Chapter 620 This Fairy's Greatest Virtue [Begging for Monthly Tickets at the End of the Month!]
"If you really want to ask him to invoke the spirit, you can prepare a pot of fine wine beforehand. There are advantages to being a drunkard."
"Next time I see Yuan Huaimin, I can ask him if any of the unofficial or official histories he consulted mention what kind of wine Tao Yuanming liked to drink..."
After rubbing his face, Ouyang Rong blew out the flame of the oil lamp on the table.
As darkness fell around him, he bowed his head, closed his eyes, and entered the Pagoda of Merit.
Inside the Pagoda of Merit.
The Blessing Bell remained completely still.
There has been no activity lately.
The matter of the luminous pearl and the sword, which had been hoped for, never triggered the Blessing Bell.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the cyan-gold characters above the small wooden fish.
[Merit: 4282]
Last time I checked, it was over 3,600 merits, but it has increased quite a bit recently.
Last time I searched the Fang family's residence for the Yunmeng Token, afterwards, I received over a hundred thanks from Madam Fang and others who were extremely grateful.
Following Rong Zhen's search list, the families of the suspects were also investigated. Ouyang Rong also showed leniency and rationality by protecting some families or relatives of prisoners. The number of families increased by more than one hundred in those few days.
In addition to the natural growth on ordinary days, there was also the clear wooden fish sound that Ouyang Rong couldn't figure out the exact source of.
These things may have been spread because of his great reputation as an upright and honest official. His writings, such as "Qing Yu An," "On Chrysanthemums," and "On Teachers," triggered a chain reaction, with some praising and some criticizing, but overall, there was more praise than criticism.
It may also come from the water management and public welfare projects he once oversaw, such as the Zheyi Canal and Shuangfengjian...
There are approximately two hundred merits.
It's basically passive income, a long-tail effect, where you can grow naturally even while you sleep.
There is also a merit point, which is contributed by the Fang sisters today, amounting to about one hundred.
In total, the merit points increased by more than 600.
Ouyang Rong walked over, touched the smooth, round wooden fish, and muttered to himself:
"Brother Muyu, please raise the price a bit more, preferably enough for two summoning decrees... It's four thousand two now, and each use costs almost three thousand. If an unexpected blessing comes along in the middle, we'll really be short of funds."
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
They left the Pagoda of Merit.
However, he did not open his eyes immediately, but instead turned to look inward at his dantian.
Within the dantian lies a hidden paradise, a clear spring flowing gently and continuously.
The spiritual energy within the body is deep blue.
The eighth-grade deep blue spiritual energy is in its late stage and is about to reach its peak.
He only needs one sword manual and one ritual to break through to the eighth rank and enter the ranks of mid-grade sword wielders.
Alternatively, he could complete the public offering ceremony first, and then wait for the sword technique, just like before, when the [Craftsmanship] sword technique was delayed.
Ouyang Rong opened his eyes.
On the desk where the candle had been extinguished, he carefully put away the red and black talismans and placed them together with the original manuscript of "The Peach Blossom Spring".
The sword manual of Dingjian is an essential key to his advancement, and there is never too much of it.
If it weren't for the constraints of this sword technique, Ouyang Rong would have long since let himself go, just like the Jade Cup Fairy back then, and would have gone out of control to find villains who "harm the interests of the masses" as sacrifices, and tried every means to hold sacrificial ceremonies.
Unfortunately, even though the sacrificial ceremony has been held, the sword techniques are still lagging behind, so Ouyang Rong isn't in a hurry for now and is focusing on gathering clues about the sword techniques...
The reason I suddenly had the idea to ask Tao Yuanming to descend into the spirit world was also because I wanted to ask him about other sword techniques besides the "Humble Scholar" sword technique.
As previously speculated, Tao Yuanming, as a legendary swordsman from hundreds of years ago, may have mastered multiple sword techniques.
Unfortunately, the little ink spirit is not cooperating. It has been squeezing out ink for so long, but it still hasn't produced enough for the second red and black talisman.
Now, all he has on his body is a red and black talisman.
The merit points are only enough to cast a divine decree once.
It would be very unwise to rashly ask Tao Yuanming to possess you just to inquire about sword techniques.
Not to mention the lack of adequate preparation and the inherent risks.
Having lost this only red and black talisman, Ouyang Rong currently has no other reliable trump cards left.
The Donglin Temple in Dagushan, which allows him to perform the "Dependent Origination and Emptiness" technique and has an almost unlimited supply of spiritual energy, is located far away in Longcheng.
The top-grade Qi-replenishing pill "Ink Dragon" was also used up by Huang Feihong after he descended into his body during the collapse of the Xingzifang Buddha.
If he were caught by "Little Lady Zhi Shuang" again, he wouldn't know how to escape. She can fly through the air with her qi, so catching him would be a piece of cake for her.
