Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Gao Yuan was touched by his melancholy and subconsciously murmured: "The wind blows once, the snow falls once, shattering my homesick dreams; such sounds are not heard in my hometown."

A glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes: "Young man, you have excellent writing skills!"

"I overheard it by chance, and the homesickness in it resonated with my current state of mind."

Gao Yuan smiled and shook his head.

The old man murmured repeatedly, "The wind blows once, the snow falls once," and his eyes slowly reddened.

"Please excuse my poor appearance, young man. As one gets older, one tends to dwell on the past..."

Perhaps he hadn't had a heart-to-heart talk with anyone in a long time.

Or rather, he finally found an audience like Gao Yuan who was willing to listen to his ramblings.

"My old friend, I wonder if he would be willing to return to Dengzhou with me this time when he goes to Jiezhou."

What does this mean?

Gao Yuan's heart stirred slightly, but he maintained a curious expression on his face.

The old man squinted, gazing at the star-studded night sky, and then wrote the character "故" on the ground.

"Young man, please look. The relationship between the old friends is unclear, just like this word."

After saying that, he extended his index finger and added a slanted stroke to the character "故".

The character "故" was transformed into the character "敌" with sharp, vigorous strokes.

"As the saying goes, whether someone is an old friend or an enemy can be determined in a single thought or stroke of the pen."

"Sir, your argument...is truly original!"

Gao Yuan couldn't help but take a second look at him, his gaze catching the books lying beside him, and he said:

"Since you have studied the Book of Changes, you must know that the most important thing in life is 'stillness'. You should not be elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses. Whether they are friends or enemies, you should always maintain a sense of tranquility."

The old man's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly: "Young man, you also like the I Ching?"

Gao Yuan smiled and said "Mm," then listened as he began to discuss the I Ching.

"In the Way of the I Ching, stillness is merely the foundation; everything else lies in 'change' and 'communication.' For example, the 'Qian' hexagram speaks of not going against the tide but acting in accordance with it. Another example is the 'Zhuang' hexagram, which serves as a warning that rigidity easily leads to breakage..."

The old man picked up a pebble from the ground, arranged it to form the position for a divination, and spoke with an inquisitive tone:

"Young man, I have studied the classics for many years, but there is still one thing I cannot understand. If we take the sixty-four hexagrams as chess pieces, how should we arrange and deduce them, from Gui Mei to Wu Wang, to make it flow smoothly?"

He paused, and Gao Yuan picked up where he left off, pressing his finger against a small pebble and moving it up.

"Starting from the northeast corner, one can diagonally cross 'Da Guo', then turn to 'Ji Ji', step onto 'Wei Ji' to fill the gap, and borrow..."

The old man's face lit up with surprise as he pointed to the divination point on the ground:

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Two times nine equals eighteen, shifting to the Kun position, thus connecting the past and the future."

"Young man, you truly understand the principles of the I Ching. The 'Yi' hexagram connects the preceding and following hexagrams? But 'Yi' means nourishment, and it has always been associated with accumulating strength. How can it lead 'Tongren' to 'Wuwang'?"

"It should be..."

Gao Yuan suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.

He had originally responded based on the generating and restraining relationships of the hexagrams in the I Ching, but at that moment he immediately realized something was wrong.

Damn it!

It seems to be the footwork technique of Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique).

Ordinary people discussing divination only talk about the interaction of positions and their relationships, but his words actually contained the key points of "filling the gaps" and "supporting the flow," which is definitely not the talk of ordinary scholars.

The old man moved close to his side and carefully added some clean straw for him to put under his feet.

"Hey buddy, why aren't you saying anything? What should I say?"

Gao Yuan's eyes widened slightly.

His gaze passed through the campfire and landed on the blue donkey tied outside.

"It's nothing. I don't understand this succession position either. Perhaps... we should return to the 'family' position..."

Gao Yuan gave a vague answer, then rubbed his eyes, looked at the old man, and said softly without thinking:

"My name is Gao Fuchen. May I ask your name, sir?"

The old man laughed and said, "It's not worth mentioning."

"My name is Yan Longyuan..."

Yan Longyuan, Yan Longyuan...

Gao Yuan remained calm and silently repeated the words several times in his mind, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him.

He raised his head slightly and looked again at the old man's face with his white eyebrows slightly lowered.

At that moment, my heart suddenly tightened!

Green donkey... Yan Longyuan... White eyebrows slightly lowered, could it be... it was him?!

"Sir, I'll go to the inner room to fetch something first, and then I'll come back to discuss divination with you."

With a thought in mind, Gao Yuan pushed himself up, intending to take the opportunity to retrieve his younger sister's sword.

however.

