"During the Qingming Festival, it rains a lot, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls." Ye Haotian returned to Taiyi Town at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain in the drizzle. The Zhang family has just returned from sweeping the tomb. Seeing Ye Haotian, Zhang Cheng ran up first, grabbed Ye Haotian's hand and shouted: "Big brother, you are back! Your name has been reported, and we will go to the county for the exam together tomorrow." ”

"Okay. Ye Haotian agreed.

Just had a light meal that night. Zhang Yuanwai said: "Rest early, and come back after the show!" The whole family rested early. The entire Zhang Mansion was quiet, for fear that some sound would disturb the two. After all, in such a small town, a show talent can be regarded as a great event.

In the dead of night, Ye Haotian sat upright and practiced. He knew in his heart that compared to the man in black, his skill was still too far behind, and this time he was fortunate to have the help of the formation to escape, and it would be difficult to say when he met again. The top priority is to continue to refine the cultivation of gods and voids, only when they reach the realm of ascension can they advance and retreat with evidence, and at that time, whether to ascend to the immortal realm, or stay in the mortal world to kill the demons, you can choose calmly.

He calmed his mind and concentrated a little spiritual light on the upper dantian, managing to open the zenith and merge his body with the entire universe.

A few hours passed, and suddenly a rooster crow came into my ears, and when I opened my eyes, I saw that the east had turned white. Soon the people from Zhang's Mansion came out, busy inside and out. As soon as the sky was bright, Zhang Chengcheng ran over: "Big brother, you're leaving, are you ready?"

"What are you going to prepare?" Ye Haotian said with a smile.

"It's nothing, huh. Zhang Cheng also smiled, "The pen and ink to be used have already been prepared, Zhang Sheng will carry it for us, and the three of us will walk." After speaking, let Zhang Sheng lead the way, and the three of them set off.

Zhang Sheng was about fifteen or sixteen years old, his legs and feet were numb, and he carried a small burden on his back, which was very light, and he jumped and jumped when he walked.

"Zhang Sheng, go steady, don't break the inkstone!" Zhang Yuanwai stood outside the gate and scolded.

"Yes, master!" Zhang Sheng hurriedly landed on his feet and walked slowly. As soon as he left the town, his steps immediately became faster again.

In less than an hour, I walked more than ten miles to the examination room in the county.

The test is also called the children's test. Formally speaking, the children's examination is not considered as the imperial examination, but those who pass the examination can obtain professional titles. The children's examination is held once a year, in the prefecture, state or county, the candidate is a child, by the county, the prefect, the school and the government of the main examination, the examination is awarded to the student or the title of the student, commonly known as Xiucai.

There were about seventy or eighty people in the examination room, most of them in their twenties and thirties, and some in their forties and fifties. People like Ye Haotian and Zhang Cheng are relatively young, and of course there are sixteen or seventeen years old. The older ones generally sit in the back, probably a little embarrassed.

This year's children's test was personally conducted by Li Ruoan, the county magistrate. Li Zhixian is said to be a jinshi many years ago, and he is relatively honest as an official, but he doesn't know who he has offended, and he has not been promoted after ten years of being a county magistrate. Today, he secretly prayed, hoping that there would be outstanding young people among these people, because this county has not produced a single jinshi for five consecutive years! If the Xiucai selected by himself will have a future and will have the capital to be promoted.

At the beginning of the exam, Li Zhixian first solemnly announced: "Do your best, no plagiarism, offenders will be expelled from the examination room, and you will not be allowed to take the exam for ten years." ”

The exam papers were sent down, and Ye Haotian looked at them, mainly "Tijing" and "Moyi".

"Tijing" is to paste a few words on a certain line in the book, and ask the test taker to fill in the words pasted, similar to fill-in-the-blank questions.

"Moyi" is equivalent to a short-answer question, which is a simple answer to the meaning of the scriptures. Candidates only need to be familiar with the scriptures and various commentaries to answer.

Because it is a talent exam, the test is all basic knowledge, and there is no strategy and poetry.

Ye Haotian couldn't be more familiar with these things. So the tea was finished, and he handed in the exam papers and walked out.

Li Zhixian was a little surprised, in the ten years of the main exam, it was the first time he saw someone who handed in the paper so early, and said in his heart: "Could it be that God has opened his eyes?"

When he opened the test paper and looked at it, he couldn't help but be stunned! There was not a single mistake from beginning to end!

It took another two hours for the exam to end. All personnel are on display. Li Zhixian reviewed it in the court. After another hour, the results came in. Ye Haotian ranked first, and Zhang Cheng ranked third. The top 10 are all entered, and the title of student is awarded.

Then Li Zhixian arranged a banquet at the most famous Baling restaurant in the county and invited ten talents. Baling Restaurant is located on the side of the Bahe River, above the attic, with screened windows on all sides, looking up at the sunset and speechless in the south, looking down at the vast water that is no longer returning, and the scenery is extremely beautiful.

Li Zhixian opened his speech: "It is rare for you to be successful in this show, this year is the year of the big competition, I hope to work harder, even in the middle of the lift, Jinshi, so that the county is not without merit." Then ask everyone to introduce themselves. When he heard that Ye Haotian and Zhang Cheng were cousins, Li Zhixian praised repeatedly: "Okay!

Then everyone pushed the cups and changed them. After three rounds of drinking, Li Zhixian said: "How can there be no poetry for such a beautiful day? Come, please write a poem, which can also be regarded as a good story for this year's children's test." ”

Everyone, you pushed me, but no one would open their mouths.

After a while, Li Zhixian named Ye Haotian: "You are the first in the children's test this year, or you come first!"

Everyone echoed: "Yes, it's better for Brother Li to come first!"

Li Zhixian wanted to know if the person in front of him who handed in the papers early was really a genius, and hurriedly ordered the restaurant: "Hurry, pen and ink wait!"

The man hurriedly fetched pen and ink and spread rice paper on the table next to him.

Ye Haotian couldn't put it off, so he had to get up and take the pen. Looking up at the far sail above the water, there are several green lotus leaves on the shore nearby, a crane flies through the air, and writes on the paper: "White bird Zhu Lotus leads to paint the tree." ”

Everyone looked at the festival and exclaimed: "Okay, the poetry and scenery are compatible, wonderful!"

