Chapter 1022 Tomb Raiding Assistant [Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month!]
Inside the courtyard, a certain little ink spirit seemed to be holding back, thus refraining from complaining about someone to Xiao Xuan.
At that moment, she noticed the puzzled look on Xiao Rongzi's face and subconsciously asked Xiao Xuan:
Gardenia?
Xiaoxuan tilts her head:
"Hmm, brother, you can't smell it?"
His mind went blank for a moment: "Uh..."
Huang Xuan handed over the scriptures directly:
“Brother, take a sniff.”
Ouyang Rong took the scripture, quickly sniffed it, and after a moment, he glanced at the three women in front of him who were looking at him with curiosity. He hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.
"I... I remember now... it seems like it is."
He gave a reluctant reply.
Fang Juxiu, more delicate-minded, asked with a hint of doubt, "Are gardenias still needed this season?"
Ouyang Rong coughed, covering his mouth, and said:
"The climate of Yunmengze is a bit different from ours. There is a large island there called Qingliang Valley, where it is spring-like all year round. I will take you there to see it if I have the chance in the future."
Fang Shengnan's eyes lit up:
"I've heard that Yunmeng Sword Marsh is located in a secluded paradise, where the climate is perfect for secluded cultivation... It seems that's true."
Ouyang Rong dodged the question, saying, "Hmm, more or less."
Fang raised his sleeve thoughtfully: "I see."
"Oh." Huang Xuan reached out and took the stack of scriptures back from Ouyang Rong's hand.
Fortunately, this remark directly changed the subject, and Huang Xuan and the other two women stopped dwelling on the scent of gardenias.
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face.
He only realized halfway through that the "gardenia fragrance" on this stack of scriptures was Aqing's body scent, and that every woman's fragrance was different.
This scent must have come from Aqing carefully perusing the book while Ouyang Rong was busy the night before he left, after she had bathed and changed.
Ouyang Rong was so used to the smell that he didn't pay much attention.
In fact, Ouyang Rong had told the truth that A Qing's existence was not something he couldn't tell the three women. However, because he knew Xiao Xuan's personality—she was aloof and had a cleanliness obsession, and didn't like strangers touching her things—this stack of scriptures had sentimental value and was obviously very important to Xiao Xuan. Therefore, she would definitely be particularly sensitive about A Qing reading them.
So Ouyang Rong simply went along with it and glossed over the matter. The gardenia scent was fine, anyway, Xiao Xuan and A Qing wouldn't be meeting anytime soon.
"snort."
Miao Si, who had been eating dry food, suddenly snorted and glanced sideways at Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong silently reached out and patted her head.
"You brat, don't touch this fairy."
Everyone just thought she had a bad temper and didn't think much of it.
Huang Xuan reached out and patted her head, but the little black spirit didn't jump up or down; it was blatant discrimination.
Ouyang Rong smiled.
After a short while, he regained his composure. Seeing that Huang Xuan had put away the scriptures, he changed the subject and suddenly mentioned:
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need Xiaoxuan's help with."
Huang Xuan said softly:
"What can I do for you, brother?"
Fang Shengnan couldn't help but interject, "Is it just Little Fairy alone? We can stay a little longer and help the young master too?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head, speaking calmly:
“You don’t need to go. The main problem is that the place is a bit dangerous. It would be pointless for you to go. The fewer people, the better. Xiaoxuan and I will go. I need Xiaoxuan’s abilities.”
Huang Xuan immediately straightened her slender waist, put down the little ink spirit in her arms, and concentrated on saying:
"I'll go with you, Brother Tanlang. Are we going to infiltrate the Sword Marsh?"
Ouyang Rong corrected him calmly:
"No, it's near Taoyuan Town."
"Near Taoyuan Town?"
The three women were all curious and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Ouyang Rong seemed to be keeping everyone in suspense, delaying his explanation and simply drinking his tea calmly.
Seeing this, they became even more curious.
Fang Shengnan was somewhat anxious and hesitant to speak.
Fang Juxiu silently observed the enigmatic Young Master Ouyang. She noticed that his expression was inscrutable, and she couldn't tell what it meant.
However, Huang Xuan didn't care about all that. She wouldn't refuse any request from the taciturn young man, and she wouldn't even ask for details before speaking directly:
"Okay, when do we depart?"
Ouyang Rong put down his teacup, looked up at the sky, and murmured:
"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer... until it gets dark..."
Fang Shengnan looked somewhat dejected and asked in a low voice:
"Young Master Ouyang, is the operation under the cover of darkness really that dangerous? My sister and I are not capable enough?"
Fang Juxiu glared at his younger sister:
“Young Master Ouyang’s arrangements all have their reasons. Don’t make wild analyses. Just listen to him. Did he ever lie to you? In hindsight, wasn’t he always right?”
