyebrows jumped and he felt helpless to complain.
"Okay, I'll give you ten taels of gold."
As he spoke, Ji Yuan took out a ten-liang gold ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table. Lao Niu grabbed the gold in his hand at lightning speed, pinched it lightly, and then used his magic power to detect it and knew that it was real gold.
"snort!"
Seeing Lao Niu's reaction, Lu Shanjun snorted coldly. The former hurriedly smiled and picked up the teapot to pour tea for Ji Yuan and Lu Shanjun.
"Oh, don't blame me, Mr. Ji. We are afraid that the gold will turn into stone after we spend it, right, Old Lu? Besides, Mr. Ji is such a person, he will definitely not care. This money is just like your teachings. I will remember it in my heart. As long as you have any instructions, I will go through fire and water to repay you!"
Ji Yuan laughed, Lu Shanjun laughed, and Niu Batian also laughed. Then Niu Batian laughed and suddenly reacted. He swallowed and asked carefully.
"Sir, is there something wrong?"