Chapter 308 Luoshui Conference
April.
The spring is bright and the peaches and plums are blooming.
The spring breeze blows the catkins along the Luo River, like flying white snow.
Luojing has always been a bustling and noisy city.
But it was extremely lively at this time.
The reason is simple.
Today is the day when the "Luoshui Conference" is held.
Early in the morning, the bells of the imperial city, the ancestral temple, and the major government offices in the capital rang in unison, like thunder, waking up the common people in their sleep.
Men and women, old and young, flocked to the streets by the Luo River from all directions.
On this day, it was really not easy to find an open space to stay by the Luo River.
The streets leading to the river are like the mouth of a river, continuously spewing out streams of people. The square by the river is like the sea, and the houses next to it are protruding promontories. The crowds turn into turbulent waves, and the surging waves hit these promontories, as if they are about to flatten them.
Laughter, discussion, cheers, quarrels, and clattering footsteps formed a deafening roar.
This forced Luojing Prefecture Yin Yang Jiong to send a large number of yamen servants holding water and fire sticks to shout loudly on the streets in order to barely maintain order.
As for the young monks who participated in the event, they came earlier than the ordinary people.
The Daqi government had already used a long yellow cloth to separate a separate area for the monks attending the meeting on the river bank.
On both sides of Buman, the teachers and teachers were giving their final instructions to the students. The fellow disciples were cheering each other on. There were even vendors looking for opportunities in the crowd, hoping to catch a few taken advantage of and sell them. Several amulets that could bring good luck to people were violently driven away by government officials holding sticks.
Chu Fengge likes to be in the limelight, so naturally he comes very early.
Flying with swords was prohibited in Luojing City, so he rode in a sedan chair and carried a guard of honor, beating gongs and holding signs saying "Quiet" and "Avoid". Wherever there were the most people gathered, he would get more Wherever he went, he wished that the whole city would come to admire his pomp and grace.
But ordinary people really like his tricks.
He stepped off the sedan, stretched his hand towards the sky, and shouted "Sword is coming", and the "Tiankui Sword" turned into a ray of green light and fell into his hand.
Seeing this spectacular scene, the onlookers who came from counties and villages across the country and had never seen the big world all widened their eyes and marveled.
Chu Fengge smiled proudly, raised his chin high, and walked into the area enclosed by the yellow curtain under the gaze of everyone.
The disciples of Jiange also came very early.
They were dressed simply, carrying sword gates on their backs, and stood casually in a row along the railings by the river. Even though their auras were restrained and they acted very low-key, others could still sense an awe-inspiring sword aura from them.
Su Xiao, the direct disciple of the master of Jiange Pavilion, stood at the front. His posture was upright, his gaze fell on the Luoshui River, and his expression was extremely calm, as if today was not a grand event that attracted national attention, but just an ordinary day.
Chu Fengge and Su Xiao had not met many times before, but because they were both known as "extreme geniuses", they were often compared by people around them.
Chu Fengge has always been very competitive.
The moment he caught a glimpse of Su Xiao, he pretended to inadvertently release the true energy aura of a fifth-level monk in his body, as if to say: "Look, I have broken through, you What?”
But Su Xiao’s eyes were still as still as water, as if he was in a no-man’s land, unaware of everything around him.
Disciples from Lingshan Temple and Penglai Island also came.
The leader of Lingshan Temple is Monk Jingru, who once competed with Gu Xu in the Lantern Festival. He was still the same as last time, wearing a gray-brown cassock, and his bare head reflected the bright sunshine, which looked particularly dazzling.
We all know that practicing Buddhism pays attention to calmness, but Monk Jingru is not calm at all. He looked around, his eyes darting through the crowd, trying to find a familiar figure.
“Has any of you seen him?”
“Who?”
"Master Gu from the Exorcism Department."
"No, senior brother," the young monk next to him shook his bright head, "He probably hasn't come yet."
Standing on Penglai Island At the front of the team was Jiang Haoyang, a close disciple of his sect leader, codenamed "Golden Crow". The other young monks present were gearing up and eager to try, but he was the only one with his head lowered and his brows furrowed, looking very worried.
Due to the lack of powerful people in Penglai Island in recent years, and the lack of young and powerful people who are dazzling enough, its power has become increasingly weak. Compared with other large sects, the disciples also lack high-spirited self-confidence.
Then came young monks from various aristocratic families.
Participants from the Chen family in Xiangyang came by car. They were not dressed in gorgeous brocade robes as in the past. Instead, they all wore simple blouses or straight skirts, with a rather Confucian temperament.
In the history of the Daqi Dynasty, the ancestor of the Chen family entered Taoism through reading and practicing, and implemented the purpose of "cultivating oneself, harmonizing the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world". He was honored as a "sage" by later generations, and the natal weapon he left behind was also regarded as It’s called the “Book of the Word.” Therefore, on such an important occasion as today, the disciples of the Chen family all dressed up as scholars, imitating their ancestors.
