Chapter 473: Chapter 94: The Petty Supreme, and Lu Xuan of the Same Vein
’Senior Brother Zhang... what nerve!’
Lu Xuan’s expression was incredibly strange. He broke into a violent coughing fit, causing Ao Xianzhi and Zhang Liang at his side to glance over in surprise.
Ao Xianzhi blinked, asking with concern:
"Old uncle, is this... your son? He doesn’t look very well..."
The old farmer chuckled.
"He’s my son, here on Taishan to keep me company... The little rascal is perfectly healthy. He probably caught a chill sleeping without a blanket last night. The wind is strong on the mountain, after all."
"Oh, I see."
Ao Xianzhi nodded, not thinking much of it, and said with a bright smile:
"Brother, my name is Shui Ning, and this is Zhang Liang. We both live near the foot of the mountain."
"Right, right."
Lu Xuan adjusted his expression, putting on the simple, honest smile of a farmer.
"My name is Li Xuan. Just like my old man said, I’m here to keep him company when I have the time..."
"Brother Li." Zhang Liang cupped his fist and grinned at Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan returned the gesture with an even brighter smile.
The Farmer’s Son and the farmer’s boy stood there grinning at each other. At the side, Ao Xianzhi shook her head, then, as if remembering something, placed a bag of tea leaves on the table.
She said:
"Old uncle, Ah Liang and I brought this for you especially. We know you love tea, and Ah Liang spent a long time picking it out at the market!"
"Oh, thank you, thank you... How thoughtful, how thoughtful!" Old Nong laughed heartily, then called out:
"Xiaoxuan, go get two bowls of herbal tea for them!"
Before Lu Xuan could react, Zhang Liang froze for a moment. ’What a coincidence,’ he thought, reminded of his own junior brother.
’One is Lu Xuan, the other is Li Xuan...’
He smiled and said:
"Come on, old uncle, let Brother Li rest. He looks like he just finished plowing the fields. Ah Shui and I can get it ourselves!"
"That works too. The tea crock is in the corner of the inner room, usual spot. Go get it yourselves."
Zhang Liang and Ao Xianzhi laughed in agreement and went into the inner room.
After the two went inside, Old Nong smiled and tilted his head.
"See? Told you they were acquaintances."
Lu Xuan could only offer a wry smile.
’One is a disciple of the Taishang Lineage, my own senior brother. The other is the legitimate daughter of the North Sea Dragon King, a Great Grade Realm True Dragon...’
’And what’s the result? One is playing the part of a Farmer’s Son, the other a village girl, both hiding the truth from each other.’
He couldn’t help but shake his head, though his expression softened slightly. ’This isn’t so bad, actually.’
’Back then, Senior Brother Zhang said that besides bringing glory to the Bright Great Dao Sect and peace to the world, what he truly wanted was to find a woman he adored and live a slow, leisurely life in the countryside.’
’It’s nice.’
Just then, Zhang Liang and Ao Xianzhi came out, each with a bowl of herbal tea. Zhang Liang took a huge gulp, wiped his mouth, and said cheerfully:
"Old uncle, nothing beats your herbal tea. It dispels the summer heat and cools you down. So perfectly balanced. Good stuff, good stuff!"
He paused, smacked his lips, and added:
"Theoretically, these tea leaves are from Taishan, right? They should be quite extraordinary. So how come you’ve been drinking it for so long, but your hair still hasn’t grown back?"
Saying this, Zhang Liang chuckled and reached for Old Nong’s woven bamboo hat, but Ao Xianzhi slapped his hand away and said irritably:
"Ah Liang, you’re being disrespectful again!"
"Hey, what do you know? The old uncle and I go way back, age doesn’t matter!"
Old Nong gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Oh, yes. Friends across generations, that’s great..."
Lu Xuan shrank his neck, sensing that Senior Brother Zhang was in for a world of hurt later.
With his beloved by his side and his worries temporarily forgotten, Zhang Liang was in high spirits and joked again:
"Old uncle, I feel like we really hit it off. Why don’t we become sworn brothers? Hmm, if we do that, Brother Li, you’ll have to call me ’Little Uncle’!"
The looks in both Old Nong’s and Lu Xuan’s eyes turned dangerous.
