Chapter 640: 540. Rong Zhen: That Bad Hairpin

540. Rong Zhen: That Bad Hairpin

"I'm giving it to you. One is for healing; I've heard that as long as there is a single breath left, it can help you hang on. Although it cannot bring the dead back to life or regrow flesh and bone, it can save your life at a critical moment."

"There is also another one, given to me by the Grandmaster of the Profound Heaven Sect at Long Hushan. They said it is some kind of Jin Dan that aids cultivation..."

Li Guoer lowered her eyes and said.

Ouyang Rong suddenly said:

"This is a Mortal-Shedding Jin Dan, refined from a Six-Winged Heavenly Cicada. It can refine one's Qi-refining talent. Although I have heard that the rare Six-Winged Heavenly Cicada was refined by a True Person of Gezao Mountain into three Mortal-Shedding Golden Dans, this should be one of them—that is, one-third of the medicinal effect. But do you know how precious this is? A single one is enough to allow an ordinary mortal to successfully refine Qi and achieve small success. Two would grant top-tier bone structure, possessing superior Qi-refining talent, and be cultivated by Qi-refining sects. As for swallowing all three... one would directly rank among the top monsters on the mountain."

"Oh?"

She tilted her head, her tone somewhat casual.

Ouyang Rong put the gold-patterned elixir back into the elixir box and looked up, his face serious:

"Does anyone else know about this elixir? Have you told Little Shimei?"

"No."

Li Guoer shook her head:

"It was gifted by the Long Hushan Grandmaster through Lu Ya. I haven't told anyone else."

Ouyang Rong urged:

"Don't tell anyone in the future either. This matter must be kept secret."

Li Guoer straightened her head and carefully examined Ouyang Rong's expression, which could not hide his emotion. She murmured:

"It seems it really is very useful to you. I didn't pick the wrong gift."

Ouyang Rong suddenly tossed an object over.

Li Guoer caught it subconsciously.

Looking down, it was a small wine gourd.

The one he had just hidden behind his back.

Ouyang Rong was dead serious:

"I remembered there was one pot left. Your Highness, drink carefully; don't tell the Prince or the Wang Fei."

Li Guoer:...

Beside the campfire, the little princess with plum blossom makeup gave a soft "humph." Without wasting words, she pulled out the wine stopper and tilted her head to pour the wine.

Ouyang Rong said subconsciously: "Don't put your mouth to it, leave some."

"As if I need you to tell me."

Li Guoer rolled her eyes at him. Ouyang Rong was slightly stunned; it was rare to see this little princess show such a feminine side.

The yellow, turbid wine entered her fair throat.

The young lady drank the wine in large gulps, unexpectedly showing some heroic spirit.

Ouyang Rong took a few extra looks.

Li Guoer suddenly put down the wine gourd, freed a finger from the hand holding it, and gestured to the distance: "Xie Jiejie is in my tent. I asked her to come over together to give you the fragrant sachet, but she refused to come."

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but turn his head to look at the tent that had already extinguished its lights—Little Shimei's original tent.

So Little Shimei wasn't asleep; she had just changed where she was sleeping.

Li Guoer said directly:

"If you want to go find her, I can step aside."

Ouyang Rong didn't speak, lowering his head to stare at the elixir box.

Just when Li Guoer thought he was going to agree, Ouyang Rong suddenly pointed at the elixir box, which had two pill indentations:

"There is a Long Hushan Taqing seal on the box. This elixir box is a Long Hushan specialty. Looking at the position inside, it should have originally contained two pills, and this healing elixir looks like it should be from Gezao Mountain."

He looked at Li Guoer and asked:

"Besides this Mortal-Shedding Jin Dan, did the Celestial Master's Mansion send another pill? What kind of pill was it?"

Li Guoer looked at him and didn't speak.

Ouyang Rong smiled and asked:

"Let me guess, were there two Mortal-Shedding Golden Dans?"

