The light of day rose to the clouds. The young man kicked away a stone and walked out of the hillside. He looked at the grass in the distance, raised his chin with pride, and laughed.
"When we encounter injustice, we should help others. This is what we, as people in the martial arts world, should do."
"You're not afraid of getting into trouble."
Lu Liangsheng stretched out his hand to call him over. He liked the young man's cleverness. Although he did help him, he was also worried that the other party would cause trouble for the young man later in the competition with Yang Su.
"I'm not afraid. I just put a little croton juice in it. If that person were to argue with a helpless child like me, it would be too humiliating..."
The young man stared at the scholar for a while, then his words changed and he suddenly knelt down, supported himself on the ground with his hands, and kowtowed.
"Sir, please accept me as your disciple."
This caught Lu Liangsheng off guard. He sheathed the Yuelong Sword and tied it around his waist. He reached out to help the young man up and brushed the dust off his pants.
"I haven't considered accepting a disciple yet. Let's go. That person will be back soon. He will probably be angry when he sees you."
These words were naturally spoken with good intentions. Putting aside whether Yang Su would cause trouble for the young man, it was reasonable for him to get angry and beat him up. Moreover, Lu Liangsheng didn't know what to do about the matter of accepting a disciple, as he was still a disciple now.
When the young man heard the scholar say this, he was afraid of being beaten, so he turned back every two steps and went back to the inn.
"gentlemen… "
He couldn't help but yelled softly. From a distance, he saw Mr. Lu raising his hand and waving at him: "You go back first."
"oh."
Li Sui'an lowered his head somewhat dejectedly, kicked the stones and clods of earth on the road with every step, and walked slowly back to the inn.
It quickly disappeared beneath the slope.
After the young man left, Lu Liangsheng retracted his gaze, walked over to pick up the magic sword that Yang Su had thrown on the ground and looked at it. According to the description in the book "The Way of Refining and Combining Weapons" in the cave in Qishan, the material of this sword is top-grade, but it's a pity that the sacrificial objects used for refining are ordinary, and it will be too difficult to produce a spiritual blank in the future.
"Well... after I find the things that were stolen from my master, I should go back to Nanchen to meet my mentor, and then go back to Lujia Village to study this weapon refining technique and smelt the seven magic swords."
cough…
A dry cough was heard, and Lu Liangsheng withdrew his thoughts. Over there, Yang Su straightened his robe and walked towards him. He also re-combed his hair. He raised his eyes and looked at the magic sword in the scholar's hand.
The latter smiled and returned the sword to him.
"Daoyou, is your stomach feeling better?"
"I feel relieved. If you are practicing Taoism but have not yet reached the stage of fasting, you still have to eat whole grains, so it is natural that you will have diarrhea." Yang Su wiped the blade of the sword, put it back into the scabbard behind him, and stretched out his hand to make a 'please' gesture.
"Friend Lu, please!"
"please!"
Lu Liangsheng laughed and made an invitation as well. This time the two of them did not fly high, but walked down the hillside together.
"Friend Lu, let me introduce myself to you again. I am Yang Su, the cousin of the Prime Minister of Northern Zhou, Yang Jian!"
"So, you are not from the Fire Praying Sect... I almost misunderstood."
Going to the inn, the two chatted with each other intermittently to clear up the previous misunderstanding. When they returned to the inn, the woman who had been yelling and cursing stopped her aggressive tone, immediately smiled, and welcomed the two in.
"Where have you been? The food is a little cold. I'll take it over and heat it up."
Pulling Li Sui'an, who wanted to stay here, to the kitchen, Lu Liangsheng looked at the young man's back and told him frankly about Yang Su's previous diarrhea and apologized on his behalf.
"No need. This guy is smart, but unfortunately he came here by mistake. Well, Yang is not a petty person and will not argue with him."
As the cousin of the prime minister, Yang Su was a high-ranking official, not to mention in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, even in Chang'an City, he held a powerful position. If he really cared about it in front of Lu Liangsheng, it would indeed seem too petty.
"I thank you on behalf of that little brother."
Yang Su was quite impressed by Lu Liangsheng's politeness, and he bowed and said, "You are too polite, Brother Lu. I invited you to compete with me before, because I saw the style of the masters in Chang'an and was tempted to show my skills."
Soon, the woman brought out the hot soup and dishes. The two tables were merged into one, and Lu Liangsheng and Yang Su sat together. After a few polite jokes, the latter explained the purpose of their visit.
"Friend Lu, you have been traveling around the mountains and rivers for a leisurely time. I wonder if you have a place to return to?"
There are some particulars about this "returning place", and the scholar understood its meaning. He took a bite of the dish and raised his glass to toast.
"Some of my words may sound hypocritical, but I have nothing else to do now. I just want to be a free and easy wanderer. When I feel tired one day, I will build a thatched house in Qixia Mountain, plant flowers and grass, and help the villagers at the foot of the mountain."
He clinked the cup together and drank it all in one gulp.
"Your words, Fellow Daoist Lu, are not ambitious. I have heard about your affairs. You were just a tyrant. There were two emperors in the world... but there are still people who are truly wise and virtuous. Fellow Daoist Lu is well versed in sages and Taoist teachings, but you are buried here. It's a pity."
Here it comes.
When he heard the words "Grand Prime Minister" just now, which also meant that the emperor was submissive, how could Lu Liangsheng not understand the other party's intention to chase him.
The scholar put down his wine glass, thought for a moment, and finally refused.
