Chapter 797 Little Master Ouyang, the Princess is Easy to Coax
"Is that short woman your lover?"
"no."
"If it's your lover, you walked so fast just now that her skirt was already torn, and you didn't even let her bandage your wound."
"I already said, we're not familiar with each other."
"She's already shedding little pearls, and this short woman's teary-eyed look at you doesn't seem like she's a stranger. Are you sure you're not?"
"Senior, please be careful with your words."
“Since you’re not familiar with her, why did you stop me from killing her? Fine, if you’re not familiar with her, you can use a string of cash to buy another girl. You came here in person, risking your life to find her, and even called us here. It seems that the other girl is more important, and the others are ‘not familiar’… But if we don’t sacrifice this short girl and collect a portion of Yin-Yang School’s spiritual energy, we won’t be able to use the third tube of spiritual ink later. What do you suggest we do?”
"What's the meaning?"
"Literally, I want her Yin-Yang School spiritual essence. This Great Buddhist Dharma Formation is just a branch formation. There are several others in the world. There is a main formation in the direction of Luoyang in the north... They are all Yin-Yang School techniques. I need to obtain a portion of the Yin-Yang School spiritual essence to imitate the spiritual energy of the Yin-Yang School's Dao lineage."
"Furthermore, your fox mask is full of all sorts of fake spirits. There are too many mortals, even ordinary girls. Do you have a penchant for homosexuality? It doesn't look like it... There are only a few that belong to the Qi Refining class, and they are all martial artists. Do you have a grudge against martial artists? By the way, do you even know how to use this fox mask? You know nothing about this sorcerer's lineage?"
"I'm not very familiar with him... Wait, is this how you just collected Wei Wu's spiritual energy? So you imitated his spiritual energy to deceive his prayer beads and thus infiltrate this formation."
"Nonsense, isn't this just a characteristic of your sorcerer lineage? Otherwise, how do you collect spiritual energy on a daily basis? Where do all these fake bodies in your fox mask come from?"
"Cough cough."
In a place unseen by everyone, Cui Hao's illusory figure retorted irritably.
Ouyang Rong coughed subtly.
He was too embarrassed and it wasn't convenient to say that he actually didn't know how to use the magician's spiritual energy to activate the bronze fox mask at all, because his spiritual energy cultivation was originally inherited from the Jade Cup Fairy, and he didn't have the "ordinary" cultivation method of this strange lineage at all.
In the past, Ouyang Rong would collect the spiritual essence of fake bodies and directly activate the merit purple mist.
However, judging from Cui Hao's words, this strange sorcerer's Dao lineage can use the spiritual energy of the original Dao lineage of the fake body after killing people to collect the corresponding spiritual energy.
It seems to have something in common with the ever-changing Purple Mist of Merit! I don't know if the two are related or just a coincidence.
Furthermore, doesn't this mean that he only needs to collect a fake Taoist body to directly imitate the Taoist lineage and use spiritual energy to activate the divine decree, without wasting merit purple mist?
It's just unknown how much Taoist spiritual energy is needed to obtain the merit purple mist corresponding to three thousand merits. It must be quite a lot. Currently, it is known that it has been used by a master with a purple energy cultivation level like Master Yuan.
In addition, Ouyang Rong discovered that Cui Hao, who had arrived by chance, seemed to be very familiar with his Daoist lineage as a sorcerer and could skillfully activate it, which meant that he must have a corresponding cultivation method.
However, it was inconvenient to ask at the moment, so Ouyang Rong held back for the time being.
"How about we sacrifice that old woman with the white eyes to a fox-faced altar? We can collect her spirit."
“No, you can’t just offer up a top-grade purple aura like that. With your current seventh-grade cultivation, you can’t obtain that level of spiritual energy. The old one won’t do; you have to use the younger one.”
Ouyang Rong stood on the Buddha's head in his true form, while Cui Hao, in his phantom form, stood to Ouyang Rong's left and spoke calmly.
Tao Yuanming was on the right. When Cui Hao spoke, the old man remained silent, only drinking.
Cui Hao suddenly turned his head and asked:
"Wait, there's no Taoist imposter in your fox mask, so how did you manage to use the divine incantation?"
Ouyang Rong countered, "Senior, do you know the decree for summoning the gods?"
I've heard a little about it.
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and remained silent. He glanced at the merit points in the merit tower, which had surged again, and suddenly said:
"She can't be hurt. I have a way to deal with the Yin-Yang School's spiritual energy; you just need to do your thing."
