No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 849: Back to the eldest lady, my name is Aliang [End! Please vote for me! ]

"How long will you stay..."

"Brother, why are you still wearing this scholar's shirt? It's a thick autumn shirt. Didn't I send you a lot of new ones?..."

"Brother, change the dish. I'll help you..."

"Are you thirsty, brother? Wait, I'll get you some water..."

The four of them sat around the dinner table, like a family reunion.

Among them, a young man in a scholar's robe was concentrating on eating, while a skinny girl with a pigtail tied on her head next to him put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands from time to time and chattered.

The girl's eyes kept looking at the young man, as if she had endless things to say.

Ouyang Rong was not annoyed at all. Except for the first question, he answered every one of her questions without any perfunctory nodding or shaking of his head.

"I'm used to wearing this one, and autumn is coming soon. Hmm, this plate of greens is delicious. Are they grown in the vegetable garden in the yard? If you're not thirsty, you don't have to go... Ah Qing should eat more, so you can grow taller."

Ah Qing put down his bowl and chopsticks again, his eyes curved into crescents, and said in a crisp voice:
"If you like this one, I'll make you two more thin ones. You can wear them outside in all seasons, and put on more underwear when it gets cold. It won't interfere with either..."

The brother's sister-in-law Yunniang, who was standing by, suppressed her laughter and lowered her head to chew her rice;

It was Mother Liu who couldn't stand it anymore. She looked at her excited little daughter and glared at her:

"Okay, you keep talking during the meal. Girls talk so much. How will you get married in the future? Only your brother has the patience to listen. You should learn from your sister-in-law, who is quiet and gentle."

Ah Mu was being stern. Ah Qing did not dare to argue with her. He stopped talking and said "Oh".

The skinny girl sat upright, lowered her head, and ate in small bites.

Yunniang immediately spoke up to ease the atmosphere:

"Grandma, don't blame me. It's not always like this. It's just that I haven't seen Tan Lang for a long time, and I have a lot of things to say."

Ah Qing didn't dare to respond. He looked up quietly and shook his head vigorously at his sister-in-law, signaling her not to help speak.

Mother Liu didn't say anything. She picked up a piece of lean meat and put it in Ouyang Rong's bowl.

Ouyang Rong took a big mouthful of rice and helped:
"Don't worry, mother. Ah Qing is very well behaved. The Master Shandao I met praised Ah Qing highly."

Mother Liu nodded gently.

The family continued to eat happily.

The old woman had a small appetite and there wasn’t much rice in her bowl, so she put the bowl down after a while.

Ouyang Rong once heard Yunniang say privately in a letter that Liu's mother liked to drink cold porridge and eat leftovers from the previous night. Yunniang and Aqing wanted to make hot porridge for her every day, but Liu's mother was stubborn and refused to eat it, insisting on heating up last night's leftovers.

Yunniang and Aqing were both helpless.

Fortunately, the elixir from Gezhao Mountain worked, and with the company of Ouyang Rong and them, the old woman was able to get out of the shadow of her eldest son's death. She had recovered from a serious illness and was able to get out of bed and move around in the yard.

Yunniang saw Liu's mother put down the bowl and stood up. Liu's mother immediately waved her hand:

"No need, I'm full..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly stood up, took the empty bowl that Liu's mother put down, took his own empty bowl with him, and went to the kitchen without saying a word.

After a while, he came back with two bowls of white rice and placed one bowl on Liu's mother's table.

Ah Qing and Yunniang looked aside and saw the young man in scholar's robes laughing heartily and saying:

"Mother, put away all the leftovers in the pot. Let's eat more together. The food today is delicious. Let's finish it together and try not to leave any leftovers."

The two girls thought that Mother Liu was going to refuse again, but unexpectedly the old woman's wrinkled face broke into a smile, picked up the bowl of rice, and was coaxed by Ouyang Rong to continue eating.

They couldn't help but look at each other.

Soon, the food on the table was almost gone.

Everyone put down their bowls one after another.

