Chapter 210: Straight Talk, A Godly Immortal Saving the World!

They say, it's not a coincidence if it isn't a story!

In such a large forest park, with five or six groups performing folk arts, how could we run into each other just by turning around?

Lin Sicheng snuck up quietly, stopping just ten centimeters away, and suddenly roared: "Stick 'em up!"

Gu Ming jumped two feet into the air in a startle.

He whipped around, face darkening as he cursed: "Lin Little Cheng, I'll screw your mom!"

"Come on, say it again!" Lin Sicheng pretended to take out his phone, "I'm recording!"

Gu Ming reached out to grab Lin Sicheng's throat: "Record your ass!"

The two of them horsed around, and Lin Sicheng took a moment to greet them, not forgetting to introduce: "Hello Xinfang, this is my cousin, Ye Anning!"

"Sister Anning, this is Xinfang, Little Gu's girlfriend!"

Ye Anning smiled: "Hello!"

Li Xinfang's eyes lit up.

Gu Ming was always nagging: Xinfang, I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at you, even more accurate than a fortune teller; have you ever met someone like that? Lin Little Cheng has finally met his match, but he deserves it.

Li Xinfang was very curious: What kind of person could make Gu Ming so shocked and be a match for Lin Sicheng?

Today, she finally saw them.

Very pretty, a great figure, gentle in speech and laughter, poised and graceful.

Compared to the close friend beside her, she was indeed a little more eye-catching.

While observing, she introduced, "Assistant Ye, Gu Ming often mentions you. This is my friend Zhuang Yi..."

With a gesture, a girl sitting on a stone bench stood up. She wasn't tall, looking delicate and refined, soft and fragile.

At first glance, she really did have a bit of that Lin Daiyu temperament.

She was also a bit introverted and didn't like to talk much; she said hello and then didn't speak again.

Very quiet, quite pitiful-looking, but Ye Anning still saw something off in the girl's eyes: when looking at Lin Sicheng, the girl held a bit of curiosity. But when looking at her, it was filled with scrutiny.

Does she know Lin Sicheng, but Lin Sicheng doesn't know her?

Thinking this over secretly, Ye Anning turned her head back, pursing her lips as she glanced at Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng realized belatedly: Could this be the girl Gu Ming mentioned a few times, the one Li Xinfang wanted to introduce to him?

It was quite awkward.

Lin Sicheng hooked his arm around Gu Ming's neck: "Watching you from afar, you looked like a giant blockhead, what are you thinking about?"

"You're the blockhead!" Gu Ming pointed, "Xinfang wants this lantern, I'm trying to guess the riddle!"

"Oh~"

Lin Sicheng responded, looking up: A basin-sized Lotus Lantern, with a frame made of thin bamboo strips, covered in pink colored paper, with a candle embedded in the center of a wire base.

Also known as a lotus lamp, it can be gifted between men and women, signifying a happy marriage. Releasing it into the water after making a wish signifies a long-lasting bond.

Looking closer, two small red paper strips hung from the side; one side read: ¥30, the other side read: Forty-five days, guess a character.

Guess correctly and take it away; if you can't guess, you can also pay to buy it.

With Gu Ming's intelligence, this wasn't hard, but his quick wit was slightly lacking. He was probably trying hard to show off in front of Li Xinfang, but in his haste, he got stuck.

If we hadn't run into each other, so be it, but since we did, I can't let Little Gu lose face...

"Hmm, pretty hard, huh?"

Lin Sicheng muttered, circling the lantern. When he turned his back to Li Xinfang, he puffed out his cheeks: "You came early, you must have almost figured it out, right?"

Gu Ming's eyes darted: "Almost!"

While responding, he thought to himself: Lin Sicheng is puffing his cheeks, could it be "Gu" (drum)?

Definitely not, there's no connection at all.

Then is it "Zhang" (swell)?

Doesn't seem like it either...

While suspicious, Lin Sicheng puffed out his chest muscles and imperceptibly patted his stomach.

