books44 Chapter 126 Undercurrent
Chapter 126 Undercurrent
"I suddenly felt like I had just queued for nothing. I didn't expect that there were seed biscuits for sale here."
Mingzhi took a big bite of the pancake, sat on a big rock by the lake, looked at the bustling street market, then lay down on the big rock and continued: "Who do you think that person we just met was? He was so mysterious, and I think he also seemed to hate the royal family."
Xue Zhiyu supported her head with one hand and finished the last bite of the seed biscuit in her hand. She couldn't help but sigh that the seed biscuit tasted really good. The pastry alone was worth buying another one.
"I think he looks like a scholar. People here are terrified of the royal family, so it's normal that they don't like him."
"That's right. Where should we go next? I heard there's a temple here that's quite spiritual. Many people come here to pray for love and fortune. How about we go and join in the fun?"
Xue Zhiyu patted the crispy crust crumbs that fell on her body and said, "Okay, let's go. I hope this time... Never mind. I won't say anything."
The two hired a carriage and headed to the temple.
When the driver heard that they were from other places, he said with pride, "You have come to the right place. It was built during the reign of the first Emperor Shenzong. It was because of the blessing of the gods that Emperor Shenzong would go there to pray for blessings every time he went to war, and he always won a battle. So no matter what you pray for, it will be effective."
"But it's strange that we haven't seen the current emperor for several years. Every major festival is held by several princes."
Xue Zhiyu and Mingzhi looked at each other and did not respond to the driver's words, but they both felt heavy in their hearts. It seemed that the problem here was not small, so it was better to stay away from it.
After arriving at the temple, the two men got off the carriage and looked at the crowds of people in front of the door. It seemed that they could not even see the entrance of the temple.
The two of them finally squeezed into the main hall of the temple. They heard the sound of shaking sticks. A young monk in a cassock came up and asked, "Amitabha, are you two here to seek fate or to fulfill a vow?"
"We are here to seek fate."
"Okay, please go this way."
"Enlightenment."
A slightly vicissitudes of life voice sounded from behind the little monk. The little monk turned around and respectfully asked the person behind him with his hands clasped together: "Master, why did you come out?"
"You can go and do other things first. I will receive these two donors."
"Yes, Master."
After the young monk left, Xue Zhiyu looked at the old monk who had spoken. His kind face seemed to have seen through all the troubles in the world. His eyes were as deep as black holes, but the light in them could not be ignored.
"My name is Chen Yuan. Please follow me, the two donors."
Xue Zhiyu and Mingzhi looked at each other. Although they didn't understand what was happening, they still followed.
Behind the main hall is a long corridor. The bamboo forests on both sides make pleasant sounds when caressed by the wind. From time to time, the sound of fish jumping in the pond seems to add some accompaniment to the bamboo forest.
The two followed the old monk into the small room. After they sat down, Chen Yuan looked at Xue Zhiyu, as if he could see through her soul. Then he smiled and said, "Donor, the cause of the previous life is the result of this life. You can't escape it even if you reincarnate thousands of times."
This sentence confused Xue Zhiyu. She found that after coming to this world, there were so many riddlers. She always felt like she had forgotten something. Every time she recalled a clue, it quickly disappeared.
"Master, I don't quite understand why everything seems to be completely different from what I know?"
"Everyone in this world encounters people and things in this life that are destined. They are the karma formed in the previous life or the result of the bad karma caused."
"Then in my dream..."
Before Xue Zhiyu finished her question, Chen Yuan continued, "I know what you want to ask, but now is not the right time. This is what you have all experienced. Among the 81 trials, whether you can get through this last one depends on your next choice."
We? What does that mean?
Xue Zhiyu glanced at Mingzhi, then looked at Chen Yuan with a puzzled look.
Chen Yuan smiled and said nothing more.
Mingzhi listened to the conversation between the two in confusion. What were the junior sister and the old monk talking about? Why was it so mysterious?
"Please have some tea, benefactors. I have something to do so I will leave first. Please take a walk in the backyard."
After Chen Yuan put his hands together and left the small room, Ming Zhi couldn't wait to ask, "Junior sister, what were you talking about with the old monk just now?"
Xue Zhiyu was still thinking about what Chen Yuan had just said. She didn't know where to start when it came to Mingzhi's doubts. After all, she herself was also in a state of confusion.
"Nothing to talk about. By the way, tell me what you are going to do tomorrow."
Mingzhi picked up the tea prepared on the table, took a big gulp, and said calmly, "It means that I am responsible for watching whether anyone is playing tricks, and by the way, I will give a big gift to the winner of the Master, most of which are incense sticks and blood branches."
"what?!"
"Hiss, junior sister, please keep your voice down. I'm going to be deaf," Mingzhi was startled by Xue Zhiyu's sudden rise in volume. He was so scared that he almost threw the vegetarian cake in his hand. He quickly stuffed it all into his mouth and swallowed it slowly with tea.
