Chapter 28

Ye Qing was taken aback, his heart trembling. The middle-aged man seemed to have seen through his deliberate encounter.

The middle-aged man smiled at him, "Why have you come here, young friend? Can you tell me?"

Though his words were gentle, a faint sound of flowing water came toward him, vast and serene, revealing an indescribable dignity and sternness. The golden cup in his embrace had turned cold like ordinary iron, and the Chuanlin Notes within him lay dormant, making him shudder and change color.

Under this warning, Ye Qing did not dare to lie and spoke frankly, "I am a branch of my clan, in dire straits. By chance, I passed the examination for a child scholar, but I know my future is bleak. I am unwilling to accept this, and I received divine guidance in a mountain temple in the Northern Mang. I came to this lake, seeking a glimmer of hope, not intending to offend you, sir."

His words were true, but the order was jumbled, forming a different implication.

"Northern Mang..." The middle-aged man waved his green sleeve, and a wave of spiritual energy circled around Ye Qing.

The pale green spiritual energy penetrated Ye Qing, revealing a faint white light around him, and a thread of golden flame rose from the golden cup. It passed through the shadow of the Chuanlin Notes and then disappeared.

Ye Qing's expression remained unchanged, his heart pure.

"Originally, it is the legacy of an old friend!" The middle-aged man glanced at the position of the golden cup in Ye Qing's embrace and believed him, raising the cup to drink. "Unfortunately, the Ghost Gate seals the seventy-two nether paths, making it difficult for the yin and yang to interact... I see your destiny, neither rich nor noble, only a basic scholarly title, which buries your poetic talent."

Ye Qing smiled, unable to say that he stood on the shoulders of a grand civilization different from this one, but some words were fitting: "Heaven has endowed me with talents for a purpose."

"Indeed, young friend. Life is about striving forward. Don't look at your current difficulties; perhaps in three years, you will have vast wealth and a house full of wives and concubines." The middle-aged man spoke slowly, a smile on his face.

Seeing the middle-aged man's expression, and with his experience with deities, Ye Qing knew not to respond rashly. "Wealth and concubines are my desires, but even if I spend all my gold, it will return... These are not my great aspirations."

"Heaven has endowed me with talents for a purpose, and even if I spend all my gold, it will return!" The middle-aged man sipped from his cup, pondered for a moment, and sighed, "I underestimated you... May I ask your name?"

"Student Ye Qing greets you, sir!" Ye Qing raised his cup in a toast, speaking frankly, "I am still a child scholar, but I aspire to become a scholar, a provincial candidate, and even a second-rank imperial scholar, to seek the Great Way. Do you think I am speaking rashly?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback, staring at Ye Qing for a moment. Despite his thin frame, Ye Qing was radiant and composed, his words resolute when speaking of the Great Way. He murmured, "The Great Way!"

The memories of his past pursuits were vivid, and the more he pursued, the more isolated he became. Many companions and friends fell behind, and he could not say he did not miss them, but he could say he had no regrets.

In the vast and serene silence, he dared to say he walked alongside the grand rhythm of the clouds and water, but he did not dare to claim he had attained the Great Way.

The youthful spirit was always lofty, and the middle-aged man felt a bit melancholic. He finished the wine in his cup and said with a smile, "Speaking of this Yellow Dragon Wine, the slower you drink it, the easier you get drunk, and the faster you drink it, the harder it is to get drunk. Drunkenness has its own flavor, and sobriety has its own flavor. There is a story behind this. In the past, General Li of the Great Wei refused the farewell wine from the emperor because of the alcohol ban in the army..."

The middle-aged man paused, his eyes filled with reminiscence, and then called for another jar of Yellow Dragon Wine.

"Later, upon his triumphant return, the palace ordered the people to present a wine that would not intoxicate. How difficult was that? A Taoist used the principle of the rise and fall of the water in the Taiping Lake to create this nameless wine..."

The two just drank, chatting idly about the old stories of the Taiping Lake, the scenery along the river, and the landscapes of the northern region.

Ye Qing listened with delight, occasionally adding a few words, concise and sincere.

The sun had long set, and the night sky was dotted with stars. The second-floor room was lit with bright lamps.

"The hour is late. I see the accessories on your waist suggest a quick return. It seems you have a lady waiting for you. You should go back early, don't disappoint her. Life is long, and even with great ambitions, solitude can be lonely..." The middle-aged man laughed heartily, his face relaxed, and he was already half-drunk. As he was about to leave, he turned and showed something from his sleeve.

Under the bright lamp, it was a pale green invitation, neither gold, wood, nor paper, glowing faintly in the light.

"This is a humble banquet. Go to the Six Plum Mouth of the Taiping Lake before the eighth day of the eighth month. There will be a boat to pick you up. Will you come?"

"I will!"

Ye Qing was startled, took the invitation, and heard the middle-aged man descend the stairs, laughing as he left.