Ouyang Rong remained calm.
Cui Hao maintained his smile and glanced sideways slightly.
Tao Yuanming silently drank his wine.
Meanwhile, the field outside was completely silent.
Below, everyone—including Xue Zhongzhu, Wei Shaoqi, Rong Zhen, Yi Qianqiu, and Granny Song—looked up at the figure of the young man in Confucian robes atop the golden Buddha head.
At this moment, they noticed that Ouyang Lianghan was acting strangely. After setting up an incredible prohibition with his words becoming law, he first took off the gourd, tilted his head back and drank it sip by sip. Then he suddenly stretched out his palm, and the long zither box and bronze fox mask below all flew up and came to him.
Ouyang Lianghan held the fox mask in his hand, seemingly looking it over, then closed his eyes again, his mouth moving as if he were muttering something to himself.
He was drinking and muttering to himself, seemingly very busy, but seeing this, everyone became even more terrified. It must have been that he had just muttered something to himself, causing that saintly prohibition to emanate from within the golden Buddha head.
Fortunately, as Ouyang Lianghan closed his eyes and muttered to himself, no new strange bamboo tubes emerged from the zither case to supply him with blood-red ink.
The most captivating expression of the entire scene came from Xue Zhongzhu. One moment she was like a celestial goddess standing high on a cloud, and the next moment, she was reduced to "a fairy falling to earth" by a single sentence from the young man in the scholar's robe!
In the deep crater created by the impact, Xue Zhongzhu stood up, supporting himself with his sword, and looked around in disbelief.
Wei Shaoqi and Bai Jiao fell heavily to the ground, just like her.
The middle-aged scholar was pale, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughed up some blood, and stared blankly at Ouyang Lianghan, whom he had kindly advised not long ago.
The white dragon fared even worse; its bronze body was already heavy, and falling from the sky amplified its power.
Not only did the ground shake violently, but the resulting dust and smoke covered half of the grotto.
The ground was smashed into a deep crater, and a dragon's head lay weakly at the edge of the crater.
"Whoa—!"
The white dragon let out a mournful cry.
Losing the ability to take flight is somewhat like "a dragon dwelling in shallow waters being teased by shrimp".
Xuezhongzhu quickly reached out and pressed his hand against the mouth of its enormous dragon head, his mixed-race face examining something with a mixture of shock and anger.
Xuezhongzhu suddenly looked up and stared straight at the young man in a scholar's robe who was drinking wine with his eyes closed above the golden Buddha head.
At this moment, he stood alone, high above, having seized control of the entire airspace.
This was almost identical to the way she had ridden the white dragon with Wei Shaoqi not long ago, soaring through the air and dominating the entire scene.
Right now, however strong she is, she is being gently pressed down into the mud by this seemingly frail young man in a scholar's robe.
He was only fit to look up at him, just like the court officials on the high platform.
Moreover, the tricks used by the Confucian scholar youth were merely casual remarks.
I used to hate long-winded talkers the most.
But his mouth, at this moment, seemed to be blessed, like a saint speaking the will of Heaven, saying that if someone couldn't fly, then they couldn't fly.
It evokes a sense of being lectured and disciplined by a young teacher in a private school, who is holding a ruler.
She had no choice but to "obey," or she would really get a beating.
It may not be very harmful, but it is extremely insulting.
Xue Zhongzhu trembled. She had never been so humiliated in her life. Even though he had disarmed her once before, it was only by a single move. How could she feel so humiliated and miserable now?
This is truly ruthless; they're kicking her into the mud without any mercy.
Beside Xuezhongzhu, the snow-white longsword stuck in the mud seemed to sense some emotion of its mistress, trembling slightly and emitting a faint sound like the chirping of cicadas.
Taking advantage of the fact that the young man in the Confucian robe on the golden Buddha head was "careless" and closed his eyes without making a sound.
In the next instant, snow-white sword energy suddenly appeared, filling the deep pit where Xue Zhongzhu was located. From the pit, the sword "Zhi Shuang" rose from the ground and shot into the sky.
However, it had only been three feet away when it began to sway precariously, as if it were under the heavy pressure of some rule, and fell "powerlessly" back down, tracing a parabola before finally landing back in front of the candle in the snow.
Flying in the air is prohibited.
A sword won't work either.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, flying swords are as common as flying birds and falling leaves.
