This young master's family name was Li. His father was the governor of Dayuan City; so he was equal to the prince of Dayuan City.
Because of his strict upbringing, he didn't have many scoundrels around him, but it was inevitable that he would have to socialize a lot.
Last night, he was invited to a banquet by a friend.
His friend knew that if they were in the city, he would definitely not dare to step into a brothel, so he chose a stream outside the city.
There were a few courtyards with expensive food and girls.
Young Master Li had never seen such a scene before. He felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles. After being forced to drink a few cups of wine, he could no longer sit still and slipped out with the excuse of urinating.
The courtyard was far away in the mountains. In the dark of the night, he lost his way in panic. He walked along the stream and came to the side of the pond full of lotus flowers.
He no longer dared to walk around casually. He hugged his knees on the hillside and actually stayed up the whole night.
When his friend and the people in the courtyard discovered him, they were naturally very anxious and went out of the mountain to search. Who would have thought that he was upstream of the stream?
After sitting for half a night, Young Master Li's body had long been stiff. When the morning light appeared, he greedily went to look at the lotus flowers. Unexpectedly, he lost his balance and fell directly into the water, almost drowning.
Fortunately, there were two people at the water's edge.
Jing Jiu naturally wouldn't inquire about these things. These were all said by Young Master Li himself.
Young Master Li followed them all the way back to the nunnery and kept talking about himself. If the journey had been longer, he might have told them all about his life.
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong didn't pay attention to him, but he didn't care. He didn't stop talking until he was stopped by the old nun. He turned around and left reluctantly.
The next morning, Young Master Li came to the nunnery again with a few big carriages filled with gifts.
He made a special trip to express his gratitude and request to see Jing Jiu.
Of course, he wanted to see the weak and indifferent girl in the wheelchair, but how could he directly ask to see her? This was a matter of basic etiquette.
Jing Jiu didn't see him. To be precise, the old nun didn't inform him at all.
Young Master Li was not angry. He looked back at the several carts of gifts and thought that he was indeed too tacky.
For the next few days, Young Master Li visited the nunnery every day.
After being rejected by the old nun, he would stand outside the nunnery for an hour and then leave. He seemed to be very cultured but also very persistent.
If it wasn't raining or windy, the sun would shine brightly. Outside the nunnery in midsummer, no matter what kind of situation it was, it would not be pleasant.
The reason why Young Master Li insisted on coming was naturally to show his sincerity and move people with his perseverance and determination.
The problem was that it was impossible for the two people in the nunnery to be moved by such a matter.
On the hottest day, Young Master Li did not appear. The old nun was somewhat surprised, but she finally felt relieved.
As the night fell, he appeared outside the nunnery again.
Without disturbing the old nun, he plucked up his courage and walked into the nunnery. He was startled by the big horse on the grass.
Who would raise a horse like a cat or a dog?
Young Master Li hushed the horse and walked to the front of the stone bridge.
There was a thin layer of fog on the other side of the bridge, so he couldn't see clearly, but he believed that the girl in the wheelchair was there.
He untied the zither, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to play.
The gurgling sound of the zither appeared in the night.
In the beginning, he was very uneasy. He was afraid that the old nun would come to drive him away, and he was even more afraid that his brother would come to beat him.
It was still early, but the girl was weak and probably went to bed earlier than ordinary people. He had disturbed her sleep with the sound of the zither, so he deserved to be beaten …
Thinking of these things, the sound of the zither was a little disordered, and then it returned to normal.
The old nun did not appear, and Jing Jiu did not jump out to kill him. It was quiet in the nunnery except for the sound of the zither.
Suddenly, there was the sound of hooves.
The horse paced over and stood beside him to listen.
Young Master Li did not feel embarrassed. Instead, he was very happy, and the sound of the zither became a little more cheerful.
An hour later, he finished playing. He got up and carried the zither on his back. He said goodbye to the horse and turned to leave.
When he walked out of the nunnery, he could no longer suppress his emotions. He shouted happily, and then quickly covered his mouth.
In the following days, Young Master Li did not bask in the sun outside the nunnery, nor was he exposed to the wind and rain. Instead, he "sneaked" into the nunnery at night and played a few songs.
Nobody came to stop him, but he was still very happy that the horse would stop and listen.
As long as the sound of the zither was here, she would hear it.
…
…
On the other side of the stone bridge, the thin fog didn't disperse.
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong sat opposite to each other by the round window in the meditation room, listening to the zither in Silence.
Jing Jiu didn't know how to play the zither.
Guo Dong had won first place in zither playing at the Plum Meeting, but she didn't know how to play the zither either.
Yet, they could tell whether the zither was good or bad.
The Young Master Li's zither playing was very good and clean.
As such, they didn't drive him away.
The song he had just played was the Flowing Water.
