Chapter 377

One hundred and twenty-one, the tooth mark on the neck

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This meeting, whether it counts as a meeting or not, the "butterfly-knot Yue woman" was as graceful as a startled swan, making it impossible to grab the corner of her clothes.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong wore a fake mask and stood in front of the door for a while before turning around.

"Brother, let me do this kind of thing."

"It's okay."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head, squatted by the well, and buried his head in washing the night pot.

A warm current flowed through his meridians.

It was the medicinal power of the second Rejuvenation Pill he swallowed at dawn that was volatilizing, and the hidden injuries caused by the snow-white sword Qi were slowly recovering.

But Magistrate Ouyang Rong's mind was not on it.

Instead, he fell into a mysterious state.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but the spiritual energy flowing in his limbs and bones, and the strange meridians, suddenly became lighter.

It's like a camel carrying a heavy load, suddenly throwing down a pile of heavy luggage, and walking lightly.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong is not unfamiliar with this wonderful feeling.

At the end of last year, when he was about to leave Longcheng to take up his post in Jiangzhou, he went to Ah Qing's house with an uneasy heart. After answering Liu's mother's question about courage, his mood also suddenly brightened, and the spiritual energy flowed faster.

This is a sign of being moved by emotion and making progress in cultivation.

At that time, he reached the perfection of Grade 9, and what about now?

The Grade 8 "Craftsman" of the sword-wielder actually digested a part of it "muddle-headedly" this morning.

"From just entering Grade 8, to the middle stage of small success..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong squatted by the sink, silently looking inside and feeling while washing.

It should be the kind of melancholy feeling produced by the forced passing by with Sister Xiuniang just now, which caused the bottleneck to break naturally.

However, it may also be due to the fact that he realized a part of the Craftsman's natal supernatural power "Origin and Emptiness" last night.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was silent.

Clearly, he had made progress in his cultivation, but his mood was not much happier.

For Grade 8 of the sword-wielder, he entered it with the tripod sword meaning of the craftsman, which can be considered as choosing the path of the "craftsman."

Only by walking through it can he break through this rank and enter a higher world.

First of all, what is called walking through?

According to Magistrate Ouyang Rong's current estimation, summarizing the sword formula is considered walking through, which is a sign of perfection. Otherwise, he will be trapped in this realm forever, hesitant for the rest of his life.

Secondly, what is the path of the "craftsman"?

According to the secret revealed by the Junior Yuan Shijie, in the major forces on the mountain, the name of each rank is the cultivation direction summarized by predecessors.

Similarly, what is the meaning of the craftsman?

Craftsman, also an artisan, is an ordinary work lacking spirituality and characteristics... According to what he saw and heard in Longcheng, it is concluded that the craftsman is creating myths in the mortal world.

Therefore, the path of the craftsman is also an ordinary path, or more precisely, an ordinary path leading to myths.

It seems a bit contradictory to understand.

And having experienced the matter of being close at hand but unable to meet just now, Magistrate Ouyang Rong was also a bit melancholy and confused at this moment.

"Wearing masks, identities, hiding oneself, moving forward low-key, and finally reaching the other shore, achieving that ultimate goal... it's like acting."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong muttered to himself.

At this time, Ah Qing walked over, squatted beside him, handed out something, and asked in a low voice:

"Brother, this jade..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong said softly: "Keep it. You are not young anymore, some things, you need to decide for yourself."

"Oh."

Ah Qing didn't act coy, put away the jade, lowered her head, and fell into thought.

After a while, she hesitated and asked: "Is Brother's injury because of them..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked at her.

The latter immediately stopped talking.

The two had a tacit understanding, didn't speak anymore, and after washing the bowls and chopsticks, went back to the room together.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't take off his mask, nor did he leave immediately.

Returning to the room, he dutifully fed Liu's mother the medicine, and then he honestly ate breakfast.

In the morning, Magistrate Ouyang Rong continued to wear Liu Ah Shan's fake body and got busy in the Sanhui Courtyard.

For a while, he did housework for Ah Qing, and for a while, he helped Yun Niang cook.

In this way, half a day passed.

At noon, the family ate lunch in silence again.

After the meal, Magistrate Ouyang Rong and Ah Qing went to the sink in the courtyard together to wash the bowls and chopsticks.

Suddenly, Magistrate Ouyang Rong vaguely heard a crisp bell sound. He didn't look up, but his peripheral vision caught a white shadow flashing on a tree outside the courtyard wall on the southeast side.

A white-skirted woman with a red rope bell tied to her ankle seemed to jump off the tree and drift away.

I don't know when she came, or rather, she never left at all?

It is obvious that she had been monitoring the Sanhui Courtyard for quite a while until she left without success. Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was as careful as hair, only slightly perceived a little sound, and there was no sign before.

This woman's spiritual energy cultivation is definitely much higher than Magistrate Ouyang Rong's.

