The rain gradually stopped, and water droplets slid over the tips of leaves, fell into the weeds, and were then stepped on. Lu Liangsheng slowly walked down the hillside, turned his head to look at the woman following him, his expression was slightly stunned.
People who practice Taoism can naturally get married, it just depends on personal wishes. However, when asked from a girl, it has a lot of implications.
Lu Liangsheng felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't dare to show any expression on his face, for fear that the other party would misunderstand him. Whether the misunderstanding was good or bad, it was not what he wanted to see.
“Miss Min, cultivators can get married, but the road is long and their life span is much longer than that of ordinary people, so they cannot grow old together. In the end, one of them will die first.
Those who stay behind will only feel pain in their hearts, so many Taoists either live alone in the mountains to practice Taoism, or seek out a Taoist partner who practices Taoism as well, and stay together forever to seek immortal fate. Even so, few relationships last long, and people will eventually get tired of the same man or woman.
The two sentences were said in a tactful way, using the length of life as a threshold for marriage for those who practice Taoism. Lu Liangsheng believed that Min Yuerou could hear it. The old donkey following behind him stared with wide eyes and blinked. In the bookshelf hanging on his hip, the Toad Taoist lit his pipe and nodded as a matter of course.
Thinking of that woman, I feel that if she is still alive, she will inevitably be buried in the ground in the end...
Min Yuerou lowered her head and blinked her eyelashes, looking at the slope that passed by her feet, not knowing what she was thinking. After listening to the scholar's words, she suddenly raised her hand, pulled up her sleeve to reveal her white wrist and stretched it over.
"Mr. Lu, do you think I can practice Taoism?"
“To judge whether a person is capable of cultivating the Dao, one does not need to observe, listen, ask, and feel like a doctor.”
Lu Liangsheng pressed the back of his raised hand back into the air, looking at the stubbornness in the woman's eyes. He sighed, his fingers lit up with magic light, and gently touched her brows, then shook his head.
"I'm afraid not."
Min Yuerou put down her sleeves and stopped talking. She followed the scholar in silence. The three people and the donkey took two meters at a time. When they reached the foot of the mountain, they turned onto the official road. The road was much flatter and their pace gradually quickened.
Soon, the sun broke through the clouds and shone from the west, bathing the pedestrians on the road, the fields in the distance, and the long city walls in this red.
As the sun sets, three people and a donkey slowly walk into Chang'an City amid the busy road. The wet streets are mixed with stagnant water, mud and dirt. Raindrops accumulate on the eaves of the houses and drip onto the shoulders of passers-by. On the long street that has become prosperous and noisy again, Min Yuerou falls behind the old donkey, staring at the donkey's tail swinging back and forth, pouting and walking very slowly.
In the past, this long and bustling street, the hustle and bustle gradually stopped near the residences where officials lived. The road ahead was paved with simple gray stone tiles. Inside the tall courtyard wall with white background and black tiles, pine and cypress branches stretched out and hung outside the wall. In the red light of the setting sun, cicadas lying on the branches made annoying hissing sounds.
Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey and stopped in front of the quaint red gate. He looked at the gate with the plaque of "Min" and turned back to nod to the woman who was slowly following him.
"Ms. Min, we're here."
"oh."
Yue Rou, who seemed to be sulking, walked up the stone steps and knocked on the gate with the copper knocker. The old man at the gate who opened the door took a look, cried out "ouch", and quickly opened the gate completely, then turned around and shouted inside.
"Go and inform the lady, the young lady is back!"
Then, he stepped over the threshold, bowed and said, "Miss, where have you been? Everyone in the mansion is looking for you. The master will be back soon. If he knew you ran away and couldn't find you, he would be furious."
The woman quickly helped him up.
"Uncle Chen, I'm back now. I'll just go out and relax. I'll explain everything to mother later. You won't be punished."
Min Yuerou comforted the old man, turned around and looked at Lu Liangsheng who was leading the old donkey away, caught up with him, stood under the eaves and called him to stop.
