The whole weird world is waiting for me to go to heaven

Chapter 308: Mountains and Rivers (IV)

"Senior, do you also know that the results will be announced today?" Liu Sheng asked curiously.

"What? Do you think that just because I'm a villager I can't know about the big event happening in Chang'an City right now?"

The old man chuckled and slowly reeled in the fishing line.

There was nothing on the hook this time, so it looked like it was time to call it a day.

"That's not the case. I just feel that Senior doesn't seem to care about these troubled people."

This is also Liu Sheng’s true words.

Seeing the old man sitting alone in the mountains, calmly waiting for the fish to be caught, and the leisurely demeanor he exudes naturally, he looks more like a hermit.

The old man laughed heartily: "You are right."

"What a pity! I don't want to be tainted by worldly affairs, but worldly affairs always come to taint me."

Although Liu Sheng didn't know what the old man meant, she also understood it deeply.

She is always busy with many things and has no time to rest.

Before this, perhaps she chose to be busy most of the time, such as studying, writing articles, and modifying spiritual weapons.

But since she came to Chang'an, she felt like she was trapped in a spider web, entangled by all kinds of fine spider silk, but she still didn't know who was pulling the spider silk.

There are also the matters of Wen Weilan and Kuang Bowen, and Song Ru. All these things are entangled in my heart and I cannot find peace.

As Liu Sheng was thinking, he began to fall into the quagmire of anxiety again.

Suddenly I heard a question: "Want to eat fish?"

Looking up, the old man lifted up the bamboo basket and shook it, and the fish inside fluttered.

It's very fresh and should be delicious.

"Eat." Liu Sheng nodded decisively.

She was already greedy.

The old man took out a chopping board, knives, and a large white porcelain plate from his storage bag.

It looks very professional! Liu Sheng was immediately full of expectations.

The old man saw Liu Sheng's eyes were wide open, he chuckled, picked out a large white fish that was the right size from the bamboo basket, and started processing it skillfully.

Remove the scales, bones and meat in one go.

Then use a sharp and thin knife to cut the snow-white fish meat into cicada-wing-thin, crystal-clear fish slices. The thickness and size of each slice are as if measured with a ruler, showing extraordinary knife skills.

The old man's movements were neat and neat, and pleasing to the eye. Liu Sheng watched him intently, secretly admiring the old man's superb craftsmanship. He thought the old man was just a fishing enthusiast, but he didn't expect that he was so accomplished in cooking.

However, it seems reasonable.

Her father did the same in the past. He would immediately set up a stove to cook, fry or roast the game and wild vegetables and mushrooms he caught in the mountains for her mother and her, saying that they were most delicious when eaten right at the place of origin.

This is also a long-lasting and beautiful memory.

But looking before my eyes, in a short while, the thin fish fillets were neatly arranged on the white porcelain plate, like a blooming peony with crystal white petals.

Afterwards, the old man took out an ice talisman and stuck it under the plate, using his spiritual power to chill the fish fillets through the plate until a slight chill was coming out of it.

Seeing this, Liu Sheng suddenly realized that this ordinary-looking old man was actually a cultivator!
The old man then took out two small plates and two pairs of chopsticks from his storage bag.

"Eat it raw?" Liu Sheng had never eaten it before, so his eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, I brought this white fish from the snowy mountains and raised it in this cold pond. It tastes especially delicious when eaten raw."

Snow mountain?

It seems that this old man is not ordinary. He has actually been to the legendary holy place for spiritual practice - Snow Mountain.

But now the two of them are just friends eating fish together, so there is no need to pursue it too much.

Although she had never eaten anything like this, Liu Sheng was very receptive to it. Influenced by her father, she loved eating and delicious food. She couldn't wait to pick up the chopsticks and eat it, but was stopped by the old man.

"Wait, it's better with dipping sauce."

Liu Sheng could only be patient and wait for the old man to take out one small box after another as if performing a magic trick. Each box contained shredded ginger, green onion, garlic slices, peanuts, and some green grass, white fruits and other things that she couldn't understand. Then he put a row of oil, salt, soy sauce and other condiments on the ground.

It was so fancy that Liu Sheng didn’t know how to eat it.

The old man saw Liu Sheng's confusion, smiled, picked up a few slices of fish fillet and put them on a small plate, added the spices in the box, poured some oil and salt, mixed it, and handed it to Liu Sheng.

"Try it. This is the way of eating it that I learned from Lingqiu. It tastes better when mixed with fresh fish fillets."

Lingqiu is a faraway place in the south, separated by mountains. Liu Sheng has never eaten Lingqiu cuisine.

Liu Sheng, who was even more curious, waited for a long time, quickly took the small plate, picked up a piece of fish fillet rolled in green and white spices, which became more tempting, with chopsticks, and put it into his mouth.

