Minglong

Chapter 235: It’s not like being a teenager after all
Qin Tianjian.

Nangong Ye, dressed in a black and white Taoist robe, arrived at the Eight Directions Bright Pagoda. There were fewer people walking around than usual.

The Imperial Observatory originally had thirty-six celestial officials and over seventy astronomers, all from powerful and influential families of the Great Qian Dynasty. With the establishment of the Huguo Temple, the monks, including Jingkong, who originally belonged to the Buddhist sect, were naturally all transferred there.

Recently, Huangmen Lang Xu Tong and others advised that Wei Wuyi be invited to the capital as well, and the immortal officials from martial arts schools, such as Huo Zhonghu, were naturally transferred there as well.

Although the three old masters all held the position of deputy director of the Imperial Observatory, it was essentially a three-way split of the former Imperial Observatory, with each having the same responsibilities and fierce competition. Director Wu Zheng only played a mediating role.

As the head of Zihui Mountain, Nangong Ye was naturally worried when he saw this scene. After all, the Imperial Observatory was not only in charge of the capital, but also of all the sects in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Previously, Lu Wuzhen's word was law. If he felt there was a problem in Fengzhou, he could directly deal with Duan Yuechou. If Fengshan Society wanted to establish itself in the public eye, it had to say, "I can talk, and I can love Daqian." But from now on, people like Duan Yuechou will definitely listen to Wei Wuyi and will no longer give face to the Daoist sect.

Nangong Ye didn't know whether the three families would join hands to suppress the evil spirits or engage in open and covert struggles and become a mess. While pondering this, he arrived at the council hall.

When Nangong Ye borrowed the Yin-Yang Ruler last time, he told Xie Jinhuan that a senior colleague worked at the Imperial Observatory and was quite familiar with Lu Wuzhen. Naturally, she was the one who returned it this time, and she also mentioned what happened at Fire Phoenix Valley.

Lu Wuzhen had already heard about the situation at Fire Phoenix Valley. After receiving the Yin-Yang Ruler, he shook his head and sighed.
"The divination school is good at observing stars and qi, so it's not surprising that they could predict the approximate year when the opportunity will appear. As for Xu Guanfu, Yan Lang, and Jiang Qizi, their presence was indeed suspicious. If we think the worst, someone deliberately set a trap for them."

Nangong Ye secretly went treasure hunting ahead of schedule, only to run into four local tyrants in succession. She didn't believe a word of it, and asked suspiciously:

"Could Senior Brother Lu guess who's behind this scheme?"

Lu Wuzhen had some guesses, but without evidence, it wasn't appropriate to say it explicitly. He simply said:

"To be able to track your movements, to use one tiger to devour another, and to bring in three top-tier individuals from both inside and outside the pass, it can only be some powerful old man with profound skills. However, this matter was handled very discreetly, and those in front are all pawns, making it difficult to ascertain their identities."

Nangong Ye frowned, feeling that there were very few people in the south with such abilities, but their identities were indeed not something to be casually mentioned.

Lu Wuzhen chatted casually for a few minutes, then asked:

"Xie Jinhuan is going to Northern Zhou soon, are you going with him or not?"

?

Nangong Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he considered it for a moment:

"I only met this young man by chance, and we are even a generation apart. It's inappropriate for him to travel with Qingmo. It's not appropriate for him to always be following behind and protecting us..."

Lu Wuzhen was already shocked to hear that Li Chimo was keeping a mistress, so he naturally couldn't imagine what the usually aloof and cold Sect Leader Nangong had done besides protecting the Dao. Upon hearing this, he said:
"Xie Jinhuan is too prominent and easily attracts attention. It's fine to have him by my side as a protector. However, with a new emperor, there are new officials. As the new emperor ascends the throne, our Dan Ding Sect cannot remain silent. I just discussed with some fellow Daoists that we plan to summon the leaders of Dan Ding Sects from all over the country to the capital in a few days. Although it's just a formality, as the leader of Zi Hui Mountain, you have close ties with the Dan Wang Mansion. If you have time, you should still attend."

Nangong Ye understood the meaning—with the new emperor ascending the throne, the sect leader, as the head, would have to hold a meeting to instruct the leaders of all sects on loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. As the person in charge of the Dan King's base, she would certainly have to say a few good words about the Dan King and express the political stance of the Dan Ding Sect.

