Tiredness was easing all the time. When consciousness returned, Lu Liangsheng slightly opened his eyes. He felt the softness of bedding all around him. In his blurred vision, he saw the beautiful figure of Hong Lian sitting on the edge of the bed. He flicked his fingers and his perception and consciousness gradually became clear. A warm feeling from his dantian spread throughout his limbs and he felt a comfortable and numb feeling.
And a feeling that one's own cultivation has become solid and firm.
"Young Master, Young Master?!"
Beside the bed, a woman's faint voice called softly, and she reached out to touch me, and it was cool.
Lu Liangsheng woke up and tried to sit up. He felt no discomfort and felt better than before he fainted.
"Don't worry, Hong Lian. I'm fine. Just look if you don't believe me."
He jumped off the bed, hopped twice on the spot, and spread his hands: "Do you think so?"
The female ghost sitting on the edge of the bed floated up and looked at the scholar. She wanted to laugh but was also a little annoyed with him. She took a robe from the closet, came over to put it on him, and when she bent down to tie the belt, her tone was gentle but also full of complaints.
"He suddenly fell down. I thought something happened. I was really scared."
He paused for a moment, then quickly added: "… Master Toad was also quite frightened."
“You female ghost, you may care, but why did you bring me along?!”
Suddenly a sound came from a desk not far away. Toad Taoist was sitting in front of the window with his eyes closed, basking in the sun. Lu Liangsheng looked at Hong Lian, smiled embarrassedly, not knowing what to say. He looked out the window and saw the bright sunshine.
"I wasn't unconscious for long. Now that I'm awake, I feel a little different than usual."
The Toad Taoist opened his eyes slightly. The aura emanating from the scholar was indeed different from usual. He snorted softly, moved his four webbed feet slowly, and turned his body in another direction.
"Humph, it should have belonged to me... You worked hard for two days, but only got some leftovers... You evil disciple."
The man and the ghost in the room had no idea what the old toad was muttering in his heart. Hong Lian straightened the scholar's collar and saw that he looked very good with a slight smile on his cheeks.
"Young Master, you have been sleeping for two days. The owner of the mansion has come to see you twice. Fortunately, Taoist Sun is here, otherwise he would have sent you to the city to see a doctor by now."
So long
Lu Liangsheng was a little confused as to why he fainted. The only feeling he had after waking up was that his cultivation had improved a lot.
Strange...
I originally wanted to ask my master, but the Toad Taoist looked indifferent.
"Master, I will go out and greet Mr. Zhou first."
Lu Liangsheng bowed to the Toad on the table, gave a reassuring look to Hong Lian who was standing in the shadow of the room, and then walked out.
The side yard was not big. As soon as I came out, I saw the Taoist priest, still wrapped in bandages, with one foot on a low stool, his eyes fixed on the chessboard on the low table, playing chess with the old man opposite him.
When the scholar walked out of the eaves, Sun Yingxian dropped the white piece with a snap.
"Old man, it's your turn. Don't think about cheating. The chess game is already set, and the outcome will be determined by the move you make!"
On the opposite side, Zhou Zhen picked up the black piece with a smile and gently placed it on the chessboard.
“The situation is set.”
“Hey hey… Can you please let me regret my last move…” Sun Yingxian walked around the chessboard, seeing nothing but black and white. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out how he had lost in such a confused manner.
The old man saw the scholar walking out of the eaves and smiled at the Taoist:
"Playing chess is like watching people. Taoist Sun is impatient. If he plays it safe, it's hard to say who will win."
Then he stood up and walked towards Lu Liangsheng.
"Liangsheng, are you still feeling unwell?"
"Thank you, Mr. Zhou. I'm fine now."
Lu Liangsheng bowed and thanked him. The old man was usually quite stern, but he could finally feel his concern. He invited him to sit down with him and couldn't help laughing when he talked about the sudden fainting.
"I don't know how I fell down. When I woke up just now, I found that my cultivation level has improved a lot."
The Taoist who was studying the chess pieces over there stopped studying the chess moves, turned around and looked at the scholar who was laughing.
"Building a foundation?"
Lu Liangsheng nodded: "I don't know, if it's not a big deal, it should be at this level."
The Taoist priest came hurriedly over, took his pulse and observed his qi, and after a while, he stepped aside with his eyes wide open.
"Oh my god, after sleeping for two days, he has already caught up with me."
Experts look at the details, while laymen look at the excitement. Zhou Zhen is a man of great talent and learning, and he is well-read. At this moment, he is sitting on the side, watching the young Taoist priest talking excitedly, and his curiosity is aroused.
The old man couldn't help but ask, "Liangsheng, what is the path of cultivation like? What does magic look like?"
"Mr. Zhou, didn't I show you how to do it the other day?"
Squeak…
Cicadas chirped one after another on the old pine trees, and the sunlight shining through the gaps between the trees fell on the three people. There was silence for a moment. Lu Liangsheng pressed his knees together and suddenly smiled.
"To be honest, I don't know what the path of cultivation is like. My master didn't tell me much either. He just asked me to practice and gave me guidance. I feel... Actually, it's not much different from ordinary scholars who study hard. It's funny to say it, but I think what my mentor Uncle Hua Gong once said: This world is just a few mountains. It's more interesting."
Sun Yingxian's eyelids twitched and she turned her head away.
"He's starting to act like a scholar again."
Zhou Zhen nodded with a smile, "It's exactly as he said."
Mr. Shuhua was his old friend, so such arrogant words could only come from that old man's mouth. However, the old man's curiosity was not answered after all, so he continued to ask without giving up:
"What does that demon look like? Speaking of which, many people in the mansion, including the old couple and their wife, have seen the old woman who sprays water, but I never even took a look at her. Now that I think about it, I am still a little curious."
The old man had been idle for a long time. He usually studied and wrote letters to his old friends in the capital. More often, he spent his time in the study reading some strange stories about the mountains and the countryside.
There was a strong cold wind in the mansion that day, and the scholar and the young Taoist priest in the side yard were fighting with others. This had aroused some interest in the cultivation of Taoism in the old man, so he asked questions one after another.
"Um… "
Lu Liangsheng couldn't refuse anymore. He pondered for a moment, went into the house to find a piece of white paper, dipped the tip of his pen in ink, and looked at the old man.
"Mr. Zhou, you were scared just now. It was all an illusion I cast."
The old man sat upright and took a deep breath, then saw Lu Liangsheng standing under the eaves. The moment he put down his pen and ink, the chirping of cicadas in the side yard suddenly became quiet, and the branches that stretched over the courtyard wall also stopped at this moment.
The view gradually became cloudy, and Zhou Zhen quickly raised his head. He didn't know when a dark cloud covered the sun.
call…
Whoosh whoosh…
The quiet pine branches swayed as a sudden gust of cold wind blew, and the old man's beard and robe were also blown, and he quickly raised his hands to cover them.
"Little Taoist priest, why is there a sudden strong wind?"
Zhou Zhen called out from behind his robe sleeve, but found no one responded. He turned his gaze and saw that the little Taoist priest who had been sitting not far away had disappeared without a trace.
The entire side yard became silent except for the sound of the wind, as if he was the only one there.