Chapter 643: 543

543. "Still a Gentleman" 【High-Energy Introduction, Foreshadowing Recovery!】

Besides the skirt knife, there was an extra jade pendant on Ouyang Rong's waist.

Pushed on the shoulder, he still stood in place, silent for a long time.

The crowd around didn't speak, also watching silently.

Rong Zhen was also much quieter, standing in place with her hands in her sleeves, unexpectedly not stepping forward to disturb them with a cold face this time, just shifting her gaze away.

But after a while, she couldn't help but take another look.

Perhaps because there is one thing that all eyes in the world have to admit: this pair of senior brother and junior sister, standing together, have a matching style, like a perfect match.

Not only is the height harmonious—one slender, one tall—but they are also truly handsome and beautiful.

Xie Lingjiang waited for a while, seeing that Ru Shixiong didn't move, whispered "Dummy," and backhanded to pull out the skirt knife from his waist, and then took his right hand.

Xie Lingjiang used the blade to accurately and lightly cut his index finger, picked a small drop of fingertip blood, and with a flick of the blade, the small blood drop fell silently onto the white jade pendant.

The white deer-shaped jade pendant trembled slightly, the jade body lit up faintly, then sank down, and returned to normal... as if completing some kind of activation ritual.

Taking his fingertip blood, Xie Lingjiang didn't care about the gazes of the people around, opened her sandalwood mouth, wrapped around his bleeding middle finger, and held it in her mouth, sucking to stop the bleeding.

She lowered her head and busied herself, while Ouyang Rong stood silently in place.

Looking at the Little Shimei who rushed to see him in red, Ouyang Rong suddenly thought of the scene when he first saw her at the Sanhui Courtyard of Donglin Temple.

At that time, she was also in red, bright and brilliant, against the sunlight, appearing in front of him.

The young lady in red was like a flame, making the warm sun of the human world dim by three points.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head and silently touched the life-bound jade pendant exclusive to a gentleman on his waist.

Speaking of which, in the past, it was mostly Ouyang Rong who gave gifts to others, whether by offering strategic advice or acting with such generosity that he treated rare treasures like dirt, bestowing them without seeking anything in return.

Although Rong Zhen and Li Guoer also snuck over for a night talk last night, gifting him parting gifts.

But if you calculate carefully, the person who has taken the initiative to give him the most gifts for a long time has always been Little Shimei.

Including Wang Lixian and Ye Weilai, the people around him seemed to subconsciously default to Ouyang Rong being the strong one, and the strong don't seek from the outside.

However, Little Shimei has always been thinking about what "Ru Shixiong" is missing and what needs to be sent.

Except for Xiuniang, Little Shimei is also the only person who treats him well without asking for anything in return.

The two women don't want anything; they just want to give a little, always thinking about what they can give him.

Coming back to his senses, Little Shimei seems to be looking over.

Ouyang Rong avoided her gaze, took out a fragrant sachet with a red signed paper from his arms, and handed it to Xie Lingjiang.

"I haven't found Xiuniang yet. This is what Xiuniang gave you. It's most appropriate to keep it with you."

Xie Lingjiang looked at the fragrant sachet; it was what she had handed to Ouyang Rong before they parted last time.

It was also what Xiuniang gave her, and there was a marriage sign king inside.

"Mm."

Xie Lingjiang suddenly put away the protective amulet fragrant sachet, placed it properly, and said earnestly to Ouyang Rong:

"I remembered one thing on the way back. Before we parted in Xunyang City, did Xiuniang promise you that she would wait for you in the courtyard of Huaiye Lane or the courtyard of Shiniang?"

"Mm."

Xie Lingjiang raised her plain hand and tidied the collar for Ru Shixiong.

She smiled like a flower and said:

"That's perfect. You return to Xunyang. If you still can't find anyone, don't be anxious. You can wait in these two courtyards for a while.

"Xiuniang's temperament looks soft, but she is actually the most stubborn, soft on the outside and hard on the inside. As long as she remembers what she promised you, she will never forget and will definitely fulfill it.

"According to Daoist Zhang, it is very likely that she was injured by an accident that day and was sent back to Yunmeng Sword Marsh by the Second Female Historian. Once she wakes up, she will definitely try to return. You must pay attention and don't miss her. It's best to send people to watch over the two courtyards..."

