The number of men and women at the gathering, plus Zhao Rong and his party, was roughly half and half, excluding the red-dressed girls who served as maids.
Zhao Rong rolled up his sleeves and glanced around. Suddenly, he stopped somewhere by the stream and noticed a woman first.
The woman was wearing a green pleated skirt, a lazy bun, and a butterfly hairpin on her head. She had a plump figure and a pretty face. She could be considered a leader among the women present.
She has a pair of alluring fox eyes just like her own Su Xiaoxiao, but Xiaoxiao's is pure and charming, while she is soft and charming.
However, these were not what really attracted Zhao Rong, because in terms of beauty, according to his elegant taste, he still felt that his two ladies were better, especially when it came to the charm of women. Zhao Rong felt that compared to the superficial charm, Xiao Xiao's kind of charm hidden in her bones was even more wonderful. You just needed a little patience to discover it. For example, on some nights when they were traveling before, when it was late at night and the two of them were alone in the room, the beauty below would gently raise her head, and her eyes would turn up to cast a glance at him... She was simply naturally charming.
Therefore, what really attracted Zhao Rong's attention was a lively thing beside the woman, which kept spinning around her body.
It was a fiery red carp, no, a dragon carp. Zhao Rong saw several magical dragon whiskers floating in the air.
But the strange thing is that this dragon carp does not seem to be a real thing, because the delicate scales and specific eyes cannot be seen. Its whole body exudes a hazy red glow, like a ball of red ink splashed on paper, glowing in the dark.
The fiery red dragon carp seemed to have swum out of an immortal's ink painting. It was a stroke of great charm, circling around the woman as if it were a living thing. It floated in the air, gently swaying its tail and swimming, just like it was swimming in the water without any support.
Zhao Rong looked at it curiously, and it was a bit eye-opening, but at the same time, he also felt a sense of familiarity...
There was a familiar academy brother next to Zhao Rong. Seeing Zhao Rong staring at the fairy intently, he sighed softly, pushed Zhao Rong, and whispered, "Junior brother, don't look at anything inappropriate. Senior Brother said that we must observe etiquette."
"oh."
Zhao Rong withdrew his gaze and responded softly.
Seeing this, the senior brother from the academy thought for a moment and explained:
"That is Fairy Liu from Taiyi Mansion, her name is Kongyi. I heard that she has a special physique and a deep affinity with Taoism. She is a natural beauty for practicing Taoism, second only to those sword immortal embryos from Xiaoyao Mansion."
The senior brother sighed softly and said:
"Unlike some other fairies in Taiqing Mansion who are devoted to cultivation, she often attends poetry gatherings between Taiqing Mansion and the academy. She is very famous among the scholars in our academy. I heard that many brothers want to have a taste of her beauty. However, we should forget about such romantic affairs. We should listen to our eldest brother, study hard, and concentrate on learning."
He couldn't help but take a look: "And it seems that Senior Brother Du has been getting close to Fairy Liu recently."
Zhao Rong nodded calmly and didn't care.
At the front of the crowd, Ye Ruoxi, as the host of this gathering, introduced both parties with a polite smile. However, as for the academy, he only gave a brief introduction of some people. The first ones were definitely the two senior brothers who led the team, Li Jinshu and Du Yifu. Next were several academy scholars who had reached the Haoran realm or even the Tianzhi realm. In addition, there were several scholars who had profound knowledge and experience but no cultivation.
Because Linlu Academy is different from the Four Taiqing Prefectures, the latter is closer to the ruthless mountain immortals, and the status of fellow disciples in the prefecture is determined purely by cultivation and talent.
Linlu Academy pays more attention to the inheritance of Confucianism and Taoism, and advocates a pure heart of seeking the truth. It emphasizes the cultivation of Confucian scholars, but pays more attention to talent, learning and morality. For example, Zhao Rong heard that there are several gentlemen in the academy whose cultivation has not even reached the Haoran realm, but it does not affect their respect from all the scholars in the academy.
What is sir?
The one who is wise comes first, that is the intention of the teacher.
Of course, it would be best if one could possess both the talent for enlightenment and the gift for practice. Otherwise, a mortal’s life span is limited to sixty years, a mere sixty years. How can one find the supreme path?
Zhao Rong stood in the back, waiting quietly, thinking in his heart.
At a certain moment, he glanced at everyone in the audience.
The geniuses of Taiqing Prefecture, the scholars from the academy, and the carp girls who walked lightly among the banquets.
Zhao Rong is now a student in the academy, and can be considered a reserve scholar. Being in this Duyou City, he can be said to be standing on the mountain. Although strictly speaking, his cultivation has not yet reached the Haoran realm, and he can only be considered half a mountain man.
However, the people he has come into contact with now are almost all monks from the mountains, just like the people in front of him.
Zhao Rong exhaled lightly, his eyes narrowed slightly.
According to his observations these days, although these monks on the mountain are all practicing, there are differences among them and they can be divided into several categories.
