Chapter 5 "Did I interrupt my cousin's good time?...
"I am unworthy of such a title," Ji Chengnin replied in a composed manner, but before he could finish, his true nature was revealed. "It would be disrespectful to refuse. Thank you, sir."
After speaking, he performed an awkward and inappropriate greeting and fled out the back door as if by lightning.
Qu Pingzhi turned his head and looked at Ji Chengning expectantly.
Zhou Mufang chuckled inwardly, knowing this kid couldn't sit still. He parted his lips and silently said, "Heartless man."
He actually abandoned his brothers and ran away.
Ji Chengning waved to the two of them and turned to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Qu Pingzhi and saw that the latter was staring at him with longing eyes, his neck almost twisting.
It looks just like the Venerable Waiting-for-Husband Stone has come to life.
Ji Chengning's mind was racing, and he took two steps forward on his own.
The next moment, his knees suddenly bent, and his body leaned weakly toward the wall—but he didn't manage to hit it.
Sitting at the back, Zhou Mufang reacted quickly, grabbing Ji Chengnin's arm and pulling him towards her, anxiously saying, "Cheng..."
Ji Chengnin blinked rapidly, weakly stroking his forehead with one hand, and murmured, "So dizzy."
Zhou Mufang immediately understood and said, "Sir, Prince Ji is unwell, and I would like to escort him back to his residence."
Qu Pingzhi's face turned bright red, and he stammered, "Student, student wants to too."
Li Wensheng flicked his pen outwards, signaling the three of them to get out of there.
He prefers to ignore it.
Qu Pingzhi and Zhou Mufang were overjoyed. Each of them put their arms around one of Ji Chengning's arms and slowly helped the frail young marquis out.
As soon as he stepped out of the Imperial College gate, Ji Chengnin, who had been panting heavily just moments before, immediately straightened his back.
He raised his chin smugly, "You two tell me, what are you going to do to thank me?"
Qu Pingzhi blushed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Ji Chengnin raised an eyebrow, "I almost crashed into a wall, and all I'm worth is a thank you?"
Zhou Mufang gave him a push and laughed, "Don't be so smug. Old Man Li let us go so easily not because you, young marquis, are weak and frail, but because he knows that we have no hope of passing the imperial examinations. He simply wants us to leave so he won't have to see us or worry about us."
Ji Chengning and Zhou Mufang both had inherited their titles after reaching adulthood. Although Qu Ping's family background was not as illustrious as theirs, his grandfather had served as a high-ranking official of the second rank. According to the laws of the dynasty, he could be directly appointed as a seventh-rank imperial bodyguard without taking the exam.
For children from ordinary families, the only way to enter officialdom was through the imperial examinations. Unless they were exceptionally talented and received the favor and support of influential people, they would have to wait several years before being appointed to a post.
Moreover, he held the lowest-ranking official position.
“You have no hope of passing the imperial examination yourself, but Pingzhi is determined to become the top scholar.” Ji Chengnin stretched out his long arm and put his arm around Qu Pingzhi’s shoulder.
It's already March, and they'll be leaving the Imperial Academy in a dozen days, so Li Wensheng doesn't care.
Ji Chengnin made up a story to bring the two out, just to find a legitimate reason to avoid being punished by their parents or elders.
"Sanlang, Your Highness," a warm fragrance wafted over, and Qu Pingzhi's face turned as red as if it were about to bleed, "You two, stop bickering."
"For Pingzhi's sake, I won't hold it against you," Zhou Mufang said with a smile. "Where are you going?"
Ji Chengnin countered, "Where are you going?"
Zhou Mufang said, "A new batch of white falcons has arrived at Chongwu Field. They say they don't need any training; they'll catch rabbits, chickens, and ducks on their own and bring them back to their owners. Would you like to go and take a look?"
The sun was shining brightly today, but the thought of the smell of livestock and the sweat of shirtless men in Chongwu Field made Ji Chengning feel nauseous, so he resolutely refused, "I'm not going."
Zhou Mufang was dissatisfied, "You..."
Ji Chengnin clasped his hands together and said with a smile, "I am going to the Dazhao Temple to pray for blessings today."
“Boring.” Zhou Mufang scoffed. “Pingzhi, come with me.” Seeing Qu Pingzhi’s hesitation, he put his arm around the other’s neck. “Go, go, go.”
Qu Pingzhi couldn't persuade him otherwise. He glanced at Ji Chengning reluctantly, leaned close to him and whispered a few words before saying, "Your Highness, I'm leaving."
Ji Chengnin waved his hand.
The three rented horses nearby and traveled together for half the journey before parting ways.
