Chapter 95 Godmother's Blessing
Chapter 95 Godmother's Blessing
"Azure!"
A voice was heard, and Chen Shi and Li Tianqing looked over. It was seven or eight young men, dressed as scholars, bright but not ostentatious. They were all high-spirited and young, and they waved to Li Tianqing from afar.
Li Tianqing responded and whispered, "They are from my Li family. The one who called me was Li Jun, the second son of my fourth uncle. He took good care of me. They probably called me for something, so I went over there."
Chen Shi nodded.
Li Tianqing ran over, and Li Jun said with a smile: "Tianqing, we brothers have just arrived in Xinxiang, we are unfamiliar with the place, and there are many inconveniences. I don't know where to play. After all, you have been here before, why don't you take us around."
Li Tianqing said in embarrassment: "The last time I came here, I also went to the countryside and never came to the county town."
Li Jun said, "It's nothing more than finding a place to enjoy the view and drink tea. You were talking to someone just now. Is he a local? Just go and ask him."
Li Tianqing ran back and told Chen Shi what happened. Chen Shi said, "I was walking around the night market a few days ago and passed by the Qingqu River in the city. I saw a pleasure boat on the river. You can probably enjoy the view and drink tea there. But Tianqing, I saw that they ordered you around and didn't treat you as a brother. Instead, they treated you like a servant."
Li Tianqing said: "I'll tell you when I get back."
He hurried over again and told Li Jun and the others about the pleasure boat. Li Jun asked the other brothers and sisters what they thought, and they all laughed and said, "We are just new to a place, and we want to enjoy the scenery and find a quiet and elegant place. Let's go on the pleasure boat."
Li Jun nodded and said, "Thank you Tianqing. Was that your friend just now? Let's call them along. It will save us some trouble if there are locals leading the way."
Li Tianqing said yes, came over and called Chen Shi, and led everyone towards Qingqu River.
Li Tianqing whispered, "I am a concubine's son in the Li family. I have no status. My status in the mansion is even lower than that of a favored maid. If I hadn't made a great contribution by discovering the Ming treasure ship, I'm afraid they wouldn't even bother with me."
Chen Shi smiled and said, "Then what's the point of staying in the Li family? Why don't you come with me to Qianyang Mountain and become a mountain king? No one in the village dares to say anything against you."
Li Tianqing sighed: "Born in a noble family, I have no choice."
As they were talking, they came to the Qingqu River Pier and called over a pleasure boat. The river water was quite clean and there were wind symbols painted on the pleasure boat, which could be activated to allow the boat to sail with the wind, which was very convenient.
The boatmen were a father and daughter. The father was at the helm, while the daughter was busy running around, helping to make tea, and was very attentive.
When several young masters of the Li family saw that the girl was pretty, they started to tease her. However, the girl was so aggressive and talked a lot about both dirty and vegetarian things, which made the young masters of the Li family blush with embarrassment.
Everyone laughed and watched the pleasure boat sail into the Qingqu River.
"Ask the channel that is so clear that it is a source of fresh water."
Li Jun sighed with helplessness in his voice, "This Ming Dynasty is a picturesque place, but unfortunately the government is weak, and those in power are mostly good-for-nothings, colluding with each other, so that evil spirits are rampant, which has failed this picturesque country and the people. In this world, how can there be clear channels? Without clear channels, how can there be living water? Without living water, how can there be dancing fish and dragons?"
When he said this, everyone was deeply touched.
Chen Shi couldn't help but glance at him and thought, "This Mr. Li Jun can see the current problems clearly."
Li Zhengqing is Li Xiaozheng's fourth son. He said, "Second brother is right. But the world is like this. Although you and I want to change the bad habits, we have no power or influence. What can we do?"
They all sighed.
Li Jun chanted: "In vain, my hair has turned white! I want to kill the enemy, but I am powerless! What a pity! If I could enter the court, I would sweep the world, eradicate the court's stubborn diseases, promote the ancient law, and restore a bright and clear world to the world!"
Everyone praised it, and Chen Shi also praised it, saying to Li Tianqing: "The Li family is made up of knowledgeable people, which is admirable. They are much better than the Zhao family."
He killed many members of the Zhao family and had a very good understanding of the character of the Zhao family's children.
Li Tianqing smiled but said nothing.
On the painted boat, everyone was passionate and sang many sad songs, expressing their regret for the hardships of people's lives in this world. However, most of the people in the court were heartless, and they lamented that they were powerless to change the current situation.
Chen Shi admired Li Jun and others more and more. At this time, Li Jun asked the boat girl, "Do you have any skinny horses in this city?"
The boat girl wondered: "What is a skinny horse?"
Li Jun was slightly embarrassed and whispered, "She's just a young prostitute."
The boat girl laughed and said, "So the gentlemen want to visit prostitutes. You just said it so righteously, I thought you didn't plan to have fun, so you didn't go to the brothel. Our boat goes directly to the brothel, but most of them go there at night, rarely during the day. Gentlemen, wait a moment, let me turn around. Father, they are not serious scholars, turn around and go to the brothel."
