In April, the waterside is lush and green. The peace over the past few years has made the trade routes smooth, with merchants and travelers gathering. People come and go on the official roads, and passing carts can be seen everywhere.
His Majesty the current emperor had already started the canal construction with all his strength two years ago. On each section of the old river channel, tens of thousands of young and strong laborers from nearby areas were recruited to work day and night to widen, dredge and reinforce the channel. After a tiring day's work, they were also given appropriate compensation. Just three months ago, I heard that His Majesty was going to provide two meals a day for the young and strong workers who were building each section of the canal, so that they would be more motivated to work.
With more people and money to be earned, merchants from all sections of the canal came and went in an endless stream, looking for business opportunities. Some of them were more flexible and opened teahouses, wine shops and other hidden places nearby for people to have fun.
The Qihe Canal from Xindu to Zhaojun was also in such an atmosphere. On one side, the river section was being dug in full swing. Baskets of mud, sand and fine stones were carried to the river bank by bare-chested men, who were then loaded into donkey carts and taken away in a sweat. Less than two miles away, there was a market built with various thatched huts. Those who got off work and had no wives or children received their wages, lingered in this dirty and noisy place, walked into a nearby tavern, had a pot of rice wine, and ate half a chicken. It was so comfortable that even a god would not trade it for anything else.
The crowd was crowded, and the inn with its doors and windows open was noisy. The rising heat mixed with the waiter's shouts. The inn was filled with travelers from all over the country, merchants unloading goods, and knights of the green forest who came to rest and drink with swords on their backs.
"… The world is peaceful, but there is still trouble. I heard that not only in our north, but also in the east and south, they are building canals at the same time. What do you think, why make them so wide? Isn't it enough to be able to sail? It really does not allow peace."
"You know what? At least His Majesty still pays his subordinates. It's hard to find work on weekdays. I've been working for two years now and have saved a lot. If I work for another year, I will be able to find a wife by this time next year."
"Yes, the river section in Luoyang has started to provide two meals a day, and I heard that there is even meat."
"Oh, is that true? Then your Majesty is a great benefactor."
A group of people who had traveled far and wide or worked nearby sat together and inevitably talked about the current river repair. When someone was talking excitedly, there was a sound of a ceramic bowl falling heavily on a table not far away.
A young man dressed as a knight put down his wine bowl, as if he had heard these words, with anger on his face. There was also a female companion beside him, wearing a green silk robe over the same martial arts clothes that were tied around the waist and wrists. She reached out to touch the back of her male companion's hand and shook her head.
The knight just nodded, and when he saw the two tables of travelers who had been talking before looking at him, he snorted coldly.
"You impose heavy labor service on the people, and you still have the nerve to call yourself a benefactor? If it happened in the Southern Dynasty, you would have been impeached. I guess the current emperor is surrounded by flattering scholars."
Most people didn't dare to object when they saw how he dressed, but some people were not happy.
"Brother, your words are a bit one-sided. Look at the people here. How many people have been supported and employed by the construction of the canal? It's better than being idle all day and not being able to make money, and finally having to steal and cheat, right?"
Someone took the lead, and many people immediately agreed with him: "This brother is right. Not only is your majesty wise, but there are also many capable people in the court of the Great Sui Dynasty. It's just that some dignitaries are not happy and have sent many people who don't know the details to slander everywhere."
Bang!
The knight knew well enough that he could hear the sarcasm in the words, and he slapped the table, causing the wine to splash out of the bowl. The shop owner was afraid that a fight would ruin the business, so he quickly glanced at the waiter, who put on a smiling expression, walked over, and stood between the two tables to persuade them.
"Everyone, please calm down and continue eating and drinking..."
As he was speaking, he saw an old man holding a tattered banner approaching the store door. He hurriedly left, and seeing that the old man's eyes were half-closed and lifeless, he realized that he was blind. He eagerly helped him take the banner with the words "Gods Don't Ask" written on it. He glanced around and saw that only the Green Forest Guest Table had an empty seat.