"No, Master, how can you just give me these herbs? Even if you only gave me one, it would be a big deal, but you gave me two!"
"Master doesn't need any medicine anyway, so don't worry, Junior Sister. Master's storehouse of medicinal herbs will always be a mystery. If you need any, just ask Master directly."
Xue Zhiyu felt more and more that it was worth it to become her disciple. Her master was truly her blessing.
In fact, the two of them didn't want anything, so they walked around the backyard and then went back.
At this time, Mu Xingchen was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed to recuperate. As if he sensed something, he suddenly opened his eyes, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. He reached out to wipe the blood off, adjusted his breathing, and closed his eyes again.
But in just a cup of tea, Mu Xingchen was sweating profusely, his brows were furrowed, as if he was trying his best to endure it. He quickly drew a few strokes in the air, and a bright red jade bead flew out and then fell steadily into his palm.
Mu Xingchen glanced at Yuzhu, a mouthful of blood rushed to his throat, and he spat out from his mouth with a "wow" sound.
As calm as if nothing had happened, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wrapped the beads, and put it back into his sleeve. As for the bloody taste in his mouth, he just symbolically picked up the teacup to rinse his mouth, lightly touched the ground with his finger, and the bloodstain disappeared completely.
I don’t know how long he can hold on. Maybe he will soon be wiped out from the world. It seems that he is the one who broke the contract in the end.
Thinking of this, Mu Xingchen shook his head helplessly, with unspeakable bitterness in his eyes.
"Master! We are back and have brought you some delicious snacks!"
Xue Zhiyu's voice came from not far away, and Mingzhi complained: "How can you be so loud as a woman? It's too rude."
"Hey, what's the matter? I'm not borrowing your voice. My loud voice proves that I have a lot of energy. You can't envy me."
"I don't want to argue with you. Let's not disturb Master's rest. We'll go in quietly and put it away and come out quickly."
"I know, Senior Brother Mingzhi~"
Hearing the two people's voices getting closer, Mu Xingchen quickly concealed the bitterness in his eyes, closed his eyes and continued to rest.
Xue Zhiyu quietly pushed open the door with some snacks in her hand, and took a look inside. She saw her master meditating and resting. After putting down the snacks, she quietly went out, and considerately closed the door.
"Junior sister, you should go back and have a rest too. By the way, you can memorize the medicine recipe that Master gave you tonight. It will be very useful to you."
"Well, I will."
After Xue Zhiyu returned to her room, she picked up the prescription and studied it carefully. It was completely different from the prescription she had learned in school, and many of the herbs she had never heard of.
"Xiaoqi."
"Why are you calling me suddenly?"
Xiao Qi's slightly tired voice sounded in his mind. God knows, Xuan Ji had been trying his best to order him around these days, and he was almost becoming his fairy boy.
"You didn't get enough rest? What did you do?"
"The secret cannot be revealed. Tell me why you are looking for me."
"Does this recipe look familiar to you?"
Xiao Qi then noticed a small book on the table, and read all the contents in it through his consciousness. Then he said nonchalantly, "It's just a very ordinary prescription. I have seen better ones."
At this point, Xue Zhiyu had already imagined how arrogant Xiao Qi was, and said with disdain, "Go ahead and brag, I haven't seen you show it to me."
"That won't do. After all, he's the God of Medicine... It won't do anyway!"
Xiao Qi almost let the cat out of the bag, but luckily he reacted in time. After all, the gods in heaven are not easy to mess with.
Xue Zhiyu raised her eyebrows playfully. It seemed that Xiao Qi was not simple either. However, since he refused to say anything, forget it. This was not what she wanted to ask about the most.
"On the first day I came to this world, I found that it was completely different from the world I had always lived in. There were even many strange things. Tell me, where exactly is this?"
Seeing her serious face, Xiao Qi sighed helplessly. There were many things he couldn't explain in detail, but he could still tell her the basics.
"In fact, you already know most of what's going on here. Among the countries, only the Western Region and Yuzhou have strange abilities. You must also know Yuzhou's control techniques. Apart from that, you have to be careful of their illusion techniques. However, they rarely use them, after all, they consume a certain amount of physical strength."
Xue Zhiyu couldn't help but shudder in her heart. This Yuzhou country is too scary. I suddenly thought of the brainwashed woman from the Western Regions.
"Call me if you have anything else. I'm going to take a rest first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Qi's voice disappeared from his mind.
At the same time, inside the Yan Kingdom Palace, a low pressure enveloped the inner hall. Xia Yu looked at the secret letter in his hand, with no emotion on his face, but his tightly pursed lips showed that he was in a state of forbearance.
"Xue Zihan went to the Zhao Mansion several times in the past few days, but came out soon. However, he never came out again after returning to the Xue Mansion. Everything inside was the same as usual. But this is too strange," Nangong Ye reported truthfully while standing aside, playing with a dart in his hand.
