Chapter 476 The Handleless Sword, Luoyang's Faith
Now completely sober, Ouyang Rong dutifully escorted Xie Lingjiang back to Jingyi Courtyard.
Before we parted, I reached out to hug her, but she pushed me away.
But just as he was about to leave in disappointment, his junior sister pulled him back, and they started kissing.
However, someone's lips now have another small cut.
After the beautiful woman left, the carriage was suddenly empty, leaving only one person and a sword box.
The sword case and the [Craftsmanship] inside remained completely still, as if they were inanimate objects.
After Ouyang Rong entered the carriage, his smile gradually faded.
He sat upright, looking down at the sword case.
He had a somewhat stern face.
The atmosphere was somewhat deathly still.
The little guy has never wanted his owner to ignore him as much as he does now, preferably to fall down and forget everything.
That death stare is terrifying.
Whether it was due to the jolting of the carriage or some other reason, with a creak, the sword case slid further into the darkness under the seat, concealing most of its contents...
Ouyang Rong gave a soft hum and closed his eyes to rest.
Upon returning to the mansion in Huaiye Lane, he dismissed Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai.
Inside the study of Yinbingzhai, Ouyang Rong, exhausted from a long day, entered and casually tossed his sword case and a few sachets onto the table.
"Smack—!"
The sound was mainly from the sword case.
The commotion caught the attention of a little guy on the top shelf of the wardrobe next door.
Miaosi poked her little head out, blinked curiously, and looked at the returning guests inside the house.
She saw Ouyang Lianghan lying on the chair, his eyelids lowered, calmly looking at the long, rectangular violin case in front of him.
The long, rectangular violin case lay quietly on the table, motionless.
He was just like a child who had made a mistake. When he got home, he kept quiet and kept his head down in silence, even with the adults' silence.
"Come out yourself," Ouyang Rong said irritably.
The Mo family sword case on the table remained motionless.
"Playing dead won't work."
Ouyang Rong's face hardened:
"I'll give you a chance to re-explain."
It remained motionless.
From an outsider's perspective, Ouyang Rong seemed to be talking to an inanimate object.
"Weren't you quite capable of tipping me off just now? Why are you so quiet now? I know you're close to your junior sister, but to be betrayed by your own sword, I've never seen anything like it before. I'm quite honored."
The Mo family sword box swayed slightly, as if trying to explain itself.
"What? You're saying you were just feeling stuffy and needed some fresh air?"
Ouyang Rong sneered:
"When is it not good to breathe? You breathe when your junior sister gets into the carriage. Are you so restless? When you used to secretly hide other people's undergarments, why didn't you breathe them out to let them vibrate and notify your junior sister to open them? You know it's shameful, don't you?"
"You're starting a rebellion because I just put a small sachet in there that doesn't take up much space? Is it attacking you, or is it getting in your way?"
As Ouyang Rong spoke, his expression grew increasingly displeased. He leaned forward and opened the Mo family sword box.
The moment the door was opened even a crack, [Craftsmanship] slipped out with a "whoosh" and made its escape.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw that it had already hidden behind a young woman in Confucian robes who was peeking at him, trembling in mid-air.
Ouyang Rong frowned and walked over.
"Hiding won't help you. Get down here. I'm going to teach you a lesson today."
Miao Si turned around, glanced at the pitiful, weak, and helpless cauldron sword behind her, spread her arms, and delicately protected the new cauldron sword. She nodded very seriously and said:
"Ouyang Lianghan, for my sake, I'll let it go this time. I'll spare him this time."
"Is this little one just born? It's normal that she doesn't understand things yet. She's just a little girl, so don't be too critical. Besides, such intelligence is rare, so we should cherish her."
"If there's anything wrong, this fairy will help you with your education. Don't scare her."
[Arc] vibrates slightly, emitting a soft chirping sound, as if expressing strong agreement.
Unfortunately, Ouyang Rong didn't give face to anyone. He pinched Miao Si's collar with two fingers and, despite her struggling, put her aside.
"Who do you think you are, little cookie?"
Ouyang Rong held the clear blue arc between his hands, returned to the table, and sat down again.
He stuffed it into the innermost layer of the sword case.
Press firmly with your palm.
"First, stand facing the wall and reflect on your mistakes," he said in a serious tone.
The sword case began to vibrate with a "humming" sound, and then the struggling sound stopped, like a wilted eggplant, listless.
Miao Si adjusted her Taoist hat, jumped onto the desk, sat on the sword box, and swung her two short legs around:
She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
As he spoke, he tapped the wooden box below with his heels, coaxing:
"Your master is just saying it, he's only pretending to be angry, don't be afraid."
The sword box immediately fell silent, behaving itself obediently.
She ignored Ouyang Rong, who was frowning at her.