"Sir... Can this old gentleman sit here?"
The outlaw took a look at the old man with white hair and beard, wearing a Taoist robe. Seeing that his eyes were lifeless, he nodded and continued arguing with the people at the table.
"You say the court is wise? Why did the emperor kill several ministers who had made great contributions in a few years? You know about the Duke of Yue, Yang Su, right? He was killed for plotting a rebellion. Isn't that a crime that the current emperor can just discard as he pleases? And Wu Jianzhang was also killed, causing his son to flee to the underworld. Is this the wise emperor you are talking about? If you ask me, there is almost no one in the court."
The conversation left the tables around speechless. However, after a moment, a cough interrupted the silence. The old man sitting opposite the knight coughed twice, wiped his hands on the flag, turned his eyes towards him, and laughed.
"Your Excellency's voice is sonorous and powerful, but there is a hint of anger hidden in it. It seems that you are very dissatisfied with the current emperor."
The knight was stunned for a moment. At first he thought that he was just a fortune teller who wandered around the world and made a living. But this simple sentence touched his heart, and he couldn't help but look at him again. He was wearing an open-collared light blue Taoist robe, his hair was combed meticulously, and he nodded slightly to stroke his white beard under his chin. He looked like a reclusive master.
Immediately, he raised his hands and clasped his fists: "Old sir, please enlighten me!"
"Hehe..." Over there, the old man stroked his beard and laughed. His eyes were dull but mysterious. He laughed for a moment and said, "There is no need to teach me. I am just a Taoist priest. If there is a chance, I will give guidance. If there is no chance, it is difficult to ask for a word. I was just listening to what you said just now and couldn't help but interrupt you. If you say that there is no one in the court, I naturally don't agree."
"oh?"
The knight picked up the drink, took a sip, and frowned.
"Old sir, who else do you think is in the court?"
Travelers and merchants who were resting around could not help but prick up their ears and lean slightly towards this side, wanting to hear what name the blind old Taoist could say.
hehe.
The old Taoist took the tea handed to him by the waiter, took a sip, and swallowed it with a gurgling sound in his throat, making the woman next to the knight feel nauseous.
"Jingchou, let's go."
"Wait a minute!"
As the woman spoke, the old man also spoke, "Now in the court, the old ones have gone, and the new ones rarely know a person. The people of the world have more or less heard of him. I wonder if you still remember that the Great Sui still has a national master."
"Lu Liangsheng!"
The hand of the knight opposite him on the table could not help but tremble. The female companion next to him took a look and stretched out her hand to hold it. The man calmed down and said, "I have heard of this person that the old gentleman mentioned, but he seems to have not appeared in the past few years. I am afraid that he has been harmed by the emperor and deliberately kept silent."
When this was mentioned, the people around were suddenly in an uproar. They knew that there had been an imperial teacher in Chang'an City. In their impression, he was a gentle and refined scholar. Judging from his age, he could live for at least 70 or 80 years. Unfortunately, there had been no news about him in the past few years. If he was still alive, he would at least show up.
Hearing the noise, the old man was not annoyed. He drank his tea and paid a penny. He stood up and took the flag beside him. "Is it possible that you speculate that the national master Lu Liangsheng is like this? The national master's immortal skills are profound, but he is like a land immortal. He went to the overseas immortal mountain a few years ago. How can mortals know that? Hehe..."
He shook his head and smiled, holding up the flag, he walked out of the tavern and mixed into the crowd. He could faintly hear an old voice singing.
“… Heaven and earth have given me a blanket, and I will go to all corners of the world to find my soulmate… I am an old Taoist, I know what will happen 500 years in the past and 500 years in the future… If we are not destined to be together… Even if I were a god, I would not ask or answer~~~”
The tuneless singing became ethereal and disappeared into the street outside. Soon, the couple paid the bill and walked out. Looking at the direction where the familiar old man disappeared, the knight turned his head with a complicated expression and looked at his female companion.
