The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the green hills, and a skinny horse walks along the ancient road at dusk.
Yan Rui was walking on this path with a worried look on his face. He was thinking about how to settle down tonight and what to do after tomorrow.
The skinny horse was like firewood, carrying its master slowly on the rugged path.
"Now that I've used up my travel expenses, the road ahead of me is endless. I don't know when I can go to the capital to take the imperial examination." His gaze fell on the bony old horse beneath him. "Could it be that I have to sell this horse? But if I sell the horse, how will I travel in the future? "
Yan Rui was a scholar. It was said that his ancestor was the descendant of a certain sage. He came from a scholarly family. Unfortunately, his family had declined, and now he was the only one left. This time, he had come to the capital to take the imperial examination in an attempt to obtain a scholarly title for his family so that he could bring honor to his ancestors in the future.
Suddenly, there was a burst of smoke in front of them. Yan Rui went forward to ask curiously. He saw a man and a woman in linen clothes, dressed as travelers. They were cooking by the fire.
So, Yan Rui went up to talk to him.
"I am Jia Xuntian, and this is my younger sister, Jia Xunbao. The two of us were traveling around the world and happened to be resting here. If you don't mind, how about spending the night here with me? "
Yan Rui looked around. There was a big tree that was so big that it would take five people to wrap their arms around it to shield it from the wind and the sun. The Jia siblings were breaking dry branches from the tree to start a fire.
It was already evening, and Yan Rui's stomach couldn't help but growl. "Gulp … Gulp …"
Yan Rui blushed. Jia Xuntian laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Mister. The two of us will start a fire to cook, and the portions are just enough. Mister, why don't you join us?"
"How … how can I accept this?" Yan Rui touched the shriveled wallet in his arms, speechless.
"It is fate that brought us together. Please come over." Jia Xuntian pulled Yan Rui to sit with him.
Jia Xunbao seemed to be a little afraid and hid at the side, unwilling to say anything. He just silently picked up the bowls and chopsticks and scooped a bowl of yellow rice for each of them.
Bursts of aroma wafted from the yellow rice. Each grain of yellow millet was round and plump, and there were even red beans that had been marinated with honey hidden inside.
"This rice …" Yan Rui asked curiously, "Why are these grains so small and yellow?"
"I presume that the place where Mister lives eats rice all year round? This was corn, also known as millet. Therefore, this type of rice is called millet rice, also known as Huangliang rice. "
"Golden grain rice?" Yan Rui picked up the rice grain and looked at it. The rice grain was only the size of a needle hole, completely different from the round and white rice he had seen before.
"Heaven and Earth are indeed vast, giving birth to all living things. There was actually such a mysterious thing in the world. In the past, I studied at home and didn't know much about the world. I should have come out earlier. "
Then, Jia Xunbao took out two porcelain jars. One of the jars was a jar of black meat sauce.
"This is the Eight Treasures Prawn Dried I marinated a few days ago. It's made with shrimp meat, fresh bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, dried tofu, mushrooms, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and cashews. It's specially made for traveling. "
Right now, the sky was the blanket and the earth was the bed. How could there be a stove or a house? Therefore, when cooking outside, everything was simple. Jia Xunbao took a big pot and steamed a big pot of rice. Then, the two of them ate the rice with the rice that they had prepared beforehand.
In the end, Yan Rui was a scholar rushing to take the imperial examinations. This was his first time traveling far from home, so seeing these things was extremely novel. He picked up some dried prawns and tasted them with the yellow rice.
The dried prawns were fragrant and delicious, and because they were mixed with various dried fruits, they were quite chewy.
Yan Rui smacked his lips and couldn't help but pick up some with his chopsticks.
"Sir, don't just taste this. Look at this jar of fish pearls." Jia Xuntian opened another can.
As soon as he opened it, Yan Rui couldn't help but scream, "Ah —"
He was scared out of his wits and quickly dodged, "Sir, this … how can this be eaten?"
This can was filled with black and white eyeballs, which made Yan Rui's hair stand on end.
"Sir, don't worry. This is vegetarian meat I made with melons and fruits. It's made to imitate fish eyeballs. Don't be afraid, Sir. "Jia Xuntian smiled as he talked about these" fish pearls. "
Then, he took the seeds and flowers and crushed them, took the pectin mixture and set it aside. Then, he mashed the fresh longan longan longan to extract the juice, mixed it with the pectin of the longan, and put it in a cool place.
On the other hand, he used dark plum seeds to make the core. When the longan pectin gradually became jelly, he quickly stuffed the dark plum seeds into the jelly, and then took the ice to form this black and white eyeball shape.
"Sir, rather than saying that this thing is an eyeball, it's more like a longan in another sense. What do you think?"
When Yan Rui heard this, he couldn't help but blush. His family was poor, and the longan longan fruit was a distant fruit with a high value. He had only eaten it twice in his life.
"So it's a longan. I know, I know." Yan Rui was skeptical. He scooped out a spoonful of "fish pearls" from the porcelain pot and put it on top of the rice. Not long after, under the steam, the outer shell of the longan gradually melted, leaving only the marinated dark plum seeds in the center.
The dried prawn meat just now was mainly salty and fresh, while the fish pearls were mainly sweet and sour. Soon, Yan Rui ate two big bowls of rice with the two kinds of side dishes.
But in the end, when he scooped out the "fish pearls" from the porcelain pot again to taste, he accidentally got his mouth covered by a hard object. He quickly spat it out and saw that it wasn't a "fish pearl" at all. It was clearly a pearl the size of a longan.
Seeing this, he quickly returned the pearl to Jia Xuntian and Yan Rui.
