Chapter 590 Little Princess, Unaware of Danger [Bonus Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets!]
"Moonlight...moon spirit...full moon...moon palace?"
He paused, then read on:
"Moon Goddess, Moon Empress, Moon Emperor, Moon Lord?"
A carriage was driving out of Xiushui Workshop. Inside, a handsome young man in a blue scholar's robe was talking to himself while looking at a bead lying in his palm. To an outsider, it must have looked like he was talking nonsense.
The bead stood still in my palm, completely motionless.
She doesn't seem to want to talk to him at all.
Ouyang Rong remained completely calm and composed.
Anyway, we should take a chance, no matter what. Who knows, we might hit a nerve and turn an aloof goddess into a pitiful little woman. That's what [Craftsmanship] is all about.
Ouyang Rong coughed and pressed his palm firmly against the sword case and zither case lying across his lap, suppressing the violently shaking wooden board of the zither case. The little guy really had a fierce temper.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the quiet, luminous pearl in his palm.
The contrast with the "craftsmanship" inside the zither and sword cases is striking.
But who knows, it might turn into a little vibrator once it's activated.
According to Master Zhongma's inscribed last words, to follow the most orthodox path and become the master of a cauldron-shaped sword, three conditions must be met:
Swordsmanship or a person with strong willpower.
Real name.
Ninth rank.
If one is naturally gifted with the aura of this sword, the sword techniques can be omitted.
Because of the advantages of a person with strong spirit, they are naturally suited to the true meaning of the sword technique of this Ding Sword, and no other sword technique is needed.
Therefore, even if Ouyang Rong guessed the true name of this luminous pearl correctly, he could not directly become its sword master.
Because it does not meet the requirements for "nine ranks of cultivation".
This is actually the bottleneck that prevents most sword wielders from possessing multiple swords that have recognized their masters.
One's spiritual cultivation cannot remain stagnant at the ninth rank forever, or will it automatically dissipate its power and eliminate the spiritual energy in the dantian when encountering a new cauldron sword?
However, there is one detail: Master Zhongma is an exception.
Before he stole the Mad Emperor's Cauldron Sword, he was a highly skilled monk of the Lotus Sect. The reason he was able to meet the stringent requirement of reaching the ninth rank of cultivation was because the Lotus Sect's Qi Refining Technique, possessed by Donglin Temple, was very special: it could naturally dissipate spiritual energy and cultivation, allowing him to smoothly fall to any rank.
The unique lineage of Donglin Temple seems to have been naturally prepared for the swordsman.
Unfortunately, perhaps because this lineage was too extraordinary, Donglin Temple has now lost its lineage.
Now it's just a famous temple in Jiangnan that specializes in making money from female patrons' incense offerings. None of the incense offerings from the Lotus Sect on the mountain are used by the sect's Qi cultivators... Anyway, Ouyang Rong has genuinely certified it.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong, who was not a ninth-rank official, kept muttering about "possible true names" not because he wanted to become the sword master of the Night-Shining Pearl directly, but because he wanted to trigger good fortune.
Moreover, if he guesses the true name correctly, as the sword wielder, he might be able to sense the fluctuations in the luminous pearl's reaction under the true name through the [Craftsmanship].
Anyway, in the past, whenever the true names of Dingjian, such as "Emperor Wen" or "Humble Scholar", were mentioned...
The craftsmanship within the Mo family's sword case, which resonates deeply with Ouyang Rong, will always cause a slight ripple.
Legend has it that each of these cauldrons is connected by some unseen force, and it's unclear whether this is the reason.
Ouyang Rong flipped his hand and put away the luminous pearl. After thinking for a moment, he stuffed it into the Mo family's sword box, just to be on the safe side.
Unfortunately, the blessing bell in the Heart Sea Merit Pagoda remained completely still.
If he hadn't already visited Dragon City and been 90% certain that the luminous pearl was indeed the Ding Sword, he would have seriously doubted himself.
Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the Prince's Mansion to the side and rear.
