"Your Majesty is calling me?"
Lu Liangsheng handed the basket to Li Sui'an, dusted off his hands, lifted the hem of his robe and sat on the chair, frowning slightly. The Taoist over there put down his feet and sat up: "Don't look at me, I am telling you the same thing. If you don't believe me, ask Old Pig and Yan Chixia."
In the direction of the finger, Zhu Ganglie stretched out his limbs and lay on a big chair in the sun. He tilted his head slightly and then put his head back on his head: "I heard it right. A general has returned."
On the other side, Yan Chixia, who was sitting on a low stool and concentrating on wiping the sword, raised his eyes.
"Han Qinhu!"
It turned out to be Han Qinhu, the Supreme Pillar of the State. Lu Liangsheng then remembered that they had gone south together to quell the rebellion, and there was an old general who stayed there. He was almost forgotten about it because of the incident with the evil star. Calculating the time, it was almost time for the troops to return to the capital.
However, the general was returning to the court, and it might be inappropriate for him, a national teacher, to go... Never mind, the emperor summoned him, so Lu Liangsheng still had to go. He stuffed the basket to Lao Sun, jumped up to the attic, changed into a robe, and put on the Qilin cloak.
Below, Old Sun held the basket and looked left and right, muttering, "What's in this?" He was about to remove the blue cloth covering it, but through the open window of the attic, he saw Lu Liangsheng wearing a Qilin cloak, and his voice spread outside.
"Don't stew the mushrooms. They were given to me by the old mother of Mount Li."
In the blue cloth that was uncovered, there were indeed a few pairs of ordinary-looking mushrooms. The Taoist was about to say, "There are ducks outside. Catch two of them, pluck their feathers, and stew them in a pot of mushroom and duck soup."
After hearing the scholar's last words, she curled her lips, covered herself with the blue cloth again, got up and walked into the attic.
"The gods are so stingy."
The Taoist priest walked into the hall carrying a basket. Behind him, Lu Liangsheng landed lightly, stepped firmly on the ground, and adjusted the collar of his robe.
"Don't say that, or you'll get slapped in the face."
The Toad Taoist, who was lying on the old donkey's back basking in the sun, opened his eyes, snorted, and turned his face away.
After Lu Liangsheng packed up and gave some instructions to the Taoist priest, he did not bring Laolu and his master into the palace. He cast a spell to shrink the earth into an inch, and in a blink of an eye he arrived at the mountain gate. The Sui soldiers on duty on both sides put their long weapons on the ground with a bang, bowed their heads and said, "Greetings, Imperial Master!"
Lu Liangsheng nodded at them, with his sleeves clasped behind his back, his figure slowly disappeared into the daylight, and crossed the bustling long street. There was a special carriage waiting at the foot of the imperial city. From afar, he saw a figure walking towards the end of the long street. Some soldiers had already driven the carriage over.
"I have met the Imperial Master."
"Thank you for your help." Lu Liangsheng walked onto the carriage and sat in the compartment. After a while, the horses pulling the carriage turned around and went along the high palace wall to Daxing Palace. The palace guards were patrolling around. On the spacious square, a team of dozens of people were dressed in neat clothes and armor, with mottled knife marks on their clothes. They were probably the officers and generals who had returned from the south.
When Lu Liangsheng got off the carriage, the military officers standing there naturally recognized this scholar. However, they could not speak to him casually at the moment, so they could only glance at him to show their kindness.
"Thank you for your hard work, soldiers."
"Thank you for the praise, Imperial Master!"
Someone among them also spoke up in response, then straightened his back and looked straight ahead at the hall. The sunlight shone through the open door, casting spots of light on the ground. An old man with white hair, wearing armor, a bright red cloak, and an iron helmet, stood between the civil and military officials on both sides, talking to the emperor on the steps and laughing from time to time.
"As for the rebels in the south, before I, an old general, arrived, the young emperor and his so-called master were dealt with by the imperial master. The remaining small soldiers and crab generals surrendered or fled after just two battles. Your Majesty, don't worry. It's very peaceful over there now. Even if there are people with evil intentions, I, an old man, can kill them. Haha!!"