Ye Haotian raised his head and looked at it again, and then said in one go: "I saw the red bridge in the shadow of the weeping poplar, and my soul was gone if I wanted to find the past." Pointing to the outer road of Zhongnan Mountain, countless rivers are broken, and new sorrows are shared with the tide of Baling. ”

The magistrate of Li Zhi County sighed: "Cai Gao Badou, Xuefu five cars, although Zijian and Qu Yuan's comeback, it is not far behind! The white bird Zhu He, the blue waves rippling, the painting boat swims leisurely, and the light shines. Looking into the distance, the road outside Zhongnan Mountain is long, and the river tide is turbulent and the water is long. Countless lost and lonely geese wander in the air. The whole article is subtle and charming. It's really a swan song for the ages!" After a pause, he continued: "No one in this county has been awarded the Jinshi for many years, and it seems that this time it will be unprecedented!"

Ye Haotian hurriedly said modestly: "Where, if you get inspiration occasionally, you really don't dare to be it! Adults have never met talents, and they have been trapped here for a long time, so it can be seen that talent is not the most important thing!"

Hearing these words, Li Zhixian sighed again and again.

When I got home, it was already dark and it was already dark. Probably Zhang Sheng went back to tell him, and the Zhang family's compound was full of lights. As soon as the two entered the door, the firecrackers were lit, and there were a thousand "bang bang pong" sounds, and it took a long time to calm down. Entering the hall, three large tables were filled with delicious food and wine, and relatives and friends were waiting, just waiting for them to be seated.

In this situation, Ye Haotian's heart was very warm, and he secretly thought: "Sadness and joy are like day and night. The night sets off the light of the day, and the day also brings the tranquility of the night. Sadness is an indescribable beauty, and only with sorrow can we feel the preciousness of happiness. Even if there is endless sorrow, in the face of the brilliant starry sky, green grass and flowers, and the most precious love in the world, it can be slowly healed. ”

Two months after the township test, Zhang Cheng was already reviewing his homework every day.

For many days, he has been working very hard, making tea and rice not thinking, and he seems to have lost a lot of weight, which makes his family very worried.

Ye Haotian seemed to be more radiant than a day, which was amazing.

No, Zhang Yuanwai has already come to ask for the secret method.

Ye Haotian took out a pill of the Tonifying Qi Pill that he had refined and handed it to him, but he did not explain the efficacy of the pill.

Zhang Yuanwai trusted him very much, and immediately gave it to his son.

An hour later, Zhang Cheng ran over and shouted: "Big brother, what kind of Dan is this, after I took it, I was full of heat, and the fatigue of many days disappeared at once, and even my brain was much clearer!"

Ye Haotian said with a smile: "That's right, Wen Shu must combine work and rest, the body is the foundation, a good spleen and stomach can be full of energy, and only when the spirit is strong can the spirit be prosperous, and only when the spirit is prosperous can the intelligence be increased, and only when you learn can you get twice the result with half the effort." Then he stayed in Zhang's house.

For more than a month after that, Ye Haotian has been practicing the kung fu of refining the gods behind closed doors. He had received a lot of energy from the outer space, and he had been able to travel hundreds of miles in the air in one breath, entering the realm of the fifteenth layer of the real human world, Taihuang Weng Chongtian, and he was only three miles away from reaching the point of being able to soar in vain!

However, he understands that those who travel a hundred miles are half ninety, and the more difficult they are, the more difficult they are, and they cannot be taken lightly at all.

Zhang Cheng has been working hard in the study, but there is no trace of tiredness on his face, replaced by a faint luster, which is a manifestation of sufficient qi, and it seems that it really works after taking the elixir.

On a bright spring morning with birds singing and flowers, Ye Haotian came to the stele forest in the southeast of Chang'an City alone.

The Forest of Steles there is famous. During the opening of the Tang Dynasty, in order to avoid errors in the transmission of scriptures by literati and scholars, the imperial court engraved the twelve scriptures on the stone tablet as a model, and stood in the Guozi Prison of Chang'an City for people to proofread, known as the "Kaicheng Stone Classic", plus the "Shitai Filial Piety Classic" written by Li Longji himself before Tang Xuanzong was called the Thirteen Classics. In addition to the Thirteen Classics, there are also more than 1,000 steles and epitaphs since the Han Dynasty. The stele is like a forest, so it is called the stele forest.

Ye Haotian was very familiar with the content of the scriptures, and what interested him was the calligraphy on the stone tablet.

The stele forest gathers the handwriting of famous masters of all generations, and there are many kinds of books such as seal, li, grass, truth, line, etc., which are dazzling and have style. In particular, the handwritten stones carved by Tang Dynasty calligraphers Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Zhang Xu, Shi Weize and others are particularly valuable. The famous ink of the Song Dynasty, such as Mi Fu, Cai Jing, Su Shi and other works are also excellent.

While admiring the beautiful calligraphy carvings, he read the contents of the scriptures again.

"University" cloud: "Those who want to cultivate their bodies must first correct their hearts." Those who want to correct their hearts must first be sincere. "Knowing is followed by sincerity, sincerity is followed by righteousness." The heart is right, and then the body is cultivated. "Furun House, Derun Body, Broad Heart and Fat Body, so the gentleman's self-cultivation must be sincere." ”

Reading this, he thought that the refining god he was cultivating was still empty, and he felt that there was a faint coincidence.

Continue to read, and see that Mencius said "always cultivate the spirit of Haoran", so that he is righteous and upright, and his spirit is vigorous, and his spirit is full of heaven and earth. Ye Haotian couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart: "Isn't this cultivation? Could it be that Mencius is also a master of cultivating truth? No wonder Confucius and Mencius are respected as saints! They are not only the prophets of Confucian culture, but also very likely the forerunners of Confucian cultivation.

Ye Haotian closed his eyes and looked back on the Confucian classics he had read for more than ten years, and his heart suddenly became enlightened: "It turns out that in the process of reading, writing, and painting, literati concentrate all their thoughts on books, characters, paintings, and music, and they can enter a state of practice and reach the realm of self-forgetfulness, just like Taoism meditating into a state of nothingness! This kind of cultivation not only increases the ability of artistic creation, but also nourishes the vitality and qi, and finally achieves the unity of heaven and man!"

After further reflection, he felt that Confucian cultivation has its own characteristics, with "refining the mind" as the main purpose, focusing on the purification and cultivation of morality, taking "self-cultivation" as the basis of "governing the world", emphasizing self-cultivation in the practice of governing the world, and the unity of "self-cultivation", "learning" and "using the world" can reach the highest state of cultivation.

In this way, he can combine cultivation with study, not only can he practice without stopping, but he can also read the books of sages, take revenge, and live up to the expectations of his parents and grandfather, so that the Su family's scholarly fragrance will continue!