Even without any external assistance, Ouyang Rong's nearly perfect eighth-grade deep blue spiritual energy capacity, if used to wield a sword and unleash "Return to the Source," would only be enough to kill a sixth-grade Qi cultivator.
Facing a high-level Qi cultivator, unless she doesn't fly and stands still, letting him unleash his sword, she would have to rely on the "Dependent Origination and Emptiness" supernatural power, using the merit purple mist and her own essence, energy, and spirit as fuel, just like when she killed Qiu Shenji, only then could she kill him.
However, "Lady Zhi Shuang" clearly wouldn't be all lovey-dovey with him.
What makes them think they can beat them? The amount of money on arrest warrants, or just empty talk?
While it's certainly fun and exciting to verbally tease her like before, it can easily backfire.
"We need to get another red and black talisman, and also a genuine copy of Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring'. It might not be enough, so we should get another copy as a backup."
"However, there aren't many of these masterpieces left in existence, and each one consumed is one less available... Speaking of which, I'm not going to have to mix water with my blood like Huang Feihong did last time..."
I recall the way Li Dalang and Huang Feihong drank the talisman water.
Ouyang Rong sighed softly, rubbing his face as usual.
"Little Rongzi, what mischief are you up to now?"
On the other side of the wardrobe, a young woman in Confucian robes, with her slender arms, pushed open the rather heavy wardrobe door, carrying a golden alms bowl and a snow-white whisk, and jumped down from the top of the wardrobe in three consecutive leaps.
"woke up?"
"You were muttering to yourself outside, not knowing what you were saying, and you kept chuckling to yourself. How could this fairy not wake up?"
"What kind of malicious grin is this? You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."
"You still say you're not being malicious? You don't even turn on the lights, and you just sit at your desk playing with a wooden doll, completely still. What kind of kind and good person would act like that?"
"Also, I was feeling a bit inspired today, like I could produce some spiritual ink, but now... well, never mind, that feeling is ruined..."
Ouyang Rong immediately said, "There are six ink sticks on the table."
Even without him saying a word, Miaosi had already rolled up the hems of her Confucian robes, her short legs taking off as she ran towards the living room table.
She sniffed her little nose, skillfully jumped onto the table, and opened the specially made wooden ink box from Hanlei Ink Studio.
The tiny ink droplet, no bigger than a palm, pounced on the fragrant inkstone, flipped it over twice, and then devoured it with gusto, just like a hamster entering a granary.
Miao Si's eyes lit up, and she said shyly:
"Not bad, not bad. I am very pleased with Xiao Rongzi's filial piety. I feel a bit better now, but it will take a few more days to mature. Xiao Rongzi, are you in no hurry?"
“I’m in a hurry,” Ouyang Rong nodded.
Miao Si instantly switched expressions without even blinking:
"There's no use in rushing. Good things come to those who wait. Enough said, time to eat ink..."
Little Mo Jing kept munching away, his mouth full of mumbled words.
Ouyang Rong went to get a tinderbox and relit the lamp.
The room became bright.
After a while, the little ink sprite popped its head out of the ink cartridge.
She tilted her head and asked:
"Little Rongzi, it seems like you've been bringing ink sticks back more often lately. Before, if I took an extra ink stick from you, it was like I was going to kill you, and I'd haggle over it."
After thinking for a moment, a question arose in his mind:
"Could it be that Hanlei Ink Studio is having a sale recently, or did you get a raise? Never mind, knowing you as I do, the raise wouldn't go to me..."
With a sigh, Miao Si turned serious and asked:
"Little Rongzi, you didn't embezzle anything, did you?"
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly, but he did not answer.
"I brought you so many ink sticks, but you're not very productive..."
He stared at the little ink spirit, whose Taoist hat was askew from eating so much rice, for a while, and suddenly wondered:
"Hey, were you slacking off?"
"Nonsense."
Miao Si stared wide-eyed and immediately rejected the idea.
She vigorously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then poked her forehead with her thumb, speaking with righteous indignation:
"My greatest virtue is diligence and thrift, the most diligent and thrifty, without exception."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Don't steal mine."
"You... shameless."
Ouyang Rong walked over, placed his finger on her little head, straightened up, and said in a serious tone:
"No dawdling, understand? The matter of spirit ink is very important. My lady, you don't want to run out of Hanlei inkstones to eat in the future, do you?"
The clever idea shook its head like a rattle drum.
Ouyang Rong then released his grip and nodded in satisfaction.
The little ink sprite in the back muttered to itself:
"It's just that you've suddenly stopped being so immoral, and this fairy is really not used to it."
"Ha, my wickedness has other uses, I don't need to use it against you."
"Fine, you finally admit you're wicked. You were really plotting something bad just now!"
Miao Si was overjoyed and jumped up and down.
Ouyang Rong ignored her.