Mother Liu looked around and said with some relief to Ouyang Rong who stood up and took the initiative to clean up the dishes:

"In the past, there was some leftover food from time to time. It's great that Tan Lang is here to finish all the food. Is Tan Lang still hungry? I'll make more food for the next meal."

Ouyang Rong made a gesture of touching his belly and smiled:

"It seems that you guys were waiting for me to come back to eat. I'm quite full. You can make more for the next meal, but you have to help me finish it all, too."

Mother Liu was somewhat helpless, but she looked at Ouyang Rong with a doting and indulgent look:

"Good good."

Ouyang Rong, Yunniang and Aqing went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Supported by a wooden stick, Liu's mother slowly moved out of the house and stopped at the kitchen door. She leaned against the door frame with a hunched body, staring straight at the backs of the young man, the woman, and the girl as they chatted and divided the work of washing dishes.

Her old eyes were a little yellow and cloudy, and she stared blankly, not knowing what she was thinking.

The three of them quickly finished washing the dishes, turned around, and saw the figure of Liu's mother.

Ah Qing didn't even have time to untie her apron, she ran to help him, and said anxiously:

"Why is mother crying?"

Mother Liu immediately shook her head.

"No, nothing happened. I just got sand in my eyes. The wind is really strong today, and the sand leaves are flying everywhere. It might rain tonight."

Ouyang Rong and Yunniang saw that the old woman tilted her head to look into the night, rubbing the corners of her eyes with her fingers, as if nothing had happened.

The three of them supported Liu's mother and returned to the main house.

It was indeed windy outside tonight, with leaves rustling and many monks near Sanhui Temple making creaking sounds in the night wind.

They closed the doors and windows, returned to the brightly lit table, and sat down to chat.

There was a brazier in the middle with a charcoal fire burning brightly. The new charcoal was sent by Xiu. The old woman had cold legs, so although it was not yet late autumn, she still had to keep warm at night.

Ouyang Rong and A Qing sat on the left and right of Liu's mother.

Yunniang added another spoonful of oil to the lamp.

Ouyang Rong held Liu's mother's hand with one hand, lowered his head and used a wooden stick to stir the charcoal fire.

The charcoal fire soon burned more vigorously, and the warm, faint orange light fell on his thin face, softening the originally marble-like sharp curves.

"When will Tan Lang get married? How is the progress with the noble lady of the Xie family?"

When Ouyang Rong held her hand, Mother Liu held his hand back and asked with concern.

Ouyang Rong looked calm and peaceful.

He said truthfully:

"We have to wait until we go to Luoyang. We have already made an appointment. Auntie is also talking to the elders of Junior Sister's family."

Mother Liu was somewhat relieved:

"That's good. Are we getting married in Luoyang? That's under the Emperor's feet. Tan Lang is really promising. He has a high position and can marry a woman from one of the five surnames... I've been thinking about one thing a lot lately."

"what's up?"

"It was Tan Lang who mentioned taking us to Luoyang."

Ouyang Rong immediately felt ashamed and said:

"Mother, I am useless. This matter will have to wait. I can actually send you there, but I can't go for the time being. I am not at ease sending you alone..."

Mother Liu was stunned for a moment when she saw this, but when she heard him halfway through, she breathed a sigh of relief and waved her withered hands:
"It's okay. There's no rush. What I actually want to say is, if I have to go back, can I only be away for a while to attend Tan Lang's wedding banquet, and after it's over, if nothing else, can you send me back?
"I have lived in Longcheng County all my life, and my wife is buried here. I am thinking about my body. I don't think it can float away in the air after a hundred years."

Ah Qing and Yunniang were moved when they heard this.

Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, and said:

"My mother will live a long life."

The two girls also clenched the old woman's hands.

Mother Liu shook her head:
"I hope so, but I don't have any regrets. Apart from Tan Lang, the only ones I can't let go of are Ah Qing and Yun Niang.

"Can Tan Lang take them to Luoyang and settle them down? It would be best if they were not separated."

