"The most urgent task right now is to hold the ceremony successfully, and then... take the opportunity to refine the sword pill..."

"We will have to save those poor concubines later. We can go to Brother Huizhi's place to have a drink then. Oh, and we also have to release those tied-up imperial guards. We can't let them starve to death... After we've dealt with these things, we can go back..."

Zhao Rong patted the dew that had condensed on his sleeves at dawn, pursed his lips and silently recited it in his mind, then let out a breath.

After a moment, he returned to the door of his tent.

But just as he reached here, before the curtain was lifted, Zhao Rong stopped.

After a moment of silence, he looked around. There was no one except the early-rising sergeant who happened to pass by.

Zhao Rong pushed open the curtain and entered the tent.

really.

There are two male figures.

An old warrior who looks like a wealthy man.

A man holding a sword.

The two of them sat opposite each other, motionless, staring at each other silently, with a bit of staring eyes.

Zhao Rong glanced at them, fearing that one of them would suddenly say "What are you looking at?" or "What's wrong with me looking at you?" and then attack them...

But fortunately not.

The old warrior named Zhou Dufu seemed to have been waiting here for a long time. At this moment, he turned his head and looked over together with Li Bai.

Zhao Rong retracted his gaze and didn't look at the former. He smiled and shouted to the man holding the sword:

"Good morning, Uncle Xiaobai."

Li Bai grinned and nodded.

Zhou Dufu, who came uninvited, turned his head and looked at the sword-holding man who had been staring at him all night, and suddenly said:

"Sir, have you practiced martial arts?"

Li Bai kept smiling, turned his head, and faced Zhou Dufu. He said seriously, "I am a master swordsman, you warrior, don't get close to me."

“…”

The warrior named Zhou, who looked like a wealthy man, nodded and smiled innocently, not caring.

Zhao Rong walked forward, took a basin of water to wash his face, then wiped his neck with a towel, returned to the seat between Zhou Dufu and Li Bai, and sat down.

After wiping his face again, he put the towel aside, moved a set of tea sets next to it, and slowly started to make tea.

The young scholar was very skilled in brewing tea; his movements were meticulous and yet smooth, like the rolling and unrolling clouds in the clear sky.

There is the elegant and graceful shadow of a woman in Confucian clothes making tea.

Zhou Dufu had been staring at his expression the whole time. He looked at the young scholar who was concentrating on the teacup in his hand and said:

"I'm leaving soon. I came to say goodbye to you, sir."

As soon as Zhou Dufu finished speaking, a cup of hot tea was handed to him.

It was the silent Zhao Rong.

He also handed Li Bai a cup.

The old warrior took the teacup, raised his head and drank it gulply, as if he was drinking tea instead of wine.

Zhou Dufu returned the wine glass, exhaled, and said, "The late emperor gathered the Dali Iron Cavalry, established the Western Army, and sent me to garrison the three western counties. He wanted to destroy the Great Xiao Dynasty in the west."

The old warrior turned around and looked outside the tent.

"If Dali wants to march south with its cavalry, if we want to take over most of Lidu as our inner river... we must first overthrow Daxiao, the most powerful old dynasty in the surrounding area. But..."

Zhou Dufu turned around, bowed his head slightly, and patted the dust off his clothes. "Li Mingyi invited the envoys of Daxiao to come to Jiyue Mountain to meet Dugu clan... in order to form a friendly alliance."

After he finished speaking, the tent was silent for a moment.

A young Confucian scholar reached out and handed another cup of hot tea to the old warrior who was about to be criticized by both insiders and outsiders.

The latter took it and continued to drink it.

Zhou Dufu put down his teacup and smiled at the silent Zhao Rong:

"Young Master, your Fengshan ceremony is ready. Later in the morning, I will stand further away and take a look at the top of the mountain. After your Fengshan ceremony is finished, I will immediately return to Xijun. I'm sorry I can't see you off."

Zhao Rong poured himself a cup of tea, drank it, and nodded.

Zhou Dufu looked at the calm expression of the young scholar for a moment, and after a few breaths, he couldn't help but say cryptically: "Congratulations, young master, your cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds, and you will be able to enter the rank soon."

Zhao Rong, who had been listening silently, suddenly picked up the long-spouted teapot, filled a teacup to seven-tenths, lightly touched the cup with two fingers, and pushed it straight in front of Zhou Dufu.

The next moment, the young scholar suddenly stood up and left the tent.

The yawning man holding the sword also took a sip of tea, put down the cup, stood up, and followed the former.

Only the old warrior with a slightly stunned look was left in the tent.

With a cup of steaming morning tea, I don't know how to be polite.

Zhou Dufu sat alone.

After a moment, he picked up the steaming cup of tea and drank it all for the third time.

He got up and left.

…

On the way to the tents of Gu Yiwu and other students.

