Even though there are a constant stream of young talents, the gate to the West Mountain is kept tightly closed.
The second brother who came to deliver something was very impressed by the master's attitude of "Ning Que Wu Wang".
Bai Baishan now has no cultivation at all and is equivalent to a useless person. He has finally learned to eat with his feet skillfully, but he is still far from the level of a craftsman who can make exquisite toys with his feet.
If the master had found a new disciple with excellent qualifications at this time, wouldn't he be tired of the old and love the new, and forget about this disciple in the cold palace?
However, regarding the issue of whether to accept new disciples, Su Yishui actually asked his young disciple what he thought.
Ran Ran was applying medicine to the little tiger, and was a little surprised when he heard what his master said: "Master, the matter of recruiting disciples is naturally up to you, but if we recruit more people, I'm afraid that the house on the mountain will need to be renovated, which is a bit troublesome. I wonder if Second Uncle is willing to spend money to repair it."
After hearing her words, Su Yishui nodded and told his uncle master to go down the mountain to catch the man.
Ranran felt that her master was not the kind of person who could not make up his mind and needed to listen to other people's opinions.
However, when it came to handling trivial matters such as the house on the mountain, or the storage of goods and books in the warehouse, the master would always bypass the two uncles and ask her opinion alone, as if she was the former owner of Lingxi Palace and he had to get her approval for everything.
But the master had too many quirks, and Ranran had become accustomed to them.
After the last disguised cold war, she and her master had finally managed to restore the peaceful relationship of a loving master and filial disciple.
The two of them had a tacit understanding and never mentioned the two times they hugged and kissed each other.
After all, there is still the danger of the spiritual spring leaking, and it is urgent to solve this problem.
Except for the time of practicing and meditating, Su Yishui took Ranran to immerse himself in the ancient books piled up like a mountain in the study.
The gate to the underworld is elusive, and the path to the underworld is actually on the key pattern.
But Wei Yan had already used it once, so the pattern maps were already expired. If he waited for the key to generate new patterns, it would take at least several years.
But the rune bottle on Su Yishui's neck probably won't last that long, so they have to find another way. Instead of just waiting for the key to show a new map, the master and disciple tried to find some clues in the ancient books.
Mu Qingge must have loved reading in his previous life, and he collected many ancient books from somewhere. Ran Ran was now very good at light body skills, so he didn't need a wooden ladder, and could jump up and down to get the books, which was quite convenient.
But while she was busy sweeping away dust and flipping through ancient books, her master was half-lying casually on the mat, supporting his head with one hand, reading the "Wan Jing" compiled by Mu Qingge with great interest.
As an apprentice, Ran Ran could not reprimand his master for being lazy, so he could only study harder, fearing that he would miss any clues.
But after watching for a long time, she felt dizzy and tired. Even though she was full of energy now and not as sick as before, she still needed to take a breath.
As a result, when she looked up to relax, she happened to see the afternoon sun outside the window pouring on Su Yishui's face. At this time, the flowers outside the window were blooming beautifully. She looked at her master's handsome face and couldn't help but start to daydream: After what happened at Tianmai Mountain, Ranran thought that even if her master had some connection and feelings with Mu Qingge, it would have been destroyed.
Who would have thought that Su Yishui could read Mu Qingge's old works endlessly without any disgust.
Does this count as a lingering relationship, a mixture of love and hate?
If Master couldn't let go of Master Mu, how could he kiss her without any burden? Even if, as Master said, it was because of the leak of spiritual energy that he couldn't control his emotions, he still kissed her twice in a row!
Could it be that, as Second Uncle Master said, a man's love can't stand the test of time? The vows of love once made were hard to give up, but in the end they were just flowers in the clouds, the moon in the mist, and finally blurred into a mass that could not be described in memory...
When Su Yishui slowly raised his head to look at the little girl, Ranran's big eyes looked at him quietly, and it seemed that she was looking past him and looking at the mountains, rivers and seas in the distance...