Ji Chengnin rode his horse out of the city.
He went to the Jokhang Temple not to pray for blessings, but to have his fortune told.
Inside the Dazhao Temple, there is a Taoist priest named Zhongdu, who is said to be over a hundred years old, yet shows no signs of aging. He is skilled in observing the heavens and understanding destiny, and can predict the first fifty years and the next fifty years of a person's life, and his predictions are always accurate.
He rode very fast and arrived at the entrance of Banshan Temple in less than half an hour.
The grass was tall and the woods were secluded. Ji Chengning followed the young Taoist into the backyard. Occasionally, a few birds chirped, which made the silence all the more profound.
Ji Chengning pushed open the door and stepped into the bedroom.
Inside, the aroma of incense wafted gently, like a light cloud.
Behind the hazy smoke sat a young man, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, but had a full head of white hair as bright as moonlight.
He tied his hair up with a white jade lotus crown, and at a glance, it was impossible to tell which color was purer, his hair or the jade.
Zhong Du, Zhong Buzhi.
Ji Chengning easily pulled up a futon and sat down opposite Zhongdu.
Master Zhong opened his eyes and bowed in the direction of Ji Chengnin. “Good faith, you are feeling uneasy and your mind is in a daze. Today is not auspicious for anything. Please return.”
Ji Chengnin raised an eyebrow.
He reached into his sleeve and, in front of Zhong Du, took out a brocade pouch and casually tossed it into his arms.
Zhong Du smiled faintly, picked up the purse, and lightly weighed it with his five fingers.
Not heavy.
He then shook his head and said, "Although the believer's actions are intended to accumulate merit for the creation of the statue, they are somewhat hasty."
His smile grew even fainter as he was about to return the purse to Ji Chengning.
"Smack."
Its precious light shimmered.
A gold ingot the size of a bone joint rolled out from a never-tightly-sealed opening.
Zhong Du's eyes lit up immediately.
The hand, which was halfway outstretched, suddenly bent in mid-air and turned back, placing the purse on its lap with utmost care.
“I see that Your Highness’s face is ashen and you look exhausted. Heaven is merciful and cannot bear to see such a wealthy and virtuous person like Your Highness suffer such a calamity,” Zhong Du said with utmost sincerity. “Your Highness, there is anything I can do. I will do my best even if it means dying a thousand deaths.”
Ji Chengnin pressed his large head back down, saying, "I had a dream."
Zhong Du immediately sat up straight, composed himself, and listened attentively.
He then recounted all the events of his nightmare to Zhong Du, except for the fire in the palace.
He also vaguely revealed that he had seen someone last night who looked almost exactly like the assassin in his dream.
After listening, Zhong Du lowered his eyes again, placed his hands on his knees with palms facing upwards, and silently calculated with his fingers.
The white crane slightly opened its long beak, releasing a faint scent of sandalwood.
Even through the faint smoke, Zhong Du, with his snow-white hair, truly looked like an otherworldly immortal.
He calculated for a long time in a seemingly serious manner, then raised his head and said in a heavy tone, "Young Marquis, the so-called nightmare is the manifestation of the emotional debt you owe."
Ji Chengnin stared at him intently.
What is that?
Zhong Du sighed softly again, "In his previous life, the young master was a womanizer and too promiscuous, breaking the hearts of countless resentful women and infatuated men. He was reincarnated with a grudge in his heart, just to find you and pay off his debt."
The Taoist priest's red lips curved slightly upward, revealing a faint smile. "Young Marquis, you wronged him greatly in your past life, and this time..."
The smile was so strange that it was impossible to tell whether it was pity or mockery.
Ji Chengning's heart sank.
Zhong Du's voice drifted into my ears, as soft as a midnight murmur.
There was no one around, only a Taoist priest with a full head of white hair and a mysterious smile staring intently at him.
"I will make you feel like your heart is being torn apart, and you will be in unbearable pain." Zhong Du raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching Ji Chengnin's brow. "But even so, it will be difficult to avenge two or three tenths of the resentment in his heart."
"clang!"
The wind blew, and the bells jingled softly.
Ji Chengnin suddenly looked up.
After a long silence, the young marquis said speechlessly, "Could you be any more perfunctory? I gave you a hundred taels of gold."
Zhong Du awkwardly moved his hand away and gave an embarrassed smile, "Young Marquis, you are naturally gifted and intelligent. No amount of trickery can fool you."
He got up to pour tea for Ji Chengning.
Having come this far, Ji Chengnin continued, "Master Zhong, since you say that the person in my dream is a creditor from a past life, how can this be resolved?"