"My family is in Southern Chen, and my relatives and friends are also in Southern Chen, some of whom are even officials. If we meet in battle in the future, it will be complicated and unspeakable. I am grateful for the kindness of Brother Yang."
"Pedantic!"
Yang Su slammed the table.
This attracted the aunt and nephew in the kitchen to lean out of the door frame and look over.
"Sui'an, do you think they will fight?" "Even if they do, I believe Mr. Lu will win."
"Why?"
"Hehe, she looks good. Isn't that what's written in those ranger annals?"
In the hall, Yang Su's tone slowed down, and he was a little out of control for a moment, then he bowed to Lu Liangsheng. He had been chasing him all the way here, sleeping in the open air for two days, and he had never suffered such hardship except when he was learning martial arts.
"It's okay, Brother Yang was just angry for a moment."
Lu Liangsheng had a calm temper and rarely got angry. He took the wine jug and poured wine for the other person, then filled his own glass.
Put down the wine jug and raise the wine glass.
"There are so many Taoists in this world. One more or one less won't make a difference. My fellow Taoists and clansmen really need help from an expert. Why do you only choose me?"
"well!"
Yang Su clinked his cup with him but did not drink it. He sighed, shook his head and smiled:
"What Daoist Fellow Lu said is true, but most of them practice Taoism behind closed doors and rarely come out. Besides, it is even rarer to find Daoists like Daoist Fellow who care about the common people, their country and the world. I am afraid that they can be counted on one hand."
… Lu Liangsheng refused to listen to any persuasion or trickery, and I couldn’t persuade him with my words.
Perhaps I should ask my cousin to come forward... But judging from his attitude, he won't go back to Chang'an with me.
What to do…
Got it.
There was silence in the hall for a while. Yang Su composed his words, poured the wine, took a sip, and gently put it down.
"Does Brother Lu know how to read faces and observe qi?"
"You can't?"
Yang Su laughed dryly twice as if he was a little embarrassed, and said something he had prepared.
"I know a little, but most of what I learned is swordsmanship and military formations."
"I see."
Lu Liangsheng guessed who he was going to tell fortunes about. He had other important things to do right now, so he naturally couldn't turn back to Chang'an. The round trip would definitely take up a lot of time.
Seeing the hesitation on his face, Yang Su hurriedly said, "This way, it won't embarrass Fellow Daoist Lu. I'll go back and ask my cousin to come over. What do you think?"
"I'm afraid not. I have to leave soon for work."
After taking a sip of wine, Lu Liangsheng glanced at the faces of his aunt and nephew who were secretly looking at him. He thought for a moment, then took out a small map scroll from his sleeve and spread it out.
"How about this, we'll meet again half a month later, ten miles outside Shangyong City, Jinzhou."
“Haha, good!”
The laughter was so loud that it made the pots and pans in the inn tremble. Lu Liangsheng also laughed, and then the two of them drank and ate while talking about Taoism. It was noon, and Yang Su did not forget to pay for the meal before he got on his horse and left drunkenly, bringing the news back to Chang'an.
Alas... finally gone.
Lu Liangsheng took a look at the leftovers on the table. He was not going to let his master eat them, so he got a little drunk and asked the woman to cook another portion of braised pork and send it to the guest room.
"Sir, sir! Let me help you move the bookshelf up!"
Looking at the sensible boy who saw the opportunity, Lu Liangsheng followed him into the room with a smile and offered him a tip, but the boy refused to accept it and obediently closed the door and left.
The Toad Taoist pushed open the small door of the compartment and let out a long sigh: "I am suffocating to death."
He smelled the aroma, climbed over to the round table, rolled up a piece of greasy meat, lay down comfortably on his side, grabbed the rice from the small bowl and stuffed it into his mouth, then glanced at his apprentice who was lying on the bed.
"Why don't you bring me some wine?"
In the scroll on the bookshelf, Hong Lian went to the basin rack, wrung out a towel and went over to wipe the scholar's face, then took off his shoes and socks and put them in the bed.
"Master Toad, the young master is very tired, so don't say any more."
"You are the only one who feels sorry for others."
The toad turned his gaze back, puffed up his cheeks, chewed the fat and swallowed it into his stomach. As if he was enjoying the meal, he stepped on his webbed feet and walked to the light spot on the ground outside the window, then coiled up to bask in the sun.
Enjoy this moment of peace in the afternoon.
Comfortable... he thought.
…
As time went by, the sunlight tilted towards the west, and the scattered rays of light were gradually swallowed up by darkness.
In the deep night, inside the inn, a stealthy figure pushed open the door, walked in the corridor, came to the door of the guest room, looked around, and then lowered his voice.
"gentlemen… "
"gentlemen!"
Inside the house, Toad Taoist opened one eye, heard the child's words, yawned out of boredom, and continued to sleep leaning on the wooden pillow.
Lu Liangsheng woke up vaguely, with a slight pain in his head. He waved his hand to stop Hong Lian from opening the door, put on his shoes, walked to the door and opened it.
"… Why are you here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Li Sui'an outside the door raised his little face with a fearless expression.
"It was the master who asked me to come."
"When did I ever say..."
Lu Liangsheng paused, then laughed. He had said to the young man before: "You go back first." Usually, this is the first half of a sentence. If the second half is not said, others will naturally have a reason to come and ask.
"You are quite clever. Tell me, what do you want to learn?"
Outside the door, Li Sui'an's face flushed, he clenched his fists, looked at the gentleman who turned around and walked in with his hands behind his back, mustered up his courage, and spoke excitedly from his throat with a trembling voice.
"I want to learn the sir's swordplay! The kind that can fly in the sky!"