Chapter 873 Dripping Water Cave
early morning.
A thin mist lingered between the bamboo stalks.
In a daze, Ouyang Rong mistakenly thought he had returned to that grand hall.
I don't know how that strange hall was made; sometimes the power of memories is astonishing, and this one was so lifelike.
"Brother Liu, why are you awake so early!"
Sha Ergou washed his face with cold water, picked up a towel to wipe his face, and curiously turned around to ask.
Ouyang Rong had finished washing up and turned his gaze away from the misty bamboo forest. Using the reflection on the water in the vat, he put on his felt hat.
Sha Ergou did get up early today, leaving before dawn. However, when he was excitedly preparing to call Ouyang Rong, the latter was already all ready to go.
Seeing that Sha Ergou was ready.
"Walk."
Ouyang Rong spoke succinctly and took the lead in going out.
Before leaving, however, he carried a bamboo tube, filled it with fresh water from the water vat, and hung it on his waist.
Sha Ergou was carrying a small bundle containing some dry rations.
The two men each carried food and water. They were busy all day, and the Yue women were like goddesses who didn't eat, so they didn't provide them with food. The two men were also men with big appetites.
However, the bamboo tube hanging from Ouyang Rong's waist was made by him splitting bamboo in the past two days. It was not only used to hold water, but also to hide the Peach Blossom Spring painting.
There was a hidden compartment on the outer layer of the bamboo tube, where Ouyang Rong placed the bronze scroll and Miao Si's natal ink stick.
She hid the little ink spirit inside not only because she was incredibly lazy and kept complaining to him about the hot weather and needing to cool off, but also to be on the safe side in case of emergencies, so that the little guy could keep a secret of the Peach Blossom Spring map.
However, Sha Ergou likes to shake the bamboo tube randomly every time he gets a drink, which makes Miaosi very unhappy.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the final two stages of the Yue Nu and Zhu Tang assessments will conclude today.
As soon as the two stepped out of the door, the gate of the neighboring courtyard was also opened.
Li Wan stood in front of the bamboo gate, holding a handkerchief in her hand, reluctantly bidding farewell to her son.
"Jinghong, pay attention and do your best today."
The noblewoman leaned against the door frame, her figure slender and graceful, still retaining her charm, waving to her son.
Ouyang Rong glanced at him. Sha Ergou was still young and didn't understand romance. His attention was entirely on his peers.
After Lu Jinghong went out, he walked forward with his head down, without saying a word or replying to his mother. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was in a hurry to go to the outhouse.
"Brother Lu, slow down, wait for us."
Sha Ergou greeted him familiarly.
Lu Jinghong not only didn't slow down, but walked even faster, without looking back.
Sha Ergou scratched his head.
Ouyang Rong and Li Wan exchanged a glance, and then, under the polite smiles of the noblewoman, they walked together to meet outside the bamboo grove.
The Yue women's rafts have not yet arrived.
On the beach, a group of young men and women are waiting.
"Brother Liu, Brother Sha."
When Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou arrived, Song Zhian and Yu Xiaoniangzi had already arrived and were chatting with Lu Jinghong. Upon seeing the two of them, Yu Xiaoniangzi greeted them with a smile.
Yu Xiaoniangzi's real name is not often called. Ouyang Rong heard Song Zhian say in private that the name doesn't sound very nice, something like Yu Mili.
Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou exchanged a glance. They immediately recognized the name as being in Madam Yu's naming style, so it was undoubtedly her biological son. They just didn't know who he inherited his arithmetic from, but the shrewd and cunning Madam Yu certainly wouldn't take the blame.
"Miss Song, do you still have the cooling balm with you?"
Lu Jinghong ignored Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou who had just arrived and said to Song Zhian in a muffled voice.
Song Zhian glanced at his expression, gestured to Yu Xiaoniangzi to hand over the cooling balm, and casually asked:
"Young Master Lu didn't sleep well last night? I originally brought this for Brother Sha just in case."
Lu Jinghong took the cooling balm, applied some to her face, let out a long breath, and said with a stern face:
"There were dogs barking in the middle of the night last night, and I didn't sleep much in the latter half of the night."
Sha Ergou looked around in confusion: "What kind of dog is that? It can bark all night? I didn't hear it. Are there any dogs on this island?"
Lu Jinghong nodded: "Who knew it was a 'stupid' dog."
Sha Ergou became increasingly puzzled and looked at Ouyang Rong.
The latter glanced at Lu Jinghong, who was being tormented by the snoring, and said nothing.
Sha Ergou was puzzled, but still offered a kind and comforting remark:
"Young Master Lu, please perform well today. Don't let him mess up again like he was bitten by a monkey or barked at by a dog. I don't know why, but I feel like Young Master Lu has encountered a lot of bad luck. Could it be that he's run into some bad luck star? The old folks in my village say that you should stay away from people like him unless you're betting against him in an underground gambling den."
