(I've read all the book reviews, really. I just want to make one thing clear. After all, everyone is reading for leisure. Don't ruin your mood because of the debate. There are many important things in the world. Writing a book is my job. I'll try my best to write it well. Everyone should enjoy reading. The problem now is that everyone is fighting fiercely. I can't even press the add essence button. I'm truly sorry. Presumably, everyone doesn't care about these few essences, so I'll take this opportunity to slack off. PS: I'm taking a day off on Thursday. Thank you, everyone.)
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…
Northern Qi's spring came a little late, but it would still come. Not far from Shangjing, the capital of Northern Qi, one had to walk around the desolate topaz West Mountain and then head north for a few hours before coming to a quiet and secluded mountain. This mountain was not very tall, but the tall trees and shrubs on the mountain were densely packed. It appeared particularly primitive and quiet. Layers of light and dark green intermingled. It was very beautiful.
Just like the Sword Hut's position in the hearts of the swordsmen of the world, this green mountain, in the eyes of the Northern Qi people and the Ascetic Cultivators who traveled the world, was also an inviolable and lofty holy land. This nameless green mountain was the location of Northern Qi's Tianyi Dao and the place where Imperial Advisor Ku He cultivated.
Walking along the rugged mountain path toward the quiet and secluded mountain valley, one could faintly see the place where tens of thousands of pine trees gathered.
Tens of thousands of pine trees. The shape of the pine needles and the width of the trees were all different. Some of the pine needles were soft and floated down like strands of hair. Some of the pine needles were angry and hard enough to pierce the heavens. Some of the pine needles were like thin and round tubes. They were particularly interesting. It was early morning. Morning dew covered the plants in the mountain. After the dew moistened the pine needles, it slid to the ground. Only the pine trees with dense pine needles would store puddles of crystalline dew in their branches and leaves. Reflecting the morning light, they were as clear as gemstones.
Following the faint light of the dew into the mountains, one could see the buildings of Tianyi Taoist School. These buildings inherited the traditional aesthetic style of the Wei Kingdom and Northern Qi. They were mainly green and black. Black represented sternness, while green was close to nature. They stood between heaven and earth, their power hidden within their beauty.
Although Tianyi Dao's sect did not accept disciples as widely as Dongyi's Sword Hut, Master Ku He's quiet cultivation attracted countless pilgrims who came to worship him. No matter how few disciples the Imperial Advisor took, adult disciples such as Lang Tiao still had to take in disciples. After a few decades, the number of people in the sect had gradually increased. Now, there were more than 100 people who spent many years cultivating and studying in Qing Mountain.
In the hearts of these disciples, of course, they hoped that they could cultivate in seclusion in the mountains for many years, and then go out to bring prosperity to the world, just like that fairy in their hearts.
Back in the day, the Northern Qi saint girl, Haitang Duoduo, had cultivated in seclusion for countless years under these pine trees. Before Haitang Duoduo left the mountain, she had planted vegetables in a garden on the outskirts of those greenish-black buildings. Other than what she consumed, the rest of the vegetables were sent to the school. To this day, there were still many disciples who felt proud to have eaten the vegetables Haitang had personally grown.
During this year, Haitang spent most of her time in the distant Qing Kingdom's Jiangnan with the equally famous Sir Fan junior. This reality made the people of Northern Qi angry, particularly the Tianyi Dao students in Qing Mountain. Other than jealousy and anger, what made these students most unhappy was that it was very difficult to see the flower-clothed girl in the garden again. In the past, as long as they saw the girl's figure, everyone's heart would calm down.
Not long after Haitang left, another girl moved into the garden. At the same time, she turned the vegetables in the garden into medicinal herbs that could be grown.
This girl's identity was not ordinary. She was Ku He's last disciple and had taken Haitang's place. She moved into Haitang's garden and collected her seeds. She, she, she, she was Fan Xian's sister.
The quiet cultivating disciples in the mountains were incomparably shocked. They didn't understand why the patriarch would go all the way to the Qing Kingdom to take a female disciple. They also didn't understand why he had to take Fan Xian's sister as a disciple. Who was Fan Xian? He was one of the most powerful young officials in the Qing Kingdom.