Thinking like this, he walked out of the stele forest, bathed in the gentle sunshine, and felt comfortable, and it was worth the trip.

On the seventh day of the fifth month, Zhang Yuanwai personally went to Chang'an with Zhang Cheng and Ye Haotian to take the exam and found two upper rooms to live in. Previously, Li Zhixian had already reported the names of the two. The two of them just looked at the location of the exam room, everything was arranged, and they just waited for the exam to start.

The next time, the Xiucai from Shaanxi and Gansu gathered in Chang'an. Ye Haotian noticed that there were many people who had been trapped in the house for a long time, and their hair and beard were gray and they didn't give up, but the possible surnames they got were getting smaller and smaller. Because the examiners mostly favor younger candidates. Especially this time, the main examiner is Lord Wu Xiaojiang of Futai. Legend has it that when Lord Wu supervised Hubei, he strongly promoted teenagers, so adults took the exam and removed their headscarves and changed their children's hanging hairstyles, but the net marks on their foreheads could not be removed for a while. Wu Xiaojiang felt very funny when he inspected the examination room, and he said: "In the past, it was said that the crown was magnificent, and now it is in power." When people don't know how to feel bitter, they will be called idle teenagers. ”

This township test is divided into two sessions, the first of which is "policy questioning". This is a higher level of examination method than the Book of Scriptures and Moyi, which is equivalent to essay questions. To put it simply, the method of questioning is to set questions for the main exam, and the candidates write articles, and the scope of the questions generally includes strategic strategies and current policies.

Ye Haotian looked at three questions, the first is: "How can the officials rule the Qingming?" The second is: "The Japanese are rampant, how can they be removed?" The third is: "The lord of a county, how can he be governed?" If you only read the four books and the five classics, these questions are not easy to answer. Ye Haotian is familiar with the art of war, so he naturally responds easily.

The second is the eight-strand text. It is to use the sentences in the Four Books and the Five Classics as the title, and ask the candidates to write and explain the righteousness in them. Candidates' essays can only be performed according to the specified annotations, and cannot have their own opinions, and the style must not violate the format of the eight strands.

Ye Haotian was well-read and memorized, and he was extremely familiar with the commentaries of the Four Books and the Five Classics, so it only took half an hour to write an article steadily. came out and waited for a long time before I saw Zhang Cheng come out with many people. Zhang Cheng's eyes flashed with excitement, and he seemed to be playing well.

Two days later, someone outside the inn shouted: "The list is released, the list is released!" Zhang Cheng hurriedly ran over to pull Ye Haotian to see.

Ye Haotian smiled: "You go, just help me take a look." ”

Zhang Cheng and his father hurried over, and saw from afar that the place where the list was released was surrounded by a sea of people. The two of them squeezed forward desperately. There is also ten zhang Zhang Chengcheng shouted: "The eldest brother is in the middle, at the top, the eldest brother is in the middle of the Yuan!" Zhang Yuanwai looked at it and sure enough, at the top of the list, the name of "Li Hao" was written in a big way.

It took the two of them another half a day to squeeze to the front of the list, anxiously looking for it on the list, but Zhang Cheng shouted first: "I'm winning, I'm in ninth place!"

Zhang Yuanwai cried with joy, and old tears flowed: "It's not easy! After many years of hard work, it has finally come to fruition, and in the future, his son will be equivalent to embarking on the official road!"

After reading the list, many people still gather around, and they talk about it, but they are depressed, some are overshadowed, and some are crying bitterly.

The two trotted all the way to the inn, but found Ye Haotian sitting at the table drinking tea, smiling and calm, as if he had already known the result. Zhang Cheng ran over and shook his shoulder and said, "Big brother, you have won the Xie Yuan! I have also won it, ninth place!"

Ye Haotian said continuously: "Okay, okay, it's good if you win! I don't know how many people have been taken this time?"

Zhang Yuanwai couldn't close his mouth with a smile: "Whatever, as long as you win, it's done!"

Or Zhang Cheng said: "Only 40 out of 2,000 people! It's not easy! It's really thanks to the elixir of the eldest brother, otherwise how could I have said today?"

Ye Haotian listened, handed over another Replenishing Divine Pill that had been refined before, and said, "This Pill can fill in the essence and replenish the marrow, which is very good for memory. ”

Zhang Cheng ate the marrow and knew the taste, and swallowed it without saying a word.

In the evening, Lord Wu of Futai invited everyone to a banquet and told everyone that their names had been reported to the Ministry of Rites and that they could participate in this year's examination. He saw that most of the people in this session were young people, especially Xie Yuan Ye Haotian was only twenty-one or twelve years old, he was very happy in his heart, and ordered: "Each person will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, as a coil to enter Beijing to catch the exam!" and then ordered everyone to drink happily and not get drunk.

At the end of the dinner, Zhang Cheng was so drunk that he wanted to lie down after only a few steps.

Ye Haotian put one hand on his back, and the dark internal force vaporized his wine.

After a while, Zhang Cheng came to his senses, looked around, and said, "Big brother, I'm sorry, I'm too happy, so I drank too much." ”

Ye Haotian comforted him and said: "The middle move is a great joy, you should be happy!"

Zhang Cheng already recognized him as an immortal, and he was sincerely happy that he had this big brother.

Ten days later, Ye Haotian and Zhang Cheng set off for Beijing to catch the exam. When he went out, Zhang Yuanwai told him thousands of times, for fear that something would happen to the two.

Ye Haotian comforted him and said, "Everything has me, please rest assured." ”

It is a long way from Chang'an to Jinling, and it takes at least two months if you walk. So both men rode on horseback. As a result of taking the Buzhong Yiqi Pill, Zhang Cheng's body was also much lighter, and it was not difficult to ride a horse. It was probably the first time he went far away, and he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

The two of them walked and stopped, enjoying the beautiful scenery on the side of the road along the way. It's the early summer season, and everything is full of life. Birds chirp softly in their ears, and hares gallop in front of the horses, all the way without feeling the slightest loneliness.

One afternoon a month later, I finally came to the shore of the Yangtze River, opposite the capital. While waiting for the ferry, Ye Haotian was pleasantly surprised to find that there was an acquaintance on the boat, who was not someone else, but Luo Kaishan, a friend of Yuelu Academy!

I haven't seen him for more than a year, Luo Kaishan's already burly figure has become stronger, and there is more determination in his eyes.

Since Ye Haotian wore a mask when he was in the academy, it is inconvenient to recognize each other rashly when he meets him now.

The ferry is finally here. A hundred or so people boarded the boat together, and the boatman slowly propped the boat up from the shore and rowed it to the opposite shore.

