strokinit Chapter 75 Did he become an immortal or turn to ashes?
Chapter 75 Did he become an immortal or turn to ashes?
Chapter 75 Did He Become an Immortal or Turn to Ashes? (Bonus Chapter for the Heartbroken Alliance Leader)
As soon as Song Meiqin finished speaking, the air in the entire room seemed to freeze.
Not only was Zhao Qiao'er stunned, but even the maids serving her stopped what they were doing instantly, not daring to breathe.
Soon, a captivating blush suddenly rose on Zhao Qiao'er's stunningly beautiful face.
Who would have thought that this magnificent, beautiful horse, who could make any man bow down in submission, would now reveal a pure, girlish shyness?
"You—what nonsense are you spouting—"
"I can't understand a word of it!"
Zhao Qiao'er's voice was barely audible. She dared not look at Song Meiqin anymore, and turned her body away, burying her face in the soft cushions of the couch.
Song Meiqin raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, glanced at Zhao Qiao'er who had turned her back, and a playful smile appeared on her face.
"Oh?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You wouldn't be thinking of having it all to yourself, would you?"
After saying that, Song Meiqin shifted to an even more languid posture and picked up the black frozen pear again.
"You should think about it carefully yourself."
"Isn't our famous dish called 'One Pot Cooked'?"
In the top-tier room on the second floor of Songtao Pavilion, Lu Yuan put down the menu and looked at Dequan'er beside him.
Dequan immediately grinned and said, "Young Master, you've come to the right person! Not only is it all cooked in one pot, but we also have our golden meat rolls!"
"The pork belly, sliced as thin as cicada wings, is rolled with wild chives from Northeast China and chopped walnuts, first smoked, then steamed, and finally brushed with honey and roasted until golden brown and fragrant!"
He added, "And there's also frozen tofu stewed with blood sausage. Our chef here, Master Liu, is known as 'Master Liu the One-Cut,' he can slice a single blood sausage into hundreds of pieces without breaking it!"
"You also have to try the hot spring tofu pudding. Use hot spring water to make the broth on the spot. Choose from lamb broth, mushroom broth, or seafood broth!"
""
"Matsutake mushrooms braised with bear paw, fried meatballs, and snow frog stewed with pear —"
Dequan'er rattled off a long list of dishes as if they were his own.
As expected of the number one restaurant in Fengtian, it has a lot of signature dishes.
After listening, Lu Yuan waved his hand decisively: "Alright, bring up all the first few items you mentioned."
He glanced at Wang Cheng'an and Xu Erxiao, who were already secretly swallowing their saliva, and added, "Two more bowls of rice, two steamed buns, and three bottles of orange soda."
Then, he turned to Song Yan, who was still in a daze, and asked, "Senior brother, shall we eat rice or steamed buns? Drink soda or alcohol?"
Song Yan stared blankly, nodding dazedly, "Anything—anything is fine!"
Dequan immediately laughed and said, "Alright, young master, please wait here. I'll go to the kitchen and urge them to start preparing our dishes."
As soon as Dequan left, Song Yan could no longer hold back. He leaned forward and asked urgently in a low voice, "Junior brother, what exactly happened?"
"You also have connections with this White Deer Merchant Guild?"
"And what's this 'young nephew' all about?"
This matter involves Wuqing Temple, so Lu Yuan couldn't go into details.
After all, this involves Wuqing Temple deserting in the face of battle, which is none of the owner's business.
If this awful thing gets out, it will be really bad.
I've benefited a lot from Shen Shulan, and I can't tell anyone about it.
Lu Yuan simply picked up his teacup and explained casually, "I helped the Zhao family with a job before, which saved Madam Zhao's life, so we became godparents."
I call her aunt, and she calls me nephew.
This explanation, however, made Song Yan's expression even stranger.
What Song Yan found strange was that Lu Yuan was able to recognize Zhao Qiao'er as his godparent.
Song Yan, also a Taoist priest, was aware of this kind of thing; it was quite common.
Although the relationship between the Taoist priest and his employer appeared to be a business transaction, much like an old landlord hiring tenant farmers to harvest wheat.
