Lan Yuqing walked up this secluded and winding mountain road just for this sweet-scented osmanthus forest, although she didn't admit it.
The soil in Zhongnan Mountain is fertile and the climate is humid. The osmanthus trees bloom very early and are fragrant.
Every July during the Meiyu period, when the rains fall heavily and the osmanthus trees bloom, the ladies of the Luojing family will go to the countryside with baskets in hand to pick osmanthus flowers, make nectar, and knead them into cakes with their delicate hands.
It’s so delicious, who doesn’t like it?
Lan Yuqing passed through the flower forest, bathed in the elegant fragrance, and continued up the mountain without squinting. When she reached the red lacquer door, she stood in front of the door, turned around and looked at the deep and lush green forest behind her, then took out the key.
She opened this side door that she had not been to for a year.
Lan Yuqing was dressed in purple and went straight to the top of the mountain in a familiar way, passing by magnificent palace buildings with carved dragons and paintings, ignoring the Taoist priests in blue who stopped to bow to her respectfully.
Halfway there, she stopped at the sermon platform near the top of the mountain.
This ancient platform built on the top of a protruding peak is surrounded by green pines and cypresses, and is surrounded by green willow forests in front of the platform.
It will be the venue for the debate between Confucianism and Taoism in the near future. At that time, people all over the city will hear the words of both sides of the debate at the foot of the mountain. Countless hermits and monks from the Zhongnan Kingdom will come here to observe the talks, and even
Many monks from neighboring mountains came to witness the grand event.
Lan Yuqing stopped for a while, sneered, and continued to go up the stairs, passing by the corridor, and reached the top of the mountain.
There are three temples standing in the shape of a mountain on the top of Taibai Mountain. The roof of the Taozu Temple among them is a black boulder, which is oval in shape, without edges and corners, and has pits and molten holes on it.
This is the "star" that shines on the top of Taibai Mountain at night, like a fairy's pearl.
But at this time, the daylight spread on its surface, and the "stars" were dim and inconspicuous.
Lan Yuqing did not enter the main hall in the middle, but turned into the Patriarch Hall on the right.
There were Taoist priests on duty outside the palace gate, but she ignored the announcement and entered directly without anyone stopping her.
The Patriarch's Hall was extremely empty, with three statues of gods enshrined in the center, and a yellow and purple Taoist priest sitting on a futon in front of the statues.
Chongxu Temple is one of the main lines of Taoism in the Xuanhuang Realm. The Louguan Taoist sect is left in Xiaguan, Zhongnan Mountain, Cangzhou, its birthplace. These three statues are dedicated to the three founders of the Louguan Taoist sect.
The tallest person standing in the middle is Yin Zi, who is also the founder of the Louguan Taoist sect. He once heard the Taoist ancestor preach the scriptures and Dharma.
The two people on the left and right were respectively the first headmaster and deputy headmaster of the Louguan Taoist Sect. It was these two people who truly established the Louguan Taoist Sect, which is now one of the orthodox Taoist schools in Xuanhuang Cultivation World.
One thing that must be noted is that Taoism is different from Taoism. The former is a Taoist school and the latter is a religious school.
Taoism was born out of Taoism. Based on the Taoist thought of the great road, Taoism established sects in the Xuanhuang Realm to recruit believers and practice immortality.
Taoism, on the other hand, is more aristocratic and specializes in learning. It does not pay attention to longevity and cultivation, but only pursues the great road.
The same is true for hundreds of schools of thought in the Xuanhuang Realm.
But what is worth pondering is that although the scholars from hundreds of schools of thought do not deliberately cultivate, almost all of them have towering cultivation levels, and the higher the knowledge, the stronger the cultivation level.
The statues enshrined by several powerful Taoist branches in Xuanhuang Cultivation World, except for Taoist ancestors, are all ancient saints and Taoist disciples from ancient times. Based on their Taoist knowledge, they established methods of cultivation and pursued immortality.
In short, the various schools of thought practice Taoism, and the monks on the mountain practice it.
The former points directly to the source from the beginning, while the latter climbs the steps step by step and slowly touches the illusory "Tao".
In fact, strictly speaking, there is no difference in difficulty or superiority between the two.
There are hundreds of monks who can only follow the old ways and follow the path of the sages without making any progress in their knowledge.
How many monks on the mountain are stuck at the level of qualifications in their cultivation. Watching those very few geniuses take over the world, they can only take one step at a time, and finally become nutrients for the huge world of cultivation and become a member of the vast sea of people.
.
The road is ruthless.
This is an experience that Lan Yuqing will never forget, because of the man who trampled her completely for his sake.
Lan Yuqing calmed down and walked towards the yellow and purple Taoist priest who was meditating in the center of the hall.
This is a middle-aged Taoist priest, wearing a purple sun scarf and luxurious and complicated yellow and purple Bagua clothes. He has a ruddy complexion and an elegant expression. He is sitting quietly with his eyes closed at the moment, holding a string of flowing beads in one hand.
This string of beads is quite strange. Each bead has a different color and material, and a Tai Chi Bagua diagram is engraved on the round surface.
"After checking it out, Lin Wenruo found a very powerful helper named Zhao Ziyu. If the information is correct, he should be a student of the principal of Linlu Academy. He happened to be passing by Luo Jing and was informed by Lin Wenruo, so he was invited to deal with us.