Yunniang immediately shook her head:

"I am not going anywhere. I just want to be with Grandma. I will also come back with Grandma. Let me stay in Luoyang to accompany Tan Lang."

Ah Qing said anxiously: "Then I..."

Her hands were held by Liu's mother and Yunniang together.

Mother Liu and Yunniang looked at each other for a moment. The old woman sighed and nodded, interrupting Ah Qing's words:

"Tan Lang, you are a man who can accomplish great things. You are much more capable than ordinary people. Apart from eating well, drinking well and sleeping well, I can't give you any useful advice. I have no regrets if I can see you get married and have children. But I am still worried about Ah Qing. I often have a hard time swallowing food because I have something on my mind."

Ouyang Rong asked seriously, "What's on your mind?"

Mother Liu stroked her little daughter's flushed face and said with a smile:

"I hope Ah Qing can find a good man to marry and live a down-to-earth life. I don't ask for anything special. As long as she doesn't cause you any trouble, that's enough. Other than that, it would be great if she lives a peaceful life.

"Can I entrust Ah Qing's marriage to you? As her brother, can you make the decision for her? It doesn't matter whether you find her in Longcheng or take her to Luoyang. It's all up to you."

On the side, the pretty girl blushed:

"Mother, I...I...I don't want to get married. I just want to be with you and brother, that's why I don't want to get married...ah."

Ah Qing was halfway through her speech when she was suddenly hit by Liu's mother. She covered her forehead with her hands and looked at Yan's mother with tears in her eyes.

The girl didn't dare to look at her "brother" Ouyang Rong. Instead, she looked into Liu's mother's tearful eyes with a pleading look, hoping that her mother would change her mind.

Mother Liu didn't look at her, but just looked at the young man in scholar's robe expectantly.

Ouyang Rong's face became more and more ashamed.

Liu's mother and Yunniang were a little confused.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the tightly closed wooden door and whispered:

"Mother, this time I came back, in addition to visiting you, I also have to look for someone, and my sister can't make any arrangements for the time being."

Yunniang was the first to shake her head:

"It's okay, it's not urgent. Grandma and I are just asking Tan Lang for help. There's no need to rush. Tan Lang can go first if he has something to do. But Grandma and I have discussed that it's better to let Ah Qing stay with Tan Lang. I heard that Miss Ye and Miss Xie are not in Xunyang, so Ah Qing can take care of Tan Lang's daily life."

Ah Qing had originally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Ouyang Rong's words, but when he heard his sister-in-law's next words, for some reason, he lowered his head again.

Ouyang Rong pondered, his eyes as dark as lacquer, as if he was thinking about something. Just as he was about to speak, Liu's mother suddenly asked:

"The person Tan Lang is looking for is a woman, right?"

Ouyang Rong fell silent.

Ah Qing immediately raised his head and looked straight at him together with Yunniang.

Under the gaze of Liu Mu and others, Ouyang Rong hummed and said softly:
"Her name is Xiu Niang, and I promised to take her to Luoyang."

Mother Liu and Yunniang looked at each other and were not going to ask any more questions, but Ah Qing suddenly said:

"Brother likes her?"

Ouyang Rong said seriously: "We are already family, just like you."

Ah Qing lowered her eyes and said to herself, "It's different. Look at my brother's eyes. She is special and very important to me."

Ouyang Rong took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

Ah Qing suddenly looked up and smiled:
"Find her, brother! Don't let her go again. Family members should stay together. I...I'll go with you to find her, okay? This embroidered lady is also Ah Qing's family member."

Ouyang Rong looked at her seriously:
"Ah Qing, are you really willing to go with me?"

Ah Qing said firmly:

"willing!"

Ouyang Rong nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on him: "Okay, wait two more days..."

A hoarse voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting his words.

"Don't wait."

Ouyang Rong turned around and saw that it was Liu's mother.