The little Vermilion Bird was pecking at peanuts by the window of the study. After eating a few, it playfully picked up the peanut skin and threw it at Ranran's face.
Ran Ran suddenly regained her composure, but she realized that she had accidentally made eye contact with her master for a long time. Her face suddenly turned red, and she hurriedly explained, "Master, I didn't mean to stare at you..."
Su Yishui slowly raised the book in front of him, blocking his little apprentice's line of sight, and didn't want to listen to her pale explanation at all.
However, his slow words came out from behind the book: "This book records the delicious pan-fried dumplings from Shengji in Jingcheng. Do you want to try the taste of these pan-fried dumplings?"
Speaking of food, Ranran's Ren and Du meridians were instantly opened. She looked at her master with surprise and said, "Master, you are going to the capital? Then you can take a look at page 72 of "The Book of Playing". The duck oil cake in the century-old duck oil cake shop in the west of the city is also worth a try. I just wonder if the food and drink that has been remembered for twenty years will change its taste..."
Su Yishui stood up and tapped her forehead with the book, saying, "Didn't you correct the errors in this toy book? I can take you to eat all over. If there are any mistakes, you can revise them."
Ah! After Su Yishui said this, Ranran's face immediately turned red and white. She remembered that she was naughty and had made up for it in the "Ferocious Beast" chapter of "Playing Sutra".
I originally thought that Master would never read such a nonsense book, but I didn't expect that Master actually read it all today!
However, the reason why Su Yishui proposed to go to the capital was not because of his greed, but because all the ancient books in the library were in sets. However, there was only one set of "Brahma Teachings" which was divided into two volumes. The upper volume was still there, but the lower volume was nowhere to be found.
This Brahma Sect is the one that Jiu Laoxian once mentioned, a demon sect founded by people who were bewitched by the Spiritual Spring and turned into demons. In the records about them, there must be records of the underworld, but unfortunately the crucial second volume is missing.
However, Mu Qingge was afraid that he would forget, so he wrote a line of words on the title page of the first volume - Borrowing books from Xiaoyu, along with a pot of peach blossom jade bone wine, to be returned next month.
As Ranran watched her master instructing her to read this line of words, she was confused for a moment as to who this "small domain" was.
At this time, Su Yishui said expressionlessly: "She should have lent the book to Su Yu, so we have to go to the capital to ask for the book to be returned to the warehouse."
Ran Ran blinked and asked tentatively, "Master? Are you going to sneak into the palace to ask the emperor for something?"
Su Yishui stood up and patiently corrected him, "It's us. You forgot, I told you not to leave me even a step."
…
Cultivation and the secular world were originally two distinct realms, and they practiced non-interference. However, if someone borrowed something, even if he was the emperor, he should return it in its original state.
Ranran felt that what her master said made sense, and being able to go to a prosperous place like the capital was still very tempting for someone like her who was still young and whose will to cultivate immortality was not yet strong.
Qiu Xier and Gao Cang were also very excited. They were used to following their master to remote areas to exorcise demons, and this time they could finally go to the most prosperous place in the world and experience the hustle and bustle of the colorful night markets.
However, when they finally arrived outside the capital and were forced to sleep in a small woods outside the capital, the three apprentices' dreams were slightly shattered.
Qiu Xier still wanted to ask: "Master, shall we stay here tonight? We can enter the city gate if we walk a little further. Besides, there should be cheap hotels in the city. It won't cost much..."
Second Uncle spread a straw mat on the ground under the tree. Su Yishui sat cross-legged and said, "You guys, find a soft branch to sleep on. If you fall off, you will be punished to write the Qingshen Art 100 times."
In recent days, Gao Cang and Qiu Xier's light body skills have also improved rapidly, but it is still quite difficult to sleep on thin and soft branches for the whole night.
However, they did not dare to object to the master's order. Ranran took the lead and jumped up first. She chose a pine tree. Although it had lush branches and leaves, all the leaves were sharp needles. If they wanted to sleep on it, it would be like sleeping on a needle board, which was more difficult than the master's requirement.
