Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 305 Chu Yanran

The sun was high in the sky and it was past lunchtime.

Qi Duoluo came out of Yuanyang Hall with sleepy eyes, got on a luxurious beast carriage, and was still thinking about the absurdity of the previous night.

Mr. Qi gave up his business this time and rushed to Yuanyang Hall to spend a night, but it was not just for the sake of that special enjoyment.

This is because Miaoyunzhai, in which Qi Duoluo used her status as a stepmother to invest, is a well-known brothel in Xuanwei City, but it is still far behind the leaders in the industry such as Yuanyangtang.

If a businessman does not strive for progress and does not know how to make up for his shortcomings, it will be difficult for him to continue his business for a long time. Therefore, Mr. Qi worked hard all night and finally went home in a daze with a powder fragrance.

Although Xuanwei City had changed hands a long time ago, the Qi family's mansion in Xuanwei City was very stable. Even the business of the weapon refining shop that Master Qi had run for half his life was not affected at all and was still very prosperous.

All this could not be accomplished relying solely on Master Qi, who was only eighty years old and had not yet established his foundation. All the credit should be attributed to Qi Duoluo's stepmother, who was known as the number one female cultivator in Yunjiaozhou.

The more clearly Qi Duoluo saw these things, the more frightened he became.

My father can't be simply described as old and ugly. If he loses this favor, how can I, an orphan and widower, still have such a carefree life?
The old ones are replaced by the new ones. Even if the stepmother still has some feelings for her father and leaves some options for him, what good will happen to her stepson who has never been favored by her? !
Qi Duoluo thought of these annoying things. Even though he felt a little tired, he had something on his mind, so he could only get off the beast cart in a half-awake state and be led down by the servants.

The old servant of the Qi family standing at the door was considerate. He had several missing teeth in his cracked lips, and his voice was leaking: "Second Master, you need to be careful. Madam has come out of confinement and is meeting guests with Master."

When Qi Duoluo heard this, his drowsiness suddenly disappeared, and he became alert and his face flushed. In just a few breaths, cold sweat had seeped out of his silk shirt on his back.

"Mr. Qi, who is the guest? Isn't my mother busy with the Jianxu Danlun matter? What kind of distinguished guest could disturb her to come out of seclusion?" Mr. Qi asked quickly with a nervous look on his face.

Seeing Qi Duoluo nervous, Qi Gui couldn't help but look embarrassed: "Second Master is flattering me. I'm afraid that even the maids who have been serving the lady in the inner courtyard for many years can hardly explain clearly whether Dan is a Dan or a Bhutan.

I only know that the person who came is the head of Chongming Sect, the respected Kang Dabao of Pingrong County. I had the honor of meeting him several times when Master Yuan was learning martial arts under the master.

"Kang Dabao?!" Qi Duoluo murmured with a complicated tone.

After seeing Qi Duoluo calm down, Qi Guicai said, "By the way, the eldest master left a letter saying that if the second master comes back early, he can also come to the hall to chat with the distinguished guests."

"What old friendship do I have with that guy?!" Qi Duoluo said with dissatisfaction, but he didn't know who he was dissatisfied with.

He left the old servant behind and entered the courtyard. Just as he was about to reach his room, a group of concubines rushed over to him. He didn't know why, but the happy scene in the past made him feel upset, and he suddenly showed a lot of anger on his face.

"Fuck!" Qi Duoluo cursed, waved his sleeves to throw away his concubine, and turned back to the inner courtyard.

This huge house is divided into two parts. The front yard belongs to the Qi family. When Kang Dabao, Yuan Jin and others come to give gifts, they can only visit Master Qi in the front yard.

The inner courtyard was different. It was where Madam Qi practiced meditation. Not to mention that it was difficult for the servants in the front courtyard to enter, even Qi Duoluo had only been there a few times with his father over the years and could not even remember the layout clearly.

After the old maid on duty in the inner courtyard passed the message and received the warrant receipt, she led Qi Duoluo into a secluded and quiet courtyard in the inner courtyard.

There was a stone table in the courtyard, where three monks, two men and one woman, sat around it, drinking tea and enjoying the scenery in extreme harmony.

The woman is wearing a palace dress, simple in style and refined in temperament. She has her hair in a bun, her skin is whiter than snow, her waist is as thin as a willow, and her eyebrows are as black as black. Her eyes are lively and beautiful, and her every frown and smile is very attractive.

