The news that Lu Liangsheng was going to the East Sea spread quietly in the Taoist temple. It was unknown how long this trip would take, and even Sun Yingxian, who always liked to go out, tried her best to dissuade him.
"Absolutely not, my great scholar Lu. The sea is so vast that there is no solid ground underfoot. If the boat flips over, we will be submerged in the sea. If you want to go, go ahead. I won't go anyway. Don't ask. I am seasick, okay?"
"Humph, I really won't go!"
"It's better not to go. I have a quiet road."
…
They had known each other for many years, so naturally they were reluctant to part. In the following days, the Taoist summoned them. Zuo Zhengyang and Yan Chixia, who had received the news, also rushed to Chang'an to persuade them, but they were all rejected by Lu Liangsheng, who waved his hand and said:
"Although the sea is vast and boundless, Sui An also traveled from south to north. Even if the sea is vast, I can still cross the sea from east to west. If I can't find Guixu, I can go to the far west to have a look, which can be regarded as some experience."
Actually, Lu Liangsheng was reluctant to leave the land under his feet, and he only brought Lao Lu and his master on this trip. Hong Lian's body was still in the temple in Qixia Mountain. If he was gone for several years, something might go wrong. Lao Sun could not invite her to travel with him, otherwise his sister would be a widow.
What's more, there are more than 200 children in Wanshou Temple who need to be taught. If the Taoist stays, it will be a way to take care of them. In the future, he can also bring Xiaoxian and his family to live in Chang'an. It would be uncomfortable to send them back to Qixia Mountain.
"I may be gone for two or three months, or maybe three to five years. When you return to Qixia Mountain, you can tell them."
The spring breeze gently blew through the woods on both sides of the mountain gate. Amid the rustling sound, Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey out of the mountain gate. Looking back, Hong Lian was standing at the foot of the mountain gate, wiping non-existent tears and sobbing slightly.
Seeing the scholar turn around, she ran over and threw herself into his arms.
"Just go, sir. I will take good care of the two elders at home, and I will also take good care of Qixia Mountain and wait for you to come back."
"Well, wait until I come back."
Lu Liangsheng gently stroked the black hair and looked at Qi You who was pouting and wanted to come over. He smiled and stretched out his arms. The latter then smiled and also came over and rested his head on the scholar's shoulder.
"Old demon, you need to come back soon... I might get bored here and want to go out and play."
"I'll be back as soon as possible."
Lu Liangsheng comforted her, patted the two girls on the back, and smiled at Lu Pan and the other eight people, "Eight uncles, I'm sorry to bother you here. There will be money allocated here every month. When the time comes, we will buy a house in the city, and we can also bring my aunt and the others to live with us."
"Haha... We are so happy now, we won't accept it."
Lu Qing laughed loudly, causing the other seven men to laugh with a look of understanding. Seeing their expressions, Lu Liangsheng felt much better about the parting. He repeatedly instructed the Taoist priest a few words and bowed to Zhu Ganglie.
"Old Zhu, goodbye!"
The burly man punched him and spoke in a muffled voice.
"You lured me, Old Pig, to this prosperous place and made me reluctant to leave. But you ran away alone. Remember to come back and treat me to a drink to make amends. Oh, and bring Monkey along. It's a pity that I didn't get him drunk last time."
"good!"
Lu Liangsheng nodded, estimated the time, shook his wide sleeves, bowed, and said goodbye to the old dragon with a big head emerging from the lotus pond.
After leaving Wanshou Temple, he turned around and asked the Taoists not to see him off, and then walked to Changjie with Zuo Zhengyang and Yan Chixia who were waiting for him. Anyway, the two of them also wanted to travel far, so they accompanied the scholar for a while.
On the noisy and bustling street, Lu Liangsheng suddenly stopped, looked back at the group of people who were still stopping to look at him, forced a smile on his face, put down the reins, turned around, bowed to them again, then, with a flick of his wide sleeves, pulled the old donkey over and disappeared into the crowd without any reluctance.