A slender, long hand emerged from the old man's sleeve and gently grasped his calf through the silk fabric of his trousers.

This location is precisely where the Xuanzhong acupoint is located on the human body.

The old man frowned slightly, his tone gentle and persuasive: "Young man, it's late at night, and the inner rooms are all for young ladies. Men and women should keep to themselves. Going in rashly might disturb the ladies. Don't wander around."

Gao Yuan hesitated for a moment, but felt the pull on his trouser leg hadn't subsided, so he had no choice but to sit back down in his original position.

At this moment, he was already cursing the hypocritical old man Murong to the bone in his heart.

But his expression remained calm as he tentatively said:

"How did you know, sir, that the old friend you're looking for is going to Jiezhou?"

If we translate it into plain language...

What Gao Yuan really wanted to say was, "How the hell did you know I'd be here?"

"There's no other reason than a simple calculation."

The old man lowered his eyes to the campfire:

"My old friend fled from Jingzhao. He had enemies blocking his way in the north. He also broke his promise to come east with me. As for the south and west, a friend surnamed Ma said that he had considered going to Dali."

"This old man didn't believe it at first, but I always felt that young people were naive and liked to play tricks that were hidden in the dark, so I came to try my luck."

Gao Yuan keenly noticed that his eyes had changed; his previously slightly cloudy eyes suddenly revealed a sharp edge.

No, we can't rush it.

Murong Laobangzi's martial arts are superb. Who in this courtyard can defeat him?

Let's calm him down first.

Gao Yuan then feigned sudden realization: "Sir, you've gone through so much trouble to come all this way. Is your old friend very important to you?"

"It wasn't originally very important, but some fool told him some private matters, and I was very worried that the secrets would be exposed, so I wanted to ask him about it."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuan began to inquire after the elders of the Hongmen.

I didn't want to hear it at all, but the Hongmen Master insisted. Trouble is brewing!

The old man's back was slightly straight, unlike when he had been hunched over.

"This trip was also to collect a debt, but after exchanging words, I suddenly realized that my old friend was also a man of both literary and martial talents. If he is willing to return to Dengzhou with me, this debt can be wiped clean."

"I see. I'd like to make your acquaintance with such a person."

Gao Yuan pretended to agree, but his mind was racing.

"I have deeply understood what you said, sir. Once he knows that you are sincerely inviting him, he will surely be willing to go back with you and clear up the misunderstanding."

A glimmer of light appeared on the old man's face:

"What Brother Fuchen said is absolutely right. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, you, sir, will do everything you can to help."

He wasn't joking; he even took out a jade pendant, its surface carved with dragon patterns, exquisitely detailed, and the jade itself was of superior quality—clearly a fine piece.

"I've heard that my old friend enjoys reading ancient books. I happen to have some rare volumes at home. If he's willing to come back with me, he can use these to go to my house and read them."

Gao Yuan understood that he was referring to Canhe Manor, where the Murong family's water pavilion contained many martial arts manuals.

Without hesitation, he took the jade pendant and put it in his pocket.

"Jiezhou is a long and arduous journey, and I happen to be going that way. I can help you take it up there, so as not to trouble you, Brother Yan, with your travel."

The old man was slightly taken aback when he saw that Gao Yuan did not refuse and accepted the gift readily, even changing his address from "sir" to "brother Yan".

The two were exchanging cryptic messages, which left Sikong Xuan, who was not far from them, completely bewildered.

"Young Master Gao is a kind person, but this matter is ultimately my personal affair, how can I trouble you?"

Gao Yuan thought to himself, "Old fox," but on the surface, he smiled frankly.

"It's nothing. I've always enjoyed making friends with people like Brother Yan. If you don't mind, I'll naturally go along to consult the classics."

After saying that, he deliberately patted the jade in his arms.

The old man laughed twice, then suddenly said, "I am feeling uneasy and cannot wait any longer. I must leave with my old friend."

Depend on!

You can't fool him.

Gao Yuan clasped his hands in a fist and smiled broadly: "How could I dare to refuse? My brother and I hit it off immediately and must travel together."

A night breeze swept in, and the pine wood in the campfire crackled and popped.

The old man glanced sideways and suddenly added, "Young man Fuchen, get some rest. We'll go back to Dengzhou together to find our friends another day."

"By the way, it's dark and windy tonight, so you should sleep right next to me and not wander off, lest you get into danger."

Faced with this blatant threat, Gao Yuan decided...

"Alright, Brother Yan, you should get some rest too."

Gao Yuan spread out some dry grass, leaned against the wall, lay down diagonally, and closed his eyes to rest.

……