In an instant, a special aroma of spiciness, fragrance, freshness and smoothness blooms on the tip of the tongue, making the freshness and tenderness of the fish meat even more vivid.

Liu Sheng was immediately stunned, and his watery eyes widened.

He quickly finished the fish fillets on the plate, picked up a few more slices, and imitating the old man's actions, mixed another portion for himself.

The old man and the young man ate the fish fillets in silence.

Only after finishing the whole plate of fish fillets did he finally put down his chopsticks with satisfaction.

Liu Sheng took the tableware on his own initiative and cleaned it with the cleansing technique before returning it to the old man.

"Your magic is quite useful." The old man put away the cutlery and said with a smile.

Liu Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Would he ask her how to perform it? She couldn't tell him.

Fortunately, the old man did not ask any more questions, but instead returned to the question that Liu Sheng had deliberately skipped. "Why don't you go and see the list?"

Liu Sheng knew that he could not avoid it, so he just shook his head and said, "The list is there, what difference does it make if I look at it earlier or later?"

"Do you feel like you failed the exam?"

Liu Sheng didn't expect the old man to be so direct. He was a little caught off guard and nodded sadly, "Yes."

"Why are you so sure?" the old man asked again.

Liu Sheng shook his head and did not answer.

"This is unlike you. You have so little confidence in yourself." The old man said lightly.

Hearing this, Liu Sheng suddenly turned his head and looked at the old man.

This person knows her!
However, after examining him for a long time, Liu Sheng still couldn't figure out where he knew him.

[Am I really too face-blind? ]

[Yes.] The world said helplessly.

Then he silently displayed a picture in Liu Sheng's mind.

It was a somewhat blurry image of a human face. Although it was a bird's-eye view, it was clear that it did look very similar to this old man.

But she really couldn't remember where she had seen it.

Seeing that Liu Sheng still couldn't remember, the world could only zoom out the picture, and a few more people appeared.

One of them is her adoptive uncle Ling Fu.

Considering the background of the picture, Liu Sheng finally came to his senses.

[This is, one of the examiners? ]

Liu Sheng and the others were shocked beyond words.

So, who is he?

【To be able to appear here...】

【And he is so old. 】

【Seeing that he is sitting in the middle, he should be the examiner. 】

[Plus, the chief examiner of the imperial examinations in previous years was the same person...]

Liu Sheng and the others discussed one thing after another, and all the words added together amounted to the final truth.

The skinny old man in front of him, who looked like a hermit and fished all day, and who made delicious fish fillets for Liu Sheng, was actually Mei Yuanzheng from the world-famous National Academy!

Liu Sheng roared inwardly with excitement.

[Calm down, calm down.] The world soothed.

[I can’t stay calm!] Liu Sheng and the others said in unison.

This is Mei Yuanzheng!

He founded the National Academy Research Institute, providing a place for academically enthusiasts all over the world to study. He has developed countless results and published hundreds of articles. Yu Xing, the head of the Plum Academy who had already entered the Dongxuan realm, was actually standing in front of her at this moment.

How could Liu Sheng, who has always admired him, not be excited?

[Didn't you say not long ago that you worshipped Taibai Sword Immortal? Why did you change to someone else now? Are all human beings so fickle?]

【This is different! This is a different kind of worship! 】

[To Taibai Jianxian, I worship the legendary hero, and I admire his power and realm. As for Mei Yuanzheng, I admire his knowledge, and I hope to become him, or to be a person like him, and move forward in his direction.]

[You can understand that he provided me with a career path, but I was unable to practice before and could not take this path, so I didn’t think about it anymore.]

【Understood. 】

Thinking of this, Liu Sheng looked at Mei Yuanzheng with a different look.

She could only try her best to hide the excitement and admiration in her eyes.

But Mei Yuanzheng had already caught her gaze and asked curiously, "Did you recognize me?"

Liu Sheng finally couldn't contain his inner excitement anymore. He couldn't maintain the calm and slightly wary look he had when they first met, and nodded heavily.

"I know you, Mei Yuanzheng!"

Mei Yuanzheng smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to recognize me."

"However, I seldom leave the National Academy and rarely appear in front of the world. How did you recognize me?" He raised his white eyebrows, very curious about this.

Liu Sheng had already prepared an explanation for this: "Your portrait is on the 'Top Ten Figures' special issue of 'Cultivation Times'."

This was not an excuse. Liu Sheng remembered it clearly because she treasured the special issue at home.

Among the ten great figures, there are sword immortals, emperors, generals, and famous prime ministers...

But in Liu Sheng's heart, what he admired most was Mei Yuanzheng, who was devoted to scientific research and made great contributions to the scientific research of the Tang Dynasty.

So she read Mei Yuanzheng's article over and over again, and it inspired her.

[In the end, you still don't remember what she looks like.] The world complained mercilessly.

Liu Sheng became angry and told the world to shut up.

(End of this chapter)