Qishan is a solitary peak. The setting sun shines into the cave entrance. The "hill" is divided into two piles. Next to Lu Liangsheng, who is sitting in the middle, there are already several useful books on magic and several bottles of healing pills.
He had to look through every spell book and confirm the content before picking them out and classifying them. He flipped through them one by one, and even with all his patience, he still found it very boring.
“These few books should be enough!”
Lu Liangsheng stretched lazily, looked at Hong Lian who was still searching over there, told her not to look anymore, put the books around him together, stood up and looked outside the cave. The setting sun was shining in.
"Master has been gone for so long, why hasn't he come back yet?"
"Will they be eaten by jackals, tigers and leopards?" Hong Lian remembered that she was driven out by the Toad Taoist when she came here, and couldn't help but make a joke.
As Lu Liangsheng walked out and put the bottles of pills and books he had helped to bring into the grid under the bookshelf, the Yuelong Sword screamed in its sheath.
"The old toad is back!"
On the muddy path leading up to the other side, a short figure carrying a gourd was visible, walking towards this side, swaying from side to side.
Lu Liangsheng patted the sword head, closed the compartment where the books were placed, sealed the spell, turned around to look at the master who was walking towards him, and asked:
"Master, I've almost found everything here, should I leave now?"
Hearing his disciple's voice, the Toad Taoist moved his flippers and walked into the cave alone, saying as he walked, "Wait for me outside. The seasonings I brought last time are almost used up. Bring a few bottles back."
There was a sound of ding-dong-donging of rummaging, and the Toad Taoist came out holding three small porcelain bottles. He asked Lu Liangsheng to put them in the cubicle where he lived, then he climbed up and tied the rope.
He said calmly, "Let's go."
He slammed the small door of the compartment shut, as if to prevent anyone from disturbing him. It became quiet outside, causing Lu Liangsheng and Hong Lian to look at each other, wondering what had happened to Master Toad.
"Let's go to Chang'an before it gets dark."
Hong Lian hummed, waved her sleeves, turned around, and went into the scroll. Lu Liangsheng took the reins and sat on the old donkey's back. He tapped his heels lightly, and the old donkey shook its neck bells and slowly stepped forward. When it walked to the bend below, it put down its last hoof, and the mud and rocks instantly broke and splashed.
Uh ah ah—
With an excited roar, it turned into a cloud of dust and rolled along the winding mountain road, rushing straight down the mountain. Inside the swaying bookshelf, the Toad Taoist was sitting cross-legged with his webbed feet wrapped around his chest. The porcelain bottles on both sides of the toad were hitting his head with bangs. His body was motionless, his eyes narrowed into slits, and he watched the foothills outside the compartment flash by quickly in his eyes.
As it got dark, Lu Liangsheng also came to the vicinity of Chang'an on his old donkey. He stood in the pavilion where the young man he had met by chance in the past, and looked at the huge city in the distance that was like a starry sky. It was obviously impossible to go directly to the palace to see Yang Jian. What's more, the other party was already the emperor, which was different from the prime minister of that day. If he went there abruptly, it would only make people wary.
After thinking of an idea, Lu Liangsheng raised his sleeves, made a finger gesture, and pressed it between his eyebrows. The moment his magic power was released, the treetops swaying in the wind and the insects humming in the grass all became silent.
Things that ordinary people cannot see overflowed from the scholar standing outside the pavilion, flew to the distant city with thousands of lights, passed through the bustling night market, and connected to the imperial city like a silk thread.
The Sui Dynasty had just been established, and the soldiers of the imperial city, dressed in brand new armor, were doing their work in an orderly manner, patrolling the city walls with torches. There were also guards with bows and swords on the palace roads. The palaces extending there were brightly lit, and the palace maids and eunuchs were waiting quietly outside the palace gates, waiting to be summoned at any time.
Inside, the emperor was reviewing memorials and talking to several summoned ministers.
"This time, I intend to conquer the Chen Dynasty in one fell swoop and not give them a chance to catch their breath. We need to hurry up with the food and fodder. Otherwise, before the three armies go out and the food and fodder are even started, I will have to sacrifice someone."
The lights flickered, and on the dragon desk, after reviewing a memorial, Yang Jian took it in his hand and patted it lightly, then raised his face. Now that he was the emperor, his status became more prominent.
His thick beard trembled slightly, and he continued, "Moving three armies together is no joke. The Sui Dynasty is no longer the Northern Zhou Dynasty..."
The ministers below were all former officials of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and were considered quite capable. Summoning him to the study room late at night was meant as a warning. However, just as he said "not comparable to the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the past", the light on the desk suddenly shook.
The candlelight glowed blue, and the entire hall seemed to be immersed in a dark blue.
Opposite them, the five ministers standing there also remained motionless with their heads bowed. Yang Jian frowned, put down the imperial pen, and stood up from the dragon throne.
His cousin knew magic and had also seen Lu Liangsheng leading the unicorn beast, so he had some understanding of Taoism and immortal arts. He brushed away the dragon sleeves and strode to the imperial steps with a powerful voice.
"Who is this master who comes to cast a spell in my palace?!"