The white-haired old woman smiled:
"Tan Lang, don't wait any longer. Go find her now. I haven't read many books, but I've lived for so many years and I understand some truths. The longer you wait, the lazier you get. Just do it when you think of it. Especially if you like a girl, go find her quickly and hug her tightly. Don't say that there is a long time to come and you have to be together day and night! Don't waste a moment of your youth. Waiting in the same place is something you do when you are old. It is not something you young people should do!"

Ouyang Rong was slightly moved, staring at the old woman who was speaking earnestly:
"But I just spent one night with you..."

Mother Liu waved her hands firmly. Her hoarse and old voice was surprisingly powerful, echoing in the ears of Ouyang Rong and the two girls:

"No, one night is already very long. You are not the one who should accompany me the most, and I am not the one who should accompany Tan Lang the most. Tan Lang should not spend his best years accompanying an old man.

"When I was young, I was accompanied by someone. He was the youngest back then. Even if he passed away early, I have no regrets. Tan Lang, what about you? What are you waiting for?
"If the younger generation stays by the side of the older generation, generation after generation, wouldn't the good years be wasted? You young people should go out and explore the world, find the people you love, and do the things you love. Don't always stay with the old people who are in a state of depression. It's enough to come back and take a look and have a meal with them... This is not a matter of filial piety.

"Ashan was like this at first. He always stayed at home to accompany me. I drove him down the mountain and told him to go to the city to make a living and do young people's things. If he met a girl he liked, he would chase her... Later he met you, Tanlang, and followed you closely."

When Liu's mother said this, she choked up and her eyes turned red.

But he held back a certain sadness and told Ah Qing, who was also in tears:
"You too, these words are for you to hear."

Ah Qing knelt down in front of the old woman with a plop, unable to restrain his emotions:

"Auntie!"

Ouyang Rong slowly stood up and coaxed the old woman in front of him in the most gentle tone. "Mother, I understand. I'll go right away."

The old woman wiped her tears:
"Okay! Go ahead, kid."

Ouyang Rong turned his head and said to Yunniang:
"Bring the monk's robes that were sent from the temple in the evening along with my bag."

He turned to Ah Qing and said:

"Ah Qing, go pack your luggage. I'll go with you. I have something to tell you..."

Ah Qing immediately stood up and went to the room.

Yunniang was startled when she heard this, and she stood up, grabbing her apron with both hands in a bit of a panic:
"Are we going to leave now? Or should we wait until tomorrow to go down the mountain?"

She looked outside with some concern:
"It's still raining outside, and it doesn't seem like it'll stop for a while. It's hard to walk on the mountain road in the rain..."

Mother Liu glanced at Yunniang.

The latter immediately closed his mouth and lowered his head to get Ouyang Rong's luggage.

Ouyang Rong went to Ah Qing's room, apparently to help her pack her things.

Only the old woman was left at the table, staring at the blazing charcoal with cloudy eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

Yunniang returned first, carrying a small bag and a stack of navy blue monk robes.

The small bag was very light, and from the appearance it seemed to contain a scroll, and no other clothes... Yunniang glanced sideways with curiosity.

After about an incense stick,
Ouyang Rong and Ah Qing returned to the main house one after another.

Ouyang Rong returned the floral bag he was carrying to Ah Qing.

Liu's mother and Yunniang saw that Ah Qing was holding a bundle, with a serious face, staring straight at Ouyang Rong's back in front of her.

There was a small fist hidden under her right sleeve, clenched tightly.

Yunniang looked at the floral bundle and stepped forward to ask, "Is it just my aunt's luggage? Where are the Confucian shirts that my aunt sewed for Tanlang?"

Ah Qing didn't look at her and shook his head.

Yunniang and Liu's mother followed Ah Qing's gaze.

He found that Ouyang Rong had walked to the table, turned his back to everyone, took out a scroll from his bag and spread it out on the table.

"Long Ling——"

The young man in Confucian robes plucked the white hairpin from his hair crown with one hand and put it into the painting.

Then he took off the skirt knife and jade pendant from his waist, as well as the dragon and tiger pill box in his arms, and put them all into the painting.