Miao Si rested her chin on her hands, examining the sachet he had brought back on the table, and asked curiously:
"Ouyang Lianghan, you certainly have a lot of luck with women. With so many sachets, can you even wear them all?"
"Get away from me, you little brat, what do you know about romantic luck?"
Someone who was in a bad mood waved their hand dismissively and said irritably.
"This fairy knows very well!"
Miaosi crossed her arms over her chest and tightened her little face:
"I've read more books than you've eaten salt."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "That's not necessarily true. I used to eat fine salt."
You don't believe me?
"Okay, can you come down now? I don't have time to talk to you right now."
"no."
Miao Si shook her head, glanced at him sideways, and said in a reproachful tone:
“Every time you come home, you either bury yourself in your desk or fall asleep immediately. You haven’t come to see me in ages. Tell me, are you tired of me?”
"..."
Ouyang Rong was speechless:
"Where did you learn that complaining tone? Don't say it outside, or people will misunderstand."
"What's wrong with misunderstanding... Hehe, this fairy maiden just said she understands perfectly well."
"You understand, but can you come down here?"
"No, this fairy maiden just likes being on top."
Taking advantage of the situation, Miao Si demanded a higher price, reaching out to ask for it:
"Give me a sachet, and this fairy will use it as a bed."
"No."
"What, you're reluctant to part with it?"
Miao Si jumped down from the sword box, put his hands behind his back, circled the three-colored sachets—pale yellow, orange-red, and lotus white—on the table a few times, and clicked his tongue in amazement:
"How about this, just tell me which one you like the most and which one you're relatively indifferent to. You can give the one you're indifferent to to this fairy maiden. This fairy maiden won't be picky."
"You're going to teach me how to do things?"
Miao Si was about to nod when she was flicked away by a finger, and with a "ouch," she fell onto a stack of Xuan paper on the side of the table.
The young woman in Confucian robes said with displeasure, "You are so rude."
"Could you change the wording?"
"Could you please not be so rude?"
"no."
"Then even this fairy maiden won't do."
"Okay, I just felt that this made you seem uneducated."
"There was no ink to begin with, and you've squeezed it dry. Forget about ink sticks, you're even stingy with a sachet. Tomorrow, this fairy will go back to Xie's place."
Go ahead, I support you.
"Ouyang Lianghan!" Miao Si's eyes widened: "You really don't want this fairy anymore?"
"You said it yourself."
"Alright, you have to give me some compensation. This fairy can't leave for nothing and give up her position to other female demons."
Ouyang Rong ignored her. Miao Si waved her hand and paced around the desk for a while before glancing back at the unmoving, honest sword box.
"Ouyang Lianghan, what is the real name of this new Ding Sword?"
"Craftsmanship".
“Craftsmanship…the lineage of craftsmanship…coincidence or intentional?” Miao Si pondered for a moment: “Interesting.”
She asked again:
"It's only been out of the forge for a short time, right? Does that mean you're the first sword master?"
Ouyang Rong remained noncommittal, instead asking:
"So what if he was the first sword master?"
A thoughtful thought:
"Usually, the first sword master is a sucker; without the efforts of predecessors, it's difficult to find the Divine Sword Technique..."
"Heh." He shook his head.
Miao Si immediately asked cautiously:
"Huh, that tone... So, Ouyang Lianghan, you figured out the supernatural power that the swordsmith made in this cauldron?"
Why are you asking so many questions?
"curious."
"Then tell me first, didn't you say you've seen other great sword immortals' followers? Who were they? Do you know the whereabouts of any sword techniques? Also, what do the other cauldron swords look like?"
"You stingy little thing." Miao Si rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, don't tell me then. This fairy won't tell you either. I'll make you suffer."
"what ever."
Seeing that Ouyang Rong was really ignoring her topic, Miao Si tilted her head and took the initiative to say:
"This craftsmanship doesn't look like a sword."
Ouyang Rong suddenly said, "The sword is not a sword, and the cauldron is not a cauldron."
Miao Si touched his chin:
"Sure enough, ever since that cauldron sword was forged, the swordsmiths of these craftsmanship lineages have become increasingly outrageous, and the swords they forge have deviated from the standard sword shape one after another."
"What's the meaning?"
Ouyang Rong frowned, then quickly realized what he meant and asked:
"Which cauldron and sword is it from?"
"And you mean to say that all the swords before it were standard sword shapes?"
Miao Si neither nodded nor shook her head, and muttered to herself:
"It was a sword without a hilt; apart from lacking a hilt, it was essentially the same..."
"After that, the swords made by the swordsmiths became increasingly distorted in form."
"Now look what's happened, your craftsmanship not only has no hilt, but the blade is also just a... a curved surface?"
