"Is that the person you want to see in the pavilion over there?"
The grass leaves were wet, dripping with rain water, which was on the soles of the Taoist's shoes. He followed the unicorn out of the forest and glanced at the pavilion over there.
"From the looks of it, they seem like a wealthy and powerful family."
Lu Liangsheng, who was walking in front holding the reins, turned his hat slightly to the side and uttered a soft "hmm".
"The Yang family of Chang'an has an official position as the prime minister in the court, and they have absolute power over everything."
The Taoist swallowed his words, shook his head, changed direction, and walked to other places in the rain.
"People like this have come all the way to see you, so they must want something big. You go and talk while I go and find some game to replenish my body. I've been traveling for the past month or two, and I've lost weight. I need to replenish my body."
Lu Liangsheng smiled but didn't say anything. The two of them had a tacit understanding for many years and would not care about anything just because of a few words. He just pulled the unicorn and walked straight to the pavilion.
The majestic unicorn beast followed the scholar docilely, its bright yellow tiger eyes glancing at the pavilion from time to time, which was heart-pounding. Together with Lu Liangsheng, who was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, they walked in the lead-blue rain curtain, just like an ancient ink painting full of mystery.
"Gu..."
Inside the pavilion, a group of guards swallowed their saliva and stared at the man and the beast that were getting closer and closer. Their hands gripping the hilts of their swords were sweating. When Yang Su waved his hand and asked them to disperse and retreat, one could almost hear a series of sighs of relief.
"Is this person Lu Liangsheng?"
Yang Jian's initial shock at seeing the unicorn gradually subsided. As a high-ranking official in the court, he had his own boldness and courage. He waved his hand and asked the guards to retreat outside the pavilion.
"If he is truly an immortal, he should be welcomed in person!"
He shook his wide sleeves, walked out of the pavilion first, and bowed to the man and the beast walking in the rain.
"Chang'an Yang Jian, nice to meet Mr. Lu!"
Beside him, Yang Su looked at the unicorn beast that was taller than a human head and Lu Liangsheng who had not been seen for half a month, and his heart was filled with horror.
… Damn, how long has it been? He has already reached the golden elixir.
The thought flashed through his mind, and when his brother bowed, he also bowed to the side and said, "I have met Fellow Daoist Lu before."
Lu Liangsheng loosened the reins, bowed in return to the two men, and then stretched his hands towards the pavilion.
"You two have come from afar, please come into the pavilion and sit down to talk."
Yang Jian had already learned something about the temper of Mr. Lu from his cousin on the way here. When he saw him now, he realized that it was indeed like this. In his heart, he thanked the emperor of Southern Chen to his eight generations of ancestors.
'Haha... I don't need a talent like this, who has auspicious beasts accompanying him, is well-versed in Taoism, and is well-read in classics. It must be God's gift to me, Yang Jian, to achieve my imperial ambitions!'
Thinking in his mind, he quickly made a "please" gesture with his hands.
Lu Liangsheng nodded and patted the side of the unicorn's mouth.
"Go play around by yourself."
Huh~~
The unicorn exhaled heavy air from its nose and mouth, and it touched the dragon's head in a spiritual way, which made the Yang Jian brothers amazed again. After all, no one had ever seen the legendary auspicious beast. Several guards who were standing close to the unicorn outside the pavilion had rain stains on their faces from the lion's mane, but they endured it and dared not move.
… But will the rain water shaken by such auspicious beasts bring blessings? The guards moved their eyes and quietly moved their upper bodies forward a little.
The unicorn beast walked around in the rain with its hooves. Three people sat down in the pavilion. Yang Su withdrew his gaze from the unicorn beast walking outside with some reluctance.
Lu Liangsheng raised his hand towards his brother who was taking off his bamboo hat and spoke first:
"Friend Lu, do you still remember the appointment we made half a month ago?"
"Of course I remember."
Lu Liangsheng spoke calmly, his eyes falling on Yang Jian's face across from him, "What does the Prime Minister want to ask?"
