Thirty-sixth: Gathering Clouds at Laojun Mountain (Upper, First Watch, Seeking Recommendation)

  At the top of the peak, both southwest and southeast directions have been occupied by people.

  In the southwest, there were two people, a middle-aged man and a handsome young boy.

  In the southeast direction was the Governor of Cangwu, Shi Huan, sitting alone.

  They were spaced about 40-50 feet apart from each other, neither too far nor too close.

  The three of them found a clean place and sat down cross-legged to meditate and recover their strength.

  Jian De saw Wang Yue and Qin Yu reach the top, Shi Huan glanced at them briefly, then ignored them. The two men in the southwest, however, looked over together.

  Tan Yong knew that Shi Huan did not want to appear too close to himself, and was seen through by others that the two had actually colluded, so he didn't bother with him either, but just exchanged a glance with those two people in the southwest direction.

  The two sides were more than four zhang apart, which did not hinder their line of sight.

  That middle-aged man wore a white robe, with a handsome face, but had a worn-out look, and his age seemed not small. The young boy was indeed very young, with a childish aura on his face, but it could be clearly seen that he was a handsome young boy.

  Zhan Yun thought: "This middle-aged man, could he be the Yellow Turban Gun King Zhao Song?" He looked behind him, but there was no obvious sign of a long gun. The boy with a pair of big black eyes, however, was holding a green short zither that was less than three feet in length.

  Wang Yue smiled slightly, and in the face of the two, he found a dry bluestone about 4 or 5 zhang away to the northeast. There was no snow mark on the bluestone at all, obviously it had been wiped clean by someone earlier.

  The two sat down side by side, and Wang Yue raised his voice: "Brother Zhao, it's been a long time!"

  That elegant and refined man raised his hand: "Wang Jianzhu, are you tired of playing in the north and coming to the south to collect goods and gather lives?"

  Wang Yue smiled faintly: "Just take a look."

  "Haha, what a great reason." Zhao Song burst out laughing, "The young man beside you, isn't he your beloved disciple?"

  Wang Yuandao said: "I am a junior. The young man next to you is your apprentice, isn't he?"

  "It's rare for you to guess correctly!" Zhao Song said nonchalantly, "This is my only disciple, named Sima Yin. He doesn't focus on learning martial arts properly and instead spends his days playing chess and the zither."

  The beautiful young man beside him rolled his eyes at his master.

  Tan Yun's interest was piqued: "There is actually such a sloppy disciple, but looking at his master's expression, it seems that he doesn't have too much blame in his heart, this is rare."

  Wang Yue smiled and said: "Who in the world doesn't know that you, Zhao Gun Wang, are proficient in chess, books, paintings, literature, and martial arts? It's a perfect match for Gao Tuan to meet you!" He pointed at Qin Yun, "This is my old friend, named Qin Yun. Little Yun, haven't you met Zhao Gun Wang yet?"

  Qin Yu clasped his hands together and bowed his head, lowering it to chest level. This was a respectful seated greeting, commonly used by younger generations when meeting their elders.

  "Junior Qin Yun reports for duty and requests an audience with Master Zhao!"

  Zhao Song's eyes gleamed like electricity, and he had been carefully sizing up Qin Yu. Now that he heard his words, his gaze shone even brighter, like a torch.

  "Be more polite, young master!"

  Wang Yue suddenly moved his lips and said a few words to Zhao Song. Zhao Song's originally calm expression paused for a moment after hearing them, and he slightly nodded in response.

  "It turned out to be a descendant of the Quan family, a disciple of Zhang Xuanshi, and also one of our own kind." Zhao Song waved his hand slightly, hesitating for a moment, "However, it's not easy to give you a gift to meet in person now."

  "Indeed, be careful not to be ridiculed by your juniors!" Wang Yue teased him intentionally.

  Zhao Song glared at him and said, "Not your apprentice, what are you drumming up in such a hurry?"

  Wang Yue's expression changed slightly, and a hint of gloom appeared on his face.

