"None of you are afraid of me. They all say that accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger, but I... am worthy of all my ancestors!" A man in a bright yellow dragon robe sat in the emperor's banquet tent, with broad shoulders and back covered with sunshine. In the blurry shadows, one can still see the strong and sharp eyebrows and stern face of the past, and the handkerchief was stained with a few mouthfuls of blood as he spoke. Cai Xingzong, Yuan Can, Chu Yuan, Liu Meng and other powerful ministers waited aside, and the court was lifeless. However, the aristocratic families in the ancestral court of Xiu Zhen in the Northern Dynasty were already sharpening their knives after hearing the news that the general of the Song Emperor was dead and the prince was young.
In the lonely night, the moonlight shines through the window, illuminating the fine dust floating in the air. The candlelight flickered, and the shadow of Ruan Dianfu, who was serving beside him, was stretched tall and slender.
"My dear, you are my most trusted official. With your body and bones, I may not be able to survive this winter. It is my regret that the prince... is still young. You are the emperor of Song Dynasty. I entrust my youngest son and the country to my trust. It's up to you." Liu Yu was already dead at this time, and his whole body was filled with a strong smell of herbs. When Xu Shi was about to go to hell, the once fierce and majestic emperor now had a trace of clear mind left, and ordered the funeral in an orderly manner.
After serving for many years, Ruan Dianfu felt a bit like Bole's kindness. Seeing this scene, Ruan Dianfu choked up for a time and felt the huge burden of gold on his shoulders, "Your Majesty, you have the protection of the real dragon, and you will have endless blessings and fortunes. The sky is the same."
"My dear, please don't tease me. The fate of life and death is up to God." Liu Yu chuckled and waved his hands. He had already looked down on life and death, so it was natural that he did not mean what he meant by such a compliment.
Ruan Dianfu murmured something else to say. Liu Yu seemed to recall in a trance the heroic young man he had observed on the tower during the Battle of Jiankang that day. He reminded him, "Ruan Qing, Tao Hongjing, a disciple of the Qing sect on Maoshan Mountain, I watched his immortal style." Daogu, the Qinglong appeared that day, and there may be innate magic weapons inside to help. In addition to Xiao Daocheng, the Xiao family also has that young man, Xiao Yan, whose sword skills are superb. I sent a secret guard to test this son's skills. , actually have a slight upper hand. These two people, one in culture and one in martial arts, have been trained for a long time, and they should be the most powerful people in the world. After you assist Yu'er, my dear, you may take them two under your command. If he is At that time, both of them were mature, but they were not around the prince, so they could kill him."
Ruan Dianfu had some impressions of these two people. He thought in his mind that they were training a team for the new emperor. The so-called "one emperor and one courtier" could not be better than this. After the emperor reminded him, he naturally took it seriously and planned to take it under his wing first.
In the first year of Taiyu, the emperor finally could not survive the spring of this year. In the late spring, there was drizzle and gentle breeze. Emperor Ming of the Song Dynasty, the strategic hero of the generation, Liu Yu passed away after a long illness at the age of 34.
The late Emperor Bintian and the ten-year-old prince Liu Yu hurriedly ascended the throne under the worship of hundreds of officials. With the establishment of the new emperor, the changes in the court situation this year were even more volatile and turbulent.
On the day of the enthronement ceremony, Liu Yu sat on the dragon throne, looking left and right. The bead curtain of his crown swayed back and forth, making a crisp sound. He was at an age when he was very playful. At this moment, he seemed to have thought of something fun. He pulled the eunuch aside and muttered, without paying any attention to the civil and military officials kneeling below.
"Cough—" Ruan Dianfu clenched his hands into fists and coughed several times, reminding Liu Yu to pay attention to the emperor's dignity and not to be frivolous and make mistakes. Liu Yu curled his lips, and was about to take a closer look at the unsightly thing. He wanted to ask someone to drag him down to make a plan. When he saw that it was the general of the auxiliary country who had the power inside and outside the palace, the young emperor became angry and had no choice but to give up.
Usually, what he fears the most is Master Ruan! He was very strict about everything, so much so that when he saw his beard-blowing and staring face, which turned green and red at times, he felt off-putting and lost interest.
Ruan Dianfu felt helpless in his eyes, but he still adhered to his duty as a minister. Even though Liu Yu had shown his impatience and cruelty since childhood, he felt infinitely emotional in his heart. If the late emperor was strong and healthy, the Song Dynasty would be able to unify the world just around the corner.