Surrounded by people he could trust, Yang Jian would naturally not beat around the bush. However, he also needed to organize his words. There were some things he said that might be rude to the elders in front of him.
He tapped his fingertips, thought for a moment, and then raised his eyes.
"Mr. Lu, you don't know that although Jian is the left prime minister of Northern Zhou, he seems to have great power, but he is also walking on thin ice. The previous emperor Yuwen Yun was not only suspicious, but also often ignored the government affairs. His punishments were harsh, and people's hearts were broken and they refused to submit. Now the young emperor is in power, but the Northern Zhou is shaky and the vassal kings are ready to make a move... I want to ask Mr. Lu, will the world be at peace again?"
Lu Liangsheng narrowed his eyes and stared at Yang Jian's face motionlessly.
Yang Su, who was standing by, added: "Friend Lu, my brother is lenient in his administration, simplifies harsh laws, and practices frugality."
"I can see that."
The art of observing qi and physiognomy cannot predict the past or the future, but it can give a glimpse of a person's future fortune. Lu Liangsheng put his hands on his knees, and his voice seemed to be flat when he spoke.
"… If a king is unkind, someone must take his place and restore benevolence to the people. The law of nature always comes true. Although I have never seen the emperor of Northern Zhou, I have seen that the people live and work in peace and contentment during my trip here. This shows that the prime minister is very capable."
Everyone likes to hear words of praise, but Yang Jian did not hear what he wanted to hear. He pursed his lips, leaned forward slightly, and spoke each word with pauses.
"Mr. Lu, can I take another step?"
The sound of rain fell from the sky to the earth, and the eaves of the pavilion formed a curtain of water. The pavilion was silent for a while.
Seeing his expression, Lu Liangsheng didn't nod or shake his head, but gave a blunt answer.
"The great prime minister has the air of an emperor."
Yang Su immediately clenched his fists, trembling slightly with excitement, looking at his cousin who had a calm expression but could not help but smile. Lu Liangsheng stood up and walked to the entrance of the pavilion. Looking at the lead-blue rain curtain, his heart moved. He thought of the young man he met on the outskirts of Chang'an that day, who also had the aura of an emperor.
"Could it be that the young man will become the emperor in the future? If I tell this great prime minister, I'm afraid that the young man's life will be in jeopardy, and even his clan members will die together. If I don't tell him, there may be another rebellion in the future, and many people will die because of it."
But then he thought, this is also the will of heaven. If he tells the story of the young man, would it be considered as revealing the secret of heaven? Would he be punished by heaven
After all, heavenly punishment and tribulation are different.
It is very likely to affect one's own luck and make the practice of Taoism difficult.
"Forget it, this is their royal family's business, why should I, an outsider, think so much about it?"
Turning around, Lu Liangsheng bowed to Yang Jian and Yang Su and said, "Since we have finished what we agreed to do, I will leave first."
"Friend Lu, wait a minute!"
Yang Su quickly stood up and spoke, his eyes constantly flicking at his cousin next to him.
The latter nodded in understanding and stood up.
"Mr. Lu, please slow down a bit. Jian has something to say."
Lu Liangsheng stopped outside the pavilion. The falling rain slid over his head and landed at his feet. He looked at Yang Jian and shook his head.
"I know what the Prime Minister wants to say, but I am ashamed to accept your kindness."
With a wave of his hand, the bamboo hat that had fallen in the pavilion flew over and he put it on his head. He turned around and took two steps forward. Yang Jian behind him chased after him in the rain.
"Mr. Lu! You are well-read and care about the hearts of millions of people. Are you going to abandon them just like that?"
Ahead, the figure in the rain trembled slightly.
Yang Jian took a breath, wiped the water stains off his face, and continued speaking in a clear voice.
"When we were in Chang'an, Jian and Mr. Lu missed each other once, and I thought it was a pity. Now that I have seen you, how can I let you go as easily as that idiot emperor of Southern Chen did?"
He paused and continued, "Sir, if you want to leave, I can't stop you, but the people of the world will miss out on a wise man. Since you said I can achieve the goal of becoming an empire, you might as well consider it."
