The night wind blew through the inn. The lanterns under the eaves swayed with a creak. Two bonfires were set up in the courtyard. Skinned yellow dogs and pythons were skewered on spears and rolled around on the ground. Grease bubbled up with a hissing sound and dripped into the red-hot charcoal, causing flames to burst out.
"It's almost done. We had a great time eating that fat pig last time. What a monster. In the end, it ended up in the stomachs of us brothers!"
“…Haha, that’s all thanks to the Imperial Master, otherwise we would have been eaten.”
"To be honest, the meat of this monster is really tender and delicious!"
"Come on, have a drink first to moisten your stomach so you can eat more later."
"Is it a bit inappropriate for us to eat like this? After all, we are monsters!"
"What's good or bad? As the saying goes, whatever you get from the world will return to your stomach. This is called the cycle of nature!"
"… If I were to say it, today was an eye-opener. A dragon, damn, it was so big. I may never have the chance to see one again in this lifetime. I must brag about it to my other brothers when I get back."
"That's not necessarily true. If I have the opportunity to go on a long journey with the Imperial Master in the future, I might even be able to see the phoenix mentioned in the legend..."
"Hahaha-"
Sparks rose and filled the yard. The clerks of the post station watched from afar a group of soldiers from the capital. They took off their armor, bared their arms, and held up wine bowls to drink with others. They gathered around the fire in twos and threes, drinking and roasting meat, shouting, laughing and cursing. A few men took plates, cut the roasted meat, walked to the eaves, laughed and imitated the maids to walk into the main hall in a line.
At the big round table, Yuwen Chengdu brought wine to the Taoist priest nearby. Sun Yingxian kept picking up dishes, put down her chopsticks, reached out to take big chunks of meat and stuffed them into her mouth. She casually clinked the wine with the other person, poured it into her mouth, chewed it and swallowed it into her stomach along with the dishes.
"Master Sun, you have a good alcohol tolerance!" Yuwen Chengdu put down the cup awkwardly. According to his usual temper, he would have beaten the other party with such politeness long ago. However, the man in front of him was not only a good friend of the national teacher, but he also witnessed the mysterious magic of the other party when he demolished the temple today. The more he thought so now, the more he felt that it should be so.
"Master Sun, I wonder where the Imperial Master has gone? Why didn't he come to such a celebration?"
The Taoist priest with food in his mouth turned his head and rolled his eyes, chewing quickly with puffy cheeks, holding the chopsticks and pointing to the top of his head, and said vaguely: "He won't eat these things. If you want to please him, you might as well please me. I'm his brother-in-law!!"
"Ah? Then...then Taoist Priest, please eat more!"
Yuwen Chengdu hurriedly took the plate from his subordinate and pushed it in front of the Taoist priest. He was even ready to ask someone to go to the brothel outside to call two prostitutes over. Sun Yingxian subconsciously glanced at the top of the dome, put down his chopsticks repeatedly, and whispered: "No, I will turn over a new leaf and not have fun outside. Let's forget about this!"
Above the table where people were toasting each other, there were lamps hanging with a few swaying candles. Extending upwards, the bright moon emerged from the night clouds, casting its light on the roof, and a figure was sitting there.
Lu Liangsheng looked at the moonlight in the night sky with a dazed look in his eyes. Thinking back to the past few years as the Imperial Master, he felt increasingly confused.
Especially after the death of Yang Jian, who single-handedly established the prototype of this prosperous era, Duke Yang Su of Yue wanted to force the newly enthroned emperor to become another 'Han Wu'. It seemed that everyone had their own things to do at this time, and he was running around to fill in the gaps, first with the "Illustrated Records of Mountains and Seas", then with the Descent of the Demon Star, and now he had to collect the fragments of the Demon Star scattered across the Nine Provinces.
But in the end, nothing is ever completely done.
Among them, there is also a secret involving Lu Yuan... Did he really use the Kunlun Mirror to reverse time and space just to stop the evil star
"Master, do you think it's better for others to practice Taoism and lock themselves in a cave without distraction, or is it better for them to travel through the world like me and experience the love, hatred and vengeance of different people?"
On one side of the roof, a Taoist Toad was holding onto a treetop with his webbed feet, looking down from his feet. He smelled the aroma of barbecue and stared at the piece of barbecued meat that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside as it was put into his mouth to be chewed. He slurped the saliva at the corner of his mouth.
"You chose it yourself... It must be very oily and looks delicious."
“I really chose this path myself.”
