Chapter 206 A Glimpse into Mythology? Trying to steal my merit points again!
Ouyang Rong guessed correctly; this was indeed a private family dinner.
Inside a hall hidden in the garden of the Su residence.
Fine food and wine, red candles and porcelain bowls.
"Ring ring~"
The sound of wind chimes could be heard from time to time in the long corridor outside the door.
Ouyang Rong noticed that the banquet hall was different every time he came to attend a banquet.
The Su family mansion is far too wealthy, with numerous gardens. Tonight, the garden hall where they are hosting a private banquet is even more exquisite and elegant than the previous ones.
Then, Uncle Su dismissed the maids and servants.
During the banquet, only Ouyang Rong and the Su family of four remained.
Taking advantage of the moment when he was drinking and covering his face with his sleeves, Ouyang Rong subtly glanced around at everyone at the banquet.
It must be admitted that the Su family has good genes. Uncle Su and Aunt Wei in front of you can tell at a glance that they must have been a handsome man and a beautiful woman when they were young. Now that they have children, they are still very attractive. One is a handsome old man, and the other is a middle-aged woman.
Furthermore, the two siblings born to the Su family are also quite remarkable. Su Guo'er was able to catch Ouyang Rong's eye among all the young ladies, wives, and pilgrims who were taking shelter from the rain on Dagushan Mountain, which speaks volumes.
As for Su Dalang, it's time to shave...
Ouyang Rong had no idea why growing beards was so fashionable among the scholars of the Great Zhou Dynasty, nor did he find it attractive; he simply couldn't appreciate it. However, he felt that even facing such a handsome family, his own striking features were enough to hold his own, and he held his own even while seated…
In addition, those present now are not the entire Su family. Ouyang Rong had previously heard Su Dalang say that he and Su Xiaomei actually had a younger brother, but he was still an infant and not from the same mother as them.
Su Xiaomei and Su Dalang's biological mother is Aunt Wei, who is currently serving Ouyang Rong food.
The younger brother was born to a concubine, which surprised Ouyang Rong. It was surprising that Uncle Su, who was afraid of his wife, had a concubine. However, it was said that she was a maid who accompanied Aunt Wei during her dowry. So it made sense.
Regardless, the people present are the core members of the Su family, so this is a family dinner.
This made Ouyang Rong, an "outsider," start to have doubts.
"Auntie, you're too kind. Let me do it."
He immediately stood up, took the large bowl of steaming fish soup from Wei Mei with both hands, and said with a wry smile.
Ouyang Rong had just touched the stool when he suddenly turned his head and asked:
"Uncle Su, has your family encountered some trouble?"
After speaking, he stared intently at the expression on the face of Uncle Su opposite him. The latter seemed to pause for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, that's not true. As the magistrate of a county, you should be able to distinguish between public and private matters. I understand this principle, so how could I put you in a difficult position?"
Ouyang Rong smiled and nodded, then lowered his eyes and blew a mouthful of milky white fish soup.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the people around the table.
Uncle Su's wrinkled eyes still had a faint red ring around the corners. He picked up the soup bowl with his left hand, and there was a cinnabar-like red on the ring finger and the web of his right hand, like some kind of ink.
As if in too much of a hurry, he forgot to wash his hands properly. Uncle Su pulled his right hand back into his sleeve to hide the ink stains on his hands.
Although the head of the Su family looked somewhat haggard today, he smiled quite a bit after the banquet began, spoke to Ouyang Rong with a cheerful air, and laughed heartily from time to time.
Aunt Wei, standing nearby, was behaving rather excessively virtuously today. She would personally ladle soup for Ouyang Rong, a guest, and serve food to Uncle Su. She would also frequently change the plate in front of Su Dalang to prevent him from burying his head in eating one dish.
Although Ouyang Rong, an outsider, was present, Aunt Wei had been rather polite and courteous to him on the previous occasions when he came to eat, and was not as close and familiar as she was now.
Moreover, this Aunt Wei's eyebrows were rather thin and long, which made her eyes appear narrow and aloof. Su Guo'er's aloof and proud eyes and temperament seemed to be inherited from her.
However, today, Mrs. Webber seemed quite satisfied with the dinner party, or rather, the guests, and was no longer as polite as she would be to her husband's or son's cronies.