The pleasure boat turned around and headed towards the brothel.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, talking and laughing. Occasionally, someone would say something about current issues, but they would be quickly distracted and talk about skinny horses again, with some vulgar language in their conversations.
Chen Shi just found it weird and couldn't connect these people with the people who just sang the song of generosity and tragedy.
When they arrived at the brothel and the boatman moored the boat, they saw a group of beautifully dressed girls opening the windows on the upper floor and looking down. They were neatly dressed, singing and dancing, and waving their handkerchiefs to ask the gentleman to come up.
Everyone was shocked and hurried ashore, holding up their clothes.
The boat girl said quickly, "You haven't paid the boat fare yet!"
"Tianqing, you pay!" Li Jun was the first to rush into the brothel and shouted loudly.
The crowd rushed into the brothel, hugged the beauties and drank and chatted happily. After a while, no one knew what nerve was touched, they criticized the government, worried about the country and the people, and then put their hands into the arms of the beauties, indulging in sensual pleasures.
Not long after, everyone ran out of the brothel in a panic, with the madam and the pimp chasing after them and scolding them, "Why go to a brothel if you don't have money? Go home and have fun by yourself!"
Everyone was ashamed and angry, and ran away in panic.
Li Jun asked: "Tianqing, do you have any money on you?"
Li Tianqing shook his head and said, "I only have a few taels of silver every month, how can it be enough?"
The Li family's young masters were too embarrassed to return to the pleasure boat and left in anger. In the end, Chen Shi paid the boat fare.
Li Tianqing also planned to go ashore, but Chen Shi shook his head and said, "Boatman, start the boat."
The two men came to the bow of the boat. Chen Shi looked at the people moving back and forth on the shore. After a long moment, he suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he fell backwards.
Li Tianqing was very embarrassed, but soon laughed out loud.
"This is the pure stream, good at discussion, but no ability, mostly showing off their eloquence."
Li Tianqing smiled and said, "If you go to the provincial capital, you will find that there are many such people in any of the fifty provinces. You just said that they are knowledgeable people, and I knew you had never met them, so I didn't respond."
Chen Shi smiled and said, "Now I have gained experience. If most people in the world are like this, then I can not only return to Qianyang Mountain to be the master, but I can also be the master of the entire Xiniu Xinzhou!" A sense of heroism arose in his chest.
What's the point of going back to Huangpo Village and acting arrogantly?
If you have the ability, you can be the master of the whole world!
Li Tianqing shook his head and said, "Although there are many good-for-nothings like this in the aristocratic families, there are also those who work hard and strive to become stronger. Is it so easy to become the master of Xiniu Xinzhou?"
Chen Shi glanced at him and said with a half-smile, "Are you the hardworking person?"
Li Tianqing said calmly, "After I returned home, I devoted myself to cultivation and made rapid progress. Finally, I succeeded in cultivating the golden elixir a few days ago. After the golden elixir is completed, no one in the Li family will care about my purple jade divine fetus anymore. From now on, I can let birds fly in the sky and fish jump in the sea."
Behind his head, there was a shrine shining brightly with a divine fetus sitting in the center. It opened its mouth slightly, and a green divine pill flew out. The light shone, and the air around was like clear water, rippling with light, and the pleasure boat seemed to be traveling through the water.
Chen Shi stared at him with the aura of a tiger and said, "Tianqing, you have ambitions. I can tell from your words."
Li Tianqing was thin and frail. He smiled and said, "I was born a man, so I should have ambitions. Xiao Shi, although you are good at both literature and martial arts, you will definitely pass the exam this time, but you don't have a divine fetus. Even if you can get a divine fetus, I'm afraid you will be coveted by others. You can't escape this disaster, but I can take the lead and walk ahead of you."
Chen Shi smiled slightly: "Golden elixir? Although I don't have a divine fetus, I have also cultivated it."
His aura suddenly surged, and a sea of fire rose in the Dan Yuan Palace within his body. The golden elixir was like a sun, illuminating his internal organs, refining his meridians, Qi, blood, essence, bones, marrow, form, and spirit, undergoing seven returns, eight transformations, and nine returns.
Li Tianqing looked at him as if he was looking at a rising sun from the sea.
His golden elixir made the pleasure boat seem to be sailing on the bottom of the water, and Chen Shi was the rising sun!
Li Tianqing's body trembled slightly, revealing an expression of disbelief, and he asked in a lost voice: "How did you achieve this?"
Chen Shi was very proud: "Do you think that you can climb ahead of me just because you have cultivated the golden elixir? I used my body as a divine fetus to cultivate the body of a holy fetus, and finally broke through, and the blood in my body refined the mysterious elixir!"
Li Tianqing snorted: "What a side path! I have one more divine fetus than you, which means I have one more realm than you!"
He took a step forward, landed on the water, and without stopping, he ran as fast as the wind, actually walking on the waves!
“Xiao Shi, come here, let me show you the true essence of the Golden Elixir!”
He cultivated the golden elixir and was full of energy and vigor. He even challenged Chen Shi and ran more than ten feet away in an instant.