One pays the money, the other does the work.
However, in reality, because some things are very dangerous, Taoist priests are there to save lives.
So even though the Taoist priest is the one who does the service and gets paid, he is still seen as a savior by the client.
A life-saving grace is of paramount importance, and it is perfectly normal for people to become godparents or something similar afterward.
Lu Yuan's ability to become related to Chairman Zhao of the Bailu Chamber of Commerce can only be attributed to his good fortune.
Besides that, Song Yan had nothing else to say.
But the problem is—
How did Zhao Qiao'er manage to find her way to Zhenlong Temple?
If Zhao Qiao'er had an urgent matter at the time, there was a Baiyun Temple right next to Fengtian.
If it weren't urgent, given Zhao Qiao'er's status, she would have gone directly to Wuqing Temple.
Anyway, no matter what, it's impossible to find Zhenlong Temple, right?
For a moment, Song Yan looked completely bewildered and asked, "What kind of job could Chairman Zhao possibly have that would lead him to you?"
"Junior brother, it's not that I look down on Zhenlong Temple, it's just—in this Fengtian City—"
"For urgent matters, there's Baiyun Temple nearby. For non-urgent matters, with Chairman Zhao's status, he can directly request assistance from Wuqing Temple."
"No matter how you look at it, it shouldn't be Zhenlong Temple's turn!"
Hearing Song Yan's persistent questioning, Lu Yuan took a sip of hot tea, his expression unchanged, and uttered four words: "Introduced by an acquaintance."
This reason is universally applicable, but seeing that Song Yan still wanted to ask more, Lu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.
After all, Aunt Qiao'er never actually went to Zhenlong Temple.
Just as Song Yan was about to speak again, a commotion suddenly arose downstairs, growing louder and louder.
It sounded like someone had drunk too much and was causing a scene.
Be nice!
This came at just the right time!
Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, as if he really loved watching a good show. He stood up abruptly and walked out.
"What's that noise outside?"
Xu Erxiao and Wang Chengan, those two little devils, were even more eager to watch the excitement. Seeing Lu Yuan make a move, they immediately followed.
Song Yan had a lot to say, but he swallowed it all back and could only follow along helplessly.
The four of them went to the railing on the second floor and craned their necks to look down.
A group of martial arts masters were seen guarding the stairwell leading to the second floor, while opposite them stood a group of Taoist priests with red faces and thick necks.
"I slay demons and protect the common people, and I can't even take a peek up to your second floor?!"
"We didn't even get to eat the whole pot dish, and they won't even let us see what it's like?!"
"What! You look down on us Taoists, don't you?!"
The leading Taoist priest craned his neck and shouted loudly, and his disciples behind him joined in the commotion.
He was obviously drunk.
When Lu Yuan went up to the second floor, he learned that Songtao Pavilion's "one-pot meal" was limited in quantity.
Ten servings in the morning, ten servings in the evening, and ten servings at midnight. Once they're sold out, that's it.
The dish is so famous that everyone who comes to Fengtian naturally wants to try it.
I guess it's because this group of people arrived but didn't get to eat, and they were a bit frustrated.
Then, as the meal was almost finished and I had drunk a bit too much, I felt increasingly aggrieved and started picking fights.
"Tch, they're just from some small sect."
"They don't even have a rule against disciples drinking alcohol outside!"
Song Yan, standing to the side, looked down at the group of Taoists with disdain.
Hearing Song Yan's words, Lu Yuan asked with some curiosity, "Where are they from?"
Song Yan casually remarked, "The Jade Temple in Jilin is located in the same area as the Wuqing Temple, and it has benefited a lot from the Wuqing Temple's reputation over the years."
Ok?
Hearing this, Lu Yuan was a little curious. What did they mean by that?
Before Lu Yuan could even ask, Song Yan started talking all on his own.
"Those who went to Wuqing Temple because of its reputation couldn't get a queue, so they all went to Biyu Temple instead."
"Originally, this Jade Temple was only a few decades old. Backed by Wuqing Temple, it prospered in just a few decades."
