As soon as Gan Ning finished speaking, he saw a burst of green smoke rising, a cloud of white mist floating down in the sky, and an old man wearing a white Tai Chi robe appearing in the center of the living room.
The old man had childish face and fair hair, and his face was red. He held a whisk in his left hand. The whisk was resting on the crook of his left arm. He crossed his hands on his chest and stood there with a smile on his face, staring at him with soft eyes.
He looked at Gao Fei and said softly, "How is King Yan doing lately?"
When the smoke dissipated, Gao Fei saw the man's face clearly, and was startled in his heart. Then he said happily: "It turns out to be you, Taoist Priest. After seeing each other for so many years, I didn't expect that Taoist Priest would become even more elusive."
"Xingba, stand down. This is Taoist Master Zuo Ci, a good friend of mine." Seeing that Gan Ning was still guarding him, Gao Fei hurriedly said to Gan Ning.
Gan Ning took a look at Zuo Ci, and saw that Zuo Ci had an immortal demeanor, a kind face, and kind intentions. Coupled with the way Zuo Ci appeared with his own eyes just now, he was secretly shocked and slowly retreated behind Gao Fei, thinking
Said: "The king actually has an immortal friend?"
As soon as Zuo Ci appeared, Qiao Wei immediately raised his hands towards Zuo Ci and asked, "Taoist Priest, do you know King Yan?"
"Well, when I traveled around the world in the past, I once met King Yan in Liaodong. King Yan swept the entire north in just five years, which was beyond my expectation. I watched the sky last night and saw Ziwei
The light of the Emperor Star appeared in the sky above the Lujiang River, and he hurriedly calculated a hexagram. This calculation
Then I realized that King Yan had already arrived in Wancheng. King Yan had come all the way, so I naturally wanted to come and see him in person. Please don’t blame King Yan for being so abrupt just now." Zuo Ci shook the whisk in his hand,
He stood upright with the palm of one hand, leaned forward slightly, and made a Taoist greeting to King Yan.
Gao Fei didn't believe this at all, but Zuo Ci's brilliant appearance was really unique, just like an immortal flying in the clouds. However, he always believed that there are no immortals in this world, but he couldn't guess what Zuo Ci did.
Floating down in the sky.
He smiled and said: "I have been separated from the Taoist priest for five years. If it had not been for the Taoist priest's support five years ago, I would not have achieved what I have today. Has the Taoist priest cultivated Taoism smoothly in the past five years? I don't know what happened to the Taoist priest.
Time to turn into a feather and become an immortal?"
Zuo Ci shook his head, sighed, and said: "Infinite Heavenly Lord! The road to cultivating immortality is long. I have spent my whole life trying to understand it, but I have only scratched the surface. Life is short, and I am afraid that I will not be able to transform into an immortal in this lifetime.
...Perhaps it is because my merits are not perfect enough.
There is great chaos, heroes are fighting for hegemony, the Han Dynasty has existed in name only, and King Yan is the Ziwei Emperor. If I can help King Yan to seize the entire world and end this era of war and disputes as soon as possible, it may be the greatest merit of my life. Maybe,
This will make my merits perfect..."
"Well, I admire and respect Taoist Priest for being compassionate and merciful. He takes it as his own duty to save all living beings in the world. However, Taoist Priest alone cannot accomplish this task. If Taoist Priest doesn't despise it,
Please come with me back to the Kingdom of Yan, Taoist Priest. I will build a Taoist temple for the Taoist Priest. The Taoist Priest can open a forum in the Kingdom of Yan and help the world with Taoist teachings. I wonder what the Taoist Priest wants?"
After hearing this, Zuo Ci said directly without thinking: "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord! How can I refuse King Yan's kindness? I am willing to accompany King Yan to the Kingdom of Yan to teach the world and enlighten the world with what I have learned throughout my life.
worldly people.”
Gao Fei and Zuo Ci looked at each other, and there was a glimmer of light in their eyes, as if they had a mental connection.
"The King of Yan is worthy of being the overlord of Hebei. He is very scheming, which really makes me admire him. Looking at the world, first the Taiping Dao uprising led by Zhang Jiao failed, then Zhang Xiu, and the Five Pecks of Rice Road led by Zhang Lu were destroyed by Ma Teng in Hanzhong.
, Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu were forced to disband the Five Dou Rice Road. Both the Taiping Road and the Five Dou Rice Road mistakenly believed that it was their duty to save the people in the world. However, they
But I don’t know that Taoism is natural. If you really want Taoism to be passed down, you must find a strong backer. I am kind and willing to shoulder the important task of prospering Taoism from now on. I must make Taoism have the largest number of people in the world.