However, things had already happened. The disciples in the mountains could not change anything. They could only learn to accept it. After a long time, they became used to the young lady of the Fan family's existence.
The Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi were mortal enemies. Although they had been on an unprecedentedly friendly relationship these two years, the emotions rooted in the depths of people's hearts were difficult to remove. Thus, Fan Ruoruo's initial days in Qing Mountain were not very smooth. No matter where she went, she was greeted by hostile gazes and whispered discussions behind her back.
Fortunately, this girl did not care at all. Additionally, her personality was cold, so she did not notice other people's attitudes. After a few months, the Tianyi Dao disciples finally realized that this disciple aunt's attitude was even colder than theirs. They couldn't help but find it boring.
In reality, Fan Ruoruo was very satisfied with her learning life in Northern Qi. There were many more smiles on her face than when she was in Jingdou. However, the Northern Qi people did not understand this. After all, they did not know that the young lady of the Fan family had long had the nickname of the Talented Iceberg Girl in the Qing Kingdom.
Fan Ruoruo's happiness came from the relaxed environment and tense life. Imperial Advisor Ku He had only taught her some basic Heart of Tianyi Dao and gifted her a few scrolls of scriptures. He did not pay much attention to her. The rest of her time was spent studying medicine with her second disciple. This was one of the reasons she had come to Northern Qi. She used the medical skills she had learned to treat the poor people at the foot of the mountain. Her days were very fulfilling.
The second disciple's name was Mu Peng. The names Ku He had given his disciples were all very interesting. Lang Tao, Hai Tang, Mu Peng, Bai Shen. They were all names of plants. People were like their names. Lang Tao was like the literal feeling. His entire body was filled with killing intent and sharpness. Hai Tang stood gently and firmly in the wind and rain.
Mu Peng was a traditional Chinese medicine. One could imagine what Ruoruo's 40-year-old second disciple was best at.
…
…
Fan Ruoruo picked up the leaves and collected the dew on the pine leaves beside the courtyard. Tilting her head slightly, she poured the water into the dripping bottle. She was curious. Why did the prescription use dew?
She carried Ping 'er out of the courtyard and walked up the stone steps toward the mountain, preparing to carry out her daily studies. Along the way, she saw some young Tianyi Dao disciples. When these disciples saw the girl holding the bottle, they all stood to the side and bowed in greeting.
For one, she was their disciple aunt. After a few months, the Tianyi Dao disciples knew that although this young lady of the Fan manor's personality was cold, her heart was truly kind and did not pretend to be fake. She was much better than the Fan Xian in the South, who was gentle on the outside but vicious on the inside. In particular, this young lady of the Fan manor had gone down the mountain tirelessly to treat the common people for many months. This made these junior disciples deeply respect her virtue.
Fan Ruoruo nodded her head slightly in return. There was no expression on her face.
When she climbed up the long stone steps and stood at the top of the mountain, she stopped and looked at the lush green forest at the foot of the mountain. Suddenly, she stretched her waist and let out a loud cry. Her cheeks were flushed red from exercising, and she was a little excited.
She had been born with a lack of nutrition since childhood. Although her brother had taken care of her for a while, there was no fundamental improvement. When she was in Jingdou, her face was always pale. Now, a healthy red rose to her face. One could imagine that after living in Northern Qi for more than a year, her body was much better.
One's constitution came from one's heart. It was mainly because of one's relaxed mood.
"I don't have to participate in boring poetry gatherings. I don't have to go to the manors of the nobles to chat with the women. I don't have to be like those sisters who hide behind a screen and look at men. I don't have to do needlework every day …"
Fan Ruoruo gazed in a daze at the mountain below the stone steps. A happy smile rose to her face. "This kind of life is what I want. Thank you, brother."
…
…
Other than the Heart of Tianyi Dao cultivation, there was also scripture and righteousness. Basically, they used the curriculum that Master Zhuang Mohan had personally revised. Fan Ruoruo finished her two hours of cultivation and came to Mu Peng's room. She bowed respectfully and then asked a few difficult questions in medical skills for her second brother's guidance.