His laughter faded by the lake, and Ye Qing followed, seeing through the bustling crowd that the moonlight reflected on the waves, forming a snow-like surge that crashed against the shore, and the pale green figure disappeared.

Only the golden cup grew warm, accompanied by the faint sound of flowing water, as a massive creature glided past the lake, vast and serene.

The mist from the water splashed against his face, carrying a cold spiritual energy, like ice and wine.

Ye Qing shivered, standing in the crowd, recalling the information from his past life. Every autumn, the Dragon Lord would come ashore, favoring literati. To borrow his fortune in a short time, this was the only way!

Thinking of this, he exhaled, "Indeed, it is the Taiping Dragon Lord. I have seized this opportunity."

Seeing the street lamps light up, Ye Qing realized it was late and hurried back to the nearby elegant room. He knocked on the door, "It's me."

The door creaked open, and under the dim yellow light, the simple food and wine had cooled and remained untouched. Qianqian stood there, her face filled with anticipation.

"Uh, I accidentally wandered into a brothel and might have missed it..." Ye Qing's expression was regretful, matching the alcohol on his breath.

Qianqian looked at his expression, recalling the hurried footsteps at the door earlier, "Master, you came again! Hmph, Qianqian can tell... Oh!"

Ye Qing scooped up the clever girl, kicked the door shut, and carried her around the room twice, laughing, "I finally seized the opportunity, Qianqian. Do you know how rare this is..."

Qianqian's face turned red, her heart pounding with a mix of embarrassment, joy, and confusion, "Master?"

But the laughter turned cold, and after his great joy, a wave of sorrow washed over Ye Qing, indescribable and unrelenting.

The pale green invitation fell from his sleeve onto the bed. Qianqian got up, sat on the bed, and looked at the invitation without asking, then opened her arms to embrace Ye Qing.

Under the dim oil lamp, Ye Qing wiped away his tears, lying down with dark eyes.

In fact, the middle-aged man had not gone far. Just three hundred meters away, in a nearby courtyard, he suddenly appeared.

"Master has returned!" A group of graceful girls, adorned with hairpins and jingling pendants, rushed out to welcome him, leading him to his seat.

For a moment, there was soft singing and dancing, but the middle-aged man treated it as usual, pondering for a while before taking out a scroll from somewhere and slowly unfolding it. The scroll depicted a gray-robed Taoist, carrying a sword and holding a cup.

He gazed at it for a moment, then sighed and put it down.

At that moment, someone reported, "Shi Ge Nei has come to see you, Master!"

The middle-aged man put down his cup and smiled, "Shi Ge Nei has come? Please let him in!"

Footsteps approached, and a man in his thirties, dressed in official attire different from the current Da Cai style, entered. As soon as he appeared, everyone became solemn and quiet.

"Please sit. Have you finished everything?" The middle-aged man waved his hand and asked.

"Yes, I have checked the banquet and sent out all the invitations... Master, I heard you personally sent one?"

"Yes, a child scholar named Ye Qing." The middle-aged man said casually.

"Master's decision, I dare not question, but this person was not on the list, and his actions were very deliberate. I believe you could see that... This banquet concerns fortune, and this new variable..."

"You don't need to worry about that. I have my own plans... Hmph, what fortune? It's just that they are envious of me guarding the Taiping Lake, with the hidden dragon and the fortune flowing to me. So they are using this banquet to share some of my fortune."

"I didn't mind it before. I like these literary banquets, and sharing a bit of fortune is like a drop in the ocean, not harming my essence. It's just for fun."

"But now they want me to share my fortune and specify the guests. That's overstepping, don't you think?" He said this with a chilling tone.

Shi Ge Nei's face changed, and he bowed deeply, "Yes, I understand! But this will affect some people's fates. Will this cause trouble for you, Master?"

The middle-aged man tapped the table and smiled, "You are a famous minister of the former Wei, and we have a connection, so you serve in my palace. It has been over a thousand years."

"You have been loyal and have made progress, but you are too bound by the rules of a minister, which is not suitable for cultivation, so you don't see clearly."

"Ye Qing deliberately sought me out. His current fortune is thin, and I know what he seeks. No matter how he found me, since he is here, he has a chance."

"As long as I adhere to my path, and since this is a literary banquet to seek scholars, if Ye Qing can truly excel, why not give him the fortune?"

"As for fate, it's not something to worry about. The Great Way is vast, like the Taiping Lake, with shores, dikes, and waterways to constrain the water, but it cannot specify every drop and every wave."

"If it did, it would require immense power and face the backlash of the Taiping Lake. Even as the master of the Taiping Lake, I am not immune. Unless I no longer need it, the overall trend remains unchanged, while the small details are flexible. Do you understand?"

Shi Ge Nei was taken aback, feeling a chill, and said, "I am shallow, thank you for your guidance, Master!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand, a cold smile on his face, "I have given him the opportunity, but if Ye Qing wants to seize the predetermined fate, the backlash will be his to bear. That's not my concern."