Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 504 Hexagram
Murong Fu said, "Give the order as quickly as possible. Draw such a mark in the most prominent position at each of my Murong family's estates and restaurants. Be quick, and try to complete it within two days."

As he spoke, Murong Fu handed a piece of white paper to Azi.

Azi took the paper and glanced at it. Her pretty little eyebrows immediately furrowed, and she said with a pained expression, "Master, what does this mean? Azi is not well-educated and cannot understand it."

On the white paper, there were horizontal and vertical lines that formed a peculiar hexagram.

Murong Fu said, "This is the sixty-fourth hexagram in the Book of Changes, the 'Thunder over Lake' hexagram. Just instruct them to draw this image according to this method. Remember, you must not miss a single stroke. Do this as quickly as possible. If you complete this within three days, it will be a great achievement for you."

Hearing Murong Fu speak so simply, Azi looked at him expectantly: "Master, it seems my cultivation technique has reached a bottleneck. Could you...?"

Murong Fu silently took out a scroll that he had already copied from his robes and handed it to Azi: "This is the middle volume of the mental cultivation method you are currently practicing. Remember, practice it diligently and don't rush. With your aptitude, if you practice my sect's authentic high-level mental cultivation method, you can reach Ding Chunqiu's level in at most thirty years."

Upon hearing Ding Chunqiu's skill level, Azi's eyes lit up: in Azi's eyes, Ding Chunqiu was practically a god. Although he was ambitious and had many flaws, making him far from being a transcendent being, his skills were truly divine. When Azi heard Murong Fu say that she could catch up to Ding Chunqiu in at most thirty years, her heart raced, and she couldn't help but start fantasizing about her future: should she be called Little Star Fairy or Star Fairy?
Seeing Azi's expression, Murong Fu knew exactly what she was thinking. He tapped the table lightly with his index finger and said, "Be honest and diligent, and you'll reap the rewards in the future. You know what happened to that traitor Ding Chunqiu. Even if you mastered Ding Chunqiu's martial arts, it wouldn't make much of a difference. You're not well-educated, and you might not understand other profound principles even if I explained them to you. However, you must always keep these two words in mind and never forget them."

As he spoke, Murong Fu lightly traced a few strokes on the marble tabletop with his index finger, and instantly two fist-sized characters for "loyalty" appeared on the table.

Azi stared blankly, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground, her mouth agape enough to fit a duck egg. Watching Murong Fu effortlessly write on the hard stone table, as if dipping his index finger in tea on a wooden table, Azi's heart was filled with utter shock: Is this even human? No wonder her master could crush that old scoundrel Ding Chunqiu as easily as crushing an ant.

Azi forced a smile, instinctively wanting to seize the opportunity and shower him with flattery. Murong Fu raised his hand to stop her: "Alright, no need for unnecessary words. Just do your job well. I'll naturally find you when I need you in the future."

After saying that, Murong Fu stood up and took a step forward. Azi only felt the figure in front of her flash a few times. Each time he reappeared, his figure was several feet away, as if he had teleported. In the blink of an eye, the person in front of her could no longer be seen.

Azi stared intently at the two large characters on the stone table, which looked as if they had been carved with a knife and axe. Then she looked in the direction where Murong Fu had disappeared, and her eyes sparkled: "This is what you call a true immortal."

Three days later, in a private room of a teahouse in Kaifeng Prefecture.

In the small red clay stove, pine cones burned slowly, and the water in the small kettle on the stove had already boiled. Outside the window, rain pattered on the banana leaves.

Murong Fu brewed a cup of tea and poured one for the elegant lady in palace attire opposite him, saying with a smile, "Auntie, you must be tired from your long journey. Please try my newly made roasted tea. These tea leaves were picked from the cliffs of Wuyi Mountain, where there are only three tea trees in the whole world. The roasting technique was also perfected by ten craftsmen after half a year of research. Even the emperor cannot enjoy this fragrance."

This person was none other than Li Canghai, whom Li Qiushui's younger sister, whom they hadn't seen for a long time.

Li Canghai took a sip of tea, and sure enough, his mouth was filled with saliva, and the fragrance lingered on his lips and teeth, with a refreshing aroma that lingered on his tongue for a long time.

Li Canghai's beautiful eyes lit up, and she nodded: "Indeed, this is a rare find. I've lived for over seventy years, and this is the first time I've tasted such a flavor." Murong Fu said: "The popular compressed tea and boiled tea of ​​today mostly contain too many embellishments, which actually mask the original flavor of the tea. My method of stir-frying tea preserves the tea leaves to the maximum extent while removing its astringency and greatly extending its shelf life. Through trade with the Dali, Western Xia, and Tubo tribes using this method, the annual profit can reach nearly one million strings of cash."

Li Canghai couldn't help but be slightly moved: "The income from this mere tea business surpasses the annual tribute obtained when the Liao army of 200,000 marched south. Young master, you have quite the skill."

Murong Fu shook his head and said, "I don't deserve such praise from you, Aunt. I'm just repeating what others have said."

In recent years, Murong Fu, together with Lady Wang and the royal families of Dali and Western Xia, made a fortune through businesses such as private salt and tea trading, earning at least several million strings of cash a year.

As for paying taxes to the Song Dynasty? No way! I'm already the number one boss in the martial arts world, why would I pay taxes to the Song Dynasty to feed parasites? Wouldn't that make my life in the martial arts world pointless?

Li Canghai gave Murong Fu a meaningful look: "You are already the leader of the number one sect in the world. Your power in this world is probably unmatched even by the emperors of some small countries. Why are you still so eager to acquire so much material wealth?"

Murong Fu laughed and said, "There's no other way. I have a lot of people to support at home, so I can only spend more money."

Li Canghai snorted coldly, neither confirming nor denying: "You went to all this trouble to call me here, you didn't just come to show me your newly made tea, did you?"

Murong Fu said, "Of course not. I just want to ask why you stole Abi from the palace back then, and why you sent her to Suzhou?"

Li Canghai paused for a moment, then calmly asked, "How did you know?"

Murong Fu took a sip of tea and smiled, "I wasn't sure before, but I know now."

"you!"

Realizing that he had been tricked by Murong Fu, Li Canghai felt somewhat helpless. After a pause, he said, "Abi is my granddaughter."

"Cough cough!"

Murong Fu was slightly moved. Although he had guessed it before, the feeling when he heard the person in question say it was different from what he had imagined.

Li Canghai said, "You don't seem surprised?"

"I had already guessed that," Murong Fu said with a smile.