Know, know, know~~
Cicadas chirped among the branches in the courtyard, the warm evening breeze blew over the eaves, and a maid walked into the pavilion carrying sour plum soup to relieve the heat.
Amid the sound of the blue and white porcelain bowl being placed on the stone table, Yuwen Tuo waved his hand, holding the book, and asked her to go down. Ever since his master came to visit him that night, he returned to his habit of reading and cultivating his character as he did in the Qixia Mountain.
As the page of the book turned over his fingertips, footsteps were heard trotting across the stone bridge outside the pavilion, and a servant from the front yard stood outside.
"Master, Duke Yue is here, waiting in the front yard."
Duke Yang Su of Yue was well-known in the Sui Dynasty. He was proficient in military strategy and not only in martial arts, but was also rumored to be proficient in magic. Yuwen Tuo, who was sitting in the pavilion, knew all this better than anyone else. He was even familiar with the master, and could be considered a fellow friend.
"Well, you go down first."
After sending the servants away, Yuwen Tuo put down the book, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the pavilion and along the eaves of the waterside pavilion to the front yard. The other party was on good terms with his master, so as a junior, he could not be rude.
Soon, they arrived at the front yard. The men under the command of Duke Yue were standing outside waiting. When they saw the owner of the mansion coming, they hurriedly bowed and made way. Yuwen Tuo glanced at them. These people had more blood than magic power. They should be martial arts masters who knew some unconventional magic.
Retracting his gaze and stepping into the hall, Yuwen Tuo forced a cold smile on his face and bowed to the figure sitting on the left drinking tea.
"The descendant of the previous dynasty, Yuwen Tuo meets Duke Yue."
"Ha ha!"
Over there, Yang Su put down his tea and stood up to greet him. Although he was a guest, as a minister he instinctively took the initiative, extended his hand to invite him, and walked back upstairs with Yuwen Tuo who had entered.
"Doctor Yuwen, please don't think I am too strong. Come, sit down and talk."
The two exchanged a few polite words, and the maid came over to serve tea and left. Yuwen Tuo took a sip and saw that Yang Su was in casual clothes, so he couldn't help asking:
"Duke Yue, what's the matter with you coming to the mansion to look for Tuo?"
"Just came to visit."
Seeing Yuwen Tuo's stunned expression, Yang Su put down the cup and explained with a smile.
"The Yuwen family has been helped a lot by the Sui Dynasty, and you are a disciple of my friend. You should have come to see us a long time ago. I feel a little ashamed that you have only come now."
The somewhat hypocritical tone made Yuwen Tuo, who was sitting in the first seat, feel a little uncomfortable. In his eyes, the Duke of Yue was like a poisonous snake lurking there, wagging its tail and sticking out its tongue.
"But speaking of which, your master Lu Liangsheng came to Chang'an City a few days ago and asked about you and Qu Yuanfeng. I wonder if you have seen him?"
Yuwen Tuo nodded respectfully.
"I have met my master."
"Yes." Yang Su raised his chin slightly, stroked his beard and smiled, "Now that Fellow Daoist Lu has been conferred the title of ** Demon Spirit Manifestation by His Majesty, he may enter the court in the future. Doctor Yuwen is a member of the Northern Zhou royal family and is now an official of the Sui Dynasty. Have you ever thought about serving in the same palace with your master in the future?"
The maids and servants in the hall had long been driven away by the steward, and the door was closed at some point. Yuwen Tuo closed his eyes and listened to the words of the Duke of Yue. In fact, his master had already mentioned this matter that night when he came to have a long talk with him in the pavilion.
He then opened his eyes, looked at Yang Su, and raised his hand to bow.
"Tuo, thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Duke Yue, for your support. I have naturally thought about serving as an official in the court."
"good!"
Yang Su slapped the table, with a smile of approval on his face: "This is the descendant of the Yuwen family. If you serve as an official in the court, you can reassure your people and also ensure the stability of the Sui Dynasty. Moreover, you are a disciple of Lu Liangsheng, and your magic skills are not bad. It just so happens that I accidentally got a sword, and giving it to you is like adding wings to a tiger!"
"Wait a minute!"
Just as Yang Su waved to let the people waiting outside come in, Yuwen Tuo, who was sitting at the first table, suddenly stood up and interrupted with a bow: "Duke Yue, my teacher taught us that to be a man, one must first cultivate virtue. I intend to enter the court step by step, not relying on Duke Yue."
Over there, Yang Su lowered his hands, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the young man, his robes fluttering slightly.
After a while, he suddenly burst into laughter, sat back, slammed the table, and repeated the same sentence.
"good!"
The hall immediately fell silent. The two men were too far apart in age and generation, so they chatted for a while and then Yang Su got up and left.
Originally, he thought that with Lu Liangsheng's approval, he could go over and win him over, and give him a magic sword that he had obtained accidentally, so that he could stand on his side and stand behind the second prince Yang Guang. Unfortunately, Yuwen Tuo, the reincarnation of this magic weapon, was completely unmoved by the ideas in books.
What actually made Yang Su angry was not only the position issue, but also the Turks on the northern border.
