No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 855 Ancestral Tomb
"Ergou, is it the same over there? There's thick white fog every morning and evening, and even thin mist on sunny days."

"Shouldn't it be foggy in the morning and evening? Are there any places without fog?"

Sha Ergou looked up in confusion.

Ouyang Rong was silent when he heard this.

In the backyard of Hongchen Inn, the two were squatting on the bluestone steps in front of the woodshed.

Ouyang Rong stared at the wet eaves, and his vision occasionally passed over the eaves and fell on the soft orange sun in the sky that was obscured by the white mist.

Sha Ergou next to him was eating with relish some vegetables and fruits that had just been discarded from the kitchen.

The two had just finished their morning work and came here tacitly to catch some fish.

Working at the Hongchen Inn, the morning is the busiest time. One has to help the kitchen buy vegetables and carry firewood, as well as feed the horses and carry the luggage for the new guests who have traveled all night to arrive in the town.

On the contrary, it is the noon hour in the morning when there is a rare moment of leisure.

Ouyang Rong considered himself a very patient person, but after waiting in Taoyuan Town for nearly a month, he was indeed a little restless.

But he quickly adjusted himself, mainly by concentrating on his work.

Ringing the bell, feeding the horses, chopping wood and keeping silent every day gives me a sense of peace of mind.

It was completely different from when he was the governor of Xunyang City, holding great power and being the center of attention.

After taking office in Xunyang City, the slight feeling of mental fatigue that had always been there was slowly dissipated through his almost self-disciplined physical work.

It would be better if there is bright sunshine at this time, as sunlight is very effective in replenishing energy.

It’s a pity that there is little sunshine in Taoyuan Town. Most of the time, the sky is blue-gray and the air is humid, quite similar to the return of the south wind in Lingnan.

Especially now, what he is looking for is stuck in a quagmire and progress is slow.

Recently, Ouyang Rong took half a day off every few days and visited several ancestral cemeteries of major families in the nearby Taoyuan Town one by one, even including two mass graves in the west of the city... In the end, he found nothing. There were quite a few tombstones of the surname Lu, but none of them were old tombs from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and their specifications and layout were far inferior.

In addition, there is the long-awaited Snow Candle.

Finally, combined with the humid "return of the south wind", being in it gives people the feeling of having half a foot in a quagmire.

Sha Ergou finished eating the half-rotten pear and threw it over the wall. He turned around and looked at Ouyang Rong who remained silent, and asked:
"Brother Liu, are you homesick?"

Ouyang Rong glanced at him and remained silent.

Sha Ergou scratched his head:

"It's about the same, actually. But the fog is thicker in Taoyuan Town. It may be because it is closer to the Great Lake."

Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"Have you ever been into this swamp? Go deep into it."

Sha Ergou shook his head:

"You can't just go in there. The old people in the village said there are many taboos. An old fisherman once went in there by mistake, got lost, and landed on an island full of miasma. Fortunately, he met a goddess who brought him out and saved his life. But there are also some unlucky people who accidentally went in and never came back. Going into the swamp is a taboo for people in our village."

"goddess?"

"Well, these goddesses all worship Yuanjun. They appear and disappear in the great marsh. No one knows where they live, but they often rescue us fishermen." Sha Ergou said devoutly: "It is said that Yuanjun is the master of the great marsh. She controls the weather and wind. All the creatures in the marsh are protected by her. She is a kind-hearted deity. Many families in the village worship her to bless them with peace and happiness."

Ouyang Rong raised his head and glanced at the blue-gray sky, and the words that Li Yu said when he was tortured in the water prison flashed through his ears again... Yuanjun's Guiyuanjun.

Sha Ergou didn't notice his slight abnormality and continued:
"And I heard from the old people that the most dangerous thing in this swamp is not the miasma or poisonous insects and beasts, but the calm and endless water surface, without even fog and bright sunshine. That's what is dangerous."

Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Why is this?"

Sha Ergou shook his head:

"How should I know? I have never been there. But just thinking about it makes me feel that the scene is creepy. Without even fog, is it still a normal place? The old people in my village often say that although the fog blocks the eyes, it is a good thing and can protect people. It blocks many things we should not see. Living by the swamp, it is good to work hard and sleep well. Don't listen to the noises in the swamp at night..."

Ouyang Rong was quiet for a moment and nodded:

"That's a very honest statement."

Sha Ergou grinned:
"My sister always said that if you don't listen to the advice of the elderly, you will suffer in the end. But my sister has been outside a few times, far away from our Daze. My sister said that outside Daze, there is no fog, but like Daze, it is also dangerous outside, but it is a different kind of danger."

Ouyang Rong smiled for the first time:

"Human heart, huh?"

