Lu Anran had lived for seventeen years and had heard countless descriptions of her body, but this was the first time she was told that she was beautiful.
Mo Yan squeaked and said happily: "How do you know she's pretty?"
The waiter waved his hand and said, "Seriously, you people from out of town don't know that there is a fox fairy here who specially selects beautiful girls to be wives."
Fox yellow and white willow ash are commonly known as the "Five Immortals" among the people.
There is heaven and earth, and then all things come into being. All things have spirits, and spirits produce life. Spirits produce wisdom, and they are spirits.
According to legend, the "Five Great Immortals" are both demons and immortals. If you worship them sincerely, you will receive blessings. But if you violate them, you will retaliate with sorcery and suffer varying degrees of punishment.
The waiter lowered his voice and said with fear: "Master Fox is in charge of blessings, disasters, promotions, heirs, etc. If you meet his requirements, you will be blessed. If you don't offend him, it will be a minor illness at best." Disasters, in the worst cases, going crazy and dying are common occurrences!"
Before coming here, Lu Anran also read the books about the 'Fox Fairy', and they were almost the same as what the waiter said. However, people often have exaggerated imaginations about unknowable things, so they should not be taken as accurate.
The waiter in the shop looked disapproving of them all, and became a little more anxious, "I'm not lying to you. You didn't see it. The good girl from the Tong family disappeared, and the house was burned down the next day. Now, all the money Mr. Tong saved is gone." The foundation of Dian’s family has been completely destroyed.”
Lu Anran and Yun Qi's eyes met, and they instantly understood that the girl from the Tong family mentioned by the waiter was the first missing woman mentioned in the Cheng Zhixian letter.
"The Great Immortal Fox entrusted me with a dream, is it true?" Yun Qi held the tea cup with two fingers and said in a casual tone.
The waiter scratched his neck and said sternly: "That can still be fake."
Mo Yan picked up a small bag of peanuts from somewhere and asked, "What about you? Have you also been given a dream?"
"That's not true, but I heard it from the shopkeeper Wang from the next street." The waiter rolled his eyes and recalled: "He lay on the bed and fell asleep in a daze, and his whole body began to heat up, as if something was blowing in his ear. The whole person was floating in the mist, and then he heard a pleasant boy's voice, telling him that the 'Fox Fairy' was coming soon, and asked everyone in Yi County to welcome the 'Fox Fairy' at any time and wait for orders."
Mo Yan smiled and said: "The airs are quite big."
"Shh!" The waiter immediately became nervous and waved his hands: "Don't talk nonsense, Fox Fairy can hear you!"
After drinking half of the pot of tea, another customer came into the store, and the waiter ran over to greet him.
Over here, Guanyue said: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Yun Qi gently pushed the tea cover, "Zhongshan Yunwu Tea, it tastes good. Take a few pounds with you when you go back."
Guanyue stopped talking until the four of them left the inn. Guanyue looked at Yunqi and turned around, weakly reminding: "Your Majesty, the Yixian County Office is on the left."
Yun Qi turned to look at him and said with a strange look in his eyes: "If I want to go to the county office, will I stay in an inn?"
yes! Watching the moon is also puzzled.
It would have been better to go directly to the county office, but he still had to find an inn to stay. It was not a luxurious and exquisite room like the one in the royal capital. Although this place was clean, it could be called simple in Yun Qi's eyes.
It really doesn't fit in with his family's usual style.
"Only by going deep into the people can you see what they think, listen to their innermost voices, and understand their difficulties. Do you understand?"
Guan Yue was so shocked that he didn't realize it until the two people in front of him walked far away - the eldest son of his family, Sicheng, who was in charge of punishment, was not an official of his parents. Did he need to do this?
Mo Yan gloated: "You must have been scolded, hahaha——"
In front of him, Yun Qi clasped one hand behind his back and waved a jade bone fan with the other hand. Everywhere he walked, he attracted whispers, but he didn't know how to restrain himself. There was a three-pointed smile on the corner of his mouth, and his peach blossom eyes were slightly raised, as if he could capture people's hearts. , several women couldn’t walk even after looking at it.
But even though Mr. Yunshang was used to all kinds of attention from everyone, after receiving one of the glances, he chuckled and said: "Look boldly, don't be secretly embarrassed, I'm sure."
Lu Anran was silent for two breaths and said quietly: "Your Majesty, there is really no need to go to Yi County to see the peach blossoms."
Yun Qi scratched his chin with a jade bone fan. Looking at the peach blossoms was of course an excuse. They were here to capture a fox immortal and take him back.
Just as he was passing by a jewelry stall, Lu Anran picked up a bronze mirror and placed it in front of Yun Qi, saying with a wooden expression: "Peach Blossom, have you seen it?"
In the bronze mirror, the man's eyebrows are smiling, his appearance is very beautiful, and his peach and plum blossoms are shining brightly.
Yun Qi raised an eyebrow, not ashamed, but laughed a little from his throat and said: "You are lucky now."
Lu Anran gave an incomprehensible look.
Yun Qi gathered up the jade bone fan with his backhand and tapped her on the head, "Good luck with the peach blossoms. Didn't you see such a big peach blossom like me?"
When it comes to being thick-skinned, Lu Anran is willing to take the cake.
After walking for a while, Guan Yue realized Yun Qi's intentions.
