Zhuo Rusui was baffled, wondering why he was looking at him. Suddenly, he heard the applause from downstairs. He walked to the window and looked out curiously.
There was a table in the dining room of the Immortal Abode, and a storyteller was standing by the table, speaking passionately, "Yesterday, we were talking about the Plum Meeting twenty years ago. The bloody plum blossoms in that painting were too many to count, and could be considered a marvelous sight. It is said that this painting is now hidden by the Emperor in the Imperial Palace, just like that chess game. At this point in the Cultivation tournament, everyone knows that the Immortal Master Jing Jiu is undefeatable. Who would have thought that a shocking change would occur in the snowland at that moment … "
Jing Jiu naturally wouldn't listen to this. He walked into the room and sat down, motioning for Gu Qing to serve him a bowl of plain soup.
Gu Qing was a bit surprised. He quickly scooped the soup, skimming off the foam so that there wasn't even a drop of oil.
Liu Shisui noticed this detail and was very impressed.
Jing Jiu drank tea occasionally, but rarely ate. Even when he ate hotpot with Zhao Layue, he would at most pick a piece of vegetable. It was rare to see him drink soup like today, indicating that he was in a good mood. It wasn't because of Yimaozhai's promise to remain neutral in the struggle for the throne, but because of Li 'er's marriage.
In the eyes of the Zen sects, helping another person's marriage was a meritorious deed. In this regard, both he and his Senior Brother had been greatly influenced by the Guocheng Temple.
The soup in the bowl was milky white and looked very rich, but it didn't have the slightest fishy smell. He took a sip and discovered that the soup base was actually soybean milk, and there were also chunks of broth, garlic fried in lard, and a few mushrooms.
This was a result of his acute perception and deep understanding of his childhood memories, and had nothing to do with his interest in food.
Eating was for survival, but mortals had made it so complicated. He felt it was unnecessary, and shook his head subconsciously.
Gu Qing thought that he didn't like the noise downstairs, so he waved his hand and released the Inherited Heaven Sword, forming a small formation that isolated the sounds and smells of the outside world.
Liu Shisui sighed again, thinking that Junior Martial Brother Gu Qing was indeed much stronger than he was. With Gu Qing taking care of his young master, he didn't need to worry and could study in the temple.
The storyteller downstairs was talking about how Gu Qing and Xiang Wanshu would meet Jing Jiu and Bai Zao in the snowland six years later with a group of young Cultivation practitioners. At that time, Zhuo Rusui was cultivating in seclusion in the abode of Tianguang Peak, so he did not know the details of this matter. He was listening with great interest. Suddenly, he found that the voice had disappeared. He could not help but feel annoyed and said to Gu Qing, "How could it be cut off at such a critical moment?"
Gu Qing smiled and asked, "Why do mortals know about Master's deeds?"
"To mortals, cultivators are no different from immortals. Naturally, there will be rumors circulating."
Gu Qing sat down and said, "A figure like Young Senior Master is probably more famous than Bai Zhenren in the mortal world."
Jing Jiu was so famous for a few reasons, such as the legendary stories he told.
The soup in the hotpot had already boiled. All kinds of vegetables were put into the pot one by one, and the four of them started eating. Nobody spoke a word. It was so quiet in the private room that one could only hear the sound of the soup boiling, the vegetable leaves bobbing up and down, and the sound of the mutton being scalded by the edge of the pot.
Not talking while eating was not in line with Zhuo Rusui's character. Though he had spent some time with Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui in the Royal Palace of the Chu Kingdom, he was still not used to it. Soon, he had finished seven plates of mutton, picked up the teacup to rinse his mouth, and grabbed a handful of melon seeds. Then he left the private room again to continue listening to the storyteller.
He pushed open the door and came out. The formation opened the passage.
The voice of the storyteller drifted in again.
"Take the marriage that has caused a sensation in Zhaoge City as an example. It can be said that it's an inappropriate choice. Though Master Jing Shang is a high official of Taichang Temple, he can't be compared to the Prime Minister. Why did Prime Minister Qin agree to marry his favorite granddaughter to the young master of the Jing family? It's not because the young master of the Jing family is the study companion of the second prince; it has something to do with the biggest secret of the Jing family … "
The door of the room was closed, and the formation isolated the sound again.
Jing Jiu put down the soup bowl in his hand.
Zhuo Rusui went downstairs to listen to the storyteller after finishing seven plates of mutton. Gu Qing had finished a basket of vegetables and started boiling the new tea, and Jing Jiu had just finished drinking the white soup in his bowl.