The two stared at each other for a while, and Li Guoer suddenly laughed:

"Ouyang Lianghan, sometimes you are annoyingly smart."

Ouyang Rong, who had already consumed one, didn't beat around the bush: "Did Your Highness take it?"

Li Guoer's expression was calm:

"I intend to save that one for the master of the Night Pearl Ding Sword."

Ouyang Rong nodded:

"《Gui Qu Lai Xi》 is a sword technique, and it is also with Your Highness."

Li Guoer nodded: "Mm, this sword technique will also be handed over to the master of the Night Pearl Ding Sword in the end."

Ouyang Rong: "Who does the little princess think is the wielder of the Night Pearl Ding Sword?"

Li Guoer nodded again:

"That will have to wait until they reach the 9th Grade of Qi-refining and test their true names."

Ouyang Rong quieted down.

Their gazes collided, and neither shifted away.

A bonfire burned quietly between them, occasionally spitting out tongues of flame.

Ouyang Rong stared at her and asked word by word:

"Why did Your Highness feel at the time that its true name was the character 'Zhao'? A newly created character."

Li Guoer tilted her head: "Didn't I tell you? I had a dream. You are a noble person, and the things you send are extraordinary, and the characters are the same."

Ouyang Rong laughed loudly:

"I've been idle these past two days and let my imagination run wild, but I did think of another possibility. Would Your Highness like to hear it?"

Li Guoer's expression was interested: "Tell me."

He said half-jokingly:

"Perhaps Your Highness is the person of flourishing Qi for it, which is why you have such a resonance."

Hearing this, Li Guoer gradually frowned, murmuring to herself:

"A person of flourishing Qi? But what is the use of that? Father and Mother do not allow me to refine Qi. When I get to Luoyang, I must cause less trouble, be low-key and docile. So what if the Qi is flourishing? What does it matter?"

Ouyang Rong's eyes narrowed:

"That day when the arrows attacked, Your Highness and the Wang Fei were strangely transferred together. Did you notice anything unusual?"

"No, it was painless and itchy. Why, did you find the reason?"

Ouyang Rong nodded: "Two possibilities. One, the Ding Sword is sentient and protects those with affinity. Two, it already has a master."

Li Guoer waved her little hand:

"Don't joke."

Ouyang Rong watched her silently for a while and said softly:

"Fine, keep the sword technique and the elixir, but you must ensure that this Ding Sword is one of our people?"

"That goes without saying." Li Guoer also nodded somewhat seriously: "It must be in our hands, even if we have to offer it up."

Ouyang Rong asked: "Do you know why the Prince doesn't let you refine Qi?"

Li Guoer nodded:

"I know. Members of the imperial family are not allowed to refine Qi. Otherwise, that mad emperor of the Sui Dynasty was the outcome—the more he cultivated, the madder he became. He was wise and martial in his early years, but foolish and paranoid in his later years, ruining the country."

Including the Sage at the time, if they wanted to mobilize the power of the Ding Sword, they all had to construct the Four Directions Great Buddha, the Songde Tian Shu, and other Taoyuan sword formations to indirectly master it.

"As long as you know."

Li Guoer asked with a smile:

"So you ruled out the possibility of letting Brother refine Qi from the beginning, and never even thought about letting him be the wielder of the Night Pearl Ding Sword."

"Mm."

Ouyang Rong nodded, pursed his lips, and continued:

"The Prince and Wang Fei don't want you to refine Qi, besides hoping for your stability and wealth, there is also this layer of reason. Princesses of the Great Zhou cannot refine Qi, just like Princess Changle. Unless you become a Daoist nun or leave the imperial family and join a worldly or hidden sect, far from the center of power, then you could cultivate to your heart's content. The Prince and Wang Fei are also afraid that you will be disliked by the Sage. After all, both Rong Zhen and Miao Zhen female historians have said that you look like the Sage when she was young. By logic, you are the easiest to win the Sage's favor. That portrait of you sent to the Imperial Clan Court is still hanging in the Shangyang Palace."