Ding-ling-ling~~
The sound of the bronze bell rang back to the road outside the city. In the hurried official road, Lu Liangsheng walked along the nearby path and climbed up a hill. Not far away there was a newly built tomb with sacrificial banners fluttering in the wind.
"Friend Lu, this is the Duke of Yue you mentioned, right? I remember we met a few times." Yan Chixia squatted aside holding the sword case. Zuo Zhengyang took off the wine bag from his waist and walked over, stepping on the money and paper under his feet.
Lu Liangsheng took the wine, nodded at him, and unscrewed the cork.
"Duke Yue, I have thought about it for a few days and feel that I should be like you. Since I am the national teacher, I should act like a national teacher. I should learn from you. Lu Liangsheng respects you!"
The scholar tilted the wine bag in his hand, and the slightly turbid yellow wine poured in front of the tombstone. He bowed three times and after a while, he gathered his thoughts and walked down the hill. Just as he returned to the official road, he heard a carriage coming from the direction of the city.
The smoke and dust were rising, and the soldier driving the car stopped the horse with a "whoosh". In the back carriage, the curtain was opened, and Yang Guang, wearing a black uniform with gold thread, came out of the carriage.
"Master, I went to Wanshou Temple to look for you. They said you were going on a long journey. I thought you would come here, so I hurried over. I didn't expect to see you again. Master, why did you leave? I still don't understand."
Since that night, Yang Guang seemed like a different person. While the emperor's aura became more and more powerful, he became extremely patient. When he was indecisive, he would often ask for the opinions of ministers in the court. More often, he would go out of the palace in disguise to listen to the gossips in the market. Sometimes he would discuss unresolved matters of state with people in restaurants and teahouses. This made Lu Liangsheng feel comforted for the deceased old man.
"Friend Lu, we will wait for you at the front."
Knowing the other party's identity, Yan Chixia didn't want to have any contact with people in the court, especially the emperor, so he pulled Zuo Zhengyang to the front of the road.
Here, Lu Liangsheng withdrew his gaze from the two people, bowed to greet the emperor, returned the greeting, and invited the emperor to walk casually along the road, smiling and saying:
"Your Majesty, don't think too much. I am just going out for a trip. The only difference is that I am going by sea this time. I want to gain some experience and find a treasure."
"Treasure?" Yang Guang turned his head.
"Well, one thing is a magical tool that can determine the fate of a country." Lu Liangsheng didn't dare to tell him too many details. After all, it was still unknown whether it could be successful or not, so he couldn't say anything for sure.
"How long will the Imperial Master take? He's not in the city. If he encounters a monster..."
"I am not sure when I will be there, but if Your Majesty encounters a problem that cannot be solved by human power, Your Majesty may ask Sun Yingxian and the woman named Mu Qiyou in the temple for help. If that doesn't work, then take my token to the Chengyun Sect in the north. I have some connections with their headmaster, so they should be able to help."
"This is the only way. I hope that everything goes smoothly for the Imperial Master. I will be waiting for news of his return in Chang'an!"
The sunlight was slanting, and the rays of light were cast on the roadside pavilion. The red setting sun dragged the emperor's shadow diagonally across the ground. He bowed and said goodbye to the man and the donkey who were walking away.
On the back of the old donkey, Lu Liangsheng slowly stepped forward and looked back at the emperor who was getting farther and farther away, as well as the outline of the city wall in the distance. He sighed and said to the shaking bookshelf, "Master, we are leaving."
The small door of the compartment suddenly opened, and the Toad Taoist priest, wearing a long gown with his two short legs hanging down, looked at the setting sun and yawned listlessly.
"Just left? Call me Master again when it's time for dinner!"
After saying that, he retracted his hand and slammed the small door shut.
Ding-ling-ling~~~
The sound of bronze bells echoed across the ancient road at dusk. Amid the grunting of the old donkey, they joined Zuo and Yan who were waiting in front, and headed east.