Volume 2 Chapter 95: Doubts
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Looking at the majestic Dongshan, Chen Jianchen suddenly had a moment of distraction and inexplicably thought of the giant green snake he saw when entering Suzhou.
He had already been certain in his heart that the big snake must have opened its spiritual aperture and become a serpent demon - the country's will be a king, there must be a demon. All kinds of signs were proving the words of Qingyun Daochang.
Is this world originally like this? Or is it the recent turmoil that has brought out all the ghosts and monsters?
Chen Jianchen didn't know, he only knew that he and the people he cared about needed to live a good life in this world, so he had to start doing things with a plan and prepare for the future.
The core of doing things is to gain power.
Power is a broad concept, and supernatural power is one of them; superpower is also one of them.
Chen Jianchen possessed the "Three Orthodox Chapters", and on the path of refining his vital energy, he had already entered a state of intense focus; what remained was to plan for the power of the spring, to study the eight trigrams, and to take the imperial examination, which would be the most suitable course.
Unconsciously, his attitude towards the eight-legged essay had changed from initial disgust and avoidance to speculation, research, imitation, and creation.
This means that Chen Jianchen has finally slowly integrated into the Tianyun Dynasty's system and started to "follow local customs".
The only difference is that his mind remains unchanged, unwavering and unshakeable, and the purpose of integration is not assimilation, but transformation. And transformation, the most radical path undoubtedly starts from within.
The horse carriage quickly passed through the willow forest and arrived at the entrance of the manor. As they got off the carriage, Chen Jianchen looked up and saw that under the eaves of the main gate of the manor hung two large red lanterns, shining brightly on the horizontal plaque with two golden characters:
Good!
The name of this villa is a bit strange. Since the owner's surname is definitely "Huangfu", why did he take the name "Hu Villa"? It's easy to misunderstand that the owner's surname is Hu.
On both sides of the Zhuangmen Gate, a couplet is inscribed: The mountain peak sees the moon; in one's heart, one knows spring and autumn.
This pair of couplets is simple yet profound in meaning, and the calligraphy is also elegant and divine, obviously written by a master.
Outside the Zhuangmen gate, on both sides of the steps, a stone lion is placed. The lions are carved vividly, crouching on the ground, with their manes fluttering, majestic and powerful without being angry.
The Zhu family is a wealthy and influential household, and it turns out that Huangfu's family background is indeed one of wealth and nobility, not an ordinary family.
At this time, Huangfu smiled and said: "Now that Lü Dongbin and Ruguang have arrived at my humble abode, it's truly an honor." He led them into the manor and served tea in the spacious main hall.
Chen Jianchen looked around and saw that the furniture in the hall was all made of precious Huangli wood, and even a casual one would not be worth less than 100 yuan; while on the walls, many calligraphy and paintings were hung, each one framed with great care. Chen Jianchen, being an expert in this field, naturally understood that these paintings were extremely valuable.
Huh?...
Suddenly his gaze stopped, with a strange expression on his face, and fell on one of the meticulous paintings.
Chen Jianchen's performance suddenly caught the attention of Huangfu Yuanwai, who took a glance and almost jumped up, rushing over to shout: "Xiaoju, why did the phoenix head in this 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' painting turn into a hen's head!"
Jasmine, the maid standing by, hastily replied: "Reporting to Master Zhuang, the phoenix head was cut off by Xiaoyu because she said it didn't look good, and then painted a foundation head to make up for it..."
"Huang Pu's face turned pale with anger, and he stamped his foot: 'What bad luck for our family! Ah Fu, Ah Shou, quickly take down all the paintings on the wall and move them to my room.'"
Soon, two servants were busy at work.
"The little girl is mischievous and makes Lian Xian and Lu Gu laugh."
Chen Jianchen suppressed his smile and said: "Sir, there's no need to get angry. Isn't this the reason you've been inviting me over three or four times?"
The person next to Lu Xiuyue was also trying hard not to laugh, hastily picking up a cup of tea to drink and using it as cover - if he burst out laughing, that would be disrespecting the host. Although Huangfu wouldn't mind, as a guest, one should follow the rules and not lose courtesy.
Huangfu Yiwai said to the maid, "Xiao Ju, go and invite Xiao Qiu out. Tell her that I've invited another teacher for her, and ask her to come out quickly to pay her respects."
That Xiaojie curiously glanced at Chen Jianchen, thinking: This gentleman is really young, not even a mustache, can he manage to teach Xiao Jiejie? Hmm, it's definitely the old man's heavy gold that made him come for an interview, simply ignorant of life. After seeing Xiao Jiejie's methods, he will be scared out of his wits, crying and yelling...
As for the fate of the first eight masters, Xiaojie had witnessed it with her own eyes. Before they came, each and every one of them was dignified and confident, but in just two or three days, their faces turned pale and they didn't even dare to collect their reward money, hastily bidding farewell. When leaving the villa, these gentlemen's images were disheveled and embarrassing, either with tattered clothes or bruised noses and swollen faces, not to mention that many of them had been burned bald, it was simply a tragic sight.
