Chapter 2168: Good Night

Jiang Zhenren was just stunned: "No, didn't you just say..."

"What are you? What am I? I'm saying cultivation can't be relaxed, I didn't say you can't relax during the New Year! Look at you, still calling An An back, really!" Ye Zhenren criticized Jiang Zhenren seriously, then looked at Jiang Anan with a changed expression: "Never mind, you go play. Cultivation can wait until next year."

It was obvious that after almost falling into the situation of being a 'left-behind' elder spending the New Year alone, Pavilion Master Ye was deeply reflective and came up with a divide and conquer strategy to re-enter the fray.

Jiang Anan was no longer seven or eight years old, of course, she knew Uncle Ye's cunning, but getting permission to play was always a good thing. So she smiled secretly and looked at her older brother.

Jiang Wang had a helpless look.

Jiang Anan casually picked a piece of rice cake from her older brother's plate and called out: "Sha Gua!" (Stupid Gray!)

Sha Gua swallowed the rice basin in front of it in one gulp, shook its body, and leaped up, transforming into a four-legged stepping flame, a giant dog with eyes surging with black qi, its long fur hanging down like gray satin, lying under the starry sky.

Jiang Anan leaped up, rode this beast, and flew away again.

Jiang Wang was a good loser. He admitted that he had been tricked by Ye Xiaohua and could only blame himself for not being on guard, not resent the opponent for being too cunning.

But Ye Qingyu picked up the wine pot and poured wine for her old father, and reminded him not too lightly or too heavily: "That's enough, it's the New Year."

"Look at you all, what is this girl saying?" Ye Zhenren looked at Zhu Weiwo, then at Xiang Qian: "It's as if I'm bullying someone!

He finally looked at Jiang Wang: "Did I?"

"No, no, absolutely not! I and Ye Zhenren are friends who have crossed ages, where do we need the word 'bully'?" Jiang Wang took the initiative to say: "Come, I toast you a cup, thank you for so many years of care!"

"Thank me for whose care?" Ye Lingxiao asked unmoved.

If he thanked Ye Zhenren for caring for Jiang Anan, then this cup of wine didn't need to be drunk. Lingxiao Pavilion's Sect Master caring for Lingxiao Pavilion's disciples, where did anyone need to thank him!

If he thanked Ye Zhenren for caring for Ye Qingyu... let's not talk about the New Year, this Immortal Capital was just about to open a skull!

"Thank you for my care!" Jiang Wang honestly avoided the fatal question.

The two then drank.

They toasted like this several times.

Ye Zhenren, with a hint of drunkenness, seemed genuinely somewhat tipsy, patting Jiang Wang's shoulder, and adopting a heart-to-heart posture: "Wang ah. You might have a little misunderstanding about me!"

Jiang Wang blinked his eyes: "I always feel that you are broad-minded, have a great personality, are outstandingly extraordinary, and super elegant... there shouldn't be any misunderstanding, right?"

"You see people very accurately!" Ye Zhenren heavily patted his shoulder: "But you might misunderstand my behavior."

"How so?" Jiang Wang was very cooperative.

"It's not that I won't let you through the door." Ye Zhenren said earnestly: "I always appreciate you very much. Don't forget that you are a member of Taixu Pavilion, and you bear heavy responsibilities and public expectations, ah. You need to be fair and just, you need to be absolutely neutral, you need to pay attention to your influence. You say you run to Yun Country all day, is this appropriate? Yun Country is a country, big or small. If it spreads out, others will see it as leading coins and hooking up freely. Doesn't this damage the old man's reputation? I'm not shutting you out, I'm protecting your reputation. Do you understand my good intentions?"

"Dad, you're drunk!" Ye Qingyu reached over and took his wine cup.

I usually can't speak well, afraid of hurting young people's feelings. Today I've drunk a lot, you won't blame me, right?

Ye Zhenren's face was indeed a bit red, and he said with a wine-fueled breath: "It's good to be drunk, as they say, truth is spilled after wine! Some words..."

Ye Qingyu wanted to speak but stopped. You old man, even if you're drunk, where do you have a truthful word!

"I understand, Pavilion Master Ye." Jiang Wang nodded very sensibly: "You're worried sick about us juniors, it's time to rest well! Come, I'll toast you another cup."

"I'm not drinking wine, I'm not good at drinking." Ye Lingxiao narrowed his eyes: "Where do you want me to rest?"

Jiang Wang had a pure expression: "My courtyard has a guest room."

"Is that so?" Ye Zhenren's eyes were dangerous: "How do I hear a hidden meaning?"

"You must be misunderstanding!" Jiang Wang smiled simply: "I don't even play the zither, I can't even find the strings, where would there be a hidden meaning?" Ye Zhenren laughed: "How is my Qingyu's zither playing?"

Jiang Wang praised sincerely: "Like hearing heavenly music, like being crazy and drunk!"

Before that burned-tailed painting was sent, our precious daughter never touched the zither, ah.

Ye Zhenren maintained his smile, looked up at the night sky, and said: "Beautiful moonlight!"