Now he was playing the Leading Song of the Good Night.
Jing Jiu knew that this was the end of the night.
The days passed silently like the flowing water.
With the accompaniment of the zither, it seemed that the summer was not so unbearable anymore, and it was gradually dispersing. It could be called a good night.
One night, the zither didn't play again.
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong eyed each other, saying nothing.
…
…
The zither didn't play again in the following days.
The Young Master Li didn't come to the nunnery either.
Many things were precious only when they were lost or on the verge of being lost.
Jing Jiu didn't think the zither music was precious, but he would still think of it once in a while.
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong kept recuperating in the nunnery until the leaves outside the round window turned red.
After watching the autumn scenery for a few more days, it was time to leave.
The old nun was not a Cultivation practitioner, and her life was near its end. It looked like a normal parting, but it was actually hard to see her again.
Guo Dong said a few words to her, and then pushed the wheelchair out of the nunnery.
The old nun pulled back her gaze and looked at Jing Jiu, saying, "Miss Dong looks cold, but she has a warm heart. Please take good care of her."
"I will," said Jing Jiu.
The old nun asked again, "What should we do with the gift left by the Young Master Li?"
"You can use it yourself."
Jing Jiu continued, "I'll take the horse with me. You don't need to take care of it."
The old nun thought of something and took out a case, saying, "This gift is too precious, so we can't keep it."
There was a pill in the case, exuding a faint fragrance. It was the magic pill of the Cultivation practitioners.
This magic pill was much more precious than regular people's. Even though the Young Master Li had a high status, it was still difficult for him to get such a magic pill.
He must have asked for this magic pill for Guo Dong.
Jing Jiu didn't care about a magic pill of this level, and he knew that it was useless for Guo Dong. But he still took it after some thought.
Unexpectedly, he found the mark of the Precious-Tree House on the case.
It was unclear if the Governor Li knew the owner of the Precious-Tree House, or if he had a relationship with the Gu Clan.
…
…
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong's next destination was Yu County, and they had to pass through Dayuan City.
Dayuan City was very prosperous and lively. They could hear many noises even in the carriage.
The sound of zither suddenly burst out in front of them, followed by mocking laughter.
Jing Jiu pulled up the curtain of the carriage and found a zither player in green clothing at the corner of the street, looking at the zither in front of him with his head lowered.
It was unclear why the zither player was mocked, but he didn't defend himself. Yet, his fingers on the zither strings were trembling slightly; it was unclear if he felt embarrassed or sad.
It seemed that he was a frustrated person. His clothes were simple and clean, and his fingernails were trimmed neatly. Even the zither was in good condition.
"Didn't you want to avenge your father? Why don't you play the Snow in June? "
"This zither should be worth some money. Why don't you sell it?"
"He was deceived by selling a painting; how can he be smarter by selling the zither?"
"Young Master Li, people like you should just stay at home. Don't think too much."
A kind neighbor came out and persuaded the crowd to disperse.
The zither player lifted his head, letting out a mocking smile on his face. He was the Young Master Li, whom Jing Jiu hadn't seen for a long time.
It was unclear what he had experienced, but he looked haggard, with white stars vaguely visible on his temples.
Jing Jiu looked at Guo Dong and found she was looking at the outside of the window.
…
…
Dayuan City was a large city, so there were many medical houses, including the one that Jing Jiu wanted to find.
This time he didn't go to see what kind of flower was on the plaque of the medical house. He walked in and took off the conical hat.
The doctor led him into the quiet room hastily. Before he could digest the shock, he was stunned speechless by Jing Jiu's question.
What had happened in the Governor Manor recently?
Why did he care about such a trivial matter?
Though the doctor thought so, he told Jing Jiu the story honestly.
Three years ago, the Governor Li had submitted a memorial to the throne, requesting the Second Prince, Jing Yao, to be appointed as the Crown Prince.
The Emperor didn't pay attention to it at the time, which could be regarded as the Emperor's protection.
Yet, those chancellors in the Imperial court who supported Jing Xin hadn't forgotten about it.
After the incident of the Fiend Prison, the situation in the Imperial court grew more complicated, and the struggles behind the scenes grew more intense.
The two sides had a falling out, and the Governor Li became the target of their attacks.
No official could withstand the investigation. The Governor Li was easily found to be involved in a bribery case a few years ago, and he was immediately dismissed from his official position.
When a tree falls, everyone gives it a shove. The Li family that had moved out of the Prefect Manor was naturally living a miserable life. Prefect Li was bedridden, and after suffering for dozens of days, he passed away.
The Young Master Li felt angry and resentful in addition to his grief. He thought that his father was an honest and honest official, so he must have offended the chancellors of the imperial court and been framed. As such, he began to seek justice for his father, in an attempt to reverse the verdict.
