Jing Jiu did not knock on the door. He pushed a black brick half an inch into the wall.
It was a mechanism.
The sound of something hard rolling came from behind the door. He could not see through the wooden door, but he knew it was a smooth stone ball moving along a fixed track. It would fall after a long distance and break a large porcelain bowl.
After a long time, the wooden door did not open.
He stood on the stone steps and waited. His expression was calm as usual.
The rain was getting heavier. It fell on the bamboo hat and dripped down from the edge, like a waterfall during a dry season.
Because of the rain, the people outside the alley were walking in a hurry. No one noticed him.
With a light sound, the courtyard door finally opened. An old man appeared.
The old man had a square face, with straight eyebrows and bright eyes. His cheeks were slightly red; it was unclear whether it was because he had drunk alcohol or was a bit excited. He wore a gray unlined garment, and the buttons on the garment weren't fastened. It looked like he had put it on in a hurry. The expression in his eyes while looking at Jing Jiu was full of suspicion and scrutiny.
Jing Jiu took out a wooden plate and handed it over.
The old man did not dare to take it. He bent down and looked at it carefully for a long time.
When he was sure it was the real thing, he knelt down without hesitation. He did not care that the ground was wet with rain.
"Get up," Jing Jiu said.
The old man got up and respectfully welcomed him into the courtyard. He walked along the side corridor.
There were people in the courtyard. To be exact, there was a family.
In the open parlor, the family was eating. There were old and young, men and women, and they all sat neatly together.
The family's eyes were on the table. They were talking in low voices. It seemed that they did not see Jing Jiu and the old man.
This scene was a little strange.
The three or four years old child suddenly broke free from his mother's arms. He ran to the threshold and looked at Jing Jiu curiously. He stretched out his hand to say something, but his father quickly took him back.
The child cried in the parlor.
In the corridor, Jing Jiu took off his bamboo hat and looked in that direction.
The child saw his face and could not help but be stunned. He forgot to cry.
…
…
"Is this the Jing family?"
"Yes, they have been working for Taichang Temple for generations. They can be considered my family's subjects."
The square-faced elder glanced at Jing Jiu and said, "I can assure you that they don't know anything, but they will never forget what they should remember."
Jing Jiu understood that those people were his nominal parents, his old grandfather, and his brother and sister-in-law. As for whether the child was his nephew or niece? This was all arranged back then. He was not good at it, but there were many people in the Imperial court who were good at it.
He sat on the chair and asked, "How many people have come to investigate over the years?"
The old man stood in front of him and said, "Seven years ago, the Aoyama Sect's Shanghai Peak came to investigate. According to their methods, they should be able to find some problems. Therefore, I immediately tried to remedy the situation. However, the strange thing is that they never came again. This has been making me feel uneasy."
Jing Jiu naturally knew why Shanghai Peak didn't continue to investigate, so he said, "Don't worry about that."
"There were two more major disturbances, four years ago and one year ago."
The old man said, "Twenty-one sects in total sent people to investigate, including Royal Concubine Hu in the Imperial Palace."
Four years ago, Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu inherited the sword of the Shenmo Peak, shocking the Cultivation world. Most of the Cultivation sects paid attention to Zhao Layue, but they would also investigate Jing Jiu. One year ago, it was the Four-Seas Banquet held by the Western Sea Sword School and the Sword Trial held by Aoyama. Jing Jiu defeated Gu Han and broke Guo Nanshan's sword. As a result, the master of Aoyama deliberately kept a low profile and turned Jing Jiu into a surprise soldier failed. As the personal disciple of the Immortal Jingyang and a true genius in sword work, how could he not attract attention?
The old man knew all this, so he knew this young man was Jing Jiu.
The Jing family had moved to this small courtyard for twenty years just for this young man.
"I'm here to attend the Plum Meeting, so I'll stay here for the time being."
Jing Jiu said, "You send a letter to the Zhao Manor House and inform them."
The old man knew his identity, so he knew where the Zhao Manor House was. Seeing Jing Jiu had no other orders, he left through the secret passage behind the house.
This secret passage led to another courtyard one hundred feet away.
That courtyard occupied a large area, with richly ornamented beams and painted rafters. The luxuries hidden in the depths of the courtyard were everywhere.
The old man sat in the study room and did not say a word. He did not recover for a long time.
Many years ago, his father had earnestly explained to him that the reason why the family could continue to this day and still maintain its glory was that they had done two things. One was to unconditionally support His Majesty the Divine Emperor, and the other was to absolutely obey the orders of the owner of the wooden token.
What if the two things conflicted? He couldn't help but ask his father.
His father said that the will of the Emperor and the owner of the wooden board must be the same.
The young man was a bit stubborn, but he persisted in asking. What if?
He remembered clearly that his father had remained silent for a long time, and the answer he gave was the latter.
He was shocked at the time, and it was still the same today.
He didn't dare and didn't want to erase this cloud that had been hanging over the family for hundreds of years, but he couldn't help but be curious. Unfortunately, when he arranged that small courtyard twenty years ago, he only received a letter. In the letter, he saw the symbol of the wooden board and a few simple requirements, but he still didn't know who the owner of the wooden board was.
It wasn't until recent years, when people from the Cultivation sects and even the Imperial Palace began to pay attention to that small courtyard, that he learned the identity of the owner of the wooden board. He even used his influence to investigate it secretly, but he still couldn't be sure. It was because Jing Jiu was too young. Even if he was a genius in swordsmanship, he couldn't match the value of that wooden board.
Jing Jiu should be the inheritor of that wooden board.
As the old man was thinking about these things, the housekeeper reminded him in a low voice outside the window.
"Master, it's almost past time."
…
…
The spring rain was continuous, but the two barriers formed by the tactical matrix and the colored glass prevented the guests in the courtyard from getting wet. Instead, it added a bit of elegance. However, as time passed, the atmosphere in the courtyard became a bit strange, and the sound of the rain was gradually replaced by the sound of discussion.
In the middle of the wedding, there was suddenly the sound of bowls being smashed, and the host left in a hurry. After such a long time, he didn't come out, as if he had disappeared. What was going on?
"What on earth happened?"
"I heard that the Old Master was very mischievous when he was young. Could it be that he's back to his old ways?"
"The Old Master loves his youngest son the most. Why would he do such a thing in his marriage?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Everyone says that the Old Master is muddle-headed and unwilling to get close to the nobles in the Imperial Palace. But no matter what happened these years, this house has always been stable, and it still sits in the position of Taichang Temple. It's incomparably noble. This is what it means to be favored by the Emperor! Can a muddle-headed person do this? "
"But the auspicious hour is about to pass."
As the guests were talking, they suddenly heard a sound of footsteps in front of them.
Everyone looked up and quickly stopped talking. With solemn expressions, they bowed together.
"Nice to meet you, Duke Lu."
"Sorry, there's something urgent."
Duke Lu had a square face and an extraordinary bearing. Even when he was explaining, he had his own dignity. He didn't look like the humble and courteous old man in front of Jing Jiu, who looked like a housekeeper.
Today was the day of the marriage between the youngest son of Duke Lu and the granddaughter of the Prime Minister.
Halfway through the ceremony, Duke Lu suddenly disappeared and only reappeared now.
No one in the courtyard dared to ask.
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