The river is rushing, the sunset is shining, the waves are splashing, and the droplets are gone. Suddenly, I heard someone chanting loudly: "The rolling Yangtze River is passing away, and the waves are sweeping away the heroes." Success or failure turns empty. The green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red several times. The voice was high-pitched and powerful, and when he looked back, it turned out to be Luo Kaishan, and he paused at this point in singing.

Ye Haotian laughed for a long time, and then sang: "On the white-haired fisherman Jiangzhu, I am used to watching the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of turbid wine is happy to meet. How many things in ancient and modern times are laughing and talking. ”

Before the singing stopped, Luo Kaishan had already walked over and said, "Brother, get to know me." I am Luo Kaishan, who went to Beijing to take the exam. Ye Haotian hurriedly stretched out his hand and said, "I'm Li Hao, please bear with me." "Li Hao, this name is the same as a classmate of mine. Luo Kaishan was a little surprised.

Ye Haotian said in his heart: "Not only the name is the same, but the people are also the same!" but said: "Seeing each other is fate." You'll treat me like him. ”

As soon as these words came out, Luo Kaishan had a good impression.

Ye Haotian pulled Zhang Cheng over and introduced: "This is my cousin." ”

Luo Kaishan saw that he was another beautiful young man, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The three quickly became friends.

After getting off the boat, the three of them entered Jinling after a while.

Jinling is worthy of being the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, with pavilions and pavilions everywhere, carved beams and painted buildings, the streets are full of traffic, and the pedestrians are endless.

The three of them found a hotel near Guozijian to stay.

It was the end of June, and the weather was very hot, but the evening breeze was still a little cool. A few people had nothing to do, and Luo Kaishan proposed: "The Qinhuai River is famous all over the world, so it's better to go and see it." Zhang Cheng first said: "It's not proper, I'm afraid there will be trouble when I go there before the exam." Ye Haotian said: "Let's go, it's okay to go and have a look." ”

Qinhuai River is located in the south of Jinling City, the river painting boat Lingbo, the lanterns are hanging, the rich on both sides of the bank gather, the green buildings stand in a forest, the gold powder towers, the rows are one after another, and the sound of oars and the light shadow constitute a dreamlike picture.

The three of them did not board the boat, but rented a small boat and drifted along the water. From time to time, there was a kitsch song in my ears: "The smoke cage is cold and the moon is long and sandy, and the night is close to the restaurant in Qinhuai." The merchant girl doesn't know the hatred of the country, and she still sings * flowers across the river". The river is filled with a faint fragrance, which seems to come from the rouge washed off by the girls on the painting boat.

For some reason, Ye Haotian suddenly remembered the beautiful woman he met in West Lake. Touching the jade flute in his arms, the warmth was still there, and his eyes couldn't help but appear in front of his eyes the sadness in the eyes of the beautiful woman when she left the painting boat that day. He brought the jade flute to his lips, and unconsciously blew out a song "Waves and Sands": "Toast the east wind, and be calm." Weeping Yang Zimo Luocheng East, always hand in hand at that time, swimming all over the bushes, gathering and scattering in a hurry, this hatred is endless, this year's flowers are better than last year's red, but unfortunately next year's flowers are better, who do you know with?" gradually my heart was bleak, and the sound of the flute also turned from melodious to whimpering. The surroundings were quiet, and it seemed that the entire Qinhuai River was immersed in the sad sound of the flute.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound of a piano on the quiet river!

Zhang Cheng carefully identified it and heard that it was faintly a song "Yulou Spring": "I don't know how far and near you are, how desolate and boring it is." Gradually drifting away and gradually without books, the water is wide and the fish sink where to ask. In the middle of the night, the wind and bamboo knock on the autumn rhyme, and the thousands of leaves and thousands of voices are hate. Therefore, the single pillow is found in the dream, and the dream is not a lamp and an ember. It was the first time he had heard such a graceful and moving sound of the piano, and he could not help but be completely lost in it. When he woke up, he saw Luo Kaishan beside him looking up at the sky, with a solemn expression on his face, as if he was trying his best to resist the sound of the piano. Ye Haotian has disappeared!

As soon as the piano sounded, Ye Haotian woke up to the fact that the person who played the piano must be the woman who met at the West Lake that day. He couldn't help but quietly get off the boat and tread the waves.

On the opposite shore was a small boat moored in the deep water and grass, and the window of the cabin was open, and in it sat a girl in a white dress and a white dress, stroking the strings of the piano with her hands and her shoulders undulating. Shadows rippled up and down in the river, the river was dark green, lined with a girl dressed in a white shirt, like a person in a fairyland.

Ye Haotian Lingbo stepped on the bow of the boat.

The woman looked up and saw it, but she just smiled slightly, without too much surprise on her face, and nodded for him to enter and sit down, her hands still plucking the piano hyun.

Ye Haotian sat quietly opposite her, quietly watching her play the piano.

The woman's expression was confused, her expression was sad, but when her eyes stopped on Ye Haotian's face, she was so cheerful, her eyes intersected, and there was endless tenderness and love. Soon the piano died down, and the woman sat still, as if waiting for him to speak.

Ye Haotian was moved in his heart, and said slowly: "Farewell to the West Lake, in a hurry for three months, looking for it several times, I can see it today, I am so happy." ”

When the woman heard this, she smiled and said: "The concubine never thought that she could see the old man thousands of miles away, and the heavens will not live up to me!" After a pause, she said: "Last time, it was the concubine who stroked the piano and the son and the concubine continued." Childe played Ouyang Xiu's waves, and I played his "Yulou Spring", which is similar to the music. Saying that, a trace of shyness flashed across his jade-like face, and his eyes were gentle, just like the endless water of the Qinhuai River.

The two gradually talked about each other, and they talked about each other, and the room was like spring.

It was getting late, Ye Haotian felt that he should leave, and he was nostalgic in his heart, so he said: "I said goodbye in a hurry last time, I have always regretted it in my heart, I don't know where Miss Xianxiang is, I have a free time, or I can visit the hall." ”

Hearing this, the smile on the woman's face gradually froze, and slowly turned to resentment, but she did not immediately reply.

Ye Haotian said: "I don't know if Miss has anything unspeakable, but if I have a life, I should do my best to help." ”

The woman saw that his face was anxious, hesitated slightly, took out a bag from her arms and handed it over, stopped halfway through it, looked at Ye Haotian's eyes and said, "The concubine has a request, please be sure to agree." ”

Ye Haotian nodded solemnly: "As long as I can, I will do my best." ”

The woman handed the bag to Ye Haotian and said softly: "Don't open it until you have time, if you see it, you and I will never see each other again." Then he said with infinite regret: "On the fifteenth day of July, the son will open the bag and will be able to see me." The voice grew more and more bleak.

