The small tree in the flowerpot stretched out its branches and leaves, pulled out its roots, and transformed into a handsome scholar.
"That's me. Isn't this okay? Let's have a meal. You came quite early. Why don't you sit down and stand there?"
With that said, Master Aoki dismissed the student who led Yang Zhao over, fetched a teapot and handed it to her, and put some tea leaves in it.
"Try it. This is tea I roasted myself using my own leaves. It's good stuff."
"Thank you, Masato."
Yang Zhao took the teapot with both hands, and the tea was still hot.
She thanked her profusely and poured tea for herself and Master Aoki.
Master Aoki curled his lips: "You can drink it yourself. I don't like drinking this stuff. I always feel like I'm drinking my own bath water."
The tea cup that Yang Zhao had brought to his mouth suddenly froze, not knowing whether to put it down or take a sip.
Seeing her reaction, Master Aoki suddenly laughed.
"Drink it. My leaves are indeed a good thing for you juniors in the foundation building stage. It can calm your mind and calm your mind. Drinking it regularly has the effect of strengthening your body."
"After drinking this cup of tea, I guarantee that you will be able to practice with half the effort today."
Yang Zhao smiled dryly and drank the tea at his mouth.
As soon as the water enters the mouth, a faint bitter taste fills the mouth. The tea has no astringent taste. After swallowing it, the lips and teeth feel fresh.
But Yang Zhao had reservations about being calm and calm.
Aoki Masato sat on the chair, grabbed a handful of small beetles from his sleeve, and threw them into his mouth one by one as if he was eating melon seeds.
"You are also being followed. I don't know what's going on in Lijing these days. People say you are being followed every day."
Yang Zhao quickly put down the tea: "That should be me, I am a novice in cultivation."
Wenyan, the master of Qingmu, paused in his movements and looked at Yang Zhao with a trace of confusion in his eyes.
"Ah, don't you call me a rookie?"
"Ah...ha...well...it just happened casually."
Yang Zhao raised the tea cup awkwardly and took another sip.
Master Aoki noticed her discomfort and resumed the rhythm of eating melon seeds.
"Tell me, how did you get into trouble?"
There was nothing to hide about this matter, so she told her in detail what happened a few days ago.
"Whether you have a close relationship with that Liu Sheng or not, you can find out by spending two silver dollars to inquire about Liu Sheng's neighbors."
By the time she finished speaking, the handful of small beetles in Aoki's hand was almost eaten.
"Looking at the way they are so persistent with you, they probably came here for you. The reason why they don't come out to meet you no matter how you call them, they probably don't have any good intentions. I guess they came out of the city to block you."
"If you are allowed to meet and report it to the Yamen, they will have concerns before taking action."
Yang Zhao nodded silently, she felt the same thing.
Master Aoki took out a handful of hairless soft bugs from his sleeve, which tasted as sweet as eating QQ gummy candies.
"Then why didn't you leave on the day you went to Linghu Xiaozhu a few days ago? It was the best day to leave, so as to catch them off guard."
Yang Zhao didn't hide it either. Buying elixirs was not a shameful thing.
"Senior, I don't know. This junior came to Beijing this time to ask the alchemist to practice this batch of elixirs. These elixirs were not ready for practice the day they went to Linghu Xiaozhu. If I leave early, I won't be able to collect them. Even if you get the elixir, the alchemist won’t be able to collect the rest of the money.”
"And I'm afraid that they have already deployed manpower at the city gate, waiting for me to leave the capital."
Although Lijing is a place of hundreds of virtuous people, there are also many beggars and idlers. It doesn't cost much money to let them guard the city gate with portraits for a day.
"You are right in thinking. The reward for escorting you out of the capital this time is to let my students see Sujin Pagoda, you know."
After finishing a handful of hairless soft worms, Aoki took out a handful of colorful worm pupae and started eating them.
Yang Zhao's eyes uncontrollably wanted to stare at the handful of insects. Feeling that it was too rude, he forcefully looked away.
"Yes, Zong Yan has told me, but he didn't say how many people he would bring."
"I heard the gentleman from Yunzhou Prefecture boast about it, saying that the children who were introduced to Sujin Pagoda by you have climbed more towers. I don't know whether it is true or not."
"Are you drinking tea? Why do you want to try this little snack in my hand?" Master Qingmu saw the curiosity in Yang Zhao's eyes, so he dug into his pocket again.
"Ah no, no, I only eat cooked worms. I don't eat these live ones."
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Yang Zhao wanted to slap himself in the mouth.
You really dare to say anything!
"Then there is no sweetness in life. You humans don't know how to enjoy it. I will find you a handful that everyone can eat, and you can eat it with tea."
Master Aoki took out a handful of meat worms from his sleeves, fired a small fireball and roasted the worms until they were fragrant. He then used his spiritual power to find a small plate in the room, put the roasted meat worms on it and handed it to Got Yang Zhao.
The whole process takes less than ten seconds, and the main thing is to be fast and convenient.
"Try it, my skill in cooking insects is second to none in the government."
