No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 772: Everything has a lifespan, and everyone has selfish desires

After asking for the purple pill and the thunder talisman, Master Yuan was away for a full hour.

Li Xian, Li Guoer, Wei Mei and others continued to stay in the ice cellar, closing the stone door tightly and waiting quietly.

Lu Ya left with Master Yuan Lao, just in case, in case the sound of the zither came again.

An hour later, the old Taoist priest and his disciple leisurely returned to the ruins of the inner residence of Xunyang Palace.

Xie Lingjiang also came back with them.

She was wearing a royal blue men's suit today and holding a sword in one hand, looking very dashing.

However, her cuffs were stained with dust and broken leaves, and the hem of her dress was stained with spots of red blood. The interweaving of blue and red was quite conspicuous. She must have driven into the mountains, abandoned the car, and moved through the dense forest, where she had a fight with those pirates.

The three of them walked through the ruins and came to the ice cellar.

After receiving the signal, the stone door slowly opened.

While waiting, Xie Lingjiang frowned subconsciously and glanced at "Li Dalang" next to him.

There was still some surprise in his eyes.

It seems that he was deeply impressed by the scene when "Li Dalang" suddenly arrived and dealt with the pirates not long ago.

Perhaps that sudden scene was too contrasting.

In her eyes, Li Dalang was just a weakling in the past, but today he suddenly showed his might. Although she knew that it was the old Taoist priest Yuan who brought down his powers, it was still very abrupt and shocking when she saw it with her own eyes.

Lu Ya stood behind "Li Dalang" respectfully.

Xie Lingjiang stood a little further away, reached his hand into his sleeve without making a sound, and quietly pressed down a small "restless" ink stick.

She was a woman of the Five Surnames, born in the Jinling branch of Chenjun Xie's family, the top aristocratic family in Jiangzuo. Because of her family's connections with her father, she was actually most familiar with Yuqing Pavilion and Zaoshan among the Three Pure Ones, followed by Longhushan. On the contrary, she had hardly any dealings with Shangqing Maoshan.

As for this old Taoist priest Yuan, whom he had never met before, he had only heard the stories told by Li Xian's family. Today was their first meeting.

In fact, it is normal. Shangqing is the inner part of the Three Pure Ones. There are the fewest Taoists in the Patriarch Hall, and outsiders do not have much contact with it.

The inside is different from the outside. It is used to be stained with blood and has always been kept secret and will never be brought to the surface.

The crumbling stone door opened again, and Li Xian and others walked out.

"Old Heavenly Master, you are back!"

"Xiao Xiao, are you okay?"

Wei Mei stepped forward, grabbed Xie Lingjiang's arm, and began to examine it with some concern.

Although Li Guoer did not show any concern, she also walked to Xie Lingjiang's side.

The two girls exchanged glances.

Xie Lingjiang nodded slightly to indicate that everything was fine.

Li Guoer breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Xian, Wei Mei and others also showed relief and joy.

Although they are both staff members and guards, Xie Lingjiang and Lu Ya have completely different status in the hearts of Li Xian's family.

It’s not because of Xie Lingjiang’s father Xie Xun. After all, Lu Ya also has a master, Yuan Lao Tianshi.

The biggest reason is Ouyang Rong.

As Tan Lang's "fiancée" in a sense, her status in the palace is of course transcendent.

If anything unexpected happened, Li Xian and Wei Mei wouldn't know how to explain to Tan Lang. It would be too embarrassing to face people.

This was also one of the reasons why Wei Mei was particularly angry when she found out not long ago that Lu Ya did not carry out the plan and left Xie Lingjiang alone to lure away the pirates in Kuanglu Mountain.

At this time, Xie Lingjiang spoke first:
"Thanks to the old Heavenly Master for arriving in time. The sound of the piano exposed my position. Five middle-level pirates were chasing me. It was a bit difficult to deal with them."

After a pause, she continued in a tone of admiration:
"On the way back, the old Taoist priest took us to deal with the remaining two. We should have dealt with them all. Now we can leave the city without any worries. We can go to Longcheng by water or to Kuanglu Mountain by land."

Li Xian and others breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master Rong, please tell me your fortune."

The old Taoist subconsciously raised his hand to stroke his beard and told fortunes with one hand. However, after raising his hand, he found that the prince had no beard. The old Taoist smiled, rubbed his stubble, and continued to tell fortunes.

After a while, he pointed in the direction of Xunyang Ferry:
"Take this road, the hexagram indicates that there will be no danger."

"Any near miss?"

Li Xian and the others looked at each other, but still nodded in agreement.

As long as there is no danger, as for "thrills", which of the things that happened today was not thrilling?

After the old Taoist priest finished doing all this, he took out the last few light red Qi-replenishing pills from his sleeve and calmly swallowed them into his mouth.