"At the last Heavenly Venerable Ceremony, the abbot of the Jade Temple was even selected as the Heavenly Venerable."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but blink and say, "Wow~"
"The abbot has become a Celestial Venerable, and this is still considered a small sect."
Hearing this, Song Yan puffed out his chest, his face beaming with pride, and said, "Compared to our Tianlong Temple, they are just small, insignificant sects!"
"Our Tianlong Temple is one of the top-tier Taoist temples in the entire area outside the Great Wall, ranking among the top three, vying for second place, and aiming for first!!"
"If this were the old saying from when the Qing Dynasty was still around, we'd be considered top-tier!"
Lu Yuan stared blankly at the proud Song Yan and asked, "What exactly is the Upper Three Gates?"
Hearing this, Song Yan looked at Lu Yuan with a strange expression and said, "You haven't heard of it??"
"Didn't your master tell you about the prestige of our Tianlong Temple???"
Well----
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan shook his head truthfully, indicating that he did not.
Before this, let alone Tianlong Temple.
Lu Yuan had no idea that his old man had such a powerful Celestial Venerable senior brother.
Upon hearing Lu Yuan's words, Song Yan looked as if he had seen a ghost and asked, "Why?!"
Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively and said, "We'll talk about that later. What exactly is the Upper Three Gates?"
Song Yan paused for a moment, then shrugged and said, "Wuqing Temple, Riyue Temple, Tianlong Temple, these are the three upper gates."
"The meaning of 'Upper Three Gates' is simple: no matter how time changes, no matter how the situation outside the pass changes."
"As long as one doesn't court disaster or ruin their future, like the abbots of the White Cloud Temple, the masters of the three upper gates will forever be celestial beings!"
After saying that, Song Yan raised his chin and pointed to the group from the Jade Temple who were still making a ruckus below, saying, "The remaining four Heavenly Venerables are basically rotating. This generation belongs to your family, but five years later, the next generation will belong to someone else."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded in understanding; he really hadn't known this before.
As for why the abbot of the three upper gates is always the Heavenly Venerable, Lu Yuan doesn't need to ask.
Why else?
Because they're so good!
At the same time, the leading disciple from the Jade Temple below shouted angrily, "Do you fucking know who we are?!"
"I am a disciple of the Celestial Venerable!!"
At this moment, Song Yan leaned over mysteriously and chuckled, "Just you wait and see, they'll only be smug for now."
"The abbot of this Jade Temple is definitely going to step down this year."
"Who knows when it will be their turn again."
At this point, Song Yan's smile suddenly vanished.
His expression turned serious. He looked around warily, then lowered his voice and leaned close to Lu Yuan's ear.
"Junior brother————"
"Take my advice, senior brother. Stop messing around and just do what's good enough."
"7
"I've seen the list of the Celestial Venerables."
"It was decided a long time ago —"
Ok?
Lu Yuan looked at Song Yan in astonishment.
Song Yan's eyes were incredibly serious as he said, word by word, "Believe it or not."
"The list of Heavenly Venerables for this year was decided ten years ago."
Lu Yuan: "????"
Song Yan patted Lu Yuan's shoulder heavily, as if to comfort or advise him.
"Even the list of the two Celestial Venerables for the next decade has already been released."
"so----"
"Unless those families on the list commit a heinous crime that leads to their extermination within the last ten years, otherwise—"
"Even if you save the Queen Mother of the West, it won't be your master's turn."
A luxurious carriage was silently rolling through the swirling snowflakes of Fengtian City.
The wheels rolled on, yet not a single sound could be heard.
Inside the carriage, it was warm as spring, and the rich, alluring feminine fragrance almost formed a tangible powdery mist.
Inside the carriage, Song Meiqin crossed her beautiful legs, her jade-like feet, painted with purple nail polish, dangling lightly from her purple high heels.
"Look at you~"
Song Meiqin smiled and looked at Zhao Qiao'er sitting opposite her, teasing her in an extremely flirtatious tone.
Her mood was brighter than the snow outside the window.
Because Zhao Qiao'er agreed.
To be honest, this wasn't unexpected at all; Song Meiqin knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.