Liu Shisui got up hurriedly and cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks in front of Jing Jiu. He poured a cup of freshly brewed tea and placed it in front of Jing Jiu.
Sitting on the stool, Gu Qing looked at the fire quietly, occasionally brushing off the foam on the surface of the pot.
Jing Jiu glanced at Gu Qing and thought of Bu Qiuxiao again, thinking that this disciple of his was really good, showing an appreciative expression in his eyes.
Gu Qing was flattered again, and even felt nervous, wondering what he had done right today.
Jing Jiu said to Liu Shisui, "After the Plum Meeting, you go back to Yimaozhai and study hard. Don't worry about anything else."
Liu Shisui said embarrassedly, "I also feel comfortable staying in Yimaozhai."
Jing Jiu had thought that the style and temperament of the scholars in Yimaozhai would be similar to that of Liu Shisui, which was why he asked Liu Shisui to go there.
Gu Qing said, "Xiao He's identity in the Imperial court has been made public, but she is nevertheless a vixen, and you know the style of Yimaozhai. Don't let her get too involved in the Windy Corridor."
"I'll remind her to be careful," said Liu Shisui.
"You can go now," said Jing Jiu.
This meant that he wanted Liu Shisui to leave.
They had finished eating the hotpot, and he had told Jing Jiu everything he needed to remind him of, so why didn't he leave?
Liu Shisui was a bit nervous, asking, "Young Master, you won't … get angry, will you?"
Jing Jiu shot him a glance.
Liu Shisui knew that his Young Master would get angry if he kept asking, so he left the room hastily.
…
…
"… In addition to having a high Cultivation state, talent, and status, the immortal master's appearance and demeanor are also unparalleled. He's the real person in the painting, no, the real immortal man!"
The voice of the storyteller came into the room again.
…
…
Zhuo Rusui walked into the room and closed the door behind him. "Are you going to let him go just like that?" he asked Jing Jiu seriously.
Jing Jiu wondered if Jing Jiu was going to treat Liu Shisui to a midnight snack.
Gu Qing was also worried, saying, "It looks like Big Brother Liu Shisui … really likes Yimaozhai."
Zhuo Rusui walked to the table and asked with furrowed eyebrows, "What if he has really joined Yimaozhai?"
In his eyes, Liu Shisui was someone with natural Dao quality like himself; how could he let him leave Aoyama?
Jing Jiu thought there was nothing to worry about. If Liu Shisui stayed in Yimaozhai, he would become an important figure in the House of Yimaozhai even if he couldn't compete with Xi Yiyun for the position of the house master. By then, Yimaozhai would be more inclined to join Aoyama.
The reason was simple. If Cao Yuan stayed in the Windy-Broadsword Church, the Windy-Broadsword Church would become the staunchest ally and supporter of the Guocheng Temple.
If the Zen Master stayed in the Guocheng Temple, the Guocheng Temple would have a close relationship with Aoyama.
Many disciples of the Cloud-Dream Mountain went to other Cultivation sects or became officials in the imperial court. As a result, most of the Cultivation sects in the north had become the subordinates of the Zhongzhou School, and they had many supporters in the imperial court. As a result, it was difficult for the emperor to choose a successor.
These were all old stories under the sky.
Seeing Jing Jiu ignore him, Zhuo Rusui couldn't do anything about it. Thinking of what had happened that day, he asked curiously, "Senior Master, how did you persuade Bu Qiuxiao?"
Jing Jiu still didn't pay any attention to him. He put on the conical hat and walked out of the private room.
In the hall downstairs, the storyteller had finished the story he had been narrating for two days.
"… There's no one like him in the world."
The three of them left the restaurant of the Immortal Abode and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
…
…
Zhuo Rusui led the disciples of Aoyama to participate in the Plum Meeting, so he had to go back to his residence.
Jing Jiu led Gu Qing into the Royal Palace, and they went to the bedroom of the Royal Concubine Hu first.
The Royal Concubine Hu didn't expect them to enter the Royal Palace in the middle of the night. She put on a cloth to cover her curvy body, and asked a servant girl to inform Jing Yao to come over.
"No need. I just want to tell him a few things."
Jing Jiu said, "Gu Qing will stay here for a year. He will live in the Royal Palace; it's safer there."
Hearing this, the Royal Concubine Hu was taken aback, thinking that Jing Jiu was not a eunuch, so why couldn't he come to the Royal Palace every day to teach Jing Yao's homework?
