Chapter 884 The Empress's Appointment?
Myths are gradually being lost.
The loss of the top three ranks and the disappearance of the Celestial Beings of Shenzhou are manifestations of this major trend.
It was also the case that sorcerers began to leave the Central Plains and became keen on going to sea to seek immortality.
Ouyang Rong recalled that when Cui Hao discussed Guixu and the three ethereal immortal mountains, he had mentioned the "water puddle theory." When a pond dries up, the surviving fish can only swim to the few remaining water puddles, gather together, and resist the "drought."
And isn't the Yunmeng Marsh, which has shrunk to nine hundred miles in area, just another kind of small puddle?
I wonder how many other fish are hiding in the Yunmeng Sword Marsh.
Getting back to the point.
The existence of the wondrous thought told Ouyang Rong that there are spirits and monsters in this world.
Although rare and exceptional, some individuals may have eccentric personalities. For example, Miaosi may be a bit abstract, but her love of food and laziness are still within the realm of what most people can understand.
However, the cannibalistic, demonic creature that Lu Jinghong dreamed of made Ouyang Rong somewhat uneasy.
Does this creepy thing really exist?
However, when he thought that most of the images in his dreams were manifestations of some kind of premonition, and not 100% accurate, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It's not difficult to try and interpret Lu Jinghong's dream.
For example, elements such as cannibalism, overseas, longevity, and becoming an immortal clearly correspond to overseas sorcerers.
It refers to those chaotic and disorderly groups who wander outside the Divine Continent in pursuit of immortality.
The fox-like, fairy-like creature in their nightmares might represent them.
The special bloodline of the Lu family of Fanyang, and the Lu family medicine bottles, may be related to this group in some way that is hard to sever.
Is there some unknown historical entanglement between the two?
What is known so far is that the Lu family of Fanyang has been a family that has passed down Confucianism since the Qin Dynasty, rose to prominence in the Han Dynasty, and its most illustrious and glorious period was during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, they were known as the most prestigious clans in the northern states, ranking alongside the "Cui, Li, and Wang" families as one of the four most prominent clans. This rank has continued into the present dynasty, where they remain firmly among the five most prestigious clans and seven prominent families.
How did a powerful northern clan, steeped in Confucian tradition for generations, become entangled with overseas sorcerers?
Ouyang Rong suddenly thought of Lu Changgeng.
Several hundred years ago, this scholar from the Lu family led his clan to migrate silently from the Northern Wei Dynasty and settled in the Yunmeng Marsh.
Was it simply a matter of following the trend of the elite migrating south to escape the war?
Could there be some unspeakable secret?
If it was just a common scenario of the Lu family branch moving south to bet on the Southern Song Dynasty, then why didn't they move their entire family to Jiankang City at that time, or to the wealthy lands of the Wang and Xie families in the south?
Why come to this "poisonous miasma-ridden" Yunmeng Marsh?
What lies within Yunmeng Marsh?
Clearly, this place contains the Yunmeng Sword Marsh, which has stood in seclusion for thousands of years, and is far away from those sorcerers who seek immortality.
Ouyang Rong suddenly looked up and squinted at the door in the darkness.
My junior sister once said that among the nine mythical Daoist lineages, the Yue Nu Daoist lineage is the most effective at countering the Fang Shushi Daoist lineage.
This is because sword cultivators have the purest state of mind, and are closest to that "one".
Even if they possess countless strange and unorthodox techniques, I will shatter them all with a single sword strike.
For a thousand years, the sorcerers who seek immortality and longevity have mostly appeared on the distant northern coast, far from the south, regarding the south as taboo, all in order to avoid the Yue Maiden Sword.
So, is Lu Changgeng's entire clan's crossing of the river and southward migration to Yunmeng related to Yunmeng Jianze?
Ouyang Rong suddenly realized that he had vaguely grasped something.
"If that's the case, things aren't as simple as I initially thought... But there's one person who definitely knows why Lu Changgeng's clan migrated south, since they corresponded, and he even left behind a Kui Xing talisman that could be taken into the coffin after the other person's death..."
On the couch, the young man in monk's robes sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"You, Cui Hao, how many things have you been hiding?"
He then muttered to himself, half-jokingly:
"You couldn't possibly have left this Kui Xing talisman in your letter hundreds of years ago just to wait for me, could you? If so, Senior Cui, you might as well sit at the same table as that fox in Lu Jinghong's dream..."
Halfway through his sentence, Ouyang Rong suddenly reached out and grabbed to his right.
A sneaky little ink spirit heading towards its target was grabbed by a large hand.
Just one step away! Miao Si suddenly rebelled defiantly, shouting:
"Let go of this fairy maiden! Little Rongzi, are you rebelling? Let go of this fairy maiden now!"
Ouyang Rong said helplessly:
"Can you please stop thinking about these peaches?"
