Free Web NovelHuacheng Folk Culture Research Administration, lounge. freeweɓnøvel.com
Hua Sang lay flat on the lounge carpet, her hands holding the black iron ruler placed on her chest.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her breathing steady and even, as if she were asleep.
...
In a patch of darkness, her body continuously sank, as if falling into a pool of stagnant water, quiet to the point of suffocation.
Immediately after, the sound of flowing water echoed in her ears, a gentle breeze brushed her face, mixed with the faint fragrance of locust flowers.
Realizing she had arrived on that familiar street, Hua Sang took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and saw the archway standing at the street entrance.
It was a very small and dilapidated archway, the green tiles on top were broken, the standing pillars showed signs of decay, and even the words on the plaque were blurred.
Beneath the archway, in the center of the street, a shallow and narrow clear stream meandered from north to south, following the terrain, dividing the street paved with bluestone slabs.
The sky was overcast, like a dark night before a heavy rain, white mist drifted in the air, becoming denser the further away it was.
Under the night sky, willows rustled in the wind, osmanthus fragrance wafted, deep alleys, dark grey tiles and white walls, old wooden doors and locks, bathed in soft moonlight, fallen leaves danced, searching for a new resting place.
The entire street was pitch black, seemingly uninhabited, exceptionally quiet, with only a corner a hundred meters away, lit by candlelight, emitting wisps of cooking smoke.
Hua Sang followed the direction of the candlelight, walked along the stone path with familiarity, and stopped in front of the small restaurant facing the street.
The restaurant's facade was small, and besides the kitchen and counter, there was hardly any space to accommodate guests inside.
So, the owner set up a canopy along the outside, placed tables under the canopy, and hung paper lanterns at each corner of the canopy, with wooden signs bearing the word "Yanzhi" hanging below the lanterns, swaying in the wind.
Yanzhi Tavern.
This was the name of the small restaurant that the mysterious Senior had told Hua Sang.
Although this small restaurant was far from meeting the standard of a tavern, the mysterious Senior couldn't remember why it was called that name.
However, he told Hua Sang with certainty, and also confidently told Hua Sang that, if nothing unexpected happened, in the real world, this small restaurant should have long been a world-renowned tavern.
Walking into the canopy, she sat down at the table closest to the counter, Hua Sang gently tapped the tabletop and called out softly towards the small shop, "Senior, I've come to bother you again."
As her voice fell, a series of small noises from kitchen utensils came from within the shop, followed by a man in his fifties quickly walking out.
The man was wearing coarse cloth clothes and an apron, looking like a chef, but without the
big head and thick neck
feeling of many chefs; his face was handsome, his demeanor refined, and at first glance, he looked like an immortal disguised as a chef.
Just as Zhang Huainan had told Hua Sang, the remnant soul residing in this ruler was a Senior and virtuous predecessor of Da Chunyang Palace.
The man carried a tray with two delicate small dishes and a pot of yellow wine on it, sat down next to Hua Sang, and said with a smile, "Not bothering me, how could you be bothering me? I was just thinking, why haven't you come for such a long time recently, and there's no one to talk to me!"
He looked as relaxed and comfortable as if the person sitting opposite him was an old friend he hadn't seen for years.
In fact, the two were indeed friends despite the age gap, the kind who almost became sworn siblings when they were drunk.
And all of this started twelve years ago...
----
Twelve years ago, Hua Sang was eight years old, just six months after the uncle who claimed to be her father's good brother sent her to Da Chunyang Palace to treat her "illness," and she first came into contact with the black iron ruler.
She heard from her Senior Brothers that the ruler, which seemed to be cast from black iron, had always been stuck in the large rock beside the Cold Pool behind the mountain; its origin was unclear, only that a remnant soul of a Sect Senior resided within it.
The masters never stopped the disciples from touching the ruler, and even encouraged them to try, hoping that their disciples could receive guidance from that Senior.
Some disciples were also fortunate enough to enter the illusion created by the ruler and saw the legendary Senior.
However, in nearly eighty years, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) there were at least eighty disciples who had entered the illusion, they all saw that Senior, but none of them received his guidance, on the contrary, the vast majority were tortured to the point of misery, going in with a smile and coming out cursing.
After repeating this several times, dozens of times, within a year, they all chose to give up.
Over time, a rumor spread among the disciples, saying that the Senior could not teach anyone anything at all, and the illusion created by the ruler was just to temper the disciples' minds.
In fact, Hua Sang later learned from the Sect Leader that the original purpose of sticking the ruler beside the Cold Pool was indeed to temper the disciples' minds; her ability to take the ruler away was just an accident.
Initially, Hua Sang only came into contact with the ruler at the instigation of her Master, and was fortunate enough to enter the illusion created by the ruler, also seeing the mysterious Senior, and was once cultivated as a promising talent by her masters.
After all, in the past, disciples who could see that Senior all achieved remarkable success.
However...
Although she wasn't tortured to the point of giving up by the Senior in the ruler like her Senior Brothers and Senior Brothers, she didn't learn anything either.
She just used the excuse of touching the ruler to avoid a series of cultivation activities such as morning classes, morning exercises, and evening classes.