Gu Qing also thought it was inconvenient. As he was about to say something, he suddenly understood his Master's intention. Prince Jing Xin was the candidate chosen by the Zhongzhou School to be the next emperor. With Yimaozhai's neutrality, the conflict could escalate at any moment. If Jing Xin stayed outside the Royal Palace, he could be used or threatened by others.
Jing Jiu said to Gu Qing, "If the royal decree hasn't come out in a year, you should go back to Aoyama immediately."
Gu Qing was in the initial state of the Free Travel, and his cultivation state was still stable, so he didn't need to stay behind closed doors for the time being. However, it would be detrimental to his Cultivation if he stayed like this for a long time.
Having said that, Jing Jiu left the Royal Palace.
It was very quiet in the Royal Palace at night, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Gu Qing turned around and walked to the outside of the Royal Palace. He asked a eunuch to arrange a place for him to stay as far away as possible.
The Royal Concubine Hu tightened her clothes.
…
…
"The first thing we have to do is to ensure Jing Yao's safety." Jing Jiu said to the Emperor, "Though the Zhongzhou School shouldn't act so crazily, who knows?"
The Emperor said, "The Great Formation of the royal palace is here. Even if Tan and Bai came in person, they would have a hard time breaking through it. But the young Yao and Gu Qing will have to suffer a bit."
Jing Jiu said, "The Cultivation practitioners stay behind closed doors for ten years. If he can't even survive one year, he won't have any future."
The Emperor said, "You shouldn't expect me to have another child."
Jing Jiu said, "Bu Qiuxiao actually had such an idea the other day in the old plum garden."
Jing Xin was the choice of the Zhongzhou School, and Jing Yao was the choice of the Aoyama Sect. Yimaozhai had supported the former because the scholars of the house couldn't accept the identity of the Royal Concubine Hu.
If the Emperor was willing to have another child, regardless of whether the child was a boy or a girl, the problem would be solved.
However, the Emperor was unwilling to have a child with a woman other than the Royal Concubine Hu.
The Emperor asked, "How did you convince the House Master Bu?"
Zhuo Rusui wanted to know the answer as well.
Everybody wanted to know the answer as well.
Jing Jiu didn't tell him, and neither would Liu Shisui. It was believed that as time went by, it would become a real secret one day.
This might be unfair to He Zhan, but it was a matter between He Zhan and Bu Qiuxiao. Aoyama didn't want to get involved in it.
Jing Jiu said, "You have been an emperor for too long, so it's inevitable that you will be influenced by the Art of Emperors. You have to remember that you are of the Jing family, not those mortal emperors who don't have the power to break through the Sea Realm. If you don't obey, just kill them."
The Emperor said, "You can't be too cautious when it comes to governing a country. If you don't know anything about it, don't come up with any ideas."
Jing Jiu said, "If you are really good at governing a country, how come the Imperial court is still filled with people from the Cloud-Dream Mountain after hundreds of years?"
The Emperor was annoyed, and said, "Why don't you do it?"
Jing Jiu got up and walked toward the outside of the grand hall.
Why is this child the same as Liu Ci? They both know how to do this?
…
…
Jing Jiu was ready to go back to Aoyama.
He had already told the Emperor about the Snow Girl, and the marriage between Jing Li and Yimaozhai had been settled. As such, Jing Jiu had no intention of staying in Zhaoge City any longer.
There was a dark alley not far from the Royal Palace. The big trees by the street blocked the starlight; it was so gloomy that it was frightening.
Jing Jiu's Dao Heart quivered slightly as he sensed that someone was watching him.
But, who could hide from his Sword Discernment and come to his side? Or, was that person very far away?
The starlight was shredded by the tree branches, falling on his conical hat like snowflakes.
There was nobody around.
Unless that person was like Jing Jiu, he couldn't hide from Jing Jiu's eyes.
Yet, as the storyteller said, there was no one like Jing Jiu in the world.
As such, that person was not a human being.
Jing Jiu turned to look at the shadow under the tree, and said, "Come out."
…
…
(First, I need to correct the mistakes. I wrote Bu Qiuxiao as "Xiao" yesterday. Why? I don't know why. In fact, all the words I wrote were correct in the beginning; but when I checked them, I naturally thought they should be "Xiao". It took me a lot of effort … to change them to "Xiao" one by one. I don't even know what was wrong with my brain at the time. However, I can tell from the chapter I wrote yesterday that everybody is indeed an onlooker who likes to watch the gossip. The title of the chapter is from the Divine Throne of the Third Young Master.)
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