He took a long breath, as if he had relaxed for a while, as if he had lighted another stick of incense, and spoke again:
"I have three more things to say, but the first two need to be told to someone."

The old Taoist looked at Li Guoer and gestured to the side:
"Your Highness, little princess, please follow me."

Li Guoer looked at everyone, turned around and followed Master Yuan to the side.

Go somewhere where no one else can hear you.

Master Yuan said directly:

"My dear little princess, when we first met in Longcheng, I gave you a word of advice. I shouldn't have revealed the secret, as it could easily have an impact."

He sighed:
"In fact, according to reason, if the old Taoist didn't tell you about the prophecy at the beginning, you would be ignorant and unaware, and you should have had a better fate with him. You wouldn't be so distant now. It's obviously caused by a sense of 'deliberateness' when you are together. However, the prophecy of the benefactor is still there. The fate between you two has not diminished, it's just that it's a little long-term. He is still your benefactor.

"Besides, no one can predict fate. Just like the current situation, who can say it is not good? Just wait and see, and relax. That fate will only be delayed, not reduced by a bit."

Li Guoer was a little confused. What kind of fate could it be?

But she still nodded slightly:
"I see, old master, thank you very much."

Old Taoist Priest Yuan looked closely at Li Guoer's face.

"what happened to you?"

Li Guoer asked curiously.

Yuan Lao Tianshi sighed and shook his head:
"If your face were on a man, it might not be too strange, but you happen to be a woman, which is extremely precious." When you were still in your infancy, this old Taoist passed by Longcheng and read your face. He mistakenly thought you were a boy and left similar words. The prince and princess did not confess that you were a girl at that time. Maybe they were afraid of danger, so they hid it from you to prevent you from being taken to Luoyang by the clan office. Two years later, this old Taoist learned that you were a girl. That's why I went to Longcheng many times to look for your family.

"I have actually seen a face like yours. Back then, there was also a person with the same face in the Chang'an Palace. She was also a woman... Well, I wonder if it will come true again. You are the Princess of the Li family. I don't know if it is good or bad. The Li Qian and Wei Zhou dynasties are really mysterious. Obviously, men of my generation are no worse..."

"What does the old Taoist priest mean?" Li Guoer interrupted with a frown.

Master Yuan sighed for a moment, and did not answer, but said:

"On the way to Mount Kuanglu just now, I have already told my disciple that he will listen to you from now on. You can do whatever you want with him. I do not ask you to give wealth to the Three Pure Ones when you come to the capital. I only ask you to remember to give a small incense. If the Three Pure Ones make a mistake in the future, you can show mercy to them. I will be satisfied."

Li Guoer pondered for a moment and nodded.

Only then did Master Yuan breathe a sigh of relief and leave.

The two returned to the public.

Old Taoist Priest Yuan turned to Li Xian and spread his hands, motioning sideways:
"Your Majesty, please come this way."

Li Xian was stunned for a moment, and under the gaze of everyone, he followed Master Yuan away with some confusion.

Wei Mei, Li Guoer and the others watched them go away, and vaguely heard the old Taoist priest walking away in front of them saying, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the disease that caused Emperor Gaozong's death? What was the disease? Do you know..."

About half an incense stick of time later, Yuan and Li returned.

Li Xian looked a little dazed, staring blankly ahead. He came to his senses only when he came in front of the crowd and looked around at his wife, daughter and servants.

Wei Mei said worriedly:
"Qi Lang, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so absent-minded?"

Li Xian smiled and shook his head.

Li Guoer caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and saw that his father seemed to be holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. As he shook his head, he quietly put the paper into his sleeve.

I don’t know if this note was left by Master Yuan.

But why can't you just dictate what you want to say, but write it down on a piece of paper? Are you afraid you won't be able to remember it?

Li Guoer began to think.

On the other side, Li Xian looked normal and waved his hand:
"Nothing happened. The old Taoist priest gave us some instructions and asked us to be safe and sound."

Yuan Lao Tianshi also nodded in agreement. After a while, he turned to Xie Lingjiang and said:

"The last thing is about your senior brother."

"Your senior brother is too blessed. This is a good thing, but also not a good thing, because great fortune is also a great disaster. Good fortune and disaster are interdependent, and the danger is unpredictable. The same is true for the people around him."

"Miss Xie, not everyone can bear great fortune. Everyone actually has a bowl. The size of the bowl determines the amount of fortune it can hold. If you force too much into the bowl, it won't be able to hold it. It will always overflow and be snatched away by covetous people. This is the way of heaven, to take away from the surplus and make up for the deficiency.

“As for how to expand this bowl, the only way is to do good deeds and accumulate virtue.

"Your eldest brother is a person with abundant blessings and a big bowl. Maybe he has done a lot of good deeds, but the people around him are not like that. The bowls of the people around him are small, at least compared to the blessings that leak out of him, they are small, so you have to pay special attention.

