Chapter 1009 Old Master Sun: Are you teaching me how to do things?
As the water dungeon environment brightened, the taciturn young man by the passageway slowly awoke.
After opening his eyes, he looked around and got up from the ground.
First, he went down the stairs, returned to the outer room, and took a look.
There was no trace of Yun Xiangyi returning.
Ouyang Rong returned to the water dungeon.
In fact, he had been in a state of semi-consciousness the whole time. Except for the first time when he heard a clear wooden fish sound, which was the routine feedback from the nightly vegetarian meal delivery, which made him a little more awake, he had been in a daze ever since.
For some reason, he seemed to have a strange dream. In the dream, he seemed to have been caught by Lady Zhi Shuang. Lady Zhi Shuang seemed to have conspired with several other female rulers to set a trap, and Ouyang Rong himself was careless and ended up being caught off guard.
Lady Zhi Shuang showed no regard for their past relationship. Not only did she refuse to tell him where the embroiderer was, she also imprisoned him in this water dungeon.
His cell was conveniently located next to Old Master Sun's, seemingly in cell "B". In addition, he was also neighbors with the sickly young man in cell "C"... Although Ouyang Rong couldn't find cell "B" in reality, it appeared in his dream and imprisoned him.
However, Ouyang Rong couldn't figure out where the other "A"-class water dungeon was located. He couldn't find it in his dream. But the old Taoist priest next door, Sun, was always sarcastic in his ear, making him the perfect bickering partner.
Then, it seemed that Wu Cui was the one who delivered the meals every day. Yun Xiangyi stayed in the outer room, never leaving his side. During this time, Chen Jiaxin would often come in and scold him, cutting ties with him. She really turned her back on him. Ouyang Rong just looked at her expressionlessly.
Moreover, in his dreams, female rulers such as Xue Zhongzhu and Yu Nianyuan would visit him from time to time and subject him to extreme punishment.
It wasn't just that she wanted him to reveal the secret of the Dingjian sword; it seemed she also wanted to vent her anger. Of course, it was because Lady Zhishuang hated him the most, otherwise she would have torn him to pieces.
Ouyang Rong, of course, had no confession. He even declared to Lady Zhishuang that even if she were beaten to death, he, Ouyang Lianghan, would not confess... Lady Zhishuang was naturally furious and immediately cut off his vegetarian meal.
However, in the dream, he seemed to have mastered all three stages of the [Emperor Wen]'s supernatural powers, constantly using the golden light of the Bodhi Golden Body to become immune to these physical damages. Lady Zhi Shuang and the other female rulers were helpless against him, unable to execute him, and could only declare that they would imprison him until he died...
This dream was exceptionally strange and real. At least, Ouyang Rong thought it was real while he was dreaming. If you asked him if he was panicked, he was a little panicked. However, as Miao Si's top follower, he had inherited the female immortal's iron will and was the most stubborn person in the whole body...
As for where Miaosi went in the dream, Ouyang Rong couldn't remember. Anyway, she wasn't imprisoned with him in the water dungeon. It seemed he had released her and she was now adventuring in the Yunmeng Marsh... As expected of the female immortal, she was always the fastest to run in the dream. She only shared the good times, not the bad. She could only be taken along when he was eating and drinking well, but not when he was in prison...
A dream that was both absurd and incredibly real left Ouyang Rong somewhat dazed upon waking, mainly because it was so real that he became somewhat immersed in it.
However, as the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Ouyang Rong recalled the people and events he had recently experienced. It just so happened that he had also fallen asleep in the water dungeon. Subconsciously, he was influenced by his surroundings, so it was normal for him to have this type of dream.
All the elements were present and connected in his subconscious, at least logically in the dream. Although now that he has woken up and looks back, some of the logic seems absurd and "dreamlike," except for the prediction about the female immortal, which was guaranteed to be accurate.
As for the female immortal staying behind to bravely venture into the world, is it possible that she's preserving her strength to find an opportunity to come in and rescue him...? He laughed. Just thinking about that possibility made Ouyang Rong uneasy... It's better not to come. There aren't enough cells. She doesn't deserve a cell. In the end, she'll still have to squeeze in with him. The vegetarian meals Wu Cui sent in her dream weren't even enough for her to show off. Ouyang Rong didn't want another cellmate who only ate dry food.
While internally complaining, Ouyang Rong returned to the passageway where the water prison was located and looked around.
Inside the water dungeon, it had become completely "daytime." The black water curtains on the dungeon doors had become transparent and clear, allowing one to see clearly what was happening inside.