Brothers for over ten years, the tacit understanding wasn't for show; Gu Ming's eyes lit up: Fat?

Haha... forty-five days, which is "Yue Ban" (half a month), put together, isn't it "Pang" (fat)?

The two exchanged a look, and Gu Ming pretended to think for a moment, then said with an "Eh": "Boss, boss, is this a 'Fat' character?"

Outside the pavilion, the boss was selling a Scent Pouch and looked back: "Right, it is 'Fat'. Young man, go ahead and take it down, bring it over and I'll register it!"

"Eh, it really is a 'Fat' character?" Lin Sicheng was surprised, giving a thumbs up, "Little Gu, you're pretty good?"

Gu Ming feigned modesty: "Just a flash of inspiration!"

Li Xinfang always felt something was wrong: Just now, looking at this lantern, Gu Ming had been thinking for almost ten minutes, and sweat was even dripping down his forehead. How did he suddenly get it the moment Lin Sicheng arrived?

Did the two of them use a secret signal?

Ye Anning didn't speak, just pursed her lips. Zhuang Yi stood quietly at the corner of the pavilion, looking at Lin Sicheng with deep meaning.

It was crafted quite well, and the materials were good; Gu Ming picked it up with a bamboo pole and handed it to Li Xinfang.

Li Xinfang looked suspicious: "Gu Ming, why don't you pick one for Eryi too!"

"No problem!" Gu Ming patted his chest, "Zhuang Yi, do you want a Lotus Lantern too?"

You really know how to pick the wrong topic: She's alone, who is she going to release it with?

With Lin Sicheng?

Li Xinfang glanced at Lin Sicheng and pointed casually: "Pick a vase!"

Likewise, all three lanterns were thirty yuan each, and all were riddles.

Looking at the riddle again:

Liu Bei cries loudly, Liu Bang laughs loudly.

Not a single one fell behind.

The person stands alone amidst falling flowers; swallows fly in pairs through the light Rain.

Gu Ming was too lazy to even use his brain, and secretly gave a wink.

Lin Sicheng said nothing; with his hands behind his back, he pretended to circle the lanterns.

When he circled to the one in the middle, he surreptitiously blinked twice.

Gu Ming squinted his eyes: What does it mean? Two, or a pair?

Two... wait, a pair?

Gu Ming suddenly raised his head, staring at the best-looking one in the middle: "The person stands alone" is the character "亻", "swallows fly in pairs" is "two", put them together, isn't it "a pair"?

The two brothers had played together since they were in diapers; in the time it took to turn around, the secret signal was already exchanged.

Gu Ming laughed, "Hehehe": "This is a 'pair', boss, I'm taking it, okay?"

Business was busy, and the boss didn't even turn his head: "Take it!"

Li Xinfang was startled: How long had the two been together? Did she not understand Gu Ming?

His brain certainly wasn't slow, but his reactions were usually a bit sluggish; Gu Ming could figure it out, but never this quickly.

He definitely signaled with Lin Sicheng.

But the problem was, she didn't know how the two did it.

The lantern was handed over, Li Xinfang smiled without a word, Zhuang Yi said thank you, and glanced at Lin Sicheng again.

Ye Anning gave a secret scoff.

The best two lanterns had been picked, and there was nothing left to see, so the group left Chenxiang Pavilion.

Down the steps was Xingqing Lake, called Panchi in the Tang Dynasty. Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan would admire flowers in spring, go boating in summer, fish in autumn, and view the snow in winter.

The ice was frozen solid, and in the middle, densely packed, a Bagua Array was surrounded by colorful lanterns.

After looking around, Ye Anning pointed not far away: "Let's go look over there!"

Lin Sicheng glanced: Longtang, the main hall of Xingqing Palace?

The main lantern on the roof of the hall was bigger than a house.

That one, of course, couldn't be guessed, and it probably wasn't for sale. But under the hall beams and on the pillars, it was densely packed with lanterns.

There were large ones and small ones, with diverse shapes and beautiful forms. The best-looking ones were those Palace Lanterns: the frames were carved wood, either hexagonal or octagonal, covered with light gauze featuring Color Painting, and red tassels hung from the four sides.