I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly!
At this moment, Zhao Qiao'er was dressed up so smoothly and beautifully!
Her long, jet-black hair was meticulously combed back and styled into an elegant bun, her smooth, full forehead completely free of any stray hairs.
Her face was adorned with meticulously applied, heavy makeup, with bright red lips, and her eyes sparkled.
Her earrings and neck were adorned with dazzling jewelry.
A luxurious black fox fur cloak wrapped around her voluptuous and mature body, but the length of the cloak was excessively short.
It's not that he wasn't wearing pants, it's just that the pants were too short and were completely covered by the big black fox's buttocks.
Below that was a pair of plump, smooth, and slender breasts encased in black stockings, their pinkish-white flesh gleaming alluringly in the dim light.
And of course, there were those high heels, the same color as her fiery red lips.
"Tsk~"
"When did you buy me this kind of clothing? My butt is practically showing!"
Zhao Qiao'er scolded him playfully, but her voice carried a hint of coquettishness that she herself was unaware of.
Her beautiful peach blossom eyes glanced at her short cloak with apparent disdain, yet a glint of indescribable brilliance shone deep within them.
Song Meiqin covered her red lips and giggled.
"Last time I went to Lushunkou, I asked you to come, but you didn't. I thought it looked nice, so I just picked it up for you."
She leaned forward, getting closer, and lowered her voice, making it even more alluring.
"Alright, sweet little sister~"
Stop pretending!
"It looks so good!"
Song Meiqin's gaze roamed brazenly over Zhao Qiao'er, finally chuckling mischievously, "Then we'll both be sticking out, one in red and one in purple~"
"That little thing will be completely smitten!"
Zhao Qiao'er blushed deeply at her blatant words, and finally couldn't help but spit out a curse, giving her a charmingly disdainful look.
"No way!!"
Meanwhile, the farce at Songtao Pavilion is nearing its end.
It seemed that someone in charge had arrived from the Jade Temple, and was quietly reprimanding the troublemaking disciples.
The Taoist priest who was leading the group seemed to have cooled down a bit from the alcohol. Although he stopped shouting loudly, he was still cursing and swearing, looking quite unconvinced.
"Young Master Nephew."
Dequan'er had quietly come up behind Lu Yuan at some point and bowed to whisper something.
"The food will be ready soon, shall we go inside and wait?"
He glanced at the chaotic scene downstairs, already used to it.
"Once the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony begins, all sorts of monsters and demons from Fengtian City come here. It's not normal if they don't cause trouble several times a day."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan didn't say anything more, nodded, and prepared to go back for dinner.
To be honest, after listening to what Song Yan said just now—
I've lost my appetite.
This matter is more complicated than Lu Yuan had imagined.
Lu Yuan was about to turn around and go back to his room.
But just as he was about to look away, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Ok?
His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze sharp and fixed on the waist of the leading Taoist priest causing trouble downstairs.
It was a pendant.
Huang Xian's Tribulation Knot?
Also known as the Three Lights Protector of Life Ear.
This item is a palm-sized, three-dimensional rope-knot ornament, hanging from the Taoist priest's satchel.
It is made of 365 strands of hair from a Yellow Immortal who has undergone tribulation, wrapped in Kunlun jade silkworm silk to form a rope.
Then, the core is formed using the "Eight Treasures Interlocking Knot" method.
The knot is shaped like a teardrop, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, symbolizing "connecting with the heavens above and the earth below".
In the finest weave, a faint light flows, like the breath of a living thing.
This is a good thing; it can warn of danger and also help with minor accidents.
Most importantly, if one encounters confusion, one can communicate with spirits for guidance and ensure the safety of the master.
It's a pretty impressive thing.
The main problem is that the Taoist immortal is difficult to deal with.
After all, once a Yellow Immortal attains enlightenment, he either becomes a guardian deity or a shaman.
They've become the immortals receiving incense offerings; where are they supposed to find something to do with their fur?
Upon seeing this, Lu Yuan suddenly thought of braised chicken.
So, today is the fifth day. I wonder if the braised chicken has ascended to heaven or turned to ashes.