Miao Si pondered carefully in Ouyang Rong's palm for a moment, then shook his head vigorously:
"No way! I'd rather die than do that."
Before Ouyang Rong could ask, she snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and retorted:
"Heh, do I, this fairy maiden, have the habit of eating only half a peach?"
Ouyang Rong: ...
I don't know, but you might have a habit of being itchy-skinned and asking for a beating.
A moment later, Ouyang Rong, with a stern face, suppressed the little Mo Jing who could hardly distinguish between the two kings.
He put away the half peach, looked out the window, and saw that the night was deep, and the fallen jade plate was hidden behind the dark clouds.
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and entered the Pagoda of Merit.
The blessing bell and the small wooden fish remained unchanged, but the former remained silent.
Ouyang Rong's gaze fell on the cyan-gold characters.
Merit: 588
The merits are still slowly being restored.
I'm still a ways off from the safe threshold of three thousand merits; it seems I should find some new ways to accumulate merit...
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, left the Merit Pagoda, opened his eyes, and returned to the quiet room.
He glanced down at the Mo family sword box on the couch, hesitated for a moment, and then put it away.
I had originally planned to take out the snow-white longsword tonight and explore it further.
However, thinking of the young lady Zhi Shuang who had been forced into seclusion by him, he withdrew his idea and decided not to affect her for the time being. Ouyang Rong was still waiting for the young lady Zhi Shuang to remember him again.
Just then, Ouyang Rong suddenly stood up.
He remained motionless, as if listening intently.
A strange noise came from outside the window, seemingly the call of some kind of bird, right in the yard.
After a short wait, it was finally confirmed.
Soon, the figure of the young man in monk's robes disappeared from the room, his whereabouts unknown.
Half an incense stick later, the birdsong outside disappeared.
Night fell and all was quiet.
...
dawn.
Before dawn.
"Brother Liu, what's wrong with you...?"
Sha Ergou snored loudly all night. He was usually awake at a certain time, but he was woken up by a hot and fragrant aroma. He got up early, walked out of his room, and asked the young monk in monk's robes who was busy in the courtyard, still sleepy.
Ouyang Rong observed the soup-making process and said without turning his head:
"Last night a pheasant ran into the yard and started squawking outside my window. It was practically delivered to my doorstep, so I figured I might as well take it."
Sha Ergou looked at the colorful chicken feathers scattered on the ground and scratched his head.
He vaguely remembered that there were many beautiful pheasants with colorful tails on the island. They were not afraid of strangers and were used to roaming around the island. Whenever he encountered them during the day, they would make his mouth water.
Sha Ergou didn't expect Brother Liu to act so quickly, even mentioning "barbecue tonight" before leaving.
However, Sha Ergou's attention was on something else at the moment.
He said somewhat sadly:
"So Brother Liu also had insomnia last night and didn't sleep?"
Ouyang Rong nodded, squatted down, and stared at the fire in the stove: "It's about right."
After a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "Oh? Er Gou doesn't seem to have insomnia, does he? He's snoring quite loudly."
Sha Ergou emphasized, "But I also had a hard time sleeping."
Ouyang Rong smiled wryly.
Sha Ergou stood there for a while, thinking that Brother Liu wanted to have a meal before leaving. He didn't say anything and turned to wash up.
However, when Sha Ergou finished washing up and was about to go out, he found that Brother Liu was carefully putting the freshly stewed chicken soup into a bowl and then into a food box. In addition, there seemed to be half a Qingyan Late Peach in the food box.
Brother Liu didn't eat it himself.
Sha Ergou's eyes reddened as he looked at Brother Liu's retreating figure, who had worked hard all night, and sniffed.
"Brother Liu, you...you really are..."
Ouyang Rong, who was preparing to treat A Qing to a good meal, couldn't help but turn around and ask:
"Really what?"
Sha Ergou shook his head vigorously, remaining silent, lost in emotion.
Besides taking the food box with him, Ouyang Rong also packed his luggage, including the bamboo tube containing the Peach Blossom Spring map... He put them all in a small bundle and carried it with him when he left.
The two left the courtyard as usual, walked out of the bamboo forest, and met at the beach.
Soon, he met up with Song Zhian, Yu Mili, and Lu Jinghong.
Seeing the hot food box in Ouyang Rong's hand, not only Sha Ergou thought so, but Song Zhian and the other two also thought of a certain possibility and turned their eyes.
On the beach, the new Yue women and the boys from the Bamboo Hall gradually gathered.
Waiting for Senior Sister Yue and the big ship to arrive.
Today is especially crucial for them. Passing the assessment to enter Yunmeng Sword Swamp is only the first step. Today, the female rulers and senior members of the Bamboo Hall will be present to assign them to different classes. Naturally, there will be different levels among them.