Seeing that Ran Ran took the initiative to add more homework for them, Qiu Xier and Gao Cang found it even more difficult to bargain with the master.
So they each chose a poplar tree with relatively sturdy branches and leaves and jumped onto it. However, the master instructed that they must sleep on the thin branches, so they had to sleep on the treetops.
But at night, the two found that they had made a wrong decision. The branches of the poplar tree were indeed stronger, but the tree was also tall. When they accidentally fell down, they screamed miserably.
At Qiu Xier's another scream, Ran Ran suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of the capital.
There were dark clouds all over the sky above the capital, with lightning and thunder, and it seemed that a rainstorm was about to come.
When she turned her head to look under the tree, she found that her master was not asleep either, and was staring at her intently. She didn't know how long he had been staring at her just now...
When he noticed Ranran turned to look at him, he turned his cold gaze towards the direction of the capital.
Thinking about how long her master had been looking at her, Ran Ran felt her ears slightly hot. In order to ease the awkward atmosphere, she cleared her throat and asked in a low voice: "Master, why is it raining so strangely? It's raining only in the city, while there is a bright moon and starry sky outside the city?"
Su Yishui didn't say anything, but looked towards the capital with a deep gaze, and then said to Ran Ran: "You should be punished for not concentrating on sleeping. You will write the Qingshen Jue 200 times tomorrow!"
“…”
Ran Ran had no choice but to close her eyes and concentrate on sleeping. But after a while, the mischievous girl suddenly opened her eyes again and looked straight at her master.
As expected, the master was still looking at her!
This time, Su Yishui was caught red-handed and it was too late for him to dodge the gazes!
Two people were in a pine forest on a moonlit night, one on top of a tree and the other under a tree, staring at each other in silence.
In the end, it was Ranran who hid first. She turned around hastily on the treetop, trying to avoid the master's somewhat fiery gaze.
As a result, there was a thud, and Ranran also fell down from the tree with a "ouch!"
The next day, after getting up, while washing up by the river, Qiu Xier was still very relieved. She fell down three times last night, the senior brother fell down four times, and Ran Ran, such an outstanding person, also fell down once.
Her cultivation level is not as good as the best, but better than the worst.
At this time, the master took out the six small compasses that the second senior brother had sent last time. This was obviously the workmanship of Uncle Zeng Yi. Each of them had one. Because they were strung with chains, they looked like a large pendant necklace when hung around the neck.
Ran Ran found that this one was very similar to the one Qin Xuanjiu had held in Wangxiang Pass, except that this one was much smaller and more delicate in style.
Su Yishui told them that this could predict good or bad luck. If the compass was moving in a disorderly manner, it meant that a monster was approaching and they had to be extra careful.
Qiu Xier was puzzled: "We are not going to a poor mountain or bad water place, but a prosperous place in the capital. Do we really need to use this?"
Su Yishui did not answer, but walked towards the capital. Several disciples followed him, but when they looked down at the compass hanging around their necks, they suddenly felt a little uneasy...
Su Yishui still had some humanity left as a teacher. After getting up early in the morning and entering the city, he invited his three apprentices who had not slept well the previous night to eat fried dumplings at Shengji.
Ran Ran discovered that Master Mu was very reliable when it came to food and drink. The pan-fried dumplings from the 30-year-old stall were so delicious that one would want to swallow their lips.
However, she found that the master did not eat it, but just quietly picked up the buns for her and prepared the dipping sauce for her.
The vinegar was the vinegar that Su Yishui had just bought from the small pot next door at Baiwei Zhaigu, and he only added half a spoonful of it, and three drops of chili oil. The blending was precise, completely in accordance with the "Wan Jing", and it was like preparing poison.
The stall owner was nearly fifty years old, and he looked a few more times at the customer who brought his own pot of vinegar to dip his buns in.
