With virtue

He had previously complained to himself that the two elders of the Liu family must have made having children their life's work, as they had given birth to one child after another, and finally stopped after having seventeen.

Only now do I realize that none of those children were biological children. The Liu family was actually a convalescent home, and the family used the surname Liu to treat patients. Those children were all orphans picked up during the chaos of war.

As for the fact that the Liu family was an official family, it is likely that they held this position because they were recuperating from illness, but since the Tang Dynasty is gone, the position naturally disappeared as well.

Moreover, Liu Qimei is twenty-eight and still unmarried...

These days, girls get married at fifteen or sixteen. If a girl isn't married by twenty, it's considered late. By twenty-eight, she's probably considered an old woman in other people's eyes.

But then she thought, how could an ordinary man bear the burden on her shoulders? If she got married, what would happen to her ten children? Her husband's family would certainly not let her bring ten burdens into the family. If she had to arrange the marriage herself, where would she find someone willing to raise ten orphans with her?

It's been a tough twelve years, dragging on from 28 to 28.

She's eleven years older than me!

"Isn't this tiring? Why bother? With your looks and skills, even now, finding a husband wouldn't be difficult, would it?" Zhao Yunshu said.

The pipa player seemed unwilling to dwell on this topic for too long, so she smiled and said, "My parents raised me in the same way, and one should never forget one's roots. Alright, Daoist Master, you are a master who saved my life today. I am extremely grateful to you, but I may not be able to play the pipa tomorrow..."

Zhao Yunshu shook her head: "No need. You should get some rest tomorrow. I also need to prepare for my meeting with that young master. Shall I go to sleep now?"

"Please wait, sir. This humble woman will take her leave." The pipa player bowed respectfully.

The two parted ways, leaving only the waiter on duty with a bitter face, groaning and sulking as he cleaned up the mess.

Zhao Yunshu couldn't bear to see this, so he left some money to compensate for the loss. Naturally, the waiter was full of gratitude and didn't even wait for the waiter to finish kowtowing before turning around and going upstairs.

Back in his room, he carefully folded the silk robe and put it into his bundle, then changed back into his old Taoist robe.

The large golden crown was also taken off, wrapped in a piece of coarse cloth, and stuffed into a corner of the bundle.

These things are too eye-catching. I wore them today to scare people, but I'd rather dress more casually on ordinary days.

He flopped onto the bed, but his mind kept replaying what had just happened. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the waters of Dingzhou City were much deeper than he had imagined.

That young man in white must know something. I should be on my guard when we meet at noon tomorrow, and try to get more information out of him indirectly.

As I thought about it, drowsiness crept into my eyelids.

After drawing talismans for most of the day and fighting with a martial artist, he was so tired that he didn't even want to move his fingers anymore. He just lay on the bed fully clothed and drifted off to sleep.

I opened my eyes and it was already tomorrow.

Zhao Yunshu slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky, oblivious to the world around him. He didn't even do his morning qi-gathering exercises and slept until the sun was high in the sky!

There's no way around it; people can't practice martial arts every day. They need to sleep in sometimes too.

When he opened his eyes, the bright sun was shining on his face, making him squint.

He rolled over, stretched, and his bones cracked a series of sounds. He felt refreshed and his energy, which he had exhausted from drawing talismans yesterday, was finally restored by about 70-80%.

He stretched, splashed some cold water on his face, straightened his Taoist robe, and looked at his reflection in the copper basin.

His hair was still casually tied into a bun and secured with a wooden hairpin. He showed no trace of the wealthy appearance he had shown the night before and had reverted to being that poor Taoist priest.

This is the real me.

After going downstairs, the tables and chairs that had been overturned in the lobby last night had been put back in their original positions, and the broken porcelain on the floor had been swept clean. Only some marks remained on the wall, which could be regarded as a souvenir of his fight last night.

The shopkeeper, upon seeing him, clearly already knew what had happened the previous night, and approached with a beaming smile: "Taoist Master, Taoist Master, over here!"

Then he dismissed the waiter and personally led him to another superior room, repeatedly saying things like, "Young master has been waiting for you."

Zhao Yunshu followed, watching as the other person opened the door to the main room for her.

