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墨書 Inktalez
Upon leaving Quanzhou City, vast fields of rice came into view. Lingnan is one of the few double-cropping areas in the Song Dynasty, allowing for two harvests of rice each year, thus distinguishing between early and late rice.
Since the True Religion Emperor vigorously promoted Champa Rice imported from Annam, rice production has increased once again. What was once considered a barbaric land by the people of the Central Plains, Lingnan has now become a veritable granary and fertile land.
Li Hong felt completely at ease here. He had initially thought that the descendants of the Yue Family, exiled to what was historically known as a barbaric land, would lead a hard life. However, it appeared that this place was picturesque with clear waters and abundant resources. Aside from the somewhat sultry weather, which made it uncomfortable for someone from the Central Plains accustomed to dry and cool climates, it could be considered an excellent place to live.
As he walked along, feeling relaxed and cheerful, Chu Xi suddenly became uneasy. Unbeknownst to him, she had taken out a long white silk scarf from her Spirit Bag and tied it around her hair, covering her entire face down to her chest.
She could walk without looking, but this made her appear quite strange. Li Hong chuckled, "What are you doing?"
Chu Xi did not respond, and her expression was obscured.
Chuxiong laughed heartily, "Big Brother, Chu Xi is too beautiful! Passersby have been staring at her all along; look, we have a tail behind us!"
Turning around, Li Hong noticed that a small group of people had gathered behind them. Whenever his trio moved, they followed; when they stopped, they stopped too, whispering among themselves while pointing at Chu Xi.
"That girl is truly beautiful; she seems ethereal. Could she be an immortal?"
"Get out of here! I saw them coming out of the Prefectural Office; she must be the daughter of an official. Don't think a toad can eat swan meat."
"Is it alright to just take a look? I wonder where they are going. I don't know if I, Tang Sheng, have such fortune..." Before he could finish his sentence, Tang Sheng suddenly felt intense pain in his knees and cried out as he fell to the ground.
Li Hong remained unfazed and said, "Let's go; they are just some boring scholars."
Chuxiong grinned mischievously, "Big Brother's method won't work; watch me!"
He suddenly turned around and ripped open his shirt collar, revealing his well-developed muscles. With wide eyes he shouted, "Are you tired of living? How dare you follow us to gawk at our women! Scram now or I'll turn you into meat paste!"
Suddenly, a powerful palm struck the ground.
With a loud bang, dust and mud flew everywhere, and a pit about a foot deep and ten feet in diameter appeared on the dirt road. Standing at the edge of the pit was Chuxiong, towering at nine feet tall, with a fierce appearance. His bald head shone like polished metal, and his square face was framed by bristly stubble resembling a hedgehog. He stood there like a mountain, looking as if he were a deity descended from the heavens.
The onlookers shouted in alarm, "Oh no! He really is a formidable expert! Run!" They regretted not running faster and hurriedly scrambled away.
Chuxiong then casually turned around, clapping his hands as if nothing had happened. "I didn't even use much strength. If I had, this place would be flattened!"
Chu Xi chuckled and pulled off her white silk scarf that had been covering her face, scolding him playfully, "You should have done this earlier!"
"That's unfair! I was afraid of scaring these common folks. Otherwise, my big brother would scold me," Chuxiong replied with mock grievance.
Li Hong laughed and kicked him lightly. "You talk too much! Am I really that fierce?"
Just as they were joking around, a large group of people rushed toward them, with several riders leading the way.
Li Hong's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but smile.
In an instant, the horses arrived in front of them. One person rolled off his saddle and rushed to Li Hong's feet, kneeling down and hugging Li Hong's knees while exclaiming, "Master! You finally came! I've missed you so much!"
It was Yue Ting.
In just four years, Yue Ting had grown up and now looked like a fine young man. He had a sturdy build and bright eyes that sparkled with energy. Standing before them, he resembled a black iron tower, exuding an air of heroism. Li Hong looked at him and seemed to see the familiar face of his old friend Yue Fei.
"Great! Yue Ting has grown up and hasn't fallen behind in his studies. I... as your master, am very pleased," Li Hong said with deep emotion but still wasn't used to calling himself "master," causing him to pause awkwardly when he spoke.
Yue Ting's bright eyes flickered with excitement. "Master, are you here to take me back to Mountain Gate? That's wonderful! I've been waiting for this day!"