Ten years ago, when the young emperor was born, an expert once said that the baby's demonic aura lingering between his eyebrows was not a sign of longevity. At that time, he did not believe the words of these quacks and sorcerers. But now, only by cultivating one's family and governing the country can one bring peace to the world. Faced with such naughty children, how can the country and the country go far?
His heart turned over and over again, and he was extremely depressed.
*
With the complete defeat in the Battle of Jiankang, Murong Zheng returned to the north and returned to Murong's home. The Murong family has a century-old heritage. The huge family mansion is constructed with strict central axis symmetry to form a three-way multi-entry quadrangle with a regular and orderly layout. Pavilions, pavilions, eaves and green tiles are intertwined, twists and turns, exquisite and elegant yet majestic.
The head of the family, Murong Chui, was sitting on the grand master's chair made of nanmu. Wei Jin was sitting in front of the hall. Murong Zheng was kneeling on his knees, quietly waiting for his resignation. Murong Zheng looked at the person in front of him, his brown pupils showing unclear emotions. His face was sickly pale, but he could not hide the unruly trend in his body.
"Murong Zheng, do you know that because of your misjudgment, how many monks died this time? How many spiritual elixirs and secret treasures were spent? Arrogant things are really useless!" Murong Chui held a cup of hot tea in his hand, his eyes fierce and lavender. His lips were pressed into a straight line, and his excessively fair skin was almost translucent against the backdrop of his jet-black hair.
"Father, the child is guilty. But this trip is not without success. The child has discovered the shadow of the magic bead." Murong Zheng has not rested his head in recent days. He looks thinner, with cheekbones on his cheeks. He was tall and tall, with two eyes that seemed to be deeply sunken. A pair of black mist-like pupils were embedded in two slender phoenix eyes. His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care at all about the lives of the monks and those yellow and white things.
"Oh? Please tell me and listen." Murong Chui shook the celadon tea cup, looking at Murong Zheng condescendingly with his eyes.
His eyes were like a sharp sword hanging on Murong Zheng's neck. Once the answer dissatisfied him, he would turn the boy into an abandoned son of the family.
Murong Zheng suppressed the anger in his heart and said with a normal expression, "Report to my father, Tao Hongjing, the youngest son of the Tao family, studied under Sun Youyue, the Qing sect of Maoshan Mountain, and he was able to react with the magic beads and transform into the shape of a blue dragon."
Qinglong? Murong Chui suddenly remembered the vision in Ashoka Temple many years ago. Immortal cultivating families in the north, headed by the Tuoba family, have all set out to find the whereabouts of the magic pearl. They have not found it for many years, and they did not expect to end up like a child of the Southern Dynasty.
"Are you sure it's Qinglong?" Murong Chui's eyes flashed with a dark light.
"The child has personally confirmed that it is correct. Please ask your father to accommodate the child once more. This time he will not return empty-handed again." He vowed.
The superior pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "You continue to secretly go to the Southern Dynasties to explore the whereabouts of the magic beads. If you do well, you can make up for your mistakes. If you do not do well, you can go with your big brother!" Murong Chui's eyes were deep, and his innate noble aura combined with the pressure he exerted made Murong Zheng's knees seem to be nailed to the floor, unable to move even a little bit.
Murong Zheng is the second son of Murong Chui. He was preceded by an elder brother, Murong Xi. Now his legs are disabled and he is forgotten in a small border town, becoming the wasted son of the Murong family. Sitting aside and watching the play at this moment was the third son of the Murong family, his treasure that was protected by his father and mother - Murong Jue. Although he is still a child with a yellow mouth, he is extremely talented in cultivation and enjoys great glory in the monastery of his ancestral court. It is rumored that the eldest son Murong Xi was so talented when he was young, but now he is ignored by everyone. Murong Chui once said to the rest of the tribe when he was crowning his son, "With this Lin'er, Murong can enjoy the glory of the fifth generation!"
Murong Zheng had no choice but to practice hard again and again so that his father could face him. Facing his younger brother who was eyeing him with eager eyes, he felt extremely complicated, but he was absolutely unwilling to follow in his eldest brother's footsteps.
Murong Chui turned his fingers and formed a magic formula, which turned into a thin silver thread and penetrated into Murong Zheng's body. Murong Zheng suddenly fell to his knees in pain, his eyes full of desolation. He looked at Murong Chui and said, His face was in disbelief.
"Father, what does this mean?"