Having said this, Yang Jian raised his hand, bowed, and kowtowed in the rain.
"Jian will never let you down!"
In the heavy rain, a group of guards looked at the motionless figure in the rain curtain in front of them, but they didn't know that Lu Liangsheng's heart was also extremely complicated. He exhaled for a long time, turned his hat slightly, turned his head, and looked at the prime minister who was bowing in the rain behind him.
Go over and help him up.
"Of course I trust the Prime Minister, but that road may not be easy to take. I have important matters to attend to and I cannot stay any longer. So I'll take my leave now!"
He bowed in return, and the unicorn beast that was walking slowly in the rain over there seemed to know that its master was about to leave, so it spread out its hooves and trotted over, following behind him towards another road in front that led to the river in the south.
"well… "
Yang Jian looked at the man and the beast walking further and further away in the rain, closed his eyes slightly, and let out a sigh.
"The immortals are far away from the mortal world."
"Brother, that may not be the case."
Yang Su walked forward. He heard the conversation between Lu Liangsheng and his cousin, especially the last sentence. He roughly guessed something in his mind. Over the past period of time, he had also inquired about the affairs of the Southern Chen Dynasty from many sources, and now he might have obtained evidence.
"I can see that Lu Liangsheng is a little hesitant, but he still wants to leave. It may be related to his mentor."
"oh?"
Yang Jian tilted his head and asked: "Is it the famous scholar Shu Huagong of the Southern Chen Dynasty?"
"Well, I heard that he was killed by that tyrant."
"Hahaha-"
At the side, Yang Jian laughed out loud, brushed off his wet sleeves, turned around and walked to his warhorse, turned over, pulled the reins, and laughed: "What a great gift, how can I not return the favor? Go back and send the order to send some food, grass, gold and silver to the Emperor of Southern Chen. We will return to Chang'an to accomplish great things, and then..."
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the blue: "Then, the troops will be dispatched to Chen Dynasty!"
He flicked the whip, turned the horse's head, and shouted, "Gee!" and galloped away in the rain. Yang Su and a group of guards urged their horses to follow behind him. Soon, they disappeared in the rain curtain.
…
The sky and the earth were filled with moisture. On the narrow, long and muddy country road, the unicorn had to wade through the mud in shallow and deep steps. The Toad Taoist lay on his apprentice's shoulder, hiding under his bamboo hat, feeling the damp and cold brought by this world.
At this time, he had already woken up and heard all the conversations in the pavilion.
"Why didn't you agree to that person? Just because of your mentor's matter?"
“Not entirely.”
Lu Liangsheng's eyes swept across the distant mountains shrouded in mist, the farmlands and mountain villages in the rain, and vaguely saw farmers wearing straw hats and raincoats digging up the ridges of the fields in the rain, busy draining the water from the fields.
After looking for a moment, he said softly:
"Master, the letter from my mentor made me realize something. Everyone in this world has his own path to take, just like Yang Jian just now. He has the appearance of an emperor. There may be bumps along the way, but in the future he will roar like a dragon and shock the world.
For example, if he had taught Li Sui'an, whom he met by chance, the art of wielding a sword, he might no longer be a waiter in a country inn, and he could have walked a broader path..."
The rain line connecting the sky and the earth spread over the clouds. In a small village on the official road at the border of Huaiyi Prefecture, a young man holding a wooden sword sat on the doorstep, looking up at the clear sky.
Soon, a package was thrown in front of him. He turned around quickly and saw his aunt with her hands on her hips, pointing outside.
"There is a caravan heading to Nanchen this afternoon. Get lost. You are either practicing swordplay or daydreaming all day long. You have driven away all the customers."
“Aunt…” The young man stood up holding the wooden sword.
"Get out of here quickly! There's some change in there, and a few days' worth of dry food!"
The woman waved her hand impatiently, drove him out, went to the kitchen, and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
…
In the leaden rain, Lu Liangsheng loosened the rope and let the unicorn follow along the road.
