Chapter 71: Return to Yun Zhuang

  Ling Yun and Huang Rong traveled together to Taihu Lake, where Huang Rong was inspired by the scenery to sing "Water Dragon's Humble Song". Just as she finished the first half of the song, a fisherman who happened to be passing by on the lake suddenly joined in, singing the second half.

  Ling Mu Yun asked: "Rong Er, what's wrong?"

  "Ah, this is a tune my father often sings. I didn't expect a fisherman on the lake to know it too. Let's take a look," she said, rowing the boat towards the fisherman's vessel.

  The fisherman also put away his fishing rod and rowed the boat over. When the two boats were a few dozen feet apart, the fisherman said: "It's a pleasure to meet you on the lake, why don't you come over and have a drink with me?"

  Huang Rong listened to his elegant speech and was secretly amazed, replying: "I'm afraid I'll be disturbing the elder."

  The fisherman smiled and said: "It's rare to meet a noble guest, and it's even more delightful to have a chance encounter on the vast lake. Please come over quickly."

  A few strokes of the oar, and the two boats were already close. Huang Rong and Ling Yun tied the small boat to the fishing boat's stern, then stepped onto the bow of the fishing boat and exchanged greetings with the fisherman. The fisherman sat up straight and returned the greeting, saying: "Please sit down. I have a leg injury and cannot stand up, please forgive me."

  Ling Yun and Huang Rong said in unison: "No need for courtesy."

  Two people sat down in the fishing boat, and all they saw was two people on the boat. The old fisherman sat calmly at the back of the boat, while a young boy stirred the stove to cook wine. Ling Mu Yun looked over at the old fisherman and saw that he was about 40 years old, with a pale and thin face, seemingly suffering from a serious illness. However, Ling Mu Yun could tell that this person actually possessed superior martial arts skills. At this point, Ling Mu Yun had almost confirmed the person's identity: possessing superior martial arts skills, able to sing Huang Yao Shi's favorite songs, having difficulty walking, and appearing on Lake Tai - it must be Lu Cheng Feng, who was crippled by Huang Yao Shi in a fit of anger and expelled from Peach Blossom Island.

  Just as Ling Yun was turning his thoughts, he heard Huang Rong say: "This brother's surname is Ling, and my junior's surname is Huang. For a moment of excitement, I sang loudly in the lake, and I'm afraid it disturbed the elegant interest of the elders."

  The fisherman smiled and said: "I'm glad to hear the clear sound, and the worldly dust in my chest has disappeared. My surname is Lu. Are you two young gentlemen visiting Taihu Lake for the first time today?"

  "It's him." Ling Mu Yun nodded, and when he heard that his surname was Lu, Ling Mu Yun no longer had any doubts in his heart. This person was indeed Lu Cheng Feng.

  Lu Chengfeng ordered the young boy to bring out the dishes and wine, and pour drinks for the guests. Although the four small dishes were not as good as those made by Huang Rong, they were still quite delicious. The wine cups and plates were clean and exquisite, and it was clear that they were expensive at first glance. It was obvious that they came from a wealthy family. Ling Muyun was not surprised at all, Lu Chengfeng's family was originally a big household in Taihu Lake, and his son Lu Guanying was the leader of the water thieves in Taihu Lake, so their family assets were enormous, and it was natural to have such fine tableware.

  Three people drank two cups. Lu Chengfeng said, "The 'Shui Long Yin' that the young man just sang has a rich and intense emotional tone, it's really an excellent lyric. The young man is so young, yet he can understand the deep meaning of the lyrics, it's truly rare."

  Huang Rong listened to his words, old and arrogant, and smiled slightly, saying: "Since the Song Dynasty moved south, all scholars and writers have had a sense of national sorrow, this is also inevitable..."