"People's hearts?" Sha Ergou asked confusedly, "Brother Liu has been outside?"

Ouyang Rong smiled but said nothing.

Sha Ergou continued to recall:

"But my sister also said that there are a lot of delicious things outside, which are a hundred times more delicious than the sweetest rice cakes and can never be eaten in the big lake..."

Ouyang Rong came back to his senses and asked:
"Your sister?"

"Well, my parents passed away early, and my sister and I lived together. If it weren't for my sister, I wouldn't dare to follow Boss Yu to Taoyuan Town."

Upon hearing this, although Ouyang Rong saw that Sha Ergou looked contented and happy, he did not mention the sad thing anymore.

He stood up and looked into the distance at the white fog over the vast lake in the west, which seemed like a natural barrier.

Suddenly, I remembered the white fog formation on the water of Shuangfengjian River. The white fog was a secret formation presided over by the Xuanwu Guards. It covered the giant Buddha in the Xunyang Grottoes and created an illusion.

Now that I think about it, if the Yue women of Yunmeng Jianze had lived in this misty swamp all year round, they would have certainly scoffed at the misty illusion on the peaks...

However, could the white fog on Yunmeng Lake be something similar to the Xuanwu Guard Formation? Also used to conceal the Yunmeng Yue Girl and the creatures on the lake?

But the Yunmeng Lake is so large that it would be a bit exaggerated if it were really a large formation.

After observing for many days, Ouyang Rong still tends to prefer a more scientific explanation... that is, there should be no white fog in the center of the deep Yunmeng Lake, but a vast water surface, which was evaporated by the scorching sun to form this thick fog, blocking the periphery of the Yunmeng Lake.

Just as Ouyang Rong was about to squat down again, a woman's voice came from behind:
"Liu Aliang, Sister Song wants you to come over."

It’s Miss Yu.

Sha Ergou looked at Ouyang Rong in confusion: "Why did Maid Song look for Brother Liu? When did Brother Liu hook up with her…"

Ouyang Rong didn't explain, but patted his shoulder, motioning him to wait there, and stood up and went to the lobby of the inn, leaving Sha Ergou with a somewhat resentful look.

Miss Yu followed behind Ouyang Rong, lowered her head slightly, and looked at the slender fingers of the dull young man with curious eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

After walking a few steps, Ouyang Rong looked back with a frown, while Miss Yu looked around as if nothing had happened.

Ouyang Rong shook his head and did not teach her the "finger-snapping" skill. He walked silently to the counter in the lobby, but did not see Song Zhian.

He turned around and looked around. He found that beautiful figure by the window in the northwest corner of the hall. She seemed to be announcing the dishes to the two new guests. When she turned around, she saw Ouyang Rong and immediately waved to him. Ouyang Rong walked away honestly.

Seeing that the guests had arrived, Song Zhian turned around and whispered to the male and female guests sitting at the seats:

"His name is Aliang. He is very strong, skilled in swimming, kind and honest. He came earlier than me and is more familiar with the town. If you two need anything, you can ask him for help."

After saying that, the two new people sitting in the seats followed Song Zhian's finger and looked at Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong also saw their faces clearly.

One of them was a woman and the other was a young man.

The woman was a middle-aged lady with an elegant temperament and was well-maintained. She was wearing a mature woman's skirt. Her eyes were bright and she looked at Ouyang Rong with a burning gaze.

The young man was about seventeen or eighteen years old, about the same age as Sha Ergou, but he wore a headband and looked heroic and dignified. He had a long sword in his hand, and the leather scabbard was well maintained, looking very valuable.

He had a folding fan hanging around his waist, which he casually pulled out and held in his hand to fan himself, looking like a handsome nobleman.

Compared to the elegant mature woman who was seriously looking at Ouyang Rong, the young man with a headband only glanced at Ouyang Rong quickly, and then his eyes continued to fall on Song Zhian, looking directly at the pretty young woman who was speaking:
"Ah Liang, these two guests want to find a porter to carry their luggage and another to row the boat to lead the way. If you are free, you can take it."

Song Zhian explained to Ouyang Rong and turned away without looking at the young man with a headband who was looking at him.

"You guys chat first, I'll go get some tea."

Ouyang Rong, who stayed behind, observed the woman and the young man below.

The young man with the headband reluctantly turned his eyes away from the beautiful figure of the young girl:

"how much is it?"

After he finished speaking, without looking at Ouyang Rong, he picked up the cup of tea poured by Song Zhian and took a sip seriously.

Ouyang Rong first asked:

"Where are you two going?"

The woman said gently;
"We are returning to our hometown to visit our relatives and trace our ancestors. Are you familiar with the area? How good are you at swimming?"

