Chapter 805 The Old Musician Also Loves to Play Matchmaker
The old musician left behind a stringed instrument and a pipa.
There was also a letter.
Ouyang Rong took the envelope and returned to the high platform with Rong Zhen and Yan Liulang.
Under Rong Zhen's somewhat curious gaze, Ouyang Rong held the letter, looking down as he read through it, his expression remaining calm.
I have no idea what the old musician wrote in his letter.
Only Yan Liulang had read it beforehand.
Upon arriving at the main grotto, they found that Yan Liulang's men had already roughly cleared it out, counting the survivors. The court officials were either dead or wounded, and the weapons of the remaining people had all been removed.
Yan Liulang and his head constables took over the area.
After today's battle, besides Yi Qianqiu and Old Yang, the imperial court only has a dozen or so female officials in white and imperial guards left.
On the north bank of Shuangfengjian, nearly all of the more than a thousand soldiers who were originally deployed were wiped out, with only a few White Tiger Guards and Black Tortoise Guards remaining on the outer perimeter of the south bank.
The main reason was that the white dragon's appearance at the beginning was overwhelming, killing too many people.
The survivors on the north bank now recall the events with a sense of dazed fear.
Ouyang Rong and his group returned to the high platform. The survivors couldn't help but glance at the white sturgeon floating in the air beside Ouyang Rong, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
This little thing, which was everyone's nightmare not long ago, now obediently follows the young man in the scholar's robe like a cute little thing.
Ouyang Rong ascended the high platform and surveyed the scene.
The number of female officials in white and imperial guards seemed to have decreased slightly, which should be the "outsiders" Rongzhen had just mentioned. Those who had connections with Granny Song and Madam Wei have all been eliminated.
In other words, only a handful of court officials remain today who witnessed Ouyang Rong's identity as the "Master of Butterfly Loves Flowers" near the high platform.
For now, his life and death are still in their hands.
Ouyang Rong understood that Rong Zhen and Yi Qianqiu had just made a decisive move to eliminate dissidents.
Not only were they convinced, but there was also a selfish desire to protect some of their subordinates.
Otherwise, they might all die, and even Yi Qianqiu himself would be in danger, depending entirely on Ouyang Rong's decision... Only a certain princess was considered safe by Yan, Yi, and the others.
After this battle at Shuangfeng Peak, the control of Xunyang has undoubtedly fallen into the hands of Ouyang Rong.
And what happened in Twin Peaks today will be written by the winners.
Yi Qianqiu, Old Yangtou, and a dozen or so female soldiers all turned their gazes toward Ouyang Rong, waiting for him to speak.
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, continued reading the letter, and remained silent with his lips pursed.
Two subordinates followed behind Yan Liulang, each carrying an item, and handed it over.
“My lord, Mr. Yu said that this one-stringed zither is for Lady Rongzhen, and this pipa is for you.”
Rongzhen paused for a moment, then took the zither and looked it over.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the pipa in front of him, remaining silent.
The letter was written hastily, and it did not contain the musical score for the Emperor Wen's sword technique.
The old musician left in a hurry, or rather, in time, taking advantage of the fact that while he was processing the information from Tian Lei, Rong Zhen, and the others, their attention was focused on the fleeing rebels; otherwise, he might not have been able to leave.
In addition, the old man mentioned Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen's affairs in the letter, as if chatting casually...
Rongzhen tilted her head and asked:
"What did Mr. Yu say?"
Ouyang Rong put the letter away, showing no intention of showing it to her.
Rongzhen bit her lip, staring at him.
"Didn't I leave you any sword techniques?" she suddenly asked.
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but instead asked those around him:
"Did anyone see which way Mr. Yu went?"
The high platform was completely silent.
Upon hearing this, Yan Liulang immediately understood:
"My lord, should we send someone to chase them back? There are only a few roads to leave Xunyang."
As Ouyang Rong pondered, Old Yang raised his hand and said:
“Young scholar, I saw it. You had just finished bearing the heavenly lightning, and after the rebels fled, Senior Yu turned back to the bamboo forest. I followed him and saw that he went back to the courtyard to get his prepared luggage, then found a small boat on the riverbank and left quietly.”