"Mr. Lu, don't you want to come in and sit down? My... my father will be back soon. He hasn't seen you for a long time and often talks about you."
"No, I have things to do."
Naturally, he would not tell the other party that he was going to the border to look after his apprentice. Lu Liangsheng held the reins and bowed, and said a few words to the other party, and then said goodbye and left. Before he had gone far, a carriage drove up from the front. Before it reached the gate of the mansion, the curtain had been lifted. Someone stuck his head out and saw the scholar leading the donkey, and hurriedly shouted:
"Liangsheng!"
Lu Liangsheng turned around and saw Min Changwen, who looked much older than before. He quickly asked the driver to stop, got out of the car and walked towards the scholar, with a look of surprise in his words.
"When did Liangsheng come to Chang'an?"
"Just arrived."
Lu Liangsheng hurriedly bowed in return. He met the old man in Fushui County. Ever since his mentor Uncle Hua passed away, the old man treated him like a nephew.
"Dad!" Min Yuerou trotted over here and called out with a smile, but her eyes were glancing at the scholar who was returning the greeting, and she raised her eyebrows, as if to say 'you can't run away, right?'
On the other side, Min Changwen gently scolded his daughter: "Why didn't you invite Liangsheng in? How did your father teach you how to entertain guests?" Then he invited Lu Liangsheng to come into the house to talk.
"Minister, I have something important to do. I have a disciple in the city... I..."
"Since you are Liangsheng's disciple, how can a master meet his disciple? Come home with me and let him come to see you!"
Since the elders had invited him and the matter had come to this, Lu Liangsheng could not refuse and had to follow Min Changwen back to the mansion. Passing by another small courtyard, he saw a camphor tree standing tall in the courtyard, with a complete set of stone tables and stone benches, and a few houses on one side. It looked quite familiar.
When the old man saw the scholar looking at the courtyard, he smiled and stroked his long beard and said:
"That is the courtyard that I renovated to resemble the one where Uncle Hua lived when he was still alive. Would you like to go in and take a look?"
Walking through the crescent gate and into the courtyard, the old camphor tree swayed its branches and leaves, and sunlight shone through the gaps onto the stone table. Lu Liangsheng seemed to see again the figure of his mentor standing under the tree with a book in his hands.
"Remember your mentor?"
Min Changwen asked the servant to bring tea, then sat down and handed it to the scholar. Lu Liangsheng smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze away from the ancient camphor tree and sat down opposite him.
"Indeed, but he has been dead for many years, so I don't think so anymore."
The pretty figure standing at the crescent gate watched the scholar and his father chatting happily, and she felt happy too. She instructed the servants not to go in and disturb them unless summoned, and then she went briskly to meet her mother.
The old tree in the courtyard rustled gently. The old man took a sip of tea and put down the teacup. He saw his daughter leaving from the corner of his eye and smiled at the scholar opposite him: "Since Liangsheng said this, I think Uncle Hua has been reincarnated as a human again."
Min Changwen knew that Lu Liangsheng not only practiced Taoism, but also had some dealings with the City God of the Underworld during the Tianzhi period. He also learned from his daughter that the other party had some dealings with the City God of the Underworld, so he would definitely inquire about the whereabouts of his mentor.
Thinking of his long-time friend, the old man clenched his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice.
"Now, where has Lord Shuhua been reincarnated, and in whose family has he been born?"
On the other side, Lu Liangsheng just smiled and did not give a direct answer.
"Minister, I am not a cultivator, so I cannot talk about reincarnation in the underworld casually. Let's talk about other things. I passed by Chang'an and planned to go north to have a look. I heard that the Turks crossed the Great Wall and headed south. If they entered Chang'an, Gaoling County would be the first to bear the brunt. Minister, you should be prepared."
Although the words sounded incomprehensible, Min Changwen stroked his beard and smiled. From the scholar's words, he already knew where his old friend had gone.