Lu Jinghong's forehead veins throbbed. He turned around, sword in hand, expressionless, and took two steps forward.
I don't want to talk to that person at all anymore.
To paraphrase a certain little ink spirit, it's the most annoying, without a doubt.
"Alright, the bamboo raft is here."
Song Zhian seemed to sense something and gracefully stepped between the two to smooth things over.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw bamboo rafts moored on the beach, as were the rafts on the neighboring island.
The girls were transported in two batches to the assessment.
This time, the one leading the group was still the cold-faced Senior Sister Yuan.
However, she looked more serious today, not as imposing as she was yesterday when she was in full charge.
She began to give the order:
"As usual, the women go first, and the men wait where they are."
Song Zhian and Yu Xiaoniangzi waved goodbye to Ouyang Rong and the other two, and then boarded the raft with the main group.
Hearing that they would be able to meet the legendary Great Queen today, the girls on the bamboo raft were full of anticipation. Many of them chattered excitedly, and even the two goddesses, Song and Yu, looked a little nervous and solemn.
Ouyang Rong didn't look at the bamboo rafts and girls that were gradually disappearing into the distance. Instead, he turned his head to look at the bamboo rafts that were setting off from the neighboring island, and the figures on them.
If nothing unexpected happens, Ah Qing should be over there. I don't know if I'll have a chance to see her today. The half peach has already been cut open. If I don't give it to her soon, it will be a freebie for Miao Si.
Today was a sunny day. The morning sun was neither too strong nor too weak, and it warmed Ouyang Rong and the other boys who stayed on the beach. Well, except for Lu Jinghong, who kept yawning.
To stay awake, the latter had almost finished using up the cooling balm in his hand.
Finally, Senior Sister Yuan and her group of Yue women returned on a raft and beckoned everyone to board.
"Strange, why is Young Master Lu so far away from us?"
As Sha Ergou prepared to board the ship, he looked around and realized that Lu Jinghong had already left him and gone to another ship...
He probably wants to stay away from you.
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly.
However, Sha Ergou's natural friendliness was no joke; he pulled Ouyang Rong along and joined them.
"Why is Young Master Lu walking so fast? Let's go together, we can't let him down today."
Lu Jinghong remained expressionless, dodging Sha Ergou's outstretched hand that reached out to pat her shoulder, and said coldly and ruthlessly:
"You said bad luck should stay away from me."
Sha Ergou grinned and said, "It's alright. Brother Liu and I are lucky enough. I'll share some with you."
Lu Jinghong's eyes flashed with anger: "Don't touch me, I already told you not to touch me."
Ouyang Rong ignored the two's playful fight and began to observe the surrounding islands while calculating the time.
This time, the place they went to seemed to be even deeper into the Sword Swamp than the island in the first level.
However, the speed at which these rafts returned on their first trip was actually similar to yesterday's Peach Valley assessment. This means that the process of checking innate talent in the second stage will be much faster than the first stage's swordsmanship talent assessment, which is a good thing for him.
Amid Lu Jinghong's disdainful expression, the raft finally arrived at a vast island. Several towering mountains rose and fell on the island, their peaks obscured by clouds, and a few birds could be seen soaring in the sky.
From the moment we saw the island's silhouette to the moment we arrived at it, it took a full half hour—a true case of "looking at the mountain but running to exhaustion."
The raft carrying everyone did not land on the beach of this large island, but instead turned a corner and sailed into the foot of a cliff near the water, where there was a cave, the destination of which was unknown.
The raft carrying about a dozen teenagers sailed into the cave one by one, passing through the underground currents.
About fifteen minutes later, we finally arrived at the depths of the cave, where there was a single stalactite path leading into the depths.
Three women dressed in Wu and Yue attire, with peach-shaped pendants hanging from their waists, stood on the shore waiting and performed the sword-wielding salute:
"Senior Sister Yuan."
"Everyone's here, let's go in."
Senior Sister Yuan walked in front, and Ouyang Rong and his group disembarked from the boat. Under her guidance, they went deep into the cave.
"You can call it the Dripping Cave; you'll get to know it later."
She walked at the front with practiced ease, and casually remarked.
Ouyang Rong memorized the name, looked around, and found that the cave was very large. He felt that the passageway under his feet was slightly sloping upwards, as if it were going to go deeper into the mountain.
Soon, they arrived at a huge space inside the cave, a stone hall, which should be the Dripping Water Hall that Senior Sister Yuan had mentioned.
Above, there was a gap, through which a beam of sunlight shone down onto the high platform in the center of the stone hall, making the cave not dark but rather providing excellent visibility.