It's just that I don't know who this white shadow is, who only leaked a little foot bell sound when she lifted the alert and left, and what rank she is in the Lady Yunmeng Sword Marsh Lady Hall.

In the courtyard, by the sink, a wooden man looked as usual, still washing the bowls silently.

Going on like this, he accompanied Ah Qing, Liu's mother, and Yun Niang for another afternoon.

During this period, he didn't find the figures of those Wu and Yue female cultivators again.

After dinner, after washing the bowls again, Magistrate Ouyang Rong returned to the main room, and together with Ah Qing and Yun Niang, coaxed Liu's mother to sleep, before he stood up and, in the dim room with only one lamp lit, took off Liu Ah Shan's fake body phantom.

Temporarily lift the alert.

Ah Qing and Yun Niang saw the ancient, blood-stained bronze mask on his face that he hadn't taken off, and didn't feel afraid.

Looking at Magistrate Ouyang Rong's movements, they also roughly understood the meaning.

Yun Niang glanced at the quiet younger sister and silently turned to help the gentleman who was about to leave take the long wooden box that had been hidden.

Ah Qing asked in a low voice: "Is Brother safe?"

"Hmm. It counts as muddling through, thanks to you, hard work."

"Brother is the hardest."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was silent and asked suddenly: "Is Ah Qing curious about what I did last night?"

Ah Qing didn't answer, went to take the package containing the remaining two new padded garments and stuffed it into Magistrate Ouyang Rong's hand. The young girl tucked the hair falling in front of her forehead behind her ear with her little finger, and under the orange candle light, her little face smiled sweetly:

"Brother looks really good in this black one."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was a bit dumbfounded. Looking at the young girl's smiling face, his mood brightened a bit. He lowered his head and thought for a while, and some words in his heart were still asked:

"When you went out to call for the jade this morning, did you see the person standing beside the Hu woman clearly? Was there a girl with a butterfly knot at the back of her head among them? Do you still have an impression?"

"Remember. Butterfly knot..."

Ah Qing nodded:

"It's the one standing on the right side of the Hu woman big sister. This young lady is thin, quiet, carrying a sword on her back, standing with her head down, I don't know what she is looking at. At that time, others turned back when they heard me shouting, only she didn't move, with her back to me. I didn't see her face clearly, but looking at her back, she should be quite good-looking..."

Speaking of this, she glanced at her brother who was lowering his eyes and thinking.

"Didn't turn back..." Magistrate Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.

Ah Qing said suddenly: "Brother knows her, and looks very familiar."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong heard this and couldn't help saying: "How do you know... why ask this?"

Ah Qing said softly: "The butterfly knot she tied, Brother taught me. Did Brother forget? When we first met last year, it was also in the temple. At that time, you stayed for dinner..."

As she spoke, the clear and beautiful girl lowered her head, silently lifted the hem of her short top, and showed the butterfly knot tie on her slender waist to Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was surprised in front of her.

The atmosphere was silent... although it was not considered undressing, this posture of lifting her upper top facing a man and vaguely revealing a little inner small garment still made Ah Qing, who was bound by the strict etiquette of this era, blush. She moved her gaze away from Magistrate Ouyang Rong and said seriously:

"I have never seen anyone else use it, only Brother can, so Brother should have taught her, Brother and she are very familiar."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and didn't go to waste his breath to explain. This should have been taught by that girl Ye Ye Weilai.

He was silent for a while and asked: "Is there anything special on her neck?"

Ah Qing was stunned, her little face expression seemed to be trying hard to recall, and she said softly:

"It seems there is a faint red mark, I don't know if it's a wound or a birthmark..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong became quiet in an instant.

"What's wrong with Brother?" Ah Qing asked with concern.

In front of the bed, the Confucian scholar wearing a fox mask shook his head and didn't answer.

He actually really wanted to answer that it might not be a birthmark, but a tooth mark, a tooth mark that had been bitten very, very deeply.

The words were finally swallowed back, and the taste in his mouth was hard to describe.

Looking at it this way, Magistrate Ouyang Rong's previous guess was correct. The mute girl Sister Xiuniang and the volunteer who used the name Zhao to take care of his daily life in the Sanhui Courtyard were the same person. And the "deceiving people in a dream" that Magistrate Ouyang Rong vaguely remembered might have really happened, and it happened in this fasting courtyard under his feet.

Emotions were hard to calm down.

After a while, Yun Niang returned with a sword box covered in well water.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong said goodbye with a heavy heart, lowered his head to take the sword box, and plunged into the night wind that was as black as ink outside the door.

Ah Qing and Yun Niang watched him go silently.

The next day, morning.

The motorcade of the Jiangzhou Assistant Governor and the Jiangzhou Chief Clerk who came down to inspect the counties arrived at Longcheng County.

Magistrate Official Diao and a group of Longcheng government officials personally went ten miles out of the city to welcome them.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's figure appeared in the motorcade as scheduled. He got off the carriage together with Li Su Dalang and Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang, and dealt with the welcoming banquet of the Longcheng officials with a normal face, as if he had just returned.

