Chapter 947 The Sound of Wooden Fish at Midnight, Mysteriously Increasing Merit
Despite his inner complaints, Ouyang Rong could understand the pressure Chen Jiaxin was under.
As a noble Yue maiden of the Jade Hall, she should, in principle, be the one whose cultivation surpasses all others of her generation, just like the senior sisters in the Jade Hall.
As a result, Aqing has taken the lead in reaching the eighth rank and won a new sandalwood plaque, causing a sensation and heated discussion.
It's easy to imagine the many stares and pressure Chen Jiaxin endured within the Jade Hall, and given her temperament, she certainly wouldn't tolerate even the slightest bit of it...
Ouyang Rong shook his head, reached out his hand, and caught some of the rain falling from the eaves.
It feels cool to the touch, just like the cool valley in front of you.
He wasn't actually lying to Wu Cui. When he came to the Qingliang Valley Restaurant, he genuinely wanted all the goddesses to taste his food, including Xiu Niang.
As Ouyang Rong caught the rain, he suddenly thought that if Xiu Niang and Old Daoist Sun were still in the Qingliang Valley water prison, could they also eat the vegetarian meals that Senior Sister Li and her group of Yutang Yue Nu had just sent in?
He and the embroiderer were, at this moment, also in the same rainy night, not far apart...
Just as the dull young man was staring blankly at the rain curtain.
"I went in to deliver food once, and looking back now, I was really lucky to have encountered the Five Goddesses..."
Suddenly, Wu Cui's voice came from behind:
"The Five Goddess Women are very kind. They're not at all as aloof as they seem. When you're stammering, they'll look at you intently and listen..."
When Ouyang Rong turned around, he saw that Wu Cui had walked to the door at some point and was watching the night rain falling softly outside with him.
She didn't look at Ouyang Rong, but gazed ahead, continuing to speak:
"In my memory, the Five Goddesses' dresses were very white, whiter than any of the fairy dresses I had ever seen. But her skin was even whiter, like the snow in the dead of winter, so white that it seemed to glow, making the white dress look dull in comparison."
Ouyang Rong listened attentively, then turned his head to look and noticed that Wu Cui's expression held a hint of longing and admiration.
"Although the place was very dark at the time, and the lights were practically nonexistent, and I only caught a few fleeting glimpses, the Five Goddesses' faces were absolutely the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life."
Wu Cui lowered her head, took out a well-worn sword manual from her sleeve, touched the blurry cover with her small hand, and whispered:
"Before leaving, the Five Goddesses gave me this booklet, saying it contained some basic sword techniques suitable for me to learn. Before parting, they also said they would test me the next time we met..."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow, his expression showing great interest as he asked:
"And then what happened? Did they test you?"
"I haven't been in there since then. I haven't had the chance to deliver food to Qingliang Valley for a long time now, and I still haven't been able to."
Her tone was slightly defeated, her eyelids drooping, and she shook her head:
"I reckon the Five Goddesses have already forgotten about me. How could such divine beings remember such a trivial matter? If we were to actually meet, I would be too embarrassed to even mention it myself."
After listening, Ouyang Rong subtly hinted:
"Besides the Five Goddesses, have you seen any other goddesses in the Cool Valley?"
Wu Cui was taken aback: "Other goddesses?"
She shook her head and said slowly:
"No. Are you talking about the Six Goddesses? It is said that the two goddesses are sisters and look very similar... but I have never seen them and do not know if the rumors are true."
Ouyang Rong was quiet for a moment, then said:
"So you're working the night shift despite the hardship just so you can see the Five Goddesses one last time?"
Wu Cui's face calmed down:
"Aren't you the same?"
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then asked:
"Wu Cui, where did you first meet the Five Goddesses?"
Without thinking much, Wu Cui's face showed a look of reminiscence as she said:
"The place the fairy asked me to deliver food to is a bit special. You have to cross a waterfall and go down a tunnel, which seems to be a cave..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Is it a water dungeon?"
Wu Cui asked in confusion:
"A water dungeon?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at her confused expression but remained silent.
Seeing that he remained silent, Wu Cui glanced at the young man's calm expression, then seemed to realize something and immediately pressed him for an answer:
"You mean the place the Five Goddesses guard is called the Water Prison?"
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Wu Cui seemed to recall something again, and slowly nodded:
“Now that you mention it, that place does look like a prison. I saw that there were quite a few rooms deep in that stone corridor, but I didn’t have a chance to go in and take a look. I just stopped at the very edge. And those rooms all seemed to be covered by iron doors, so I couldn’t see what was inside.”