This extremely beautiful lady in palace dress is none other than Master Qi's second wife and one of the few female cultivators in the late foundation building stage in Yunjiaozhou, Chu Yanran.

Qi Duoluo felt a strange feeling when he saw the head of the Kang family sitting opposite his stepmother, neither humble nor overbearing. He and Chu Yanran hadn't sat at the same table for 10 to 20 years.

"In the end, he is not even as good as an outsider. Who is the old man's son?!"

As soon as he entered the yard, he could not hide himself from the eyes of the two foundation-building masters.

Master Qi also turned his gaze to his most valued second son and said softly, "Duo Luo is here, why don't you greet him quickly?"

Qi Duoluo was very honest at this time, not daring to jump out of his guard at all, and he would not be careless, so he bowed in a serious manner. He said solemnly: "Greetings to father, mother, and brother Kang Dao."

"It seems that he has some human form now." Sect Leader Kang said softly, and he was not inappropriate in his courtesy. He returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, Brother Qi."

Chu Yanran just said "hmm" lightly without even nodding her head. In front of Kang Dabao, an outsider, she didn't even give her stepson any face.

But when Kang Dabao saw that the father and son of the Qi family behaved normally, he knew that this was a common occurrence and that the situation of the father and son was pitiful.

The head of the Kang family didn't care about other families and put this thought behind his mind. They had been talking about small talk for a while, and it was time to get to the point. He said to Chu Yanran respectfully, "Senior Chu, to be honest, I came here because the chief historian Lu Bu Se highly praised the attainments of Senior Jiashi, so I took the liberty to visit you."

"Oh? The Chief Secretary? He is a powerful person, and he is also a fellow villager of the Lord. I don't have much contact with him, but it's rare that he thinks highly of me." After hearing what Kang Dabao said, Chu Yanran's expression on her stunning face did not change. She just turned her beautiful eyes and asked softly:

"My dear nephew, you are now in charge of a region, and you are trusted by the Fei family and favored by the uncle. If you have any difficult spiritual plants, please come to me, the poor cultivator, to ask for them."

After Kang Dabao briefly spoke, he recounted Zhou Yixiu's thoughts and actions on planting the colored glaze treasure tree:
"A few years ago, my family got a Buddhist spiritual root, called the 'Glass Treasure Tree'. The Chief Historian Bushe said that Buddhism is not prosperous in our sect, and even the farmers supported by the state court have difficulty in getting started, so I dared to come to you for help."

Chu Yanran was a little impatient at first, but after hearing the rest, she showed a strange look. Then she opened her mouth softly, speaking in a clear and gentle voice, like an icy spring: "My dear nephew, the method that your junior brother came up with is quite ingenious, and even I was inspired by it. He is a promising talent."

"My senior, your praise is beyond words. It is nothing but luck. Even a fool may make many mistakes, but he will eventually make some correct decisions." The head of Kangda said modestly as usual.

Chu Yanran was not impressed by Kang Dabao's polite words. She just shook her head, opened her lips slightly, revealing her pearly teeth and sweet tongue, and continued: "Master Jia's teachings are broad and profound. My dear nephew and I have worked hard to come up with a good method, which cannot be summarized by the word 'luck'."

"That's what senior said."

"Although the method you described is not the orthodox method of growing the colored glaze tree, I think it will produce some results in a few years. And the quality of the colored glaze relics produced may be a little higher. If that's the case, why rush it?"

"This..." Master Kang was a little surprised.

Chu Yanran took out a jade slip, pointed it at Kang Dabao, and said softly, "I don't mean to persuade you. This is a matter of gain and loss, so you have to think about it yourself.

This is a letter from Buddha that I won when I was practicing Buddhism at Bibo Temple in Haizhou, Yuwangdao in my early years. It is not a profound and brilliant teaching, but it is quite insightful.

My dear nephew and fellow apprentice are so young yet they have found a new way and have such high attainments in farming. Their future prospects in this field will certainly be much brighter than mine.

I think after he carefully reads this note, he will definitely gain a lot. In a year or two, he will be able to improve the planting method without my help."

“Well.” This jade slip is indeed a good thing, and Chu Yanran can definitely be considered generous, but this matter is far from the purpose of Master Kang, who wants to invite her to come out of seclusion and personally cultivate the business.

"Say something!" Kang Dabao quietly glared at Master Qi who had received the spiritual stone. The latter knew how to get things done with money, and hunched over to Chu Yanran and said, "Yanran, since you have already come out of retreat, why don't you go and take a look for my nephew?"