"
Lan Yuqing's tone was calm and casual, showing no fear or awe for the most powerful national advisor in the Zhongnan Kingdom in front of her.
Qingjingzi nodded lightly when he heard the words, especially after hearing the word "mountain chief", he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the daughter in front of him, who seemed to have changed since the incident on the spring festival day.
"Tell me carefully."
"The name of the person who informed us was Li Shiqian. He was playing outside the city with a famous man named Mr. Qingxi in the city that day. At noon, they took shelter in the Drunkard Pavilion ten miles north of the city and met a man who was resting in the pavilion.
Zhao Ziyu and the other three... Li Shiqian overheard their conversation... Finally, the three of them slipped out while Lin Wenruo wasn't paying attention."
"It's very strange." Qingjingzi's expression was indifferent, "Even if Lin Wenruo arrived late at that time, Li Shiqian didn't know that he overheard the identity of Zhao Ziyu, so he didn't pursue the three of them later. This reason makes sense, but it still doesn't feel right."
Lan Yuqing nodded, "I think so too, so I went out to verify some things these days."
"Among the three people present at that time, there was a peripheral Taoist priest we were watching, named Chen Hongyuan. Except for some subtle differences in his rhetoric and that of Li Shiqian, there were no differences in important aspects. And I checked this Chen Hongyuan. He has a clean life experience. It is very clear that
I have been a Taoist priest for a long time, and the reason why I passed the Drunkard Pavilion that day is quite normal. I was going back to my subjective state to do the ten-month lunar calendar."
"The only thing worth noting is that another celebrity named Mr. Qingxi died at an elegant party not long after he returned from Drunkard Pavilion. The cause of death was excessive sexual indulgence and physical overdraft. Oh, I forgot to mention it.
, he had a habit of cutting off his sleeves, and he died on the body of a male prostitute."
After Lan Yu finished speaking, she curled her lips and continued: "Because the timing of his death was wrong, I checked carefully, but I found no traces of human nature in his death."
Qingjingzi suddenly said, "There is no trace of the Lanxi Lin family in the whole thing?"
Lan Yuqing thought for a while and said truthfully: "No...wait a minute, if we insist on getting in touch, there is also the fact that the male prostitute who caused his sudden death had attended a Lanxi Lin family's event in Dongshan, north of the city, ten years ago.
Wenhui, but other than that there is no connection."
When Qingjingzi heard the previous sentence, he frowned slightly, but then he relaxed when he heard Lan Yuqing's narration.
If Mr. Qingxi's death has nothing to do with the Lanxi Lin family, and no connection can be found at all, then there is something wrong. After all, Lan Xilin is very powerful and has many entanglements with the celebrity circles in Luojing City.
Lan Yuqing said again: "My daughter feels that there is no doubt about the identity of Zhao Ziyu."
"Why so sure?"
"I still have some contact with Lin Wenruo's younger brother Lin Qingxuan. He knows this Zhao Ziyu, and he is a bit conflicted...According to him, that Zhao Ziyu once casually composed two high-quality poems, one about falling flowers and one about mountain climbing."
"The location is Longquandu of the Chu Dynasty in the south of Wangquezhou."
"Later, I looked up the road guide records of travelers coming and going from the south gate that day at the city defense mansion. That Zhao Ziyu did hold the road guide of the Great Chu Dynasty in his hand."
Qingjingzi narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, "Is there any way to do anything to him... Well, be more careful, just prevent him from participating in the debate between Confucianism and Taoism."
Lan Yuqing shook her head, "It's hard to handle. Now the Lin family in Lanxi is loose on the outside and tight on the inside. After that incident, all the people we installed in the manor were cleared away. Moreover, we don't know what this Zhao Ziyu looks like."
, all I know is that he has thin cheeks, bright eyes, and is dressed like a scholar. Other aspects are unremarkable and featureless. You may pass him by on the street... It is difficult to determine the target."
Qingjingzi nodded when he heard the words and closed his eyes silently.
The hall fell silent for a moment, and neither of them spoke.
After an unknown amount of time, Qingjingzi closed her eyes and said softly: "In this case, the previous plan may be a little unstable."
Later, he emphasized repeatedly, "I don't need to repeat how important the debate between Confucianism and Taoism is. We must make sure that nothing is missed!"
Lan Yuqing lowered her eyelids, "My daughter understands."
Then he turned around and left.
The woman returned the same way, came to the side door that few people visited again, pushed the door open and went down the mountain.
But when she passed by the sweet-scented osmanthus forest again, she suddenly stopped, was silent for a while, and walked sideways into the forest.
She stood still under a certain tree with a red rope tied to its branch.
The purple clothes are incompatible with the pure white flowers in the forest.
Lin Wenruo, I want you to kneel at my feet.
I want to ask you why in person before I send you off.
rest assured.
I will catch up soon. Even if you become a ghost, I will not let you go.
Lanxi in the north of the city, in a certain flower forest.
A tall man with long sleeves and a wide robe strolled to an osmanthus tree, squatted down slowly, dug out a jar of aged osmanthus wine at the bottom of the tree, and turned around to leave.
Carrying this jar of wine that someone had buried, I don’t know where to go, and I don’t know who to look for.
Behind him, a dull red rope was tied to a branch alone, and no one could untie it.