Chapter 68: A pair of eyes under the bamboo hat, how about a bet?

【Lu Yu, hearing the narrative about the Central Ziwei Emperor ruling the world and the Daoist running away, cannot help but laugh out loud.】

【His laughter echoes in the empty temple, appearing particularly distinct.】

【You, however, feel quite helpless, having already sorted out the general context of events like the note hidden in the fish belly and the stone stele falling from the sky.】

【Entering the capital this time, it seems there will be many more things to add, you think to yourself.】

【You can likely take this opportunity to meet some old friends.】

【Since the two of you entered the temple, you have been sitting quietly without making a sound, wearing bamboo hats to cover your faces; at this moment, everyone's gaze is focused on you.】

【The woman in green's eyes light up, seemingly finally having an opportunity to chat.】

【She casts her gaze toward you and asks hurriedly: "I wonder what high opinion the two of you have?"】

【Lu Yu waves his hand and does not continue speaking.】

【However, the woman in green clearly does not intend to let you go; she continues to press: "Could it be that the two of you are implying something? Are you also heading to the capital?"】

【The woman in green is named Su Ziyin.】

【Su Ziyin's father is a deputy general of the Yuetang River military governor, with four or five thousand soldiers under his command, holding an important position in the army; he is a true local powerhouse.】

【Three generations of the family foundation are all in the Yuetang River, and when convenient, they can gather ten thousand soldiers.】

【It can be called a family of wealth and status, yet the only daughter in the family has not been raised with any arrogance, and the family style is very upright.】

【This is also the reason why she can chat so speculatively with the two scholars whose origins are like clouds and mud.】

【Not a bit of arrogance!】

【Su Ziyin's mind is sharp; the thoughts of the handsome youth playing chess opposite are like a clear mirror in her eyes, nothing more than "grandstanding."】

【By comparison, the several brothers in her family are much deeper in their ways than him; at least several sisters-in-law are devoted to them.】

【The eldest son of the family inherits the foundation and is cultivated as the second generation, while the other sons are provided with resources by the family to develop according to their own abilities.】

【Peering at her cousin?】

【Su Ziyin shakes her head; a toad wanting to eat swan meat!】

【Her cousin's father is a martial arts Grandmaster, and it is said that her cousin can defeat her father.】

【However, she has never seen her cousin practice martial arts all these years, nor has she ever made a move.】

【Her cousin's family is based in the Jianghu, and the two families are true family friends; her father is also the personal guard of Su Ziyin's father, but she and her cousin don't get along very well in terms of personality.】

【Her cousin is also going to the capital!】

【Su Ziyin came today to see off her cousin who was heading to the capital; her original intention was just to go out to relax, but she didn't expect to encounter heavy rain.】

【Her father and uncle, who originally came with her, left in a hurry because they encountered a summons from a big shot, leaving only her and her cousin to take shelter from the rain in the dilapidated temple.】

【Although it is a dilapidated temple, Su Ziyin's father was not too worried about her safety, instead reassuringly saying: "With your cousin by your side, it's hard for ordinary people to hurt you."】

【In addition, the dilapidated temple is not far from Yuetang River City, and it takes more than an hour by fast horse to reach it, which is one of the reasons why her father and the others were at ease leaving her there.】

【However, Su Ziyin's mind is not on taking shelter from the rain.】

【She has been paying attention to a middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat in the temple.】

【Just when entering the door, that middle-aged man glanced up.】

【That moment!】

【Su Ziyin happened to see it.】

【That person walked into the temple in the thunderstorm outside, and under the bamboo hat was a pair of eyes she couldn't describe—extremely bright, yet carrying a sense of stillness and thoroughness.】

【As if they could discern the human heart and see through everything in the world.】

【She really couldn't forget it.】

【Su Ziyin had never seen such eyes, firm and unwavering, yet carrying a sense of gentleness.】

【Even though her father held high power and lived in a high position for a long time, she had never seen eyes that seemed so worldly-wise, with everything in the world in his chest.】