Ouyang Rong nodded earnestly: "Alright, remembered."

Xie Lingjiang found that Ouyang Rong had been staring at her while she was talking.

Lowering her eyes, she found that she was still holding his arm, half-sucking his middle finger that had stopped bleeding.

At this time, her peripheral vision noticed the same look from the people around.

A blush appeared on Xie Lingjiang's face. She immediately let go of his arm, shifted her gaze, and said quickly:

"Alright, I've said everything I wanted to say. Nothing else. Does Ru Shixiong have anything else to say to everyone?"

"Mm."

Ouyang Rong's expression returned to calm, and the hand with the warm middle finger was retracted into his sleeve.

Xie Lingjiang secretly handed over a handkerchief, which he accepted tacitly and tucked into his sleeve to wipe his hand.

At the same time, Ouyang Rong looked at Lu Ya and Zhang Shixiu in front of everyone.

Wang Lixian understood in a second, but Li Guoer was faster than him.

The little princess's voice was crisp:

"Daoist Zhang, Daoist Lu, can you avoid us for a moment?"

Lu Ya and Zhang Shixiu looked at each other and left temporarily, walking to the intersection ahead to keep watch.

Only then did Ouyang Rong walk toward Li Dalang with big strides.

He took a wine pot from his sleeve and handed it to his friend:

"Drink it."

Li Dalang was curious: "What kind of wine is this?"

Under Ouyang Rong's earnest gaze, he was halfway through speaking, but still honestly took it.

Muttering "It won't be your wedding wine," he tilted his head and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Dalang drank the strange wine, and Wang Lixian, Li Guoer, and Wei Mei didn't stop him at all, trusting Ouyang Rong implicitly.

"Cough, cough... Pfft, pfft..."

Li Dalang drank halfway and almost vomited from nausea, but Ouyang Rong was fast, covering his mouth.

"Dalang, swallow it, don't waste it."

"Tan... Tanlang, what did you add..."

Li Dalang asked with wide eyes, his mouth slurring.

His mouth was sour and bitter, like dishwater, and there were still residues, but facing Ouyang Rong's urging gaze, Li Dalang still endured the nausea and drank the wine pot dry.

Ouyang Rong nodded: "What did you taste?"

"Like horse urine."

Ouyang Rong didn't look at Zhang and Lu in the distance, narrowed his eyes and said:

"I mean, didn't you recognize it? You've drunk it once."

Li Dalang was puzzled for a moment, and his face suddenly cleared:

"You mean the talisman water? Last time Elder Yuan..."

Halfway through, he was interrupted by Ouyang Rong raising his hand.

Li Dalang stopped instantly.

Beside them, Xie Lingjiang, Wang Lixian, and Li Guoer exchanged glances, with a sense of realization in their eyes.

Another descent talisman.

Ouyang Rong urged carefully:

"Dalang has had one experience. If you encounter danger, whether on the way north or after arriving in the Divine Capital, remember that formula."

Li Dalang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, muttering: "Alright, alright, don't worry Tanlang, next time it definitely won't be in a place like under a skirt..."

Ouyang Rong was lowering his head to rummage through his arms, and was slightly stunned at the words, looking up strangely:

"What under a skirt?"

Li Dalang shook his head firmly: "Nothing, nothing."

Ouyang Rong always felt his reaction was strange, but couldn't say why.

He continued to rummage through his arms, and a moment later, took out a string of wooden Buddhist beads with cracks and handed them to Li Dalang.

"Carry it with you. After reciting the formula, be sure to ensure this object is on you."

Li Dalang's face was puzzled, but he still honestly agreed:

"Understood, Lianghan."

He took the Buddhist beads and strung them on his wrist very preciously.

On the scene, the gazes of Xie Lingjiang, Rong Zhen, Li Guoer, and other women all fell on these Buddhist beads. Their eyes were different.

Ouyang Rong's gaze slowly withdrew from the wooden Buddhist beads that had once "saved a life."

Last night, besides drawing red and black talismans, he also drew several Kui Star talismans, consuming merit and imprinting them into these Buddhist beads.

There is secret gold inside the Buddhist beads, which can be considered a semi-finished fake Ding Sword.

And he only needs to finish constructing the Taoyuan sword formation of 【Craftsman】 another day to sense it.