Rong Zhen suddenly spoke up: "This was agreed upon beforehand. After the battle, we will let him go. It won't be considered leaving without saying goodbye. Mr. Yu should have returned home."
Old Yang shook his head and said:
"It shouldn't be heading home. I noticed he wasn't heading south in the direction of returning home, so I asked him. He said it was all the same, and even said something with a smile..."
Rong Zhen asked, puzzled, "What did you say?"
Old Yang recalled:
He said that an old friend was right today, saying that he had finally found a place with peach blossoms blooming just like his hometown.
Rong Zhen frowned: "A place where peach blossoms bloom? He's not going home? Weren't we all preparing for his triumphant return to his hometown..."
She paused, as if she had thought of something, and pursed her lips into a thin line.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the rolling river under the setting sun in the distance.
In a sense, this senior Yu and Tao Yuanming were the same kind of people. Just as Tao Yuanming did not want to be awakened by the spirit again, the two made the same choice: to live in seclusion and peace, far away from the mortal world.
Yan Liulang tentatively asked, "My lord, shall we go after them?"
"Let him go."
Ouyang Rong calmly turned around and walked down from the platform.
Rong Zhen asked again, "Ouyang Lianghan, what did the old master's letter say?"
Ouyang Rong did not answer.
Rongzhen looked at Yan Liulang, who, having read the letter, did not look at her and followed the prefect.
At this moment, Yuan Huaimin's weak voice came out at an inopportune time, reaching the ears of everyone present:
"Giving away both a zither and a pipa, doesn't that mean they're in perfect harmony? Your meaning is quite simplistic."
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
All eyes fell on the zither in Rong Zhen's hands, and the pipa that the old musician had given to Ouyang Rong.
Rong Zhen stood rooted to the spot, her ten slender fingers, as delicate as scallions, already intertwined within her sleeves.
Ouyang Rong's figure had already walked quite far away. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he seemed to calmly turn his head and say to Yan Liulang:
"Take them all back to the city."
"yes."
Yan Liulang immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute.
The group was instructed to evacuate and return to the south bank in an orderly manner. While Yan Liulang was directing the evacuation at the makeshift dock, he glanced at the back of the cold, palace-dressed girl who was boarding the ship with her men.
Actually, at the end of that letter, Mr. Yu mentioned a certain guqin piece to the prefect. Yan Liulang didn't know what the piece was for, but it seemed to be something very important. The prefect was concerned, but Mr. Yu's intention seemed to be that he wouldn't teach it himself...
Before Yan Liulang and the others could return to the main force, Ouyang Rong took the lead and crossed the river by boat.
He traveled alone in a small boat, which circled the Buddha's ushnisha (cranial protuberance) that emerged from the water in the middle of the river, and headed towards the north bank.
Ouyang Rong sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, took out the old musician's letter, stuffed it into the sword case, and prepared to smash it.
As soon as I put it in, I realized that [Craftsmanship] was entangled by 'Thunder Punishment' and couldn't move.
The envelope, entangled in the threads of lightning, was pulled out by two fingers, folded, torn into pieces, and scattered into the great river.
Ouyang Rong looked down at the lingering electric arc on his fingertips.
Having endured the unprecedented Ninefold Lightning Tribulation, this body unexpectedly gained a unique benefit: aside from the mysterious lightning patterns that trapped the [Craftsmanship], it is immune to ordinary lightning without being harmed.
However, the sword case may no longer be able to hold miscellaneous items; items such as the luminous pearl and bronze mask will need to be moved to another location.
Because the sword case contains [Craftsmanship] and a pool of 'Thunder Punishment', everything else will be electrified, although he can touch it without any harm.
In addition, we built the Peach Blossom Sword Formation around the [Craftsmanship], and the sword box cannot be filled with miscellaneous items, which is to give the little guy a separate hut.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the bronze scroll, then took out a tattered Confucian classic from the sword box he was temporarily using, tore off a piece of paper, and began to draw talismans with his blood.
It is the Kui Xing Talisman taught by Cui Hao.
At the bow of the boat, a nimble white sturgeon swam around Ouyang Rong's body. Following his memory, he used his fingers as a pen to sketch on the paper, stroke by stroke, gradually becoming skilled.
Before Cui Hao left, he taught him the Peach Blossom Sword Formation, which required the Kui Xing Talisman to activate.