"Xue'er, it turns out that Lu Liangsheng has been overseas in the past few years. No wonder there has been no news from him."
The woman hummed, raised her face as if something was on her mind, and looked at the man in front of her with some concern.
"Then are you still going to Chang'an?"
Boom—
Thunder rumbled among the dark clouds and rain fell heavily.
"Go... get the Xuanyuan Sword and kill Yang Guang and Yuwen Tuo!"
Walking down the street, Chen Jing looked at the pedestrians running in the rain, whispering softly, and looked up at the continuous rain curtain.
"Mr. Lu..."
…
Rain clouds are dense in the north, extending along the boundless sky to the south. Between the winding mountains, there is still a sunny scenery.
The spring breeze was blowing gently, dropping leaves and landing softly on the flowing water, creating a circle of ripples that spread out into the distance. At that moment, water splashed and rolled over to both sides. A piece of wood broke through the surface of the river and rushed straight out, stirring up the wind and making the drooping branches on both sides sway.
A pair of webbed feet stepped diagonally on it, and his patterned short-sleeved jacket was open, fluttering in the wind. The Toad Taoist raised two whiskers at the corners of his mouth, pulled the taut rope, and laughed loudly, which echoed in the river.
“Faster, faster!!”
"grumble?!"
In front of the taut rope, waves rolled, and the figure swaying his waist let out an excited moan, raised his upper body and then sank it down, pulling the wooden board behind him and quickly crossing the stream.
The water flow became turbulent and the speed became faster and faster. The toad who was pulling the rope looked at the broken river channel in front of him, bulged his eyes, and pulled the rope with all his strength.
"Turn around! Turn back—"
In front, the waves were splashing, and a slender figure broke through the water surface and rushed into the sky with sparkling water light, with wet hair flying and scattered. With an excited scream of "Woo-wah~", it jumped out of the interrupted waterway, swung its huge fish tail, and fell straight down the waterfall.
The rope tied around his waist was tightened. The Toad Taoist lowered his head and grasped the rope around his waist. Then he let out a long "Ah-" sound, and flew out with a shadow. Only the wooden board slowed down and floated on the water.
“Ah~~”
A short black shadow fell straight down the waterfall, and with a loud bang, the water pool splashed up half a foot high. The Toad Taoist lay on the water with his limbs spread out, slowly sinking to the bottom with his tongue tilted askew, and a few bubbles rose up with the sound of "gurgling".
After a while, the wet toad crawled out of the water and sat on a rock by the pond, watching the little mermaids swimming around in the water as if they were carefree. Behind him, there were rustling sounds of footsteps approaching. Yanzhi wrapped a towel around the Taoist Toad, who wiped his cheek, pushed it away out of boredom, stood up and whistled. From the nearby woods, a bald old donkey jumped out, ran to the front, stopped, and stomped its hooves twice with a grunt.
Chirp~~
The sound of mermaids playing in the water was noisy. Yanzhi, who was dressed in red, pursed her lips and held back a smile as she watched the Toad Taoist jump onto the donkey's back, walk to the donkey's head, grab its two ears, and let the old donkey slowly leave.
"Master Toad, come and play again when you have time." Yanzhi waved the towel.
There was a loud bang of thunder in the sky, and the bright sunshine gradually dimmed in sight.
The Toad Taoist sitting on the donkey's head raised his head, and large pieces of lead-gray rain clouds gathered. "Bang--" another thunder rolled across the sky, and the lightning snakes twisted in the clouds, as if reflecting the figures of Taoists standing in the clouds and flashing by.
Silky drops of rain fell on the toad's face as it looked up, melting the coolness of the spring rain.
"That woman's..."
Afterwards, he drove the old donkey slowly in the rain to the western foothills. Under the lonely tree on the cliff, a figure covered with fallen leaves and dust suddenly moved his fingers in the thunder.