Chapter 1012 What are these little cookies?
After hearing what Old Master Sun said, Ouyang Rong remained silent.
He couldn't very well just admit right now that he was actually one of the Confucian disciples that the man hated the most.
However, Ouyang Rong was still a little wary at this moment, reminding himself to keep his mouth shut and not to say too much, otherwise he would expose his identity, the kind of exposure that would be seen by knowledgeable people like Sun Laodao. It was possible that Wu Nujun Yun Xiangyi was no less perceptive than Sun Laodao.
At this moment, the old Taoist priest crossed his arms, pulled his fur coat tighter, and let out another cold laugh on his youthful face, which seemed to have been rejuvenated:
“Throughout history, many Confucian disciples have claimed to be disciples of sages and followed the so-called sage ideals, shamelessly claiming that they would save the world. Don’t you find that extremely ridiculous?”
"Little do they know that it is precisely because there are sages who want to save the world, and others who want to become sages, that the so-called world of rites and music that they speak of needs to be saved is in a state of collapse. It is because of this that there is a need to save this so-called world, and at the same time, this so-called world is absolutely impossible to save."
"The logic is very simple. If these sages hadn't jumped out to say that the world was collapsing, how could there have been such a catastrophe? It might sound a bit convoluted, or even illogical. You little people might think that the sages are right, and you might have been brainwashed by them, thinking that the world collapsed first, and then they came to save the world. No, no, no!"
"The world was perfectly fine at the beginning. It didn't matter whether it went down or up. Everything was in its most primitive and chaotic state. In this state, as long as you went 'up,' you would inevitably go 'down,' and as long as you went 'down,' you would inevitably go 'up' again. This is the way of heaven. There is no human way that has tainted it. So any worries or concerns about it are futile, or even unfounded. No one would even be aware of it."
"But, initially, no one knows who it was. Perhaps it was the first upright sage that many ignorant people spoke of. He pointed to the world that followed the way of Heaven and gave an explanation of upward and downward movement, which led to the intervention of human beings and the corruption of the so-called world. It's like someone unworthy of being a doctor or physician pointing at a healthy person and saying that they are sick, only increasing anxiety. In fact, if they are not sick, does that mean that healthy person will not die...?"
"Those disciples who claim to inherit the sage's legacy have further exacerbated this trend of collapse, but in reality, it's all unfounded. The world is clearly doing well, and going 'down' is also good, because it means that going 'up' is just around the corner... But I don't want to use this analogy of going up and down to explain things to you common folk, because such a statement itself falls into the same foolish realm as the sages and Confucian scholars."
Old Master Sun smiled insincerely and said:
"In short, the world and the way of heaven do not need your unnecessary concern in the slightest. If it were the barbaric era of the past, when people practiced slash-and-burn agriculture and lived in the jungle, when the people were not yet enlightened and only knew about cold, warmth, hunger and thirst, would there be such ridiculous worries? There is a very good word for it: 'the man of Qi who worries about the sky falling.'"
"The world is vast, why should you worry about it? Similarly, why should you be bothered by the life and death of others?"
He turned to Ouyang Rong and questioned him again:
"You brat, do you think you have the right to worry about that sickly guy next door? His life or death is a good thing. If you interfere and give him hope, you will only harm him and make yourself look hypocritical and disgusting."
In front of the Water Curtain Prison gate, Ouyang Rong watched the eloquent Old Daoist Sun.
He thought to himself, "Just as I always have. I can't stand people and I love to argue."
Ouyang Rong had actually anticipated from the beginning that Old Master Sun would be unable to resist "talking too much" and calling people stupid.
In fact, to be honest, the Taoist principles that Master Sun talked about were precisely what he himself had not practiced, because he "scolded" Ouyang Rong and others.
A true Taoist master who has attained true freedom will not even curse. It's like encountering a group of sages and scholars who are in a hurry to save the world at a crossroads; the Taoist master will simply ignore them and walk past them.
Saying one more word or uttering one more curse reveals a lack of confidence in one's own beliefs.
Ouyang Rong chuckled inwardly for a moment, but on the surface, he pretended to be confused, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt.
The dull-witted young man stared blankly at the old Taoist priest inside the door, who was giving a long speech.
As Old Master Sun spoke, he seemed to find it rather pointless, pursed his lips, and waved his hand to shoo him away:
"This is like casting pearls before swine. I, the Daoist, have been too attached to this. What's the point of talking to a fool like you? Go away, don't disturb my sleep..."
