Chapter 847 Drunken Enlightenment [Emperor Wen]
Ouyang Rong slept exceptionally soundly.
In his drowsy state, although the environment around him seemed to be constantly "swaying from side to side," it was like a cradle, allowing him to sleep even more soundly.
I slept without any dreams.
Or it could be said that a great dream has vanished, and all is forgotten upon waking.
In his sleep, Ouyang Rong was completely unprepared, as if he had let down all his guard and let things take their course.
But my state of mind was surprisingly calm and peaceful.
It was as if he vaguely felt that even if he encountered external danger while asleep, he could, like the old musician running to the Peach Blossom Spring, instantly escape into his dream and his body would become illusory.
It's a very mysterious feeling...
Until the sounds of peddlers hawking their wares, horses passing through the market, and market officials clearing the way slowly entered Ouyang Rong's ears, the sounds gradually amplified.
He woke up, but didn't open his eyes immediately. His newly awakened brain habitually enjoyed this moment of emptiness.
After waking from the dream, there is a quiet amidst the noise.
However, as he closed his eyes and stretched, Ouyang Rong felt that the back of his head seemed to be resting on an exceptionally soft place... It seemed that this was the whole time in his dream, as if he had been resting there for a long time.
He also felt his face being gently caressed by the river breeze and something warm and soft.
Ouyang Rong opened his eyes and looked around.
Inside a lotus-shaped boat, a faint incense scent permeated the narrow space.
Pei Shisan Niang sat beside him, smiling as she looked at him with his long, black hair flowing down his back.
There were only the two of them on the boat.
"Young master, you're awake!"
She said happily, and withdrew her hand.
"Um."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his forehead and propped himself up with one hand.
Realizing what was happening, he turned around and glanced at her legs under her long skirt.
Her plump, jade-like legs were neatly together, slightly tilted to the side, making it convenient for someone to lean on them.
It turned out that he had been sleeping with his head on Thirteen Sister's lap.
However, I vaguely remember that when I finally passed out last night, I was lying in Ye Weilai's arms, with my head on her lap.
Putting aside his leg problem, Ouyang Rong let out a long sigh and looked around.
The lotus boat was rather small, not as large as the painted boat from last night.
The painted boat has also disappeared.
The lotus boat was moored alone at the dock, with the river water lapping against its stern.
In the distance, the river shimmered with an orange-golden light, and a gentle red sun hung in the sky, its rising or setting uncertain.
The ferry crossing was bustling with activity. Boats were coming and going, passengers were disembarking, laborers were unloading goods, and there were vendors selling sesame cakes. The aroma of the cakes filled the air, making one's mouth water.
The Twin Peaks Ferry was filled with noise, but it seemed to have nothing to do with his sleeping lotus boat.
Although they are very close to each other, the dock and the lotus boat seem like two different worlds.
However, as the dream ended, the noise grew louder and louder, accompanied by the aroma of cakes, which drifted into the boat.
The outside and inside of the boat merged together again.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the sun in the distance, slightly unsure whether it was sunrise or sunset.
He snapped out of his daze and asked without turning his head:
"Where are Wei Lai and the others? Have they left? How long have I been asleep?"
Pei Shisan Niang held a tinderbox in her hand, lit a stick of sandalwood incense, and said softly:
"Miss Ye and Hu Zhongshi left before dawn. The boat waited all night and must depart on time. Young master has slept all day and it looks like night is about to fall."
"Young Master is drunk...Young Master is fast asleep. He was sleeping soundly before dawn. Everyone was afraid of disturbing you, including Miss Ye. She told me to take good care of you so you could rest. She has set sail for Luoyang."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face and murmured:
"It's not fussy at all, it's quite good."
He turned his head and glanced at the swirling white mist of agarwood in the air.
The lotus boat was moored on the riverbank, with guards on alert along the shore, and maids and stewards carrying food boxes, seemingly waiting for instructions from the lady of the boat.
With her back to the servants and facing Ouyang Rong, Pei Shisan Niang skillfully lit incense and smiled gracefully.
"It's for helping you sleep and stay alert. Young Master, I'm afraid you'll have a headache when you wake up after drinking. This incense can help alleviate some of the hangover. I got it for you last month at the Great Buddha Temple in Yangzhou. You usually have many social engagements, so this will help you sober up..."
The beautiful woman kept rambling on and on, and Ouyang Rong remained silent for a while, then didn't listen much after that.
He lowered his eyes, gathered his thoughts, and interrupted:
"Where is Luo Niang?"
"They're gone."
