The morning sun rose, bringing warmth. From the distant foothills, the sound of cicadas chirped one after another, and the quiet ruins came to life.
Lu Liangsheng took the three books left by Lu Yuan, especially the last one. Although it was not some magical method, he could find out what might happen in the future from it.
Even a tiny clue, if used properly, can help prevent problems before they happen.
"Come back here later and renovate this place." After putting the book away with his Yin-Yang sleeves, Lu Liangsheng looked at the desolate surroundings and his eyes fell on the ginseng fruit tree that was originally in the backyard.
"Especially her, she should be properly placed. If she is taken advantage of by others, there will be endless troubles in the future."
After looking at the towering tree and thinking for a while, Lu Liangsheng turned around and looked at the little Taoist boy Qingfeng who was following him.
"You are familiar with this place, and you also know the barriers your master left behind. You should take good care of them, or reactivate them, and don't let others find the Five-Colored Manor. After you are done with everything, come to the Wanshou Temple in Chang'an City to find me. Are you willing?"
"Well, Qingfeng will follow the master's orders."
Seeing that he was obedient and well-behaved, Lu Liangsheng reached out to touch his head, but felt it was inappropriate, so he lowered his hand. A great disaster was averted, and he felt a lot more relieved.
He took a deep breath and looked at the people around him, including his master.
"Let's go back to Chang'an, and then... have a banquet to thank everyone for their help."
He raised his sleeves and bowed to them in thanks. At that moment, the bookshelf that had been placed in the corner in the distance shook, and "Boundless Mountains and Seas" fell out with a bang. When he turned the pages, he saw a flash of yellow light, and a majestic man appeared, with his head raised and looking back and forth nervously.
"Friend Lu, Old Toad, the great catastrophe of heaven and earth is coming... Eh? Where is this place? Why are there so many people?"
The Toad Taoist slapped his webbed feet on the face, feeling ashamed to have such an old friend.
Hahaha-
Around them, Zhu Ganglie, Yan Chixia, Yuwen Tuo, and Qi You laughed out loud. Shelong's mouth twitched, but he held it back. On the other side, Li Sui'an laughed the most happily. He squatted on the ground, holding his stomach and slapped the ground twice.
"Ouch...hiss..."
Li Sui'an suddenly shook his hand, probably because he had hit the sharp broken brick with force just now. He was in pain and jumped around, causing the old donkey to neigh and groan, as if it was laughing at him.
Soon, Lu Liangsheng called on everyone to set off and head back towards Chang'an in the east.
…
"drive-"
The evening breeze was gentle, and the drooping branches swayed slightly. Suddenly, with a loud shout, the branches parted. Following the direction of the swaying, several horseback riders were seen galloping towards them along the winding mountain path, whipping their horses.
"Your Highness, there is a teahouse in front."
A knight in the lead, who was wearing a hunting suit with tight sleeves, slowed down and shouted to the back. A young man in the middle pulled the reins and let out a "whoa". In the distance, there were flags with white characters on a blue background fluttering on the roadside. A tea stall was standing there and bustling voices could be heard from there.
"Well, call everyone over to take a break!"
It was midsummer, the weather was hot, and there were many roadside inns where businessmen and travelers who had been on a long journey came to rest. Known and unknown people would talk about what they had seen in other places and start a conversation.
"… Alas, it was a strange phenomenon. I happened to go to the toilet that day, and the sky suddenly turned red, as if I was standing in a burning red cloud. That thing, a huge lump, was hanging over my head. My dog didn't dare to bark, and it huddled in its den with its tail between its legs and didn't come out."
"That's true. I was also on the way to sell goods at that time. I saw it clearly. The caravan coming back from the northwest said that they also saw a dragon that smashed the thing to pieces. They also vaguely saw a person standing on it."
The waiter listened to the guests from several tables chatting and shook his head while wiping a table. He said, "Anyway, he didn't see what these people said. He was busy that day and slept so soundly that he didn't pay any attention to it."
After walking outside and wringing out the rag, he saw a group of eight people leading war horses coming from a distance. He immediately smiled and greeted them, "What would you like to eat? Although our store is simple, we have herbal tea, rice cakes, and everything else..."
He ordered food and snacks, invited them to come in and sit down, wiped the table diligently, and ran briskly to pour tea and get cakes.
Inside the teahouse, the merchant who had spoken earlier took a sip of herbal tea, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and continued:
"Alas... I heard people say that it's called a demon star, and it appears whenever there's trouble. I don't know how long this peaceful life will last."
Bang!
Someone slammed the table, startling the pedestrians and vendors around. They all turned their heads away. The eight people at the table who had just entered the tea stall glared at them. The man who slammed the table had a full beard and was holding a knife handle in his other hand, shouting angrily.
"What a sign of troubled times, stop talking nonsense, be careful of the blade in my hand that will chop off your barking dog's head."
