Chapter 834 The Grand Master of Fate... Not Big
It was late at night.
Li Dalang was shaken awake from a deep sleep.
"Wake up... Your Highness... Wake up..."
"ah?"
Li Dalang groggily opened his eyes and saw Shunbo shaking his arm rapidly at the head of the bed, his wrinkled face showing some anxiety.
"W-What's wrong?"
Startled, Li Dalang immediately rolled off the bed, causing the blanket covering his stomach to slip off.
He hurriedly looked around and found that he was still in the guest room of the inn, and the luggage on the table had not been touched.
The entire guest room was pitch black, with the occasional chirping of insects outside. He could see the moonlight falling on the window, and it seemed to be the fifth watch of the night.
The room was pitch black and completely silent.
The only odd presence was Uncle Shun standing by the bed, which seemed out of place with the atmosphere. If it were a strange old man, Li Dalang would probably be terrified.
"Shh, Your Highness, please keep your voice down. It's nothing. Please get dressed first, then come downstairs with me. Don't make any noise, and don't bring any luggage, just come with me..."
Li Dalang paused for a moment, about to ask further, when Shunbo suddenly turned around, put his index finger to his dry lips, and whispered:
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, and Miss Xie are all still awake and waiting for you."
Li Dalang immediately became obedient.
He obediently got out of bed, put on his clothes, got up in the middle of the night, and followed them out at top speed.
As he walked down the stairs, he tried to slow down, but since he had just woken up and his brain was still in the process of rebooting, he inevitably walked unsteadily, like a slightly tipsy person, walking with uneven steps and appearing a bit clumsy.
This uncertain commotion caused Uncle Shun, who was gesturing with his boos, to become increasingly anxious.
Li Dalang coughed unconsciously, but when he saw Shunbo turn around, he immediately covered his mouth.
Finally, amidst the old steward's trembling fear, Li Dalang safely descended the stairs, passed through the sleeping guest rooms, and arrived at the backyard of the inn.
Outside the gate, a carriage remained motionless in the shadows not far away.
A nightingale was singing in the distance.
Li Dalang suddenly became clear-headed and focused intently.
He followed Uncle Shun with some caution, and when he saw the familiar tall figure in the driver's seat, their eyes met.
Li Dalang breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Miss Xie..."
Shh, get in the car.
The woman raised a finger to her lips.
"good!"
Li Dalang bent down and climbed into the carriage, followed closely by Shunbo, who also got into the carriage.
Xie Lingjiang was still wearing the same red dress she wore during the day, but now she had a black silk cloak over it and a coachman's hat over her head, which covered her bright red eyes. Sitting in the carriage, she seemed to blend into the darkness, with only her clear eyes visible beneath the hat.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at Li Dalang, who was getting into the car, and his gaze fell on Li Dalang's wrist.
A string of wooden prayer beads had fallen back onto her wrist.
Just as Li Dalang was being led closer to the carriage by Uncle Shun, before he could even see her face clearly, Li Dalang secretly tightened his grip on the wooden Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist.
This was left to him by his senior brother.
Xie Lingjiang nodded almost imperceptibly.
It seems to acknowledge his certain vigilance.
I breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Just remember what your senior brother told you before he left.
Li Dalang was unaware that he had left Xie Lingjiang with the impression of being both rough and meticulous.
He climbed into the carriage and saw that it was almost full.
Father left, Mother was beautiful, and Sister left.
Master Lu Ya and his maid Cai Shou were both present.
Li Guo'er sat opposite Li Xian and his wife, and an empty seat next to her was taken by Li Dalang.
All eyes were on him as he rushed over.
"Why did you oversleep, Dalang? Didn't we agree to go back and wait for news?"
Wei Mei complained somewhat.
Li Dalang subconsciously said:
"I didn't expect it to be so soon. After dinner, I went back to my room, thinking I'd just close my eyes and rest for a bit at the table. But somehow I ended up falling asleep in bed..."
Wei Mei couldn't help but complain:
"You silly child, you can sleep soundly in any environment, even in the blink of an eye. What if you encounter danger..."
"Oh, Mei Niang, stop talking."
Li Xian raised his hand to stop Wei Mei. His eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, but his tone was gentle:
"In this respect, Dalang is better than me. He is easygoing and doesn't take anything to heart. He falls asleep quickly at night and sleeps well. This is the only way he can withstand the pressure of adversity and have the energy to do things, instead of tossing and turning every day, feeling exhausted. This is an advantage."
"I used to think this was just a sign of a common person, but now I realize it's a sign of great wisdom appearing as foolishness, a blessing. Just keep it up, Da Lang, and don't listen to your mother."
Wei Mei was speechless, her eyebrows furrowed, but since everyone around her was nodding in agreement, she held back, kept a straight face, and reached out to straighten the messy collar of her eldest son, Li Fusu.
Li Dalang scratched his head.
He was starting to feel a little uneasy after being praised by his father.
However, judging from Father's appearance, he seems to be in a good mood tonight. Although he doesn't look like he slept well, perhaps he just received Tanlang's brocade pouch from Miss Xie this evening.