The practitioners of hundreds of schools, such as Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism, practiced for the sake of the Great Dao. Immortality was only a byproduct or a means to achieve the goal, because in most cases, the Great Dao and cultivation can promote each other.
Many other monks on the mountain practice in order to achieve longevity and good health, which is the opposite of the monks of the Hundred Schools. The Great Dao becomes a process and a means, and these monks are currently the mainstream of the mountain's cultivation world.
However, in addition to the cultivators of the Hundred Schools, there are also some cultivators who pursue their own paths or practice for some kind of responsibility and mission. In pursuit of their own paths, they can only strive for resources and practice hard, which is similar to the cultivators of the Hundred Schools, but there are also differences, because they must become stronger, or in other words, the ancestors of the various schools of thought were actually originally this type of cultivators.
Like the Taoist Ancestor, the Great Sage and Teacher, the first generation of Mohist masters, etc., they overcame all obstacles along the way and opened up their own small paths into the great roads of the world. They did not have the blessings left by their ancestors, and in the era they lived in, there were no ancients before them and no successors after them. They themselves were the first people through the ages on this road under their feet, so they could only move forward, forward, and forward.
This is also the reason why the founders of each school are all great and powerful people with great cultivation, and are even the historical pinnacle of their school, and no younger generation can surpass them.
And when their school of Taoism is established and a cohesive organization is formed, they can protect the later generations who are obsessed with Taoism but have no talent for cultivation, and allow mortals to have equal qualifications for practicing Taoism, just like those respected mortal gentlemen in Linlu Academy.
Zhao Rong sighed in his heart. At present, with his aptitude for cultivation, taking this path within the Confucian system is the best solution. However, Zhao Rong will not take this path as his first choice.
If he practiced out of curiosity and interest like he did in the beginning, then he would just practice like a Buddhist, free of worries, not anxious nor forcing anything.
But now, not only does he have a Haoran covenant with Gui, but most importantly, Zhao Rong also has a bond - he doesn't want Qingjun and Xiaoxiao to be widows.
Zhao Rong couldn't bear to leave them.
Xiaoxiao is a member of the psychic demon race. After forming a demon pill, his lifespan can be thousands of years.
Qingjun's life span has been increasing as she breaks through realms. As long as she doesn't stay in a realm for too long, her appearance will almost remain forever. When she reaches the seventh realm of sword cultivation, Xiaoyao, she can even condense a body of pure glazed glass, making her immortal...
If this continues, when he is old and gray, Qingjun and Xiaoxiao will still be young and beautiful... It's scary to think about it.
Although according to the personalities of these two silly girls, they will definitely stay with him until the end of his life, and even go to great lengths to find medicine for him to prolong his life.
But Zhao Rong was unwilling to do so. He was indifferent to the world and after awakening his memories of his past life, it was like he had lived a second life. He didn't need to linger in this world, but he could not bear to be separated from his loved ones and let the woman he loved live a widow's life for the rest of her life, or even do something stupid.
For example, Su Xiaoxiao, a silly girl, has read too many novels about talented men and beautiful women, and she has been thinking about turning into a butterfly all day long. So, how can a little fox demon like you turn into a butterfly and mutate across species? Have you asked your fox ancestors?
No matter how many times I told her, she would not listen. Every time she heard him tell the tragic stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, she would wipe her tears with the back of her hand and murmur that she wanted to turn into a butterfly with Zhao Lang in the future...
Zhao Rong was worried.
Not to mention Qingjun, in order to extend his life, I wonder if he will do something outrageous...
Nowadays, it is useless to think too much and there is no other plan. Apart from studying, Zhao Rong can only collect resources and work hard to break through.
As for the "Theory of the Unity of Substance and Function" which he first proposed in this world during the debate between Confucianism and Taoism, Lin Wenruo said that Zhao Rong could go to the Jixia Academy to obtain a gift from heaven and earth. Even if Zhao Rong wanted, he could use his memories from his previous life to obtain more gifts from heaven and earth.
However, this bright future for the hundreds of cultivators that once made Zhao Rong's eyes light up was soon ruthlessly rejected. This was also the reason why he did not rush to the Jixia Academy to receive the "experience package".
In other words, with his ordinary physique, he is like a small narrow-mouthed bottle, and the gift of the Tao in the place of enlightenment is like the water of the North Sea. No matter how much there is, even the smallest gift of "Tao", it is not something that his small "bottle" can contain.
In short, Gui's conclusion is that Zhao Rong is too small, too thin, and too short to be worth looking at.
Currently, there is only one outcome for going to the Jixia Academy, and that is to be instantly exploded by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
After Gui finished speaking, he said in amazement, "This is also a rare way to die, to be buried with great ceremony by the Great Avenue of Heaven and Earth. Tsk tsk, how about Young Master Zhao give it a try? Let me broaden my horizons, I guarantee it will be more exciting than setting off fireworks in the Qin Mansion..."