If someone from the county government came to ask questions, the people might be wary of telling them all, so they took inspiration from the waiter and pretended to be ordinary people who came early to attend the Lanting gathering.
However, everyone seems to be keeping a secret about the 'Fox Fairy'. After learning about it all the way, no one revealed more than the waiter in the store.
An hour later, several people came out of the busy city and walked to a less crowded place, intending to find a place to rest.
"The fox fairy entrusts dreams to bring disasters and blessings. Is it really such a god?" Guanyue frowned and said, "Could a group of them join forces to fool the people?"
Lu Anran shook his head, "It's unlikely. Judging from the descriptions just now, most of them are not familiar with each other, and the fire in Tong's house is very suspicious."
The word "suspicious" used by Lu Anran means that she still prefers human beings rather than gods and monsters.
Yun Qi: "Let Cheng Jiuwan arrange to invite those who have been entrusted with dreams to come to the county government office. We will go to Tong's house to take a look later."
Guanyue went to the county office alone, while the remaining three walked towards Tong's house. They passed a pavilion and were stopped by a large stone in front of the pavilion.
The stone is carved in the shape of a scroll, unfolding from one end to the other, and is more than ten feet long.
There are many words densely engraved on it. If you look carefully, you can see that it is a poem. At the end, there is a personal seal and the date of writing.
Yun Qi raised his head and saw the words 'Lanting' on the pavilion's plaque, and immediately understood: "It is elegant to make friends through literature."
Mo Yan's focus was rather biased, "Every year, scholars from all over the world come to such a small pavilion? It can accommodate a lot of people."
Lu Anran goes from the end of the volume to the end. In order to show his status, Lu Anran specially gives enough space to the first poem, with several eloquent lines. His writing is like flowing water, free and elegant, and you can get a glimpse of his character from the words.
"Lu Yuan." Because of the same surname, Lu Anran couldn't help but say it out loud.
Yun Qi walked to the side and said: "It seems that this person is the leader."
The two of them were a little surprised after reading the article. The article was naturally excellent, but as the saying goes, "Nothing comes first in literature, no second in martial arts." Because different people have different hobbies and styles, they naturally have different judgments on the article.
"Are you curious about the Lanting Monument and why Lu Yuan is number one?" An old man next to him came over happily, "Hey, just ask me, old man."
Lu Anran and Yun Qi both looked puzzled, but they didn't say a word.
The old man touched a few sparse beards on his chin, and said with a somewhat proud look: "Don't ask, old man, I have explained it to countless people every year." He pointed forward, "This Lu Yuan, it's not just what the article says. Well, he is proficient in poetry, calligraphy and painting, and is especially knowledgeable."
He smacked his lips, as if reminiscing, "I remember that time when one man had a verbal battle with a group of scholars for three days and three nights, and brought all the talented people to their knees. He deserves to be the first person."
The old man raised a thumb, his face full of admiration.
"To put it bluntly, it was because of Lu Yuan that the Lanting Gathering began to spread."
There are talented people in Yi County. When there are more scholars, they like to find similar people to exchange their experiences. From the beginning, three or four people found the remote place "Lanting", and gradually the number of people increased.
"That year, Lu Yuan appeared out of thin air. Scholars, especially those who were well-known in the surrounding area, were all aloof. If they couldn't agree on a few words, everyone would start a literary fight."
The old man described the scene to the three of them, "Articles versus prose, poetry versus poetry. In the end, no one would accept the other, so they would use everything they had learned in their hearts to fight."
There is no doubt that Lu Yuan speaks well, with witty words and endless eloquence. No matter whether it is the Four Books, Five Classics or other ancient books, he can speak with ease.
When the old man talked about this, there was a sparkle in his eyes, "In the end, even Buddhism and moral principles were brought out, and all the students were blocked and stopped."
Lu Anran looked at the empty Orchid Pavilion. The people were gone, but yesterday's glory seemed to still be there.
Yun Qi asked: "Why haven't you heard of the name Lu Yuan?"
Such a talented person should not be buried.
The old man sighed to the sky: "Lu Yuan is like the will-o'-the-wisp that fell on Tong's house. The evil spirit that comes in disappears." He put his hands behind his back and walked around to prepare to leave.
"Wait a minute, old man." Lu Anran completely abandoned the old grand occasion of Lanting and took two quick steps over, "Why did you say that you just said will-o'-the-wisp? Did you see it with your own eyes?"
The old man comes here for a walk every day. He is also a idler. He is not in a hurry to leave. He turns around and says: "The little girl is also interested in the fox fairy. The old man warns you, don't think about worshiping that thing. It may be a blessing." It’s a disaster.”
Lu Anran didn't care about that, and changed his words and said: "We came from out of town and heard that there was a fox fairy here. I am afraid that I may offend unintentionally. Please tell me carefully."
"Yes." Yun Qi chuckled and said, "It is said that the fox fairy likes to catch pretty girls, so we have to be careful." As he spoke, he gave Lu Anran a teasing look.
The old man looked left and right, and suddenly his thigh slapped, "Oh, it turns out they are a couple."
"Pfft - cough cough cough -" Mo Yan choked on the peanuts.
He raised his head, his eyes were horrified, and he screamed in his heart: "Yao Shou, if this woman becomes the concubine, won't he have to work as a carriage driver for the rest of his life?!"
No matter how turbulent Mo Yan's heart was, the old man shook his head and said, "The Tong family is a sinister family."
