Chapter 804 Cui Hao preaches the Dao, Rong Zhen asks for a hairpin
"Then I'll leave?"
Cui Hao tilted his head slightly and asked the little ink spirit behind the golden mask, but his eyes were fixed on Ouyang Rong.
Miao Si was only the size of "the palm of a strong man like Huang Feihong". He held the square face mask in his hands and looked at people through a hole in the mask, which looked a bit comical.
"Anyway, you don't look honest. You were summoned by that fake, weren't you? Why are you imitating Xiao Taozi's handwriting out of the blue? The forgery is just like the real thing..."
Miao Si's face was stern, and she was halfway through her sentence when Ouyang Rong suddenly turned around and glanced at the woods behind her.
He immediately raised his hand to stop the little ink spirit and put it into his sleeve.
"Alright, you go back first, I'll handle it."
Ouyang Rong put away the Fang Xiang Mask and subconsciously stuffed it into the sword box in his bosom. He then realized that Cui Hao had just taught him the "Peach Blossom Spring Sword Formation" and how to use the fake Ding Sword. The Peach Blossom Spring painting could now be used.
However, there's no time to try it right now.
As the sun set, Ouyang Rong simply put on the eighteen-beaded hat on his left hand, carried the bronze scroll in his right hand, and held the sword box in his arms, continuing his journey upstream along the river.
Yan Liulang is currently leading his men to clean up the mess, and he has a little time to deal with some important matters.
Cui Hao's illusory figure followed Ouyang Rong in perfect harmony.
The two continued walking for a while, with the white sturgeon circling around them as if it were floating in the air without anything to rely on.
Cui Hao also glanced at the woods behind him, where a figure in a purple palace dress could be faintly seen following behind.
Cui Hao stepped forward, sleeves tucked behind his ear, and asked with a half-smile:
"Aren't you going to wait for them? They're worried about you."
Ouyang Rong kept his eyes straight ahead and quickened his pace:
"You go first. How do you unlock the 'Thunder Punishment' skill on [Craftsmanship]?"
"Okay, let's get down to business."
Like Ouyang Rong, Cui Hao was too focused on his surroundings to notice the commotion behind him, and smiled as he spoke:
"A written method, an unwritten method."
"Let's start with the written version."
Cui Hao said leisurely:
“At the Celestial Master’s Mansion on Longhu Mountain, there is a lotus pond. Just throw the [Craftsmanship] in and wash it clean.”
"It's that simple?"
"However..."
"explain."
“After washing away the ‘Thunder Punishment,’ the golden lotus and dragon carp in the lotus pond will die. These are precious creatures that the Zhang family Celestial Masters of the Celestial Master’s Mansion have raised for hundreds of years. They probably won’t let you throw your cauldron and sword into the pond unless you beat them into submission like you did today.”
Ouyang Rong was speechless.
That sounds like something a robber would say.
"What about the unwritten ones?"
"The unwritten rule is that you have to refine this 'Thunder Punishment' yourself. Although the 'Thunder Punishment' is troublesome, it is a rare and precious item. Did you see the various colored arcs on the [Craftsmanship] just now? These are called Thunder Essence Silk. Normally, even a single Thunder Essence Silk is a rare and precious item that thunder magic cultivators on the mountain would find hard to come by. It is extremely difficult to collect. You, on the other hand, have a whole pool of them. It would be a waste not to use them."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Refine it? But I don't know thunder magic, and I'm not a Taoist."
"I don't know either. Those Taiqing Taoists are good at it. Actually, your body, which has withstood the tribulation of lightning, is very suitable for cultivating lightning techniques. Among the Five Elements Qi Refining Techniques, lightning techniques are the most expensive, and many people can't get them... Anyway, I've told you the method. You can choose either literary or martial arts. You can figure it out yourself."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly and glanced down at the Mo family's sword box.
The 'Thunder Punishment' constantly entangled the [Craftsmanship], rendering the little guy unable to move.
"According to you, constructing the Peach Blossom Spring Sword Marsh can bypass the 'Thunder Punishment'? Like the Peach Blossom Spring Map and the Eighteen Seed Buddhist Beads, it can mobilize the sword energy of the Cauldron Sword to replace the true body of the Cauldron Sword?"