"Unless they are of high rank like the prince, the crown prince, or the little princess, they naturally have a bigger bowl, so I say that your eldest brother is a talent for supporting the dragon, and he should stand in this position.

"But I still say that you still need to be careful with other close people around you."

Xie Lingjiang seemed to be thinking about something, and nodded seriously:
"I see. Thank you for your advice, Master. I will pass this message to my senior brother."

"Okay, I'm fine now." Yuan Lao Tianshi said calmly, "Your Majesty, Princess, you can leave Xunyang now."

Li Xian and Wei Mei held hands and looked around the ruined Xunyang Palace. They looked a little nostalgic and reluctant. Before the Li couple could sigh, the old Taoist who had been watching them spoke first:
"My Lord, Princess, when we first met in Daming Palace, Emperor Gaozong was still alive and was holding a banquet for the best talents in the world. Your Highnesses were in the palace at that time, holding the pot for Emperor Gaozong. When Emperor Gaozong gave wine to me, you poured it yourself. At that time, your Highnesses were newlyweds, both with black hair, and they were talented and pretty, which impressed me deeply. I never thought that your Highnesses and your family would be in the situation they are in today. Later, you inherited the throne, the emperor was deposed, and you were exiled to Jiangzhou. When I saw you again, your hair was already gray. It was really sad."

Li Xian touched his bulging belly and smiled helplessly.

Wei Mei tilted her head, reached out her hands to hold her husband's handsome face, and stroked the white hair on his temples, her eyes filled with sadness.

The old Taoist smiled heartily, pointed at himself and said:
"Who said 'Flowers may bloom again, but people can never be young again'? Am I not young again today? Hahahaha, my lord, you have too much stubble on your beard, it's time to shave it off. But today, without a head full of white hair, it's a great pleasure to be young again. To be honest, I really miss this body.

"No wonder there are still dead people who are thinking about our sect's unique skills. It is really a way to immortality in a certain sense. Unfortunately, it is just a loophole. In fact, the old Taoist is already dead. The old Taoist now only has the original memory."

The old Taoist turned his head and calmly spoke to Lu Ya who was staring at him:
"Did you hear that? I'm dead. The me now is not me."

Lu Ya insisted:
"Master is not dead. Master is a man of great wisdom and wisdom. He will never die."

The old Taoist priest waved his hand without explaining, and his tone became gentle:
"Little pressure, is there anything else you want to ask your teacher?"

The old man no longer called him "silly disciple", but called him by his nickname.

Lu Ya shook his head vigorously:

"I don't have anything to ask you, Master. I just want to see you more and chat with you."

"Haha, gossip? Only you, little pressure boy, would want to gossip with me. Life is fleeting, and it goes by too fast. The living are busy, and the dead can't rest in peace. They are all busy. In my generation, from birth to death, I have said very little gossip, but I have made many predictions. Many people come to me for fortune-telling and to ask me questions. Only you, little pressure boy, are different. You just want to gossip."

Lu Ya suppressed his sadness and asked, "Master, can I see you again?"

The old Taoist priest's face turned serious and he replied:
"You have forgotten what your master has told you. You cannot use the power of the spirit indiscriminately. Remember, even if you are your master, you cannot use it too much. I have said that I am dead. I am no longer your master..."

Lu Ya's eyes were red and he pursed his lips tightly.

The old Taoist priest paused and asked about his son. Lu Ya shook his head and said he didn't know. The old man frowned slightly, looking a little disappointed.

Lu Ya suddenly mentioned the matter of his junior sister Huang Xuan. The old Taoist priest smiled happily, said a few warm words, and finally solemnly reminded him:
"Okay, be kind to your junior sister, respect your teachers, and protect the prince and the little princess. Little pressure, Shangqing Sect is now in your hands."

After a while, the old Taoist looked down at his palms, and Lu Ya's face became a little nervous, as if he had anticipated something.

The old Taoist priest suddenly said:

"That day, many brothers came to the bedside and asked many questions. You stood stupidly at the back, like a gatekeeper. Why didn't you take a step forward? You made me close my eyes and didn't even have time to talk to you."

Lu Ya lowered his head and said, "My disciples only have idle chatter, which is not worth mentioning. The matters of the uncles and aunts are more important, and they involve the incense of the ancestral hall."

The old Taoist priest looked up at the sky and murmured, "Gossip, gossip, I also have gossip, and I really wanted to talk to you who were crying quietly at that time."

Lu Ya's lips trembled: "What...what are you talking about."

The old Taoist priest smiled and said:
"Little pressure, everything has a life span, it just happens to be today."

After saying this, he walked to a small stone pier beside the rockery, sat down calmly, sat upright, closed his eyes and passed away.

Li Dalang opened his eyes.

(End of this chapter)