“There is a stone chamber at the outermost edge, which is the first room in the corridor. The Five Goddesses sit in it and eat vegetarian meals... However, it is very quiet there. No one makes a fuss. When I went there, I didn’t hear any other voices inside. I thought it was just a unique place of quiet cultivation that the Five Goddesses liked to stay in. So it turns out it is a water dungeon.”
Wu Cui seemed to be deep in thought.
Ouyang Rong's eyes also showed a thoughtful expression.
Wu Cui was most likely in the water dungeon, but she ended up there by mistake while delivering food. She was confused and had no idea where she was.
According to Chen Jiaxin, she was not allowed to go to the water dungeon by the Five Women, perhaps because there was some taboo surrounding that place.
But Wu Cui's description was indeed consistent with the information he had previously obtained from various sources... While the Fifth Lady Yun Xiangyi was sitting in seclusion in meditation, she was guarding the water dungeon.
The most important thing right now is to find out from Wu Cui what the conditions are for her to get in.
Ouyang Rong asked, "How did you get the food in?"
Wu Cui shook her head:
"I don't remember, it seems they were short-staffed there, and only one fairy came. She led us in directly, and didn't say much along the way. I just followed them..."
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and didn't ask any more questions.
It seems that luck played a part, and now he has to wait for that luck to come.
However, he was better off than Wu Cui because he had a "backer"—Miss Chen Jiaxin. It wasn't just him who was anxious about this; Chen Jiaxin, who was far away in Yutang, was even more anxious and would find a way to pave the way for him.
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face. Right now, all he could do was secretly wish that Chen Jiaxin would put in some effort.
In addition, according to Wu Cui's description, Qingliang Valley not only has a water dungeon, but also the Sword Sect's library and other places are located there. Those female cultivators of the Jade Hall, in Ouyang Rong's previous life, would be similar to top students who have entered a prestigious university and are also part-time librarians.
In addition, there is another point of doubt regarding the Five Women.
According to what Chen Jiaxin said during their meeting a few nights ago, the Fifth Lady likes to eat vegetarian food, but she doesn't eat it overnight, which is quite different from the custom in the Great Zhou Dynasty where vegetarian food is eaten before noon.
Because the Five Queens were not from the Great Zhou Dynasty, but came from beyond the borders; they were "foreigners".
So here's the question: since the Sixth Lady and the Fifth Lady are twin sisters and must come from the same foreign country, why doesn't the Sixth Lady go to eat vegetarian food? Instead, she acts during the day and presides over the Autumn Hall as usual.
She also loved drinking the chicken soup that Ouyang Rong made, and clearly did not have the taboos that the Fifth Lady had.
This is suspicious.
If we continue to deduce this, it can only mean that those were the Fifth Lady's personal habits and she would not force the Sixth Lady to follow them. The two sisters were essentially living separate lives.
Ouyang Rong's eyes were thoughtful.
After a moment, he glanced at Wu Cui, whose face was lost in reminiscence. Since no one was around, he suddenly asked:
"Would you like to go in again?"
Wu Cui paused, looked at his blank, calm face, and couldn't help but speak:
"Liu Aliang, I know what you're trying to do, but asking me these questions is useless. These things are all about luck. If I really had the chance, I would have gone in long ago. Why would I wait until now?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
The rain outside continued until late into the night.
Ouyang Rong, Wu Cui, and the others had to wait in the dining hall until dawn, waiting for the fairy to send someone to bring back the bowls. The Jade Hall Fairies, of course, never lifted a finger and did no such chores. Only after washing the bowls could Ouyang Rong and the others go back to rest.
After exchanging no more words with Wu Cui, Ouyang Rong returned to the stove, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.
At one point, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked around.
Wu Cui and the others were all slacking off and didn't pay attention to him.
Ouyang Rong's expression was slightly strange. He scratched his ear and refrained from immediately entering the Tower of Merit.
Just now, a series of merit points suddenly rang in his ears.
The numbers are small, but they are a series, like raindrops hanging from the eaves outside, fine and fragmented.
Based on Ouyang Rong's experience, it must have come from different people who, around the same time, gave him a small amount of merit points as positive feedback.
Who would thank him from afar in the middle of the night?
Ouyang Rong stroked his chin, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the door, landing on the misty, cool valley in front of him.
A guess couldn't help but form in my mind.
Could it be vegetarian food sent in?
This positive feedback of merit is similar to the process by which he used to earn merit points sporadically while cooking in the dining hall during the day, except that the intervals are shorter and the feedback is more rapid.
Ouyang Rong roughly determined that the merits of this feedback also came from those who ate the vegetarian meal.