Nowadays, in the vast territory of Suzhou, who doesn't know the name of Huangfu Niangzi? There is a saying that "It's better to teach a frog than to teach Niangzi." No matter how much silver Huangfu spends, it's impossible to invite Mr.
Xiao Ju turned around and entered the inner hall. Not long after, a person came out and reported: "Old Ye, Xiao Ye's sister said she has gone to bed and wants to see you tomorrow."
Huangfu Yiwai was about to get angry upon hearing this, but Chen Jianchen hastily said: "Sir, it's already late, why not talk about it again tomorrow?"
Huang Pu hummed and said: "Since Liu Xian is speaking on her behalf, it's settled then. Let's talk about it again tomorrow."
The host and the guest had a conversation, then Huangfu Yiwai led Chen Jianchen and Lu Xishuang to leave the main hall with their servants and moved to a large courtyard on the left side.
This courtyard, with an area of over 300 square meters, is divided into two sides: the east wing and the west wing. In the middle, more than a dozen clumps of bamboo are planted - surprisingly, they are rare spotted bamboo. Each stem stands tall and straight, with an extraordinary air about it, as if completely disregarding the cold winter weather. The lush green color displays its vibrant vitality.
Huangfu Yiwai let Chen Jianchen stay in the east wing, while the west wing accommodated Lu Xiyue and his servants.
At the time of parting, Ruxiao Yu suddenly walked over to Chen Jianchen and said: "Young Master, earlier I was indeed too abrupt. If it made you unhappy, Ruxiao Yu sincerely apologizes to you here."
Chen Jianchen waved his hand and said, "Lu Gu Niang doesn't have to be like this, I really don't mind in my heart."
Lu Xi Yue still solemnly bowed and said goodbye, then looked at Chen Jianchen before entering the western wing.
Chen Jianchen watched her receding back and sighed quietly: This woman is not easy to deal with.
Putting himself in her shoes, he knew the countless sorrows and desolations in Ruxiao's heart - having no one to rely on, she had thought of perishing together with her enemy, ending her short life, and earning a sigh of "beauty is often short-lived". Unexpectedly, things did not go as planned, the plan failed, and she could only bury her deep hatred in the bottom of her heart, waiting for another opportunity.
But what good opportunity can such a weak woman find?
The world is vast, with no place to call home, and I don't want to return to that dirty and chaotic place of smoke and flowers. Continuing this life of deception and struggle is unbearable. Under these circumstances, seeking a lifelong dependence is the most normal thing to do; and to take revenge through the power of my husband is also a natural course of events.
It is also a choice that many women have to make when facing difficulties, such as "selling their bodies to bury their fathers", which is a typical example.
Chen Jianchen could see that Lu Xiyue had feelings for him - in this world, love at first sight was the easiest thing to happen, because the harsh and cruel reality wouldn't allow you to think twice. However, Chen Jianchen had his own principles in mind, but he couldn't just take advantage of Lu Xiyue's feelings like that, it would be taking advantage of someone's vulnerability... anyway, let's get back on track, since they've met, at least they should get to know each other better.
As soon as he stepped into the east wing, he saw that the room was quite large, with a big bookshelf standing upright against the wall. The shelf was lined with hundreds of books, all of which were well-printed and good books, including some rare and precious editions.
Huangfu's arrangements were indeed thorough.
Chen Jianchen smiled, he had come to Suzhou from afar and didn't want to rush off. If possible, he wouldn't mind being the mentor of Huangfu's daughter, and incidentally repay a favor. After teaching for a while, he would return to Jiangzhou after the New Year.
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Jianchen sat down at the desk, picked up the four treasures of the study, and wrote two letters. One was for Wang Fu; the other was to be taken back to Jiangzhou by Wang Fu for his mother, Mo San Niang, so as not to worry the family.
The letter is written, sealed and can be sent to the servant of Huangfu tomorrow to deliver it to Wang Fu's hands in Jiangzhou. Wang Fu will not stay in Suzhou for too long, at most five days before returning to Jiangzhou.
After doing all this, Chen Jianchen took off his shoes and outerwear, got on the bed to rest. With his eyes closed, he began to think habitually, mainly about Huangfu's identity background, which had some suspicious places. He originally thought that Huangfu's family was not a good person, but after many contacts, he felt that it didn't seem like that, because there was no sign of evil in his body.
With a righteous energy, evil spirits do not invade, referring to the defensive ability of righteous energy; and when righteous energy encounters evil spirits, it will also have a strange movement, thereby issuing a warning - In the past, on Pen Rack Mountain, Chen Jianchen and that Mai tea's Huang Lao'er had a face-to-face encounter, and the righteous energy inside his body had a restless movement, which belonged to a kind of reminder.
However, nothing happened when I was chatting with Huangfu recently at close range. In this case, there are only two possibilities: one is that Huangfu's identity has no problem; the second is that the other party cultivates orthodox Taoism, not stained with bloody evil energy; and the cultivation is very deep, at least above the golden elixir realm, which can transform into a complete human body.
Monsters can become human and enter the bustling city, living a normal life just like ordinary people, which is not impossible.
Of course, Chen Jianchen was also suspicious and cautious. As for the truth, it would probably be revealed after meeting that arrogant little sister tomorrow.