When Lu Liangsheng walked over, a eunuch had already trotted in to report. The old man who was chatting and laughing with the emperor turned around and laughed even louder.
"National Master, you are finally here!"
Behind the dragon table, Yang Jian stood up and waved his hand to ask the eunuch to bring a large tiger-skin chair and place it on the right side of the imperial steps. However, Lu Liangsheng had never sat on it. As the book often says, one should have high aspirations but not be arrogant, and be friendly and approachable.
"Lu Liangsheng greets His Majesty."
The scholar stood beside the old man. Yang Jian did not blame him for not sitting down. Instead, he smiled and told him the reason for calling him over.
"The Supreme State has come back from a long distance, and the State Master is proficient in the art of exorcism. I wonder if you could show me some of the techniques to sprinkle nectar on the soldiers to drive away the evil spirits."
Is this why you called me here
This kind of magic is not difficult. What's more, Han Qinhu and the generals and officers outside are also fighting for the country, so it is not difficult for them to use some magic power.
Afterwards, he asked the eunuchs in the palace to prepare incense, candles and three kinds of animals. Lu Liangsheng lit three long candles, and in the wisps of green smoke that rose, he pinched his fingers, and with a bang, a ball of flame burst out from the candles.
A strong wind blew, brushing against the dozens of officers and soldiers who were marching south and were lined up neatly below. On the armor of the people that was invisible to the naked eye, wisps of tangled black air were pulled by the wind, carried away into the sky, and gradually faded and dissipated.
The soldiers around didn't know what was happening, they just felt that the wind came at the right time, and they couldn't help but lean their heads forward, exposing the back of their necks to let the cool wind blow in.
He squinted his eyes comfortably.
Over there, after praying and exorcising evil spirits, Lu Liangsheng had people collect the altar and put the offerings in the kitchen, under the eaves, and not to move them around.
After that, Lu Liangsheng chatted with the emperor and Han Qinhu for a while.
"By the way, Imperial Master, has your fellow Taoist come back? I think his martial arts are quite impressive. Why not invite him to serve in the army?"
After the court affairs were dismissed, Yang Jian walked in front, watching the civil and military officials leaving in twos and threes. Hearing what Han Qinhu said, he became interested.
"But the one-armed swordsman?"
Walking half a step to the right, Lu Liangsheng was a little surprised. From what the old man said, Zuo Qianwei was back? Then where was he
While thinking about it, he also replied: "The Taoist friend that Shangzhuguo mentioned has not returned to Chang'an..."
"Not coming back?" Han Qinhu was also a little surprised. After all, he saw with his own eyes that the other party flew off the deck and headed west towards Chang'an.
The three of them walked past the corridor. Just as Lu Liangsheng was about to speak, a eunuch trotted up to them in front of the corridor and knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Jin has arrived at the palace."
Hearing the eunuch's report, Yang Jian frowned, his eyes full of confusion: "Amo was about to leave yesterday, why did he suddenly come back?"
As he said this, a figure was striding towards this side in the distance. It was none other than Prince of Jin Yang Guang. But before he got close, when he saw Lu Liangsheng standing next to the emperor, his face changed drastically and he turned around to leave.
"Your Majesty, don't go up."
Lu Liangsheng tugged at the corner of Yang Jian's clothes, signaled with his eyes, and whispered, "Don't come near." Then he raised his Yin-Yang sleeves, and the cuffs suddenly opened wide, instantly pulling the King of Jin, who had walked more than ten steps in front of him, in front of him.
"National Master, what's going on?"
"Don't mess around!"
Yang Jian and Han Qinhu shouted almost at the same time, but Lu Liangsheng didn't hear them at all. He raised his sleeves, reached out his hand and grabbed Prince Jin's neck tightly, and with his other hand he made a spell and tapped Yang Guang's brow.
With a hook of two fingers, a ray of red emerged from Yang Guang's seven orifices in the sight of Yang Jian and Han Qinhu.
"roar!"
The red gas transformed into a hideous human face and growled at Lu Liangsheng on the opposite side. The latter grabbed and pinched the human face presented by the smoke with one hand.
Next second.
When he bent his fingers, there was a 'bang' sound, and the face was instantly crushed.