This can be considered the unique skill of this ancestor of the Cui family of Qinghe, who was the Grand Minister of Works of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
However, besides teaching Ouyang Rong how to draw talismans and construct arrays, Cui Hao also taught him a few other skills.
Shortly after, the talisman was completed.
A simple Kui Xing talisman fell into Ouyang Rong's hands.
Ouyang Rong asked the white sturgeon with a serious expression:
Do you know how to get to Yunmeng Sword Marsh?
The white sturgeon continued to swim around him, carefree and silly.
Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes slightly: "Don't follow me, go back and find Lady Zhishuang."
As soon as the words were spoken, the merit points in the Merit Tower instantly decreased by one hundred.
The Kui Xing talisman shot out like lightning and imprinted itself on the leisurely swimming white sturgeon. One of the Kui Xing talismans that had been imprinted on its body lit up.
The white sturgeon hovered in mid-air, struggling and flicking its tail, unable to move forward.
The young man in the scholar's robe was left to travel alone in his boat.
It lingered reluctantly in the middle of the great river.
Ouyang Rong, who suddenly had a "good heart" and released the white sturgeon back home, sat down cross-legged again, put the zither case, the eighteen seeds, the bronze scroll and other items aside, and continued to practice the Kui Xing Talisman in his spare time.
The hairpin wound on his shoulder gradually stopped bleeding, but it still ached slightly, yet he remained focused on his work.
That's why I feel at ease about Yan Liulang's side.
Besides the confidence in the awe-inspiring power of his divine manifestation today, there is also the reason for the Kui Xing talisman.
Cui Hao's move actually concealed a hidden trick. He used the golden light of the Buddha as cover to place various Kui Xing talismans on the people on the high platform.
Life and death were in Ouyang Rong's five fingers.
But they were completely unaware.
For example, after Song Mama fought with Xue Zhongzhu, although she was seriously injured, she was still a high-level Qi cultivator. Even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
The reason why he was able to dig open the dantian to intercept the Mo Jiao, and then forcibly activate the Gui Xu to throw it into the sacrificial thunder.
All of this is due to this hidden move.
However, Cui Hao did not teach Ouyang Rong the method of setting up such a tricky life-and-death talisman, nor did he have time to teach it. It should be considered an advanced application of the Confucian "Kui Xing Talisman".
Ouyang Rongcai was just beginning his studies and had only just begun to grasp the basics.
They can only use the existing products that Cui Hao has already laid out, namely those that are already in the bodies of Rong Zhen, Yi Qianqiu, Lao Yangtou, and others.
While drawing talismans, Ouyang Rong silently touched the blood-written letter left by a handsome young man in his bosom...
It was already late at night when we returned to Xunyang City.
Night fell over the entire city.
Inside the main hall of Jiangzhou, the lights were on and people were coming and going. Officials from Xunyang had gathered to carry out orders issued by a newly returned governor.
Rong Zhen, Yi Qianqiu, and others were placed in the back hall, where, in addition to receiving medical treatment, they were also guarded by soldiers.
Inside the main hall, an impromptu meeting had just ended, and the officials left one after another after receiving orders from the young governor.
Only Yan Liulang, Wei Mi, and Chen You remained.
After the situation stabilized, Wei Mi, who had been hiding, also came out.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ouyang Rong put him in charge of leading a team to guard Rong Zhen, Yi Qianqiu, and the others.
No arrangements have been made for the follow-up to today's battle at Twin Peaks.
Because there are more important things to do.
Yan Liulang reported with a smile:
"My lord, the Xuanwu Battalion, which came to support the central army camp at the front, has arrived in Hukou County and is on its way. Once they arrive, the situation in the city will be completely stabilized."
Chen You was reporting news from the city to Ouyang Rong when he heard Yan Liulang's words. Ouyang Rong didn't turn around, but listened attentively. At one point, he asked Chen You:
"You mean, Li Congshan, Miaozhen, and the three hundred White Tiger Guards are still missing and their whereabouts are unknown?"
"That's right, the last time they were seen was when they entered Mount Lu."
"Let's go to Mount Lu..."
Ouyang Rong stood up and paced around the lobby twice.