  Lu Chengfeng nodded repeatedly in agreement, and the two of them talked about poetry, which was quite congenial. In fact, Huang Rong was still young, what kind of national tragedy did she have? As for the profound meaning in the poem, it was even more difficult to comprehend, but since she had heard her father say so before, she simply repeated it now, and her words and insights were naturally unique and incisive, extremely extraordinary. And Lu Chengfeng was originally a disciple taught by Huang Yaoshi, with cultural thoughts that followed the same vein as Huang Yaoshi's. This time, hearing Huang Rong repeat Huang Yaoshi's insights, he naturally felt they were extremely incisive, and couldn't help but repeatedly pound the table in praise.

  After chatting for a while, as the dusk was approaching and the mist on the lake grew thicker, Lu Chengfeng extended an invitation: "I'm so glad to have met you two today, and since my home is just by the lake, I'd like to invite you to stay with me for a few days. There are some scenic spots with peaks and hills near my humble abode, and since you're already touring the mountains and playing in the water, please do me the honor of visiting."

  Huang Rong turned and looked at Ling Yun: "Brother Yun, what do you think?"

  Ling Muyun saw Lu Chengfeng's sincere invitation and knew that there would be more fun to watch at his manor later, so he nodded and said: "Rong'er, let's trouble Mr. Lu for a few days then."

  Lu Chengfeng was overjoyed when the two agreed, and he wanted to invite Ling Yun and Huang Rong to follow him home by boat. However, Ling Yun mentioned that they needed to return the boat to the fisherman's house and retrieve their mounts first. Lu Chengfeng then rowed his own boat back, leaving his personal servant boy to accompany Ling Yun and Huang Rong to the fisherman's house to return the boat and fetch their mounts. Afterward, the servant boy arranged for a large boat to be borrowed from a lakeside household, hired a boatman, loaded the camels onto the boat, and invited Ling Yun and Huang Rong to board and sit down before setting off across the lake.

  Several robust boatmen rowed the boat under the guidance of a young boy, and after traveling several miles on the lake, they arrived at an island in the middle of the lake with an area of about several square miles. The boat docked at the pier made of bluestone, and Ling Yun and Huang Rong got off the boat under the leadership of the young boy. As soon as they landed, they saw that there were continuous buildings in front of them, which turned out to be a very large manor house. After crossing a large stone bridge, they arrived at the front of the manor house, where they saw a horizontal inscribed board above the gate with three large characters "Gui Yun Zhuang" (Return Cloud Manor). In front of the gate, there was a young man in his early twenties leading five or six servants to welcome them. When he approached the two, he bowed and said: "My father ordered me to wait here for you two for a long time."

  Ling Muyun and Huang Rong returned the courtesy, Ling Muyun saw that he was wearing a familiar long gown made of Luo silk, his face resembled Lu Chengfeng's somewhat, with broad shoulders and a sturdy build, quite dashing. His sunken chest was slightly raised, his eyes were bright, obviously his internal strength had some foundation. Although compared to his father Lu Chengfeng, he still fell far short, but among the younger generation, he wasn't bad either.

  Ling Muyun asked: "May I ask, Brother Lu, what is your Dharma name?"

  The young man said: "My humble name is Guan Ying, you two can just call me by my name."

  Ling Yun saw Lu Guanying's polite and humble demeanor, his posture extremely low, and couldn't help but nod in secret. It must be known that although Lu Guanying was not very old, he was already the leader of the Taohu Water Bandits, with a status not to be underestimated. He could show such respect to the two without knowing their backgrounds, simply because his father had interacted with them and thus considered himself junior, truly extraordinary. No wonder he became a leader in the green woods at such a young age.

  Three people spoke as they walked into the inner hall. Ling Mu Yun and Huang Rong saw that the interior of the villa was beautifully decorated, with intricate carvings and paintings on the beams, showing a high level of craftsmanship, which was quite different from the simple and majestic villas in the north. As Huang Rong looked at the layout of the roads in the villa, she noticed that it matched the principles of the Taoist numerology array method, and her face showed a hint of surprise. Ling Mu Yun noticed Huang Rong's unusual expression and knew why she was surprised, but since it wasn't the right time, he didn't say anything to her.