"Understood. I'll prepare in the next couple of days and I'll definitely be there."

……
-
It was already afternoon when we left the palace.

Xie Jinhuan stood at the palace gate, surveying the magnificent city where he had lived for sixteen years. Since his relatives and friends were not there, his heart flew to the Northern Zhou. After standing there quietly for a moment, he quickly walked to the Fengyi River.

A two-story building stands on the riverbank with its windows open, but the dream wife who stands like a waiting-for-husband rock is not there.

Xie Jinhuan leaped through the window and saw his eldest daughter-in-law, dressed in a black dress, meditating on the terrace, her expression aloof, as if she hadn't even noticed his arrival...

Xie Jinhuan felt that Bing Tuozi hadn't come to his senses yet, so he sat down on the ground in front of him and tilted his head to examine him:
"You're back? You left without saying goodbye a few days ago, and I've been worried about you the whole way. I have to go to Beizhou right away..."

Upon hearing Xie Jinhuan's voice, Nangong Ye recalled the embarrassing scene of being caught riding a horse while shamelessly receiving raindrops, but since things had come to this, she could only suppress her emotions and calmly say:

"I still have some official business to attend to. You go ahead and I'll come to Yanjing to find you once I'm done."

Xie Jinhuan frowned and put his arm around her shoulder:

"Are you still angry? Senior Sister Hua already let you handle it yourself and even kept it a secret for you..."

Nangong Ye was indeed afraid of meeting the demoness, but this time it was no excuse; his eyes held a hint of helplessness.
“I’m not some little girl, I won’t keep making a fuss. I really have some official business to attend to, which will take four or five days. You go ahead first, and I’ll come find you after I’m done. It’ll only take a few days.”

Xie Jinhuan was skeptical, and briefly examined the ice block:
"You've always been so cold, how am I supposed to know if you're being genuine? You say you're not angry, you need to prove it, right?"

How can I prove it?

Nangong Ye couldn't very well drag Xie Jinhuan to see Lu Wuzhen to confront him, so after a moment's hesitation, he gave a faint smile:

"Is this okay?"

Xie Jinhuan rarely saw Bing Tuozi smile when he wasn't usually all smiles, and thought it looked really good. He immediately shook his head.

"Your smile is so fake, you're obviously lying to me. I'll have to stay with you for the next few days. I'll leave whenever you calm down and come with me."

Nangong Ye didn't mind Xie Jinhuan waiting for her, but as she waited, she saw Xie Jinhuan speaking up in a Taoist robe and stockings. Xie Jinhuan was incredulous. After a moment's thought, she could only calmly say:
"I'm really not angry. How can you tell me that?"

"Um……"

Xie Jinhuan looked the proud, icy figure up and down, seemingly lost in thought.

? ?
Nangong Ye was traumatized after being caught cheating last time, and he's hesitant to do anything reckless again.

But since things had come to this, she had agreed to train together until they reached the highest level; she couldn't just stop being allowed to touch them because she had been caught...

Seeing that this brat insisted that she prove she wasn't angry, Nangong Ye hesitated for a moment, then looked away, neither responding nor refusing.

Xie Jinhuan was now certain that his dream wife was indeed busy, so he didn't stand on ceremony, reached under her legs, and picked her up.
“Then we won’t see each other for seven or eight days, plus the first four or five days, that’s half a month. Cultivation is a hard skill that requires constant dripping to wear away stone, and it can’t be neglected, so I’ll spend the whole half-month of cultivation with you in one go…”

? !
Nangong Ye hadn't resisted at first, but he panicked upon hearing this.

After all, she used to complete the full course of detoxification or cultivation every time before. This time, she only needs to cultivate for half a month at once. Will she still be alive after completing the course?
"No way! I'll only practice with you once, then you need to leave right away..."

"Are you still angry?"

"I'm not angry! Huh?"

Thump~
Xie Jinhuan threw the ice block onto the bed, and seeing him glare at her with his phoenix eyes and shrink back, she grabbed his ankle and pulled him down to her side:

"Since you've already agreed, how you practice your skills is not up to you, Miss Mu. Lie down obediently..."

"Thank you, Jinhuan!"

