Chapter 28 First Release "Master Xiao Song, please——"...
Song Linsheng smiled modestly upon hearing this. When he was young, he didn't pick and choose what to read. He read anything that interested him. There were indeed some "Miscellaneous Records of Demons and Gods" among them, but he wasn't sure which one Madam Wenyu was referring to.
He smiled without saying anything, just made a gesture of invitation, indicating that Wen Yu should ask the question.
The two of them walked and talked without stopping. Wen Yu looked up, her mind fully prepared. She loosened her braid, clapped her hands in front of her, and asked:
"Then you can tell me 'What is a spirit? What is a monster?'"
Wen Yu was curious. Could a young man like Song Linsheng, born into a prominent family and raised in a prestigious family, also be interested in the theory of demons and gods? She had thought he was only interested in reading sage books and pursuing a career in government!
Song Linsheng put one hand behind his back and gently stroked his chin with the other, as if thinking.
Wen Yu's question seemed to drag him back to his childhood, when he was seven or eight years old. Back then, he had heard his father say that the paulownia tree was endowed with spiritual power, capable of exorcising evil spirits and protecting the house. He had been clamoring to meet the immortal transformed from the paulownia tree, asking him to bless him with success in the imperial examinations and to serve his country with his life.
But his father smiled and patted his little head, telling him that the talk about gods and immortals can only be imagined from afar and should not be believed completely. It is better to pray to oneself than to pray to gods and Buddhas.
If you want fame and fortune, it is better to study hard.
Song Linsheng took his father's words to heart, but not completely. He searched for miscellaneous notes and fragments of texts related to the myths of gods and demons, attempting to find traces of the Wutong Immortal among them, using the fragmentary words recorded in the scrolls to prove that demons and gods were real.
Thinking of this, Song Linsheng smiled slightly, and the hand that was stroking his chin dropped down and was placed behind his back.
"Essence is the transformation of living things, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and having the purest origin. The most common vegetation is wood element, and most of them have good intentions, but they like to deceive people." Song Linsheng said slowly.
"Monsters are transformed from dead things, nourished by the essence of the sun and moon and given life and intelligence. They are often associated with demons, and are not only strange and bizarre but also beyond description."
After Song Linsheng finished speaking, he just looked at Wen Yu with a smile.
After listening to his discussion, Wen Yu nodded approvingly. What Song Linsheng said was almost right. She, Wen Yu, was transformed from the paulownia tree and was a paulownia spirit.
But it wasn't entirely correct, and Wen Yu felt quite proud of herself. The difference between gods, demons, and monsters was something her master had explained to her on the first day of her transformation. She remembered it clearly, and now was the perfect time to show it off in front of Song Linsheng!
"Yes! And no!" Wen Yu corrected him. "I saw you annotate it this way in your book, but it's not entirely appropriate."
Without waiting for him to ask, Wen Yu continued, "Whether it's a spirit, living or dead, they are all non-human beings."
"It is possible for a person to be possessed by a demon while alive and become a ghost after death."
"As for spirits, there are indeed the most wood-element plants, just like me—" Wen Yu spoke too quickly and almost exposed his true identity.
Song Linsheng was listening attentively. When he saw her stop, he looked over with a puzzled look.
Wen Yu changed the subject: "It's just like what I saw in the book!"
Song Linsheng nodded. He didn't remember any of his books having recorded the subtle differences mentioned by Madam Wen Yu. But he didn't ask further. Madam Wen Yu said she read it in a book, so that was it.
As they talked, they quickly left the mansion. Xiyan had already left the house and had harnessed the carriage. After Song Linsheng and Wenyu boarded, Xiyan told the driver to set off towards Jiangyang Restaurant.
After leaving Guan'an Lane and merging into Dongmen Street, you will see the bustling crowds of tourists and endless carriages and horses along the way, which shows how lively the Shangsi Festival is.
Shops lined the streets, their porches adorned with a variety of lanterns, waiting to be lit at night to illuminate the entire Jiangyang Prefecture. Men and women sauntered down the street, all dressed to the nines and in high spirits, seemingly heading for the Jiangyang Restaurant.
When they were about two blocks away from Jiangyang Restaurant, the carriage could no longer move and came to a standstill in the crowded crowd.
Wen Yu leaned on the window sill, raised her hand to open the tasseled curtain, and while leaning out to see what was happening, she called out to Song Linsheng.
"Let us go down and go with them!"
A wonderful atmosphere permeated the crowd, and Wen Yu was deeply moved. Previously, she had only her master and Chi Huang with her at the Spring Temple, and had never seen so many people. Seeing such a grand occasion, she wanted to join in immediately.
Song Linsheng responded and got up first, helping Wenyu out of the car. Wenyu skipped ahead, while Song Linsheng and the others followed at a leisurely pace. They soon merged into the crowd.
Wen Yu looked here and there along the way, finding everything new and exciting. They walked for a long time on the short two streets before they finally saw the plaque on the door of Jiangyang Restaurant.
"Sir Song! Sir Song!" A slightly tired male voice came from afar. As the voice got closer, the man also appeared in front of Song Linsheng and Wen Yu.
"Master Jia?" Song Linsheng finally saw clearly that the person coming was Master Jia Ren. Song Linsheng exchanged greetings with him before asking, "Master Jia is also here to attend the banquet?"
Jia Ren laughed out loud and replied to Song Linsheng, "Master Song, you may not know that before dawn this morning, I have been waiting in front of the Jiangyang Restaurant to supervise the work!"
Song Linsheng and Wen Yu exchanged a glance. Lord Jia seemed to notice their confusion and began to explain, "In previous years, the Shangsi Sacrifice Ceremony was originally managed by Chen Mian. However, due to unexpected circumstances this year, it was handed over to Mu Jingli to preside over."