Fang Shengnan bit her lip, lowered her head, and muttered:
"I know, elder sister... but I just really want to travel with Young Master Ouyang. I don't know if I'll have the chance next time."
Huang Xuan said, "Miss Fang, please don't talk nonsense. There's plenty of time in the future. My brother Tanlang might also need your help someday."
"All right."
Fang Juxiu perked up a bit and couldn't help but reach out and pat Huang Xuan's arm:
"Little fairy, you must also be careful."
"Um."
After reaching an agreement, Huang Xuan turned to ask Ouyang Rong:
"Brother Tanlang, is there anything I need to prepare?"
"No need, just follow me. However, I do need Miss Fang and Lady Fang's help."
Fang Shengnan suddenly became alert and asked:
"What kind of help do you need, young master? Please tell me."
“Go out and help me with some things in town. There are some things that are inconvenient for Aunt Chen to do, as it would be easy to leak secrets.”
"Alright." Fang raised his sleeve and said softly, "Is it to purchase something? Or to meet someone?"
Ouyang Rong calmly issued the order:
"Miss Fang, could you please go to the East Market and purchase some tinderboxes and torches..."
After whispering to Fang Juxiu for a while, he turned his head and looked at the expectant Fang Shengnan, saying:
"If it's Miss Fang, please go to the ferry in town and rent a small boat that can carry two people. It doesn't need to be too big, as it will attract attention. Remember to be as discreet as possible. Just pretend to be a naive and fearless young female knight-errant who wants to rent a boat to explore Yunmeng. It's best not to haggle over the price; just rent the boat directly..."
Fang Shengnan was taken aback for a moment, but after listening, she obediently agreed:
"Understood, Young Master Ouyang."
Ouyang Rong looked around and asked softly:
Are there any other questions?
The three women remained silent.
Yes, yes.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to get up, he heard a voice from below. Looking down, he saw a small hand reaching out.
It's a brilliant idea.
"This fairy has it."
As if worried that others wouldn't see her, Xiao Mo Jing jumped up and down, raising her hand to attract everyone's attention.
Ouyang Rong was speechless. He sat down again, looked down at her, and asked with a stern face:
What's the problem?
A brilliant and confident question:
"How could this fairy not go?"
Ouyang Rong: ?
The three women chuckled upon hearing this.
Ouyang Rong reached out and grabbed the little ink spirit, stuffing it into his arms.
He stood up and said in a very serious tone:
"No, rejected."
A whimsical thought in my arms: ...
...
In the dead of night, a small boat slowly came to rest on a long-abandoned ferry crossing on the island.
Two figures came ashore from the small boat.
The figures appeared to be a man and a woman, but it seemed that a small wooden puppet was sitting on the woman's shoulder, which was swinging its feet vividly.
After the man got ashore, he turned around and reached out to help. The young woman, who had a small toy on her shoulder, supported his arm and lightly leaped onto the shore.
"Brother, have you been here before?"
After Huang Xuan got ashore, she glanced around and asked softly.
Ouyang Rong remained silent upon hearing this, turning his head to look at the dark jungle beside him, as if waiting for something.
Huang Xuan did not disturb him.
They secretly boarded a boat at the ferry crossing in Taoyuan Town at night and sailed all the way to this island. Huang Xuan never asked Ouyang Rong where this place was and let him lead the way.
"He's waiting for Big White."
Miaosi, who was sitting on her shoulder, muttered to herself while munching on a peanut.
"Big White?"
Huang Xuan was a little curious and followed Ouyang Rong's gaze to the jungle.
Just then, she suddenly saw a flash of light in her field of vision, rubbed her eyes, and looked over.
Suddenly, a spot in the dark jungle lit up, and the luminous object drew closer and closer before emerging from the jungle and "swimming" to the side of the two people and the spirit.
"At this moment..."
Even Huang Xuan, who was well-versed in the ways of the Three Pure Ones sect and had already renounced worldly desires, showed a hint of surprise on her face.
Before them was a white sturgeon suspended in mid-air, the air like ripples of water, allowing it to "float freely" and swim around in the air, wagging its tail.
The scales of the white sturgeon, of unknown material, emitted a faint fluorescence, like a floating lantern, which was the source of the light cluster in the jungle just now.
However, Huang Xuan noticed that the white sturgeon's eyes looked somewhat...not very smart; if she had to describe it, it would be "clear-eyed stupidity."
At this moment, the white sturgeon was circling around Ouyang Rong, its movements somewhat joyful and excited, as if it had seen a long-lost relative.
Is this the Big White that Miao Si was talking about?
Huang Xuan looked at it with some curiosity.