The surroundings were so quiet that even the voices of the palace maids and eunuchs did not respond. At this moment, the tightly closed palace door dazzled him. A blurry figure walked in, raised his wide sleeves and saluted him.
"Lu Liangsheng from Qixia Mountain has met the Emperor of Sui Dynasty."
In front of the imperial steps, Yang Jian's thick brows relaxed and he saw the blurry figure gradually reveal a familiar outline, a man in a green robe and with a calm demeanor. A smile immediately broke out on his face, and he burst into laughter, opening his arms to greet him.
"Mr. Lu wants to see me, why waste your mana? Just let someone pass the message."
"Your Majesty is not the Prime Minister of the past. How can a good man be rude?"
Lu Liangsheng's magic is actually similar to the art of transmitting dreams. At first glance, it looks like the soul leaving the body. His movements and expressions are like a real person bowing to the emperor.
It is necessary to be polite when meeting old friends, and besides, I came here to ask a favor.
"Haha, sir, what are you talking about? If it weren't for what I said in the Ten-mile Pavilion, I might not have made this decision!"
Yang Jian had a great liking for Lu Liangsheng in front of him, not only because of his identity as a cultivator, but also because he was well-mannered and gentle, making people feel as warm and welcoming as spring breeze. He was not those arrogant and pretentious disciples of the sects and immortal families as his cousin talked about.
"I just don't know what is the purpose of you coming here to cast a spell like this, sir?"
Casting a spell at such a distance would consume a lot of magic power, and Lu Liangsheng didn't want to beat around the bush. After the two of them greeted each other, he began to explain his purpose.
"I heard that Your Majesty had just ascended the throne and wanted to do something to unify the nine provinces. I came here for this purpose."
"Sir, do you not want a war to break out between the North and the South?" Yang Jian was the emperor after all. He restrained his smile and frowned slightly.
"Your Majesty has misunderstood."
The light in the hall was relatively dim, and the flame at the wick remained motionless. Lu Liangsheng walked into the range of the light, keeping a smile on his face, and pondered for a while.
Reorganize the language.
"The unification of the north and south is actually what I want to see. Your Majesty is a man of great talent and wisdom. If you unify the world, it will be a blessing for the people. However, when the war breaks out, the people in the south suffer. This time I came to see Your Majesty just to say a few words for the people of the Southern Dynasty."
Having said that, Lu Liangsheng took a half step back, raised his sleeves, folded his hands, and bowed to Yang Jian.
"When your majesty marches south, I hope you will restrain the fierce and ruthless people and not commit too many murders. The people of the south would like to thank you in advance."
"Why do you have to do this, sir?"
Yang Jian quickly stepped forward and lifted up Lu Liangsheng's hands, feeling relieved. If he came to persuade them to stop fighting, it would be difficult for him to continue talking to him.
It's rare to find someone who understands me so well, the Emperor of Southern Chen... Such a person, yet I treat him like chaff.
"What you said, sir, is also what I think!"
Yang Jian pursed his lips tightly and nodded solemnly: "I will issue an order to all the troops in the future. When marching south, do not harass the people and treat the surrendered Chen Dynasty soldiers well!"
Lu Liangsheng looked at him with a smile on his face. From his previous acquaintance, he could tell that this emperor was a man of his word. The uneasiness in his heart gradually subsided, and he handed a jade pendant to the other party and said goodbye.
"I trust your Majesty. If you encounter any trouble in the future, your Majesty may send someone with this token to find me in Qixia Mountain so that I can repay this favor. Then, I will take my leave first."
The figure gradually became blurred and turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated.
"Sir, wait a minute! I would like to invite you to come to my Sui Dynasty to serve as the Imperial Master..."
"Mr. Lu!"
The voice was still shouting. At a certain moment, Yang Jian, still holding a pen in his hand, suddenly sat up from the long desk and opened his eyes wide. In his sight, the warm yellow light was shaking slightly.
Several ministers in the hall below woke up from the ground, not knowing what had happened. They knelt down quickly and apologized to the emperor with wide-eyed eyes.
Dream
Yang Jian withdrew his gaze. What just happened was too real. He suddenly couldn't tell what was going on. He put down the brush and it touched something with a slight "click" sound.
There was a round jade lying there quietly. The emperor took it in his hand and looked at it under the candlelight.
"It really wasn't a dream... The Taoist magic is truly mysterious. I'm afraid Lu Liangsheng's cultivation is much higher than Yang Su's."
Several ministers kneeling below the imperial steps looked at the emperor stroking the round jade and looked at each other, not knowing what was going on. After a moment, they heard the holy words coming from above.
"Immediately take my order to the Xinzhou Governor, Shangzhuguo, and Qinghe Duke Yang Su..."
The words echoed in the palace. In the pavilion at the foot of the mountain in the distance, Lu Liangsheng opened his eyes and withdrew his magic power. On the bookshelf, the master was sleeping soundly under a small blanket. The two things in the north had been done, and it was time to return to Nanchen.
Soon, the old donkey shook the bell, carried its master on its back, and pranced briskly, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.