This also means that people on the ground cannot harm people at a height.
The young man in the scholar's robe stood high above, like a god, looking down on the entire scene.
The sense of powerlessness felt by Rong Zhen, Yi Qianqiu, and other court officials on the high platform when they lost air superiority is now spreading to Xue Zhongzhu, Wei Shaoqi, and others.
Just as the atmosphere in the room fell silent, Ouyang Rong opened his eyes again, hung up the wine jug, smiled, and looked down at everyone.
Old Yang was the first to speak, his aged face showing a hint of reverence:
"Young scholar, have you become a top-notch 'Master Jixia' through your studies, or a legendary 'philosopher'?"
Ouyang Rong maintained that familiar smile and asked in return:
"Why can't it be 'Kui Xing'?"
Old Yang seemed puzzled, as if he didn't know which rank in Confucianism Kui Xing belonged to.
As if remembering something, the candle in the snow suddenly shook its head:
"Impossible! With the cauldron pressing down, the Celestial Beings of Shenzhou could not possibly survive! Stop playing tricks! If you have the guts, come down here and challenge me to a sword duel face to face. Your fancy tricks only tarnish the reputation of sword cultivators..."
Ouyang Rong smiled and ignored him.
He stood on a high place, holding a Confucian classic in his hand, looking around at his surroundings, his eyes seemingly unfocused.
"Interesting, it's mine."
The young man faced south, suddenly stretched out his left palm, and grabbed at the air. The string of eighteen seeds on his palm instantly burst into dazzling light, and Kui Xing talismans appeared on the Buddha head at his feet.
In the next instant, a long scroll of ink painting on the southern peak of the south bank broke free from Wu Daozi's control and shot towards the twin peaks with a "whoosh".
Three breaths later, it flew to Ouyang Rong's side.
On this painting, the people and objects within the twin peaks are depicted with lifelike detail, leaving no one or any part untouched:
The young man in a scholar's robe stepping on a golden Buddha head, and the Hu woman and the white dragon falling into the mud, are all on the painting.
It's like there's an invisible paintbrush constantly adding to it.
Ouyang Rong surveyed the painting with satisfaction, a smile playing on his lips:
"Aside from my lack of handsomeness, the drawing is quite detailed. So many rats are hiding here, come out! None of those who came today are leaving."
As everyone saw, after saying this, Ouyang Rong dipped his index finger in the blood from the wound on his shoulder.
He used his fingers as a brush and his blood as ink, acting as a "vermilion brush" to dot and circle on the scroll. First, he casually "wiped away" the white mist with a stroke of his brush, and then he picked up the "little figures" in various places outside the main grotto.
This scene was somewhat similar to what Wu Daozi had just done, but Ouyang Rong was more skilled at it.
Among those sitting in the bamboo courtyard were Wu Daozi and the old musician, Yuan Huaimin who was far away on the summit of Nanfeng Mountain on the south bank, Du Shuqing with the bronze longsword in front of him, as well as Yan Liulang, the Fang sisters, and others.
Everyone inside the Twin Peaks was moved to the main grotto.
The series of shifts and changes of position were dazzling.
It's like a child playing with chess pieces.
Yuan Huaimin looked around in confusion, then spotted Ouyang Rong and exclaimed in surprise:
"Lianghan, what are you doing here? What are you doing standing so high up?"
Aside from this bewildered fool, Yan Liulang standing tall with his sword in hand, and the Fang sisters who remained completely silent, the old musician picked up his zither, stood up from the stool, looked around, and was utterly amazed by the young man in the scholar's robe.
Wu Daozi, however, was on high alert, and his smiling expression vanished completely.
Staring intently at the Confucian-robed youth atop the Buddha's head, the old man clasped his hands in a respectful gesture:
"Who are you, and why are you pretending to be a pig and a tiger?"
Du Shuqing had already opened her eyes. Looking at the familiar Ouyang Lianghan, she was somewhat dumbfounded, wondering if she was seeing things.
Besides these people being "moved" onto the field, there was another item that was "moved" there as well.
With a cold expression, Xue Zhongzhu suddenly noticed something falling from above and landing at his feet.
She, along with Wu Daozi, Wei Shaoqi, Du Shuqing, and others beside her, all looked down.
It's a single coin.
Covered in wet mud.
It was the string of cash that Ouyang Lianghan had just thrown on the ground to redeem Yue Chuzi.