But Jia Xuntian waved his hand. "It's just a small pearl. Since Mister has obtained it, then it belongs to Mister." Then, he pointed at the porcelain pot and said, "This pot has another name. It's called 'fish eyes mixed with pearls'. Other than the fish pearls, there are also many clam pearls mixed in with the ice water to cool down. Since you've taken it, it's fate. It's the will of the heavens. Keep it well. "
Yan Rui was still hesitant and didn't dare to accept this heavy gift. Jia Xuntian said again, "I see that Mister is short of money. Take this pearl as a gift from me to Mister to go to the capital for the imperial examination. If Mister makes it to the imperial examination in the future, please do me a favor and help me with something. "
"Alright." Indeed, they were short of money and urgently needed to go to the capital. At this time, they couldn't be pedantic and talk about morality. But Yan Rui said to Jia Xuntian solemnly, "Brother, don't worry. I will never forget the support you and your sister have given me. If the Toad Palace wins in the future, I will definitely give you two a big gift. "
Jia Xuntian smiled faintly. In his eyes, following Yan Rui's words, a cloud of clear air rose from the Netherheaven Realm and turned into karma that entangled the two of them. If Yan Rui had great luck in the future, it would naturally gather on him.
After the meal, Jia Xunbao cleaned up the pots and pans. Jia Xuntian and Yan Rui were chatting at the side. As they talked, they talked about Yan Rui's family's origins and the meaning of Confucian scriptures.
Jia Xuntian said, "The Confucian Holy Path is just the three steps of establishing one's heart, establishing one's words, and establishing one's life. Establishing one's heart for heaven and earth and establishing one's life for the common people. Only when these three paths are perfected can one be conferred as a saint. This step can be called 'establishing a saint' and exist alongside the legendary immortals and gods who live as long as the heavens. "
Hearing this, Yan Rui couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Jia, do you believe in gods and ghosts? Although establishing one's heart, establishing one's words, and establishing one's life are the essences of Confucianism, they are only for cultivating one's body and restraining oneself. How can there be any great divine powers? It's said that my family is a descendant of Confucian sages and passed down the second half of the Haoran Incantation. But when we cultivate it, it's only a method to nurture Qi and cultivate the heart. How can there be any great divine powers? Nonsense, it's all nonsense from the outside world! "
"Then what about cultivating one's body and family, governing the country and bringing peace to the world?"
"Although it's the fruit of our Confucian Sect's efforts, it has nothing to do with cultivation."
Seeing Yan Rui's attitude, Jia Xuntian smiled and didn't say anything. "Perhaps so. Sir, it's getting late, we should also rest. "
The two of them took their cotton-padded jackets and made a bed under the tree. Perhaps it was because he had found a place to settle his travel expenses, or perhaps it was because he had eaten and drank to his heart's content, but Yan Rui soon fell asleep.
In his dream, he dreamed that he had entered a vast white fog. The fog was indistinct, and only the endless sound of reading slowly echoed in the world.
Following the sound, Yan Rui saw a man dressed like a scholar in the middle of the fog. The man was chanting, "Righteousness exists in heaven and earth. Below it are rivers and mountains, and above it are the sun and stars. It's called Haoran by people, so abundant that it fills the heavens. "
"My family's Song of Righteousness?" Yan Rui was puzzled. After the man finished singing his family's Song of Righteousness, he continued, "Kun Yi refines the unending, Qing Jie performs the bright court, You travel in the long night, You shine through the ages."
The latter part of the song seemed to be related to cultivation, so it was awkward and difficult to pronounce. But as the scholar chanted, a wisp of Righteousness that Yan Rui had cultivated for many years began to circulate, slowly pushing him into the path of establishing his heart.
A Haoran Heart shines through the ages.
Yan Rui's mind exploded, and all kinds of inheritance related to the Confucian school flowed into his mind.
The night passed slowly. When Yan Rui woke up, the sun had already risen from the east. A book and a ruler appeared beside him. The two items shone with spiritual light, and there was a kind of Haoran Righteousness that was closely related to him.
"This is?" He looked around again, but Jia Xuntian and Jia Xunbao had already disappeared. Under the shade of the big tree, he was the only one lying on the ground.
"That's strange." If it wasn't for the pearl in his arms, he would have suspected that all of this was a dream.
He then checked the book ruler beside him. The book was called "Fu Shu", and the ruler was called "Yi Zhi". Both were treasures left behind by the Confucian school.
Thinking about what Jia Xuntian said last night, Yan Rui thought to himself, "Could the so-called Confucian inheritance really exist?" Following this thought, countless Confucian classics appeared in his mind, "Could it be … Could it be that this is the ancestor's manifestation?"
Yan Rui couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and continued on his journey on the skinny horse.
After Yan Rui left, a man and a woman looked at each other and smiled.
With a shake of their bodies, Jia Xuntian and Jia Xunbao turned into two immortals.
The woman took out a book and wrote the name "Yan Rui" on it. A faint red aura slowly surged and then disappeared into the name.
"It seems that his fate is good, and he has a good chance of becoming an official."
"Just an official career?" Qing Hong pointed with the folding fan in his hand, and a wisp of Righteousness flashed on the red aura.
"I'm counting on him to revive the Confucian school."
One of the main purposes of the two of them traveling the world was to help people.
Helping people who were fated to cultivate the Dao, become an immortal, or prove the Divine Path was the merit of Qing Hong and Li Jingxun.
Yesterday, they were touched by Yan Rui's visit, so they deliberately gave him a pearl to help him enter the capital to take the imperial examination.
"In the future, maybe he can become one of the masters of the Confucian school." Qing Hong looked at the sky. The sun rose from the east, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds. He said to Li Jingxun, "Alright, send him to the capital. The good karma has been planted. It will take at least a few years for it to take root and sprout. Let's go and prepare for the next one. "
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