"Reason with them and appeal to their emotions," Zhong Du replied readily this time, "Repay them for all the favors you owe them."
To repay the debt owed to Cui... no, that assassin?
Just imagining himself in close contact with an assassin sent chills down Ji Chengning's spine.
He angrily exclaimed, "I dreamt of a vicious and treacherous villain!"
Zhong Du earnestly advised, "That's why I want you to appeal to emotions. As the saying goes, sincerity can move mountains. I believe you can do it."
"That traitor is a man taller than me, and he reeks of blood as if he was just dug out of a pile of corpses. And you actually want me, the young master, to talk about love with him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Du looked at Ji Chengning with a strange expression.
He pulled up the bamboo mat and quietly moved it back a little.
Seeing this, Ji Chengnin became even angrier, "I don't even like you."
Zhong Du crossed his arms and whimpered, "I am quite handsome, but if the young master takes a fancy to me and tries to use his power to oppress me, what should I do?"
Ji Chengning felt so disgusted by him that he wanted to vomit and wanted to throw another pillow at him to wake him up.
Unfortunately, there were no pillows left to throw, so Ji Chengning glared at Zhong Du, half annoyed and half angry.
The boy was thin-skinned, and even his eyes were red with anger.
Zhong Du, however, didn't know when to stop and teased him, "Young Master, don't be angry. This humble Taoist will not pry into your thoughts any further."
Ji Chengnin's chest heaved violently. He wanted to retort, but was afraid of appearing angry and embarrassed, so he swallowed hard.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He was furious to the extreme, yet he revealed an extremely bright smile.
not good!
Zhong Du got up and was about to run away.
Ji Chengnin was faster than him, swiftly and decisively leaning in and grabbing Zhong Du's shoulder.
His hair was tied up high, and his cloud-like black hair swayed with his movements.
"Good brother," Ji Chengning pressed down on Zhong Du's shoulder to stop him from running away, his stunningly beautiful face close to his, asking affectionately, "Why are you hiding?"
As far as he knew, Zhong Du had just been knelt down by a man last month to express his feelings, which frightened Zhong Daoshi so much that he didn't comb his hair, change his clothes, or bathe for several days, making himself look as if he had just been dug out of a grave.
They literally drove that person away with the fumes.
The two stared at each other, and Zhong Du was defeated in no time.
His cheeks were flushed red, and even his neck felt as if it were on fire, with veins bulging outwards as he pleaded, "Young Marquis, Young Marquis, I was wrong. Please stop using your supernatural powers."
Ji Chengnin flicked Zhong Du's hair ornament triumphantly and sneered, "Seducing the Marquis's heir, Master Zhong, you are a highly accomplished Taoist master, I wonder how many heads you have to chop off?"
The sweet fragrance was overwhelming, and Zhong Du felt short of breath. He turned his face away with difficulty, saying, "Young Marquis, please stop teasing me."
"This young master is sincere," the young marquis said arrogantly and matter-of-factly, "Master Zhong, please don't be ungrateful..."
Before he could finish speaking, the door creaked open.
The two turned their heads at the same time.
The visitor was clearly not expecting such a scene in the room.
As far as the eye could see, a handsome young man was closing in step by step, while the refined Taoist priest in his robes was dodging backward.
It's unclear whether they genuinely wanted to avoid it or were simply playing hard to get.
The person immediately lowered their head and said, "Yes..."
As soon as he said it, he realized something was wrong.
If he's not blind yet, the handsome young man forcing women into prostitution seems to be none other than Young Master Ji Chengning.
In broad daylight, Ji Chengning was entangled with a Taoist priest in the Taoist temple.
It truly has a unique flavor, catering to both meat and vegetarian tastes.
Cui Yao's eyes darkened slightly.
Upon recognizing Ji Chengnin, he was no longer in a hurry to leave, and gently finished speaking, "I won't stay."
Upon hearing this, Ji Chengnin froze even more, looking over in disbelief.
A tall figure was standing at the doorway.
He stood against the light, bathed in its bright sunlight, like a jade tree, tall and elegant.
It was so bright it made me dizzy.
It's Cui Yao.
It was Cui Yao again.
Ji Chengnin's chest pounded wildly.
He took a deep breath, wondering if his cousin Cui was truly a female ghost, haunting him day and night, her spirit never leaving.
Cui Yao, understandingly, looked away.
It seemed that what was seen was not Ji Chengnin and Yi Gan Dao behaving ambiguously, but rather the two sitting facing each other, brewing tea and discussing philosophy.
He spoke, his voice still gentle and pleasant, "Did I interrupt my cousin's good time?"
A note from the author:
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Honey, I'll try my best to update right at midnight.
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