Jiang Wang racked his brains to echo: "Really beautiful!"

Ye Zhenren withdrew his gaze and slowly focused on Jiang Wang's face: "With such a beautiful time and scene, why don't we spar a round to enjoy the excitement?"

Jiang Wang subconsciously wanted to step on the clouds, but suddenly reacted, he was already a World Zhenren...

Times were different now!

He recalled the days of being beaten, gnashing his teeth as if they were in front of him.

He was eager to try but cautiously said: "If it's just sparring for excitement, I don't need to bring out Taixu Pavilion, right?"

Ye Zhenren heard that this was pointing at him, and smiled proudly: "Bare-handed fighting for everyone, no external force borrowed, a truly elegant matter!"

Zhu Weiwo silently stood to the side, and Xiang Qian also conveniently took away the hot pot.

Ye Qingyu's wine cup was placed on the table, not too lightly or too heavily. She showed a bright smile under the moonlight:

Do you want me to leave and give you two some space to fight?

"What fight! You child!" Ye Lingxiao laughed and sat down: "I'm talking about playing finger-guessing games while drinking wine. Where are you pulling this to! Is a father such an undignified person? So old, still fighting with young people?"

Jiang Wang also had a face full of smiles, very actively rolling up his sleeves: "Uncle-father Ye, today we'll just drink happily!"

He then looked at Xiang Qian who was putting away the hot pot with his eyes: "Are you planning to change a pot?"

Xiang Qian blinked a dead fish eye: "Is... it...?"

"Then what are you still dazing about?" Jiang Zhenren waved his hand: "It's just next door, go quickly and come back quickly."

The courtyard quickly became lively with rice again. The sound of finger-guessing games and toasting echoed, a noisy long night.

The New Spring moon did not hang alone, shining on one side.

Turning over the year was just Zhuang Calendar Qiming Year Four. Xin An City was also lit up with ten thousand lights.

Li Jianqiu wore a very ordinary scholar's robe and walked alone on the long street.

The square in front had just finished a grand fireworks display, and the returning crowd scattered in all directions. He was on a street, opposite a crowd... as people moved forward in high spirits, he seemed to be retreating.

The coming shadows were all blurry, and the dim lights swayed.

Laughter and cheerful voices were in his ears, as if on the horizon.

Many times in this life, only in retrospect do they begin to flow.

He often felt that he would die on some New Year's Eve. Peaceful like lighting a lamp, and then the lamp extinguishing.

He often thought of that night, when Dong A let him leave and sent a plaque to the border city.

That was the last time they met...

That also seemed to be New Year's Eve.

"Hey!"

In front was a small alley, slightly narrow and long, with a wine flag slanting out, fluttering in the wind.

The old wine shop was closed and the lights were out, not receiving guests, but there was still a sound behind the window.

Li Jianqiu came back to his senses, followed the sound, then stepped into the small alley, entered the inner room of the wine shop, and sat down elegantly in front of a long table.

Inside the room without candlelight, the great general of Zhuang Country with a full beard sat in the shadows. On the long table were several side dishes, a bowl of rice, and a cup of white water.

"It's the New Year, what are you wandering outside for?" Du Yetu asked first.

"Always need to come out often and see how everyone is living." Li Jianqiu said: "Can't change my own stupidity, at least I can think more before making decisions."

"Looking here is meaningless." Du Yetu said bluntly: "Where in the capital can you see true life?"

"You're right, usually I don't walk here either. Perhaps because, tonight is always New Year's Eve, and I subconsciously don't want to walk too far..." Li Jianqiu sat up straight: "What about you? Why aren't you going to Yun Country?"

"Many of my brothers below are on duty, where can I go." Du Yetu said in a muffled voice: "Before I only managed fighting, only governed one army, and didn't know that being responsible for more armies was such a complex thing. Old Duan at first only taught me a part, saying I didn't need to learn too much— do you think he didn't believe I could be a great general at first?"

Li Jianqiu just smiled shallowly.

"I didn't believe it either." Du Yetu also laughed at himself, grinning: "My talent is very ordinary, ah, and my brain isn't smart enough. I need to work a little harder to live up to those who believe in me."

Saying this, he paused: "Eat a big meal together?"

The current new Prime Minister of Zhuang Country silently glanced at the simple table: "Just drink white water?"

"I can't drink alcohol when I'm alone. It's hard enough to read books, I can't understand them even more when I drink alcohol." Du Yetu said enthusiastically: "Shall I get you a jar?"

"No need. Drinking water is fine." Li Jianqiu originally wanted to ask why there was no lamp lit, but finally just said: "Speaking of which, it's the New Year, why would you choose to sit here alone?"

"Old Duan brought me to this wine shop several times before, the wine is very good. I bought it but didn't open it again, occasionally I come to sit... isn't this New Year's Eve? I let the guards all go home." Du Yetu took a pair of bowls and chopsticks and placed them in front of Li Jianqiu: "Just make do and eat some. We can also count this as gathering to cross the year."