"Tsk tsk, that was swift and decisive in killing. The previous few swords were too proper in appearance; they were nice to look at, but that did affect their lethality..."
Ouyang Rong seemed to be deep in thought, and was about to ask another question.
The brilliant idea has already slipped away.
Taking advantage of his inattention, she struggled to pick up a sachet, turned around, and ran away.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that what she had taken was a pale yellow sachet.
"This smells like a bad woman. I'll take care of it for you, you should thank me."
While muttering to himself, Little Ink Spirit hugged his "new bed," ran back to the wardrobe, closed the door, and went to sleep, getting into his new quilt.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, losing all interest in reprimanding the little craftsman.
He stuffed all the remaining sachets into the sword case.
"I'll make sure you don't overeat."
Ouyang Rong slapped the sword case with his large hand.
Then, after carefully placing the sword case, he turned and went to sleep.
However, before falling asleep, Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and entered the Pagoda of Merit, glancing at the little wooden fish.
[Merit: 3,821]
"It's finally gone up... Thanks to Rongzhen and Ali, who both contributed some merit points. Before, we only had a little over two thousand left."
In fact, the merits gained during this period of daily increase are not limited to these two items; there are also other scattered sources of income.
He currently oversees two major construction projects: the Zheyi Canal and the Shuangfengjian Canal, as well as the Donglin Buddha, which is scheduled to be completed in the future.
Although once completed, they generally do not experience a sudden surge in price.
But it's a steady, continuous stream of income.
Over time, it accumulates naturally.
Ouyang Rong has now started using the steady stream of merit points from these two construction contributions as the automatic health regeneration for the little wooden fish.
In short, having these two guaranteed ways to earn merit, and then occasionally racking up some merit quickly, is indeed quite satisfying, and the merit recovery is not slow.
Ouyang Rong let out a long sigh, left the Pagoda of Merit, and buried his head in his sleep...
Ouyang Rong had always wanted to find an opportunity to thank Qin Ying for her help that day.
Unfortunately, we didn't have time to meet in the following days.
Soon, news of something important came back, attracting Ouyang Rong's full attention.
That evening, Xie Lingjiang arrived at the residence in Huaiye Lane and had dinner with Ouyang Rong and Zhen Shuyuan.
As soon as she took her seat, she suddenly took out an envelope and handed it to Ouyang Rong.
"My dear son, it's an urgent letter from your father."
"For me?"
"Um."
Ouyang Rong took the letter; the wax seal was intact. He opened the envelope and read the letter.
Xie Lingjiang, Zhen Shuyuan, and the attentive maids Ye Weilai and Banxi immediately noticed that the young man's brows furrowed slightly as he read the letter, but he quickly smoothed them out, calmly folded the letter, and handed it to Xie Lingjiang.
The latter immediately lowered his eyes and carefully read the letter.
A short while later.
"Another envoy? Sent by Empress Wei?" she said, frowning.
"Well, according to the teacher, the tutors have already spoken on behalf of the family regarding the postponement, and there's also a letter from the emperor's trusted lady-in-waiting, Rong Zhen... This is already one of the best possible outcomes after doing everything we can."
Ouyang Rong calmly picked up his rice bowl, lowered his head to eat, and mumbled:
"According to the Master, His Majesty was initially displeased after receiving the news, but later, perhaps because there were many people talking about it, His Majesty did not say much and specially sent an imperial envoy to investigate."
Xie Lingjiang frowned:
"Who is the Chinese envoy? Do we know him?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't know yet."
"All right."
Silence fell between the two.
Xie Lingjiang put down her rice bowl and couldn't help but frown, saying:
"Based on past experience, imperial envoys are usually eunuchs or eunuchs. I wonder if this one is Khufu again..."
"If it were Hu Zhongshi, that would be easier to handle," Ouyang Rong muttered to himself.
The two exchanged a silent glance...
Sure enough, within two days, the Jiangzhou government received official documents from Luoyang, along with the court's specific stance.
His Majesty and the officials of the Council of State have agreed in principle to postpone the construction of the Donglin Buddha by three months. However, they will send a private envoy to understand the situation and assist in the construction of the Buddha.
They are on their way.
"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this? Hasn't it already been agreed upon? Why send someone over again?"
Inside the main hall, Yan Liulang frowned and asked.
"So, in principle, I agree." Ouyang Rong sighed.
"This sudden arrival midway, does it mean they don't trust us?"
Yan Liulang couldn't help but ask.
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and remained silent, tapping his fingers on the table. After thinking for a while, he stood up and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going, Your Excellency?" Yan Liulang asked.
"Let's go ask Lady Rong. She may have received the news and knows more about it."
Ouyang Rong didn't turn his head.
(End of this chapter)
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