When they finished eating and were settling the bill, the boss said cheerfully, "In the past, there were also guests who brought Baiweizhai vinegar to eat buns. Let me think... It seemed like more than 20 years ago, there was a young lady who was as beautiful as a painting. Wow. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also very generous. During the meal, the reward she gave was a piece of gold leaf! It was pure gold! I have to say, young lady, you are also very beautiful, and you are such a good eater. You are like that young lady, both of you are like gods!"
After saying this, the boss looked eagerly at Xue Ranran who was checking out the bill, hoping that she would also give him some bonus money.
After all, Baiweizhai's vinegar is not cheap. It is specially provided to the nobles in the capital, and one jar costs five taels of silver.
She is so particular about food and drink, maybe she is a young lady from some rich family, she must be rewarded.
As a result, Ran Ran stretched out his empty paws and said apologetically, "Eight plates of steamed buns, six bowls of duck blood soup, I just gave you half an ounce of silver, you still have to give me five cents."
The boss's face fell slightly, and he gave the change with an awkward smile.
It's not that Ran Ran doesn't want to be more generous, but the rules of Xishan Lingxi Palace are simple and harsh. Extravagant behavior like the boss said, such as rewarding a piece of gold leaf for a meal of buns, is worthy of being expelled from the sect.
Ranran knew who the boss was talking about, probably Mu Qingge himself.
Thinking about Mu Qingge's own vicious plot, Ranran sometimes really felt that Mu Qingge in the previous life and the current Mu Xianshi were completely two different people.
How come the mind of this wonderful woman who was like a fairy in the past has become so terrible now?
However, considering that Mu Qingge was very close to the current emperor Su Yu, and she had the support of the young prince Su, she naturally had plenty of money to spend.
All of their current expenses at Xishan are from the hard-earned money of their master from seeing patients, so naturally they have to be as thrifty and careful with their spending as their Second Uncle-Master!
Just after coming out of the steamed bun shop, Qiu Xier took the eldest senior brother to buy candy figures, while the second and eldest uncles were ordered by the master to go to some alley to prepare a place for them to stay in the capital.
Ran Ran followed Su Yishui and was about to go for a stroll when the sky became overcast again. The master and disciple were trapped under the long eaves of the street alley.
Watching the raindrops splashing on the road and pedestrians hurriedly taking shelter from the rain, Ran Ran looked up at the sky with some curiosity: "The capital city is really a dragon land, why is there so much rain?"
After saying that, she turned to look at her master who was staring at her intently... just like he did last night...
Perhaps because he was afraid that the rain would splash onto his young disciple, Su Yishui stood slightly sideways, just enough to half-circle Ran Ran in front of him to shield her from the rain. However, his clothes got wet and stuck to his shoulders, outlining the charming and strong curve of his back.
If Ranran raised her head slightly, she could touch her master's chin.
She carefully looked at her master's neck. The talisman bottle was placed in her master's collar and there was no change in color. Now the negative energy of the spiritual spring leaked out from time to time, affecting her master's mood.
If the master loses control, he might kiss her again...
Thinking of the passionate kiss with this tall man, Ranran's little earlobe couldn't help but turn a little red.
But when she raised her head again, she found that Su Yishui was not looking at her, but turned his head to look at the raindrops falling under the eaves. This avoidance was somewhat deliberate, as if he was afraid that she would misunderstand something, so he did this on purpose...
At this time, groups of three or four people ran to the eaves to take shelter from the rain, which finally diluted the ambiguity of the two people being alone.
But because there were too many people, Ranran was squeezed into the master's arms. Su Yishui hugged her with one hand to prevent her from being squeezed with others.
During this boring time of waiting for the rain to stop, people taking shelter naturally complained: "I don't know what's wrong with the weather lately. It rains almost every day. When I go out in the morning, I don't even have a pair of dry socks!"
"That's right! I really want to go to the Dragon King Temple to worship. Can the rain be moved to another place? It's been raining heavily in the capital for hundreds of miles. It's really weird!"
Talking about the sudden heavy rain, several people who were taking shelter from the rain started talking and complaining non-stop.