Li Guoer said softly: "I know. I don't want to become a nun either. I don't blame Father and Mother."

Ouyang Rong's eyes were faintly meaningful.

A moment later, Li Guoer glanced at the woods nearby, got up, and left.

"Someone is looking for you. Don't forget about Xie Jiejie, otherwise she'll complain again that I'm keeping her awake."

After Li Guoer left, a young girl in palace attire slowly walked out of the woods.

She came to the campfire and sat down directly opposite Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong coughed and asked:

"Why are you here?"

Rong Zhen asked back: "I am taking a walk. What are you chatting about with her in the middle of the night? A lone man and a lone woman."

"Is taking a walk insomnia? No wonder your tent didn't extinguish its fire."

Rong Zhen looked at him sideways: "You knew I wasn't asleep?"

"Mm."

"You weren't asleep either."

"Right."

"Then why didn't you come find me? I don't mean come find me to sleep—I mean, I mean, don't you have anything to say to me?"

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, "I do."

Rong Zhen said immediately: "Tell me."

Ouyang Rong probed:

"Goodnight?"

"..."

Rong Zhen's face turned cold, and she didn't want to talk to him anymore.

Ouyang Rong immediately became serious:

"I won't forget to accompany you to the Lantern Festival, but the Lantern Festival is still half a year away."

"Mm."

After Rong Zhen responded, she silently took out a long zither.

Ouyang Rong found it familiar; it seemed to be the one left behind by the old musician.

At that time, he left her a zither and left Ouyang Rong a pipa.

Rong Zhen said in a low voice:

"Time is running out. I can't be angry with you anymore. I will play the sword technique."

Before Ouyang Rong could react, the sound of a zither rang out.

Ouyang Rong quieted down.

Rong Zhen played the zither earnestly.

The firelight fell on her small face; her little nose was delicate, and her profile was exquisite and beautiful.

Ouyang Rong sat upright, his attention seemingly entirely on the zither music.

But his eyes were fixed on her face as she played the zither with dead seriousness.

The melodious, soft sound echoed through the camp, faintly carrying a sense of loneliness and sobbing.

The song ended.

Rong Zhen asked softly: "How was it?"

She noticed that Ouyang Rong's eyes were fixed on her face.

"Why are you staring at me? Did you listen to the zither?"

"I listened."

"How was it?"

"It was okay. Play it again, and I'll ponder it some more."

"Fine, listen carefully."

Rong Zhen played it again without getting tired.

The zither sound spread to the surroundings again, setting off the loneliness of the two figures, a man and a woman, by the campfire.

The song ended again.

Rong Zhen put down the zither and asked expectantly: "How was it?"

With the firelight behind him, Rong Zhen couldn't see his expression clearly.

She only saw the young man in the Confucian robe seemingly nod:

"I'm almost getting a feel for it. Can you do it again?"

Rong Zhen frowned slightly: "Could it be that I forgot the details and played it wrong?"

After saying that, she prepared to play again.

Ouyang Rong waved his hand: "Wait, maybe the position is wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Ouyang Rong signaled for Rong Zhen to stand up. He also stood up, moved a little closer, and at the same time reached out to point out her fingering in a professional manner.

The fingering was wrong. Rong Zhen's little face flushed slightly, but she kept a straight face, lowered her head, and learned somewhat coldly.

Ouyang Rong's guidance was well-founded. Although Rong Zhen had mastered the zither music, the fingering was indeed a problem.

She listened very earnestly.

Unknowingly, Ouyang Rong's arm wrapped around Rong Zhen's petite body as she held the zither.

By the moment the young girl in palace attire realized it, she was already in his arms.

"You..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly pulled her into his arms and sat down. Rong Zhen sat in his lap as a result.

The atmosphere suddenly went quiet.

At this moment, Rong Zhen was sitting with her back to Ouyang Rong, her graceful back curves completely fitting into his embrace.

Ouyang Rong felt her heat.