A few days ago, my elder brother Yang Jian was very angry about the unrest on the border. He lost his temper and pushed over the imperial desk, scaring the officials of the Menxia Province so much that they knelt outside the palace for a long time.
After leaving Yuwen Mansion, Yang Su got on the carriage, lifted the curtain and watched the once glorious gate of the mansion slowly move backwards from his sight. Passing over the obstructing eaves, the bright red rays of light shone through the curtain and fell on his face.
"I'm afraid there will be war next year."
Now he was getting old, and even as a cultivator, he could at most prolong his life. But the Sui Dynasty had just been conquered, and he hadn't seen enough.
My brother and I had originally planned to train someone who could support the Sui Dynasty for several dynasties out of concern that the country would lose talent in the future. Unfortunately, things changed along the way.
Now that this man has finally returned to Chang'an, the shelved plan has been restarted, and the other party is actually taking action step by step.
'well… '
Yang Su looked at the burning Xiyun and sighed, "What kind of medicine did Lu Liangsheng give you?"
Fortunately, he was still in Chang'an and was also interested in entering the court, so he felt that he still had a chance.
The carriage drove through the bustling long street. At this moment, outside the city of Chang'an, an old donkey was running wildly with its hooves spread out.
In the last ray of light as the western clouds shone, the bookshelves were shaking violently on both sides of the heaving donkey's hips. A toad man in a long gown printed with precious coins stood in the cubicle, with his webbed feet stretched out and tensed, holding on to both sides to stabilize his body, and roaring loudly towards the slightly opened small door that was shaking.
"Slow down! Slow down! I feel a little dizzy and can't hold on any longer. Quack-"
The roaring sound was drowned out by the sound of hooves and the noise of bookshelves. Lu Liangsheng was riding on the donkey's back, and the Taoist was squatting behind him, covering his head with his hat, and the mustache on his lips was fluttering in the wind.
"I really want to hear the old toad's voice!!"
Lu Liangsheng turned his head and also shouted: "What?"
The instant the words came out of its mouth, they melted into the wind and turned into a whimpering sound. Ever since the old donkey turned into a unicorn, its speed has been unmatched in the world. In the blink of an eye, it was carrying two people on its back, with bookshelves hanging on it, and it rolled up a trail of dust, passed the majestic city in the distance, and disappeared into the sky.
Night fell, and as time passed, the sky and the earth began to turn pale again, crossing the long river that sparkled in the morning light, southward across the former capital of Southern Chen, to the mountains further south.
The morning light rises to the clouds, the mountain wind hums softly, and the merchants who get up early to sell goods stop their carts and walk to the temple on the hillside outside Lujia Village to burn incense and worship. The nearest Beicun even has an incense stall. The merchants who come here in groups may buy some and worship sincerely with their companions, and they will inevitably feel emotional when they go back.
"This place is becoming more and more popular. When I first came here, there weren't so many people there."
"Yes, they are all merchants traveling from the south and the north, as well as people from nearby villages. Now I heard that wealthy families in Fushui County, not far away, often come here by horse-drawn carriage."
"Hey, you don't know this. This temple has a great history. It was built by Lu Lang of Qixia Mountain. Although we don't know who is enshrined in it, it must be a great event. Not long ago, someone was dazzled by seeing the clay sculptures in the temple come alive."
"Oh, is this true? It's so scary!"
"Why bother with so much? Anyway, since I came to this temple, my business has been going quite smoothly. I just bought a house yesterday..."
The sun was slightly warm as they walked along the stone steps in the middle of the neatly laid lawn. Behind them, at the entrance of the temple, among the people coming and going to burn incense and worship, a woman in a gorgeous red dress stood slender and graceful with a faint smile on her lips, looking at every pilgrim passing by her.
Now she can make clay sculptures that move around and bring good luck to pilgrims.
When she was able to come out, the first person she wanted to tell was not in Qixia Mountain. She felt a little disappointed and returned to the temple. Now she was no longer afraid of the sun, so she would stay at the door most of the time every day. Sometimes when she saw Lu Xiaoxian or Li Jinhua coming, she would show up and chat with them. Usually at this time, she would choose a remote and sparsely populated place. After all, the clay sculpture looked almost the same as her. If she showed up in a crowded place, it would scare people to death.
The morning breeze was blowing gently, bringing with it the scent of sandalwood. Nie Honglian looked at the golden light outside the eaves with a dazed look. At the end of the stone steps where the light shone, a figure passed by someone. The woman at the door trembled slightly and clenched her fingers.
Ding-ling-dang~~
A familiar sound of copper bells was heard, and the pilgrims who were crossing paths revealed a scholar in a green and white robe, who was walking towards them leading an old donkey. He saw a graceful woman twisting her fingers at the door.
Lu Liangsheng loosened the reins and laughed.
"Hong Lian, I'm back."
At the door, the warm sunlight shone on the woman's pretty face. She looked at the scholar standing outside, pursed her lips, and a pair of dimples appeared on her cheeks.
She smiled sweetly and smiled from afar.
"Hong Lian, meet you, Master."
The crowd surged past the two of them.