After the banquet, he learned from Magistrate Official Diao that several female officials from Prince Xunyang City were investigating cases in the marketplace.

Li Su Dalang and Magistrate Ouyang Rong expressed interest, and in the afternoon, they were taken there by Magistrate Official Diao to take a look.

After seeing the female officials investigating the cases, Magistrate Ouyang Rong probed where Rong Zhen was.

A female official replied that Lady Historian went out last night, returned in a hurry this morning, seemed to be in a bad mood, and returned to Prince Xunyang City alone in the morning, without waiting for everyone.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded calmly.

Early the next morning, the inspection of Longcheng came to an end.

Everyone took a boat immediately and returned to Prince Xunyang City.

The boat arrived at Prince Xunyang Ferry that afternoon. Magistrate Ouyang Rong originally thought that Rong Zhen would come to "welcome" them. After all, she had the responsibility of supervision, and she had managed the people of Prince Xunyang Prince's Mansion entering and leaving the city very strictly before.

But unexpectedly, no one came at all. The figure of the cold palace-dressed girl was not seen, only the officials of the Jiangzhou Hall were there to welcome them.

It seems that the female officials investigating the cases in Longcheng were right. Rong Zhen's mood really looked very bad, and I don't know what important things she was busy with and thinking about, so she didn't even bother to pay attention to Magistrate Ouyang Rong and Li Su Dalang, sparing her energy.

Thinking of this, Magistrate Ouyang Rong couldn't help but feel a little guilty, and glanced at a sword box with fruitful results in the luggage behind.

After a while, his expression continued to be as if nothing had happened.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong returned to the Jiangzhou Hall and strolled around.

In the days he was away, nothing major happened in Prince Xunyang City, and everything was as usual.

The important thing that the Jiangzhou Hall was preparing for right now was the banquet to welcome Qin Qin Jingqin the day after tomorrow.

A messenger from Yangzhou arrived in advance to send a letter that the Grand Commander of the Jiang Nan Circuit Army, appointed by His Majesty, would arrive in Prince Xunyang City the morning after tomorrow.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who returned from a long journey, summoned Yan Liulang to ask, and found that there was nothing important to do, so he ran to the Prince Xunyang Prince's Mansion to report safety...

In the evening, Magistrate Ouyang Rong finished his affairs and returned to the mansion in Huaiye Lane leisurely.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong exchanged pleasantries with the high-spirited Zhen Zhen Shuyuan, brought her some local specialties sent by Magistrate Official Diao, Master Venerable Shan Dao, and others. After a while, he found an excuse to say he was going back to his room to rest.

Just after returning to Yinbingzhai, Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned around and dismissed Ye Ye Weilai and other maids.

He put the instrument-shaped sword box on the desk, leaned back in the chair, and looked quietly at the empty study in front of him.

He silently reviewed it in his heart and muttered to himself:

"Being able to stand so close to Candle in the Snow, she doesn't look like an ordinary Yue woman. Could she be a titled Lady of the Lady Hall? This status is not inferior to the Chief Great Lady Candle in the Snow and the legendary Yue Yue Chu Zi...

"Not to mention the time on Mount Mount Dagu, why did she not meet and leave incognito, is it the sect's rules... just talking about this time, I not only intercepted the old sword-smith's tripod sword, but also fought with her Eldest Yuan Shijie, accidentally confiscated her personal sword, and deeply offended a group of people... how come I feel that I am getting more and more at odds with the Lady Yunmeng Sword Marsh.

"Do her senior sisters know me? They should know, but they definitely don't know the identity of the tripod sword and the sword-wielder. If they let them know my identity, Candle in the Snow would probably slap me to death. In the one-in-a-million chance, if that day really comes, I don't know if Sister Xiuniang's face will work. Forget it, Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, don't drag others down... still hoping to make others in a dilemma and help you plead?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong rubbed his face hard.

"No, next time I encounter anything, I can't blame the Lady Yunmeng Sword Marsh. Even if I don't mention Sister Xiuniang, doing so is a bit unrighteous. It was okay to talk nonsense when we weren't familiar before.

"As for the head-on conflict like that night, avoid it if you can... eh, a muddled account."

Someone sighed, thought about it again, nodded and muttered to himself:

"But speaking of which, this Lady Yunmeng Sword Marsh, except for Sister Xiuniang's favor, I don't owe them anything. This time I was seriously injured by that woman's sword Qi, her senior sister came over aggressively, and the posture was to chop me into eight pieces. I had to fight back, and confiscating her sword was really an accident... let's just say one for one, we don't owe each other..."

After a while, he shook his head helplessly, withdrew his thoughts, and his gaze fell back to the sword box placed on the desk.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned to take out a bulging package, closed the door, and counted the gains from this trip to Longcheng, including... the equipment exploded by the little hamster tripod sword.

(End of chapter)

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