  The three of them passed through the third courtyard and arrived at the back hall, where they heard Lu Chengfeng call out from behind a screen: "Come in quickly, come in quickly."

  Lu Guanying said: "My father has an inconvenience on his leg and is waiting respectfully in the Eastern Study."

  The three of them turned around the screen, only to see that the door to the study was wide open. Lu Chengfeng was sitting on a couch inside, no longer dressed as a fisherman, but instead wearing a Confucian scholar's attire and holding a pure white goose feather fan in his hand, smiling and bowing slightly.

  Ling Mu Yun and Huang Rong entered the room, sat down, while Lu Guan Ying did not dare to sit, standing by to attend. Ling Mu Yun saw that the study was filled with all sorts of books and stationery, with many bronze and jade objects on the tables, all of which seemed to be antiques. On the wall hung a watercolor painting depicting a middle-aged scholar standing in the courtyard under the moonlight, his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking up at the sky with a long sigh, his expression melancholy. In the upper left corner was inscribed the name "Yue Fei" and the title "Small Heavy Mountain". The inscription read: "Five Lakes Wasted Man's Brushwork in Sickness".

  Ling Yun knew that Wu Hu Fei Ren was Lu Chengfeng's pseudonym, and he couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart. To say that Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng were indeed deeply sinful, not only did they kill countless people, but also caused their fellow disciples to be crippled and expelled from the sect, spending their entire lives longing to return to the sect, with few having a good ending. This Lu Chengfeng was relatively fortunate, at least in his lifetime he was able to fulfill his wish and return to the Peach Blossom Island Sect. The remaining Qu Lingfeng, Wu Mianfeng, Feng Mofeng, and others were unable to fulfill their lifelong wishes.

  A few people talked for a while, seeing that the sky was already late, Lu Chengfeng ordered someone to set up a wine table to entertain Ling Mu Yun and Huang Rong. After the wine table, he returned to the study room and sat down again, talking for a moment, Lu Chengfeng said: "The day is not early, Lu will not delay the two of you from resting."

  Ling Yun and Huang Rong stood up to bid farewell. Just as Huang Rong was about to leave the room, she suddenly raised her head and saw eight iron pieces nailed on the lintel of the study door, arranged in a Bagua shape, but not as neatly arranged as usual, sparse and uneven. She couldn't help but feel a shock, and used her hand to nudge Ling Yun, indicating for him to look up. Ling Yun raised his head and looked at the iron pieces on the lintel, and suddenly understood Huang Rong's meaning. This iron Bagua was actually a tool for practicing the "Piercing Empty Palm" technique, which was also a unique skill of Peach Island. No wonder Huang Rong was shocked.

  Ling Muyun naturally knew what was going on, but it wasn't the time to explain it to Huang Rong in detail. For now, he didn't say anything and just used his eyes to signal to Huang Rong to remain calm. Huang Rong understood Ling Muyun's intention and quietly followed Zhuang Ding into the guest room.

  The room was elegantly decorated, with two beds facing each other, and the bedding was clean and tidy. After the servant brought in tea, he said: "If you gentlemen need anything, just pull on this bell rope by the bed, and we'll come over. You mustn't go out at night." Having said that, he retreated and quietly closed the door.

  As soon as the servant left, Huang Rong whispered to Ling Yun: "Brother Yun, don't you think there's something fishy about this place? Look at that Landlord Lu, he has superior martial arts skills and his study has an iron octagon for practicing palm strikes. Do you know why he told the servant to remind us not to go out? It's because this mansion was built according to the Eight Trigrams method, ordinary people who don't understand this way will get lost if they enter without a guide who knows the route."

  Ling Muyun smiled slightly: "Rong'er, I think this Mr. Lu is not prepared to have any connection with Peach Blossom Island!"

  Huang Rong was originally a clever and resourceful person, but she hadn't thought of it that way before. Now, after listening to Ling Muyun's words, she recalled the various experiences she had today and nodded thoughtfully: "Brother Yun, you're right, this Lu Zhuangzhu might really have some connection with Peach Blossom Island."