After all, in the illusion, she could completely feel no pain caused by the Spirit Mark going out of control.
After entering the illusion, that Senior was busy in the small restaurant on the other side of the clear stream, and she would rest quietly on this side of the clear stream, not disturbing each other, each well.
She would stay for a whole day!
Just like that, after a full year, she finally spoke her first sentence to that Senior.
That Senior called out to her, "Hey, girl, come over and help me taste this new dish, how is it?"
Hua Sang nodded and said somewhat reluctantly, "Okay..."
After that, they only drank together, tasted dishes, and chatted aimlessly.
It wasn't until four years later that the Senior began to guide her intentionally or unintentionally.
Five years! If it were other Da Chunyang Palace disciples, after suffering so much, they would have long lost the patience to serve this master!
Let alone the disciples, even her Master, who had once placed high hopes on Hua Sang, shifted his attention to Fu Xinyi under Hua Sang's deliberate guidance and deflection.
So, Fu Xinyi thus fell into dire straits...
As for carrying the ruler with her, Hua Sang only managed to do so a year ago, by which time almost no one in Da Chunyang Palace was paying attention to her anymore.
The whole experience was just like those cool stories where a genius falls into mediocrity and rises again after several years.
The difference is, Hua Sang didn't have a arrogant and domineering Junior Brother or Junior Sister to rush forward and give away their lives for her.
The simple-minded Fu Xinyi had already used up all her strength just trying to live up to the name of a genius...
----
"The Sect Leader recently assigned me a task, which is why I haven't had time to see you..."
Hua Sang said, glancing at the man from the corner of her eye, her expression a little strange.
"Oh, it's alright, just come when you have time," the man said, pouring two cups of wine and handing one to Hua Sang.
Hua Sang took the wine glass, looked at the clear amber-like liquid in the glass, then looked at the man, not drinking or moving her chopsticks for a long time, as if being wary of something.
Noticing Hua Sang's strangeness, the man frowned and asked in confusion, "What? Are the wine and dishes this Old man prepared not to your liking today?"
"..." Hua Sang stared at the man, pondered for a few seconds, as if having made a decision, a flicker of determination flashed in her eyes, and then she raised the glass and drank it all in one gulp. freeweɓnøvel.com
Putting down the glass with a "bang!", she let out a long sigh and said frankly, "Senior, you've changed, so I was a little scared just now and didn't dare to drink your wine."
"Changed? What do you mean, little friend?" the man asked in surprise.
"Didn't you notice?" Hua Sang tilted her head, "Although I don't know what happened, in my opinion, you've become younger."
Yes, he had indeed become younger. When she had seen this Senior in the past, he was very old, with a head full of white hair, roughly estimated to be at least seventy years old.
But today he looked only around fifty years old, most of his white hair had turned black, transforming from old age back to middle age in an instant.
"Haha!" The man laughed upon hearing this, "We haven't seen each other for a few days, how did you become so smooth? However, saying someone is young is good for a Miss, but it's strange to say it to this Old man!"
While joking, seeing Hua Sang silent and looking at him with a serious expression, the man's smile froze, and he pressed, "Have I really become younger?"
"Yes," Hua Sang nodded.
Seeing this, the man frowned, got up, and quickly walked to the nearby water channel, leaning forward and looking down.
Borrowing the candlelight from the lantern, he saw his reflection in the water, his pupils slightly contracted, and then, as if enduring some pain, his brows suddenly furrowed, his body swayed, holding his forehead, and he let out a series of hissing sounds.
After a long time, he stabilized his body, turned to look at Hua Sang, and said in a serious tone, "Little friend, I... remembered some things..."
Hearing this, Hua Sang's expression also became serious, she straightened her back and sat upright, looking at the man with burning eyes.
She looked like she was waiting for her college entrance examination results, nervous and serious.
Who this Senior was had always been a mystery in Da Chunyang Palace, he didn't even know his own name.
Hua Sang guessed that the Sect Leader, that Old man, definitely knew, but he wouldn't say, and no one could do anything about him.
Who told him that in the sect, whether it was his strength or his seniority, he was the greatest?
"What did you remember?" Hua Sang asked with some excitement.
In the past, whenever her friend despite the age gap mentioned himself and his past, he would inevitably feel sentimental and then drown his sorrows in wine.
Now, seeing him recall some past events, Hua Sang also felt genuinely happy.
"I remembered my name, and I also remembered..." The man turned back to look at the small shop behind him, and smiled faintly, "I remembered who this shop was opened for."
"Good news, let's have a big drink!" Hua Sang raised her glass.
The man walked to the table, returned Hua Sang's toast with a cup, and said with a smile, "Aren't you going to ask me what my name is, and who I opened this shop for?"
Hua Sang shrugged, "If you're willing to tell me, you'll say it even if I don't ask."
"Haha, I just like this about you!" the man laughed, "However, I'm happy today, I'm going to tell you anyway!"
"This Old man has no surname, my name is Qingji, and this shop was opened for a Miss named Yanzhi..."
Yanzhi? A sweetheart? The Old man is quite romantic, he must have been a charismatic figure when he was young. Hua Sang nodded thoughtfully.