Nangong Ye was not the type to be easily manipulated, and he immediately tried to get up and refuse to give it to him.

But at this point, she had no choice; she was pinned down on the pillow and could only twist and turn, getting a good beating.

But the brat in front of him was thick-skinned and didn't care at all. In the midst of their playful fighting, he unleashed a set of the Silver Dragon Eight Styles!
What were all these "Dragon Sweeping its Tail," "Yellow Dragon Lying Down the Road," and "Black Dragon Crashing into the Pillar" maneuvers? Nangong Ye was completely overwhelmed before she could even finish them all, and could only let them be. She even had to go through those shameful things again and again, thankfully she was taking fasting pills all along...

When she finally recovered, it was already noon the next day. She was wearing red-soled high heels and slumped on the embroidered bed like a cat stretching, her hair disheveled and her eyes glazed over...

Xie Jinhuan's fatigue from days of travel vanished at this moment. However, the excessive exertion on his body had left him exhausted. Lying down beside her, he gazed at the dizzy, icy lump of ice:
"It's settled then. If I don't see you in Yanjing in a few days, you'll have to bear the consequences."

"call……"

Nangong Ye withdrew some of the scattered divine senses. He wanted to scold the brat, but he couldn't muster the energy. He turned his face inward, leaving Xie Jinhuan with the back of his head.

"Still dare to ignore me? It seems Lady Mu hasn't been pleased with being served yet..."

"Oh? I'm so happy! I always keep my word, I'll come over as soon as I'm done!"

"That's pretty much it..."

Nangong Ye gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do...
-
On the other side, Qingmiao Lane.

Qingmiao Lane is located near the Imperial College. Its interior consists of low-rise houses that are over a hundred years old, which are out of place with the beautiful buildings around it.

Around noon, three ordinary-looking patrons sat down at the old tavern at the entrance of the alley.

The elderly shopkeeper, well past seventy, was chopping cold dishes at the window, humming a folk tune passed down from ancient times:
"Heaven is bitter, earth is bitter, from south to north, ten thousand miles, nothing but the graves of heroes..."

"Be it Buddhism or Taoism, after eighty years of wandering east and west, I will eventually become bones in a tomb..."

Wei Wuyi, dressed in a simple scholar's robe and carrying no weapon, sat in the main seat, lightly tapping the table with one hand, and asked with a smile:

"This tavern has been open for many years, innkeeper."

The old shopkeeper smiled, a hint of smugness in his expression:
"It will be a hundred years soon. Don't underestimate my small shop. The people who have drunk here will surprise you with what I have to say."

"Back when the country was first established, Ye Sheng was a teacher at the Imperial Academy and often came here to have a few drinks; there was also Master Qixia, who loved to eat the spicy chicken feet here..."

"Back then, the younger generation, like the Four No's Ancestor, were just greenhorns. My grandfather told me that Wei Wuyi had a huge capacity for alcohol and was always running up debts that he couldn't pay back. Afraid that my grandfather would complain, he even borrowed ten taels of silver from the monk Wuxin..."

Lu Wuzhen sat on the left, recalling his school days, and shook his head with a slight smile.

The monk Wuxin opposite him quietly drank his tea without reacting.

A century ago, the chaos caused by the witchcraft cult led to the complete annihilation of the previous dynasty. Almost all the elders of the major sects were martyred, leaving only ordinary people who remained to guard their sects. The resources accumulated over the years were also exhausted during the war.

In order to quickly restore order to the cultivation path, Ye Sheng took the lead in selecting one hundred promising talents from various places and concentrated resources to cultivate them. Ye Sheng served as the teacher, and Mu Yunling, Fan Li, and others were all students at the time. The Four Noble Ancestors were the four with the best talent and were assigned to a courtyard in Qingmiao Lane.

Because they were young and spent a lot of time together, the four of them had a very close relationship.

Lu Wuzhen was a top student who spent all day engrossed in books and often uttered bookish phrases that made people laugh, such as "the path to immortality" and "the fate of the people and the nation."

The monk Wuxin was simple-minded and handled all the chores, such as cleaning and fetching water, all by himself. His only flaw was that he couldn't stand seeing Sikong Tianyuan mistreat small animals, so whenever he had time, he would secretly release them back into the wild.