Miao Si, however, transforms into a curious child:
"Speaking of which, what do you want my spiritual ink for? I used to think that you, Xiao Rongzi, were a scholar who had ascended to the sword-wielding lineage, using the spiritual energy of the scholar's lineage as your foundation."
"But now it seems something's not right. Last time I saw you secretly tinkering with Taoist scriptures and talismans, could it be that you were originally from a Taoist lineage? No wonder you were using my spiritual ink..."
Ouyang Rong neither agreed nor disagreed.
Merit Purple Qi can activate the cultivation techniques and secrets of other Daoist lineages, which involves one of his greatest secrets and cannot be easily revealed.
I'm really afraid that if this girl finds out about Miao Si, one day she'll sell him for two ink sticks. Hmm, she might even think it's a good price.
"Little Rongzi, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Nothing to do tomorrow morning, no need to work. I need to go to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion at noon to see my junior sister."
"No wonder, this fairy maiden also wants to go and see if the goose in Miss Xie's yard has grown its feathers yet."
"No, you stay at home."
Ouyang Rong refused decisively, his face stern:
"Don't let Lingmo be snatched away before I finish producing it."
"Hmph, absolutely impossible..." The young woman in Confucian robes rolled her eyes and said again:
"Lingmo can't get out of bed at home, so she should go out for a walk, play with the geese, and maybe she'll get the hang of it..."
He interrupted and asked, "If you get the hang of it, just squeeze out the ink right there?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, but it's pretty much the same... Hey, Xiao Rongzi, why are you pulling on your collar?"
"Go to sleep. Come out with me tomorrow."
"..."
...
In the morning, at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Ouyang Rong arrived with a small inkstone, refined from ink, tucked in his sleeve.
He also brought several poems about the bright moon and a luminous pearl, and went to see Li Guo'er as usual.
However, he first went to Li Xian's study to inform Li Xian of the latest return date of Li Dalang.
Aside from Wei Mei, who was happy to go out and prepare tea and snacks, Li Xian kept a straight face and gave a soft snort.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to leave, Li Xian called him back.
It is said that the collection of Tao Yuanming's authentic works, which they had previously helped to gather, has yielded some results.
It seems that the Prince Xiang's residence helped them receive a genuine surviving work and is preparing to send it to Jiangzhou.
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly, pondered for a moment, and then, without being polite, asked Li Xian to express his gratitude on his behalf.
The inner courtyard, Meiyingzhai.
When Ouyang Rong arrived with Miaosi, they found the boudoir filled with books, and many maids were carrying books in from outside.
Some books were placed on the sunlit floor, while others were moved up to the red building where Guo'er's study was located.
In addition, a white figure darted around.
It's time; it feels like timed parkour.
"What are you doing? Moving the study?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
Two beautiful figures were walking down the red building.
Today, Li Guo'er was dressed in white lotus-colored men's clothing, with a jade headband covering the bright red plum blossom mark, making her even more dashing than a man.
Xie Lingjiang was also there, dressed in crimson men's clothing, with her hands behind her back, looking exceptionally beautiful.
"Senior Brother!" Upon seeing Ouyang Rong, the pretty young woman in red, who was coming downstairs, smiled charmingly and quickened her pace to walk towards him. The way she walked made one feel as if the entire staircase was trembling.
The two women passed a group of maids carrying books and came before Ouyang Rong, each giving him a once-over.
"Check the book." Li Guo'er looked up at the sky, her voice full of confidence.
"Looking up a book? What book?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
"That's how it is." Xie Lingjiang took Ouyang Rong's arm and said in a serious tone, "Didn't we talk about why Yunmeng Jianze opposed the statue during dinner? My sister Guo'er and I argued about it for many days, but then we reached a consensus that there was no point in speculating further, so we might as well investigate more."
Li Guo'er nodded, flicked her sleeve, and began to speak eloquently:
"This princess dispatched members of the Chrysanthemum Poetry Society to collect all the ancient books about the Northern and Southern Dynasties that could be found outside, in preparation for researching historical materials from that period. For example, the Northern Wei Dynasty is said to have been very devout Buddhist, and for a period of time they built many Buddhist statues and temples, which are somewhat similar to those of today. Perhaps the two have some connection..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Was Tao Yuanming also a figure from that period?"
"Hmm, it seems to be true. Anyway, it's not far off. But Tao Qian was in the south, so he must have lived through the change of dynasties, when the Southern Song Dynasty was newly established."
Li Guo'er pondered for a moment, then went to fetch a book. After flipping through a few pages, she lowered her eyes and said:
"Later, the Northern Wei and Southern Song dynasties faced each other in a standoff, engaging in numerous battles. Both sides harbored ambitions to unify the north and south. However, as you know, the Northern and Southern Dynasties were only just beginning; ultimately, they all benefited others..."
Ouyang Rong looked thoughtful as he handed the ingenious idea of transforming into an ink ingot to Xie Lingjiang.
The group climbed the red tower together.
...
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(End of this chapter)
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