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墨書 Inktalez
The sky revealed a pale light, and lying next to the extinguished campfire, Li Hong had made a decision after a sleepless night.
Temple City did not belong to anyone. It belonged neither to himself nor to the Immortal Sect or the Nine Li Sect. The Ancient God had placed all the spiritual herbs and spirit beast eggs collected from Middle-Earth fifty thousand years ago inside, then vanished, which naturally held deep meaning. The best course of action was simply not to disturb them for now.
The temple would not disappear; if one day the Immortal Sect truly needed it, the news could be announced then. This was definitely not the right time.
In this tumultuous period, on the brink of war with the Demon Sect and amidst changes in the Spirit Scheme, it was better to avoid unnecessary troubles.
Even Ling Xuzi, the sect leader, and his master Spirit Stone did not need to be mentioned for now. There were still spies from Xuan Xuzi within the Nine Li Sect; even just informing those two would lead to leaks.
Chuxiong and Chu Xi both agreed after hearing this, but Chuxiong asked, "What if we just learn the Divination Technique inside?"
"That works! Once we finish this busy period, the three of us can find an excuse to go into seclusion there. We are only learning divine abilities; we are not taking any treasures from inside."
Chuxiong was taken aback. "Big Brother, haven’t you taken enough treasures? The new Cosmic Bag is already full!"
"I took everything because I thought I wouldn’t be able to come out. Now I'm considering putting some back next time I go in."
"Don't! If you don't care about it, I do! Besides, apart from those few items we took, what we thought were treasures might just be garbage in the eyes of the Ancient God. Better to keep them!" Chuxiong said this with a tone that was strikingly similar to Heavenly Torch.
Heavenly Torch was currently in a deep slumber; if he were awake, he would surely approve of Chuxiong's words with all five claws raised.
Chu Xi smiled and said, "So, Hong, you need to be careful. You are usually generous with your treasures and elixirs. From now on, you should pay attention and avoid casually giving away things from there to prevent trouble. Be especially cautious when visiting your eldest disciple in Quanzhou."
Li Hong smiled wryly; Chu Xi seemed to have seen through his thoughts. He had indeed considered picking out a few good items to give to Yue Ting. Her words reminded him not to let his affection for his disciple bring trouble upon himself; he originally intended for those items to be left in the world.
"Let's go; it's time to set off."
Cloud Path Time passed quickly, and soon they saw the deep blue sea. The three of them descended at Quanzhou City West and walked slowly into Quanzhou City, planning to find an inn to stay at before visiting the Prefect.
It had been four years since Lin'an. During these four years, Li Hongdong had been busy running around in the west, but he had kept in touch with Zhao Ding through letters. From Zhao Ding's letters, he learned that everything was well in the court, and the war with the Jin Kingdom had come to a standstill, with both countries locked in a tense standoff at the border. The letters often mentioned Yue Ting, who was studying in the countryside of Quanzhou with his brothers and was doing well.
However, he had promised Yue Ting that he would take him into the Nine Li Sect after three years, and now a year had already passed without any intention of doing so. Would he blame his master for being untrustworthy? Li Hong felt a bit guilty thinking about Yue Ting.
Quanzhou was completely different from his imagination of a wild and uncivilized place in Lingnan. Upon entering the city, shops were lined up one after another, and crowds bustled about, thriving and vibrant, rivaling even Lin'an. Moreover, as it was a trading port, people dressed in Strange attire and speaking with foreign accents were everywhere on the streets. Among them were not few golden-haired, blue-eyed Persian Boys.
The three were captivated and found it quite interesting.
As they walked, they noticed a flag with white background and blue characters at a street corner, reading “Lin'an Ma Family Inn.” Two attendants stood beneath the flag. When they saw Li Hong and his companions approaching, they sized them up and came forward: “Are you looking for a place to stay? Our inn is a branch of Lin'an Ma Family Inn, clean and tidy, with low prices—there's nothing like it elsewhere…” They chattered on with their introduction.
Li Hong smiled and said, “We'll stay at your place!”
The two attendants were delighted; one remained under the flag to attract more customers while the other hurriedly led them inside.
Behind Street, there were clean alleys paved with bluestone. The deep alley was quiet, with branches of bougainvillea bearing pink flowers peeking over high walls. A faint scent of jasmine wafted through the air. It was a picturesque scene of the Southern Country.
After a short walk, they arrived at the inn's entrance. Upon entering, Li Hong was satisfied.
The three requested three upper rooms. As Li Hong washed his face with water brought by an attendant, he asked, “How do we get to the Prefectural Office?”
“What do you need it for?”
“Ah, well, the Prefect is an… old friend of mine. We haven't seen each other for many years; I’m going to pay him a visit,” Li Hong fabricated an excuse.
"Not busy at all. Please give me your business card, and I will deliver it to the Prefect's office. Once the Prefect has time, I will inform you," the attendant said, efficiently arranging everything without a hitch.
Li Hong frowned; he didn't have a business card on hand and would need to write one. He had the attendant buy a luxurious blank card with gold embellishments from a nearby shop. After thinking for a moment, he wrote: "National Guardian Master requests an audience with Prefect."
The attendant's eyes widened in surprise; he had never seen such an official title as "National Guardian Master," especially without any honorifics or signatures. This was truly the first time he had encountered such a business card.
Li Hong casually said, "Just take this one. This is a tip for you," tossing him two taels of silver.
The attendant was overjoyed, accepting it with a smile, not caring about the oddity of the business card, and hurried off to deliver it to the Prefectural Office.
While Chu Xi was bathing and grooming, Li Hong and Chuxiong enjoyed fine jasmine tea while waiting for news from the attendant.