Li Jianqiu smiled: "Consider us fellow villagers!"

"Although I haven't read much, I also know that if you form a party based on your hometown in court, it's probably not a good thing." Du Yetu chuckled: "But it's very suitable for us."

Since Zhuang Gao Xian was beheaded, the entire Zhuang Country welcomed a major strategic turn, stopping its all-around expansion pace.

Zhuang Country's national power was inevitably not as before, but with fewer troubles on the four borders, the army focused on guarding the passes, and the new Zhuang court was intent on national construction. Under the new policy, the pressure on the common people was indeed greatly reduced.

Of course, happiness has real meaning. During Zhuang Gao Xian's time, the country was also getting better day by day. The difference between the new dynasty and the old dynasty was still in the beast nest system.

And its reform was not smooth.

Reform gathers people's hearts and cannot show its meaning for a while. But the sudden reduction in the production of Open Pulse Pills is an intuitive self-inflicted cut in the country's war potential.

They adopted a domestic zone policy, using rich conditions to let people voluntarily choose whether to live in the nest area. But no matter how rich the conditions were, people were generally unwilling to face danger.

There were always some people who had to move to the nest area, thus gradually representing the bottom of society. Residents of the nest area and non-nest area residents gradually differentiated and intensified social contradictions... and to ease this contradiction, the most effective way currently is to reduce beast nests.

The new policy has been implemented for so long and has just welcomed the explosion of contradictions, which is already the extreme result saved by Li Jianqiu and others.

Facts have proven that although the new Zhuang court's policy has been repeatedly deliberated, it is still too idealistic.

Idealism, because it is too ideal, is ground by reality, and this is also the appearance of reality.

Up to now, the new Zhuang beast nests are in gradual decline, the life of the domestic common people is stable, but the voice to the outside world is becoming weaker and weaker. It may not be visible in two or three years because the initial army is still at its peak. But wait ten or eight years, it is very possible to see a cliff-like result.

There are quite a few critical voices in court and in the wild.

Such as "selling the cub's grandfather's field doesn't hurt", which is already considered not unpleasant. The term "national traitor" is also occasionally mentioned.

"These few years of practice have at least proven one thing." Li Jianqiu said: "If the problem of Open Pulse Pills cannot be solved, everything else is just minor details, no matter how you trim it, it's of no help. One day, the root will rot and the tree will wither."

"Then what do we do? We can't give up, can we?" Du Yetu clipped a piece of braised pork, ate a large mouthful of rice, and mumbled: "We still need to try again."

Li Jianqiu unhurriedly picked up his chopsticks and smiled: "Of course, the sky is not bright yet."

The young rulers used "Qiming" as the country name, but the dawn on the edge of the sky was still early.

The road is long and the night is deep, another year passes.

"Again the third watch!"

"Leaning red and snuggling green is not young, it's the young heart of the past days not old."

Who should I ask to dye my hair black? It's Zhanghua's moon, Yunmeng's willow, Ying City's flower...

The words are sung on the stage.

The theater is full of people.

A beautiful female cultivator slowly walks into the aisle.

Clearly a very crowded theater, where she goes, a gap always appears. Just like this, she walked directly to the third to last row, continued walking inside, and finally sat down beside a white-haired man— this place originally had no empty seat either, but when she came, it had already appeared.

"I've known you for so many years, I didn't expect you would also come to this kind of place." The female cultivator looked left and right at the noisy environment, her tone casual.

The white-haired man said faintly: "The World Zhenren's calculation power is the first in the world, is there anything you can't think of?"

Since Yu Beidou's death, or more accurately, from the moment he advanced to Yandao— the title of the World Zhenren's calculation power first had already changed hands, falling on Tianji Zhenren Ren Qiuli.

The newcomer was indeed Ren Qiuli.

"On this good New Spring festival, the first day of the Lunar New Year, you run alone to a big city theater in Chu Country, squeezed in the crowd listening to a play—" she clicked her tongue twice: "Really looks like that kind of old, nowhere to rely on, lonely old person."

"Is that so?" The white-haired Lu Shuanghe said in a faint voice.

"In the end, was it Yi Shengfeng's death that made you feel lonely?" Ren Qiuli asked.

Lu Shuanghe quietly looked at the stage, not even denying it. Of course, it was also absolutely impossible to agree.

"Alright." Ren Qiuli said rather boredly: "It's me who is more hard to forget this Shi Bo, he followed me longer than you."

"This is not a matter of time." Lu Shuanghe said faintly: "The word 'emotion' is originally unnecessary, and you don't need to remember a heartless person."

Yi Shengfeng was a person very similar to Lu Shuanghe. To this day, Ren Qiuli still doesn't know if she favors this Shi Zhi because of that heartlessness that seemed to be from the same mold.

Diviners are all wise, only it is hard to measure themselves.

Finally, she asked: "Heaven and earth's red dust hide killing intent, you want to nurture your sword like this. Did that person really bring you such great pressure?"

"Unrelated to him." Lu Shuanghe said calmly: "Just for that moment of mine, I must wait in my strongest state."