The woman in the long dress, nicknamed Meiniang, would occasionally glance at Ouyang Rong and nod almost imperceptibly.
As for Su Dalang, he was the most enthusiastic eater during the meal, burying his head in his food and eating very seriously, just like he always had, nothing special.
However, when Ouyang Rong saw him in the evening, Su Dalang's gaze seemed somewhat complicated, for some reason, it seemed to contain a hint of admiration.
However, when Ouyang Rong winked and asked him if inviting him to the banquet at his residence tonight was to help his uncle out of an emergency, the two grinned, and the atmosphere between them returned to normal.
Ouyang Rong silently observed these small details and oddities of the day.
Oh, and there's also Su Xiaomei sitting across from him. She didn't seem to be giving him much attention; she was engrossed in petting the cat the whole time.
Su Xiaomei placed the white cat with black lips resembling a butterfly in its mouth on the hem of her skirt. The kitten was limping but exceptionally well-behaved, rubbing against her purple and pink embroidered shoes, occasionally letting out a "meow" from its grandmother. Su Xiaomei picked fish bones and fed it to the kitten.
Su Xiaomei, who was feeding the cat with her head down, smiled faintly at one moment. It was a very faint smile, with only her lips slightly upturned and her nose slightly wrinkled. Her narrow eyes were still quite cold. If she wore a veil to cover the lower half of her face, no one could see her smile at all.
I don't know if she's happy petting the cat, or if she enjoys the feeling of someone obediently rubbing against her leg while lying on the hem of her skirt.
This was the first time Ouyang Rong had seen Su Xiaomei smile. Previously, when the two chatted in the plum grove, the latter usually wore a thin veil. Now that they were eating, the veil was naturally removed, making them much closer.
Ouyang Rong looked around and silently withdrew his gaze, but the next second, he suddenly met a pair of cold eyes.
Su Guo'er, who had been looking down and playing with the cat the whole time, suddenly looked at Ouyang Rong.
"I heard that Young Master Ouyang has recently been reading some books by Taoist hermits."
Ouyang Rong asked, "Who told you that?"
Su Guo'er said softly, "Sister Xie."
Ouyang Rong nodded. It seemed he had indeed mentioned it to his junior sister today.
Actually, it was to lay the groundwork for his "return home" preparations that he had started in the past two days, and to guide his junior sister to prepare herself mentally in advance.
After all, what if he, a perfectly healthy person, suddenly disappeared, and his junior sister and the others mistakenly thought something had happened to him?
Ouyang Rong had already made a plan in his mind, preparing to leave quietly in an appropriate way, trying not to affect anyone.
Yes, that's true.
Facing the curious gazes of the crowd, Ouyang Rong nodded, then suddenly said:
"I caught a cold while saving the dam a few days ago and was unconscious for several days. When I woke up, I looked at the orchids on the windowsill and suddenly had a realization..."
Ouyang Rong paused, then turned to Su Guo'er and said, "Wealth and honor are not my desire, and the imperial capital is beyond my reach."
Upon hearing these familiar words, Su Guo'er's pretty face froze for a moment. She saw the young man opposite her finish reciting the poem, then tilt his head back to drink the wine, laughing heartily.
Su Guo'er asked calmly:
"I really like the poem 'Returning Home' that Young Master Ouyang gave me. I often read it at night. Young Master Ouyang seems to like it too. Could it be... that he has also thought about resigning from his official post and going into seclusion? Like Tao Qian, the famous scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty who only served as a county magistrate for eighty-one days four hundred years ago?"
Ouyang Rong smiled but did not answer, though he frowned slightly in his heart. How could Su Xiaomei be so perceptive?
Wei Mei gently patted the back of Su Guo'er's clenched fist resting on her lap:
"What nonsense are you talking about? My nephew Lianghan is already a county magistrate at such a young age, and his name is known throughout the land. His future is limitless. What nonsense about resigning and going into seclusion is just rubbish."
Wei Mei interrupted, and Ouyang Rong smiled and changed the subject, raising his glass to Su Guo'er in a toast.
The latter glanced at him sideways and said nothing more.
Ouyang Rong's toast was indeed sincere.