Just like every night before, food boxes were pushed to the front of the water curtain door, waiting to be collected... except that tonight, the person who was supposed to collect the food boxes was noticeably late.
Ouyang Rong walked along the passageway, from the Gui-character room to the Bing-character room, collecting the food boxes at the entrance of the Water Curtain Prison.
The prisoners in front of him were the same as the ones he had seen yesterday, some standing, some sitting, some lying down. Those who ignored him continued to ignore him, except for that beautiful woman with captivating eyes who kept looking at him with a half-smile.
Besides, there was also the bald peasant. As Ouyang Rong bent down to collect the food box from the entrance of his "Ji"-character water prison, the bald peasant walked up to the water curtain door, looked him up and down with a very aggressive gaze, and said with a somewhat joking expression:
"Hey kid, who sent you in to deliver food? And you're all alone. Do you even know where you are?"
Ouyang Rong ignored him and walked towards the water dungeon next door, numbered E.
Inside the cell, the chubby old monk sat facing the water curtain door, dozing off with his head down, seemingly snoring. Because he was far from the water curtain cell door, Ouyang Rong could not hear the sound, but could only see the general breathing movements.
However, this also confirms Ouyang Rong's previous judgment: the water curtain prison has a soundproofing effect, and people need to get close to speak for those inside and outside to hear each other.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong noticed that the fat old monk with a big head and big ears seemed very alert. As soon as he appeared at the entrance of the water curtain, the old monk slowly woke up from his sleep, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and looked at him with dazed eyes. Even at this moment, the fat old monk did not forget to raise his hand to rub his right big earlobe.
Ouyang Rong glanced at it, then lowered his eyes, took the food box, and quickly left for the next cell, which was also the most important cell in his heart at this moment.
The D-cell cell that requires special attention.
Arriving at the water curtain prison door of this room, Ouyang Rong looked inside.
Old Master Sun was still sitting in his usual spot, with his back against the wall in the southeast corner, his arms tightly wrapped in his fur coat, his eyes seemingly staring blankly at the ground.
They didn't look at the water curtain prison gate.
Or rather, they saw it, but didn't care about or pay attention to the visitor.
Ouyang Rong observed for a moment, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the food box at his feet. It had been pushed out halfway, with one half outside the door and the other half inside, waiting for the person delivering the food to take it.
Originally, Ouyang Rong planned to strike up a conversation with Old Daoist Sun today when he approached the Water Curtain Prison door and brought out the food box, but the situation changed and he had to pretend to be asleep, which caused him to miss the opportunity. He had to find another way.
Standing before the water curtain door, Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, pondering.
He bent down, pressed down on the food box, and pushed it forward, secretly applying pressure with his palm.
The food box was pushed towards the water curtain door, but very slowly. It took a long time to push the food box completely in because all the force was applied to the floor.
"laugh--!"
A sudden, slightly jarring sound of a food box scraping against the floor rang out, especially in the confined cell.
The old Taoist priest in a crane-feather cloak, sitting in a corner of the cell, raised his head and looked at the deliberately dull young man in front of the Water Curtain Prison gate.
The latter saw the old Taoist's mouth move slightly, as if he were cursing.
Ouyang Rong ignored him and continued, and for a time, the sound of the food box scraping against the floor was incessant. He moved slowly, and the food box was never pushed in.
"Sizzle—sizzle—!"
It seemed that they also realized that their voices might not be heard.
Old Master Sun stood up, his face grim, and strode to the water curtain gate, staring at Ouyang Rong as he said:
"You brat, you're asking for it, aren't you?"
Hearing the curse, Ouyang Rong smiled inwardly, but maintained a blank expression and asked in a businesslike manner:
"There's vegetarian food inside, do you still want to eat?"
Old Master Sun seemed to know what he was talking about, and he stepped on the food box on the ground, cursing:
"Are you blind, kid? Didn't you see that I pushed it out?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"It's best not to waste food."
"This can hardly be called food. It's bland and tasteless. My mouth is so dry it's practically boiling over. It's only because that little girl outside likes to eat this stuff that I don't like it at all."
Old Master Sun muttered a complaint and waved his hand impatiently:
"Go away, you newbie, you have no sense of propriety. If you keep nagging, I'll poison you."
The young woman the old Taoist priest was talking about—you don't even need to guess who she is.
Ouyang Rong, however, adopted a serious expression and corrected him:
"This vegetarian meal is made with the finest rice and is very nourishing."
