A mouthful of wine entered his throat and was like a red-hot wire. Chen Changsheng almost choked and only managed to swallow with great difficulty, his face instantly turning red.
He had not expected that a person like Luo Bu would drink such a spicy wine.
Of course, the primary reason was that he rarely drank wine.
After coming to the capital, he had only tasted wine for the first time. He had only drunk it with Xu You Rong and Tang Tang on Fortune Peace Road.
For someone who did not drink wine, the only reason they drank wine was who they drank with.
He began to miss the beef ribs on Fortune Peace Road, the Plum Garden Inn, and the great banyan tree in the Orthodox Academy.
That year, on the great banyan tree, he had a long conversation with Tang Thirty-Six in the twilight.
He returned the wine pot to Luo Bu and said, "I have a friend who wants to do some things, but his family doesn't agree. They think he's making trouble, so he's under a lot of pressure."
Luo Bu smiled. His eyes were like the stars in the night sky, bright to the extreme, their depths concealing boundless warmth, or perhaps passion.
Chen Changsheng's eyes were also very bright, but this did not originate from the light in their depths, but from their cleanliness, as if they had been washed by water for many years.
Luo Bu looked at him and said, "Has anyone ever said that your eyes are like mirrors?"
Chen Changsheng did not understand what he meant and gave a puzzled grunt.
"A bright mirror can reflect a person, can reflect the slightest movement in the world, can easily discover many problems."
Luo Bu used two fingers to lightly shake the wine pot. "Your guess is correct. My problem does not come from myself, nor does it come from the outside world, but from my family. To be more precise, it was my father who transferred me from the roaming cavalry and demoted me to Sloping Cliff Horse Farm."
Chen Changsheng thought it over, then asked, "He wants you to be safer?"
"No one knows what that father of mine is thinking. Many years ago, many people, including me, believed him to be a mediocre person, only thinking about the interests of the clan. But later events proved that only those who thought this way were truly mediocre. "
At this point, Luo Bu took a sip of wine, then continued, "From childhood to adulthood, my father treated me extremely well. I once doubted this kindness, but after that incident, I no longer doubted it. But this true kindness is now my true problem."
He once more thought of the past.
His father walked down the mountain along the mountain path, not even sparing a glance at his heavily injured self.
Suddenly a startled bird flew out of the forest, followed by her father's joyful and gratified laughter.
Chen Chang Sheng also remembered the past.
He walked down from the Mausoleum of Books while his master walked up. They brushed shoulders on the Divine Path like strangers.
"Actually, I envy the pressure that comes with this kind of care."
After he said this, there was a moment of silence by the stream.
They were all young people, but they each had their own heaviness.
Suddenly, there was the sound of water. A silver-white fish leaped out of the water and followed the starlight along the mountain stream.
The two of them shifted their gazes towards the wilderness at the end of the mountain stream.
"If the injuries in your meridians are healed, if you look carefully, you might be able to see that they are slightly brighter."
Luo Bu raised the wine pot in his hand and pointed it towards the distant north, as if he was showing respect, and also as an offering.
Chen Changsheng knew what he meant. When he had followed Su Li south from the snowy plains, on the first few nights, he would occasionally see that halo of light in the north. Moreover, Zhexiu, who rarely spoke, had mentioned it several times in the Orthodox Academy.
In that night sky, besides the river of stars in the south, there was also a bright celestial body.
The legendary Moon of the Demon race.
Drinking wine was a leisurely affair, so drinking wine was naturally chatting. Starting from the Moon of the Demon race, they chatted about the strictness of Xuelao City, the terrifying abyss, the crazy and decadent tendencies of the demon nobles in art, the emeralds on the Demon Commander's armor, and then they chatted about the conservatism and dullness of the Great Western Continent.
The vast majority of the time, it was Luo Bu who spoke, with Chen Changsheng only occasionally saying a few words in response.
As they chatted, Luo Bu revealed an unimaginable amount of knowledge, tens of thousands of li of rivers and mountains, tens of thousands of years of time.
If Chen Changsheng had not been well-versed in the Daoist Canon since he was a child and had also traveled tens of thousands of li, he would have had no idea how to respond.
But it was precisely because he had been well-versed in the Daoist Canon since he was a child and had also traveled tens of thousands of li that even though he was not good with words, he could occasionally exchange a few words and argue with them.
To geniuses, what they lacked the most was not friends, but someone who could understand what they were saying.
Perhaps it was for this reason that this leisurely conversation over wine proceeded very happily. Both Luo Bu and Chen Changsheng were very happy.
The longer they chatted, the broader and deeper the topics covered. The more Chen Changsheng listened, the more he admired Luo Bu. Luo Bu was like a clear pool of water. It didn't seem extraordinary, but it was impossible to tell how deep it was. Just what in the world did he not know?
Just who was this bearded young officer?
The more Chen Changsheng thought about it, the more he felt that this person was truly extraordinary. Whether it was his knowledge or his demeanor, they were all so admirable.
When Luo Bu began to recount the five mistakes Emperor Taizong and Wang Zhice had made during the Great Zhou cavalry's second northern expedition, he couldn't help but recall all the extraordinary people he had met in his life. He realized that Gou Hanshi, Zhexiu, Tang Tang, and Su Moyu were all inferior to this person.
He even felt that in some aspects, even Senior Su Li was not necessarily stronger than this person.
For a person like Luo Bu, no matter how happy he was with his soldiers, in such a remote horse farm, how could he not feel depressed, perhaps lonely?
If he didn't, why would he sit alone under the starlight, far away from the bonfire, and then talk for so long with Chen Changsheng?
The more Chen Changsheng thought about it, the more he felt that Luo Bu could not continue to stay at Sloping Cliff Horse Farm. He should go to the Mount Song Army headquarters.
Luo Bu saw that he wanted to say something but then hesitated, guessing at what he wanted to say. Smiling, he said, "The demons have already retreated, so what use is there in going to the Mount Song Army headquarters?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "There will be a day when the demons will return."
A hint of admiration appeared in Luo Bu's eyes. "There aren't many people as clear-headed as you in the last few years, but … I still won't go to the Mount Song Army headquarters. In a few days, after I send you to the Mount Song Army headquarters, I will leave."
Chen Changsheng asked in concern, "Where are you going?"
Luo Bu replied, "To return to the mountain."
Chen Changsheng wanted to invite him to leave the mountain.
But he was beginning to miss that mountain.
Of course, he had always been thinking about that girl on that other mountain.
Just like Chen Changsheng had been for the last two years.
The emotion of longing was truly contagious. There was no need for words, no need for glances.
The stream bank fell silent once more. For a very long time, the two did not speak. As they gazed at the faint remnants of the moon in the northern plains, they silently longed.
After some time, Luo Bu turned his head and asked, "You also have a girl you like?"
… …
… …
(The official WeChat account has made a few minor adjustments. Friends are welcome to explore them. Of course, the column Afterword of the Night will still be maintained, so that everyone can look back on it and review it in the long years of waiting. In addition, after a year, the WeChat Q&A is about to return to Jianghu. Its primary purpose is to chat with everyone, just like these two stupid children by the stream. Everyone can send their expectations, doubts, or questions about their lives and work to the official account. In a few days, I will reply to everyone. The official account number is maoni1118.)
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