Before long, the attendant returned and reported, "Guest, the Prefectural Office accepted it, but they used that two taels of silver as a door fee. The official in charge said that your business card is strange and they are unsure if the Prefect wants to meet you. Please wait here for further news..."
Just as he finished speaking, there was suddenly a loud sound of gongs outside, and someone shouted, "The Prefect is on his rounds; everyone please be quiet and step aside..." The voice was approaching quickly.
Li Hong and Chuxiong exchanged glances and chuckled as they stood up to greet him. Just before stepping out, Li Hong patted the stunned attendant and tossed him a large silver ingot worth ten taels, saying with a smile, "Good job. This is an extra tip."
The Prefect's grand sedan chair had already arrived at the entrance. Knowing that Wang Zao from Quanzhou Prefecture hurriedly stepped down from the chair, an official called out, "Sir has come to pay respects to the Celestial Master residing here; please ask the Celestial Master to come out and meet..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Zao raised a hand to interrupt, saying, "No disrespect! I will enter personally; please ask the Celestial Master to descend and meet me."
The onlookers at the entrance were astonished as Li Hong slowly stepped down the stairs and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I am Chu Hongzi."
Wang Zao glanced at him once and immediately knelt on the steps: "Wang Zao, student of Quanzhou Prefecture, pays respects to National Guardian Master." He bowed deeply, following the protocol of a subordinate greeting a superior.
"Please, no formalities." Li Hong quickly helped Wang Zao up and added in a low voice, "There are many people here, so there is no need for excessive courtesy."
The two exchanged pleasantries and entered. Wang Zao remained respectfully one step behind Li Hong, his expression exceptionally deferential.
"My student, Master Zhao Xiang, has long written to me asking to keep an eye on whether the Celestial Master would come in person. Since the Celestial Master has descended, why is he still staying at an inn? Please move to the Prefectural Office so that I may serve you day and night," Wang Zao said with utmost respect, repeatedly referring to himself as a student, which made both Li Hong and Chu Xiang feel quite uncomfortable.
Various curious gazes were peeking into the hall, and seeing this situation, Li Hong felt it would indeed be more convenient to relocate to the Prefectural Office.
Just then, Chu Xi had finished bathing and changing clothes, needing no further preparations. The three followed Wang Zao to the Prefectural Office.
In the back courtyard of Flower Hall, Li Hong inquired about the court's affairs and learned that there was nothing amiss. However, Wang Zao sighed, "Master has been laboring over state matters these past few years, and his health is deteriorating day by day. He has mentioned Chu Hongzi, the National Protector, several times in his letters, expressing great longing. If the Celestial Master has time, please visit him in Lin'an. I fear he may not have much time left!"
Li Hong's heart jolted. He had been corresponding with Zhao Ding for years; in his letters, he never mentioned himself but only spoke of court matters. Whenever he referred to his own condition, it was always just a brief note saying everything was fine. It turned out his health was indeed declining. It must be due to overwork.
He was already sixty years old and had never been in good health; at this point, he was entirely relying on spirit and willpower to hold on. After years of navigating the political waters, Zhao Ding must have been aware of his condition. Having reached such a high position as a minister, he only wanted to accomplish a few beneficial deeds for the country during his lifetime. Even if he wrote to advise him to take it easy and rest more, he likely wouldn't heed that advice.
Since that was the case, this life could only be understood through heartfelt connection. With this thought in mind, Li Hong nodded lightly and said, "I understand."
Wang Zao dared not say more but found it strange. He had heard that Master was close friends with Chu Hongzi, the National Protector; why did Li Hong appear so indifferent upon hearing about Master’s poor health? He couldn't help but feel that Li Hong lacked compassion.
Li Hong did not explain further and said, "I came to Quanzhou to meet the descendants of Yue Fei; please inform me of their address."
Wang Zao replied, "I know their address; I will send someone to invite them."
"No need; I will go see them myself."
After confirming the address, Li Hong proposed to go immediately. Wang Zao did not dare to stay longer and repeatedly asked the Celestial Master to visit the descendants of the Yue Family again for a few more days, so he could show his hospitality as a host.
Li Hong agreed and declined the transportation offered by Wang Zao, walking out of the back door of the government office with Chuxiong and Chu Xi.
Watching the three figures leave, Wang Zao quickly went inside and wrote an urgent report to the court about the Celestial Master personally visiting the descendants of the Yue Family in Lingnan. He also drafted a confidential letter to Zhao Ding, detailing the meeting and expressing some words about disregarding the Master's health in a somewhat callous manner.
The next day, Zhao Ding received the letter.
Looking at it while stroking his increasingly sparse white beard, a gentle smile appeared on Zhao Ding's thin face as he said calmly, "Chu Hongzi knows my heart best." He turned back inside and began writing to Li Hong with heartfelt sincerity, embodying the wisdom of an elder who sees through worldly affairs.
However, as he wrote, a trace of worry surged in his heart. After some thought, he added at the end of the letter: "Recently, I have heard that there are changes in the Jin Kingdom's court. It is feared that their troops will soon march south again. Yuan Zhen has little time left; I can only entrust my loyalty to the Song Dynasty's Great Wall. As long as you are here, the Song Dynasty is here; even if Yuan Zhen dies, he will die with his eyes closed."
Putting down his pen, Zhao Ding felt a sharp pain in his hand. After rubbing it for a while, he noticed that the pale light of dawn was gradually shining through the paper window. It turned out that dawn had already broken, and Zhao Ding realized he had unknowingly stayed up all night.
Zhao Ding called out, "Someone come! Prepare a sedan chair for me; I need to go to the palace to meet the emperor."
His legs trembled, but Zhao Ding stood firm, adjusting his clothing in front of a bronze mirror before pushing open the door and striding outside despite his family's attempts to assist him.
"As long as I live another day, I will work for the Song Dynasty another day! Only death can grant me rest!"
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