Ye Haotian put away the bag and got up to say goodbye. The woman was sent to the head of the boat, and it was difficult to give up.

Back at the hotel, Zhang Cheng and Luo Kaishan hadn't slept yet, they were both opening the scriptures in front of the lamp to review, and they were also waiting for him. Seeing him come back, Zhang Cheng was not surprised, because he had already thought that he was an immortal. Luo Kaishan looked at him a few times and said, "Brother." You can climb the Ping and cross the water, and the end is extraordinary. Ye Haotian just smiled and asked, "Brother Luo, I see that you are very angry, and you have probably practiced kung fu, right?"

Luo Kaishan did not deny it, and said after a moment of silence: "I am the descendant of the famous general Luo Yanqing of the Great Song Dynasty, when the ancestors followed Yang Zaixing to die in the battle of Xiaoshanghe, and then my generation abandoned martial arts and literature, but the family kung fu did not dare or forget, men must practice martial arts for several years, until a set of Luo family marksmanship mastered before they were allowed to go out." ”

Ye Haotian said: "Brother Luo is an all-round talent in civil and military affairs, and he is the pillar of the country. In recent years, the coastal provinces have been rampant, and it is best to release the southeast area after the title of the gold list of brothers, so that you can have a place to use. ”

"yes, I thought so too. Speaking of this, Luo Kaishan's eyes emitted a ray of divine light.

※※※

There are still more than ten days before the big exam, Ye Haotian told the two of them that they want to go out for a walk, they must come back on time, take the exam, don't worry.

He rode out of the city and headed southeast.

Eighty miles away from the city, there is a famous Taoist mountain - Maoshan Mountain.

The name of Maoshan comes from the three Mao Zhenjun, the three immortals respected by Taoism - Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhen. The name of Mao Ying, first seen in the Han Dynasty Weishu, said that he was eighteen years old into Hengshan to learn the Tao, accumulated 20 years, the Tao returned, to the south of the Yangtze River Juqu Mountain, exempted from the disaster of flood, drought, disease and locusts, so that people near and far were favored, so that the people of the time changed this mountain to Maoshan. Mao Ying's two younger brothers, Mao Gu and Mao Zhen, once served as officials in the Han Dynasty and held the throne of 2,000 stones. Later, when he was seventy or eighty years old, he abandoned his official position and family, and crossed the river to find his brother. Mao Ying gave them a grain of four fans, rejuvenated, practiced in the cave under the mountain for more than 40 years, and later became immortals.

For such an immortal holy land, Ye Haotian couldn't ignore it.

He walked through one mountain after another, and saw that Maoshan has beautiful scenery, unique and beautiful, nine peaks, nineteen springs, twenty-six holes, twenty-eight pools, peaks and peaks, clouds and mist. As he walked, he suddenly felt that the scene in front of him was a little familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. He took out the turtle mirror and looked at it, and the first thing he saw was the back of an old man. The old man was sitting on the futon and practicing, and his figure shook slightly when he appeared in the turtle mirror clock. Turning to the front, he finally recognized that it was the old fortune teller he had been looking for! It was because of the old man's spiritual rune that he escaped the catastrophe of the Su family!

Ye Haotian was excited in his heart, and hurriedly walked forward, and soon came to a small Taoist temple. The old man seemed to know that he was coming, and he waited at the door in advance. Ye Haotian walked forward, knelt on the ground with a "plop", and said, "Immortal Master Xie is a great grace to save his life." ”

The old man helped him up, stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Just now I was outside, and suddenly my heart moved, and I felt inexplicable, when I went out to check, you came! Don't thank me, that is your life should not be extinguished, it is not my work! Huh? You have also practiced Taoist kung fu?" While saying this, he looked Ye Haotian up and down, and soon exclaimed: "Good guy, in just two or three years, your cultivation has reached such a point! It should be in the middle of the real world, right?" and then invited him to come in and take a seat.

Ye Haotian didn't say that he was still three years away from reaching the immortal realm, but he repeatedly expressed his gratitude, and then recounted what happened after saying goodbye, saying that he had already worshiped in Qingcheng Mountain and had seen a few demons of the Nine Yin Sect, but he didn't know who the leader was.

The old man listened quietly, finally nodded, and said, "I have also carefully calculated that the skill of the perpetrator is immeasurable. You have to be careful!"

Ye Haotian took out a turtle marrow pill and handed it over: "Immortal master, I don't have to respect it, please accept this pill." ”

The old man took it and looked at it, and asked in surprise, "What is this......?" Is it the Turtle Marrow Pill?"

Ye Haotian smiled and nodded.

The old man's hand holding the pill couldn't help but tremble a few times, and he muttered in his mouth: "You actually have this kind of treasure! Okay, I'm welcome! With this divine pill, it can save me sixty years of cultivation, and the early proof of the avenue is hopeful!" He was excited, and people walked around the house, wanting to find something to give to Ye Haotian. After looking at it for a long time, I couldn't find something satisfactory, so I suddenly stopped and said: "Although the Qingcheng rune is not bad, our Maoshan rune is more unique, so let's pass on a little bit of my experience over the past hundred years to you, and you and I are destined!"

Ye Haotian was overjoyed in his heart, and knelt down again: "Thank you, Immortal Master!"

The old man asked him to sit down and listen, and said slowly: "The Maoshan faction has been opened by the patriarch Sanmao Zhenjun since the generations, and there have been many talents over the generations, the first generation of Taishi is Nanyue Shangzhen Si Ming Gao Yuan Shenzhao Zixu to Dao Yuan Jun Wei Huacun, the second generation of Xuanshi is Yang Xi, the most virtuous true monarch, and the third generation is really for the most benevolent true monarch Xu Mu...... The thirteenth grandmaster Li Sheguang was a national teacher of the Tang Dynasty...... Liu Dabin, the forty-fifth generation of the sect master, ......" As he spoke, the old man sighed deeply: "In recent years, a group of demonic and evil people have come to Maoshan to deceive people, causing everyone to misunderstand that the Maoshan faction is an evil faction. It's heart-wrenching that his reputation has plummeted. ”

Ye Haotian interjected: "I don't know who it is?"