Pei Shisan Niang rolled her eyes slightly upward, scrutinizing Ouyang Rong's face, and whispered:
"She left at the same time as Envoy Hu and Miss Ye. It was almost morning, and I guessed her family was also coming back, so she needed to avoid suspicion. They were a merchant family, just passing through Xunyang to do business, so they couldn't stay long."
Before Ouyang Rong could ask, Pei Shisan Niang continued:
"We told her to keep the poem 'The Song of the Pipa' that the young master wrote for her carefully. However, both Envoy Hu and Chief Secretary Yuan really liked the poem and each made a copy. Envoy Hu, in particular, said he wanted to take it to the imperial palace in Luoyang, saying that a noble person there would definitely like it..."
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment.
He looked down and checked his sleeve; a scroll and a small inkstick were lying there quietly.
As soon as he inserted his finger, his expression changed slightly. His middle finger stung, and he clenched his fist, but he didn't pull his hand out of his sleeve. He just glanced at Pei Shisan Niang.
Inside her sleeve, the little ink spirit who had been helping to guard the Peach Blossom Spring painting finished biting into it, wiped its little mouth, and stood smugly with its hands on its hips.
A gentleman does not hold grudges overnight; a brilliant mind is not the mark of a gentleman.
Stay! Stay!
Ouyang Rong exhaled a breath of stale air and, under Pei Shisan Niang's watchful gaze, flicked away the sharp-toothed and sharp-tongued little ink spirit.
He casually withdrew his hand and wiped the ink-stained saliva from his fingertips under the table.
Pei Shisan Niang got up and sat down behind Ouyang Rong, taking over from him and massaging his temples.
"Is the young master hungry?"
“A little.” Ouyang Rong nodded and then asked, “What about Liu Lang?”
"There was something going on at the government office, so Military Advisor Yan went back during the day without disturbing you, young master. He asked me to leave a message, saying that you don't need to worry about the Jiangzhou affairs, just leave them to him. You don't need to go to the Jiangzhou main hall often, just rest for a while. If there is any emergency, we will arrange to call you in secret."
Upon hearing the word "agreement," Ouyang Rong glanced at Pei Shisan Niang:
"Um……"
Before he could speak, Pei Shisan Niang continued:
"Chief Clerk Yuan returned home after seeing the people off in the morning. He said he didn't sleep well on the boat and had stayed up all night, so he went back to the city first."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand: "I didn't ask him."
Pei Shisan Niang covered her mouth and chuckled, then whispered:
"When Commander Yi left, Chief Clerk Yuan looked very reluctant to see him go, and even turned his back to the sky, I wonder if he was shedding tears."
Ouyang Rong pouted, while Pei Shisan Niang smiled and turned to call the maids outside to bring in the food.
She personally opened the food box, rolled up her sleeves, and placed the steaming hot dishes one by one on the table.
Ouyang Rong picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, and put it in his mouth.
He paused, his chopsticks stilled, and asked:
"Sixth Brother is busy, and Thirteenth Sister must have a lot to do too. How long have you been sitting here, wasting a whole day?"
"I wouldn't waste it." Pei Shisan Niang immediately shook her head, but under Ouyang Rong's calm gaze, she timidly changed her mind and nodded, whispering:
"Yes, that's right. A shopkeeper just came over to report on the Xunyang Grottoes; there's been another business deal being discussed..."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand to interrupt:
"Go ahead and get busy, no need to linger."
Pei Shisan Niang hesitated for a moment, then poured Ouyang Rong a cup of hot tea before getting up:
"Alright, please enjoy your meal, young master."
As the beautiful woman passed by, about to disembark, Ouyang Rong, who had been keeping his head down and picking at his food, suddenly said:
"Wait a minute, something's come up."
Pei Shisan Niang paused, her back turned, and gracefully bowed:
"Please speak, young master."
Ouyang Rong looked at the shimmering water in the teacup and said softly:
"I will stay at home to recuperate for a while. If Thirteen Sister has anything to do, she should consult with Sixth Brother first, and he will inform me."
Upon hearing this, Pei Shisan Niang gazed at Ouyang Rong for a moment, as if she understood something, but without saying anything, she slowly nodded:
"Yes, young master."
She paused, then couldn't help but ask with concern:
"Young master, please rest well and don't worry about things in the city. Military Advisor Yan and I are here with you."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the intelligent, capable, loyal, and beautiful woman before him, and nodded gently.
"good."
Pei Shisan Niang didn't move, but the middle-aged woman tilted her head like a young girl and boldly said:
“My lord, I am very fond of your poem ‘The Song of the Pipa’. I made a copy just like Hu Zhongshi. I wonder if you would allow it to be circulated?”
Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said something that puzzled Pei Shisan Niang:
"Yes, it was originally intended for someone as unknown as Luo Niang. You can also conceal my name and let my name be passed down anonymously."
Pei Shisan Niang immediately shook her head, insisting:
"How can that be? It was written by you, young master, so of course it's signed by you. Neither I nor Hu Zhongshi dare to change it. Alright, since you don't mind sharing it, I'll feel at ease showing it to others."
The beautiful woman blinked and gracefully disembarked.
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Pei Shisan Niang probably knew that Ouyang Rong preferred quiet, so she withdrew all the guards, maids, and stewards who were standing guard outside.
A gentle evening breeze is blowing.
On the riverbank, a lone lotus boat floats, with only Ouyang Rong sitting alone.
He had his back to the bustling dock, while in front of him was the red sun slowly sinking into the river.
The young man sat cross-legged, head down, eating his rice, occasionally leaning forward to pick up some food, wolfing down his food.
Last night, while writing "The Song of the Pipa" in a drunken stupor, he faintly heard a distant melody, neither a zither nor a pipa.
The music seemed to be coming from faraway Luoyang.
It was Emperor Wen.
He wrote a brand new sword manual.
A unique sword technique.
Unlike the "Sounds of a Prosperous Age" of the early era, the later "Qin King's Battle Music" was a seven-character quatrain poem and music composed by an old musician.
This new sword manual does not praise Luoyang, nor is it particularly "prosperous," and even goes against the grain in some ways.
Ouyang Rong didn't care that people admired and copied the document, or that it could be spread at will.
Because if it gets out, there's no fear that someone might steal the sword technique.
The principle is the same as the seven-character quatrain left by the old musician to Rongzhen. Simply learning it is like trying to find a sword by marking the boat; how can you find the "real sword" that way?
The true meaning of the "Emperor Wen" is unpredictable. The sword technique is a sword technique, yet it is not a sword technique. One moment it is a sword technique, the next moment it is not a sword technique... Even he was almost turned away.
But once you understand it, you truly understand it.
The connection established with Emperor Wen will not be severed again.
The music from distant Luoyang lingered in the ears of the enlightened one.
Its sword-wielding abilities are also quite interesting, as there is more than one type, just like its sword techniques.
Ouyang Rong sat upright in the boat, quietly listening to the music as he ate his rice.
After some silent contemplation, he temporarily categorized Emperor Wen's sword and cauldron abilities into three types: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
The three should proceed step by step.
After comprehending the sword technique last night, Ouyang Rong has temporarily mastered the first one.
That is, the golden light that transforms reality into illusion.
It belongs to the supernatural powers of "Shi".
Ouyang Rong suddenly touched his stomach. The spiritual energy in his dantian continued to surge, starting last night and continuing until now, without stopping.
It is to comprehend the full meaning of the new sword technique and break through the bottleneck, achieving "a thousand miles in a day".
Remembering something, he put down the bowl and took out a pill box from the Peach Blossom Spring painting.
He picked up a pill of the Transcendent Golden Elixir.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the tea on the table.
From last night until now, he hasn't deliberately cultivated his Qi, yet his spiritual Qi cultivation has already broken through to the mid-stage of the seventh rank and is now charging towards the late-stage of the seventh rank without looking back, his momentum undiminished.
It's only a matter of time before we reach the Sixth Rank Gate.
If one swallows the Transcendent Golden Pill, and further improves their Qi Refining talent by one level, their progress will be meteoric, and they might even reach their peak by evening.
Last night, the pleasure boat was crowded, and in the midst of enlightenment, I forgot to swallow the elixir.
Ouyang Rong stared at the tea for a while, hesitating to pick it up. After a moment, he silently put away the pill box.
"Swallowing it might be bad, wait a moment..."
As he murmured, Ouyang Rong suddenly felt a strong urge to show the old musician his new sword manual, but he quickly gave up and gave a self-deprecating smile.
I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to meet again.
"We are both wanderers in this world, why should we need to have known each other before?"
After muttering to himself, Ouyang Rong put down his chopsticks, got up, and left.
We're heading to Longcheng.
As for Xunyang City, everything that needed to be arranged has been arranged.
Those who were meant to leave have all left, including Wei Lai.
Now he's all alone again.
"Eating alone, huh, isn't that what eating alone is like?"
As he disembarked, a female head peeked out from his sleeve, then jumped down, leaped back to the dining table, and began to feast.
Ouyang Rongchao's clever idea was to put on a stern face:
"Stop eating, it's time to go."
"Let's eat, let's eat."