Chen Yanping is naturally among them. He was still the same as usual, with a friendly smile on his face and chatting enthusiastically with the people around him.
He knew very well that there were many monsters in this "Luoshui Conference", and there was a high probability that he would miss the leader. However, he can also gain a lot by taking this opportunity to make friends with young talents across the country and expand his network.
In contrast, Jinling Shen's behavior was much more flamboyant.
The children of the Shen family, headed by Shen Hua, all wore splendid clothes and hats decorated with treasures. The various magic weapons on their bodies glowed with colorful light, and they unabashedly exuded a strong aura of money.
However, in the eyes of everyone in Luojing, the appearance of the Youzhou Zhao family is the highlight of today.
Only one person from the Zhao family attended the meeting this year.
But this person attracted the attention of everyone present the moment he appeared——
Only one person and one horse were seen, galloping from the south along the broad street. The strong wind whipped up her red dress, like a blazing flame; her long black hair flew in the wind, like rolling dark clouds.
It is Zhao Yan.
She turned over and dismounted by the Luo River, her head slightly raised, her eyes cold, her delicate face was both fairy and evil, and she had a charm that could confuse all living beings.
She once left a great reputation in the capital.
Although she had not appeared in the capital for many years, when they saw her again, the expressions of everyone present became solemn, and they did not dare to look down upon her.
Even the most arrogant Chu Fengge couldn't help but take a step back when Zhao Yan arrived.
After all, not long ago, he became Zhao Yan's defeated general.
…………
At the same time.
In an alley not far away, Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan were staying in a restaurant. In front of each of them were a bowl of carp porridge and a bowl of pig's trotter soup, exuding a tempting atmosphere. Human scent.
"So this restaurant is the place you want to take me to even if you take a long way around?" Gu Xu looked at the petite girl sitting opposite, her face buried in the bowl and sipping porridge, and asked with a smile, "Can you tell me it has Is there anything special?"
Shi Xiaohan raised his head and blinked, his cheeks covered with porridge.
"It is said in "Food Treasures" that carp porridge means 'fish leaping over the dragon's gate'," she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and replied, "pig's trotter soup means 'name on the gold list'. This shop's carp porridge and pig's trotter soup have always been famous. If we have breakfast here, we will definitely get a good ranking in the 'Luoshui Conference'."
Hearing her words, Gu Xu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "If this bowl of porridge can make you leap over the dragon gate and achieve immediate success, then it will never be worth only twenty copper coins - even if we lose all our money, we may not be able to buy it. ”
He has long seen through these merchants’ money-fraud schemes.
Shi Xiaohan curled his lips: "I brought you here here so kindly, but you don't accept my kindness? Have you forgotten that when you were taking the promotion test, I prepared crystal dumplings and golden spring rolls for you? And Babao rice cake? Without them, you would still be an ordinary clerk in Yishui County, with no chance to wear a black gauze hat and a 'Qiyao suit.'"
What Gu Xu was thinking about. : That was clearly an assessment I passed based on my strength.
But what he said was: "Your Majesty the Heroine is right. After we get married, please ask the Female Hero to make it a few more times for me to try. I want to continue to attract wealth." Bao', 'promoting every year'."
"Huh, so greedy." Shi Xiaohan said as he raised the bowl and quickly poured the whole bowl of porridge into his stomach. Then she waved her hand and asked the restaurant owner for another bowl.
At this time, there was a faint blush on her pretty face.
Although it had been a few days since the two of them had made an engagement, whenever she heard the words "get married", "get married", and "get married", her heart would still beat faster, and she would feel shy, nervous and nervous. The emotion of anticipation.
After the meal, the two walked side by side towards Luoshui.
Gu Xu did not wear official uniform today, did not bring any entourage, only wore a green shirt, and acted extremely low-key. Shi Xiaohan was wearing the gray-white robe of Longmen Academy, carrying a heavy "Kunwu Sword" on his back, and he was jumping like a sparrow.
Because he was afraid of trouble and did not want to deal with too many familiar people before the conference, Gu Xu deliberately restrained his aura and hid among the crowd.
So few people noticed his arrival.
But even so, someone in the crowd still spotted him and kept looking at him from a distance.
On the arch bridge of Luohe River, Shangguan hibiscus stands gracefully in its green skirt, its figure as pure as glass, blending with the green willows on the riverside to form a beautiful scenery.
She put her hands on her cheeks and rested her elbows on the railings of the arch bridge.
The passers-by thought she was looking at the scenery.
But in her sparkling eyes, there was only one person reflected.
After a while, when the bell rang through Luo Jing again, she sighed softly and walked towards the place where the monks gathered by the river.
The steps are as light as smoke, leaving no trace.
(End of this chapter)