Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

When Lu Jiuge heard that Zheng Wutong wanted to see his master in person, she thought for a moment and then refused:

"Grandpa, there's no need for that. I'll arrange to go up the mountain and bring Master to Hong Kong."

Zheng Wutong shook his head, his attitude resolute:

"How can this be? We can't break the rules of etiquette."

"Your master raised you single-handedly; he is your closest elder."

"When children get married, it should be the elders of both sides visiting each other to discuss the matter. There's no reason for the elders to travel such a long distance to visit each other."

"As Shuyi's grandfather and father, Ah Rong and I should be mindful of proper etiquette. We must go there in person this time."

Zheng Dongrong chimed in from the side:

"Xiao Lu, don't refuse. The old man is right, I should go and meet your master before setting a wedding date."

Seeing that the two were adamant, Lu Jiuge knew that further persuasion would be useless. She sighed softly in silence and did not refuse again.

Since he entered the business world and rose to prominence, although he arranged for someone to come up the mountain to take care of his daily life, he still misses it after being away for a long time.

"Since the old man insists on going, then let's set off first thing tomorrow morning, get there as soon as possible, finalize the wedding arrangements, and come back to prepare for the wedding."

Zheng Wutong agreed without hesitation:

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

Zheng Shuyi stood quietly to the side, gently taking Lu Jiuge's arm.

"I'll go with you. I also want to see the master who raised you."

Lu Jiuge looked down at her and nodded gently:

"Okay, let's set off together tomorrow."

……

The next morning, the four of them packed up and boarded a plane to Zhejiang Province.

Three hours later, the plane landed in Zhejiang Province. After a long and winding journey, we finally arrived at the Taoist temple on the mountain at 3 p.m.

With the people arranged by Lu Jiuge to make repairs, and more than a dozen people specially assigned to stay on the mountain to manage it, the Taoist temple is now much cleaner and tidier.

Lu Jiuge's master, Chen Xuyuan, dressed in plain clothes, sat in a wheelchair in the courtyard.

Lu Jiuge quickly stepped forward, reached out to hold the armrest of the wheelchair, and said in the way they usually addressed each other:

"Old man, you look to be in good spirits. It seems the people I arranged have taken good care of you."

Chen Xuyuan looked up at him, smiled faintly, and gave him a gentle look.

"Xiao Jiu, you're back."

"You're back. Let me introduce you..."

After Lu Jiuge introduced Zheng Wutong and Zheng Dongrong, the two stepped forward to greet him politely, without the slightest arrogance of a wealthy family head.

After Zheng Wutong and Zheng Dongrong finished greeting each other, Zheng Shuyi politely greeted them in return.

"Master, hello! I'm Zheng Shuyi, Ninth Brother's girlfriend!"

"Haha, good, Xiao Jiu's girlfriend is pregnant with his big, healthy baby boy, great! Everyone, please sit down."

Chen Xuyuan raised his hand to signal, and the group sat down around the stone table one by one.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zheng Dongrong spoke gently:

"Father-in-law, we've come today to discuss Xiao Lu and Shu Yi's wedding date and to set a suitable day."

Chen Xuyuan smiled and nodded, then took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Lu Jiuge:

"I've already calculated the wedding date for Xiao Jiu and Shu Yi."

Lu Jiuge was taken aback, and reached out to take the yellowed paper.

Chen Xuyuan glanced at Lu Jiuge and slowly spoke:

"Xiao Jiu's birth date and time are special, and her destiny is different from ordinary people, so the wedding date cannot be set randomly."

"The fifteenth day after this is the only auspicious day of pure Yang. If you miss this day, there will be no suitable wedding date in the future, and you will never be able to hold a wedding for the rest of your life."

After he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent instantly.

Zheng Dongrong was taken aback, his face full of surprise.

The wedding was originally scheduled for a month later, but it has now been changed to fifteen days, cutting the time in half and doubling the pressure of preparation.

He instinctively wanted to ask a question, but turned to look at Zheng Wutong beside him.

After a brief moment of thought, Zheng Wutong spoke solemnly:

"Since it was an auspicious day chosen by our in-laws, there must be a reason for it. I'll follow your arrangements."

Chen Xuyuan nodded slightly:

"Thank you for your understanding. Please rest in the courtyard for a while. Xiao Jiu, come in with me. I have something to discuss with you privately."

Lu Jiuge was startled. He realized that Chen Xuyuan's tone of voice and his entire demeanor were completely different from before.

He nodded, greeted Zheng Wutong and the others, and then pushed Chen Xuyuan into the house.

The door closed, and Lu Jiuge spoke first, her gaze fixed on Chen Xuyuan:

"Old man, I'm finding you increasingly strange. You even planned the wedding date well in advance; have you been hiding something from me?"

Chen Xuyuan remained calm and smiled faintly:

"I am still me, so what's so strange about it? Can you just replace me out of thin air?"

Lu Jiuge unfolded the yellowed piece of paper with the wedding date written on it:

"Don't try to fool me. This piece of paper is the yellowed draft paper I used ten years ago."

"After I came down the mountain, this kind of paper was never used again, and there was no left on the mountain."

You chose to write down my wedding date on a piece of old paper from ten years ago. Did you foresee everything from that time until today?

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuyuan's expression finally changed.

However, instead of answering, he abruptly asked:

"Xiao Jiu, is it becoming increasingly difficult for you to make any new breakthroughs with that extraordinary opportunity you've received?"

Lu Jiuge was shocked, her heart filled with turbulent waves, and her first thought was of the faith value harvesting system that she had been inexplicably bound to.

I checked the system interface with my consciousness and indeed found that the negative faith value had long since stagnated.

On the contrary, the positive faith value has been soaring, accumulating to nearly 100 million.

He hadn't mentioned this to anyone, so it was unclear what Chen Xuyuan was referring to.

Lu Jiuge was about to explain when Chen Xuyuan raised his hand to interrupt her:

"No need to explain, I understand."

"Xiao Jiu, remember this: From now on, apart from opportunities to nourish your own body, use all other external forces as little as possible."

Lu Jiuge frowned deeply:

"Master, what do you mean by that?"

Chen Xuyuan looked up at the window, his tone calm, yet carrying a sense of melancholy as he made his final arrangements:

"My life has long since come to an end. I took you in, raised you, protected you, watched you rise to prominence after leaving the mountain, and waited for you to get married. My mission was then completely over."

"From now on, on the long road of life ahead, no one will pave the way for you, no one will shield you from calamities. You will have to walk through all the storms and hardships on your own, step by step."

Lu Jiuge was stunned, and a strange sense of panic welled up in her heart.

"Old man, what nonsense are you talking about? Why are you saying such discouraging things?"

"I have no wealth, connections, or opportunities to leave you."

Chen Xuyuan seemed not to hear him, and continued to whisper instructions to himself:

"After I passed away, all the items in the room were burned clean in the direction of the pure Yin Black Tortoise."

"My remains will be buried in the Vermilion Bird Yang position. After the burial, from this day forward, never again shall you set foot on this mountain."

The more Lu Jiuge listened, the more flustered she became. Countless doubts piled up in her chest, and she was about to ask for the reason.

Looking up, one could see Chen Xuyuan's hands hanging naturally at his sides, his eyes slowly closing, and his entire aura dissipating.

Lu Jiuge's mind went completely blank. He trembled as he reached out to check Chen Xuyuan's nose, but couldn't feel any breath. He could no longer hold back his emotions. On the ground, he screamed in anguish:

"Master!"