Ouyang Rong scratched the head of the white sturgeon with some practiced ease, then turned around and said:
“I’ve been here twice already. I’ll leave it here and keep it here to help guide the way.”
"oh."
Huang Xuan looked at the white sturgeon thoughtfully.
While she was interested in the white sturgeon, the white sturgeon was also curious about her, slowly approaching and circling around Huang Xuan.
At that moment, Huang Xuan, who turned her head to look at the white sturgeon, suddenly felt a lightness on her shoulder.
Miao Si pounced like a hungry tiger, leaping precisely onto the white sturgeon's back and calling out as if riding a horse:
"Let's go, Baymax, giddy up!"
"Xiao Xuan, Xiao Xuan, this is my new follower. She's much more reliable than Xiao Rongzi. You should get to know her. It's a pity she's too small; you can't ride her."
Miao Si turned back, and nervously whispered to Huang Xuan:
"But let me tell you a secret, Da Bai has potential. It used to transform into a hundred-zhang-long dragon, and it was quite majestic. I'm thinking that I'll give Xiao Rongzi a little push sometime and have him find a way to restore Da Bai to its former glory, and see if it can transform back into a hundred-zhang-long white dragon. Then we can both ride on it together, hehe."
Huang Xuan became increasingly curious:
"A hundred-zhang-long dragon?"
Miao Si said with no small amount of regret:
"That's right, you weren't there during the last battle at Xunyang, otherwise you would have seen it."
Huang Xuan tilted her head, pointed at the white sturgeon, and said:
"I've heard Senior Brother Zhang mention it before... So the strange white dragon released from Yunmeng Sword Swamp is actually this little guy. Has it been tamed by Brother Tanlang? I heard it even rammed into the Donglin Buddha with its bare body..."
Miao Si crossed her arms and shook her head:
"No, he was clearly tamed by this fairy, Xiao Rongzi just got lucky."
Huang Xuan was somewhat speechless.
At this moment, the taciturn young man was leading the way, with the young woman and the little ink spirit following behind, chatting as they walked.
Ouyang Rong was familiar with the roads on this small island, so he didn't need the white sturgeon to guide him... In a sense, the white sturgeon was also directionally challenged, and could only follow its senses to swim towards Ouyang Rong's direction.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong had previously instructed it to stay in place by Lu Changgeng's grave and not wander off, in case it couldn't find its way back.
Hearing the insightful words from behind, Ouyang Rong, who was walking in front, turned around and asked in return:
"Are you sure you weren't the fastest runner when Baymax transformed? You were cowering in my arms, not daring to utter a sound?"
"Little Rongzi is lying again. Fine, this fairy won't stoop to the level of a big idiot's lackey. Hmph."
Miao Si arrogantly stepped on the head of the honest and docile white sturgeon, crossed his arms, turned his head away, and grumbled.
Huang Xuan listened to the two bickering with a smile.
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"It's a good thing I didn't let Xiaoxuan take you with me back then, otherwise she would have been corrupted by you."
Miao Si retorted, "Then you should think carefully about who led this fairy astray."
"You are the one who damages the environment, not the other way around."
"You brat, I'll fight you to the death!"
"Oh dear."
Huang Xuan quickly stopped the female immortal who was about to rush up and bite Tanlang, and after a long time of comforting her, she finally stopped.
Ouyang Rong remained expressionless throughout.
Before long, the two men and the spirit arrived at a mass grave in a valley.
Ouyang Rong knew the way well and stopped in front of a grave.
"arrive."
Huang Xuan paused, glanced down at the somewhat aged tombstone, and began to read:
"The Tomb of Lu Changgeng... Brother Tanlang, whose tomb is this? Do you know this Lu Changgeng? It looks like the tombstone of an ancient person."
"That's right, they were people from ancient times."
As Ouyang Rong answered the question in front of the tombstone, he had already squatted down and was opening the bundle he was carrying, taking out the tinderbox, torches and other items that the Fang sisters had bought during the day.
At the same time, he casually tore a gray cloth off the ground, revealing the tomb hidden beneath it, through which the coffin could be faintly seen.
Under Huang Xuan's curious glance, Ouyang Rong said softly while busy:
"This person is the ancestor of the Imperial Tutor's branch of the Lu family of Fanyang, a figure from three hundred years ago."
Huang Xuan pondered for a moment, then asked with a hint of realization:
"The Lu family of Fanyang... Is this family one of the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families? I seem to have heard a Celestial Master mention it. But aren't they a major family in the north? How come their ancestor's tomb is located in the Yunmeng Marsh, at the southernmost point of the world?"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment. After finishing his work and completing the preparations, he stood up, dusted off his hands, and then chuckled softly, saying:
"Yes, why, why was he buried here? This place, this grave, this person, this event—that's what makes it interesting..."
(End of this chapter)
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