Ouyang Rong turned around, looked around at the crowd, and after a moment of silence, walked toward Rong Zhen.

Since arriving at the camp entrance, Rong Zhen had her hands in front of her, always holding a food box.

However, just when Xie Lingjiang rushed over, she quietly put the food box behind her back and put her hands behind her back as well.

Ouyang Rong came to Rong Zhen, and without saying a word, picked up the food box she had hidden behind her back.

Before he could speak, Rong Zhen curled her lips:

"Don't look, I'm hungry, I'll drink an extra bowl, none for her." After a pause, she emphasized: "I'll drink two extra bowls, none for you either."

Ouyang Rong quieted down and handed the food box to Xie Lingjiang. The latter opened the food box and saw three bowls of steaming fish soup. She looked at Rong Zhen more, and her eyes were slightly gentler.

Rong Zhen's face turned red, she raised her chin high, and her tone was somewhat excited:

"Ouyang Lianghan, tell her not to be self-indulgent."

Ouyang Rong had to nod: "Mm, mm."

He took Rong Zhen's somewhat struggling hand and put a string of eighteen seeds on her.

Rong Zhen's movements stopped abruptly. For a while, she looked at Ouyang Rong, and then at this unique fake Ding Sword.

"Speaking of which, these eighteen seeds were first given to Aunt by you, which counts as a cycle of cause and effect.

"Actually, I wanted to say on the way that I was very sorry for destroying the Donglin Buddha that gathered your hard work. The Donglin Buddha was one of the fake Ding Swords of the 【Wen Emperor】, and it was also a precious quota promised to you by the imperial court. Since that's the case, I'll compensate you with another one, so it won't affect your future."

The young girl in plain white palace attire had a somewhat stuttering face for the first time:

"But it's different. This is the only fake Ding Sword of the 【Wen Emperor】, just like that Peach Blossom Spring map of 【Scholar】, stronger than a fake Ding Sword, and has uniqueness. Besides, the Buddha was also your hard work, Lianghan. This one you are compensating me with is already over-quota."

Ouyang Rong shook his head:

"This is the explanation I want to give you. That Ding Sword was offered by the Prince, and your standing in the open is not good. It's best to draw a line with the Prince and continue to be neutral, but you can't get the credit for this Ding Sword either. You take this fake Ding Sword back to the palace, and the responsibility for the collapse of the Buddha can be easily removed. Even as the holder of the only fake Ding Sword, you can have merit without fault, plus the inheritance of the lamp-bearer I intercepted for you, your status in the palace will be secure."

Rong Zhen couldn't help herself: "Not just secure, I can even rise instead of falling."

Ouyang Rong reached out, helped her with the hairpin that was tilted due to her excited head-shaking on her high bun, and smiled:

"That's good. When you return to the capital this time, please help me protect the Prince's family. When we reach the Divine Capital, we will part ways and each be well. You can continue to be your True Immortal Princess and Colorful Clothes Female Historian."

Rong Zhen stared straight at him with clear eyes and said: "But you know, I will have selfish motives, new selfish motives. You said it yourself, everyone has selfish motives."

She didn't wait for Ouyang Rong to ask what her new selfish motive was. Beside her, Xie Lingjiang had already finished half a bowl of fish soup, her willow eyes somewhat curved as she praised:

"The soup is delicious, thank you, Female Historian Rong."

Rong Zhen hummed and turned her face away.

Ouyang Rong didn't ask about her new selfish motive now, took out a memorial from his arms again, and handed it to Rong Zhen:

"After I return to Xunyang, the Cishi Mansion will immediately submit a memorial to the imperial court about the battle of Shuangfeng Peak. This is a draft. I drafted it on the way. You can take a look first and submit one if the situation requires."

Rong Zhen understood in a second, took the memorial, and scanned it quickly.

She had a bottom line in her heart.

This is called aligning the tone.

Rong Zhen pondered:

"Alright, but don't worry. Even if your identity as the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower is leaked, your Ding Sword will be safe. That Night Pearl Ding Sword that the Xunyang Prince wants to offer can cover for you. At worst, we can unify the caliber and say that the Night Pearl Ding Sword is your Ding Sword and has already been offered to the Holy Zhou... This can replace the beam with a pillar."