Lu Xuan watched Senior Brother Zhang courting death with abandon. Speechless, he mentally made a note of this transgression, and, adopting the attitude of a gleeful spectator, said cheerfully:
"I have no objection. As long as my old man agrees!"
Old Nong was all smiles.
"Sworn brothers, you say..."
Zhang Liang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He looked around suspiciously for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, Ao Xianzhi said irritably from the side:
"Ah Liang, that’s enough out of you. If you keep messing around, I’m going back down the mountain!"
"Hey, just kidding, just kidding." Zhang Liang reverted to his simple, honest persona, scratching his head.
"Relax, the old uncle won’t mind."
"I don’t mind, I don’t mind." Old Nong was still all smiles, gently fanning himself with a cattail fan.
Ao Xianzhi pulled over two chairs and sat down next to Zhang Liang. The four of them chatted idly for a long time, their conversation meandering wherever their thoughts led.
During that time, Ao Xianzhi went to get another round of herbal tea, fetching a bowl for everyone, and also took the opportunity to give the thatched hut a simple sweeping, clearing away a lot of dust.
Lu Xuan gave an imperceptible nod, a decision forming in his mind. ’This fiery-tempered Little Dragon Maiden has a good heart. Her karmic fortune must be incredibly deep as well.’
’As for talent and innate potential, she’s a pure-blooded True Dragon; there’s a limit to how bad she can be. Taking her as a disciple wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.’
’The most crucial part is...’
A smile appeared on Lu Xuan’s face. ’If this Little Dragon Maiden calls me ’Master,’ what would Senior Brother Zhang have to call me?’
’At the wedding ceremony, the master can sit in the seat of the High Hall. When that time comes...’
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, causing Zhang Liang and Ao Xianzhi to glance over curiously.
After chatting for a while longer,
seeing the Great Sun gradually begin to set, Ao Xianzhi said with a smile:
"It’s about that time. Ah Liang and I are going to the summit to watch the sunset... Old uncle, Brother Li, would you like to come?"
"Forget it. This old man’s bones can’t handle climbing mountains anymore." Old Nong waved his hand with a smile.
Lu Xuan also shook his head and said:
"I’ll pass. I’m going to stay with my old man a while longer."
"Alright." Zhang Liang and Ao Xianzhi didn’t press the matter. They both cupped their fists and took their leave.
Before leaving, Ao Xianzhi smiled and waved.
"Old uncle, if you like the tea, I’ll bring you more next time!"
"Alright."
After the two had headed up the mountain, Old Nong’s expression darkened. He took off his bamboo hat, touched his head, and the sparse hair on his scalp grew thick and full.
A sense of alarm rose in Lu Xuan’s heart.
"Teacher, are you about to..."
Old Nong let out two dry chuckles without a word. The sound made Lu Xuan shrink his neck.
In that same Instant, he was shocked to realize that past history was changing!
In his memory, during the Spring and Autumn Years, inside the Guardian Storage Room, the old man was whipping him and a distant Senior Brother Zhang with a ruler. Originally, they had each been struck three times, but this time...
This time, in Lu Xuan’s original memory, the old Daoist suddenly sneered:
"My hair is sparse, is it?"
He whipped the air three more times, and the wretched cries of a certain man named Zhang rang out three more times.
"You want to be sworn brothers, do you?"
Inside the Guardian Storage Room, the old Daoist struck another three times, and the distant cries of pain became even more shrill.
"No respect for your elders, is that it?"
Sensing that the old Daoist in his past memories was about to strike again,
on Taishan during the Qin Dynasty, Lu Xuan quickly said:
"Teacher, that’s nine strikes already! That’s enough, that’s enough..."
Old Nong glanced at him and snorted indignantly. In past history, the old Daoist finally lowered the ruler.
In the thatched hut, Old Nong took a sip of herbal tea and grumbled:
"Xiaoxuan, ah, you can’t be like your Senior Brother Zhang. He’s a grown man, but he’s completely shameless..."
Lu Xuan gave a couple of bitter laughs and shrank his neck again.
He suddenly remembered something his Lady had said.
"Those three masters of yours are great in every way, except each one is pettier than the last!"
’The Lady truly did not deceive me!’