Believer, King Yan is my backer. With such a talented and strategic overlord, it will only be a matter of time before he unifies the world..." Zuo Ci thought secretly in his heart.
In the brief exchange of eyes, Gao Fei seemed to see the desire in Zuo Ci's heart, but he also wanted to use Zuo Ci and borrow the Taoist theory of gods and ghosts to further deify himself.
It is a guise of flying, but such a guise was very popular in ancient society. Walking around the world with the same golden halo as this guise can naturally save a lot of troubles.
However, Gao Fei also had other plans in mind. Buddhism is not yet popular today, and in the war-torn era, Buddhism is destined to be unable to gain a firm foothold. As a school born and raised in ancient China, Taoism naturally has its merits.
, you can use it to numb the minds of the people and make them be as loyal to themselves as they believe in gods.
At this time, the hall was quiet. Qiao Wei, Qiao Lingpei, Qiao Linghui, and Gan Ning did not speak.
After a long time, Qiao Wei first broke the silence and said: "It's getting late, it's almost noon. I've already ordered people to prepare wine and food. Why don't you all come to the table with me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Fei, Zuo Ci, and Gan Ning all followed Qiao Wei out of the living room. Only two sisters, Qiao Lingpei and Qiao Linghui, were left in the hall.
The two sisters looked at Gao Fei's back, and a kind of reverence suddenly rose in the hearts of the two girls.
"It turns out that he is King Yan. No wonder dad ordered us to speak like this just now. What dad and Taoist Master Zuo prepared was just to meet King Yan..." Qiao Lingpei said.
Qiao Linghui said: "Sister, let's go back and clean up. I think we have to stay away from this place."
Qiao Lingpei asked: "Why do you say that, sister? Don't we live well here?"
"Sister, didn't you hear it just now? If Master Zuo is leaving, my father will definitely go with him. It seems that we have to make a long journey to Yan State. I heard that the territory of Yan State is very stable, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and there are cattle and sheep outside the Great Wall.
There are crowds of people, fertile fields and vast roads. It seems that King Yan is really as talented and sage as the rumors say. If you marry someone in the future, you should marry someone like King Yan."
Qiao Lingpei chuckled and said, "My sister is absolutely right. Let's go pack our bags so we won't be in a hurry."
The two sisters held hands and walked straight out of the hall.
In the banquet hall, Gao Fei, Gan Ning, Qiao Wei, and Zuo Ci sat separately. Gao Fei sat at the top, and the others sat at the bottom. There was a small table in front of everyone, and Jiangnan dishes were placed on the table.
The food is not rich, but it is pleasant, delicious and fragrant.
"Mr. Qiao, Zuo Ci appeared here at the same time. It seems that the two of them have a close friendship. I came here, maybe Zuo Ci can really figure it out, but no matter what, I feel like I have been tricked.
However, since they are all willing to follow me
, then it doesn’t matter, it’s not harming me anyway, take away the big and small Qiao, raise them first, and when they grow up, they will definitely be two rare beauties of the Yan Kingdom, and the use of beauties will be great. "
Gao Fei thought to himself while drinking a small drink.
At this time, Qiao Wei saw that Gao Fei only drank wine and rarely tasted the dishes, so he asked: "King Yan, I did not entertain you well, which spoiled King Yan's appetite. Please forgive me, King Yan."
Gao Fei hurriedly said: "Oh, Mr. Qiao, there is no need to be polite. I am not used to southern cuisine. It is too bland. Our northern taste is a bit heavier."
"Haha, that's because Mr. Qiao doesn't have famous dishes here, so King Yan doesn't know how to appetize him. Let me present an appetizing dish to King Yan." Zuo Ci laughed.
After saying that, Zuo Ci shook the whisk and started scribbling in the air with the whisk in his hand. He secretly held an extremely small ball in his left hand. While everyone was still paying attention to the whisk shaking in his hand, he hurriedly
He held the ball between his thumb and middle finger and immediately shot it into the air.
The ball was so small that it flew into the air and was almost invisible. It hit the beams of the hall directly. Only an extremely small crisp sound was heard, and a cloud of white mist fell from the air instantly, covering half of the banquet hall.
When the smoke dissipated, everyone saw a large wooden barrel filled with water on the floor of the banquet hall. The water was crystal clear, but there was nothing in the barrel.
Then, Zuo Ci walked to the edge of the big wooden barrel with a smile, and hung the whisk on top of the big wooden barrel. Suddenly, a lively fish bit Zuo Ci's whisk. Zuo Ci gently pulled it, and then it fell to the ground.