Rong Zhen also felt the sound of his pleasant breathing; her earlobes were itchy and hot.

"Ouyang Lianghan, you, you aren't learning the zither properly, what are you thinking? Let, let go."

Ouyang Rong shook his head calmly: "Shh, keep playing."

Rong Zhen was too shy and wanted to break free, but couldn't move. His hand hooked around her slender waist, his arm motionless, his attitude firm.

She felt someone blowing air by her burning ears, itchy and hot.

"Just play like this. Actually, I didn't grasp the sword technique just now. I'll listen closer."

Ouyang Rong whispered in her ear.

Rong Zhen's reaction weakened for a moment.

She played it again and asked in a muffled voice with her head lowered:

"Did you learn it, you dummy?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head, his tone not dejected, and said truthfully:

"No. I don't know why, but I've actually mastered the zither music, but my dantian hasn't reacted. I once secretly learned a remnant song the old musician taught you, and I suddenly grasped half of the true meaning, advancing to the early stage of the 7th Grade. I thought that now that I had obtained the complete sword technique of the Lianzhou song, I could achieve it in one step... Now it seems that my current comprehension hasn't penetrated it immediately."

Rong Zhen said with some worry:

"Then what should we do? By the way, this zither music isn't the original sword technique; it was improved by the old musician. It really does require grasping the true meaning. I was the same way at the beginning; I didn't learn it after several times. The old musician said I was 'attached to the appearance.' A person attached to the appearance cannot glimpse the true meaning of the 【Wen Emperor】 from his zither music. Later... later he said I 'broke the appearance,' and then I grasped the true meaning. Lianghan, do you also need to break the appearance?"

"So that's how it is. That explains it. Perhaps it requires an opportunity."

Ouyang Rong laughed, looking unhurried.

"You're still laughing." Rong Zhen looked back and found that his expression wasn't angry. She felt a sense of "hate that iron doesn't become steel" and for a moment forgot to break free from this incredibly shy posture.

"Don't laugh, hurry up and think of a good way. Why are you so silly? If you don't learn it, then come to Luoyang with me. You aren't allowed to go find Xiuniang. Without the sword technique, your cultivation isn't enough, and it's dangerous to go over."

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It's fine, you keep playing first."

Rong Zhen asked curiously: "Do you have a feel for it?"

Ouyang Rong said honestly:

"No... I don't have the feeling of grasping the sword intent, but I have other feelings. For me, the important thing isn't grasping the true meaning." He looked up at the bright moon in the sky and then looked at the beauty in his arms: "At least at this moment, this isn't the most important thing."

Rong Zhen quieted down for a while, and a trembling voice came: "Then, then what is?"

"What's important is that you are playing it."

She asked shyly and expectantly: "You, why are you saying these things in the middle of the night? You really don't know shame."

Rong Zhen saw Ouyang Rong lower his head as if pondering for a moment, then immediately raise his head. That face, bright as the moon, had a gentle smile:

"I just suddenly feel that Female Historian is really cute."

He pointed to the moon in the sky and said very seriously:

"Also, there are some things that if you don't say in the middle of the night, when would you say them? You love face in front of people, and I am also somewhat serious in front of people. Look, there are only two hours left until dawn. We leave at daybreak. Mm, play some more for me, okay?"

The young man rested his chin leisurely on her shoulder from behind.

Rong Zhen's eyes were red for some reason. She straightened her head, simply endured the shyness, closed her eyes, and leaned back in his arms, seeking a moment of warmth.

It was the most comfortable posture. The young lady, whose iceberg had melted, began to pull the strings with her bare hands, playing the zither music.

Amidst the zither sound, her voice, as weak as a mosquito, came: "Okay, but you have to promise me one thing."

Ouyang Rong asked with a smile: "What thing?"

"Only allow inspiration to come from listening to the music, not that thing."

He asked curiously: "What is that thing?"

Rong Zhen's eyes dodged:

"That, that bad hairpin."

Ouyang Rong:...? ===== CHAPTER 641 =====