In the adjacent C-cell, the sickly young man lying by the door must have overheard the conversation between Old Master Sun and Ouyang Rong. However, his expression remained unchanged, seemingly unperturbed, as he stared blankly at the colorful lights on the stalactites above, lost in thought.
Feeling bored, Old Master Sun prepared to return to the depths of the water prison, no longer paying attention to this suicidal young man.
Just then, a commotion came from the nearby cell.
It's the cell with the character "己" (Ji) opposite the chubby old monk.
Because the eight cells were located on both sides of the passageway, facing each other in pairs.
The Class C water prison and the Class D water prison are opposite each other.
The water prison where the chubby old monk was located, designated as "E", was opposite the water prison designated as "Ji". This also meant that the water prison designated as "Ji" was very close to the other water prisons. Due to the angle, the situation on the other side of the water prisons designated as "Bing" and "Ding" could be clearly seen.
At this moment, inside cell number F, the bald peasant stood up from the ground, spat out the bamboo skewer in his mouth, and lazily walked to the water curtain door. He glanced at Ouyang Rong, who was making the noise, and then turned his head to the opposite diagonal cell number H, making an ugly gesture of scratching his crotch, and said with a wicked smile, "Is the beauty here? Let me see."
There was no response from cell number Xin; it seemed the beautiful woman inside wasn't near the water curtain door and couldn't hear the commotion outside.
The bald peasant chuckled, continued groping his crotch, and turned back to Ouyang Rong with a smile:
"Kid, you're so kind-hearted, it touches my heart. Come on, help me out, I've got a strange illness too, I need to touch the badge on your waist. Come on, throw that tattered badge on your waist in first..."
Some prisoners in their cells, noticing the commotion outside, watched the scene with cold eyes.
The chubby old monk hesitated for a moment, seemingly preparing to offer a gentle reminder; on the other side, Old Master Sun sneered and continued walking away with his back turned, seemingly too lazy to meddle in other people's business; the sickly young man turned his head with difficulty, somewhat worried, and stammered, "Your...Your Excellency, please don't..."
Just then, the taciturn young man, who had been the center of everyone's attention, suddenly turned around, looked at the bald farmer, and asked with a curious expression:
"Excuse me, which cookie are you?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the entire passageway fell silent for a moment.
Everyone looked at Ouyang Rong with puzzled expressions.
The bald farmer's face froze for a moment, and he muttered:
What are cookies?
But he wasn't stupid; he realized something, his face darkened, and he asked, word by word:
"Kid, what kind of tone is that?"
The others, also unaware of what cookies were, curiously observed the silent Ouyang Rong.
Neither of them noticed the old Taoist priest's back as he suddenly stopped in his tracks inside cell number T.
Old Master Sun slowly turned around and looked at Ouyang Rong's wooden back.
He was the only one in the room who didn't show any confusion or curiosity when he heard the words "little biscuits".
Ouyang Rong stared at the bald farmer but did not respond to the latter's words. At this moment, his attention was not on the bald farmer.
Ouyang Rong finally heard approaching footsteps coming from cell number T behind him.
Sun Laodao, who had lost interest and was about to leave, returned.
He walked to the water curtain door, nodded to Ouyang Rong who had his back to him, and said expressionlessly:
"It's like casting pearls before swine."
The old Taoist priest inexplicably repeated a phrase he had just said.
Ouyang Rong acted as if he hadn't heard him, and didn't turn around to meet his gaze.
The chubby old monk nearby tilted his head and sized up his fellow inmate, the old Taoist priest.
Having some familiarity with Old Monk Sun, he sensed that his fellow inmate seemed somewhat different at this moment, and his tone of voice was also strange. It was a special intuition. The old monk noticed something unusual, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The fat old monk raised his hand and habitually rubbed his large earlobe.
The bald farmer's face grew increasingly fierce, but Ouyang Rong ignored him, carrying the food box, and turned to walk towards the entrance of the passageway.
Old Master Sun stared at the taciturn young man's receding figure without saying a word.
Having achieved his goal, Ouyang Rong walked with a lighter step.
Chen Jiaxin only asked him to talk to Master Sun and wait for further arrangements, but Ouyang Rong had his own plans and took advantage of this window of opportunity to do his own thing.