Although Danlang kept telling his father to adapt to circumstances before he left, saying that major events that change destiny require taking risks, his father must have been deeply moved and gratified to receive guidance from Danlang at this crucial moment.
Li Dalang thought to himself.
Everyone has arrived.
Without hearing any greetings, Li Dalang felt the carriage beneath him slowly starting to move, its wheels rolling forward.
I don't know where I'm going.
Li Dalang didn't ask any questions. He looked around and saw that everyone's expressions were either serious or expectant.
The father raised his hand, touched his bosom, and carefully took out a small box. After opening it, he wiped the luminous pearl with his sleeve.
The luminous pearl emitted a cool moonlight that illuminated the dimly lit carriage.
Li Dalang saw that his sister, Li Guo'er, had a long sword lying across her lap. She lifted the carriage curtain with a normal expression and looked out the window. Her fair left hand was tightly gripping the hilt of the sword, while her right hand was tapping the blade lightly with her fingers. It was unclear what she was thinking.
Li Dalang, however, was not surprised at all.
Along the way from Hanyang County in Jiangnan to Luoyang, the capital, Amei often drifted off into thought like this.
He turned his head and caught a glimpse of his mother, Wei Mei's, right hand, tightly clutching a seal with the words "Red Lotus" engraved on it. Her palm was damp with sweat, but she didn't notice.
Wei Mei frowned repeatedly as he gazed at the night view outside the window.
Although neither Xie Lingjiang nor Li Xian mentioned what they were doing or who they were meeting after he got on the bus, Xie Lingjiang and Li Xian did not mention it after he got on the bus.
But the atmosphere inside the car made Li Dalang realize the importance of this trip.
Apart from their indispensable swords and other personal belongings, they brought nothing else, traveling light and only with themselves.
Li Dalang's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
Just as evening was falling, they followed Tanlang's instructions in the first brocade pouch and sent Rongzhen to the palace.
Li Dalang really didn't expect the response from the other side to be so quick, so he overslept.
Li Dalang suddenly remembered what Tanlang had once said.
There aren't many turning points in a person's life that can change their destiny, and the major choices they can make are only a few, which may seem trivial at the time.
To paraphrase Tanlang's words, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary at the time.
However, the results were completely different.
Even choosing a day earlier or later can lead to drastically different outcomes.
If you step on it, you'll get up there.
If you don't step on it, then there's no going back.
Just like two years ago today, he, his parents, and his sister were still in a poor county in a corner of Jiangnan. He was just a bookworm who had never even touched a mother's hand.
The future, like the only dirt road in this remote county town leading to Xunyang, the prefectural capital, is something you can see all the way to the end...
Take, for example, the folk tale of the carp leaping over the dragon gate.
Beneath the Dragon Gate, in the surging river, thousands of carp leap and vie for position.
Is the carp that finally leaps over the Dragon Gate necessarily the strongest and most deserving of the honor?
Not entirely.
The carp that leaps over the Dragon Gate and transforms into a dragon is definitely not the most powerful carp among those crossing the river.
There are countless people stronger than him.
But once you leap over the Dragon Gate, you've crossed it; from then on, you transform into a dragon, and the mortal and immortal realms are separated.
How cruel fate can be.
Only life and death are fair.
A profound sense of destiny, a feeling of impending rebirth or plunging into the abyss, gripped Li Dalang's heart.
He couldn't help but lick his dry lips.
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slender, delicate hand gripping the hilt of a sword tightly, the back of the hand turning white from the grip.
In the darkness, this delicate hand was dazzlingly white.
Li Dalang's gaze shifted upwards.
It was the girl sitting next to me.
She had already lowered the carriage curtain and seemed to be sitting upright, but her expression was unclear; it was impossible to tell whether she was resting with her eyes closed or gazing straight ahead.
But it tends to adopt a serene and understated approach.
Li Dalang couldn't help but lower his head and look again at her pale, clenched hands under her sleeves.
What is A-mei thinking?
Are you nervous or excited?
Do you feel the same way he does right now?
Li Dalang doesn't know.
I have no idea what I'll face after getting off the bus... a betrayal and a deadly trap? Or a meteoric rise to power?
But if you ask him if he's nervous...
But there weren't many.
Li Dalang silently stretched out his palm, grasped the blade of the Moonlight Sword, and squeezed it tightly.
The Moonlight Sword, which had been trembling slightly as Li Guo'er gripped her pale little hand, stabilized.
The brother and sister both wielded a sword.
In the dim light, Li Guo'er vaguely turned her head to look.
Li Dalang didn't turn his head; he faced forward and chuckled to himself.
I wonder if Li Guo'er saw it clearly.
After a short while, she turned her head back, and the slender hand on the sword hilt relaxed slightly.
Li Dalang suppressed his smile and took a deep breath.
He gripped the sword tightly in his hand.
He wasn't afraid at all.
He was not just a lucky, born-in-the-world nobleman.
He didn't come to the capital alone.
He came on behalf of Tanlang and all those who carry firewood for the world!
About an hour later.
The carriage arrived at an abandoned mountain god temple a hundred miles outside Luoyang.
The group got off the bus at the temple entrance.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects in the summer.
