manynovel Chapter 108 The Spirit of the Scholar
Chapter 108 The Spirit of the Scholar
"You've followed me all this way, step by step, surely not just to hear some idle gossip."
He spoke first, his tone confident, already seeing through the other people's ulterior motives.
Le Zheng Fengye smiled faintly, his tone humble:
"We were so engrossed in your story just now, and the suspense was really on our minds. We're all curious to know what happened next."
Upon hearing this, the storyteller picked up his teacup, tracing the rim with his fingertips, then gently set it down, his expression relaxed, and slowly began to speak:
"If you wish to hear the rest, then please come again tomorrow."
"We ran away from the military camp during a break."
Le Zheng Fengye remained polite, but his tone carried a hint of helplessness, "We ourselves are unsure when we can come again next time, and we hope that you will be accommodating, sir."
The storyteller looked up and quickly glanced at the five people's clothes and attire, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
He slightly raised his chin, his tone deep and resonant, carrying a certain confidence that seemed to see through people's hearts:
"If you refuse to tell the truth, it means you don't trust me."
Su Zixu, standing to the side, lost his patience. Their journey was urgent, and they couldn't afford any more roundabout or drawn-out delays.
Too lazy to waste any more words, he simply took out a heavy silver ingot from his pocket and gently placed it on the tea table.
A crisp sound rang out as the storyteller slammed his hand on the table, and his gaze instantly fell upon the silver ingot.
He reached out and picked up the silver ingot, his fingertips gently stroking the cool silver surface.
Then, feigning innocence, he slowly began to speak:
"Sir, you've misunderstood me. Please don't humiliate me like that."
We intellectuals value integrity above all else; how could we possibly do something like accepting money to leak secrets?
Despite uttering lofty words, he lowered his head and gently bit the edge of the silver ingot with his teeth, weighing its quality.
Then, changing the subject, a hint of shrewdness appeared in his eyes:
"However, since you are so sincere in your request, I am not a stubborn person and am naturally willing to answer all your questions."
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't hesitate at all, raising his hand to neatly stuff the silver ingot into his pocket, his expression open and honest, as if his earlier refusal had never happened.
Seeing this, Yue Zheng Feng Ye took the opportunity to ask the core question that everyone was most concerned about:
"Please enlighten me, sir, on why the ten high priests were invited to Chongxun Prefecture back then, and what subsequent events occurred?"
Upon hearing the question, the storyteller immediately became interested.
He immediately straightened his posture, his back straightened, and with a raised eyebrow, he instantly regained the air of a storyteller on stage.
His eyes were expressive, deliberately slowing down the pace to whet everyone's appetite. He raised his hand in a gesture of restraint, cleared his throat, and began to speak slowly:
"Why did Master Lu insist on gathering ten priests...?"
Upon hearing this long and tedious opening, Su Zixu immediately frowned and interrupted, "Can you cut to the chase and get to the point?"
Seeing this, Zhao Hu quickly tried to smooth things over, smiling and changing the subject to ease the tension, signaling Su Zixu to calm down.
But this storyteller was adept at manipulating people's hearts, speaking in roundabout ways and never getting to the point.
His words were full of subtle hints about demanding money, which made people feel restless and agitated.
Su Zixu was already anxious, and they needed to get back to the medicine shop as soon as possible. They couldn't stand the storyteller's repeated delays.
Su Zixu's patience was completely worn out. Seeing that Zhao Hu was about to take out some loose silver and hand it over, he raised his hand and grabbed Zhao Hu's hand.
Su Zixu's face darkened, and his tone became somewhat cold and hard:
"If you insist on not speaking frankly, don't blame us for being impolite."
I will immediately summon the officials to punish you for spreading falsehoods and sowing discord.
These words were extremely intimidating. The storyteller, who had just been acting arrogant and aloof, instantly lost all his nonchalance, his expression tightened, and he immediately became obedient.
He immediately sat up straight, abandoning all his suspenseful demeanor.
"Please don't be angry, everyone. I'll tell you everything!"
I have no way of verifying the specific details of the Lu family's search for someone to discuss matters back then, but I know everything that followed.
He took a deep breath and spoke very quickly:
"The ten chief priests were ambushed by the Lu family on their way back from Chongxun Prefecture."
Of the ten, one was a traitor; the remaining eight all disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. Only the goddess Yu Mizhen miraculously survived and escaped back to Jiyu Village.
According to Yu Mizhen, Master Lu accidentally learned a mysterious and evil art.
He wanted to use the power of the ten priests to support an evil deity.
After the ten people arrived at the Lu residence, they saw the deity with their own eyes, which turned out to be the evil creature they had dreamed of in their nightmare.
All ten people recognized that this was a heretical cultivation method that violated heaven and reason, and they all resolutely rejected it.
Only Shi Shi Wei Xuansi harbored disloyal intentions, betraying her clan and choosing to remain in Chongxun's residence to serve the Lu family.
"But before Yu Mizhen could tell all the details to her clansmen, the officials suddenly came to investigate the matter."
Since then, Yu Mizhen has completely disappeared without a trace, and no one has seen her since.
After he finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence.
Le Zheng Fengye's gaze darkened slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he asked again:
"Is that Shishi Wei Xuansi a pale-skinned young man?"
Upon hearing this, the storyteller immediately shook his head, his tone resolute.
"Definitely not. Even if a young boy is exceptionally talented, his temperament and cultivation are not up to the task, and he is not capable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility."
He leaned forward slightly and carefully described Wei Xuansi's appearance and age:
"Wei Xuansi is actually over a hundred years old, but as a top high priest, he naturally possesses the secret method of preserving youth, so he looks like he is only in his early seventies."
This person has a square or round face, thick, sharp eyebrows, single eyelids, and thin lips. He looks solemn and taciturn, with an extremely deep aura.
After speaking, he looked up and observed the expressions of the group, asking with a hint of curiosity, "What? Have you gentlemen perhaps seen this person before?"
Upon hearing this, the group of people were all shocked, and their hearts were instantly filled with turmoil.
This detailed description of appearance and age was absolutely accurate; it was the old attendant who had been secretly watching them carry out their missions every night recently.
The crowd looked on with surprise, but remained outwardly calm, already understanding the situation.
Judging by the time, the time we can stay outside is almost up, so it's not advisable to stay any longer.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Yue Zheng Feng Ye looked up at the storyteller and asked his last question:
"Could we possibly meet with Yu Mima?"
Upon hearing this, the storyteller was taken aback at first, and subconsciously tried to pretend he didn't know anything and try to fool the storyteller.
But when he looked up, he saw that the five people had a determined expression and a calm look in their eyes.
Clearly, the other party had already assumed he had connections and couldn't fool them.
He immediately abandoned his perfunctory attitude, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice to say:
"Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, try to sneak into the neighborhood and wait for me in this room."
The five of them uncovered crucial information on this trip, reaping significant benefits.
From the time they left the medicine shed until their return, almost an hour had passed.
Everyone had a lot of questions on their minds. The mysteries that were previously unclear were now finally starting to make some progress.