Zhao Rong rubbed his hands. The late autumn morning was slightly chilly. He blew a breath of warm air into his palms, turned his head and looked in the direction of the central tent.

A few days ago, on the way to Jiyue Mountain, when Zhao Rong took Xiao Qian'er to meet Dugu in the imperial carriage, the group of people with different clothes they met at the door should be the envoys from their former enemy Da Xiao.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend..."

The young scholar rubbed his face and muttered something.

"Hey, Zhao boy."

At this time, Li Bai, who was following quietly behind him, thought about it thoughtfully and then shouted.

Zhao Rong looked back.

"What do you think of my uncle's clothes?"

Li Bai touched his chin, held the collar of his shirt with his hand, and looked down at the clothes.

Zhao Rong looked at it and couldn't help laughing.

Why are you wearing this green dress again?

Just now in the tent, there was no light, so he couldn't see clearly.

Now, with the dim light from the sky and the surrounding torches, I could see clearly.

The man holding the sword was holding a sword wrapped in white cloth, wearing a bright green sword suit. Following the principle of purity that a peerless master should follow, he had green hair oil.

Even the headscarf that tied her hair was bright green, without a single color.

"Hehe, it's pretty good. Why did Uncle Xiaobai want to wear this today?"

Li Bai felt something was wrong and looked left and right:

"It's Xiao Qian'er. I asked her last night what I should wear since today's occasion is formal. It would make me look more solemn and eye-catching, and at the same time, solemn yet a little romantic, highlighting the unique style of a master."

At this point, he sighed and waved his hands, "In the end, she prepared this outfit for me. I bought it in Xingzi Town last time. She said it was a popular color... By the way, is it really suitable for me to wear today?"

"Ahem." Zhao Rong told himself not to laugh and to be serious.

He coughed, and with a stern face, he looked up and down at the man in green holding a sword, and stood on the same front with a little girl who was proud of her fashion sense, "It's suitable, how can it not be suitable?"

After not being able to help looking again, Zhao Rong quickly looked away, coughed and asked seriously, "After the ceremony, Uncle Xiaobai, are you going to other formal occasions?"

Li Bai looked away from the green clothes with a half-doubted look, thought for a moment, and nodded, "That's about right. I'm going to meet a woman who has power, influence, connections, land, and money, the kind with a big family and a lot of wealth."

Zhao Rong smiled when he heard this, Wow, where is the stack of Bafu?

The man holding the sword scratched his head, sighed, and added: "She is also very strong and arrogant to men. The women in her family all have this problem, no matter if they are big or small, and she, the leader, is even worse. It's really not easy to arrange a meeting..."

The man muttered to himself and shook his head.

Zhao Rong asked curiously, "Oh? Uncle Xiaobai is going to discuss business matters?"

Li Bai held the sword, nodded and smiled brightly, "Yes, I am here to discuss business cooperation on behalf of Qinglianju. I don't want to bring down our family's prestige. The last time we met, I was intimidated by this old woman. This time, I have to intimidate her back!"

"So it's to keep the place under control. We really need to pay attention to this."

Zhao Rong touched his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded affirmatively:

"Then this one is right. Qian'er has good taste. Uncle Xiaobai, just imagine that you are standing alone in the cold wind of this bleak autumn, wearing a flowing green dress, holding your sword and looking up, with your green sleeves fluttering. You are immediately the most beautiful color of this autumn, a scenery that is hard to look away from, full of liveliness and vigor..."

"Who dares to ignore it? This green is so eye-catching and dazzling. As long as you have good eyesight, the outsider will be shocked at the first glance. No matter how proud and arrogant a woman is, she can't help but take a second look at you... If you are not the protagonist of the whole scene, what are you?"

Zhao Rong said in a serious tone, "He is undoubtedly a master."

Li Bai: “…”

He tightened the sword in his arms and said doubtfully: "Why do I feel that what you and Xiao Qian'er said is a bit similar..."

"How is it similar?"

Li Bai thought about it seriously and nodded, "Your tone is a bit improper... You didn't lie to me, did you? I trust you so much."

The man holding the sword was a little melancholy. He sighed, "Especially Xiao Qian'er. He loves her so much."

"How could that be? I'm telling the truth."

Zhao Rong interrupted the next sentence strangely without blinking.

He tacitly took over from Xiao Qian'er on certain matters, and sincerely advised Li Bai.

In the end, it seemed as if they wanted to snatch the green clothes from the man holding the sword and put them on.

Li Bai frowned, and after hearing the last part, he questioned, "Wait, that's not right, why aren't you wearing green today?"

If I were to dress like this, Xiao Qian'er and Qing Dai would probably laugh to death...

Zhao Rong complained in his heart, frowned slightly, shook his head and sighed, "I want to, but according to the rules, I have to wear the sacrificial dress. I can't amaze the audience with Uncle Xiaobai. It's a pity."