The temple was pitch black.
As the group entered the temple, they looked closely and saw two figures inside.
They stood together in front of the dilapidated statue.
He was very short, wearing a plain white dress that was familiar to Da Lang.
There's another one... even shorter.
Standing in front of Rongzhen, he appeared to be the leader.
Li Dalang looked over curiously and saw a figure in a cloak.
Just as the group reached the statue, the cloaked figure turned around, his hood slipped down, revealing his face, and began to speak loudly.
A woman's unique voice, with its authoritative tone, resounded throughout the dilapidated temple:
"Prince Li Xian and Crown Prince Li Fusu, I am here by order of the Holy Emperor to escort you both to the palace to recuperate. So be it!"
The atmosphere of the dilapidated temple was one of utter silence.
Under the winking of Rong Zhen and Xie Lingjiang, Li Xian and Wei Mei hurriedly knelt down to express their gratitude, pulling Li Dalang along with them.
Li Dalang was a little clumsy, and belatedly knelt down, his face full of surprise as he looked at the chubby face of the "shorter figure".
It turned out to be a little girl of six or seven years old.
She was even shorter and more youthful than Rongzhen, who had the figure of a young girl.
However, the chubby little girl standing next to Rongzhen acted like an adult, with her hands behind her back and her chin slightly raised.
The chubby little girl suddenly turned around:
"Rong'er".
She handed back the string of eighteen beads she had been playing with, and put it on Rongzhen's wrist. A deep purple aura flashed across the eighteen beads, and golden light appeared on them in response.
Li Dalang, who had learned about the ways of Qi cultivators from Tanlang and Miss Xie, stared wide-eyed.
This porcelain doll-like little girl is a top-grade Qi cultivator and a grandmaster in the martial arts world!
Judging from her relationship with Rongzhen, could she be the Grand Master of Fate?
The head of the Imperial Observatory?
No way, it's so small?
I thought that Lady Rongzhen was already "young" enough.
Shouldn't she be as old as Deputy Supervisor Song?
Beneath the statue of the God of Loss, a chubby little girl spoke in a sweet, childlike voice, her tone as ethereal as distant mountains:
"This is a great blessing for Rong'er. Please accept it. The matter in Xunyang is not your fault. You have done a great service by retrieving the complete fake Ding Sword. This is a great achievement. I will ask the Holy Emperor for credit on your behalf."
Rong Zhen still had a cold expression, but her tone carried a hint of respect and closeness:
"Yes, Master."
The chubby little girl, who stood with her hands behind her back like a little adult, glanced at the mandarin duck jade hairpin on Rong Zhen's head, and suddenly tiptoed to gently touch the hairpin.
It's like patting someone on the head.
Everyone heard the little girl whisper something in Rongzhen's ear.
"...Hmm...From now on, you are the ninth generation of lamplighters in our company..."
The little girl's tone was somewhat indulgent and favoritistic.
Rong Zhen lowered her eyes.
Everyone looked at Rongzhen, and then at this young but domineering little girl.
Some looked at each other, wondering why the rules seemed reversed. Shouldn't the big ones touch the small ones, and the tall ones touch the short ones?
Xie Lingjiang bowed respectfully, neither servile nor arrogant:
"Thank you for your hard work, Grand Master of Fate."
The rosy-cheeked little girl glanced at Xie Lingjiang with her black pearl-like eyes, but didn't respond. Instead, her gaze fell on the mandarin duck jade hairpin in Xie Lingjiang's hair, lost in thought.
A moment later, the group left the mountain god temple.
A chubby little girl walks at the front with her hands behind her back.
Rong Zhen followed closely behind, half a step behind. When the others saw Rong Zhen's expression, they seemed to have an unusual trust in this rosy-cheeked little girl.
Halfway there, the group saw the chubby little girl in front of them suddenly raise her hand, pull out the mandarin duck jade hairpin from Rong Zhen's hair, and hand it back to Rong Zhen.
The chubby little girl tilts her head:
"Why are you trying to imitate women's high-bun hairstyles? This is no joke."
After saying that, she walked forward with her hands behind her back, her tone indifferent:
"When we meet the Emperor later, we must not overstep the bounds of propriety and must change our hairstyle. Also, if Rong'er has any marriage arrangements in the future, only the Holy Emperor can decide."
The High Priestess of Saint Zhou turned and walked away, her short legs leading the way.
The atmosphere among the people behind them became subtly strange.
As the rosy-cheeked girl finished speaking, a sudden breeze arose in the dilapidated temple, brushing against the girl's jet-black hair draped over her shoulders. The wind, like a nimble hand, styled her hair into a perfectly styled palace-style bun.
A purplish-black pattern appeared on the jade hairpin with mandarin ducks, and with a "whoosh," it shot out and stuck in Rong Zhen's hair at the back of her head, stabilizing her hairstyle.
Rongzhen remained silent and aloof as always, secretly clutching the Buddhist beads he had given her in her sleeve, refusing to let go.
She pursed her lips and followed the petite figure of the rosy-cheeked little girl.
The crowd followed.
We followed this young girl with a childlike face as she entered Luoyang at night.
(End of this chapter)
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