The old man's face was grim, and he waved his hand and said, "I'll talk about this later, and I'll preach the Fa first." Then he passed on the Maoshan Yujibai Spiritual Talisman, which can eliminate disasters and evil spirits, the Maoshan Taiyi Fire Talisman, which can clear diseases, the Maoshan Three Maojun True Talismans, which can make things go smoothly, and finally the Maoshan Huayang Life and Death Talisman, which can communicate with the underworld. It took two hours before the old man stopped.

Ye Haotian memorized repeatedly, closed his eyes and thought about it, and felt that his understanding of talismans had greatly increased, which was comparable to two heavens compared to before. He was very grateful, bowed to the old man three times, and said: "I vaguely guessed the origin of the demon of Maoshan! The next time I come, I will uproot it and return Maoshan to a clean house, in order to thank the master for passing on the Dharma!"

The old man nodded: "I also want to go down the mountain to find land to cultivate, if you can sweep the Maoshan Mountain, but please burn a spirit talisman, I will know." ”

Ye Haotian bowed and said goodbye.

Back in Jinling, there are still five days before the big exam. Zhang Cheng and Luo Kaishan were still reading, and Ye Haotian asked them to go out to play, but they refused, saying that they had no mind.

So Ye Haotian also locked himself in the room, carefully figured out the various talismans taught by the old man, and drew one spirit rune after another in his mind, feeling extremely effective. Especially the last Maoshan Huayang Life and Death Talisman aroused his great interest, and he practiced it over and over again, feeling that the harvest was not shallow.

※※※

On the sixth day of the seventh month, the weather was very hot in the morning, there was no wind at all, and everyone was so hot that they were sweating.

Ye Haotian and the three of them came to the examination room of the Ying Tianfu Society.

There were a few soldiers standing at the gate of the examination room, checking their identities and checking whether they were carrying cheating items. They inspect it very carefully, and sometimes even ask the lifter to take off his shoes and look at it. Inside the gate are dozens of long rows of houses, divided into small pavilions, each about five feet square, where only one person can sit.

After being checked, the three of them rushed in, each found his place, and walked in.

Ye Haotian looked at the small pavilion and felt that it was relatively clean, there was a desk by the door, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone had been placed, and there was a chair behind it. He sat down in a chair, spread out the paper, polished the inkstone, and everything was ready, waiting for the start of the process. There will be three trials, one every day, and today is just the first one.

Not long after, when I heard a gong, someone came over to hand out the test papers. Ye Haotian opened it and found that it was three pieces of calligraphy, each with a limit of 55 crosses, no more than 800 words, and at least 35 crosses. Those with less than 300 words will not be allowed to take the test again. As a Confucian scholar, everyone is no stranger to the Book of Shang. Ye Haotian is well-read and memorized, not only can he memorize the "Book of Shang" backwards, but he is also very clear about the annotations of various families in the past dynasties on this book. He was calm, his pen was round, and he wrote three articles word by word. After counting it, it turned out that each article was five hundred and five crosses, one no more and one no less, which was really a miracle. At this time, it is said that it is just west, about the time scene, and there are still two hours before the end. He sat for a while, waited for the ink to dry a little, handed over the scroll and walked out.

It was still early in the morning when he left the examination room, and he unconsciously came to the bank of the Qinhuai River again, as if he wanted to find the woman who was beautiful and charming, met twice, and was haunted by his dreams. He paced up and down by the river, and the sad face of a woman was always in front of him.

It was a long time before he came to his senses. Look around, the Qinhuai River during the day is different from the night, the lake is quiet, and the lively area is the nearby Confucius Temple. The Confucius Temple is the Temple of Confucius, which is a place to worship and worship Confucius. The Confucius Temple in Jinling was built in the Song Dynasty and is located next to Gongyuan Street on the north bank of the Qinhuai River.

He walked to the Confucius Temple, went in to see the Juxing Pavilion, the Sile Pavilion, the Zunjing Pavilion, etc., and quickly turned around. Not far away is the famous flavor snack bar Wanqing Building. The most charming thing here is the Qinhuai snacks.

As soon as the man at the door saw him dressed up, he hurriedly greeted him, led him upstairs, invited him to sit down in a private seat by the window, and asked, "Sir, what do you want?"

"I don't know what special snacks there are?" Ye Haotian asked.

The hall official hurriedly introduced: "The most famous is the 'Qin Huai Eight Uniques'. Fine workmanship, beautiful shape, exquisite material selection, unique flavor. In addition, there are Wuxi xiaolongbao, three fresh wontons, net roasted Qing fish, Zhenjiang's crab roe buns, meat dishes, Xuyi's lobster, Tianmu Lake's casserole fish head, ground vegetables, dried vegetables and stewed meat. All kinds of snack names poured out of his mouth, and there was an endless stream of them.

Ye Haotian felt interesting: "I don't know what Qin Huai's Eight Uniques are?"

The hall official continued: "One must be Yuhua tea, two must be crab shell yellow baked cakes, three must be duck fat shortbread cakes, four must be tofu waterlogged, five must be assorted chicken shredded noodles, six must be beef pots, seven must be fried fish noodles with red soup, and eight must be filled with osmanthus flowers. I wonder what kind of absolutes Mr. wants?"

"Everything, once in a while, taste it. Ye Haotian commanded.

"Okay, please take a seat, and you will come up in a moment!" the cousin ran down.

Ye Haotian looked out from the window, opposite the south bank of the Qinhuai River is the famous Wuyi Lane, where it was originally the residence of Wang Dao and Xie An, the famous prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In the old days, Wang Xie Tang Qianyan flew into the homes of ordinary people. ”

As soon as the words fell, someone suddenly said: "White clouds and dogs, vicissitudes of life, in vain!" The voice was old and powerful.

Looking back, he was a fifty-year-old man, dressed as a Confucian student, with a long hair, a face as white as jade, a gloomy expression, and a dignified brow.

Ye Haotian bowed his hand: "The student sighed for a while, disturbing Mr."

The man looked him up and down a few times, and said with an unhappy face: "Look at your clothes, it should be for the exam, and if you don't take the test today, why do you stay here?"

Ye Haotian saw that the other party was well-dressed, and knew that he was not an idle person, so he replied respectfully: "The students came after the first game." ”

The old man looked at the sky and said a little puzzledly: "I've never seen the end so early, could it be that you can't quit halfway?" Young man, those who quit halfway are not allowed to try again, you are too reckless!"

Ye Haotian hurriedly replied: "I have finished answering three articles on calligraphy, no more, no less, each with five hundred and five crosses." ”

A hint of a smile appeared on the old man's gloomy face, and the worry in his eyes was replaced by ridicule, and he said: "Cowhide is not blown like this! Each article is exactly five hundred and five crosses, and I am afraid that the gods will be embarrassed!"