Ali drove the carriage slowly away from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Ouyang Rong touched his chin.
This luminous pearl first caught his attention because of Li Guo'er's dream of the "bright moon".
It was Li Guo'er's unwavering belief in the dream that finally alerted Ouyang Rong.
Otherwise, this luminous pearl would have remained covered in dust for who knows how long.
Furthermore, in Li Guo'er's dream, this luminous pearl was given to her by Ouyang Rong, some so-called hidden dragon.
Ouyang Rong generally didn't believe in this kind of thing.
However, there is reason to suspect that Li Guo'er might be the one with the most powerful spirit in this luminous pearl sword.
Ouyang Rong remembered that his junior sister had mentioned that the dusty [Dingjian] would always try to find a person with great potential or a destined sword master. There was a mysterious pull that would bring it to their vicinity.
It's possible that this luminous sword, which had been gathering dust in his wardrobe for so long, appeared in Li Guo'er's dream.
Although I don't really like being the background for sending her "bright moon".
But Ouyang Rong had just tried leaving the envelope.
I want to see if I can find the real name of the Night-Shining Pearl Sword in her dream.
And he also subtly probed Li Guo'er's words... to get her to reveal Dingjian's true name herself.
A person with strong willpower, who adds their true name and a ninth-rank cultivation level, can directly claim ownership of the cauldron sword.
As for the last condition, which requires cultivation to the ninth rank.
Ah, hasn't this little princess been getting quite close to the Taoist priests of the Sanqing sect lately?
Even Lu Ya was acting suspiciously.
It might be because of the hidden prophecy of Master Yuan, which Huang Xuan mentioned in his letter.
Anyway, Ouyang Rong always felt that Li Guo'er was hiding a lot of things and was not being honest with him.
Of course, from Li Guo'er's perspective, Ouyang Rong wasn't exactly honest with her either, treating her like an outsider even before she was married. Hilarious.
It's basically a matter of testing each other.
Li Guo'er just asked Ouyang Rong what kind of person he was.
It's unclear which specific type of person they are, but both are intelligent.
Intelligent people may cooperate well with each other on some matters, but they are actually not easy to get along with. Getting too close can make them feel insecure and constantly on edge, so they need to keep their distance.
While there's an undeniable sense of camaraderie and shared experience, this kind of life is exhausting. It's much more comfortable spending time with my junior sister.
It can be considered a kind of repulsion between like elements.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong could be friends with Li Fusu, the heir apparent of Xunyang, but he could not replicate that relationship with Li Guo'er.
Besides, what's the point of him, a grown man, being good friends with a sheltered young woman? He should be careful to avoid suspicion.
Unlike his junior sister, who was also a noblewoman, he wasn't someone he could cultivate a superficial friendship with.
In short, around a strong-willed little princess like Li Guo'er, men and women can only have a superior-subordinate relationship.
One of the two must yield, and the other must take the lead.
One is on top, and the other is on the bottom.
What? You mean Li Guo'er bowed down to him? That's hilarious! With Li Guo'er's fierce temperament, just like her grandmother's, it's impossible for her to bow down to him.
Here's a reference example.
To outsiders, Lady Rongzhen was cold and aloof, keeping people at arm's length and difficult to get along with.
But Rongzhen wears her dislike and disgust on her sleeve; after all, she's very straightforward.
After getting to know her better, Ouyang Rong found that Ms. Rong was quite cute at times, especially when she expressed concern for her colleagues, with her awkward little expression that didn't match her words.
And what about Li Guo'er?
Even if she dislikes or even loathes you, she'll still smile sweetly, speak softly and gently, like a little white rabbit, and then casually slip behind your back where you feel safe and open, only to suddenly pull out a dagger and stab you hard.
Even if she overestimates herself and you could easily kill her, Li Guo'er would still want to vent her anger before she dies by biting off a piece of your flesh.
For a specific example, refer to Wei Shaoxuan who pursued her on Dagushan Mountain.