The candle in the snow suddenly froze in place, then trembled all over, its golden hair flying wildly, and Zhishuang chirped softly.
Don't forget to collect your money.
Having finished arranging the painting before him, the young man in the scholar's robe tossed a word to Xue Zhongzhu, then turned to face the crowd, chuckled, dusted off his sleeves, and said loudly:
"Since you're all here, wait a moment while I set up my sword. I'll ask you some questions later. Those who answer incorrectly will die, and those who answer correctly... well, that depends on my mood."
After speaking, Ouyang Rong picked up a gourd and drank some wine.
The entire room was silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone saw an arc rising slowly behind Ouyang Rong, who was drinking heartily with his head tilted back.
Azure flames spread across the [Craftsmanship].
It was like a blue moon, enveloping the entire venue.
It is time to return home.
The fire in the cauldron grew stronger and stronger, and this time, the sword was laid out for more than three breaths.
There was more than one person who could be killed.
The little guy's appetite seemed insatiable, consuming the literary atmosphere that had enveloped Xunyang City for three hundred years like a cow drinking its fill.
It seemed he was about to wipe out the entire field with a single sword strike.
Those below could not fly and could not go up to stop the swordsman who was as fragile as glass. He was "high above", and no one could touch the hem of his clothes.
Like Xue Zhongzhu and the others, Song Mama failed in her attempt to fly, and upon hearing this, her expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.
At one point, she suddenly looked up, a fawning smile on her face:
"I never expected Scholar Ouyang to be so capable. It is truly a blessing for His Majesty, a blessing for the Princess, and a blessing for the nation. Wei Wu was truly ungrateful just now. How could he possibly interfere in Scholar Ouyang's marriage to the Princess? Moreover, he dared to be so rebellious towards the Xunyang Prince's Mansion before, spreading rumors and inciting everyone, almost causing them to do something wrong. He deserves to die, and he deserves to die!"
As she clapped, she walked forward, pointed to the [craftsmanship] of the swords displayed above, and without blushing, sincerely remarked:
"Young scholar, your sword strike was truly like a celestial being pointing the way, a divine punishment descending from the heavens. Once you have dealt with these rebels and protected the Great Buddha, you will be a first-class hero. There must have been a misunderstanding regarding the previous incidents involving Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran, and Wei Shaoqi. You are upright and righteous; these rebels framed you. They are truly despicable."
"But it's alright, it's all a small matter. We'll return to the capital together. I and the princess will stand before the emperor and risk our lives to witness for you. In addition, you can take control of this great formation. You are the governor of Jiangzhou, so it's only fair to give it to you."
"Take one of the counterfeit swords. If you need anything else, you can also speak with the Directorate of Astronomy. Both I and the Grand Master of Fate are easy to talk to. As the sage often said, virtuous talents are hard to come by. Our Great Zhou needs scholars like you who are both courageous and principled! With Master Di in the court, you will become our junior master when you enter the court. It would be a wonderful story to have two masters like you."
All eyes in the room were on the thick-skinned Granny Song.
Ouyang Rong paused in his drinking from the gourd, still holding the spout to his lips, and glanced sideways at the old woman below.
The old woman with the white eyes put away the Han-style palace lantern. In front of everyone present and Rongzhen, whose face was flushed, she covered her mouth with her withered hand and lowered her voice as if she were whispering.
But since everyone in the room could hear these whispers, it was better not to whisper at all.
"Young Master, you are unaware of this. In the short few months that Princess Zhenxian worked with you, she was already captivated by your temperament and deeply admired you. She secretly pledged herself to you, but she is shy, pure and innocent, and has never experienced love between men and women. She is a virgin and cannot bring herself to do it."
The old woman with the white eyes looked kind and loving, and even her respectful address was changed:
“Little teacher, you just need to give her a little way out. Women need to be coaxed. If you coax them a little, they will do whatever you want. If it were something given away for no reason, no one would want it, right? Besides, she is a princess of noble birth. It is normal for her to be a little self-respecting and a bit reserved.”
"Although she seems cold on the surface, she is actually very easy to talk to. She just needs to be coaxed. I watched her grow up in the palace, so I know her best. You can't go wrong by listening to me."
Granny Song turned her head and asked Rongzhen with a smile:
“Princess, you agree, don’t you? Let’s not hide it anymore.”
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Rongzhen stood there dumbfounded.
(End of this chapter)
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