As for what Chen Jiaxin was asking for, Ouyang Rong didn't care; he'd deal with it later. At least during this current lull, he couldn't waste any more time.
Ouyang Rong nodded in agreement.
That said, he actually heard what Old Master Sun said to him as he approached the Water Curtain Prison door, but he pretended not to know and left first.
He has stayed in the water dungeon for too long today and cannot continue to do so.
Moreover, in that situation, although he risked saying some unspoken signals, he also alerted some other prisoners, who all focused their attention on him. It's not good to attract too much attention. There are some things he needs to say to Old Master Sun in private.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong did not linger and went to talk to Old Master Sun before returning. At least the main objective for the day had been achieved and the plan had made progress. In addition, he could also give Chen Jiaxin a corresponding explanation.
Ouyang Rong was already satisfied. He walked out of the passageway, his mood calm and his expression blank as he descended the stairs.
He glanced at the somewhat dark stairwell. No matter how many times he passed by it, he still felt that this counterintuitive stairwell was a bit strange, giving him the feeling that it didn't lead to the outside, but to the deeper part of the water prison.
Ouyang Rong shook his head slightly and walked down the stairs.
Just then, a woman's soft voice suddenly came from the darkness ahead:
What are cookies?
The woman's voice was gentle, with a hint of curiosity, like that of a studious student.
Besides, the woman's voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Upon hearing it, Ouyang Rong tensed up immediately, then relaxed, feigning surprise and taking a step back.
"who……"
In the dark stairwell, a woman with snow-white skin dressed in white ascended the steps and walked towards Ouyang Rong.
Her beautiful face emerged from the darkness, like a lotus rising from the water, or the sky clearing after the rain.
The dull-witted young man looked ahead, as if only then recognizing the approaching person, his face showing a mixture of surprise and joy as he said:
"Five Goddesses, you're back!"
Yun Xiangyi, who had returned at some point, walked up the steps and passed by the taciturn young man who was bowing his head to avoid her. She turned her head to look at his facial expression.
After a short while, a barely audible nasal sound rang out:
"Um."
She took a few steps forward, then asked without turning her head:
What are cookies?
Ouyang Rong lowered his head slightly and answered honestly:
"Reporting to the Five Goddesses, this is a local delicacy from my hometown, and that saying is a local proverb."
Yun Xiangyi nodded gently:
"Your hometown is quite interesting."
Ouyang Rong looked up at her, his mind already full of prepared excuses, ready to explain.
Yun Xiangyi didn't give her a chance; without even asking, she simply said:
"Wait where you are."
Yun Xiangyi continued climbing the steps, leaving Ouyang Rong behind, and entered the water prison.
Ouyang Rong stood rooted to the spot, his face as expressionless as ever. What others didn't know was that in the brief exchange after their meeting, cold sweat had already seeped out of his back.
Ouyang Rong turned around and looked at the white-clad woman's disappearing figure.
Clearly, Yun Xiangyi had overheard what Ouyang Rong had said to the prisoners in the water dungeon.
However, he is currently unsure when Yun Xiangyi returned, or exactly how much she heard.
Anyway, she definitely heard the word "Little Biscuit." Yun Xiangyi was already standing on the stairwell before he said it.
However, Ouyang Rong did not encounter her when he returned to the house to fetch the water bucket earlier, which means that she arrived after this point in time.
Regardless, the fact that Yun Xiangyi didn't come in immediately after returning suggests that she must have been scrutinizing his actions of lingering in the water dungeon... However, it's unclear whether she already harbors suspicions.
Besides, Ouyang Rong wasn't sure if Chen Jiaxin and the others outside knew about Yun Xiangyi's return; it couldn't have been done without their knowledge... although with Yun Xiangyi's abilities, it could have been easily accomplished...
Just then, Ouyang Rong heard some noises coming from the stairwell below.
He turned his head and immediately saw Chen Jiaxin and Enting at the end of the stairwell.
The two women seemed to have been instructed by Yun Xiangyi to wait in the outer room. At this moment, they curiously peeked out and looked at Ouyang Rong, who was standing in the stairwell.
The two stared at each other in silence for a while.
Especially Chen Jiaxin, she glanced at Ouyang Rong, their eyes met briefly, and then the two tacitly looked away, as if they were strangers.
However, Ouyang Rong felt a slight sense of relief after looking away...
(End of this chapter)
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