"Swallow one pill every day with water. Each small porcelain bottle contains 30 pills. You need to return to the main house every month to report the situation to me before you can get the antidote." Murong Chui threw a small white jade bottle at Murong Zheng In arms.
Murong Zheng had fallen to the ground at this time, and his breathing became more rapid and difficult. After hearing this, he quickly took out one pill and swallowed it first.
However, hatred welled up in his heart, thinking that he had made great achievements in the border battles. Originally, the Tuoba Hong family was the only one, and the three big families, such as Helian, Murong and Juqu, were all constrained. After being beaten back and forth, the reputation of the Murong family was built up, and then they gradually broke away from the restrictions of the Tuoba family.
And even though he had gone through fire and water, his father was still worried about him. They even had to use drugs to control him to prevent him from finding the magic bead and not finding his way back. Such painstaking efforts really satirized Murong Zheng's eyes.
*
The capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, inside the Pingcheng Palace.
I saw that the sandalwood beams on the top of the palace were made of clouds, the crystal jade was used as the lamp, the East China Sea pearl was used as the curtain, and Fan Jin was used as the pillar foundation. A huge luminous pearl hung on the top of the palace, shining like a bright moon.
"Your Majesty, I am here to report that the Murong family and Liu Xiufan have rebelled and have been defeated." Tuoba Shao, the head of the Tuoba family, stood aside respectfully and reported to the emperor Tuoba Hong who was reviewing the memorial.
"Oh, the ignorant kid of the Murong family behaves as if there is no one in the ancestral home, which makes him stand out." Tuoba Hong put down his ink pen and stood with his hands behind his back.
"It is exactly what your Majesty said. In addition, our people discovered traces of the magic bead. Tao Hongjing, a disciple of Qingzong on Maoshan Mountain, was actually carrying a green dragon, which seemed to be able to react with the magic bead. The Murong family was very concerned about this." Tuoba Shao said with a solemn expression.
"The dragon soul has finally appeared. You must send someone to follow him. I will also provide support. The dragon soul is a matter of great merit." Tuoba Hong's eyebrows spread, and what he has been looking for for many years has finally been found. , Tuoba Hong couldn't help but laugh when he thought of using the power of Qinglong to advance his skills to a higher level and stabilize his throne.
"Yes, I will obey the Holy Will."
*
Southern Dynasties, Song Dynasty Palace
In a deep palace courtyard, Liu Zhen'er placed Tao Hongjing here, and sent an imperial doctor to diagnose his pulse and prescribe medicine every day. The maids took good care of him. Tao Hongjing's muscles and bones were getting better day by day, and he was gradually able to get out of bed and walk around in the past few days.
Suddenly, a voice came from my mind. "Disciple, hurry to the Qing Sect on Maoshan Mountain. Three cultivation sects, Longhu Mountain Tianshi Dao, Gezao Mountain Lingbao Sect, and Lushan Donglin Temple, have arrived from Jiangxi. There will be important matters to discuss."
Covered by bead curtains and covered with brocade bed curtains, Tao Hongjing woke up from his dream. This was a message talisman from his master Sun Youyue. The messenger talisman needs to be made by fusing the blood of two people with connected minds. It is rare in quantity and will cause the other person to fall into a slight nightmare and trance every time it is used. Sun Youyue never uses it easily. Once he uses it, something big will happen.
Tao Hongjing secretly thought that it was not good. He had been recuperating in the capital for too long. His young mind was somewhat addicted to the prosperity of the capital and the princess's company day and night, and he had slacked off in his cultivation.
During the Battle of Jiankang, he had heard his master mention that the Sixty-Year-Old Shushan Taoism Conference would be held soon, and each sect would select elite disciples to attend. This would be an opportunity for the sect to aspire to the top of the world of cultivation and show its strength.
The master's message must have brought something up. With this in mind, Tao Hongjing prepared to say goodbye to the princess and Xiao Yan.
After more than three months of recuperation, Xiao Yan and Liu Zhener often came to visit him together. The two were similar in age, and their views on the political situation overlapped surprisingly. Xiao Yan used his water skills to help him relieve the tension, and the three of them gradually became sworn friends. However, Tao Hongjing felt more like a son and daughter towards the princess.
In recent times, his depressed aura has gradually stabilized, and the time he has spent in meditation has become longer and longer, and his induction with the vitality of heaven and earth has unconsciously become more symbiotic. After each sparring session with Xiao Yan, he has gained from Xiao Yan's Divine Sword Thirteen techniques. Many skills have improved his swordsmanship.