In the next instant, he strode over to put on his clothes, grabbed his sword case and other items, and strode out the door.
"Where are you going, sir? Your shoulder injury hasn't been treated yet, the doctor is coming right away..."
"Are there any boats going to Dragon City?"
"The dock has been burned down, and there are no boats available for the time being."
"Prepare the horses."
"good."
Before heading to the stables, Ouyang Rong calmly made arrangements, uttering a single sentence:
"Send a message to the Xuanwu Camp that is rushing to the aid of Hukou County: do not come to Xunyang, but change your route to Longcheng... General Wei, take good care of the princess and Commander Yi. I have important business to attend to and will be leaving the city. While I am away, Liu Lang will be in charge of all matters, big and small, in the city."
Yan Liulang vaguely realized something, glanced in the direction of Longcheng, and quickly clasped his hands in greeting:
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Fifteen minutes later, the west gate of Xunyang, which was under strict curfew, slowly rose, and a chestnut horse galloped across the archway, carrying a scholar in a scholar's robe, and plunged into the official road under the cover of night.
After the swiftly galloping figure disappeared, the west gate was about to close when suddenly, a commotion arose from the city wall. Immediately afterward, a white horse slipped through the gap in the descending gate, carrying a woman in a purple dress, and galloped into the dark distance.
It's in the same direction as the large, chestnut-colored horse in front.
On the city wall at the rear, Chen You and other officials on duty turned back with troubled expressions:
"Military Advisor Yan, should we send someone to chase after her? The Prefect has ordered that she is not allowed to leave the Jiangzhou Main Hall even a step..."
Chen You was halfway through her sentence when she realized that Yan Liulang had already walked down the city wall and was almost out of sight.
After hearing Chen You's words, the blue-clad constable's annoyed voice came from the stairwell:
"Brother Chen, do you really think this young master is a prisoner? What are you chasing after? Close the door. Just go back and guard Yi Qianqiu and the others."
Chen You and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.
After leaving Xunyang City, Ouyang Rong rode Dongmei and traveled for several hours at night.
As dawn broke and the sun rose, they had traveled a hundred miles. They stopped by the official road, dismounted, and led their horse through the forest to the riverbank where the morning breeze and golden waves rippled.
Ouyang Rong squatted down, scooped up a handful of river water, and washed his face.
But then I saw a familiar "snow-white" fish swimming by below the water's surface.
He frowned slightly.
It's a "silly" Chinese sturgeon.
After being marked by the Kui Xing talisman, it followed him along the river.
They didn't return to Yunmengze.
Perhaps it was brought here by some three-legged bird, because it has no idea how to get back.
It seems we can't count on this silly fish.
Ouyang Rong stared at the rolling river water under the morning light for a while, then suddenly said without turning his head:
What brings you here?
In the woods behind, a white horse and purple robes moved about.
Rongzhen walked slowly, her long hair flowing over her shoulders and her skirt fluttering.
The river breeze, sharp as a knife, accentuates her slender shoulders; her black hair, like a waterfall, reflects the sunlight.
She reached out her hand to him:
"Return my hairpin."
After a pause, Rong Zhen turned her face away:
"Before yesterday's thunder, I was just feeling sentimental and wanted to find someone similar to help me fix my hair. As I said yesterday, my father and you are in similar situations. You are still a gentleman. In short, it was just a feeling triggered by the scene, nothing else. Don't flatter yourself, and don't even think about taking my hairpin. That's all."
The palace-dressed girl finished speaking coldly with an "that's it" expression, only to find that Ouyang Lianghan was just quietly looking at her.
She immediately turned around, patted the zither on the horse's back, and impatiently stretched out a small, fair hand:
"The old master is gone. The [Emperor Wen] sword technique you desire can only be taught by me. Bring me the hairpin; it's an exchange, one item for one item, it's that simple. Don't dawdle." She paused. "What, you're trying to keep it to yourself?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, leading his horse forward, seemingly unconcerned about the sword technique.
Rongzhen stood still, her long black hair fluttering in the howling river wind.
She glanced sideways, staring intently at his tall, slender back, her cheeks puffed out and her teeth clenched.
The aloof, palace-dressed girl continued to lead the horse behind.
The two of them, one after the other, traveled south along the Yangtze River to Longcheng...
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
