After knocking on the door a few times, the black-painted door was opened.

Today, a guest came. The door was ajar and was about to be opened. A middle-aged man who was over six feet tall but had broad shoulders opened the door, wiped the sweat from running fast, and bowed his hands first, saying, "I'm sorry, I was just helping to move a jar of pickled vegetables. I didn't open the door here, so I made the young man stand here."

First, open the door. There is a table and chairs next to it, with pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the table.

There were some things written on the paper, all of which were the guests' names and the gifts they had brought. They were all valuable, some were silks from the provincial capital, and some were rare Golden Phoenix paper, which were the top-quality study treasures favored by scholars and elegant people, and they were very expensive.

The middle-aged man sat down, asked Qi Wuhuo's name, looked at the mountain products the boy was carrying, and said with a smile:

"Okay, thank you, young master. Haha... mountain products are hard to come by at this time."

"Master and Madam, you are in for a treat."

"I just wonder if those of us who work here can get some of the profits to eat."

He smiled and wrote it down, then took out an envelope sealed with red paper from the side. From the looks of it, there were at least fifty big coins in it, which could be exchanged for seven pounds of pork, or five good brushes, or a hu of top-quality ink. It was quite a lot. The middle-aged man smiled and said, "It's just inviting guests to have a simple meal, not to collect money. It's normal to have a give and take."

"It's not easy to get these mountain products, young master."

There were already footsteps being heard.

"Where's Senior Brother Qi? Is Senior Brother Qi here?!"

Li Puyu, who had changed into new clothes, hurried over. Ever since he met Qi Wuhuo last time and was shocked by the latter's unintentional release of his spiritual energy, he had felt an inexplicable sense of awe towards Qi Wuhuo. He had been waiting inside early this morning, and when he heard the conversation outside, he quickly ran over.

When he saw Qi Wuhuo again, he just felt that the latter's aura was gentle and clear, but without the invisible sense of oppression as before.

Li Puyu didn't know why, but he breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Wuhuo said: "Brother Li."

Li Puyu said, "Why call me Brother Li? Just call me Puyu. Come on, don't stand here anymore."

"Uncle Li, I'm sorry to bother you with these things. Come, Senior Brother Qi, my father is very happy to hear that you are coming. He has been waiting for you for a long time."

Li Puyu was only a fifteen-year-old boy. He grabbed Qi Wuhuo's arm and ran quickly inside. When they first entered, they saw a stone screen with a word "Fu" written on it. After going around it, there was a narrow corridor, and the view inside opened up. Li Puyu's father, Li Yuelin, was a middle-aged man with a kind face. Rather than a wealthy official, he looked more like an old farmer living a daily life.

It seems that he has exhausted himself too much and has a lot of white hair.

After Qi Wuhuo greeted him, Li Yuelin was very kind and cordial, and just asked about some daily life matters.

He also said that his son had no future and asked Wuhuo to take good care of him.

Qi Wuhuo said: "Li..."

The voice paused, and then said, "I mean, Pu Yu is naturally gifted and intelligent, and he is naturally blessed by heaven."

Li Yuelin smiled and shook his head, saying lightly: "How much is his? How can I not know it?"

Li Puyu's face was stiff.

Insulting your son in front of outsiders.

Dad, you are such a dear dad!

Li Yuelin ignored his son, whose expression was tense. He took out a silver envelope from his wide sleeves, grabbed Qi Wuhuo's hand, and said with a smile, "Haha... there is still a month until the New Year. Actually, you can barely be considered as visiting my family now. During the New Year, my family will go to the capital. Today is a good day to give you this year's lucky money."

"Not much. Go buy some meat and eat it. Look at you. You are so skinny."

"Speaking of which, Wuhuo, you are already fourteen years old, and you will be fifteen next year. Do you have a girl you like? Have you ever dated one?"

Li Puyu's scalp tingled.

"Dad, let's go find Second Uncle first!"

"Dad, drink your tea!"

"Father, goodbye!"

He took Qi Wuhuo's arm and walked quickly, passing two courtyards before letting go. He breathed a sigh of relief and apologized:

"I'm sorry, Brother Qi, my father is like this."

"Although he is always firm in important matters, he is so nagging in daily life."

"I like to preach."

Li Puyu's second uncle was a man who looked younger, but he seemed to have been running around outside for a long time, with a weather-beaten look on his face. It was said that he had been traveling far and wide as a businessman, and had a wide range of experience. This year he made a lot of money, so he returned to his hometown and planned to settle down. When Li Puyu took Qi Wuhuo there, the newly rich man was sitting alone in a mahogany chair in the sun, leaning against it, with a long-necked wine jug on the table next to him. He was drinking by himself, and looked a little lazy and decadent.

Only when he saw Li Puyu did he slightly raise his eyes and smile:

"Is the unpolished jade here?"

"Uncle, please stop drinking. Why are you drinking like this in broad daylight?"

Li Puyu snatched the wine glass from his second uncle Li Yixian, and then said, "This is my senior brother..., Qi Wuhuo."

"I'm quite interested in the scenery of the capital. Second uncle, aren't you a traveling merchant in the capital? Tell me more about what the capital is like."

Finally, I added:

"I'm interested, too."

Li Yixian laughed loudly: "I see, it seems like you respect your Senior Brother Qi very much."

"Come, sit here with me."