Cui Hao smiled:
"That's right, isn't the [Humble Scholar] hidden in Peach Blossom Spring? But who in the world knows where Peach Blossom Spring is? But back then, didn't I still set up the Peach Blossom Spring Sword Formation in the three hundred and twenty remaining bald monk temples and project it onto the fake Ding Sword? I used it as usual."
"No one in the world knows the Peach Blossom Sword Formation better than me. What I'm teaching you is a peerless technique. You should be secretly happy about it."
He turned and glanced at the Buddha's head and temples, which rose above the water in the middle of the river, and said calmly:
"Although I don't know where this so-called Imperial Observatory stole my Peach Blossom Sword Formation from, I glanced at it when they used it just now, and their skills were truly lacking. They wasted a lot of manpower and resources. Your dynasty is indeed extravagant and domineering. Have you unified the country? The Great Zhou, this country's name follows the ancient system?"
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, then nodded after a moment.
"Thank you, senior."
Cui Hao gazed at the golden river under the setting sun, then looked back at the ground. There was no shadow; the afterglow of the setting sun passed through his invisible, illusory body and spilled onto the ground.
His illusory body, like the withered afterglow of a setting sun, gradually dimmed, as if it would sink into endless darkness in the next second.
Cui Hao suddenly asked:
"What are you using to sustain my sorcerer's spiritual energy? Logically speaking, no matter how much you delay, I should be leaving by now."
Ouyang Rong did not answer. Inside the Tower of Merit, purple mist of merit disappeared every second.
Having just finished a major battle, he saved everyone from the Nine Heavens Thunder; he had also destroyed the Great Buddha before... A series of actions left him with the constant, crisp sound of the wooden fish in his ears.
He didn't have time to count how much merit he had accumulated, but there was a lot, enough for him to quietly maintain the divine decree.
However, to be fair, this purple mist of merit is indeed mysterious, and even Cui Hao cannot know about it.
Cui Hao looked meaningfully at the calm Ouyang Rong and nodded.
"If you have any further questions, please ask while there's still time."
Ouyang Rong asked earnestly:
What is "Guixu"?
"The Easternmost Guixu is said to be located in the East China Sea, the final convergence point of all waters in the world. Correspondingly, there is also the Westernmost Kunlun, the ancestor of all mountains... This is what the Qi cultivators of the pre-Qin period said. Legend has it that there are three immortal mountains within Guixu, which are what those overseas sorcerers search for when they go out to sea. Legend has it that there is an elixir of immortality on them, and one can also encounter immortals who can touch one's head and bestow longevity."
"Does this thing really exist?"
Cui Hao smiled and asked:
"Didn't the founder of the Imperial Observatory just visit there? He even left a legacy restriction for the lamplighter's succession. That's interesting."
Ouyang Rong asked, "Are the things inside the Ruins very dirty? Why did they attract more heavenly lightning?"
"It's not exactly dirty, but it's definitely not clean; there might be some remnants from ancient mythological times..."
He squinted slightly and said:
"You can think of it this way: the so-called Guixu has three immortal mountains, which is like a pond. After the pond dries up, the surviving fish all crowd there... Some fish cannot go outside the pond, or they will die from the sun exposure."
"Only those sorcerers and madmen like to run overseas. They don't stay in the good land of China, but go to the ponds to seek the immortality of the fish. But is that something that humans can make? In the end, they are neither human nor ghost, neither immortal nor demon."
A hint of disdain appeared on Cui Hao's handsome face as he said to Ouyang Rong:
"Remember, do not go to sea unless absolutely necessary."
Ouyang Rong nodded. The so-called Shenzhou was the ancient name people of this era used for the land, which can be considered a theory of geographical center.
The struggle for power between the Northern and Southern Dynasties over the previous three or four hundred years is also referred to in historical records as the painful demise of "the sinking of the Central Plains".
"I understand, I've heard about it."
After Ouyang Rong nodded seriously, he suddenly asked:
Who is this 'Confucian scholar'?
Cui Hao glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Ouyang Rong met his gaze and said:
"Is that how it's read? Why did you suddenly mention that word when we first met, senior? Is this junior someone you know from the past?"