After Qi Buxiu finished speaking, he began to nervously observe his wife's expression.

The reason why he brought this matter together was not just because of the generous amount of spirit stones that Sect Leader Kang had promised in advance, but also because the latter was no longer the poor parent of that poor disciple. Having earned such a huge fortune, he should make good friends with him.

Although Chu Yanran is one of the most outstanding craftsmen in Yunjiaozhou, she has sold all her properties in recent years in exchange for spiritual resources, and has been devoted to cultivation, without much income. Otherwise, why would Master Qi have to live so poorly these years? Not only did he not cherish the craft of refining instruments, he also began to teach everyone.

In Master Qi's opinion, as long as Chu Yanran agreed to this matter, he could not only earn some spirit stones, but also gain a favor from Kang Dabao, so why not do it?

Unexpectedly, after Chu Yanran heard what Qi Buxiu said, she glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, which made the latter tremble slightly and his back hunched even more.

"It seems that Master Qi can't say anything firm at home. The husband's authority is weak!" Master Kang said silently in his heart, and his chest straightened a little. Then he felt something was wrong: "Hey, why did I use 'also'?"

Although Master Qi was even more useless than he had imagined, Kang Dabao still did not give up. He was about to speak out to persuade him again, but Chu Yanran waved her hand and stopped him: "I have made up my mind, my dear nephew, there is no need to persuade me anymore."

Having said that, Sect Leader Kang was silenced and could not persuade him any further. He could only keep the jade slip that still carried the fragrance of the beautiful woman close to his body and bowed, saying, "Then I would like to thank you for your guidance. If you need my help in the future, I will not refuse."

After saying these polite words, Kang Dabao earned a copy of the Buddhist Notebook and finally did not return empty-handed, so he was about to leave.

Chu Yanran stopped him at this time and asked softly, "My dear nephew, please stay. I heard that your Uncle Hei Lu had obtained a Haoyue token from Zhou Tinggun's fake Sima earlier. Is that true or not?"

People even knew where the token in the hands of the Taoist Black Shoes came from, so it was not easy for the Kang Sect Leader to pretend he didn't know, so he could only reply in a low voice: "It is just as the senior said, it is true."

Chu Yanran was silent for a long while after hearing this. For the first time, a trace of annoyance appeared on her face. When she spoke again, her tone became much lower: "Please tell your uncle for me to tell him that if you have time in the near future, please come to the Qi family for a chat."

"Yes, I will remember every word." Although Kang Dabao was a little surprised, he agreed without hesitation.

Originally, Master Kang was the messenger used by all the important figures in Yunjiao State. This was a cost-effective and easy thing to do.

After Kang Dabao agreed, he bowed and walked out of the inner courtyard of Qi Mansion, leaving the family of three standing there in embarrassment.

"Father, mother, I will go down to practice now." After the outsiders left, Qi Duoluo felt uncomfortable staying in the inner courtyard. He couldn't explain clearly why he came here, he just knew that he shouldn't stay here.

"Yeah, you need to be more diligent. Look at Kang Dabao, his talent is even worse than yours. This shows that diligence can make up for lack of talent, and it's true." Although the father didn't believe it, Master Qi still warned him again.

"Well, be more obedient and don't let your father worry." Chu Yanran didn't even look at him, but just followed what Master Qi said.

Qi Duoluo walked towards the front yard, his back was still clearly visible, and the conversation between his stepmother and his old father reached his ears without any concealment.

"Your son, tsk. Why can't you give birth to a child like Kang Dabao? Even Yuan Jin is much better than him. If you continue to be so dissolute, you will die outside sooner or later. I'm afraid there is something wrong with you, don't blame me..."

"Oh, little aunt! Keep your voice down and speak later."

Each "sarcastic" word hit Qi Duoluo's back like a brick. He closed his mouth and held back the muffled groans, only to feel his chest being hit by a huge hammer. There was a ball of hot blood in his mouth that was about to spurt out.

Strands of blood spread from the palm of his hand along his fingers, and red plum blossoms appeared on the blue bricks. He did not stop, closed his eyes, and recalled the words that the person in charge behind the Yuanyang Hall had said to him before.

"Don't blame me! You, Chu Yanran, forced me to do this!!"

————Biha Cave

After hearing Kang Dabao's words, Taoist Hei Lu glanced at him unhappily and said, "You are already a foundation-building cultivator, why are you still happily doing the job of a messenger?"