Ouyang Rong originally wanted to recommend Sha Ergou.

The young man casually threw a bag of money onto the table without even looking at Ouyang Rong:

"Get ready and leave tomorrow morning."

The woman frowned and glanced at the young man with some dissatisfaction.

The latter immediately restrained himself, lowered his head slightly, and picked up the purse again with some indifference.

The woman took the purse and handed it back to Ouyang Rong:
"My last name is Li, this is my eldest son. We are going to find a place where we need to row a boat and wade through water. The boatmen here seem to be a little reluctant to row into a large swamp, but we are only going to a small island nearby, so it shouldn't be dangerous. Someone from my family has been here before. Well, think about it before you respond. If it's not possible, can you find some help for us, preferably someone who can swim well?"

Ouyang Rong looked at the mother and son with different personalities, was silent for a while, and was about to shake his head.

Just then, Song Zhian returned and bent down to put the tea away.

The young girl had a slender waist, especially now that she was slightly bent over the table. She probably wasn't aware of it herself, but she attracted a lot of guests, including the young man with a headband.

Ouyang Rong just felt that the boss lady Yu, who was so busy that she was rarely seen every day and was the boss, was a good businessman.

"Thank you." Mrs. Li picked up the teacup, blew on the tea, lowered her eyes, and did not look at her son who was drinking tea absent-mindedly beside her.

The young man with a headband sat upright, holding a folding fan in his hand, and said to Song Zhian with a fist:

"Thank you, young lady. My name is Lu Jinghong, from Fanyang. May I ask your maiden name?"

Song Zhian lowered her head and placed the tea, a little coldly:

"My surname is Song."

Lu Jinghong immediately asked, "Judging from your appearance, the young lady doesn't look like she is from here, does she?"

He smiled, tilted his head, and spoke with a confident and determined tone.

I thought this would arouse the girl's curiosity and ask back, but I didn't expect that after Song Zhian placed the tea, she nodded to the mature woman, said "Enjoy your meal", picked up the tray, turned around and left, as if she didn't hear it.

Lu Jinghong's smile was somewhat awkward.

An old customer next to him laughed and joked:

"I'm a refugee from Jiannandao. The women there are hot-tempered. They treat me like a man and are even stronger than a man."

Lu Jinghong suddenly had an idea, and immediately turned around and spoke loudly to the guest, but Song Zhian and the people around could hear:

"Although my Fanyang Lu family has children serving as officials in Jiannan Road, they are officials under An Yuhan, the pacification envoy of Jiannan Road. However, I have heard that there are famines in Jiannan Road every year. The scholars in Shu all say that An Yuhan is impatient and irritable, his criminal law is harsh, and he only knows how to flatter his superiors. He presents gifts to the dignitaries in Luodu every year. I hate him deeply. This person is really a disaster for the area and has caused the people of Jiannan Road to suffer."

The guests looked at him in surprise.

A discerning guest asked loudly, "Are you a descendant of the Fanyang Lu family?"

As soon as the four words "Fan Yang Lu Shi" came out, all eyes were focused.

The Lu family of Fanyang is one of the Five Surnames and Seven Ancestral Families. Since the Han Dynasty, their ancestors have been famous for Confucianism. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, it was one of the four noble families of "Lu, Cui, Li and Wang" and was known as the "top family of the Northern State", on par with the Cui family of Qinghe.

Lu Jinghong raised his chin slightly, as if nodding, and clasped his fists towards the people who were looking at him enviously, but his eyes were secretly glancing at the back of Miss Song.

However, Song Zhian did not look back or stop. Perhaps she did not hear it and had already gone to the kitchen.

Madam Li looked at her immature son and reminded him:

"Keep watching for a while, the tea will get cold. Who said they were thirsty?"

"Staring? What are you staring at? I'm just curious about the local customs and clothing. Cold tea can quench your thirst. I'm hot-tempered, so you should drink something hot."

Lu Jinghong picked up the teapot as if nothing had happened and added some more tea to the woman.

Mrs. Li did not expose him. She turned around and found that the dull young man was staring at them without blinking.

She asked, "What's wrong? Do you have any request?"

Ouyang Rong, hearing the name of Fanyang Lu, suddenly asked:
"May I ask what you two are looking for?"

Mrs. Li hesitated for a moment:
"It's an ancestral grave. I won't hide it from you. This time, Jinghong and I came here to look for our ancestors and burn incense. If you think it's unlucky to look for a grave, you can..."

Ouyang Rong immediately put the silver into his arms and nodded seriously:
"Mr. Lu, Madam Li, right? As long as there is enough money, we will set off tomorrow morning."

(End of this chapter)