Ye Haotian didn't argue anymore, but said: "I'll see when the gold list is released." At this time, the officials served the dishes one after another. Looking back, the old man's table turned out to be the same "Qin Huai Eight Uniques", but it seemed that he had already used it, although he only ate a little bit of each.

The old man obviously noticed it too, nodded and said, "It seems to be a fellow practitioner." In this way, I'm afraid that what you said is true, and I will pay attention to it when the gold list comes out. ”

Ye Haotian wanted to ask for advice, but the old man had already gone downstairs.

Back at the inn, Zhang Cheng and Luo Kaishan hadn't come back yet. After waiting for a while, the two returned together. Luo Kaishan's demeanor is still the same. Zhang Cheng's face was very grim, and he shook his head as he walked: "It's difficult, it's difficult, it's not good!"

Ye Haotian stepped forward to comfort: "It's good or bad, let's talk about it after the three games!"

The next day was a question of strategy. There is only one topic: "Governing a big country is like cooking small fresh". Ye Haotian ended early again, and waited until it was dark to see the two come back. This time, Zhang Cheng's face was even worse, and he couldn't stop muttering: "What kind of thing!' 'Governing a big country is like cooking small fresh,' how can there be such a topic? A manly man and a big man, if he doesn't seriously govern the country, how can he play with the people? Governing the country is governing the country, how can it be compared with stir-frying?"

On the third day, poems and songs are tested. Each person is required to compose a poem, regardless of genre, but there must be flowers, grass, mountains, water, spring, rain, building, incense. Somehow, Ye Haotian had endless sorrow when he saw these eight words, and the scenes of Yuelu reading, the Su family catastrophe, Huashan treasure hunting, and Qingcheng cultivation appeared in front of him, followed by West Lake Lanzhou, Qin Huai's night talk, and finally fixed on the woman's lovely, pitiful and heartbreaking face, sitting there and unable to write. Seeing that it was already slanting westward, it was not too early, so I had to write a poem "Ruan Langgui": "Apricot blossoms are sparse and rainy, and the curtains of high-rise buildings are hanging. The distant mountains reflect the water and the sunset is low, and the spring sorrow presses the green eyebrows. Fangcao sentences, blue cloud words, low wandering and idle thinking. The warbler never cried on the branches, and knew when the king's intestines were broken. ”

Back at the inn, the two had already arrived, and this time he was the latest!

Luo Kaishan said: "The three games have been completed, and it is up to fate." Go to Wenshu Pavilion tonight and have a good drink, don't get drunk!"

※※※

Three days later, it's time to release the list. It is said that the exact time is late in the afternoon, but in the morning, people gathered in front of the ceremonial office. After noon, Ye Haotian was also pulled away by Zhang Cheng and Luo Kaishan. Everyone was eager to see through it, anxiously waiting. It wasn't until late that someone finally came out of the gate. Two soldiers in front opened the way, and an official in the back held a roll of red paper in his hand. The crowd "hula" surrounded, and the soldiers who opened the way asked everyone to get out of the way, and then helped to paste the red paper on it.

Hundreds of lifters and onlookers gathered their eyes on the leaderboard. There are about 100 people on the list, in no particular order. As soon as the list was posted, Ye Haotian saw his name with a flash of light in his eyes, so he just stood outside the crowd and waited. Zhang Cheng and Luo Kaishan squeezed forward for a long time, and finally found that their names were also inside.

Zhang Cheng danced excitedly and shouted: "Hit, hit! Big brother, all three of us have hit!"

Luo Kaishan walked out of the crowd and wiped his sweat, and said with emotion: "Ten years of cold windows, it was finally not in vain!"

Ye Haotian didn't feel the difficulty. Perhaps God gave him the disaster of destroying the door and wanted to compensate him for something, so he gave him fame and the success of his cultivation.

At this time, there were already people crying bitterly. Many more left without saying a word and with gloomy faces.

Those who pass the examination are called tributes. Only those who have become tributes can participate in the palace examination, and the admission rate of the palace examination is very high, so it can be said that one foot has stepped into the door of the imperial court.

The temple examination is scheduled for July 12. It was a beautiful day, and it rained in the morning, which made the hot weather cool all at once. Everyone became energetic, especially the "tributes" who were about to participate in the palace examination, and they all wore the most satisfactory clothes and came to the Wenhua Hall of the Imperial City. The Wenhua Hall is in the east of the Jinluan Palace, the red carpet in the hall, the wall is full of calligraphy and paintings, and the lintel and roof beams are carved with exquisite patterns.

Before the time came, the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet scholars came first. After a while, someone shouted, "The emperor has arrived!" and in an instant, everyone knelt on the ground. Then an old voice said: "All the ministers are flat, please sit in peace." When Ye Haotian looked up, there was an old man in front of him who was close to his sixties, in a crown dragon suit, his eyes were cloudy, and he looked old. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "It turns out that the emperor is so old, no wonder he is very faint, why don't he abdicate?"

After everyone sat down, they only listened to the emperor's words: "I am old and weak, and I can't sit for a long time, so the arrangement of this palace test is also unusual. As he spoke, he ordered the cabinet scholars to hand out the examination papers, and at the same time ordered the eunuchs to light a stick of incense.

Ye Haotian took the test paper, unfolded it and saw that it was indeed twenty uplink. In the first case, "the horizon will be full of a round of moons," he wrote in his hand, "There are still 100-year-old people in the world"; in the second one, "the moon is clearly divided," he replied: "The five mountains and mountains are all hills and mountains," and the third "is as good as a thousand miles away," and he replied: "Accepting everything is as poor as a hundred rivers in the sea...... The eighteenth "early to mid, mid-to-mid, Shuo said Wang", this is a bit difficult, Ye Haotian thought for a moment, and replied: "May 5, September 9, Duanyang Chongyang." Answering this, he stopped, closed his eyes, released the Yuan Shen, looked at the other candidates, and found that Zhang Cheng had answered fourteen, Luo Kaishan had answered nineteen, and the rest of the people had answered ten or eight, and there were fourteen or five of them. There is less than one-fifth of a stick of incense left, he looks at the last two, one is "mountains and rivers, everywhere is clear and beautiful", the other is "ups and downs, warm and cold, looking for everywhere", he has the answer in his heart, but he has not put pen to paper in his hand. He knew in his heart that although the champion and the name of the list were good, they were not what he needed, because if he won the champion, he often entered the Hanlin Academy, and he was afraid that he would have to be locked in the study for a lifetime in the future, which would be very detrimental to his cultivation and revenge. It is best to be able to win three or four.