However, he couldn't help but think of that Senior Sister Li again.
Are these Jade Hall fairies someone who has never eaten anything good before, or is it someone else? It couldn't possibly be the Fifth Lady, could it?
Ouyang Rong stroked his chin.
Unable to investigate further, the matter was dropped.
Half an hour before dawn, in the misty rain, a group of fairy maidens from the Jade Hall walked in with umbrellas, returned to the dining hall with an air of nonchalance, put down the empty food boxes, and left without saying much.
That senior sister Li was among them.
This time, however, she didn't say much, nor did she make things difficult for Ouyang Rong.
Wu Cui and the others held their breath and politely saw them off.
Ouyang Rong kept a close eye on Senior Sister Li's expression out of the corner of his eye.
Nothing unusual was found, and there was nothing to praise.
Ouyang Rong didn't think much of it and went home before dawn.
The following nights.
The process was the same as the first night. Ouyang Rong prepared the vegetarian meal, and Senior Sister Li and others came to collect it in person. Most of the meals were from the same group of Yue women. Occasionally, some new faces would appear, but they were all pretty much the same.
And every night in the latter half of the night, as expected, a series of wooden fish sounds, a feedback of merit, would resound in my ears, at roughly the same time.
The number of merits given varies between thirty and sixty, with occasional discrepancies.
If you eat one meal a day, you can accumulate three thousand merits in two months if you keep doing this.
The profits are considerable.
Ouyang Rong was somewhat surprised.
He just didn't know if this kind of hidden benefit could last.
After all, even the most delicious and novel foods can become tiresome eventually. Perhaps after a while, the people who are giving back their good deeds will no longer be satisfied with this.
Ouyang Rong was mentally prepared.
In addition, he became increasingly curious about who were the people who loved his vegetarian porridge so much... Hmm, they must have quite good taste.
Ouyang Rong smiled inwardly.
The vegetarian meals he prepared were mainly porridge, which was completely different from the meals prepared by the old lady who used to work the night shift.
The main reason for making porridge is that it's convenient and simple, and it's also something he's good at. This white porridge was all made in advance by Ouyang Rong, and it was thick, fragrant, and nourishing.
Since there was merit to be gained from this vegetarian meal, Ouyang Rong naturally continued to do so throughout the entire process.
Although he didn't come to work the night shift specifically for these merit points, it would be nice to have some extra. Ouyang Rong was also in dire need of merit points after arriving in Yunmengze, so he wouldn't mind having as many as he could.
In addition to the fragrant and nourishing thick porridge, Ouyang Rong also added some homemade pickled radishes to the vegetarian meal.
But the quantity is not large, mainly because the pickling process is a bit troublesome, so he doesn't make many, just as a side dish.
That night, at midnight, the moon was full and there were no clouds.
Senior Sister Li and the other Yue maidens from the Jade Hall arrived at the dining hall as usual. Before leaving with their food boxes, one of the silver-ranked Yue maidens suddenly asked Ouyang Rong:
"Did you cook all this porridge?"
The other Yue women also turned their heads to look over.
Under their gazes, Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Um."
The Yue woman with the silver medal asked again:
"May I have your name?"
Actually, Ouyang Rong had already introduced himself on the first night.
However, for now, he patiently and calmly said:
"Liu Aliang".
The Yue woman who had asked the question said nothing more and left with her senior sister Li, who was leading the group.
After they left, the dining hall became empty. Wu Cui stood next to Ouyang Rong and nodded, saying:
"It should be a good thing. The vegetarian food you make is much better than what Mrs. Hong makes."
Ouyang Rong neither agreed nor disagreed.
Having completed his mission for the night, he took off his apron, washed his hands, and glanced at the night outside the door.
There was still no chance tonight.
Including tonight, there has been no movement for ten consecutive days.
Wu Cui is right. Without a powerful backer, the chances of getting in are slim, and all they can do is wait.
I wonder how things are going with Chen Jiaxin, and whether she's managing things behind the scenes...
Ouyang Rong turned around and went back to the dining hall, where he waited patiently.
In the latter half of the night, before a certain familiar hour, Ouyang Rong, who was resting, opened his eyes early. After a short while, he heard the faint, clear sound of a wooden fish.
There were approximately sixty-seven sounds, which means I gained sixty-seven merit points.
Ouyang Rong looked around and saw that Wu Cui and the others were all drowsy. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he closed his eyes and immersed himself in the Merit Pagoda.
[Merit: 1,833]
He nodded with a satisfied expression.
In just ten days, this midnight vegetarian meal has earned him nearly six hundred merits, which is quite considerable...
(End of this chapter)
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