"This is a good idea."

Ouyang Rong smiled.

Turning his head, he finally urged everyone one last time:

"Does anyone have anything else?"

Madam Zhen suddenly said in a low voice:

"Tanlang, speaking of which, is that Sword Marsh that took Xiuniang away powerful? If you exert your strength, can you suppress this so-called Sword Marsh?"

Seeing Aunt's cautious expression, Ouyang Rong hesitated and said:

"Theoretically, yes." After a pause, "I suppressed it once."

Hearing this, Madam Zhen seemed to be relieved, patted Ouyang Rong's shoulder with a bright smile, and the lady revealed a mean and disdainful tone, proudly raising her chin:

"That Yunmeng Sword Marsh dared to snatch our daughter-in-law. Tanlang, bring her back. We don't care about that money."

She took out a string of money and handed it to Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong took the heavy copper coins and was somewhat stunned.

"Why is Aunt still keeping it?"

"Of course."

Madam Zhen sighed:

"This string of money wasn't returned to Xiuniang at the birthday banquet before, because I felt at the time that it seemed unnecessary to return it, and the past was the past. But now I find that she was taken away by people from that Sword Marsh, and I feel it is very necessary to return this string of money."

"Alright, redeem her."

Ouyang Rong smiled and put away the string of "Xiuniang's redemption money," and mounted his horse.

Ye Weilai held the small bundle and followed obediently.

Just then, Caishou, who was beside Li Guoer, suddenly ran up and tugged at Ouyang Rong's clothes:

"Ouyang Young Master, Weilai Meimei isn't coming, and I'm under some pressure. I'm afraid I won't be able to be a good sword wielder. Can Young Master teach me, so I can feel at ease."

Ouyang Rong looked at Li Guoer, and then at the little maid with the bun face.

The young man suddenly smiled:

"Being a sword wielder is actually very simple. You only need to remember that one feeling. It is—you only have one chance for a sword, and all your relatives and friends are behind you. For this sword, you are only allowed to win and not allowed to lose."

The young man in the Confucian robe didn't know who he was saying this to, nor did he know if he was referring to something.

Caishou was thoughtful.

The little girl with plum blossom makeup, who had once dodged crossbow arrows with Wei Mei like a teleportation, looked at Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong turned his horse around, carrying a scroll on his back, and prepared to drive away.

Li Guoer suddenly raised her hand, holding a piece of old paper between two fingers, and waved it:

"Ouyang Lianghan, this character is what you gave me. When I get to the Divine Capital, I want to offer it to the Imperial Grandmother... Zhao... Zhao... It has the same pronunciation as the Imperial Grandmother's taboo name, just like the Holy Zhou Son of Heaven, the sun and moon are in the sky, shining on all people. The Imperial Grandmother will definitely love it!"

The back of the young man in the Confucian robe paused. Not knowing what he thought of, he didn't look back and laughed loudly:

"Your Highness is truly smart. Perhaps next time we meet in the Divine Capital, you will already be a Great Zhou orthodox princess who is famous in the world, favored in the capital, and has a dazzling array of titles, hahahahaha..."

Li Guoer's eyes stared quietly at this dashing back.

The crowd around also watched Ouyang Rong go away with reluctance.

Ouyang Rong didn't look back the whole time, and his back disappeared into the woods.

"... What a Tanlang, such style, this is the Tanlang in this Prince's heart..."

Wang Lixian sighed with emotion, then turned around and greeted everyone to set off, moving in the opposite direction.

Xie Lingjiang suddenly asked Li Guoer, who was looking on in a daze:

"Guoer Meimei, I remember you like to comment on the heroes of the world throughout history. I've always wanted to ask, what do you think of my senior brother?"

Li Guoer's expression seemed to come back to her senses.

She glanced at her best friend Xie Lingjiang, who had a proud face and was expecting an answer, turned around, and boarded the carriage back to the capital lightly.

"Him..."

Her specific expression couldn't be seen, but she sneered lightly:

"Still a gentleman."

The little princess with plum blossom makeup entered the carriage.

The gray-blue curtain covered it. Xie Lingjiang and the crowd outside were all busy. In a place they couldn't see, the little princess whispered to herself again:

"If not for a true gentleman, who could reach this point." ===== CHAPTER 644 =====