【Her heart was filled with curiosity; what kind of experience, what kind of person!】

【Could have such eyes.】

【And what is the identity of this middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat?】

【Su Ziyin's thoughts drifted to those stories of talented scholars and beautiful women, and in her mind appeared the encounter between a down-and-out scholar and a daughter of a wealthy family in a dilapidated temple, "When the golden wind and jade dew meet, they surpass countless people in the world."】

【Joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, parental obstruction, it is truly moving!】

【Su Ziyin smiled; the identity of the daughter of a wealthy family is certainly certain, but the figure opposite may not be that down-and-out scholar.】

【The dilapidated temple is consistent with the story, but it's a pity that the so-called encounter is missing.】

【The middle-aged man seems to have no interest in her, nor even in her beautiful cousin or the beautiful woman on the side.】

【He didn't even pay much attention to them.】

【You did not respond to Su Ziyin's question.】

【The rain gradually weakened; you looked toward the outside of the temple and smiled at everyone: "The rain has lessened; you may set off."】

【Your gaze focused again on the green-robed Daoist at the door; this Grandmaster clearly came prepared and likely will not let it go easily.】

【Lu Yu's voice echoed in your ear, transmitting sound: "Brother, that woman in white seems different; although she hasn't practiced deeply, she has the strength of a Grandmaster."】

【"I didn't notice it just now; only when she had emotional fluctuations did I perceive it."】

【"Over the years, I have indeed encountered many such people down the mountain; they are not obsessed with conventional cultivation but can directly cultivate spiritual energy."】

【"The fifth, Yang Su, is one of them; if I hadn't deliberately suppressed the major acupuncture points in his body, and he had gone through years of tempering to complete his muscles and bones, he would have already reached the Grandmaster level; given time, Grandmaster is just a matter of time."】

【You nodded slightly; among Lu Yu's seven disciples, Yang Su had the highest talent.】

【You once heard Lu Yu mention such people with strange talents; they are hard to find in a million.】

【Master Jin Chan flipped through ancient books, and it is recorded that before the sky tilted, these people were called "Immortal Masters" or "Dao Bodies."】

【At that time, once such people were discovered down the mountain, they would be sent to the mountains to practice Dao and become immortal beings looked up to by the world.】

【Now that spiritual energy has recovered, these people will naturally start to cultivate spiritual energy; although they have no orthodox method, over time, they can also reach the strength of a Grandmaster.】

【However, the disadvantage is that there is no orthodox cultivation method, and they rely entirely on their own feelings; in the end, spiritual energy washes through the meridians, and they will only age prematurely.】

【The internal organs are filled with spiritual energy, but there is no method for cultivation apertures, leading to illness.】

【However, such people have already exceeded ordinary people in speed, strength, and agility, and can be compared to Grandmaster-level martial arts experts.】

【At this moment!】

【The green-robed Daoist at the door looked into the distance at the clouds and rain in the sky, only to see thunder rumbling, but the falling rain had become sparse.】

【The rain curtain on the horizon seemed to be evaporated, turning into wisps of clouds.】

【The green-robed Daoist walked slowly into the temple, his gaze sweeping over everyone, a smile on the corner of his mouth.】

【"Everyone, why not make a bet with me?" he said softly.】

【"The bet is life, and it is also death."】

【You frowned upon hearing this, while the others in the temple appeared blank.】

【The woman in white's eyes moved!】

【The sturdy man with the saber sensed something wrong intuitively; he gripped the hilt of his saber tightly, approached slowly, and pretended to be calm:】

【"You Daoist, what nonsense are you talking about!"】

【However, the green-robed Daoist just walked over with light steps and patted the sturdy man on the shoulder lightly.】

【The sturdy man was instantly like a windmill swept by a gale, spinning in the air.】

【Then he fell to the ground uncontrollably, face down, unable to get up again.】

【The sturdy man with the saber's eyes shook violently; he couldn't believe it.】

【"Grand... Grandmaster!"】

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 69 =====