Actually, leaving a clue like this is quite good. He's going to take action in the next few days, so he probably won't be able to wait for his junior sister to return from Longhu Mountain.
When the time comes, it won't be too surprising for Junior Sister to learn of his whereabouts from everyone, since there have been signs: earnest words, warnings to the court, and longing for the life of a Taoist hermit.
The ensuing dinner was less exciting than Ouyang Rong had imagined.
Nothing happened that he had been worried about—no matchmaking or son-in-law selection. Of course, it's possible that Su Xiaomei was too proud and looked down on everyone.
Uncle Su and the others did not ask him for anything until the banquet ended.
He drank his fill of fish soup, and Aunt Wei kept serving him more soup, which made Ouyang Rong feel a little embarrassed.
In addition, perhaps thinking of his impending departure from this place, Ouyang Rong frequently raised his cup and drank quite a bit of wine with Uncle Su and Su Dalang.
Although the alcohol content of the wines in this era was not high, when Ouyang Rong got up to leave his seat after the banquet, his body swayed slightly, as if a red candle had been lit all night not far away.
As he stepped outside, the evening breeze, with its gentle swaying of the wind chimes along the corridor, helped to soothe Ouyang Rong's slightly tipsy state.
"Brother, where is the thing my junior sister left for me?"
Ouyang Rong took a few steps forward, then turned around with a smirk and returned the way he came to ask.
Su Dalang patted his forehead, realizing he had almost forgotten, and hurriedly took Ouyang Rong to Yilan Pavilion.
Before long, Ouyang Rong received two items wrapped in red cloth from the maid guarding the courtyard in the narrow passageway at the entrance of Yilan Pavilion.
Under the dim light of the lanterns hanging at the entrance, Ouyang Rong discovered that it was the Moonlight Longsword and an oval-shaped hard object.
Ouyang Rong touched the latter through the red cloth; it had sharp edges and corners.
His face showed curiosity, until the next instant, his hand trembled.
"What's wrong with Lianghan? Why did his face change?" Su Dalang asked curiously.
"No...it's nothing."
A faint purple mist floated in the deepest part of Ouyang Rong's eyes, and an ancient bell appeared and disappeared.
He immediately flipped his hand and put the two items away. Without asking any more questions, he thanked him and bid farewell to Su Dalang. He left the Su residence with his head down and returned to the plum grove courtyard.
Inside the study, facing Ye Weilai who approached with a concerned expression, Ouyang Rong explained a few things, mentioned Xie Lingjiang's absence, and then made an excuse to send the white-haired maid away.
After locking the study, Ouyang Rong frowned and sat down. He took a lantern, casually placed the Moonlight Sword aside, and opened the red cloth to reveal a bronze beast mask inside.
He was familiar with this item; it was the very one that the Jade Cup Fairy had worn, which his junior sister had confiscated during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Ouyang Rong frowned, sometimes touching the bronze beast face with his hand, sometimes moving his hand away, repeating this several times. In the depths of his eyes, an ancient bell shrouded in purple mist faintly appeared, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
"What kind of blessing is this? It's just like the blessing from the Pure Land Temple, it's triggered as soon as it's touched, how strange..."
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and did not act immediately. He turned to look at another bamboo slip inside the red cloth, which was with the bronze fake bread.
Upon opening it, it was indeed my junior sister's handwriting.
Ouyang Rong quickly scanned it.
The junior sister said that when she went to Gezao Mountain, she inquired about this bronze mask outside. This object may be a mythical artifact called "Mirage Mask" in legend, which belongs to some immortals and sorcerers and can transform into the appearance of others.
The junior sister suspected that the Jade Cup Fairy was able to impersonate Ouyang Rong and disrupt the wedding ceremony because of the Jade Cup's magical abilities.
However, the junior sister tried injecting spiritual energy, but there was no change. She didn't know if it was broken or if it was bound to a specific person and required a special Qi cultivation meridian to use.
Apart from that, this thing should not be harmful, so the junior sister was relieved and handed it over to Ouyang Rong to deal with.
The Moonlight Sword was also left behind by Junior Sister for Ouyang Rong to use for self-defense.
In addition, the bamboo slips ended with some words of advice reminding him to be careful.