The scholar watched a wisp of cloud drifting by under the bright moon. He picked up a dead leaf that had fallen on the tile and turned it in his hand.
"… I still remember the letter in blood that my teacher gave me when I was in Lanruo Temple. I had to walk my own path… I have never regretted the path I chose, but sometimes I feel more and more confused and tired. Master is a person who has been through this before, can you give me some good guidance?"
The Toad Taoist priest stood on the eaves, looking at the bonfire below. Someone took down the whole roasted yellow dog, cut off a large piece of meat, and swallowed his saliva.
"Eat? Of course you have to remove the tendons first, then eat them one by one, sprinkle them with the seasoning specially made by the master, it's so fragrant, the tendons are chewy and can be used as a snack after the meal, chew one whenever you like."
Under the soft moonlight, Lu Liangsheng thought about the metaphor of the Toad Taoist, and his mind gradually understood. It was comfortable to have someone say these words to him. The cold moonlight shone on his face, with a smile.
"Master is right. We must be clear about what we should do first. There were too many things piled up before. Now that we have come this far, it seems clearer. Master is standing outside the situation. This analogy really enlightened me."
After letting out a long sigh, Lu Liangsheng's expression became serious: "The impact of the Monster Star fragments is too great. If I hadn't made preparations in advance, I might have been defeated by the Golden Lake Dragon King. If there were other big monsters that also absorbed the Monster Star's energy, the disaster that would have occurred would probably be beyond my control."
With his purpose clear in his mind, Lu Liangsheng calmed down his mood, stood up, bowed and said to the Toad Taoist over there.
"Thank you for your guidance and teachings, Master. I will go down first."
"Well, go ahead."
The toad clinging to the branch nodded, and after saying "go ahead", he turned his head with a puzzled look: "When did I teach you anything?"
etc!
The Toad Taoist looked at his disciple who came down to the courtyard, bowed to the soldier, and walked into the main hall, his eyes widened.
"You didn't even mention taking me with you... That's not right. I've already recovered my demon pill, how can I not be able to go downstairs? I'll just be laughed at."
In an instant, the frog waved its webbed feet, smoke rose up, and it turned into a fat old man with white beard and beard. He flicked his wide sleeves, nodded, and took a step forward.
Click!
The tiles cracked under his feet. The Toad Taoist froze in place, his mouth twitching slightly. He cursed, "That bastard..." The next moment, with a bang, he stepped on a hole, and his chubby figure fell down and disappeared on the roof.
A Taoist scream of "Ah--" was heard from below, and the table and bowls were smashed over in a loud noise.
The moonlight is as silent as water and gradually disappears into the night clouds.
…
Oh oh oh oh… Oh oh oh~~~
The cock crows loudly.
The golden autumn day pushed aside the early morning darkness. In the courtyard of the post house, smoke rose up. After a busy night, the imperial cavalry packed their luggage, dressed neatly, led their horses and came to the long street, where they bowed and said goodbye to the county magistrate and others who came to see them off.
“General, where is the Imperial Master? I have never met him in person…” The county magistrate cupped his hands and glanced at the crowd, but he did not see the Imperial Master, so he could not help but ask.
Yuwen Chengdu held the phoenix-wing gilded borer upside down, turned his horse's head and said with a smile: "The Imperial Master has a lot of things to do, so he has left first. We also need to return to Chang'an to report. Goodbye!"
"Then... General, please slow down!"
"drive!"
Yuwen Chengdu nodded, pulled the reins, pressed his heel against the horse's ribs, shouted loudly, and galloped away on his horse. The forbidden cavalry followed suit, shouted loudly, and followed closely, waving their whips.
The three county magistrates who did not see the imperial teacher watched him walk away, and then they turned back home. The carriage they took passed the street, and they looked outside the curtain at a scholar who passed by them, leading an old donkey. They sighed, thinking it was a pity not to have seen the imperial teacher, so they lowered the curtain and left in the carriage through the busy street.
Ding ding dong…
The old donkey followed the scholar's reins as he walked out of the city gate, shaking the sound of the bell. In the early morning sunshine, he passed by the bank of the Golden Lake. In the distance, a scholar in a gray robe was standing by the lake, looking at a blooming lotus in the lake. Hearing the sound of the bell, he raised his eyes and looked over here, smiling, clasped his fists and bowed towards this side.
Lu Liangsheng smiled at him, raised his hand to greet him, and led the old donkey away. Bathed in the morning sun, it gradually turned into a blur and went away, and the sound of the copper bell also disappeared.