Qi Wuhuo thanked him and sat next to him. Li Yixian was drunk and looked quite depressed. He chatted idly about the customs of various places. He only talked about simple things that traveling merchants could come into contact with, which were also the most likely to scare a young man like Qi Wuhuo. Qi Wuhuo saw that he was wearing silk and satin, but the depression on his face could not be concealed. He did not look like a wealthy businessman returning home.

I don’t know how much the things in the dream are related to reality.

It's a pure dream.

Or does it carry some deductions about future events?

While listening to Li Yixian's idle chatter, the Li family's family dinner also began. Li Yuelin sat at the head of the table. The Li family members who came from other towns chatted with each other. Li Yixian stared at the pot of wine, and seemed not to intend to continue talking. Qi Wuhuo took the wine glass and suddenly said, "But Mr. Li is very powerful."

Li Yixian was confused: "Hmm?"

Qi Wuhuo said, "The imperial court issued the "Imperial Decree of Ascension to the Throne" three years ago, which stated that the military and envoys and other people who work in villages, towns, and shops should be taxed the same as the common people, and no one should be allowed to take advantage of it."

"Under such circumstances, doing business in the capital and making a fortune is something that only an extraordinary person can do."

This was a decree issued when the emperor ascended the throne three years ago. It stated that the military and officials should not receive any preferential treatment when doing business and should be treated the same as ordinary people.

Li Yixian was half drunk and half awake, and subconsciously said: "Isn't this a good thing?"

"Is it a good thing? I thought that in this situation, the military and officials were allowed to engage in business. Their connections, power, and even the convenience of knowing the court's movements in advance are not comparable to ordinary people. If ordinary people cooperate with them, they will be exploited. Not to mention making money, even their own business capital will be eaten up."

"Finally, they left the capital in a panic, unwilling to return home, and often disappeared on the road..."

!!!!!!!

Li Yixian suddenly felt a chill on his back, and the feeling of being drunk disappeared instantly!

Looked up suddenly.

He saw the young man in a simple blue shirt looking at him with calm eyes.

It was as if all of his experiences were easily seen through by this young man who was still far away from the capital.

Qi Wuhuo said: "Mr. Su said so."

“Ah… ah, so that’s it…”

"Ha, ha, ha, there are people like that, but I'm different."

Li Yixian smiled stiffly.

Then he lowered his head and drank.

At this moment, after Li Yuelin's opening remarks, he began to ask the younger generations to show their talents in front of many elders.

Li Puyu, who was sitting next to Qi Wuhuo, stiffened.

He had been practicing the piano hard. After visiting Qi Wuhuo, he had originally planned to come to see his second uncle, but was finally dragged away to practice the piano in order not to embarrass himself on this day. Everyone's attention was focused on the younger generations playing the piano, only Li Yi was shocked by what Qi Wuhuo said, and subconsciously paid more attention to Qi Wuhuo.

He unconsciously said more things and talked about various things he had seen and heard in the capital.

Some of the names correspond to those that Qi Wuhuo had experienced and heard before.

But what happened did not fit together completely.

It seems like a dream but not a dream, like reality but not reality.

Qi Wuhuo was silent for a while, then said, "Well, there is a mountain outside the capital called Dingyan Peak. Does Mr. Li know about it?"

"I know. The mountain is shaped like a tripod. It emits smoke during the day. There is also a Taoist temple on top."

"I have been there."

"Really? Then, is the mountain god Qiong Yu worshipped in the Taoist temple?"

Li Yixian paused in his drinking and asked in confusion, "The Taoist temple is naturally dedicated to the founder of Taoism."

"How could it be a mountain god?"

"Qiong Yu? Is this the name of some mountain god?"

Qi Wuhuo was quiet for a moment, then replied with a smile:

"I see... Then, I must have remembered it wrongly."

Qi Wuhuo lowered his head, looked at the ripples in the cup, and suddenly smiled. He had a wonderful feeling. In that capital city, those names who were once his friends and those who were once his enemies were experiencing a life that was familiar but different from the one he knew. Some people's names even didn't match the ones in his dreams. They seemed real and fake, neither true nor false.

And I am alone.

He suddenly had an indescribable feeling, as if he had walked out of it, or as if it was a continuation of the dream.

Is it a dream or reality? Did Qi Wuhuo become a general and a prime minister in his dream, or did he return to his youth after becoming a general and a prime minister?

Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed of Zhuang Zhou.

Li Yixian couldn't hear the boy's question, and looked up in confusion. He saw the blue-clothed boy sitting there, wondering what he was thinking. At this time, Li Puyu finally finished playing a song with difficulty. Under the pressure of his father's increasingly frowning brows and the teacher's pressure that almost pulled out his beard, he breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the zither aside, and said, "It's your turn, it's your turn!"

After sitting down, I remembered that Qi Wuhuo was next to me.

Instead of the next cousin who was supposed to play the piano.

Qi Wuhuo had always been poor, so he thought he would not know how to play the guqin. When he was about to speak, he saw the young man in blue shirt placing his fingers on the guqin.

Use slight force with your fingers.

The next moment.

The sound of the zither was like tearing silk.

The room, which was filled with gossip, suddenly became quiet. The clear sound of the piano could be heard throughout the hall, as if it had captured the heart.

Inside and outside the house.

Human and non-human.

Everything was quiet for a moment.

"The sound of the piano enters the Tao, and the soul is born?!"

Outside the Li family, a Taoist priest's expression changed instantly.