Li Bai looked at his expression, nodded slowly, and rubbed his chin in deep thought...

After a moment, the green-skinned man holding the sword perked up, rubbed his hands, and waved his hand:

"It's okay. Just pretend that your uncle is helping you put it on today. Humph, go and get your revenge first. Don't be discouraged. We can wear it together if we have the chance in the future!"

"Well, it's a deal!"

The two men, one big and one small, reached a high degree of consensus and left with satisfaction.

…

Zhao Rong took Li Bai to find Gu Yiwu first, and then went to meet other students.

Inside the big tent, Zhao Rong didn't waste any words and directly repeated his new arrangements to them.

After hearing this, the students...

"What, Tzuyu, you want to change the solemn ceremony of reporting merits to heaven and earth! The Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth, both of them have to be changed?!"

Gu Yiwu exclaimed in surprise, his tone sounding a little incredulous.

All the students looked at each other in bewilderment.

The main thing people thought was... he was crazy.

Zhao Rong nodded calmly.

Gu Yiwu widened his eyes and looked at the gradually brightening sky.

"No, it's almost time to start. Why change it at the last minute? I think it was working fine before..."

"But it's not good enough." Zhao Rong interrupted, "So we have to start changing it right now. Time is tight and there is no time to talk more! Follow me."

The young Confucian scholar acted immediately upon his words and took the lead in leaving the tent with great vigor and determination.

Gu Yiwu opened his mouth and swallowed his words when seeing this, and followed everyone out.

The young Confucian scholar took the lead, and everyone followed, walking quickly towards the Ditan Temple in Dongshan.

Along the way, they met some Dali officials and female officials from the Music Bureau who were greeting each other. Zhao Rong, who was walking in front, ignored them and stared straight ahead.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

The young scholar is behind.

Gu Yiwu looked at his equally puzzled classmates.

He frowned and tried to ask, "Tzuyu, are we making a big fuss? The grand ceremony is about to begin, and changing orders every day will easily lead to mistakes."

Zhao Rong shook his head vigorously. "No, on the contrary, we were too lazy and careless before, and almost ended up like what that leisurely Mr. Meng had expected. We failed at the last moment and returned in a hurry..."

Gu Yiwu was stunned, clenched his fist and said: "Ziyu. You mean..."

Zhao Rong nodded and said nothing more. After all, he was the head teacher of the academy.

The young Confucian scholar suddenly stopped, turned around, and glanced at all the students one by one. They trusted him and accompanied him here.

"Gentlemen, I was negligent this time. This time, I want to hold a perfect Fengshan ceremony! Please help me!"

Everyone stared at the young scholar, whose expression had never been so serious.

Some students who had just woken up and were feeling sleepy also became alert and stared at him intently...

Gu Yiwu pursed his lips and said, "Zi Yu, I'm not saying this to discourage you on purpose. I've always felt that no matter how we change things, the results should be the same... Could it really cause a strange phenomenon in the world?"

They were students who had just started to learn the art of ritual. Even if Meng Xuezheng came to do it himself, he probably couldn't guarantee that he could cause a strange phenomenon in heaven and earth...

The burly scholar said in a joking tone, but the young scholar did not laugh along.

Zhao Rong looked at Gu Yiwu intently, his hands hanging naturally, and he no longer touched the things in his sleeves.

He had nothing in his hands, but he stood still, facing the frustrated students.

"I can't guarantee that."

He shook his head.

"I can only promise that I will do my best. This is the promise I made to you before I came down the mountain to Dali. Maybe you have forgotten it and just thought it was just my momentary enthusiasm."

Gu Yiwu and others were silent:

Zhao Rong's eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one.

Then, he lowered his head and rolled up his sleeves. His expression could not be seen, but a soft voice was heard:

"But I have not forgotten, I always remember, and my passion is still there, even if I drink ice, it won't make me feel cold."

Gu Yiwu and some other students couldn't help but look moved.

The tall and slender man lowered his head and continued to speak calmly:

"I've been through a lot these days since I came down the mountain, but no matter how many things happened, I never forgot the reason why I decided to come down the mountain in the first place..."

He suddenly raised his head, "I will slap her face hard, and use the most magnificent gift with you to crush this petty gift of Mr. Li Yi, a gift full of arrogance and prejudice!"

The words heard around him were not sonorous and powerful, but every word was clear and unwavering.

The gaze directed at the students remained unchanged.

Some people were stunned.

Some people avoided looking.

Some people lowered their heads with a look of shame.

At the end, when Zhao Rong suddenly turned around and walked silently towards the distant Ditan Park...

The sound of footsteps.

Two footsteps.

Three footsteps...

Footsteps were heard one after another, and their direction was surprisingly consistent.

This time, no one hesitated or fell behind.

All the students followed the young scholar's back in silence and headed forward!