"Oh, the old fox won't reveal his tail so easily. Keep a close eye on the Zhao and Xue mansions. I want to see how long the old fox can endure."
"Don't worry, You has arranged people to guard nearby, and any movement will be within sight."
Xia Yu nodded, stared at the secret letter with a sinister look for a while, then placed it on the candle flame beside him, and when he saw that it was about to burn his hands, he threw it into the copper plate.
The fire devoured the secret letter and soon it burned to ashes. Xia Yu moved his eyes away from the plate and looked at Nangong Ye and continued: "Huang Yi is interested in interacting with Yan Country. What do you think about this?"
"Huang Yi has been very well behaved recently. Besides, Huang Yi is in urgent need of making up for the losses caused by the internal conflict in the tribe. It is only a matter of time before he shows goodwill to us. However, Huang Yi has a big appetite, so we need to be careful when dealing with him."
"If you agree with me, then send the Minister of Rites."
After Xia Yu finished speaking, he thought for a while, picked up the brush on the table, and wrote a few lines on the letter paper.
"Somebody come!"
"Chen is here!"
"Write a letter and deliver it to the King of Huangyi tomorrow. Remember not to delay."
"Yes, I accept your order!"
As soon as the messenger left, there was another knock on the door.
"Your Majesty, the coroner's autopsy results are out."
"Bring it in."
Xia Yu took the paper handed over by the palace maid, glanced at it, and said with ridicule, "Aye, come and take a look too."
Nangong Ye put away the dart in his hand, walked forward and took a look at the report. He was not surprised at all and said calmly, "Zhao Zhanpeng must have a trick up his sleeve. Moreover, his influence in the court is not small. The faction he formed has been growing stronger in recent years."
"It doesn't matter. It's time to teach him a lesson so that he will remember that the Yan Kingdom's surname is Xia, not Zhao."
Nangong Ye seemed to have remembered something. He lowered his voice and asked, "How are you going to deal with Zhao Manrou?"
"I will naturally not let down the trap that Zhao Zhanpeng has carefully designed for me. Since they want to push someone into the harem, I will follow their wishes. I want to see where Zhao Zhanpeng will use this chess piece."
The night was not a peaceful one. Everyone was restless and there was a vague sense of danger of an impending storm.
The next day, Xue Zhiyu and the other two came to Yuejiang Tower. Perhaps because a big event was being held, the restaurants near Yuejiang Tower were bustling with people shouting at the vendors. The entire street was clogged with cars and horses.
The three of them went up to the second floor. Because of Mu Xingchen's identity, a room with the best view had been reserved for them. Outside the window was the famous West River of Yuzhou Country. Xue Zhiyu walked to the window and took a deep breath of the river breeze that blew towards her, mixed with the smell of food in the air.
The surface of the West River is very wide, and looking from here is a stretch of continuous mountains. At this moment, the sun has just risen, and it reflects on the sparkling river surface as if a layer of golden paint was splashed on it. Large ships are sailing on the river. Looking at it from the Yuejiang Tower, I feel that my body and mind are relaxed a lot.
Xue Zhiyu sat by the window, supporting her chin with both hands, feeling that her brain had gotten a good rest. In the future, when her business grew bigger, she would take her mother to visit this beautiful scenery.
It was almost the morning hour. Mingzhi looked downstairs and saw that many people had arrived. He walked back to the room and said, "It's almost starting. Junior sister, do you want to go over and take a look? The master has already gone."
"Of course, let's go," Xue Zhiyu retracted her gaze. She had been eager to take a look, so she followed Mingzhi's steps, walked out of the room, and went downstairs to the inner courtyard.
After passing a screen, they had to walk through a long corridor to see the inner courtyard. Mingzhi seemed to have figured out the way there long ago, and he walked left and right with ease. Xue Zhiyu couldn't help but look around along the way.
The inner courtyard is actually located in an open space behind the Yuejiang Tower, surrounded by dense forests. In this weather, sitting under a tree can help to avoid the heat to some extent.
"Miss Xue, long time no see. How are you these days?"
A woman in dark green silk robe came towards her, her hair casually tied up with a bamboo hairpin. She walked towards her slowly and leisurely, looking at her with a smile in her eyes.
Xue Zhiyu was not surprised to see him. She smiled at him as well, bowed and said, "Everything is fine. Mr. Mo, long time no see."
Mo Chenru then looked at Ming Zhi beside him and asked, "What is this?"
"This is my senior brother Mingzhi."
Mingzhi nodded at him, "I guess you are the second son of the Mo family. I have heard of your great name for a long time."
Mo Chenru had just felt that the young man looked very familiar, and when he heard him speak, he suddenly remembered him and bowed to him in return, saying, "Brother Mingzhi, you are joking. It is just an empty title. I still need to continue to explore the way of medicine in depth."
The two of them exchanged some pleasantries, then walked side by side towards the center of the inner courtyard.