  Zhao Song's words took the upper hand, and he felt very pleased in his heart. He chuckled and said, "I'm very happy today, so I'll give this to you as a gift." He reached into his waist and pulled out a small cloth bag, about the size of a fist, and tossed it lightly.

  A distance of several zhangs seemed non-existent in his eyes. With a stretch of Quan Yu's hand, the cloth bag had quietly fallen into his grasp.

  This grasp of force is truly exquisite.

  Tan Yun secretly admired these senior strongmen, their skills were evident in every detail, each one was extraordinary.

  Pinched it, soft and flexible, but don't know what's inside the cloth bag.

  "You open and take a look." Zhao Song said with a smile.

  Qin Yu opened the cloth bag and took out a pair of green gloves. On the back of his left hand, there was an embossed pattern of a coiled dragon, while on the back of his right hand, there was an embroidered phoenix spreading its wings. The embroidery was extremely fine, with tiny sparkles shining on all ten fingers and the backs of his hands. He gently put on one of the gloves, feeling it to be quite soft and having some elasticity.

  "This is a pair of heavenly silk gloves that I often used in battle, lined with the belly skin of a double-headed snake, which is very rare. It has accompanied me for 15 years." Zhao Song looked at Qin Yu, "Those who are good at using long spears must first be good at protecting their own hands. When you enter the battlefield in the future, you will understand this even more."

  "Thank you, senior!" Qin Yu happily put away the dragon and phoenix gloves.

  "I see that your qi and blood are condensed, your skin is clear and bright, and you have already stabilized your footing in the dark realm. In the future, I may need to rely on you even more." Zhao's eyes flashed as he stared at Qin Yu, and at this moment, he had completely seen through Qin Yu's cultivation. His heart was also secretly shocked - this child was probably younger than Yin Er, truly a rare junior.

  Qin Yu said: "I am just a rustic villager, with only two words in my heart - 'righteousness'."

  Zhao Song was taken aback for a moment, then clapped his hands and shouted: "What a man with only the word 'righteousness' in his heart!"

  Wang Yue secretly praised Quan Yin's words as being neither arrogant nor humble, and they truly caught the eye of someone as refined and dignified as Zhao Song.

  Suddenly from afar, someone burst out laughing and said: "Up till today, there are still people who talk about righteousness? How ridiculous! How ridiculous!"

  Laughter is loud and words are vicious.

  Zhao Song's face changed, and he said coldly: "So it was Zhang Erge, you've come at a very opportune time!"

  That man burst out laughing: "Arriving early is naturally inferior to arriving at the right moment!"

  A purple shadow flashed, and in an instant it had already climbed to the top of the peak.

  Everyone looked over, but it was a stern old man with a low stature, silver hair all over his head, and wearing a purple robe. In his left hand, he was also holding a slender black-clothed girl.

  These two people were none other than Zhang Jin and Xi Zhiran.

  Zhang Jin and Zhao Song seemed to be old acquaintances, but when they met each other, they were extremely cold. After shouting a few words across the air, they treated each other as if they were air.

  Zhang Jin and Wang Yue, Shi Huan each greeted each other, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then sat down with Xi Zhi Lan in the northwest direction.

  Zhang Jin felt that the drama beside him, Zhi Lan, was looking around restlessly, seemingly a bit anxious. He smiled and said: "Little girl, what's the hurry? Wait until the transaction begins, then you can move around freely."

  "What deal? Isn't it a duel between the two seniors?"

  Zhang Jin looked at Shi Huang and Wang Yue, saying: "If they really wanted to duel, they would have already done so elsewhere. What's left is just a matter of face. Moreover, with so many top-notch figures gathered here, it's not like they came to watch a duel."

  The play is like a beautiful orchid, seemingly understood yet not understood, and can only sit silently.

  ——————

  Everyone is fighting for double monthly tickets, the author seems to understand but doesn't really get it, can only sit quietly and wait for reimbursement.

  PS2: Four updates today.