.........
「On the summit of Taishan.」
Zhang Liang and Ao Xianzhi nestled against each other under a tree, quietly watching the Great Sun descend and the fiery red sunset clouds layer across the vast expanse of the sky.
"It’s so beautiful."
Ao Xianzhi leaned against Zhang Liang, saying in a daze.
After a moment, as if remembering something, she turned her head, her large eyes blinking.
"Ah Liang, when... when are we getting married?"
Zhang Liang trembled slightly. A trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and forced a smile.
"Next year, maybe. Next spring..."
"It’s a promise!"
A brilliant smile appeared on Ao Xianzhi’s face, but her expression also grew melancholic.
After a long while, when the sunset clouds overhead were at their most magnificent, she asked softly:
"Ah Liang, is there anything from your life that you find most unforgettable?"
Zhang Liang thought about it, shook his head, then suddenly nodded again, saying through clenched teeth:
"The most unforgettable thing? Heh, let me tell you. When I was a child studying in Luoyang, my teacher once inexplicably struck me nine times with a ruler... Nine times!"
Ao Xianzhi covered her mouth and giggled.
"Why are you so petty? It was only nine strikes with a ruler, wasn’t it?"
"You don’t understand, you don’t understand..."
Zhang Liang’s face took on a world-weary expression as he unconsciously recalled the events of the life before his last, how his teacher had inexplicably delivered nine strikes with a ruler across the vast, distant void.
The feeling of that pain, which pierced deep into his soul, was far worse than the agony of being beheaded by Duke Huan of Qi—a thousand, no, ten thousand times worse!
Even now, just thinking about it made his soul ache faintly...
Zhang Liang gritted his teeth.
"Ah Shui, don’t be fooled because it was just nine strikes with a ruler. Some rotten old men can be vicious when they strike..."
He paused, then said with righteous indignation:
"Those twelve ruler strikes! I’ll never forget them as long as I live!"
"Alright, alright, where did he hit you those twelve times? Should I blow on it to make it better?" Ao Xianzhi covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
「Meanwhile, outside the thatched hut.」
Lu Xuan blinked his eyes.
"Teacher, why did you add another three strikes?"
Old Nong gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, his gaze dangerous.
"I’ve become a ’rotten old man’ now. What’s wrong with adding three more strikes?"
Lu Xuan shrank back and fell silent, not daring to provoke his teacher, lest he also earn himself a few smacks from the ruler.
That feeling... even though he had already achieved the rank of Upper Grade Immortal, he had no desire to experience it ever again!
In the silence, Lu Xuan suddenly sensed something. A profound and mysterious light flashed in his eyes, his [Form Acupoint] opened slightly, and as he observed the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, he said with amusement:
"Senior Brother Zhang’s father-in-law is here to make trouble... Hmm, no, that’s not right."
He frowned. His [Form Acupoint] encompassed the Great Heaven and Earth, and he saw a familiar figure.
’Familiar, yes, but the aura around him... is not quite right.’
"Interesting," Lu Xuan murmured thoughtfully.
Beside him, Old Nong yawned.
"That rascal’s tribulation has arrived. I’m not getting involved. Are you?"
Lu Xuan said shyly:
"As his junior brother, stepping in to help a little shouldn’t violate the sect’s rules, right?"
"It doesn’t." Old Nong rolled his eyes and said with disdain, "Fine, go handle it. After you’re done, go do your own thing. Stop disturbing my peace and quiet."
Lu Xuan scratched his head and asked cautiously:
"So, Teacher, should I come visit less often in the future?"
"You dare?" Old Nong glared.
Lu Xuan laughed heartily. He didn’t dare provoke his teacher any further, afraid he’d also be ’held in grudge’ and end up getting a few inexplicable smacks himself, which would be most unpleasant.
He immediately bowed, not bothering to change back from his farmer’s appearance, and strode casually up the mountain.
After a few steps, he thought of Senior Brother Zhang’s earlier words and unconsciously slowed his pace.
’Ao Shun will arrive first. I should let Old Zhang get beaten up a bit...’
He was a true inheritor of the Sanqing Lineage, from the heights of Divine Techniques and the Profound Principles of the Great Dao, down to... being petty.