"Well... let's go to your house first and talk."
The three big men stepped forward and approached Li Hong, ready to bow down. Li Hong quickly stopped them and smiled, saying, "Yue Ting is my disciple. It makes sense for him to pay respects to his master, but you are his elder brothers; there’s no need for such formalities with me. Come on, don’t be so polite. If we keep bowing like this, we won’t even get inside before dark. Hehe, let’s have a good drink today. Seeing all of you well brings me great comfort; I’m sure Peng Ju is also pleased in spirit."
After a moment of thought, Li Hong added, "By the way, prepare an incense altar later; I want to pay my respects to Peng Ju."
Upon hearing this, Yue Lei, Yue Lin, Yue Zhen, and Yue Ting's eyes turned red. The thought of their deceased father weighed heavily on their hearts.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Yue Ting's voice broke the somber atmosphere as he tugged at Li Hong's sleeve and pointed at Chu Xi, asking, "Is that my master’s wife?" Then he pointed at Chuxiong and asked, "Who is he? Is he my Master Uncle?"
Although Yue Ting had grown taller and looked more like an adult, he was still only fourteen and retained a childlike innocence.
The term "master’s wife" immediately made Chu Xi's face flush bright red. It was quite awkward for her to deny it in front of so many people.
Li Hong thought for a moment and said seriously, "Then why don’t you hurry up and greet your master’s wife and Master Uncle?"
Without hesitation, Yue Ting walked up to Chu Xi and bowed deeply, exclaiming loudly, "Yue Ting greets his master’s wife!" He then went over to Chuxiong and bowed three times.
Chu Xi's face was as red as the evening glow, and she couldn't utter a word.
Chuxiong laughed heartily: "Not bad, good nephew! Later, your Master Uncle will find something fun for you as a greeting gift!"
Yue Ting was overjoyed, scratching his head with a silly grin. This demeanor only endeared him more to Chuxiong. He pulled Yue Ting over: "Come on, let’s go to your house!" With that, he dashed off with Yue Ting in tow. Of course, to avoid drawing too much attention, they ran at a very "normal" speed.
Yue Lei and the others had already caught on to the situation. Since Chu Xi was clearly dressed as an unmarried girl, even if she were considered a master’s wife, she hadn’t officially entered the family yet. Seeing Chu Xi's embarrassment, they chose not to point it out and respectfully let Li Hong and Chu Xi go ahead first.
"Poor mouth! How did I become your apprentice's teacher's wife?" Chu Xi transmitted.
"Not yet, but soon. Once we return, I will propose to your master," Li Hong replied before striding away.
Watching the tall figure surrounded by the crowd, Chu Xi felt a mix of bitterness and sweetness in her heart, and before she knew it, her eyes were slightly red. After a moment, she spat, "Hmph, he runs off after saying that, and I haven't even agreed yet..."
A sweet smile curved her lips as she hurried to catch up.
********
The descendants of the Yue Family all lived in a village that was originally called Bailing Dui. Zhao Ding heard about it and decided to change the name to Qingshan Village, meaning "Green Mountains Everywhere Buried Loyal Bones."
Most of the villagers were refugees from the Central Plains. After Yue Lei and others moved there, they all changed their surname to Yue and built a shrine for Yue Fei, honoring the descendants of the Yue Family as the legitimate line. Gradually, several families of loyal subjects also relocated there. In just three to five years, it had become a large village with a thriving population, and fields were opened up on both sides of the ridge.
As soon as Li Hong stepped into the village, he felt the essence of a pastoral paradise filled with farming and literature.
The four brothers of the Yue Family did not separate; they all lived under one roof with several courtyards behind and in front. The houses had white walls and black tiles, simple and clean inside, filled with books but few weapons.
Yue Lei said, "Our father once conveyed that we brothers should not wield weapons in this life but should live by farming and studying, without serving in official positions. The same goes for our descendants. Therefore, we brothers do not practice martial arts; reading is for cultivating our character. Only our younger brother is an exception."
This made Li Hong feel quite sad. Yue Fei must have died with grievances in his heart.
After several days spent paying respects to the spirit of Yue Fei, he was taken by Yue Lei and his three elder brothers to enjoy the mountains at Mountain Front and Mountain Back every day, indulging in poetry and wine while occasionally helping Yue Ting with his studies. Li Hong was almost lost in joy.