The head of the Kang family smiled awkwardly and said, "Speaking of which, Madam Qi is also a close elder. Since she wants me to pass on a message to my uncle, there is no reason for me to refuse."

"Oh, is that so?" It was rare that the Black Shoe Taoist had some free time today, so he said jokingly, "You may have been so bewitched by her appearance that you have lost your mind."

Hearing this, Kang Dabao also joked, "Although Madam Qi is pretty, she is probably not as pretty as my wife. But when I saw her talking about my uncle, her expression was different, so I think there must be a lot of stories behind it!"

"Pa" the black shoes of the Taoist priest in black shoes came straight at him. How could the head of the Kang family dare to dodge? He raised his sleeves to take the blow, then held the shoes with a playful smile and wanted to put them on the former.

"You lazy fellow, you are always talking nonsense!" The Taoist in black shoes snatched the shoes, patted Kang Dabao on the head, and whispered, "You can't tell these jokes outside. Everyone knows that Qi Buxiu is lucky. Not only is his wife as beautiful as a fairy, but she is also very loyal.

Because of the fabrication of their relationship, Chu Yanran killed one or two foundation-building cultivators. You need to be more cautious when speaking in the future, and don’t learn the ways of those gossipers.”

"Hehe, I won't tell this to outsiders." Kang Dabao pretended to cover his head. After hearing what the Black Shoe Taoist said, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What kind of shit luck did Master Qi have?! He actually won the heart of the number one female cultivator in Yunjiao Province?"

"Then I don't know. I'm not like you. Why would I care about that? Besides, is this strange? Didn't a young leader who was nearly 40 years old and had no hope in his career marry the daughter of the Fei family?"

The Taoist Hei Lu had a playful look on his face, but Sect Leader Kang stopped cooperating and thought sullenly, "Then I am still better than Master Qi, so Shu He won't suffer that much."

"Ahem." Taoist Hei Lu coughed dryly, put away his smile, and talked about business: "Back then, Chu Yanran relied on the Haoyue token in her hand to invite me to Guanshan Cave Mansion. At that time, Gun Shilu had not promised it to me yet, so I agreed."

"So, Uncle-Master broke his promise?" Kang Dabao remembered that Chu Yanran had asked Qi Duoluo to take a message to Taoist Heilu. It must have been after that conversation that the two decided to travel together.

"Tsk." Taoist Hei Lu felt that Kang Dabao's words were unpleasant, so he glared at the latter and said in a deep voice: "The conditions she proposed at that time were quite harsh. Now that I have earned a piece of Haoyue Token, why should I cooperate with her again?"

Kang Dabao nodded, put away his playful expression, and agreed:
"Master, what you said makes sense. In my opinion, Master should just write back to Madam Qi and disappear, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble. Who knows, Madam Qi might want to use the matter of helping to plant the Glazed Treasure Tree to control Master?!"

The Taoist Heishi shook his head again and continued, "It's not that simple. Remember, the prettier a girl is, the more stingy she is. Chu Yanran is a capable person, so no matter whether we can come to an agreement or not, we still have to go, so as not to be hated by her for no reason.

After all, when the Guanshan Cave Mansion is opened in a few years, Chu Yanran will definitely be there if nothing unexpected happens. As for the matter of the colored glaze treasure tree, it is not important.

Even if I didn't agree to form an alliance with her in Guanshan Cave, she would still come to help. Your kindness is too thin, she is just waiting to make money from me."

"Actually, if uncle-master is in trouble, it doesn't matter. At most, you can just wait. The relics will eventually form. There is no need to worry." Master Kang advised.

"Oh, boy, you are not speaking from the heart," the Taoist Hei Lu shook his head and glanced at Kang Dabao, "In your eyes, even women and children are not as important as the sect. Don't worry, it's just a matter of a word, Chu Yanran will come."

"Hehe, uncle-master really has a keen eye." Master Kang laughed foolishly.

"Well, go down, practice seriously, and observe the cave." The Taoist Heilu wanted to say something but stopped. Kang Dabao was tactful enough not to ask any more questions. He left the Biha Cave and headed towards Xiaohuan Mountain.

Regardless of whether Chu Yanran comes or not, the Buddhist notes she gave to Master Kang are a good thing and need to be handed over to Zhou Yixiu as soon as possible so that he can study it carefully with Kang Rongquan.

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(End of this chapter)