A warm current flowed through Ouyang Rong's heart. A short while later, he put down the bamboo slips, his expression turned solemn, and he picked up the ancient and eerie mirage mask, closing his eyes and muttering to himself:
"1,500 merits? Just for a tiny mask and 1.5 'wei lai'?"
"But it doesn't seem to have any special color. The Blessing Bell only has purple mist, and I can't see any special features... Should I exchange it? Oh well, I have 20,000 anyway, what's there to be afraid of? It can't drain me dry, can it?"
Ouyang Rong repeatedly determined the amount of merit required for this blessing.
Under the lamplight, a trembling, purple-mist-like phantom of an ancient bell appeared in his eyes. Ouyang Rong closed his eyes, and after a moment, he opened them, and the phantom disappeared.
Exchange of blessings.
"Why is there no movement..." Ouyang Rong's brows had just furrowed when his expression suddenly changed.
In the dimly lit study, an eerie purple mist surged from between Ouyang Rong's eyebrows, flowing along his shoulders and arms, and into the mirage beast mask he held in his hand!
Ouyang Rong's eyes widened. "Why is there such a big commotion this time!"
Startled, he dropped the mask, which fell onto the table with a clanging sound. However, the purple mist emanating from his forehead still connected Ouyang Rong's fingertips to the mask.
The purple mist was seemingly formless and intangible, yet it caused the Mirage Beast Mask to tremble slightly.
Ouyang Rong didn't know how much time had passed.
The purple mist gradually disappeared.
Inside the merit pagoda at Ouyang Rongxin Lake, the blessing bell has returned to silence.
On the desk outside, a bronze animal mask lay quietly.
Ouyang Rong smirked slightly, bent down, and peered closely.
The lifelike animal face eyes, carved with a faint purple light, flickered briefly before disappearing again.
Upon seeing it, Ouyang Rong suddenly felt a sudden inspiration, realizing that his mind had vaguely established a special connection with this mirage mask.
It seemed... that this thing was part of his body.
"Is this... like recognizing a master, becoming mine?"
Ouyang Rong seemed to be deep in thought, extending his palm, but then stopped in mid-air, his brows gradually furrowing:
"What is the origin of this Merit Pagoda and Blessing Bell? I used to think they were some kind of golden finger of cause and effect, or even belonged to this world."
"But this time, some strange purple mist has emerged, affecting this Qi cultivator's mythical artifact... Could this tower and bell be related to the Qi cultivator?"
After a long silence at the desk, a young man picked up a mask, bowed his head, and put it on.
...
The moon rises above the branches, and the night deepens.
A government office not far from Luming Street.
One courtyard was under heavy guard, with patrols and surveillance constantly taking place.
Following Xie Lingjiang's instructions from a few days ago, Yan Liulang came to the house where the Jade Cup Fairy was imprisoned again tonight to keep watch and patrol.
He went inside and looked around, then frowned as he examined the room.
"Strange, he clearly took the last antidote pill last night, so why hasn't he woken up yet? Master Xie went on a long trip this afternoon. Well, let's wait another day and see."
On the silent sickbed, a plump female priestess lay flat on the bed, unconscious with her eyes closed. Her limbs were bound by iron chains, and her breathing was weak and rhythmic.
Yan Liulang looked for a while, shook his head and muttered to himself, then turned and walked towards the door.
That child is finally gone!
On her sickbed, the Jade Cup Fairy opened her eyes a crack, then immediately closed them again, waiting quietly. With a cold smile in her heart, she began to think about how to escape.
But the next second, the Jade Cup Fairy's expression changed drastically, a sweet taste rose in her throat, and she blurted out in a muffled voice, "Who is it!"
"Hmph, I knew you were faking your death all along!"
Yan Liulang snorted coldly, but before he could turn around and activate the backup plan arranged by Miss Xie, the Jade Cup Fairy on the bed behind him suddenly stopped screaming. Her face was full of fear, her body convulsed, she spat out a mouthful of blood, her neck tilted to the side, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.
Yan Liulang: ...
Yan Liulang and the several burly men who rushed in and were lying in ambush outside the door looked at each other in bewilderment.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
The climax is coming soon, but I've been building up to it these past few days, so it's a bit short. Sorry, guys... (orz Day 4 of abstaining from pornography)
(End of this chapter)
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