However, parting was already imminent.
A message arrived via the Spirit Stone, instructing Li Hong to return to the Mountain Gate as soon as possible. Although the letter did not specify any details, thoughts of Heavenly Grain and the Ancient Celestial Field left Li Hong feeling uneasy.
It had been a year since stepping into the Southern Wilderness and exiting the Divine Temple. During this year, Li Hong had altered the entrance to the Ancient Celestial Field in Temple City, and he was unaware of how the battle between the Immortal Sect and Heavenly Grain was progressing. It was strange that his master did not mention anything in the letter.
Li Hong decided to set off for Nine Li Sect the next day. That evening, he called Yue Ting to his room.
Yue Ting had now reached the Refining Qi Early Stage, achieving such progress in just four years, which pleased Li Hong greatly. After sharing some cultivation tips, Li Hong took out a thin booklet. This was a collection of low-level Spirit Talisman designs that he had drawn during his free time over the past few days. He instructed Yue Ting to learn how to draw these low-level Spirit Talismans and then handed her several Elixirs, advising her, "The cultivation gained from Elixirs is like building a tall tower on a sandy foundation; it is unstable. When confronting the Heart Demon Barrier, the risks multiply. Therefore, these Elixirs are only for emergencies or if you get injured; they should not be used to enhance your cultivation. However, since the Li Fire Aura here is not very abundant, you can take a Fire Origin Pill every three months. Aside from that, do not use anything else casually."
Seeing Yue Ting nod obediently, Li Hong finally got to the main point: "I cannot take you back to Mountain Gate right now."
"Why?" Yue Ting asked anxiously.
Li Hong waved his hand, enveloping the room in a circle of Awareness before explaining in detail the history of the Immortal Sect and Demon Sect as well as the current situation. He spoke for half an hour before concluding, "As you can see, with war raging across the Cultivation World, how could I dare let you return to the mountain? If something were to happen to you, I would have no face to meet your father in the afterlife. So you must understand my intentions."
Yue Ting fell silent.
Li Hong spoke gently: "What I mean is to let you remain in the world of mortals. You will cultivate here in seclusion, and I will come to see you every six months to guide your practice. Once things settle down, you can return with me to the mountain. By the way, I have already informed your Ancestor and our sect leader about your situation. Remember that our Nine Li Sect ranks according to 'the mountain gathers essence, true peaks shine brightly...' From now on, your Dao name will be Zhong Ting; do not disregard our Ancestor's rules."
Yue Ting respectfully knelt to accept her name, feeling reluctant and with tears in her eyes said, "Master has given me a second life; I will carry 'Zhong Ting' as my name for this lifetime in gratitude for your deep kindness."
"There is no need for such formality," Li Hong smiled as he helped Yue Ting up and said earnestly, "Although we are part of a Daoist sect, our Nine Departures Sect does not adhere strictly to mortal realm trivialities. As long as you inherit your father's integrity and loyalty, you will be a good disciple of mine. One should not be overly rigid; it is also acceptable to be free-spirited. Remember that the path of immortality is elusive; as long as your heart remains true to righteousness, everything else is merely superficial."
The master and disciple talked until midnight before Li Hong instructed Yue Ting to rest.
Stepping outside, under a sky full of stars, Chu Xi stood against the wind, her silver robes billowing behind her like a celestial being under the moonlight.
She turned back with a smile, her forehead adorned with an Azure Lotus that sparkled brilliantly: "I never would have guessed that you were actually a good master."
Chuxiong also stepped out of the house, giving Li Hong a thumbs up.
The three of them exchanged glances, and an indescribable sense of understanding arose within them.
Li Hong laughed heartily, "Tonight, with the bright moon and gentle breeze, is the perfect time to set off. Let's go."
Three beams of Crystal Light shot up from the ground and vanished into the sky in an instant.
The courtyard gate creaked open, and Yue Ting walked into the yard, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Looking up at the brilliant starry sky, Yue Ting shouted, "Master, safe travels! Your disciple bids you farewell here. I will always remember your teachings and strive to be a person of integrity and loyalty."
********
It is already August, a new month. Let the PK votes come fiercely towards Song Immortal; the more you throw, the faster it grows.
Thank you.
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