Ji Yuan was the chairman sitting in the front of the hall, so naturally he was the fastest to serve the dishes. Bowls of steaming hot dishes with bursts of fragrance were brought up by the nimble kitchen helpers. When there were hard dishes, old man Zhao next to him would introduce them to Ji Yuan.
“This is grilled fish… This is rice with meat, very fragrant… This is mutton bone soup…”
At this table there were the groom, his in-laws, and a close relative and elder, but no one had any objection to treating Ji Yuan as the guest of honor. They all felt that the newlyweds had the "talent" of scholars and that their children would have a bright future.
While Ji Yuan was congratulating and socializing, he also lowered his head to look at the chess piece on his sleeve. The chess piece had indeed turned white. With his smile on his face, the wedding banquet seemed to be full of joy for both the host and the guests.
The wine glasses were all filled and everyone started eating.
The wedding banquet in the remote village was naturally not as good as the chefs in the big cities, but it had its own flavor, especially the good atmosphere for eating. Plus it was the evening in the hottest time of the year, and everyone was sweating profusely while eating.
Accountant Yuan finally understood why many people had wet towels hanging around their necks. Some people at the tables farther away had their shirts off.
The groom toasted at each table, while the bride waited alone in the bridal chamber...
After a long round of toasts, he returned to the chairman's office to toast his parents-in-law and elders. The groom's face was already red from drinking, but he still did not forget to toast Ji Yuan.
"Mr. Ji, I am so happy today. Thank you for writing the wedding couplets for me. Those are really the best couplets. I want to offer you a drink. You must drink it!"
Judging from his clear words, he should not be completely drunk yet. After this round of toasts, they will enter the bridal chamber.
Ji Yuan also stood up with a smile and raised his glass to return the toast.
"Have a baby soon, have a baby soon!"
After drinking the glass of wine, the groom walked towards the inner room with steady steps amidst the noise. Ji Yuan looked at the groom's relatively strong body and thought that he should be able to control his wife who did farm work as well as a man.
…
As the sky gradually darkened, the wedding banquet was almost over.
Although it was the hottest time of the year and there was no refrigerator here, there was no need to worry about leftovers going bad, because the villagers were so fierce that Ji Yuan didn't see any plate with even half a catty of food left. At some tables, the juice was enough to pour over the rice.
Apart from helping in the kitchen and cleaning up, neighbors and relatives all began to disperse, rubbing their bellies with satisfied looks on their faces. Ji Yuan followed one of the young men named Zhao Dongliang who had returned with the wine and went to stay overnight at his home.
This family lived close to the village entrance, and they arranged a side room in a small farmyard for Ji Yuan, which was equipped with a bed, chairs and bedding.
Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, but because the weather was so hot, most of the villagers had not yet gone to bed even though it had gotten dark. Many of them were outside in the ventilated area to cool off, and would not go to bed until the heat in the house dissipated for a while.
Ji Yuan also brought out a chair and sat by the wall of the courtyard. On the left hand side, he could see a strange little house in the distance with three small spots of light on it.
I didn't pay attention to it when I came here, but now it seems to be a small temple. Judging from its size, it is probably no more than half a person's height. Maybe it is the land temple in the village.
The weather was indeed a bit hot. Ji Yuan didn't have a fan, so he grabbed his right sleeve with his right hand, straightened it and fanned himself twice. Zhao Dongliang, who was over there, saw Ji Yuan coming out, so he moved a small stool and sat over, diligently fanning Ji Yuan with a cattail leaf fan.
"Mr. Ji, what are you carrying on your back? Why don't you put it inside? It's so hot with the cloth sticking to it!"
Zhao Dongliang was sweating even when he was wearing a sleeveless coat. A wide-sleeved robe like this great gentleman's looks hot, and he also tied a stick or something around his neck, which must have given him prickly heat.
"Oh, it's a sword, I forgot I had it figured out!"
In fact, it is because the Qingteng Sword is unstable and needs to be nourished by spiritual energy all the time, so it is not convenient to leave the body during this period of time.
"sword!"
Zhao Dongliang's eyes lit up.
"Mr. Ji, do you know any martial arts? The kind that can fly over rooftops and walk on walls. No wonder he dares to walk such a long distance alone!"
"Haha, I guess I know some martial arts, but I still need some means to protect myself when I go out!"
Zhao Dongliang became even more excited when he heard this.