In the center of the cave hall, an elderly Yue woman with a full head of silver hair and a wrinkled face stood sternly on a stone platform.
There were many young Yue women watching from the sidelines, each wearing a different badge.
Besides the passageway through which Ouyang Rong and his group came, there are many other passageway entrances around the main hall of this cave, their destinations unknown.
Along the surrounding passageways, new women dressed in Wu and Yue attire arrived from time to time. Some strolled leisurely, some looked travel-worn, and some came in twos and threes, seemingly from outside to observe today's ceremony. It was unclear which branch of Jianze they belonged to.
Ouyang Rong, with his sharp eyes, noticed out of the corner of his eye a group of girls lining up to evacuate near an entrance leading deeper into the cave.
Many of the girls had already walked through, but the passageway was very narrow, and they had to line up one by one to get in.
"Brother Liu."
Song Zhian and Yu Xiaoniangzi were at the end of the group of girls. When they saw them arrive, they walked over when no one was paying attention.
Sha Ergou immediately asked with concern:
"Miss Song, where are you headed? Have you passed the second test?"
Lu Jinghong, who had originally distanced himself from Sha Ergou, immediately perked up his ears.
"Our assessment is over, and now we're heading to the third stage. The senior sisters said that the third stage leads out of a cave on a cliff, and it tests one's mental fortitude. They say it's a forbidden area, something like a palace..."
Lu Jinghong couldn't help but ask:
"How are Miss Song's grades?"
Just then, some Yue women looked over, and Song Zhian said somewhat quickly:
"It's alright. You guys can get through the second stage here. It'll be quick. That senior just patted us on the head... We'll be going now. We'll talk later."
Lady Yu also sighed with regret:
"It's a pity that the First Lady and the others didn't come today. I heard from my senior sisters that the First Lady has temporarily gone into seclusion to cultivate in peace and can't come. Only the Sixth Lady is presiding over the third level... Hmm, we won't be able to see that goddess-like First Lady."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong glanced sideways.
It seems that Lady Zhi Shuang and the others were not unwell after yesterday's battle in the strange hall, and probably haven't recovered yet.
Originally, the Great Queen of Yunmeng had announced in advance that she would come to observe today, so for her to break her promise, it seems that she has encountered quite a bit of "trouble".
Ouyang Rong recalled the strange hall from last night. He glanced at Song Zhian's back, who had just mentioned a certain hall, and had some vague guesses.
The third test of mental fortitude, could it be that strange hall?
Ouyang Rong remained silent, his expression unchanged, as he watched Song Zhian and Yu Xiaoniangzi follow the main group into the new passageway and leave the cave.
Inside the cave, the rhythmic dripping of water accentuated the desolation of the underground palace.
Stalactites of strange shapes are scattered throughout the cave.
The area around the high platform is being cleared in preparation for welcoming this group of men.
The Yue women watching from the high platform were whispering among themselves, seemingly enjoying discussing certain topics.
Ouyang Rong vaguely heard some words, which seemed to refer to something that the previous group of Yue women had praised highly.
On the high platform in the center of the hall, the old Yue woman suddenly opened her eyes. Her eyes were mostly white with little black, and she glanced at Ouyang Rong and the others.
"Silence. Begin the second stage of the Bamboo Hall assessment."
Senior Sister Yuan turned her head and casually nodded:
"Ah Hong, you go first, Liu A Liang second... the rest of you can go however you like, line up in one row and go up on stage for the assessment."
Lu Jinghong had expected Senior Sister Yuan to call his name next. He had already taken the initiative to step forward and follow Liu Aliang and Ahong to the front, based on his third-place ranking from yesterday. However, he saw that after Senior Sister Yuan finished calling Liu Aliang's name, she seemed to ponder for a moment before waving her hand and telling everyone to line up as they pleased.
"..."
Lu Jinghong paused slightly as Sha Ergou rushed past him.
"Brother Liu, let's go together."
Sha Ergou inserted himself behind Ouyang Rong and said happily.
"Uh-huh."
Ouyang Rong responded and, ignoring Lu Jinghong and the others, stepped forward and followed the dark-skinned boy named Ahong, starting to line up to go up to the platform for testing.
After observing from the nearest vantage point for a while, Ouyang Rong discovered that, just as Song Zhian had said, the second stage of the assessment was indeed very fast.
Ouyang Rong silently counted in his mind, and it was indeed less than three breaths.
The elderly Yue woman simply patted Ah Hong's head lightly, then nodded gently, indicating that it was time for him to finish and step off the stage.
At the same time, the aged Yue woman turned her head and said a few words to the Yue woman holding the pen, seemingly reporting Ah Hong's achievements...
Ouyang Rong was second in line, and it would be his turn soon.
(End of this chapter)
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