Old Master Sun laughed, pointed at him, and sneered:
"Where did this country bumpkin come from? Has he never eaten anything good before? You treat this little bit of stuff like it's a treasure? Do you think everyone is like that sickly guy next door, enjoying even this bland soup?"
Ouyang Rong saw Sun Laodao nod his chin towards the cell next to him, and the sickly young man he was referring to was probably the pale young man next door.
The old Taoist priest in the crane-feather cloak sized up Ouyang Rong, his face grim, and said:
"Let me tell you, you can't imagine how many good things I've eaten. Countless people have begged me for them... I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, do I need you to teach me?"
After staring at each other for a moment, Ouyang Rong looked away, gave a soft "oh," and, not caring, squatted down and took out the food box.
He opened the food box and saw that there was still a lot of vegetarian rice and pickled radishes left inside.
In fact, Ouyang Rong had long known that Master Sun always left a lot of food uneaten after eating vegetarian meals, which was an experience he had summarized... So he asked this question on purpose, otherwise how could he find a topic to talk about?
Opening and checking right now is just a waste of time, a way to think about what to say.
Old Master Sun looked at him for a while, seemingly preparing to turn and leave, when just then, a mocking voice came from the next cell:
“Amitabha Buddha, Old Sun, what this young benefactor said is not wrong. It’s best not to waste food. Here, it’s already very good to have anything to eat…”
This cell next door isn't the C-cell on the left, which houses the sickly young man; it's the E-cell, the water cell on the right.
It came from that chubby old monk in the prison.
Ouyang Rong and Sun Laodao both turned their heads to look.
The chubby old monk, who had appeared at some point, stood by the gate of the Water Curtain Prison, smiling as he looked at the old man and the child.
Old Master Sun seemed to know this neighbor very well; his face darkened, and he said unhappily:
"You bald monk, why are you being so nosy? Trying to tell this Taoist priest how to do things?"
The chubby old monk raised one palm, shook his head with a smile:
"How dare I? Amitabha! This old monk still wants to live a few more days. Please calm down, old Sun."
"Xiao Ru Niang!"
"..."
The two old men, who were cellmates, started arguing back and forth.
Ouyang Rong listened silently for a while and thought it was a good opportunity to stall for time.
At that moment, he suddenly spoke:
“Grandpa, you don’t look well. You seem to be weak and afraid of the cold. It’s damp and cold here. You should eat more hot porridge.”
Upon hearing this, both Master Sun and the chubby old monk turned their heads to the side.
The chubby old monk looked somewhat surprised, but also couldn't help but smile.
Old Master Sun squinted at Ouyang Rong, then chuckled and asked sarcastically:
"Are you trying to teach me how to cure illnesses?"
The chubby old monk looked at the dull young man with great interest, wondering whether he was honest or just incredibly bold.
Ouyang Rong seemed oblivious to the threat in his words and continued:
"This is just a suggestion; it's up to you what you need to do with your health."
Without waiting for Elder Sun to speak, Ouyang Rong shook his head and said somewhat stiffly:
“However, if you insist on doing this and can’t finish all that food, then I will bring you less of your vegetarian meal tomorrow, or I will share some of your portion with the cell next door.”
The cell next door that Ouyang Rong was referring to was, of course, the C-cell that Old Master Sun had just pointed to and complained about.
The chubby old monk hadn't expected him to reply like that, and his gaze towards Ouyang Rong couldn't help but show a hint of admiration...
Old Master Sun stared intently at Ouyang Rong outside the door, who was all serious and businesslike.
He seemed to be on the verge of exploding, especially with his fellow inmates watching from the sidelines, his anger level could easily spike.
After a short while, the sharp-tongued old Taoist priest glanced at the water curtain prison door that blocked the way, took a deep breath, and seemed to suppress his anger for the time being.
He waved his sleeve and said coldly:
"Do as you please, but you are not qualified to make decisions about my affairs. Call that little girl in white outside and let her come and talk to me."
When he heard him address Yun Xiangyi so bluntly again, Ouyang Rong pretended not to understand, and there was no way he could respond to that.
Yun Xiangyi isn't in the water dungeon right now, so where can Ouyang Rong find someone for her?
Furthermore, his current use of delivering vegetarian meals to talk with Sun Laodao and other prisoners without Yun Xiangyi's permission carries a risk; going to her would only invite trouble.
Ouyang Rong carried a food box with some leftover vegetarian food in his hand, his eyes glancing over the T-cell in front of him.
He turned his head and glanced at the C-cell area.
(End of this chapter)
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