Cui Hao strode forward for a while, and only spoke under Ouyang Rong's persistent questioning gaze:
"There's a resemblance, but you've mistaken me for someone else."
Ouyang Rong reacted almost immediately and asked:
"What kind of shadow is it? Is it the identity of the junior swordsman, or that strange lineage of a sorcerer, or perhaps its appearance and temperament?"
Cui Hao turned around, faced Ouyang Rong, and said with a smile:
"Intelligent, what's that word again? Oh, so intelligent it's almost demonic."
He pointed at Ouyang Rong with his finger, his eyes showing a hint of admiration.
Ouyang Rong, however, kept his gaze fixed on the matter, relentlessly pursuing it:
"Senior, are you saying that I am as smart as that old friend, or are you just praising me and changing the subject?"
Before Cui Hao could show his helplessness, Ouyang Rong spoke again, calmly analyzing the situation:
"Is this 'Confucian scholar' an old friend who follows the same strange and unorthodox lineage of sorcerers as I do? Considering how familiar you are with this strange and unorthodox lineage and how well you use it, it is the most likely possibility. When you first met him, you thought I had inherited from that person, which is why you asked this question."
The analysis was precise, like a surgical scalpel.
Cui Hao's smile remained unchanged as he pointed to the grove behind him, his expression ambiguous, leaving it unclear whether he was answering or not.
"You're such a smart kid, how come you can't even see how sincere this short woman's feelings are? Are you just pretending to be stupid?"
He pointed a finger at Ouyang Rong from a distance, his tone a mix of reproach and amusement:
“I despise you unfaithful scholars the most. If any member of the Cui family dares to do such a thing, he shall be whipped in front of the ancestral shrine. I don’t know if the rules I set back then are still in effect.”
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Senior, please don't change the subject. Are you very familiar with that person? Could you teach me the orthodox Qi refining techniques of this lineage? I entered this lineage by chance."
Cui Hao turned around, walked forward, and left with a single sentence:
"No, I won't pass this on to a faithless man."
The half-joking tone made Ouyang Rong frown. Before he could speak, Cui Hao suddenly added:
"Next time, there's no time this time. Teaching you the Peach Blossom Sword Formation has already taken up a lot of time. Do you have any other questions?"
Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes and said:
"Next time? Senior, do you wish to descend again?"
Cui Hao stopped and turned around, beckoning to Ouyang Rong with his finger, squinting his eyes and smiling slightly:
"Whether I want to or not is not important; what is important is that you want to."
Ouyang Rong looked at the handsome face of the young man's illusory figure and asked:
"How can I help you, senior?"
How do you know I have something in mind? Could it be that I'm just kind-hearted?
Ouyang Rong held up one finger and shook it in front of Cui Hao:
"Regardless of good or evil, only when interests are linked can things last."
Cui Hao looked at Ouyang Rong for a while, then sighed, seemingly lost in thought.
Ouyang Rong took the initiative to ask, "Senior asked three questions before: about the Northern Wei, about the Cui clan, and about the almanac. The Cui clan was the second one. Is there any unfulfilled wish regarding the clan?"
Cui Hao first waved his hand:
"What unfulfilled wishes? They all say that children and grandchildren have their own blessings."
Halfway through his sentence, his expression instantly turned serious, and he pointed at Ouyang Rong:
"But! Now that I've met such a capable young man like you, I have to do some good for my unworthy descendants and find a suitable son-in-law to restore our family's honor... Speaking of which, I slept a bit too long. Does my Cui family have any young ladies of marriageable age? We need someone tall and who doesn't shed her pearls."
Ouyang Rong initially thought Cui Hao was serious and proper, but after hearing the rest, he was speechless.
"Stop, senior. Can we get down to business?"
Cui Hao smiled and said slowly:
"The important thing is, I only have ten breaths left. That short woman can't help but come to you to collect her debt of love. Whatever it is, including teaching you the Qi Refining Technique of a sorcerer, well, we'll talk about it next time we meet. You should digest the Peach Blossom Sword Formation first. It's very interesting talking to you. If I hadn't been sure that you weren't a virgin, I would have thought you had some kind of homosexual inclination. Now I'm relieved."
