The morning sun shines through the prosperous Chang'an. The streets are filled with long-lasting Hu music and noisy voices. In contrast, the Hibiscus Pond is quiet and pleasant. The fallen autumn leaves whirl around and float to the ground. The Toad Taoist lies under a tree and yawns several times. He stares sleepily at a child sitting on a small stool in the distance, reading. The sound of reading can be heard. He yawns again, changes position and closes his eyes again.
The Taoist swept the fallen leaves on the stone steps, carried the leaves on his shoulders and walked over there. Occasionally, he stopped with the broom in his hand, watched the scholar with his hands behind his back walk past the group of children, recited a passage along with him, shook his head, and gave up.
Zhu Ganglie, who was sitting on the doorstep, squinted his eyes. His big, black-haired hands held a small embroidery piece, and he embroidered it stitch by stitch, creating a picture of curling clouds, a bright moon in the sky, and the faint outline of a woman with fluttering sleeves. He estimated the time, picked up the copper spoon placed aside, knocked on the doorstep, and howled towards that side, imitating a heroic woman in Lujia Village.
“It’s time for dinner.”
Soon, the scholar with his hands behind his back smiled and waved at the young faces that were looking up at him. A group of children sitting behind the low tables immediately stood up, picked up their books, and ran to the attic with joy.
There were many round tables in the main hall. Zhu Erniang was busy all the time, scooping vegetables and rice. Hong Lian took the dishes and brought them to the table. The children who came in were no longer afraid. They took the bowls and chopsticks brought by the furry long legs in their hands and thanked her politely, which made Zhu Erniang grin with joy, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
The little people at each table were holding bowls and chopsticks, quickly picking up dishes and eating rice, not wanting to leave even a grain of rice behind. Zhu Ganglie then went back upstairs with satisfaction, took out his embroidery and embroidered some more while there was still time.
In the square outside the building, a scholar in a blue shirt took the book on the table, swayed the thumb-sized scabbard at his waist, walked under the shade of the tree over there, took the sleepy master in his hands and put him on his shoulder.
"Master, go back to your room and sleep."
The Taoist priest who followed with a broom on his shoulder smiled and raised his chin: "Have you been in a good mood these past two days?"
"Aren't you happy to have to keep painting your face?"
Lu Liangsheng smiled and went to the attic. He reached out and touched the hair of Mingyue who was standing by the door, and placed the book in his hand on the little girl's outstretched hands.
"Why don't you go in and eat?"
"Hmph. I won't eat with them." Mingyue glanced at the noisy scene inside. There were children looking over and waving at him. Mingyue quickly turned his face away, held the book, raised his little face, and ran towards the stairs.
"This child..."
Lu Liangsheng shook his head and walked through the main hall. The children who were eating stood up one by one, with food in their mouths or bowls and chopsticks in their hands, and called out respectfully, "Sir!"
"Don't talk while eating. Eat quickly so you can go play!"
Lu Liangsheng looked at them and pressed his hands, then smiled and nodded to Zhu Erniang over there, went back to the attic, put his master on the couch, covered him with a quilt, and sat down at the desk. A long sword was lying quietly on the table. It was the Yuelong Sword that had flown back from outside Yumen Pass.
"You're rushing back so soon. Do you know the situation over there?"
The patterns on the horizontal sword blade kept changing all the time, and the voice of Pudu Cihang could be clearly heard from it.
"… It was too cold over there, so I didn't notice anything. I left the things behind and gave them to your disciple, and then I hurried back."
"Nothing?"
"I saw it. Your disciples were covered in blood and were in a state of depression. There were many others rushing to die! If it weren't for me, they would have really died!"
Lu Liangsheng grabbed the hilt of the sword and threw the still chattering Yuelong Sword behind him. It flew in the air and then was inserted into the scabbard. Although its words were unclear, judging from its tone, there shouldn't be any big problem. If there were any difficulties, Yuelong would not sit idly by. After all, it was not just a simple spiritual being, it would still be able to judge the situation.
"It will take at least ten days to get the battle report back as soon as possible, so we should hurry up and teach these kids."
Thinking of this, Lu Liangsheng got up and prepared to go downstairs for lunch. When he walked to the door, the open window frame behind him creaked and groaned. A gust of wind blew in with a dead leaf, which swayed and fell on the desk.
The scholar picked up a five-pointed maple leaf. There was no such tree in the forest near Wanshou Temple, so he looked out the window.
"Sir! Come downstairs for dinner!"
Hong Lian's voice was heard outside. The woman pushed open the door and came in. There was no trace of the scholar in the room. She tilted her head in confusion and looked at a maple leaf quietly placed on the table.
…
To the east of Chang'an, the undulating mountains are a mixture of yellow and green. At this time of year, there are still many pedestrians and tourists going to and from Mount Li. When I went to the teahouse, I didn't meet Xiaodie who came out to buy tea. I walked along the stone steps I often took to the Laomu Temple. The moss on the stone steps turned yellow. In front of the temple gate, an old woman with a cloth wrapped in her head came out with a basket. She glanced at the smiling scholar, snorted, and turned to walk to a path next to her.
'Uh... did I upset my mother?'
Chirp chirp~~~
There were birds chirping in the woods, hopping around on the branches, blinking their eyes lightly at the old woman and the scholar walking one after the other on the path, then flying down from the branches. The old woman walking slowly in front reached out her hand to catch the bird, and sat down on a dead tree lying beside her.
"Mother."
Lu Liangsheng followed and saw the old woman teasing the bird with an expressionless face. She ignored him, smiled and went over to pick up the basket on the ground, walked to the roots of nearby bushes, and picked some wild vegetables and mushrooms and put them in the basket.
"Don't put anything in there, you want to poison me, don't you?"
Soon, the voice of the old mother of Mount Li was heard. Lu Liangsheng stopped and smiled as he wiped off the dirt on his hands: "My mother is finally willing to talk to me?"
"If you don't say anything, you'll fill up the basket."
The old mother of Mount Li released the bird in her hand, picked up the wooden stick at her feet and tapped the scholar's shoulder in a feigned anger, "You are too fond of playing tricks, just like what I said to you, deceiving the heaven."
Sure enough, the old woman was not fooled by the fact that Yuelong had taken the painting to the northwest.
Seeing that the truth had been revealed, Lu Liangsheng spoke frankly, picked up the basket and squatted beside it: "Mother, I grew up on this land, ate the food grown by the people, and drank the clear water from the river opened up by countless people. I don't want the soldiers on this land to suffer too many casualties..."
"Only you can do it!"
The old mother showed a rare emotion, and like a loving mother teaching her son, she poked Lu Liangsheng on the forehead with her finger and said, "Sooner or later, the Heaven will see it, and you will regret it."
Lu Liangsheng smiled with his teeth showing, rubbing the place where he was poked by the old woman.
"Maybe the heaven is on my side. All living things in the world must be protected by someone."
The old mother of Mount Li looked at the scholar, sighed and shook her head, stood up with the help of a cane, and without letting Lu Liangsheng support her, she walked slowly to the front.
"The Way of Heaven is ruthless and desireless, otherwise humans and gods would have lived together in the same world long ago. Liangsheng, don't do too many things that violate the Way of Heaven. Cultivate your Way well. You will have a great thing to do in the future..."
Lu Liangsheng paused and was stunned for a moment. He didn't care about the so-called big things. There would always be one or two big things waiting for people on their way. Since he was here today, it was a good opportunity to ask about the dream he had last time. Who knows...
As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, the old woman in front turned around and shook her head.
"Don't ask. Some things will change once you ask them."