They were painted with silhouette-style Landscape Pattern, showing great skill and a high level of artistry. Even if the artist wasn't a master, they were definitely an expert.

Candles were lit inside, and the silhouettes on the lantern faces turned constantly, vivid and lifelike.

This thing was what was called a Zoumaling, also known as a Panchilamp or Xianyin Candle.

It must be very expensive, and the lantern riddles must be very difficult.

"Let's go take a look, if we're lucky, we'll pick one for our junior brother!" Lin Sicheng went down the steps, "Do you want one?"

The latest novels are first published here!

Ye Anning pursed her lips: "Yes!"

Li Xinfang and Zhuang Yi exchanged a look: they had just come from over there, and had only taken a look.

Because those lanterns were just for show, and weren't meant to be guessed at all: "Death is lighter than a feather," guess a line from the Records of the Grand Historian...

How many characters are in the Records of the Grand Historian? Five hundred and thirty thousand; who has the free time to memorize that?

And they were sold at a wicked price: eight hundred for one.

With these thoughts, the group followed along.

Just as they reached the bottom of the steps, Ye Anning pointed at a hexagonal Palace Lantern: "How about this one?"

Lin Sicheng took a look: "It's woven from wire, not very sturdy, the pattern is a bit simple, and it doesn't turn!"

"Oh~" Ye Anning nodded, and looked at the side.

Gu Ming followed behind and glanced: it wasn't a Zoumaling, just an ordinary Palace Lantern made of bamboo strips, but compared to the two in the hands of Li Xinfang and Zhuang Yi, it was much better looking.

Looking at the riddle: "Left eighteen, right eighteen, two fours make eight, one eight makes eight."

Looking at the price: one hundred.

After staring for a while, he looked at Li Xinfang and Zhuang Yi: "Do you want to trade? If you want to trade, let Lin Sicheng help you guess it!"

Gu Ming, are you not even pretending anymore?

Li Xinfang was between laughter and tears: It was so beautiful, of course she wanted to trade. But you're giving me a lantern, and you're letting Lin Sicheng guess?

Besides, although this was a word riddle, it was truly hard to guess. Just for this one, she and Zhuang Yi had pondered for over ten minutes.

"So what? He's my brother, when we get married, you'll be his sister-in-law!"

Li Xinfang hit him: "Who's getting married to you!"

Gu Ming didn't care at all, raising his head: "Lin Cheng-wa, what character is this?"

Lin Sicheng was concise: "Fan!"

Stunned for a moment, Li Xinfang began to draw in her palm. But after drawing for a long time, she still couldn't figure it out.

"Left eighteen" and "right eighteen" were easy to understand, they were two "wood" characters; the "one plus eight" at the bottom was a "big" character, but what about the middle?

"Lin Sicheng, the '爻' in the middle, why is it also eight? Is it because it looks like two eights?"

"No, it's based on the Zhouyi Bagua: the yang line is —, representing nine, the yin line is 乂, representing one; yin and yang cancel each other out, resulting in eight... and because there are only four strokes, it's 'two fours make eight'..."

Li Xinfang blinked her eyes: No... it's just guessing a word riddle, isn't this making things difficult for people?

Among the thousands of people in the park right now, how many understand the Book of Changes Eight Trigrams?

Just as Gu Ming was about to trot off to exchange for the lantern, Li Xinfang pulled him back, looked at the one in Zhuang Yi's hand, and raised her head:

"Lin Sicheng, can you help Zhuang Yi pick one too... um, this one is also pretty: 'Ziyou', guess an ancient variety show, what is this?"

"I have to think about this one?" Lin Sicheng appeared to be in deep thought, then looked at Ye Anning, "Do you know?"

He can even recite the *Analects* by heart, so how could he not know?

Ye Anning pursed her lips and smiled: "Rat play! Ziyou was a disciple of Confucius, surnamed 'Yan' and named 'Yan'. 'Yan' is interchangeable with 'mole', which is a mole-rat, and 'you' means play, extended to mean rat play!"