Anyway, Ouyang Rong was stunned at the time. Afterwards, when he received the bowl of clear water from her, in which a piece of Wei Shaoxuan's intestines was floating, he made up his mind to stay a little further away from her.
As for making Ouyang Rong bow down to Li Guo'er...
In Xie Lingjiang's words, the eldest brother was both easy to talk to and difficult to talk to.
When he's easy to talk to, he's easy to talk to. When he's not easy to talk to, he's very difficult to talk to.
Its essence is all contained within.
This is the root of the ambiguous and tentative relationship between Ouyang Rong and Li Guo'er after they came to Xunyang from Longcheng.
In fact, Ouyang Rong felt that he had already tried his best to accommodate this little princess. After all, they came from Dragon City together and were on the same boat. Perhaps they occasionally didn't see eye to eye, but they wouldn't have any bad intentions towards each other.
So when they met on ordinary days, Ouyang Rong's patience and accommodation allowed them to exchange a few words; otherwise, they would simply not see eye to eye.
For example, when we met at the gallery just now, Li Guo'er's aggressive tone, if it were Ouyang Rong's original personality, he probably would have already turned around and run back to write a long impeachment essay. He didn't even tolerate your aunt Princess Chang Le back then, so why would he tolerate a little girl like you who doesn't even know if she's grown up yet?
She's such a little princess, unaware of the dangers of the imperial court.
With this thought in mind, Ouyang Rong shook his head.
She withdrew her gaze and drew the curtains closed.
Ouyang Rong, who believed his logic was sound and that his actions in this relationship were consistent with his understanding, was unaware that from the perspective of a certain Plum Blossom Makeup Princess, Ouyang Rong's failure to take the initiative to contact her was equated with ostracizing and suppressing her.
Even if one is of a certain caliber, one must be like Lu Ya and the Three Pure Ones Daoist Sect to be considered somewhat righteous... Li Guo'er, who was pitifully helpless due to being ostracized and suppressed by Ouyang Lianghan, the chief strategist in her father's and brothers' camp, nodded.
After dealing with the matters of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, Ouyang Rong let out a long sigh of relief.
He disembarked at Xunyang Ferry before dawn, skipping the main hall of Jiangzhou, the quiet courtyard, and the residence in Huaiye Lane. He rushed to Xunyang Prince's Mansion to discuss and make arrangements with Li Xian and the others.
Let's go back to Huaiye Lane for now.
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes to rest, and patted the zither-shaped sword box lying horizontally on his lap.
The attempt to probe Li Guo'er just now was unsuccessful, but there's no rush; there's plenty of time ahead.
Ouyang Rong was not prepared to hand it over immediately.
Firstly, she didn't know if this luminous pearl was the same bright moon from her dream.
Secondly, this luminous pearl was something I promised to give to my junior sister a long time ago, and I planned to give it back to her as a reward later, so I can't just give it away randomly.
Thirdly, if she dreamt of him, does that mean he's hers? And if he, the hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, was also dreamt of, does that mean he's hers too?
"What 'cattle, horses, and dragons'? After emerging from the abyss, she was given gifts and ridden around. She's dreaming of flying dragons in the sky. What a beautiful dream."
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips slightly.
He bent down and tucked the sword case under the seat.
He straightened up again, his hands tucked into his sleeves, when he seemed to accidentally bump into something hard and square, and his expression suddenly changed.
Ouyang Rong took out a small purplish-red seal from his sleeve and examined it closely.
It was given to me by Master Shandao when I left Donglin Temple not long ago, and it is said to be the only relic of Master Zhongma.
Upon closer inspection, this seal appears to be quite old, worn and damaged, and seems to be made of red copper. At the bottom of the seal, only two ancient seal characters remain faintly visible.
Ouyang Rong, on a sudden inspiration, immediately pulled out the Mo family sword box from under his seat, activated the mechanism, cleared his throat, and said solemnly into the sword box:
"Lian... Hong!"
The sword case was completely silent.
"Uh, I read it backwards, let's try again. Red Lotus?"
Craftsmanship: ...
Luminous Pearl: ?
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(End of this chapter)
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