“… Perhaps my understanding is not deep enough, but there are thousands of ways to the Tao. If you choose one, you must complete it. But Master, you once said that a stonemason who is obsessed with carving will one day realize the Tao. A Confucian scholar is single-minded and studies the teachings of sages, which brings out the spirit of righteousness. That is because they have only one path to follow without having to choose one.
But I am a scholar, I am also good at painting, and today I have formed a golden elixir, so which path should I take?"
Amid the sound, a small insect was lying on a grass leaf surrounded by puddles. Lu Liangsheng picked it up with his fingertips, put it on a stone, and watched it quickly hide in the crevice of the stone.
"He found the path of my mentor... and I am still looking for my own path. This is also the reason why I didn't agree to Yang Jian. For thousands of years, thousands of creatures on this land of China have their own paths. After collecting my mentor's remains, I should also concentrate on understanding it."
He stood up and looked at the sky. The rain was gradually easing, and a ray of sunlight was peeking out from the gap between the dark clouds.
In this vast land, countless lives thrive and multiply. In cities, people walk out of their houses and onto the streets after the rain. Women open windows and hang up damp bedding. Farmers take off their straw hats and sit on the ridges of fields, watching the accumulated water slowly flow out with smiles on their faces. Amid the lingering sound of ancient bronze bells, the outline of a Buddha statue appears in the hands of a stonemason. The statue takes the cool water handed over by a monk from the Wanfo Temple with a smile and drinks it heartily.
In the temple, Yuwen Tuo, who was unwilling to be ordained, overturned the table and shouted loudly: "Your temple cannot accommodate me!"
The fat monk had no choice but to take him and the other child away and head south.
On the winding road, an old monk holding a Zen stick walked through acres of fields, walked into the mountain village, chanted the Buddha's name, ordered vegetarian food, sat under the eaves of a thatched cottage, and swallowed it slowly, not caring about how long the journey was.
The huge city of Chang'an is as prosperous as before. In a certain house, Li Yuan holds the sword in his hand, wiping it again and again, and waving it in the yard from time to time, with the sword light flashing everywhere.
In Shunyuan County, the four scholars, after careful consideration, bid farewell to Wang Chongwen and decided to return to Southern Chen.
… First, he would serve as a minor official in the corrupt Southern Chen Dynasty to gain experience, and then, after the fall of the Chen Dynasty, he would be demoted to a more prominent position.
As the sun shines down, the four of them start their return journey with their bookshelves on their backs and their ideals in mind.
south.
In the courtyard where there had once been a fight of magic, Yanzhi watched her two-and-a-half-year-old son write beautiful characters and clapped her hands in praise. Then she turned her gaze and saw Zhang Liancheng sitting on a rattan chair under the eaves. He looked skinny and forced a gratified smile.
In the Zhou Mansion, an old man held a book in one hand and placed a chess piece on the chessboard with the other. In the middle of the wall of the study, there was a framed painting with beautiful calligraphy.
The fragrance of books and ink reveals the beauty of a gentleman.
At dusk, in Wangjia Village, the village chief came to the riverbank ferry with a bottle of rice wine and a plate of steamed fish, and sat cross-legged. On the river, he saw a boatman wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, rowing towards him with a pole.
Outside the capital city of Tianzhi.
A figure waved his robe and smashed the huge rock under the gaze of the surrounding believers, and flames burst out from his body.
"All the spiritual objects are gone, what use are you guys-"
The sky darkened, and the last rays of light from the setting sun faded away.
Inside the Tianzhi Imperial City, the lights flickered and in the silent bedroom, screams of “Ah—” resounded.
The emperor sat up from the bed, his face covered with cold sweat. Zhang Lihua beside him woke up in shock and took a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his head.
"Your Majesty, are you having a nightmare again?"
Chen Shubao looked at the lights outside the gauze curtain, panted for a moment, and swallowed his saliva.
"… I dreamed that Uncle Hua came to see me again…"
He hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath and said:
"And... and Lu Liangsheng... he's back."