His golden elixir was hanging above his head, and the divine light from the elixir was shining, causing the water surface to sink slightly, but it lifted up his body, allowing him to walk on the water as if he were walking on flat ground!
Seeing this scene, Chen Shi couldn't help but admire in his heart: "As expected of a noble family, they are indeed much better than me in refining the golden elixir!"
He was about to jump onto the river when the boat girl suddenly grabbed his sleeve and said, "You haven't paid yet!"
Chen Shi laughed and threw down a tael of silver.
"Keep the change, please!"
He took a step forward and his footsteps landed on the river surface. The golden elixir in his body was circulated and the blood and energy flowed into his legs. When he landed on the water, the surface of the water exploded!
Chen Shi rushed out like an arrow from a bow, and saw a figure as fast as an arrow. Wherever he passed, the water surface kept exploding and went straight to Li Tianqing!
Li Tianqing was running on the water, and suddenly he turned over like a wild goose. Six invisible jade wheels flew out from under him, up and down, left and right, fast and slow, rushing towards Chen Shi!
Chen Shi made sword gestures with his hands, which changed continuously, either slashing or picking. Invisible sword energy cut off the six jade wheels. With his other hand, he punched out. A strong wind and waves arose on the river. The strong wind rolled up the huge waves and rushed towards Li Tianqing!
Li Tianqing, with the golden elixir protecting his body, passed through the huge waves, broke through the waves and moved forward. The jade wheels around his body rotated, and he met the punch thrown by Chen Shi.
The two men's blood was boiling, and huge waves suddenly exploded on the river. Amid the waves, Chen Shi passed through the water curtain, turned over and landed on the stone bridge. Looking down, he saw the river flowing slowly, and Li Tianqing standing on the river, floating downstream with the water.
Chen Shi encouraged Jindan and was about to rush down from the bridge, but he saw a number of small boats and pleasure boats in the Qingqu River toppling from side to side, and the boatmen and boat girls were swearing loudly, which was very unpleasant to hear. He quickly gave up the idea and left whistling.
Li Tianqing was about to respond to his charge, but he saw Chen Shi walking away as if he didn't recognize him. Just as he was surprised, he saw a small boat swaying past him. The old boatman on the boat shouted at him: "You stupid guy, your ancestors fell into the water! Bomb, bomb, bomb, blow up the bastard!"
His words were spoken with a local accent, and Li Tianqing didn't understand them for a moment. When he came to his senses, his face flushed and he hurried ashore.
He was about to go look for Chen Shi, but he saw his fourth uncle Li Xiaozheng and others walking towards him, so he had to give up the idea of competing with Chen Shi.
After the civil and military examinations, one must wait for the results to be announced, which takes several days. Only after the results are announced will the gods perform a grand sacrifice.
Chen Shi had nothing to do in the city, so he simply returned to Huangpo Village.
"Xiao Shi has returned from the exam for the scholar degree? Did he pass?"
Old lady Wuzhu was standing by the roadside. When she saw Chen Shi, she couldn't help but smile ingratiatingly and called out, "Xiao Shi, come to the field and eat some watermelon."
Chen Shi smiled and said, "The results will be announced in a few days."
Old lady Wuzhu kicked the watermelon back into the field, as if she didn't see him.
Chen Shi returned to the village and came to Huangtugang to meet Zhu Xiucai. Zhu Xiucai hurriedly asked about the test questions, and Chen Shi told him the truth.
“I’ve talked about this before!”
Zhu Xiucai said excitedly, "I guarantee you'll pass! I guarantee you'll pass! Don't worry, it's a sure thing!"
Chen Shi was also very excited and said, "I think it's guaranteed! I just burned incense for grandpa and there was smoke coming out of his grave!"
He thought about it, then quickly took out incense and offered sacrifices to his godmother. After burning incense, he was about to talk to Zhu Xiucai, when suddenly the light on the stone tablet flowed like water, and a stream of light shot out from the tablet and sank into the back of his head!
It was pitch black in front of Chen Shi's eyes and he could not see anything.
He knew something was wrong and opened his eyes quickly, but found that it was still pitch black all around and he was the only one standing there alone.
The willow tree, godmother, Mr. Zhu, the dog, Huangpo Village, Qianyang Mountain, all disappeared!
"Caught evil?"
Chen Shi was surprised, "How dare you bump into me now?"
At this moment, a glimmer of light gradually appeared before his eyes.
He waited quietly, and saw the light gradually expanding like white ink smudged in the darkness, but the light also had a sandy texture, as if the space in front of him was made up of white and black sand.
In this strange space, there stands a temple.
The temple is not big and has no courtyard. It is a solitary hall, about 17 or 18 feet high and more than 20 feet wide. There are three steps in front of the door and two vermilion pillars, which makes it look old and simple.
The roof is covered with glazed tiles, layer upon layer, and there are no immortals, beasts or dragon heads on the ridge.
When Chen Shi arrived, he saw words on the pillar, divided into left and right, which read:
Following the example of heaven, the appearance of heaven and earth are all my images
My nature is self-sufficient. It is better to rely on myself than on gods or ghosts.
(End of this chapter)