The spring rain dripped down the eaves, and in the early morning, the spring rain that had lasted for several days had stopped.
The morning light shone through the window. Nie Honglian lay on the bed, resting her chin on the pillow and blowing into the scholar's ear, calling softly, "Master, it's time to get up."
As the sunlight pushed over, she stood up and floated into the painting. After a moment, she poked her head out again.
“Young Master!!”
There was a sudden scream, and Lu Liang sat up suddenly in shock. The female ghost on the opposite wall then stuck out her tongue with a smile, returned to the painting contentedly, sat on the swing, and swung back and forth slowly.
"ah… "
Lu Liangsheng yawned and glared at Hong Lian in the painting. He had just put on his robe, got up and washed up. He had just put on his shoes and took two steps when his feet made a "click" sound.
The scholar looked down and saw the Toad Taoist lying on the ground with his eyes bulging out and his tongue sticking out and resting on the ground.
Well…
He quickly lifted his feet, picked up his master, and whispered, "Master?"
The toad lying on the palm of the hand moved its eyes, retracted its tongue, stretched out its trembling limbs a few times, sat up, and hit its back with its webbed feet.
"Evil..."
Before the toad could finish his curse, Lu Liangsheng let out a light exclamation and found that the ground was littered with crumpled papers. He picked up a piece of waste paper and unfolded it. It was covered with black ink, and he could vaguely make out the outline of the terrain.
"Master, what are you doing?"
Hong Lian stirred her feet, swung on the swing, and smiled in the painting:
"Master Toad painted all night and fell asleep on the floor."
cough-
The toad coughed twice, glanced to the side, rolled his eyeballs, and his expression became serious.
"As a teacher, I have lived with you for a long time, and have been exposed to many worldly affairs and emotions. I miss my hometown a little. Unfortunately, my magic power is gone, and my cultivation has been depleted. I can't go back to the place where I was originally... I can only paint the hometown in my memory to relieve the pain of homesickness."
Inside the room, Lu Liangsheng picked up pieces of waste paper, piled them on the desk, and unfolded them for a long time. He roughly saw some outlines and turned to look at his master.
"Since Master can't draw well, just dictate and I'll draw."
After saying this, considering his master's size and making it convenient for him to look through the books at any time, Lu Liangsheng took a small scroll from the bookshelf and spread it out on the table. Listening to the Toad Taoist's voice, he slowly put down his pen and sketched out the lines of the mountains.
"From Chen Chao to the north, twenty miles west of Bei Zhou, there is a cemetery mountain. Seven miles east..."
According to the Taoist Toad's narration, the names of mountains, rivers, and even several main roads were all painted. Lu Liangsheng put down his brush, held up the small scroll and blew away the ink stains in the sunlight.
"Master, from this painting, it looks like a view from the sky, and..."
Lu Liangsheng turned his head to look at the Toad Taoist sitting at the table.
“…Is this a map?”
"My master had a high level of cultivation at that time, and he often flew through the clouds and mist, so naturally, what he saw was always this kind of scene!"
The Toad Taoist looked at the map, said something, stretched his short legs and jumped back and forth a few times. His webbed hands were half an inch away from the scroll, but he couldn't hook it. He had to give up and sat back down, supporting his chin with his webbed hands.
"Okay, here's the map. It shows the place where I hid many elixirs and spells. If it hadn't taken so long to recover, I wouldn't have wanted to travel so far... Especially to be bullied by a tiny centipede! I can't swallow this!!"
"Hiding elixirs and magic?" Lu Liangsheng raised his eyebrows.
Toad raised his eyelids and sighed.
"But I guess it's gone. I feel like that place has been touched, like someone broke in..."
Taoist Toad did not say anything about his speculations about the Disha Yinhuo Formation. After all, he understood that once one secret was revealed, more secrets would be exposed.
But now, his apprentice is no longer the silly mountain village boy he was four years ago.
Toad looked at the scholar seriously, but his heart was beating fast.
…Don’t let him see it.
Don't let it show.
Don't look...
"Liangsheng, are you up?!"