At this moment, Zhao Rong thought of this unreliable and venomous sword spirit again. He felt itchy and didn't know when it would wake up. He hadn't settled the score with it for Li Ji's sword pill yet. But it's okay, it can't run away...
Zhao Rong's current priority is to be promoted to the Fuyao Realm as soon as possible, by then he will be able to play a greater role in returning. As for the Dengtian Realm, it makes the excuse that it is too simple to teach, and as for the Fuyao Realm, it will see what you say, by then there will be new skills to practice.
And most importantly, Gui had promised that the Fuyao Realm could start looking for those miraculous medicines that could help him improve his physique. Zhao Rong could already take them to break through the natural dead end of this body and advance to the Haoran Realm.
This was also the only way for him to break through the shackles of this useless body. If he could gather some legendary materials, refine the several kinds of anti-Tao divine medicines that Gui had mentioned, and take them by chance, then from then on, the world would be vast and boundless, and he would soar straight up...
Zhao Rong was thinking a lot, so the most important thing at the moment was how to open up the Great Circulation in his body, break through the Zhenyi stage, and enter the Fuyao stage of deep thinking.
The agarwood that Lin Wenruo had given him had been used up a few days ago. His practice speed suddenly slowed down in the past few nights, and his efficiency dropped several times, making Zhao Rong extremely uncomfortable, as if he had been running on a broad road all the way, but suddenly was forced to turn onto a bumpy and muddy mountain road and continue running... stumbling and moving at a snail's pace.
Top-level auxiliary materials for the Ascension Realm such as agarwood and agarwood are rare. Zhao Rong has already used up the Lanxi Lin family's nearly twenty years' supply. Now he has to find a way to find other auxiliary materials. Blindly practicing like this is too slow and not a long-term solution.
Zhao Rong exhaled a breath of turbid air in his chest and decided that after this elegant gathering, he would find an opportunity to go to Duyou City and look carefully in the immortal market to see if there are any other auxiliary items...
He was alone in the back, daydreaming, his mind flying to who knows where, thinking about what would happen after the gathering. Anyway, he was just invited by the senior brother to this gathering to support the event, and he would leave as soon as it was over.
However, at this gathering, less than half a quarter of an hour had passed, and Ye Ruoxi in the front had almost finished introducing the participants. Of course, Zhao Rong had nothing to do with it. He just mixed in the crowd and was introduced by the words "Mr. Li's junior brothers". Well, he was also praised as "the pillars of the academy."
At this moment, Ye Ruoxi turned her head and smiled at a woman standing by the Nuan River not far away:
"I don't need to elaborate on who this person is. The men in your academy should all know him. Junior Sister Kong Yi, why are you sitting here alone without saying anything? Is there something bothering you? You can tell us about it and we can give you some advice."
Liu Kongyi sat upright by the stream, stretched out one hand, and stroked the water with his fingers upstream.
She was staring at the red carp swimming in the warm stream in a daze. When she heard this, she slowly raised her head and looked away from the stream, somewhat reluctantly.
Liu Kongyi came out of her thoughts and smiled at everyone, "It's okay, thank you Senior Sister Ruoxi for your concern."
At this time, a red dragon carp emerged from the stream beside her without causing any waves.
The scarlet dragon carp floated in the air and circled around Liu Kongyi, then continued to dive into the clear warm stream and started to play in circles with the live carps.
Many people looked curious.
Ye Ruoxi asked: "Junior Sister Kongyi, what is this? It is so magical."
Liu Kongyi looked around, except for a moment's pause on a man who was reading a book, she mostly glanced around. She said meaningfully, "Nothing, just a little thing I happened to get not long ago."
Seeing that Liu Kongyi didn't say anything, Ye Ruoxi didn't ask any more questions and turned to introduce the remaining people.
Liu Kongyi noticed that many men at the gathering were staring at her, but she didn't care as she was used to it. As for the Confucian scholars who had just arrived, she only glanced at Li Jinshu a few more times. The other scholars in the academy were not worthy of her too much attention.
Liu Kongyi suddenly tilted her head and smiled gently at Du Yifu, who was sitting not far away and looking at her frequently.
The latter's face suddenly brightened up and he smiled brilliantly.
It was a pity that before he could take the next step, Liu Kongyi turned her eyes away and stopped looking at him. However, Du Yifu was not depressed. He just felt that his relationship with this Fairy Liu had become closer.
These days, they often attend literary gatherings together. Fairy Liu likes poetry, and they often talk about poetry. Du Yifu feels that the two of them have become more familiar with each other. Although Fairy Liu sometimes still gives people an elusive feeling, Du Yifu feels that with his talent, one day he will be able to win over this fairy who has made many scholars in the academy frustrated.
Liu Kongyi withdrew her gaze in boredom and continued to look at the carp in the stream. She continued to think about the poem she had written a few days ago. She revised it again and again in her mind, but she was still not satisfied. She frowned slightly and could not help but become dazed again...