Upon entering the room, Zhao Yunshu looked up and, even though he was used to seeing demons and monsters, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

This superior room is the most expensive in the inn, and it is usually more upscale than the other rooms. Today, because we have distinguished guests, the furnishings have been changed.

Several maids stood with their hands at their sides, each dressed in a blue silk dress, with their hair neatly combed and their faces beautiful.

They must be really rich to be able to afford to dress their maids in fine silks and satins.

When they saw Zhao Yunshu enter, they all gave a curtsy in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, clearly indicating that they had been trained.

But these are all just ordinary things.

However, what attracted the most attention was not the maids, nor the furnishings of the room, but the white ape standing in the center.

Yes, there is a monkey inside the room!

This ape was only about five feet tall, extremely short, but its arms were longer than its knees, not much different from the arm span of an average person, and even slightly longer. Its fur was snow-white as silver, without a single stray hair. It stood upright, holding a long sword with its two front paws.

The sword was longer than the entire body of the sword, and the scabbard was dark and heavy, its material unknown.

The white ape held the sword, standing straight, its two golden eyes half-open and half-closed, revealing a cold and aloof air. Hearing the door open, it slightly turned its head and glanced at Zhao Yunshu.

The gaze wasn't exactly hostile, but it was certainly not kind either; it was more like a swordsman sizing up someone who wasn't a swordsman.

Since he is not a swordsman, he is no match for me, I don't even bother to look at him, and I'm too lazy to make a move.

"A white ape holding a sword? There really is one?" Zhao Yunshu looked at the white ape in front of him with some curiosity and examined it carefully.

He had traveled all over the country with the old Taoist priest since he was a child, and had seen many mountain demons and apes, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a spiritually intelligent white ape.

The white ape seemed to understand him, glancing at him sideways. Its furry monkey face displayed an extremely human-like expression, clearly showing three words: displeasure.

He glanced sideways at the young Taoist priest, then closed his eyes, raised his chin slightly, and stopped looking at him.

Just then, a light footstep sound came from behind, and the young man in white had come out from behind the screen.

Today he changed into a bamboo-green brocade robe with dark patterns, his hair was neatly tied up, his face was handsome, and his demeanor was elegant, completely different from the playful and frivolous look he had last night.

"Of course there are." The young master walked to the white ape's side.

The white ape bowed slightly, showing great propriety, but still didn't bother to glance at Zhao Yunshu.

The young master laughed and said, "This white ape is a rare species in the mountains. It gained intelligence and comprehended the way of swordsmanship after viewing the painting 'Pei Min Sword Dance' by Wu Daozi in the temple. It followed my father for many years and later followed me. In terms of swordsmanship, I have to call it Master."

"A sword dance painting?" Zhao Yunshu's ears twitched.

Could it be that visualization diagram?

"Yes, it's the one that's famous throughout the world," the young man said proudly.

Zhao Yunshu's heart stirred, and he realized the origin of the information.

Although he hadn't read much history in his previous life, the old Taoist priest had told him many similar stories in this life.

Pei Min's Sword Dance is a very famous visualization painting.

During the Kaiyuan era, when the Sword Saint Pei Min's mother passed away, he asked the Painting Saint Wu Daozi to paint several murals of gods and ghosts at the Tiangong Temple in the Eastern Capital to assist him in the afterlife. His original intention was to have the Painting Saint command the gods and spirits so that his mother's ghost could travel safely and smoothly to the underworld without any interference.

Wu Daozi had not painted for a long time and lacked inspiration, so he asked Pei Min to perform a sword dance to stimulate his painting ideas.

Upon hearing this, Pei Min removed his mourning clothes, rode his horse at breakneck speed, spun left and right, and threw his sword into the clouds, dozens of feet high. The sword shot down like lightning, and he then caught it with his hand holding the scabbard. The sword light pierced through the room, and the thousands of onlookers were all terrified.

Wu Daozi was inspired to paint, and he picked up his brush and painted on the wall. The painting was so magnificent that it created a spectacular sight for the world.

That mural is "Pei Min's Sword Dance", which contains the charm of Pei Min's swordsmanship and the essence of Wu Daozi's painting style. It is a first-class visualization painting.

Ordinary people might only admire the exquisite painting technique, but it's not impossible for a clever monkey to observe it daily and learn the way of the sword from it.

This white ape, standing with a sword in hand, exudes an extraordinary air; it must have such an origin.