Lord Jia revealed the whole situation and continued, "Mr. Mu is busy with the Spring God sacrifice. I was afraid he couldn't handle it, so I came to take care of the water feast first."
Upon hearing this, Song Linsheng replied, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Jia."
Lord Jia waved his hand modestly while welcoming Song Linsheng and Wen Yu in.
Jiangyang Restaurant is the largest restaurant in Jiangyang Prefecture, with a long history and a great reputation. Its banquets are also well-known in the surrounding prefectures.
Song Linsheng's mother, Madam Song, and Madam Lu of Minghuai Mansion were both fans of the chef at this restaurant. They bid against each other to hire him back, but in the end, the chef refused to choose either restaurant and insisted on having the meal at Jiangyang Restaurant.
The Shangsi Water Banquet, sponsored by the Jiangyang government office, has been hosted by the Jiangyang Restaurant in previous years. This day is a good day for officials and citizens to have fun together and for the state government to celebrate together.
Lord Jia led Song Linsheng and Wen Yu inside, then left to attend to other matters.
"This Lord Jia seems quite enthusiastic!" Wen Yu glanced at Jia Ren's receding figure with a strange look, puzzled.
Song Linsheng stood beside Wen Yu, looked in the direction she was looking, and sighed softly, "People! They're not as simple as a stroke of a pen."
It was still early, and Song Linsheng did not plan to take the seat just yet. He had just taken office and was still a stranger to the people of Jiangyang Prefecture. But for Song Linsheng and Wen Yu at this moment, this was a good thing.
The two of them could blend into the crowd without any worries.
Song Linsheng and Wen Yu walked around the main hall where everyone was having the banquet and came to the back garden of Jiangyang Restaurant.
Wen Yu looked at the flowers, trees, flowing water, pavilions, and towers before him, as well as the men and women walking slowly among them and sitting on both sides of the stream, and couldn't help but marvel at it: "I never thought that the back garden of Jiangyang Restaurant would be so unique!"
Song Linsheng saw from afar that the winding stream merged into a clear lake with fresh water. An exquisite water pavilion stood on it, and tourists were burning incense and drinking tea in it, which was quite elegant and interesting.
"This Jiangyang Restaurant is more than just an ordinary tavern," Song Linsheng explained to Wen Yu. "Besides the 'eight hot dishes, eight cold dishes, and four finishing dishes', their tea-making, incense-burning, and flower-arranging are also exceptional. Many scholars and intellectuals in the city gather here; it's truly a place of elegance."
"Oh——" Wen Yu listened to Song Linsheng's answer and responded to him with a long tail tone.
Song Linsheng saw that Wen Yu agreed with her words, but her eyes were fixed on the man and woman sitting opposite each other drinking tea by the stream. They all rolled up their sleeves, held orchids in their hands, and immersed themselves in the stream to wash.
"This is what I told you about before—the purification ceremony." Song Linsheng gestured for Wen Yu to go ahead, and he followed closely behind. "By washing your hands, you can wash away disasters, delusions, and illnesses."
"Let's join in the fun!" Wen Yu said cheerfully. It was the first time she saw such formalities in worshipping the God of Spring in the mortal world. Her eyes were full of curiosity.
The two of them stopped beside a low table on the shore, on which were placed various fruits, snacks, and orchids used in the purification ceremony.
Wen Yu took the orchid first and held it in his hand, but did not move.
Song Linsheng also took the orchid and walked to the stream. He carefully rolled up his sleeves, put his hands together and held the orchid to his chest, muttering something, and then submerged the orchid in the water with his hands.
The clear stream flowed through his fingers, creating ripples.
Wen Yu also followed his example and held the orchid in front of her. She didn't know what Song Linsheng had just said, but she thought it was a prayer.
Mortals can pray to gods and Buddhas for what they want, but Wen Yu wondered, what about her? Which god should she pray to?
Wen Yu thought about it and realized she was overthinking it. She had only been in the Eastern Heaven for a short time and didn't know many of the immortals. She thought again and again and decided to ask her master for help! After all, he was family!
May the God of Spring bless Song Linsheng and may his life be smooth and safe.
Wen Yu finished reading and smiled. "Master! You have to open a backdoor for me! Bless me first!"
She dipped her hands into the water, washed them for a moment, then let go of the orchid and let it drift with the water.
"Madam Wenyu——"
Wen Yu turned around when she heard the voice, and it turned out to be Song Linsheng calling her.
He was sitting on the floor beside the table where they had been planning, now pouring tea from a teacup. He raised the pottery in his hand and gestured to Wen Yu.
"I'm coming!" Wen Yu stood up, holding up her skirt, and took two steps over to sit down.
Song Linsheng took the lead in pouring a bowl, putting two fingers together and pushing it towards Wen Yu. When the bowl stopped in front of Wen Yu, he made a gesture of invitation.
"If Linsheng is not mistaken, this tea is this year's new Jingting Green Snow, produced in Minghuai Prefecture. But this 'distinguished guest' has come from afar!"
"Jingting Luxue?" Wen Yu raised his eyebrows, quickly picked up the tea bowl, and put it between his mouth and nose to sniff.
Song Linsheng held the tea bowl in both hands and said slowly:
"Sit down and drink the cool water, watching the boiling dust—" Song Linsheng asked Wen Yu to take over before he finished speaking.
"Hey! I know this sentence! I just read it last night!" Wen Yu smiled. She now felt like a walking treasure house of Chinese studies. She said confidently:
"I have no reason to hold a bowl and send it to tea lovers."
She imitated Song Linsheng's tone and recited the second half of the poem. The sound of tourists playing in her ears, the fragrance of tea on her lips, all of this made Wen Yu feel just right.
"Master Xiao Song! Please!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