Everyone present, except Zuo Ci, was surprised.
"The Taoist master is so amazing, I really admire him." Although Gao Fei knew that this was Zuo Ci's little trick, he was not a professional magic revealer and could not see the secret, so he deliberately exaggerated.
When Qiao Wei saw the lively fish on the ground, he hurriedly asked: "Taoist Master, isn't this the Songjiang perch?"
"It's the Songjiang perch." Zuo Ci said with great success.
After hearing this, Gao Fei took a closer look at the fish on the ground. It was different from other fish. This fish had a big mouth, long body, silver gray, and small black spots on its back and dorsal fin. Although it was his first time to see Songjiang perch.
, but in history, Songjiang bass has a great reputation.
When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, he tasted the Songjiang sea bass and was full of praise, saying that it was so exquisite and delicious that it was really "the best delicacy in the Southeast." Emperor Qianlong would certainly never miss the opportunity to eat sea bass when he traveled to the south of the Yangtze River.
After finishing the meal carefully, Long Yan was delighted and happily evaluated it as "the number one dish in the south of the Yangtze River". Even the emperor said it was a good dish, how could it be any better? The value of Songjiang sea bass doubled as a result.
Songjiang seabass is indeed well-deserved, and every celebrity in the past has tasted Songjiang seabass and praised it. Literati from the Tang and Song Dynasties, such as Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Wei Yingwu, Luo Yin, Su Dongpo, Lu You, etc., wrote essays or poems in praise of Songjiang seabass.
Among them, the description in Su Dongpo's "Hou Chibi Fu" of "a large mouth and thin scales, similar to the Songjiang perch" made Songjiang perch famous among scholars because of the widespread circulation of the article in society.
Not only that, in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", there is also a record of Songjiang Perch. Anyone who has watched "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" will naturally be familiar with the scene of "Zuo Ci holding a cup and playing Cao Cao". In Gao Fei's view
, the magic trick performed by Zuo Ci now is exactly the same as the scene in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Songjiang seabass is not amazing in appearance, even a bit ugly, but its meat is as white as snow, tender and delicious, with few thorns and no fishy smell. When eaten, it leaves a fragrant aroma on the tongue and endless aftertaste, and its nutritional value is extremely high, making it one of the best wild fishes.
First. Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "Songjiang seabass can nourish the five internal organs, benefit muscles and bones, harmonize the intestines and stomach, benefit the liver and kidneys, treat water qi, relieve miscarriage and nourish the uterus, and it is pleasant to eat more."
It can be seen that Songjiang seabass is such a delicious and highly praised dish.
"Mr. Qiao, this recipe for Songjiang seabass must be familiar to the chef of your house, right?" Zuo Ci returned to his seat and said with a smile.
Qiao Wei said: "Of course it's not unfamiliar, but it's really incredible that the Taoist Master can catch a Songjiang bass out of thin air from such a distance."
"Haha, what's so difficult about this? You're just an insignificant person." Zuo Ci said with a smile on his face.
Gao Fei interjected: "Taoist, there are four people here, but there is only one Songjiang perch. How about Taoist using his amazing Taoist skills to catch three more?"
After Zuo Ci heard this, he was startled. Looking at Gao Fei's bright eyes, he felt his face was burning. Let alone catching three more fish, even if his fly whisk hung on the barrel for another lifetime or even a hundred lifetimes.
, and it is absolutely impossible to catch another fish scale. He had been prepared for it, just to show off his skills in front of Gao Fei, but when he heard Gao Fei's seemingly reasonable, but actually very difficult request, he
Very difficult.
"Well... I have been seriously ill recently, and my health is still a bit weak. My strength has not been fully restored. Although fishing out of thin air is just a trivial skill, but you have to catch the bass here from Songjiang, hundreds of miles away.
It will indeed consume a lot of energy, so why not wait until I recover my energy before performing again, I wonder what King Yan wants?" Zuo Ci justified his explanation.
Gao Fei didn't have any difficulty with Zuo Ci, so he laughed and said, "Well, Taoist Master's vitality is important."
Gan Ning and Qiao Wei sat there, looking at the stunt performed by the old man Zuo Ci. They were so shocked that they couldn't help but secretly think: "Are there really immortals in this world?"
Gao Fei had another idea: "Zuo Ci is just like that. It seems that he has carefully prepared this Songjiang bass. However, I can't embarrass him too much. It's true that I have to bring the bass here from Songjiang."
It takes a lot of trouble, not to mention a performance."
"Come here, send the Songjiang seabass to the kitchen." Qiao Wei also wanted Gao Fei to eat well, so he hurriedly shouted to the servants outside.