Gu Ming rolled his eyes and nimbly stepped down from the platform. In just two minutes, someone came over carrying a long forked pole.

He even peered at them carefully several times, as if suspecting them of cheating.

Then he took down the lanterns, which were exactly the two that had just been guessed.

Lin Sicheng pointed to the side again: "Trouble you, master, please take these two as well: 'Abundant food and clothing', from *Mencius, King Hui of Liang, Part I*: 'The common people will not be hungry or cold...' 'Unconscious', meaning ignorant, echoing the *Art of War* by Sun Tzu, 'know the heaven and know the earth'..."

Glancing at the two Zoumaling Palace Lanterns on the hall beam, the staff member was stunned: No... are you here to wreck the place?

Didn't you see the "1200" hanging on the door beam?

But since someone guessed it, could they really refuse to redeem it?

He stared at Lin Sicheng for a long while before taking the lanterns down.

Li Xinfang was stunned and speechless, subconsciously turning his head back, while Zhuang Yi lowered her eyes.

As a simple favor, Lin Sicheng helped Gu Ming guess one as well. The five of them carried the lanterns through the main hall, drawing countless gazes.

The last two were one thing, but those three Zoumaling were the only three wood-carved Landscape Pattern Palace Lanterns redeemed today.

The carved lanterns were quite heavy and inconvenient to carry, so Gu Ming suggested putting them in the car before walking around more. The group bypassed Longtang and followed the corridor to the main entrance.

The Folk Performance troupe had changed venues, the iron flower troupe was preparing molten iron, and the lanterns on the square were all lit up; there were even more people than in the afternoon.

Lin Sicheng checked his watch: "It's only five o'clock, do you want to wait and watch the iron flowers?"

Ye Anning was somewhat tempted, but after thinking about it, she shook her head: "Let's go back and have hand-pulled noodles!"

"My mom would let you go hungry?"

"It's impolite to go back late!"

The two whispered to each other, and Li Xinfang sighed secretly: Have they already met the parents?

Pity, the falling flowers have intent, but the flowing water has no heart.

He was also bored, taking Zhuang Yi to Xida for what?

Just as he was feeling annoyed, Gu Ming pointed forward: "Hey, a Daoist... a Daoist is also watching the Folk Performance?"

The group turned their heads in unison: Not far away, just seven or eight steps from them, at the entrance of the side room of the Xingqing Palace side hall, stood a thin Daoist.

His long hair was tied in a bun, his long beard was Floating, and he held an Incense Burner in his hand, with wisps of smoke rising one after another. He looked truly like an immortal with a refined air, pine-like posture, and youthful face, as if he had walked out of a television show.

Seeing such an outfit in the city nowadays felt quite striking, and looking behind the Daoist, it was even more striking:

A small storefront with a Bagua hanging on the door lintel, and a couplet in gold characters on a black background hanging on both sides:

The trigrams are arranged in the Pre-Heaven, Qian and Kun establish the ultimate to produce odd and even.

The principles contain the Taiji, water and fire shift palaces to use Kan and Li.

Gu Ming also took a couple of looks: "Lin Sicheng, what do those two lines mean?"

Lin Sicheng narrowed his eyes: "Iron-mouthed direct judgment, a god-like immortal saving the world!"

Gu Ming let out a "Ha": "What big talk?"

Before the words had even faded, Lin Sicheng was already walking over. Gu Ming was startled: "What are you doing?"

"Let him calculate for me when I'll get rich."

"You're really bored... you'd be better off asking me to calculate it for you?"

Lin Sicheng was naturally spouting nonsense, but the key was the Incense Burner the Daoist was holding: two cranes, an ancient pine, surrounded by auspicious clouds and sea waves on the edges... golden light faintly appeared, and the ancient bronze shone with brilliance.

At first glance, it really looked a bit like the Cuojinyunhexianyunlu from the time when the World Honored One revered the Dao (Yongzheng)...

(End of chapter)