Fortunately, the rain came quickly and went away quickly. After a stick of incense, the rain finally stopped.
But the sky was still gloomy after the rain, as if the rain had not penetrated all the way.
When the rain stopped, the Suyi River slowly reached the inner river of the capital. The water in the river was already full. It was said that because of the unprecedented heavy rain, the people from the Water Conservancy Department had already started digging canals to divert the overflowing water.
But I heard that a few days ago, a murder occurred on the construction site, and three people died, so the construction was only half completed and was suspended again.
Ranran saw that the master was staring at the river intently, so she walked over to see what attracted the master.
But just as she got closer to the water surface, she suddenly saw a flash in front of her eyes. There seemed to be the scales of some fish swimming at the bottom of the water, so bright that it was dazzling.
When she looked again, the river was dark and she couldn't see anything clearly. At this moment, Ran Ran looked down at the compass on her neck and suddenly found that the gears on it were spinning wildly.
Ran Ran was startled and subconsciously grabbed her master's hand and quickly pulled him away from the river.
The experience at Wangxiang Pass taught her that there was something strange about the river water, and it was better to stay away from it until she could figure out what was going on.
"Master, the compass on my neck just moved violently."
Su Yishui nodded and said to her, "Go back and tell Gao Cang and Xi'er not to approach the city river at will." After that, he said, "Let's go and see if Yutong and the others have found a place to stay."
After saying this, Su Yishui seemed not to want to explore the bottom of the river, and walked away from the inner river.
Ranran looked back at the calm river surface and could only take a few steps to catch up.
When Ranran joined Qiu Xier and the others and followed their master to a secluded mansion in the west lane of the capital, they opened the ordinary door and saw that the huge courtyard had houses and corridors with carved beams and painted walls, which looked luxurious and grand.
This doesn't look like a house that the stingy Second Uncle-Master would rent.
When the three disciples who had never seen the world heard Su Yishui say calmly that this was actually his secular business and not a rental, they were shocked again.
Apart from the fact that this mansion in the capital city is extremely expensive, the furniture in the hall, the famous paintings on the wall, and the antiques on display all look to be of great value.
It is hard to imagine that the master who always wears a half-worn gown is such a hidden rich man.
But if you think about it carefully, Su Yishui was once the son of Prince Ping, so it is normal for him to have a lot of money.
However, Prince Ping's rebellion failed and he was deprived of his title and property. Why was Su Yishui able to retain this property in the capital?
When Ran Ran carefully asked Su Yishui about this question, Su Yishui said calmly: "I am not in the clan's books, and this is not the property of the royal palace. It is my private property and has always been registered under Zeng Yi's name."
Before he became an immortal, he was a child adopted by his concubine. Although he later took the surname Su, he was not in the Su family tree. When he said that this was not the property of the royal palace, he obviously meant that this was not the family property given to him by the King of Pingxi.
Could it be that when he was practicing Taoism and becoming a disciple, he also earned a large fortune at the foot of the mountain, so that he was able to keep this private property safely after the defeat of King Pingxi?
Ran Ran suddenly thought that when Master Zeng was in trouble, he was supported by Master to open a hot spring spa. That spa was exclusively for dignitaries, and the decoration was expensive. It might not be enough for Master to treat three or two patients a year. It seemed that Master's family background was really rich. Even if he didn't become an immortal, he was still a rich man even if his father was killed.
However, there have been only three old servants maintaining this place for the past twenty years, so it is inevitable that there are some imperfections in the house. That's why Su Yishui asked Yu Tong and the others to come first and bring some people to clean up the house so it can be lived in.
Because the house was big enough, each apprentice was assigned a room. Ran Ran found that his house was just like the one in Xishan, both of them were near the water.
The master explained that her five elements were wood, and being near water was good for her health. In fact, the master was a little over-worried. She couldn't be thirsty even if she didn't have water, because that night, there were lightning and thunder, and heavy rain fell from the sky.