Taoist Toad stood at the open window, watching the dusk fall on the woods, the birds chirping on the branches, and occasionally the leisurely grunts of an old donkey could be heard in the woods.
The short figure with flippers on his back and clothes open slowly turned around, jumped to the desk below, sat on the inkstone and looked at the wolf demon opposite.
"I can leave anytime I want, but it's too boring outside. I've seen everything I should see and experienced everything I should experience. I might as well stay here comfortably and be a good master."
"Has your demon elixir been repaired?"
Over there, Gongsun Liao put down the tea set he was playing with, looked at the toad sitting on the table with the inkstone, frowned slightly, stretched out a finger, and a wisp of demonic power extended and probed into the body of the Toad Taoist.
His slightly frowned brows suddenly relaxed, and his pupils shrank: "Old Toad, how did you repair the demon pill?" He stopped talking abruptly, as if he thought of something and lowered his voice.
"Demon star?"
The Toad Taoist nodded, stood up, put on his flippers, and walked slowly on the table.
"I have absorbed the demon star to help me repair my demon pill."
He walked a few steps on his webbed feet and stopped, looking out the window with his bean-sized eyes at the occasional flying birds at dusk. His open clothes were blown by the wind on both sides of his belly, and he hummed twice.
"… I have already recovered to my peak state, and I even feel that I have touched the realm of the demon king. So, you should go back to the northwest. You don't need to help me here, and don't think about asking me to go back."
Gongsun Liao had probably expected the old toad's answer. He was silent for a moment, then stood up with his knees bent, took two steps, and turned his face slightly.
"Old Toad, be careful of the evil star's invasion. Your disciple has a righteous heart and is not a crooked person. He has the great energy to suppress it, but you don't have that. It's best to get rid of it as soon as possible."
"I know, I know."
Hearing Toad's nonchalant tone, Gongsun Liao pursed his lips, bowed to him, opened the door, turned into green smoke, flew along the corridor out of the building, and disappeared in the northwest of Chang'an in the blink of an eye.
As the night gradually darkened, the Toad Taoist stretched his head to look out the window, and felt the old demon's breath fading away. His half-closed and majestic eyes suddenly widened.
'Finally, I'm gone.'
With a mutter, he spread his webbed feet and quickly climbed down from the desk, ran to the bookshelf, took out a small pot, and lit a candle.
"Huh... Finally no one is here. I just wanted to make some soup, but I was so sneaky."
He cut the seasonings brought from Mount Qixia into slices and threw them into the pot. As the steam rose, the Toad Taoist hummed a little tune, stood on his tiptoes and sniffed the inside, then found a soup spoon and scooped a spoonful into his mouth, feeling the taste, and smacked his lips: "The soup tastes good... I just don't know how the food Liangsheng brought back from the palace is."
It was dark outside the window, and the densely packed houses and buildings were lit up with numerous lights. The majestic imperial city was ablaze with lights.
The night wind blew over the palace eaves, and the red lanterns swayed in the light. A graceful palace maid in a long skirt came from the end of the palace eaves, carrying a wooden tray. The eunuch waiting outside the door hurriedly opened the door carefully a little, and the bright yellow candlelight shone from inside, and the emperor's voice could be heard laughing loudly.
"I am very happy that the Imperial Master has returned to the court. Haha... The Imperial Master did not see the faces of the tribute envoys today. After the fight, each one was more humble than the other. Fortunately, the Imperial Master returned in time."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Even if I couldn't make it in time, I still have the Duke of Yue. When I came back to Chang'an, I saw many Taoists wandering around the city. I'm sure they were waiting there to make a move."
The palace maid holding the wooden tray gently placed the dishes on the table. She lowered her eyelids and glanced at the scholar who was talking over there. Her cheeks flushed. At the urging of the eunuch outside the door, she followed the other sisters and left the side hall.
The door was gently closed, Lu Liangsheng put down his wine glass, picked up the wine pot and poured it in response to the emperor's words, and also filled the glass for Yang Su, the Duke of Yue, who was standing beside him.
"Duke Yue, let's have a drink together."
"Haha, how can I not drink the wine of the Imperial Master!" The old man also changed into his casual clothes, combed his gray hair neatly, picked up the wine glass and clinked it with the wine handed by the scholar, raised his head and drank it all, wiped off the wine stains on his beard, and shouted comfortably: "It's great!"
"Duke Yue, you refuse to admit your age."
At the first table, Yang Guang's face was flushed. It was unknown whether it was because he was excited about the fight today, or because Duke Yue was by his side, but as soon as the banquet started, he pulled Lu Liangsheng to drink several cups in succession.
"In the future... I will still rely a lot on the Duke of Yue, and, yes, the Imperial Master... Next year, I will take back the Silk Road... I will lead the army in person... I will learn from the late emperor..."
Yang Guang was a little tipsy after drinking several cups in a row. He spilled some wine while holding the cup. Lu Liangsheng reached out to take the cup for him and put it on the table. The emperor waved his hand and took the scholar's arm.
"Imperial Master... You have been away from the court for two years. You are so relaxed. I am very distressed..."
Yang Guang paused in his drunken chatter, raised his head, and looked at the old man across from him with his drunken eyes: "Duke Yue, I will personally lead the army next year... Please don't stop me... Stop me from learning from the late emperor..."
"Your Majesty, you are a little drunk."
Yang Su put down his chopsticks, glanced at Lu Liangsheng over there, raised his hands and clapped twice, and called the guards and eunuchs waiting outside to come in.
"Your Majesty is drunk. Please help him go back and have a good rest."
"yes."
The leading eunuch responded in a low voice, led the guards to help Yang Guang back to the back hall. As soon as they walked out of the hall, the cool night breeze blew on his red face. Yang Guang opened his eyes, pushed away the two guards who were supporting him, waved their hands to let them go. The eunuchs who accompanied him still came forward to support him, with flattering smiles on their faces, and the powder they had applied on them was falling down.
"Your Majesty... You are not drunk. You scared me to death."
"How could I get drunk so easily? It's just that the Duke of Yue is here and I don't like it."
Yang Guang exhaled, and with the eunuch's help, he walked from the corridor to the garden path. He reached out and touched a few flower buds, "I'd like to hint to the Imperial Master that Duke Yue has been very arrogant in the past two years. I just wonder if the Imperial Master can hear it."
It seemed as if he was whispering to the eunuch beside him, or as if he was talking to himself.
“… You should be able to hear it.”
…
In the side hall of Daxing Palace, Lu Liangsheng no longer had any interest in continuing the banquet. The emperor had left, and as a subject it was inconvenient for him to stay in the palace for long. The candlelight on the bronze lamppost flickered, and the old man beside the round table took the last bite of the dish with a smile.
"I didn't expect that Your Majesty has such a low tolerance for alcohol. I am not satisfied yet. Fellow Daoist Lu, why don't you follow me to your house to drink more? This will be my welcome back to Chang'an."
Lu Liangsheng followed the old man out of the side hall and nodded with a smile, "It just so happens that I also have something to talk to Duke Yue about, we can talk while we drink."
"oh?"
The old man walking in front was stunned for a moment, looked at the scholar in front of him for a while, then stroked his beard and laughed, and stretched out his hand: "Master, please!"
Lu Liangsheng spread out his hands.
"Please come, Duke Yue."