Wei Wuyi was an orphan that Ye Sheng picked up from outside. He had no sect, no family background, and a wild personality. He was too energetic and would spend all his monthly allowance before the end of the month, so he could only borrow from the three of them.

Once, Lu Wuzhen somehow found a masterpiece by Qingping Jushi, which excited Wei Wuyi so much that he exclaimed:
"Dad, let me see it, I just want to look at it for one night..."

As a result, Lu Wuzhen was afraid that the book would get damaged by the elements, so he didn't lend it.

Sikong Tianyuan, on the other hand, was rather slick. He always dressed up like a respectable man and went to the capital with Wei Wuyi to pick up girls. But as soon as they heard that he was a poisonous rat from the Witchcraft Cult, they ran away in fright...

After completing their studies, the three returned to their respective sects. Wei Wuyi, however, ventured into the martial world alone and, over thirty years, rose to become the number one martial artist.

At first, the four of them would occasionally meet, but as they rose in rank and their power struggles intensified, their friendship inevitably faded.

Wei Wuyi remembered that the last time he saw Lu Wuzhen was twenty years ago when he wanted to seek the position of supervisor, but he was rebuffed. As for Monk Wuxin, it was thirty years ago when he went to the Northwest to find some medicinal herbs and passed by Tiantai Temple.

The three of them returned to the same place, and no matter how they appeared on the surface, they were all quite emotional inside.

Wei Wuyi looked at the empty seat opposite him, thought for a moment, and said:
"The master had the four of us live together back then, hoping that we would be brothers and sisters and not let sectarian disputes bring disaster to the world. Unfortunately, we have all failed our master's expectations. Now that we have realized our mistakes, we don't know if it is too late."

The monk Wuxin took a sip of tea instead of wine:
"What's past cannot be undone, but the future can still be shaped. As long as one truly 'understands,' it's never too late to lay down the butcher's knife."

Lu Wuzhen looked at Sikong Tianyuan's former seat:
"You may understand, but he may no longer be on our side. You were close to him back then, so don't speak well of him until we find out the truth."

"Sigh... It's already not easy for the two of you to tolerate me, so why would I say anything that would spoil the mood?"

Wei Wuyi picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, glanced at his two old classmates, and suddenly said:
"I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, but the wine doesn't taste the same as it used to."

Lu Wuzhen shook his head, stood up, and said:
"Alright, I have a lot of things to do in the capital. I can't be in the mood for drinking if I don't sort them out."

The monk Wuxin smiled upon seeing this:
"Look, of all people, he's the only one who hasn't changed. He's always thinking about the common people and can't sit still."

Wei Wuyi remembered what Lu Wuzhen looked like back then, and said with a smile:

"I feel like I haven't changed, I just didn't have the chance before."

The monk Wuxin joked, "When a celestial official happens to run into you in a brothel on Changle Street during his midnight patrol, I will believe you haven't changed."

Wei Wuyi laughed and scolded, "I'm already this old, I've long since given up my playful nature, why would I go to those kinds of places again?"

Lu Wuzhen had already walked out the door, but turned back upon hearing the sound:

"You're still as fond of wine, beautiful women, and showing off as ever, so I really don't guard against you. But ever since you became the number one person in the martial arts world, you've become more and more 'selfless and concerned about the world.' Neither you nor I are saints, how can we be without desires? The less you can see what you want, the more frightening your ambition usually is."

This was a clear statement that they were wary of Wei Wuyi.

Wei Wuyi remained silent for a moment, not showing any anger, but simply raised his hand and pointed:
“You’re all so eloquent, I can’t argue with you, but I’ll listen, okay? Tonight I’ll go to the Zijing Pavilion and book a table for the Eight Immortals Banquet. At home, I often hear my grandson’s flowery words about how even real immortals can’t get past the Eight Immortals Formation, but I’ve never actually seen it myself.”

Lu Wuzhen said nothing more and turned to leave the alley.

The monk Wuxin then left.

Wei Wuyi took out two taels of silver and placed them on the table. Before getting up to leave, he glanced back at the three empty seats, and after a long while, he sighed softly to himself:

"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts... If my classmates didn't treat me like one of their own, there wouldn't be this second half of the sentence..."

……

(End of this chapter)