Then, he began to take off the blue Confucian robe that had been washed so much that it looked bleached, and did the same thing, putting it into the painting.

Ouyang Rong let his black hair down and changed into a navy blue monk's robe. He reached out and took something out of the scroll and placed it on the table.

He stuffed the scroll back into his arms and turned around.

Ouyang Rong stroked the object on the table with one hand and asked Ah Qing calmly:
"Where's the stuff?"

Ah Qing stretched his right hand out of his sleeve, his little fist tightly clenched into something.

他 说:

"Falled."

Ah Qing flipped his right hand, loosened his fist, and an object fell straight to the ground.

Yunniang and Liu's mother looked curious and saw that the object seemed to be a piece of purple jade, which seemed vaguely familiar.

Crack-!
With a crisp sound, the purple jade shattered.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the purple color of the shattered jade gradually faded away and returned to its original milky white jade color.

"This, this is..."

Yunniang and Liu's mother looked at each other and suddenly realized something.

Like Ah Qing, they all looked at the young man who was wearing monk's robes at the table.

He had picked up the bronze fox harness at hand and put it on his face with his head lowered, so his specific expression could not be seen clearly.

The next moment, Ouyang Rong disappeared from the table.

In his place was a dull young man wearing the same monk's robe, but his dull, thin face was extremely familiar to the three women.

"Ashan" tilted his head and glanced at them.

Ah Qing suddenly shouted, "Brother."

Liu's mother and Yunniang took uncontrollable steps forward, and after taking two steps, they stopped.

They stopped where they were, took a deep breath, and tacitly did not move forward.

The dull young man lowered his head and walked towards Ah Qing, took the bag from her arms, and stood behind the girl.

Seems to be waiting.

The room was silent, and everyone held their breath.

"Ashan" lowered his head.

Ah Qing stood at the front, staring at the closed wooden door in front of him.

One stick of incense passed... Two sticks of incense passed...

The whole house was still silent, with only the sound of wind and rain outside, which was getting stronger and stronger.

It's raining heavily tonight.

The charcoal in the center of the room was burning bright red, slowly leaving behind layers of ash that covered the surface and obscured the fiery red charcoal.

"Clang-!"

Suddenly a gust of night wind blew into the yard and knocked open the door that had been closed.

The violent mountain wind brought slanting rain into the house.

The room, which had been warmed by the charcoal fire, suddenly became chilly.

The sleeves of the four people fluttered, and the charcoal in the plate lost its "grey" color and became as red as a branding iron.

Yunniang, who was closest to the door, subconsciously took a step forward and was about to close the door.

His body paused in front of the door.

A tall blond figure slowly walked in from the door.

She walked into the house and looked around at everyone with her blue eyes.

His eyes fell on the skinny girl.

She asked in the awkward and elegant language that only belongs to the mixed-blood Hu Ji:
"You broke the jade and came to me?"

Ah Qing boldly looked up at this goddess-like figure.

It was raining and stormy outside, but her ancient dress was not wetted by a single drop of rain.

Ah Qing nodded vigorously:

"Yes! You can call me Ah Qing. I, I want to be a Vietnamese girl too!"

Xue Zhongzhu ignored everyone and asked her word by word:

"Why did you change your mind?"

Ah Qing sniffed, suddenly turned around, and cried to Liu Mu:

"Mother, I won't marry, and I won't be a burden to my family. I'll find a job for my brother, too."

Xue Zhongzhu's eyes shifted, scanning the gray-haired old woman, the young woman with her hair tied up and an apron, and the dull young man in monk's robes.

Both the skinny girl and the dull young man have the Chinese character "Yue" embroidered on their foreheads, a symbol of low status. They came from the now-bankrupt Liu family's Gu Yue Sword Shop.

Ah Qing asked timidly:
"Goddess, should I take you as my master? Can I also practice Taoism and live a carefree life?"

Xue Zhongzhu, who had taken the initiative to leave Zi Yu behind, was now silent.