"You eat so much but don't do any work. Besides, you're an ink spirit, so eating this is useless and a waste of your time."
Miao Si retorted:
"You're a freeloader! You're the one who's a freeloader!"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, sat down again, and sighed deeply while waiting.
"Alright, we'll get going once you've eaten your fill."
Miaosi waved her little fist, annoyed:
"What do you mean 'on the road'? You're the one who's on the road! You're on the road every day!"
Shh, eat quickly.
"snort."
Miao Si tore off a duck leg with both hands, and said somewhat unhappily:
"What happened last night isn't over yet. You've certainly put on a show, acting all cool and collected, but this fairy isn't happy! You actually threw this fairy into the inkstone. No one has dared to do that in years. You're the most rude person, bar none!"
Ouyang Rong curled his lip:
"I thought there was an ink stick on the ground, and I assumed it was dropped by Luo Niang."
Miao Si's veins bulged, and her little fists clenched.
"Nonsense! You clearly touched my sleeve first. Don't think I didn't see it. I knew you had ill intentions long ago."
Ouyang Rong asked seriously, "Just tell me, are you going to give me ink or not?"
Miao Si jumped three feet high and said something very bold:
"Here you go! But I'll do it myself. Why are you throwing things around, Xiao Rongzi? You have no manners at all."
"..."
Miao Si was juiced last night. Although eating human food won't do her any good, it will satisfy her appetite and provide some comfort.
With her back to Ouyang Rong, she ate heartily for a while. Realizing she hadn't heard Xiao Rongzi's voice from behind, and thinking she'd won yet another argument, she crossed her arms, turned around, and gave a cold snort.
"You know you're wrong? Too late. This time I will never forgive you. You found three...four...six Hanlei Inkstones in your food!"
After Miao Si finished speaking, she saw Ouyang Rong standing still, his brows furrowed.
She paused for a moment, then tugged at his sleeve: "What's wrong with you? Stop pretending to be sick, you're a grown man."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Are you full?"
"Difference……"
"Walk."
Ouyang Rong stood up to interrupt, instantly grabbed the little ink spirit, and disembarked.
Miao Si cried out in a panic: "This fairy maiden means it's far from right!"
Ouyang Rong remained silent as he reached the shore, listening intently to the continuous, clear sound of the wooden fish.
My merits have inexplicably increased again.
This time, the merit increased by more than 500, which was divided into two waves. It happened just when Miaosi was eating. The interval between these two waves of merit increase was only "a short period of time when Miaosi had a slight advantage and was pleased with himself".
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Miaosi peeked her little head out from her sleeve:
"Xiao Rongzi, if you're not feeling well, you can tell me. Kidney yang deficiency in men is nothing to be ashamed of; the sooner it's treated, the better."
She muttered something and immediately pulled her head back. After waiting for a moment, she found that Ouyang Rong's evil claws hadn't reached out, which felt rather strange.
Little Ink Spirit muttered to himself, "How strange... Could it really be true? Poor Little Rongzi."
Ouyang Rong ignored him and, passing by Hanlei Ink Workshop, suddenly entered.
Miao Si asked suspiciously, "Little Rongzi, what are you trying to do? They don't recognize my true form; they won't accept it!"
“I’m not selling it to you.” Ouyang Rong shook his head. “Go buy a few ink sticks. Just keep them in your sleeve and don’t move them.”
"ah?"
Miao Si's mouth dropped open: "You...you've been making money off the street lately?"
He calmly said, "No, it's my salary for this month. I have three taels left, enough to buy a few. Didn't you want to eat some?"
She waved her hands vigorously, stammering, "No, no, you don't have much money, don't buy it. This fairy isn't hungry, I just... just finished eating."
The little ink spirit, who used to complain all the time that she was "starving," has now become unusually well-behaved and sensible, saving every penny.
Ouyang Rong insisted on entering the store, and said earnestly:
"Let's eat some more, we might not be able to eat this good again later."
"..."
Little Ink Spirit suddenly quieted down.
Only after Ouyang Rong bought two Hanlei inksticks and left did she peek out, her dark eyes fixed on the inkstick snacks. She swallowed hard and spoke cautiously:
“Really, you don’t need to buy it… Little Rongzi, use your salary to buy ink for this fairy… You make this fairy feel like a stranger, so very stranger.”
Miaosi said with a slightly tearful voice:
"Could it be... that we're really going to hit the road?"
Ouyang Rong seemed to have seriously considered the matter, then shook his head:
"You're only a few ounces of meat, you're worthless."
Ingenious idea: ...?
(End of this chapter)
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