"Mr. Ji, can you let me see your sword? I saw a long sword with patterns in a shop last time I went to the county. It was so beautiful!"
Ji Yuan smiled.
"It doesn't hurt to take a look, but you might be disappointed."
After saying that, he untied the knot, took off the green vine sword wrapped in cloth, placed it on his knees, and removed the green cloth to reveal the sword body.
The Green Ivy Sword is three feet six inches long and one inch and eight tenths of an inch wide. It is a straight line from the tip to the tail of the sword. There is no guard at the front of the hilt and no ornaments at the tail. The hilt is wrapped with lush green vines from beginning to end, which is simple and plain. Of course, the rust spots on the sword are still there.
"Ah... Mr. Ji's sword is not as good-looking as the one I saw in the county. It doesn't even have a scabbard, and it's all rusted..."
Zhao Dongliang was obviously a little disappointed.
"Hahahaha… I told you that you would be disappointed. But it's still not nice to say this. I'm fine, but it won't be very happy!"
Ji Yuan smiled and pointed at the sword, while his left hand pressed on the sword to prevent it from making a sound.
Zhao Dongliang thought that Ji Yuan didn't like what he just said, so he scratched his head and said with a chuckle: "Mr. Ji, don't mind it. Actually, your sword is quite beautiful!"
Ji Yuan smiled without saying anything, and looked up at the starry sky.
"Mr. Ji, tell me about what's going on outside. And the martial arts world, isn't it exciting and wonderful?"
"Well... maybe, but it may not be this good!"
They chatted haphazardly, with Zhao Dongliang asking most of the questions and Ji Yuan choosing the answers. He talked about the giant black fish saving people in Chunmu River, the old turtle begging for wine outside Chunhui Mansion, and the old dragon bringing rain to ensure good weather, and Zhao Dongliang listened as seriously as a child.
After more than half an hour, most of the villagers who came to enjoy the cool air carried their chairs and stools back to their houses one after another. Although Zhao Dongliang still wanted to chat with Ji Yuan, he went to bed considering that he had farm work to do tomorrow. Ji Yuan was the only one left outside the courtyard.
In the land temple a little further away, a cloud of smoke appeared and a hunched old man walked towards this side. When he was only two meters away, he bowed to Ji Yuan.
"It's so rare for an immortal to visit this place, so I, a small land, specially came to greet you!"
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it! I also want to thank the people in your place for taking me in and asking for a glass of wedding wine."
Ji Yuan quickly stood up and bowed in return. Seeing that the land temple was not very popular, he thought it was an empty temple that could not even be considered a lewd temple. He did not expect that there was actually a real god. However, the gods of mountains and rivers were the best at hiding, so it was normal that no one had discovered them. But this one did not seem to be a real cultivator, but more like a ghost who had cultivated himself into a god.
The old man looked at the green vine sword on Ji Yuan's knee and carefully walked closer to the side.
"I wonder where the sir's paradise is?"
"There's no fairyland, just walk around. But the land god should be a local, right?"
The old man sat down on the stone mill nearby and nodded in answer.
"That's right. I was a native of Zhaojiazhuang when I was alive. I don't know when I started to be worshipped as a land god, but it must have been nearly three hundred years. The area under my jurisdiction is near Zhaojiazhuang. If someone in the village dies and has done good deeds to keep their soul, I will occasionally accompany the soul-catcher to lead them to the underworld."
Three hundred years? That long!
However, it should be due to the limited jurisdiction. After so many years, although he has become a true god, he does not have much worship and magic power.
"I wonder what the God of Land is doing here?"
This old man is quite interesting and answered directly and frankly.
"It's very rare to see immortal cultivators, I just came out to take a look!"
Ji Yuan burst out laughing, it turned out that he had become a peep show.
"That will surely disappoint the God of Land. I am just a small cultivator, not the immortal you think I am."
"Sir, you are too modest. It is much better than I thought!"
There was some compliment in it, but what the God of Land said was also from the heart. After saying this, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a strange piece of folded yellow paper from his arms.
"I wonder if you could help me look at the words on it. There should be words on it, but my magic power is shallow and I can't see it!"
It seems that he is not just here to see the novelty, but he also has some important business. Ji Yuan did not refuse and just wanted to give it a try.
"Okay, let me take a look!"
I took the yellow paper from the God of Land and unfolded it, then looked closely and saw traces of ink on it.
Records of the Zhengde Emperor
“It’s actually the Tiancheng Book!”