She asked stiffly:
"You can enjoy a life of freedom, but you have to think carefully. You have to take me as your master. From now on, you belong to the Palace of the Queen, and you will be delisted as the new Queen. From now on, all the ties such as the marriage contract under the mountain must be cut off, and you are not allowed to act recklessly."

Xue Zhongzhu saw the girl in front of him seemed to turn around and glance at her dull brother who had his head lowered.

She smiled lightly and nodded deeply:

"okay!"

Xue Zhongzhu's cold expression softened a little, and he was ready to turn around:

"Let's go. We shouldn't stay at the foot of the mountain for long."

Ah Qing took a step forward and seemed to remember something:
"Wait, goddess..."

Xue Zhongzhu interrupted: "What do you call me?"

"Teacher...Master."

The candle in the snow nodded slightly:
"I am the chief lady of Yunmeng Jianze Lady Palace. You will know what kind of existence our sect is in the world."

"oh oh."

Ah Qing nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then boldly grabbed the sleeve of the tall blond Hu Ji and pleaded with her eyes:
"I would like to ask Master for a favor. Can you take my brother with you?"

Xue Zhongzhu shook his head indifferently.

Ah Qing cried and shook her head: "Then, then I won't go. If my brother doesn't go, I won't go either."

Xue Zhongzhu stared straight at Ah Qing:

"This sect only accepts female disciples. No exceptions can be made."

Ah Qing immediately pointed at him:
"Brother just wants a job and can take care of me. He can do anything, including cooking and chores. He can also read a few words. As long as he has a stable salary, it's fine. I don't ask for much. My brother is very honest... Master, our Jianze is so powerful, can't you arrange such a small thing?"

Xue Zhongzhu listened and frowned slightly.

Liu's mother and Yunniang immediately cried and begged for mercy:
"Goddess, please have mercy on him and give him a chance, so that the brother and sister can be taken care of."

Xue Zhongzhu finally looked at the dull young man straight in the eye and glanced at the navy blue monk's robe on his body.

She asked:

"What did you do before?"

The dull young man did not dare to look up at anyone and answered in a muffled voice:

"The bells are rung to tell the time. The bell and drum tower to the north of the temple is rung 108 times in the morning and evening to alert the monks."

The candle in the snow whispers:
"Are you the bell ringer... ringing the bell... There is a bell in Fengshan... It rings when the frost falls... just right..."

I don't know what she was thinking. After a moment, she suddenly said:
"Lift your face and let me see it."

As the dull young man raised his head, Xue Zhongzhu suddenly raised his sword and stabbed it directly between his eyebrows.

The young man stumbled backward in panic and fell awkwardly to the ground.

Xue Zhongzhu's sword finger was still within an inch of his forehead, and he couldn't dodge it.

However, the dull young man seemed to react. He rolled his eyes and looked up at the woman's slender finger hanging on his forehead.

She injected spiritual energy through the air with her fingertips, and it was almost instantaneous before she finished the examination and immediately withdrew her hand back into her sleeve.

There was not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation.

Xue Zhongzhu looked gloomy and turned away.

She also didn't know that after just two breaths, the golden light on the Dantian and the eight extraordinary meridians of a certain dumb young man who fell to the ground faded away, and he returned from virtuality to reality...

"Let's go."

Ah Qing immediately walked over, helped the dull young man up, followed Xue Zhongzhu out of the house.

Xue Zhongzhu took out another purple jade, threw it back, and it fell into Yunniang's arms.

Came her serious tone:

"It is inconvenient for Yunmeng Ling to stay any longer. If you encounter difficulties, you can break the jade again."

Yunniang lowered her eyebrows and said meekly: "Yes, Goddess."

Xue Zhongzhu strode out the door. As he stepped out of the threshold, he seemed to remember something and asked casually:
"By the way, what's your name?"

Ah Qing and several other girls turned to look at the dull young man.

"My name is Aliang."

He paused for a moment, looked up at the lonely and proud swan-like figure of Xue Zhongzhu, and said in a serious tone:

"Pure goodness."

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(End of Volume 2)
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(End of this chapter)