Soon a stick of incense was burned, the exam was over, and the emperor ordered everyone to disperse.

On the way back, Luo Kaishan looked calm and seemed to answer well. Zhang Cheng was a little annoyed: "Alas, there are still four left, the time is too short, it's too late!" Ye Haotian said: "Sixteen is enough, it should be in the second class of Jinshi." Zhang Cheng had always believed in his words, so he didn't say anything anymore.

After breakfast the next day, the three of them were chatting in the inn, when suddenly there was a sound of gongs and drums outside, and a voice shouted: "Luo Kaishan Luo Lao Ye is in high school, the first champion of the first class!" A group of people surrounded him, and many people in the inn poured out to see, wanting to know what the new champion was like. Before he had time to reward, someone shouted and poured in: "Master Zhang Chengzhang has been hit, and the seventh Jinshi in the second class!" At this time, the whole inn was a sensation, and everyone talked about it, saying that this inn has good feng shui, and there are two jinshi a year, and the boss's smiling eyes have become a slit. Ye Haotian helped reward the messengers who reported the good news and congratulated them. For a long time, the crowd slowly dispersed.

Zhang Cheng was afraid that he would be lonely, so he hurriedly came over to comfort: "Big brother, wait a minute, yours should also come." Ye Haotian was not nervous, he knew in his heart that his achievements were not outstanding, and he used a pseudonym, so he should not be suppressed.

An hour later, the sound of gongs and drums came again: "Master Li Hao and Li are in high school, and the third place in the first class is Tanhua!" The crowd suddenly gathered again: "Tanhua! Look at it, the champion of today's department, Tanhua! I have seen it for the first time in so many years!"

The innkeeper ran in and shouted: "Three masters, your room money is free, but please get a little ink treasure, and hang it in the store in the future to ensure that my business is prosperous!"

The three of them smiled, each inscribed a few words to him, and the boss thanked him again and again.

On the 14th of July, all the jinshi reported to the official department. As a result, Luo Kaishan entered the Hanlin Academy, Zhang Cheng was awarded the political envoy of Shaanxi, and Ye Haotian was awarded the county of Yueqing, Wenzhou Prefecture, and he was limited to one month.

Out of the ministry, Luo Kaishan was depressed, thinking that he would have to compile books and draft edicts for the emperor all day in the future.

Ye Haotian was also a little puzzled, it is said that Tanhua should generally stay in the Beijing Division, which is conducive to finding out the reason for the Su family's annihilation, but now he has to go thousands of miles away to become an official, is it because the destiny of heaven is like this, and it is really impossible to take revenge before the hour comes? Back then, my grandfather once said: "Come back in ten years!" Is it really necessary to wait ten years for the peak to turn around? I thought about it: "Maybe my own skills are not enough, God will let me cultivate for a while." When he thought like this, his heart calmed down a little.

The happiest is Zhang Cheng, who can return to his hometown to be an official, and he is not dreaming of beauty.

The three of them said goodbye that day. Ye Haotian repeatedly told Zhang Cheng, and drew a Maoshan Sanmao Zhenjun Talisman on him to keep him safe all the way, so he turned around and comforted Luo Kaishan: "My brother is talented, both civil and military, and he will not be trapped in the Hanlin Academy for a long time in the future, and there must be an opportunity to show his talents." ”

Luo Kaishan thought about it for a long time and thought about it, but what if he couldn't think about it?

After the two left, Ye Haotian took out the bag that the woman gave him when Qin Huai talked at night, and he was anxious. Although he didn't have to open it to see what was inside, he didn't do that, feeling that if he did, he would break his promise. Anyway, it's only one day, no, only a few hours, and after tonight, even if it's July 15, it will be open by then.

Time passed hour by hour, and he was bored and had to continue to figure out the Maoshan rune. The sun sets and night falls. It seemed like I had waited for another 10,000 years, and finally heard the sound of the watch outside. He took the brocade bag in his hand, carefully untied the two heart-shaped knots, and with trepidation he reached in, and found a white jade pendant the size of a palm two minutes thick, and a gold wire attached to it, which seemed to be hanging around his neck. On the back of the jade is engraved a line of words "Xuanwu Hubei, the only one".

At this point, his restless heart finally calmed down, because it was obviously where the beautiful woman was. Now that you know the direction, you can visit tomorrow. Such a trivial matter, I don't know why she made such a mystery.

As soon as it was dawn, he got up to bathe and change his clothes, and watched the sun rise slowly, as slowly as a turtle. After a long time, he finally set off. But the distance of more than ten miles only took a while, and looking at the sun, it was still too early. The first time I came to the door, I was afraid that I would be annoying if it was too early. So he had to walk around Xuanwu Lake.

Xuanwu Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and one side is close to Jinling City. The water of the lake is as clear as a mirror, the blue waves are rippling, and there are five oases distributed on the lake, and the weeping willows are planted all over the island, and the breeze blows, like smoke and clouds. There is a large mansion on the north side of the lake, which is afraid that it is where the princes and nobles lived.

After a few more moments, he walked towards the mansion. The door of the mansion was two feet wide, and it was still tightly closed, as if the people inside had not woken up yet. Two huge stone lions crouched in front of the door.

Ye Haotian resolutely stepped forward and snapped the knocker. It was a long time before a crack opened in the door, and someone poked his head out of the crack and stared at him with a puzzled look. He took out the piece of white jade from his arms, stretched out his hand and handed it over, and said at the same time, "The master of the jade pendant invited me to come." The man took the jade in his hand, glanced at it, and hurried in.

After a while, the door opened, and he was invited in. Ye Haotian followed the other party all the way inside, and finally came to a study. Pushing the door in, an old man sat quietly on a chair, his face haggard, his eyes blank, it turned out to be a Confucian scholar he had seen in the Confucius Temple a few days ago! Seeing Ye Haotian come in, the old man just waved his hand to let him sit down, and waved his hand to let the person who led the way out.

The old man's dim eyes looked at Ye Haotian quietly, and only after a while did he say a word: "You're late!" Tears kept falling from the corners of his eyes as he spoke.

Ye Haotian was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he meant.

The old man stroked the jade pendant with a trembling hand, and his breathing became short: "This is a gift I gave to the little girl ten years ago, she cherished it like her life and always carried it with her." Now that I have given you the jade, it shows that it is extraordinary to you. But, but ......" The old man choked up at this point, and it took a long time to spit out a few words with difficulty: "She is dead!"

;