Mu Peng said a few words and suddenly saw the joy in the girl's eyes. He smiled slightly and said, "Sir Fan junior has written again?"
Fan Ruoruo smiled and nodded. "Although it hasn't come yet, counting the days, it should be here."
Mu Peng scratched his slightly disheveled hair and smiled. "You are so happy. Presumably, your relationship with your brother and sister is very good. Since it is so, why don't you stay in the Qing Kingdom? Although Northern Qi is good, it is, after all, a foreign country. "
Although Mu Peng's status could not compare to the old poison in the Overwatch Council, regardless of whether it was a doctor or a major figure who used poison, his hair seemed to be messy. His daily life was messy, so he did not notice things like dressing up.
Fan Ruoruo smiled slightly and replied, "It doesn't matter where. Brother said that in one's life, one must always make some sacrifices for the goal one wants."
Mu Peng asked in surprise, "Oh? Then, what is your goal? "
"To save people," Fan Ruoruo replied calmly.
"It's that simple?"
"Yes."
"Hmm …" Mu Peng was silent for a moment and then said, "A doctor has the heart of a parent. But, when you first came to Northern Qi, you only listened for a while in the Imperial Academy of Medicine in the Qing court. Why do you have such a great wish?"
"Brother, it's not because of the wish, but because of what I want." Fan Ruoruo didn't think further and calmly said, "Brother once said, how should a person live their life? The first thing is to make one's state of mind happy. Treating people and saving people makes me happy, so I made this choice. "
How should a person live their life? Mu Peng furrowed his brows slightly and sighed. He didn't say anything more. He was thinking, What kind of person was that Fan family boy who could make Fan Haitang lose her composure?
… …
It was not yet dusk. Fan Ruoruo carried the empty water bottle down the stone steps and returned to her little courtyard. She carefully tended to the herbs in the garden. Then, she walked back into the quiet room and began to prepare pen and paper. The furnishings in the room had not changed at all. She knew that this was, after all, Haitang's old residence. For the Northern Qi people, it had a different meaning.
A letter was placed quietly on the table. A glimmer of joy flashed through Fan Ruoruo's eyes. She hurriedly opened the letter and looked closely at the familiar fine handwriting on it. As she read the letter, her expression changed endlessly. Sometimes it was nervous, sometimes it was happy, and sometimes it was faintly sad.
The letter had been sent by Fan Xian. He had used a great deal of effort to send his sister to Northern Qi's Tianyi Dao. The two of them were separated by a great distance, so it was not convenient for them to exchange messages. They each missed each other in their own places. Thus, after Ruoruo settled down, Fan Xian immediately resumed his monthly letter home.
As a child, Ruoruo had returned to Jingdou from Danzhou at a young age. Ever since Ruoruo could read and write, Fan Xian had begun to correspond with her. Using the Qing Kingdom's developed postal routes, the brother and sister's letters came and went between Jingdou and Danzhou, rain or shine, one letter a month without stopping until the fourth year of the Qing calendar, when Fan Xian entered Jingdou.
No one knew how many years they had been writing letters.
These letters contained a great deal of affection between the brother and sister.
In the letters, they talked about the Red Chamber, the affairs of the manor, and the scenery and people of the two places. They talked about trivial family matters, and so on and so forth. It was through these letters that Fan Xian became one of his sister's teachers in terms of spirit. From a young age, Fan Ruoruo had been influenced by the contents of these letters. Her state of mind and attitude was different from most women in this world. No, it was different from most people in this world.
She was still filial to her parents, loved her brothers, and got along very well with her sisters in the boudoir. However, there were many different things in her heart. She had a relatively independent personality and yearning for freedom. She was so incompatible with this world, yet she did not want to leave this world and live.
It was because of this contradiction that, when she was in Jingdou, she became a polite, cold, and cold girl. It was only later in front of Fan Xian that she dared to reveal her true feelings. Thus, she went far away to a foreign country and lived a simple and bitter life. This kind of life, unusually terrifying in the eyes of a noble lady, made her happy and content.
The beginning of all of this was a letter. It was a letter between Fan Xian and her.