"Put the knife back in."
Among the seven standing people, a young man dressed as a warrior sipped his tea and pressed his hands to both sides. The seven people in hunting clothes respectfully said, "Yes!" They sheathed their swords and sat down again.
The waiter came over carefully, placed the tea and cakes on the table one by one, stared at the weapons on the waists of these people, and smiled: "Don't worry, eight guests, these are rough men, used to traveling all over the country, with vulgar temperaments and nonsense. Don't get angry. If a fight breaks out, our small shop will not be able to withstand it, and you will have no place to eat."
Most of the guys who make a living in the store are good at speaking. Their humorous words not only give face to the eight people, but also flatter them.
What I mean is that they are all outspoken and talk nonsense. You eight are obviously heroes with outstanding martial arts skills. If you start fighting, the ground will be covered with blood and corpses, and you will not have the appetite to eat.
"Haha, what you said makes sense, my men are indeed a bit irritable."
The young man waved his hand, dismissed the waiter, and smiled at the somewhat panicked travelers over there: "Okay, everyone, let's eat. It's fate that we met in the martial arts world. After eating, we will go our separate ways."
Hearing this, the people at the tables over there breathed a sigh of relief and continued to eat cakes and drink tea with big mouthfuls. For a while, the whole shed was filled with the sounds of gulping water and chewing cakes. After eating, they hurriedly paid the bill, drove the donkey and drove the cart and left quickly, as if they were afraid that the eight men in the store would pull out their knives again.
There were only eight people left at that table in the tent. The young man who had spoken earlier was Yang Guang. He had actually heard what these people had said a long time ago. He had also seen a strange phenomenon in the sky in Luoyang that day, which was flying in the direction of Chang'an. He was so scared that he set off back overnight, fearing that something had happened to his father.
Even if something unexpected happens, there will always be room for maneuver if I rush back first.
After resting for a while, Yang Guang set off again with seven guards, riding at full speed along the shortcut to Chang'an, and entered the east gate of the city before sunset.
After entering the city, he dismounted and led the cart through the noisy long streets and bustling markets where people were coming and going. Peddlers carrying candied haws on their poles walked by shouting. Under the eaves on both sides, in teahouses and restaurants, people with free time gathered together and whispered to each other about what had happened the day before.
"It's hard to say. The demon star in the sky is not a good sign."
"Yes, but I don't think it's a big deal. After all, we have the Imperial Master here. Otherwise, such a big demon star would have destroyed Chang'an long ago."
"Oh, it's scary to think about it. If it falls down, we will all be dead."
"Let's just die. We are just ordinary people. It doesn't matter if we die... Forget it, forget it. Let's not talk about these mysterious things. Let's talk about something else."
“… A few days ago, I saw a frog that was run over by a wheel and only half of it was left. But it was still alive and kicking and running around. Don’t you think it’s weird?”
…
As the evening breeze blew, Yang Guang walked through the bustling street and entered the palace. He handed his horse to the gatekeeper to be taken away for care, and asked the guards to wait outside the palace. He straightened his appearance and strode up the stone steps.
He came back from Luoyang exhausted and without even having time to go back to Prince Jin's Mansion to wash up, he rushed here to see if his father was okay. Of course, it would be best if he was okay.
The thing he heard and saw on the way, which was called a demon star, was indeed so huge that it was hard for him to imagine. If it was to be destroyed, it would be beyond human power. He probably wanted to figure out how it disappeared in the end.
'… I hope it was Mr. Lu who did it, but I don't know if he is in the city.'
The glow of the sunset gradually faded to the west, and the clouds fell. Yang Guang walked through the brightly lit area and stopped at the front door of the palace. The eunuch who reported the incident held up the hem of his robe and trotted into the study in the side room of Wenzhao Palace at a quick pace.
"Your Majesty! Prince Jin is back."
The lights were dim, and the old man who was sitting at the dragon desk processing memorials raised his head. He looked a little listless. He didn't know if it was because he had been caught in the rain and cold wind upstairs that day. But now, when he heard that his son had returned, there was still some confusion on his face, and he looked at his cousin who was sitting with him at a seat on the side below.
The latter put down a scroll of bamboo slips and said with a smile: "It seems that our King Jin cares deeply about his parents."
"Among my children, Amo is the most obedient and filial. This is as I expected. Please stop teasing me."
Yang Jian smiled, put down his brush, and asked the eunuch to call the Prince of Jin in. The latter left the study without stopping, returned to the palace gate, bowed and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is calling you in."
When Yang Guang took off his sword and handed it to him, a soldier on horseback came galloping towards him from the square below the stone steps behind him. Without waiting for the horse to stop, he turned over and jumped off, stepped on the stone steps, bowed to Yang Guang who was watching from the side, and said, "Your Highness." Then he looked at the eunuch at the door.
"Go and report to His Majesty quickly. The Imperial Master has returned to the city."