To redress the injustice, he couldn't rely on the reasoning alone; the most important thing was money.
The Young Master Li had finally made some connections after selling his family property, and got acquainted with a trusted aide of Duke Lu in Yu County.
It was the critical moment to give money to his father. The Young Master Li took out the most valuable and last item in his family without hesitation, and asked a friend he had known for many years to sell it.
It was an ancient painting passed down from the ancestors of the Li family.
When the Young Master Li sold his family property, it was this friend who helped him, so he didn't pay much attention to it.
Who would have thought that his friend would actually run away with that ancient painting …
The Young Master Li had no other choice but to play the zither in the street in an attempt to raise some money.
After listening to this, Jing Jiu was silent.
The doctor looked at him and said, "The bribery case is true, at least there is no injustice in this case."
Jing Jiu certainly understood that the Governor Li was just speculating when he submitted a memorial to the Governor requesting Jing Yao to be reinstated, let alone the bribery case.
How old was Jing Yao at that time? Duke Lu must have seen it clearly, otherwise he would have protected this person. Why would the Young Master Li try to get acquainted with Duke Lu's trusted aide?
Jing Jiu was ready to leave.
The doctor remembered something important and said hurriedly, "The matter of the Zhongzhou School has been settled. I'll report it to you."
Jing Jiu thought that he didn't need to ask anymore.
…
…
The Young Master Li returned home, took off his zither, and walked into the backyard.
His current home was far inferior to the Governor's Manor, and the only servant left was an old man, but the yard had been cleaned by him.
Seeing the figure in the kitchen, he rubbed his face and walked over with a forced smile, saying, "Mom, you can't even steam the salted fish with your cooking skill. Let me do it."
As he was talking, a thud suddenly broke out in the yard.
He was startled and turned around, and found it was a box.
The box was full of golden leaves.
The Young Master Li was startled again.
A moment later, he came back to his senses and hurriedly pushed open the side door of the backyard and ran to the street.
There was no one on either side of the street, save for a horse-drawn carriage that was leaving.
The Young Master Li recognized the horse, revealing a delighted smile. He ran a few steps in that direction and was about to wave his hand to shout …
He halted his steps, and his right hand dropped down slowly.
He didn't say anything. Seeing the horse-drawn carriage moving away, he felt a myriad of emotions, his face full of tears.
…
…
Guo Dong didn't ask why, and Jing Jiu didn't talk about it again.
There were more important matters, such as the date of the meeting of the Zhongzhou School, which was set to be held in three years.
Undoubtedly, this was the most significant event in the Cultivation world after the ascension of the Immortal Jingyang.
The Zhongzhou School had sent an invitation to the Aoyama Sect a long time ago. Bai Zao had reminded Jing Jiu many times that the invitation must have significant benefits.
This was a common occurrence in the Cultivation world. Any significant event must have a fairy prize of a higher level, like the prize in the mortal world.
Yet, the prize offered by the Zhongzhou School was too precious; it was a Fairy Book of Longevity.
Of course, there were rules to be followed; otherwise, it would be meaningless for the participants in the Heavenly Arrival State to fight for the Fairy Book.
Jing Jiu would go to the meeting.
There were a few ways to cure Guo Dong's wound, and the most direct and perfect method was to infuse the fairy energy into the body.
The fairy energy referred to here was not a description of one's temperament or the fluttering fairy energy, but the true energy of the fairy immortals.
The disgraced fairies didn't have the fairy energy, so he couldn't do it.
Before Jingyang, the last person in Chaotian who had ascended and become a fairy immortal was Bai Ren.
Bai Ren was the sect master of the Zhongzhou School at the time, and she was Bai Zhenren's grandmother now, as well as Bai Zao's great-grandmother.
The Cultivation practitioners of his generation were used to calling her the Great Grandmaster Bai.
If the history of Chaotian in the last five hundred years was written by him and his Big Brother, then the Great Grandmaster Bai played a similar role a thousand years ago.
Her influence had lasted until now, because she had left behind a few fairy books after her ascension.
The Zhongzhou School had used one of the fairy books to severely wound the King Of The Underworld, and he was imprisoned in the Fiend Prison for hundreds of years.
The Fairy Book of Longevity presented by the Zhongzhou School this time was not a precious treasure of that level, but an auxiliary book.
The auxiliary book was also a fairy book. If the fairy energy in it was obtained by a regular person, it would be enough to change his body and bones and set foot on the path of Cultivation. If a Cultivation practitioner obtained it, his life span would be extended by dozens of years.
As for how long it could extend one's life span, nobody knew, because nobody had ever used it before.
"The Cloud-Dream Mountain has prepared so many treasures this time. What do they intend to do?"
Guo Dong asked with furrowed brows.
Jing Jiu didn't want to see her worried expression, saying, "Don't think too much about it. It's for you to use anyway."
…
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