…
…
Fan Ruoruo looked at the letter in a daze. After a long time, she let out a faint sigh. The rims of her eyes were slightly moist. The struggles in court in Jingdou were still very far from her. She also believed in her father and brother's abilities, so she did not care about the dangers written in the letter. However, this time, Fan Xian mentioned Hongcheng in the letter.
Hongcheng …
Fan Ruoruo wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. The image of the gentle heir rose in her mind. He was going to the West to fight the Hu people. Would he get hurt? Would he come back?
King Jing's manor and the Fan manor were old friends. Ruoruo had also grown up with Li Hongcheng. She knew that although he had great ambitions, he was, by nature, a very rare good person. Putting aside the romantic affairs on the pleasure boats, he was also infatuated with her. This time, Hongcheng had asked to leave the capital. One reason was to free himself from the struggle between the princes in Jingdou. She knew that this was also a kind of self-exile after she had hurt him.
However, Fan Ruoruo was unable to accept Hongcheng. Her exquisite heart, which had been influenced by Fan Xian, was even more unable to accept this world's attitude toward men and women than Fan Xian himself.
Isn't this a very ridiculous and interesting thing to do?
Of course, even if there were no romantic affairs on the pleasure boats, even if Hongcheng was a perfect person, Fan Ruoruo still could not accept living with that man for the rest of her life.
It was just like one of the stories Fan Xian had told in his letter.
Those were all very good, but … she just didn't like it.
…
…
"What story did he write to make you cry?" A lazy and clear voice came from the door of the room. "Your brother is indeed very detestable in certain aspects."
Fan Ruoruo raised her head to see Haitang standing at the door wearing a thin flowery dress. She quickly stood up and said, "So it was you who sent the letter. I thought it was someone sent by Sir Wang."
Haitang put her hands in her clothes and dragged her feet in. "Wang Qinian isn't coming back. Didn't Fan Xian say? Right now, it's Deng Zi Yue in Shangjing. You should have met him. "
Fan Ruoruo nodded.
Haitang smiled slightly and said, "I am truly curious about the contents of this letter. It actually made the usually calm you cry."
Fan Ruoruo's fingers gripped the letter. She lowered her head and said, "Don't make fun of me. Brother is still as long-winded as before."
Haitang sighed and said, "I have experienced this deeply."
Fan Ruoruo tilted her head slightly and asked with confusion, "Aren't you in Shangjing? Why have you returned to the mountain?"
Of course, Haitang couldn't have returned to the mountain just to send a letter to Fan Xian's sister. She gazed at Fan Ruoruo and smiled slightly. "Teacher received a letter from second brother and thinks you can already leave the mountain. He had me accompany you to Shangjing."
"Go to Shangjing?" Fan Ruoruo said with some difficulty. "But, there are still many things I haven't learned."
"It's just that someone wants to see you, so he asked me to take you there," Haitang said. "If you like life in the mountains, you can come back when the time comes."
"Don't you also like life in the mountains?" Fan Ruoruo smiled. "I didn't touch this room. I'll keep it. When the time comes, we'll live together."
Hearing these words, Haitang sank into silence. After a long time, she sighed and said helplessly, "Even if I wanted to come back, it wouldn't be a matter of a year or two."
Fan Ruoruo knew that Haitang and her brother had been secretly doing something. Originally, with Fan Xian acting as a bridge between them, her relationship with Haitang had always been good. Furthermore, they spoke more casually. However, each time she thought of her sister-in-law, Lin Wan 'er, far away in Qing Kingdom, Fan Ruoruo purposely kept her distance from Haitang. Perhaps this was a girl's careful thoughts.
She suddenly thought of the words earlier and asked curiously, "In Shangjing … who wants to see me?"
"Your Majesty." A glimmer of a smile rose to the corners of Haitang's lips. She thought that her Emperor's thoughts were as difficult to guess as Fan Xian's.
…
…
In Shangjing, not far from Qing Mountain, where Tianyi Taoist School was located, in the black and green, unique and beautiful Royal Palace, the master of the North, the Northern Qi Emperor, sat paralyzed on a low couch. His large feet were covered in cloth socks and gave off steam. His body was slanted in the arms of a beautiful woman in palace attire.
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