The crowd immediately cheered, especially the girls who were the happiest. Dingdang was happy at first, but then she became angry. She snorted and said angrily, "Flowery words!"
The young man smiled and shook his head. He walked over and handed the painting to Dingdang. He smiled at her and turned to leave.
Dingdang looked at the young man's back as he left. She wanted to say something, but then she suddenly heard someone in the crowd say coldly, "Vixen, trying to seduce men again."
The crowd immediately quietened down. Many people laughed. There were both men and women. The men laughed in a more vulgar manner, while the women laughed more acrimoniously. The sound of the women's laughter was louder than the men's.
Dingdang's mouth twitched and her face darkened. She suddenly turned around and walked away. She quickly walked over the stone bridge and crossed the east bank. It seemed like she was going home.
Lu Chen stood at the back of the crowd and calmly watched this scene. He then looked at the scholar who had already walked into another small path on the west bank. He then muttered to himself in a low voice, "How annoying. Why is it that young and handsome gigolos are more popular everywhere I go?"
…
The painter and the person being painted had both left. The surrounding crowd naturally dispersed as well. When they left, there were many discussions. Many of them talked about the scholar, praising his handsome appearance and powerful painting skills. There were also many who talked about Dingdang. They all laughed at her shameless flirting. They then began to worry for the young scholar, hoping that he would not be harmed by the vixen again.
Lu Chen walked back to the east bank and yawned in boredom. Then, he strolled over to the large pagoda tree and glanced at the fish cage next to Old Yu. As expected, it was empty.
He sat down on the other side of the big rock and asked, "Old Yu, did you catch any fish today?"
"No." The old fisherman did not seem to hear the malicious intent in his words and replied honestly.
Lu Chen laughed and said to him, "I think you will never be able to catch any fish in this stream in your lifetime."
The old fisherman was silent for a moment. Then, like countless times before, he replied woodenly, "There are fish in the water."
"Tch!" Lu Chen stared at him. After a moment, he suddenly lost interest. There really were all kinds of weird people in this world. He said, "Up to you. If you say there is, then there is. Serves you right for wasting your life here. In the end, even if you catch it, it will still be a waste!"
Every time they reached this point, the two of them would have nothing else to say. But one day, for some reason, Old Yu suddenly turned to look at Lu Chen and said slowly, "No, that's not it. I saw that there were spirit marks on that big fish. As long as I catch it and offer it to the immortals of the Thousand Autumns Sect, I can cultivate too."
"A big fish with spiritual marks …" Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh. Then he said, "Oh, if you really catch, this fish is worth more than a thousand spirit stones. It's enough for you to enter Thousand Autumn Sect. But … You don't get eaten by. "
Old Yu looked at Lu Chen strangely and mumbled, "Fish don't eat people."
Lu Chen smiled and leaned over to pat him on the shoulder. He did not say anything else. He glanced at the crystal clear stream and got up to leave.
At this time, the sun had already risen and shone on Qingshuitang Village. The Qingshuitang Stream shimmered, and the large locust tree shaded the sun. It was very cool and refreshing. Only small pieces of the sun fell through the gaps in the leafy canopy.
Lu Chen took two steps outside. Just as he was about to leave, a ray of sunlight suddenly flickered under the shade of the tree. It was as if a shadow had flashed in a certain corner of the large pagoda tree.
Lu Chen's body suddenly stopped.
He turned and looked in that direction, only to see that it was just one of the roots of the big locust tree. A part of the roots bulged out of the ground, gripping the soil tightly. At the same time, there was a lot of green grass growing around the trunk and roots.
Lu Chen's expression was a little strange. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something. He was a little confused, a little nervous, and a little disgusted. But very quickly, he calmed down and his expression returned to normal. Then, he walked over to that spot and kicked his feet as if nothing had happened. He took off one of his shoes as if he was going to shake off the soil on the roots. His eyes quickly scanned the area.
The shadow seemed to flicker in front of him again.
This time, Lu Chen saw it clearly. It was a somewhat strange pattern. It was a little scribbled, as if it was randomly carved in an inconspicuous place between the roots. In the drawing was a circle and a few lines of different thickness. When they came together, it vaguely looked like a simple and strange tree.
The wound on the bark looked like it had been cut not long ago. It could not have been more than a day old.
Lu Chen's expression slowly turned cold. He got up and put his shoes back on. Then, he walked back to the big rock and glanced at Old Yu who was still fishing quietly. Then, he lay down.
He lay behind the old fisherman and closed his eyes. The sound of the flowing stream and the faint sound of the wind blowing the leaves above his head began to reach his ears. Everything seemed to quiet down, as if life in this village had been so peaceful for many years.
Then, he suddenly opened his mouth and broke the silence. "Old Yu, let me ask you something."
"Oh …" the old fisherman said woodenly.
"You have been here for the past two days, right?"
"Yes," the old fisherman said.
Lu Chen pillowed his hands behind his head and looked at the green canopy above his head, as well as the broken sun peeking through the gaps between the leaves. "Has anyone else come here?"
"No," Old Yu said. "You know, other than you and Old Ma, no one in the village likes to talk to me."
Lu Chen grunted and said lightly, "I thought there were more newcomers in the village recently. Maybe you would make some new friends."
"Hehe …" Old Yu chuckled in a low voice, just like the little gray fish in the stream beside him bubbling and then bursting.
Lu Chen turned over and sat up. Then, he patted his butt and walked away without another glance at Old Yu.
After leaving the big locust tree, he first walked a few steps towards the straw hut at the foot of the mountain, but then he stopped and thought for a moment. Then, he turned around and walked back the way he came.
At this moment, a man walked towards him. When he saw Lu Chen, he cupped his hands and asked politely, "Brother, may I ask if this mountain behind you is Tea Mountain?"
Lu Chen glanced at him and saw that he was also a young man. He carried a long sword on his back and wore a cloak. His face looked travel-worn, as if he had come a long way. Looking at his appearance and attire, he looked like an ordinary itinerant cultivator who traveled the world in search of Dao.
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