Ouyang Rong and the other unsuccessful young men and women also arrived early to gather. They did not go with any of the large ships, because according to past practice, Yue women would arrange for them to leave Jianze and go down the mountain.
However, since the Yue women and the large ship have not yet arrived, Ouyang Rong has some time to spend with Song Zhian and Sha Ergou.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Lu Jinghong had changed into a brand new black brocade outfit today, looking very energetic. He seemed to have slept soundly last night, and he looked full of fighting spirit, as if he was preparing to welcome this important day.
The four of them were close to Ouyang Rong, and Lu Jinghong smelled the enticing aroma of the chicken soup and couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Liu, you have this skill?"
Song Zhian and the others also turned their heads to look.
Having stayed on the island for so long, with bland food and it being breakfast time, all four of them had rumbling stomachs.
Ouyang Rong nodded: "I know a little bit."
He glanced at the neighboring island, where it seemed there were also young women gathering on the beach. He was somewhat distracted.
Lady Yu stared intently at the food box, somewhat moved, and said:
"Brother Liu, you're such a kind person, sob sob, I really don't want you to leave..."
Song Zhian frowned slightly and asked with concern, "It smells good, but where did this chicken come from? I heard from my senior sister that some birds on these islands seem to be unable to..."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow.
Suddenly I understand why that pheasant with its colorful tail isn't afraid of strangers.
So here, they're considered "first-class protected animals" like those Peach Valley apes?
The young man in monk's robes clenched his fist, covered his mouth, and coughed.
"It's nothing, we're leaving soon, it shouldn't make a difference. Also, everyone, don't announce it yet..."
When the topic of parting came up, the four of them fell silent, and Song Zhian also fell silent.
However, after standing there for a while, Ouyang Rong noticed that everyone seemed to be looking frequently at the food box in his hand.
Ouyang Rong then realized what was happening.
The chicken soup and Qingyan late peaches were actually prepared by him for Aqing.
Since Ouyang Rong is about to leave Yunmengze, he can only entrust Song Zhian and the others to deliver the food box there, and they will definitely be able to see Aqing when they go there today.
However, it seems that the four of them have misunderstood and think that he has prepared a parting gift for them.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
Especially Yu Xiaoniangzi's bright, piercing eyes stared at the food box for a while, and then looked at him, "Brother Liu," with an increasingly heartbroken expression.
Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, then prepared to speak.
Just then, boats began to arrive at the ferry dock on the beach.
A Yue woman disembarked and organized the young women and boys on the beach to board the boat in an orderly manner.
The people on the beach boarded the boat in two groups.
One group consists of the selected individuals.
There was another group, naturally including those who were not selected, such as Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the ship that was taking away the unsuccessful candidates. Without further hesitation, he clasped his hands in farewell to Song Zhian and the others in front of him, then handed over the food box, preparing to give them instructions about the food box.
Just then, a woman's voice came from behind:
"Which of you is Liu Aliang?"
Ouyang Rong turned around and saw a pretty Yue woman who seemed to have come down from the ship of the selected contestants. She looked around at the young men and women who were boarding the ship and asked loudly.
The atmosphere on the beach became a little quieter.
Song Zhian, Yu Mili, Lu Jinghong, and Sha Ergou immediately turned their gazes toward Ouyang Rong.
"It's me?"
Ouyang Rong raised his hand and stepped forward.
The elegant Yue woman, with a gentle expression, glanced at him, gestured to the young women, including Chen Jiaxin, who were boarding the ship, and said:
"You will board the ship with them."
Ouyang Rong asked:
"Me? What is it?"
Sha Ergou couldn't help but interject, exclaiming with delight:
"Senior sister, could it be that Brother Liu was selected, and we missed reading the list yesterday?"
The elegant Yue woman shook her head:
"I don't know. I'm just here on orders from Her Majesty."
Lu Jinghong couldn't help but ask, "Which female ruler?"
The elegant Yue woman didn't answer, nor did she look at him. She turned around, returned to her boat, and left only one sentence:
"Liu Aliang, remember to get on the boat."
Sha Ergou's face was full of smiles:
"Great, Brother Liu, come on, come on, put your luggage down first, haha."
Yu Mili looked at Ouyang Rong with a surprised expression.
Song Zhian was also full of surprise, her eyes fixed on Ouyang Rong as if searching for something.
Lu Jinghong frowned in confusion, glancing at the departing figure of the elegant Yue woman and then at Ouyang Rong, whose expression was equally surprised.
The commotion caused by Ouyang Rong also attracted the attention of the other young women.
Not far away, Chen Jiaxin and her female companions seemed to have also noticed them.
Silently, the group boarded the largest ship.
The large ship slowly began to sail into the depths of the Sword Marsh.
Ouyang Rong was among them this time.
However, some young women on deck cast their gazes...
(End of this chapter)
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