Looking at the peaceful expression on Master Aoki's face, Yang Zhao couldn't spit out the words of rejection in his mouth. He could only pull out a stiff smile and take the small plate.
She didn't expect that Master Aoki would move so quickly. He was stunned for a few seconds and forgot to stop him.
She came here to ask for help, and there was no way she could let the other person's kindness be let down by a plate of worms.
"Senior Aoki, you are so kind."
Faced with the rude look from the other party, Yang Zhao picked the smallest cooked insect and put it into his mouth.
Hey, it actually tastes like seafood. The meat is a bit soft, but it’s still delicious.
The expression on Yang Zhao's face became natural.
"Is it delicious? It's hard to find this kind of insect nowadays. These are the insect seedlings I found in Junzhou Lake and raised them myself."
Seeing Yang Zhao's appearance, Master Aoki looked proud.
"There are only ten of us entering Sujin Pagoda this time. I will take these ten students to study in Chanzhou Prefecture with you, so I can exchange feelings with the students there."
After swallowing the meat residue in his mouth, Yang Zhao picked up the tea cup and took a sip.
"Senior Aoki, can you please walk with me one behind the other when leaving the city?"
Masato Aoki brought a small water ball and stuffed it into his mouth.
"What, you want to lure that group of little Xiao Xiao out? Aren't you afraid of an accident?"
"I'm afraid, but you can only be a thief for a thousand days, and there is no one who can prevent a thief for a thousand days. I have to know who I have offended, so I will be worried every day."
There was determination in Yang Zhao's eyes: "If I go with my senior, he will definitely not dare to act without permission under the name of Lijing Mansion School."
"As expected, he is someone who has fought against the Jindanqi of the Sujin clan in the competition, so he has some confidence in his words."
Aoki Masato called another water balloon to wash his hands. After washing his hands, he threw the water balloon into the flower pot in the corner.
"Okay, I will keep you safe before you leave and after I leave."
Yang Zhao: "Thank you, Senior Qingmu, for not bothering me. When someone comes, I will throw a big fireball into the sky."
"Fireballs are so troublesome." Masato Aoki took out a green-shelled bug from his sleeve and put it on the table.
"You take the green beetle with you when you walk ahead. If it encounters danger, it will contact me on its own."
The green beetle swung its long tentacles and crawled straight towards Yang Zhao, then flew to Yang Zhao's shoulder and lay still.
"When do you plan to leave?"
Yang Zhao glanced at the green beetle on his shoulder.
"Of course it depends on senior's schedule. You can leave any day you want."
"If it's early rather than late, let's do it tomorrow."
Masato Aoki made the decision on the spot.
"Tomorrow morning when you go out from Dongcheng, I will follow you. Don't be afraid. Once you are in the foundation building period, it will be good if the other party pays attention to you and sends a golden elixir. You are experienced in dealing with golden elixirs."
"Then should I rent a spirit beast for transportation?"
According to past habits, Yang Zhao would rent a spirit beast when traveling long distances, but now she is a little hesitant about this matter, mainly because she is afraid that the spirit beast will be harmed by Chi Yu.
"No need. Since you want to lure the snake out of its hole, you should do it thoroughly."
The two discussed the matter, and Yang Zhao said goodbye to Master Aoki.
Before leaving, Master Aoki enthusiastically stuffed her with a large bag of tea.
"If you drink it for a month, you will know the benefits."
Yang Zhao waved his hand to refuse.
"Senior Aoki, you can just keep such a good thing for yourself. There is really no need to be so polite."
Aoki Masato forced the tea leaves into her arms.
"This is my reward for you. These ten students of mine want to enter the Sujin Pagoda. How can they get in for free?"
Yang Zhao: "But, we clearly agreed..."
Master Aoki smiled slyly: "I'll bribe you first. If these ten students of mine get a good harvest in Sujin Pagoda, then as a teacher, I can't treat one favorably. The other students will also trouble you."
"Don't worry, I'll let them take the money when the time comes. If you don't want the money, you can just take the spiritual plants. Anyway, I won't let you suffer."
Yang Zhao had the heart of a good teacher and could not refuse, so he walked out of the school gate with tea leaves in his arms.
Early on the next morning, Yang Zhao asked his second brother to find a woman who knew how to dress up, and asked her to dress him up with a pair of pearl and coral jewelry. Then he put on the newly bought dress, checked out of the inn, and rented a A beast cart went straight to the east gate.
She had just left the city gate when the green beetle on her shoulder heard the voice of Master Aoki.
"Don't worry, I'll follow you."
"Senior Qingmu, I have never been to Chanzhou Prefecture. Which direction should I go now?"
"Just turn left and fly straight."
Looking at the bustling crowd at the city gate, Yang Zhao waved his sleeves and flew into the sky.
Only a few hundred meters after flying out, the feeling of being followed hit me again.
She looked up and down and didn't find anything glaring.
The green beetle cleans its wings with its hind feet.
"No need to come, you are so close to the city gate now, they won't mess around here."
Yang Zhao nodded and continued flying forward with the Green Beetle.