"Ten breaths?"
Ouyang Rong didn't have time to complain, and quickly spoke up:
"Wait, how should I address you next time? I don't have your medium."
Cui Hao remained silent, manipulating his body to tear off a page from a Confucian classic. His fingers, stained with blood from his shoulder, wrote the text in three breaths.
He tucked the blood-written letter into his bosom.
Cui Hao smiled and said:
"Just follow the instructions on this note and look for my belongings. There are too many people here, so I'll be going now. You can take your time... Oh, right, I almost forgot."
Before Cui Hao's illusory figure disappeared, his hand, which was gathering the paper into his bosom, happened to touch a hairpin. As if remembering something, he took out the hairpin and then reached into the bronze scroll to take out a bloody broken claw with purple-blue Dao patterns on it, which was mysterious and eerie.
It was Song Mama's severed hand, which Cui Hao had torn off not long ago before using it to resist lightning.
On the back of the blood-written letter, Cui Hao hastily drew a Kui Xing talisman.
The runes shot into the severed hand, and the mysterious Dao patterns, like ants carrying food, all left the severed hand and entered the mandarin duck jade hairpin.
The emerald green hairpin was adorned with exquisite Daoist patterns.
"Consider it a small gift, something about the torchbearer's legacy. Haha, take it and use it to appease this short girl, so she won't shed any more little pearls."
"Ouyang Lianghan, goodbye."
After Cui Hao finished speaking with a smile, the illusory figure disappeared without a trace.
Ouyang Rong turned around and saw Rong Zhen walking slowly towards him.
He frowned slightly and looked towards the main grotto.
How could Liu Lang do things like this? He let the person over, but wasn't he supposed to send someone to guard him?
Rong Zhen had already walked up to Ouyang Rong.
At this moment, the jade hairpin with mandarin ducks had been restored to its original state, and Ouyang Rong was still holding it tightly in his hand, maintaining the posture and standing in place.
He realized what was happening and looked down at the hairpin in his hand.
Rongzhen naturally saw it too; in fact, she had seen it from a great distance, but it was because she came out that she noticed it.
The young woman in palace attire had her black hair cascading over her shoulders, and her gaze toward him was filled with complex emotions.
"Ouyang Lianghan, what are you doing, hiding away and talking to yourself while facing my hairpin?"
Faced with Rong Zhen's gaze, Ouyang Rong opened his mouth slightly:
"I……"
Rongzhen changed the subject herself: "It's all taken care of, you don't need to worry anymore."
He asked in confusion, "What?"
Rongzhen lowered her eyes, her small hand hidden in her sleeve wiping the bloodstains between her fingers with a handkerchief.
Ouyang Rong smelled a faint scent of fresh blood.
All that could be heard was the soft voice of a palace-dressed girl, her hands stained with blood, wiping them with her head bowed:
"Having Yan, the military advisor, guard us is simply a sign of distrust. Among the surviving female officials, I have already purged all of Song Mama's confidants for you. The remaining few are all my people, they are very tight-lipped and only listen to me... The same applies to Commander Yi's side."
Under Ouyang Rong's gaze, Rong Zhen looked away, her clear, cold voice offering a silent explanation:
"Think about it carefully. No matter what happened today, you saved our lives, once under the rebels' butcher's knife and once by heavenly lightning... Without you, the Donglin Buddha would not have been saved anyway. Now that things have come to this, let's think together about how to give an explanation to the higher-ups. Ouyang Lianghan, what do you say?"
A young man in a scholar's robe, holding a hairpin, pondered deeply.
Rong Zhen suddenly became unhappy and said, "Stop being mute. Just tell me what you're thinking. I and Commander Yi will cooperate with you."
At this moment, Yan Liulang rushed over.
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen looked over together.
Yan Liulang noticed the prefect's subtly displeased gaze, but he pretended not to see it and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting:
"My lord, Master Yu is not in the bamboo grove. He left a letter in the house, as well as two other items, with a note saying they are gifts for you and Princess Zhenxian respectively."
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen exchanged a glance.
(End of this chapter)
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