At this time, Wang Shuhua's voice was heard outside. The moment Lu Liangsheng turned his head, the long scarlet tongue wrapped around the scroll in his hand and pulled it away.
The Toad Taoist picked up the scroll and jumped off the desk. He ran into the small compartment of the bookshelf excitedly with his tongue wagging, stretched out his webbed feet and pulled, slamming the door shut.
"… "
Lu Liangsheng looked at his empty palms and dropped them speechlessly. It seemed that his master had really lost a lot of good things... Thinking of this, he turned around, opened the door and walked out.
Outside, the old man was standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the phoenix tree. On the other side of the crescent gate, many maids and servants were gathered inside and outside the gate, all looking at the old tree.
In the courtyard, the phoenix tree sprouted new branches in just a few days, which really surprised everyone in the mansion.
"I remember this tree being there for many years. Back then, the master had just been appointed as the minister and the young lady was still very young."
"I have been in the mansion for several years. I saw that the tree was about to die. How did it come back to life?"
"Could he be a student of Lord Shuhua?"
"You said Mr. Lu... I once heard the master lose his temper after drinking, and vaguely heard that Mr. Lu was a cultivator..."
"Hey, a cultivator? That's amazing. No wonder this old tree can have a second spring."
"Stop talking, Master Lu is out, let's go."
…
Naturally, Lu Liangsheng heard all the whispers over there. As for the Wutong tree over there, he used the power of painting to revive the old tree a few days before the examination.
I don’t know if it was a lightning disaster, or if my cultivation and calligraphy and painting have improved, but every time I sit under the tree, I seem to be able to feel the sadness of this sycamore tree that is about to die.
The morning light was bright that day, and Lu Liangsheng looked at the parasol tree and sighed.
"I saved your life just to thank you for protecting me from the wind and rain for so many days."
During the nine days between the spring examinations, the originally sparse leaves gradually became dense, the old bark fell off, and new ones grew, forming the lush branches and leaves we see today. The servants and maids in the mansion who often passed by the Crescent Moon Gate witnessed the miracle of a dead tree coming back to life in spring. The mystery of it was enough to make everyone in the mansion feel awe for the mysterious Mr. Lu.
After the crowd dispersed, Lu Liangsheng came behind his mentor and raised his hands.
"Master, aren't you going out?"
“Oh… magical and mysterious!” Mr. Shu Hua looked at the branches and leaves of the sycamore tree swaying in the wind, stroked his beard and sighed, then turned around with a smile on his face.
"I just went out, but before I got halfway there, I received a message from Minister Min, asking me to inform you to get ready. You will be entering the palace for the palace examination soon. This is the last test for your official career, so you should treat it with caution."
Lu Liangsheng was a little surprised.
Generally speaking, there would be a gap of several days after the imperial examination. If there were important government affairs, the time would be extended. Lu Liangsheng was ready for the top three to parade on horseback, but he was asked to go to the palace to prepare for the exam the next day.
"So fast... well, the matter of Heliangzhou and the matter of the Protector of the Nation are both matters that should be done quickly rather than later."
There was still some time left, so Lu Liangsheng immediately returned to his room to wash up and tidy up his appearance. Soon, someone from the palace came over and taught him in a vivid manner some of the rules for entering the palace.
“… Mr. Lu, when you are in the palace, don’t wander around. Many places are strictly prohibited for outsiders to enter. If you trespass, you will be punished. In serious cases, you may be beheaded.
Your Majesty will personally supervise the palace examination this time, so you must not cheat. If you cheat in front of Your Majesty, even the gods cannot save you. Mr. Lu must keep this in mind, and…"
The eunuch who came out of the palace talked a lot, and Lu Liangsheng didn't want to offend him, so he listened patiently and took out some loose silver from his sleeve. The eunuch nodded with a smile, took the silver in his palm and stuffed it into his sleeve without leaving a trace, then covered his mouth and smiled flatteringly.
"Mr. Lu is handsome and well behaved. He will definitely have a great future."
Soon, Lu Liangsheng went to the palace along with his carriage.