"A good guest doesn't dare. He wants to be quiet and elegant in the midst of the bustle. The owner of the restaurant is the idler. The poor Taoist is no more than a yellow crown walking alone in the rain. If the owner of the restaurant is willing, just call me an old Taoist from Xuandu."

Leaning the oil-paper umbrella in front of the door, Ye Ning had turned into an old man with chicken skin and white hair.

Stepping into the quaintly decorated Heji Study Room, I gazed at the picture of a cold plum blossom and auspicious crane hanging on the opposite wall.

A thoughtful look flashed across Ye Ning's eyes, and she turned sideways to face the thin middle-aged man, smiled slightly, and spoke frankly.

"What a leisurely person, what a good person with the word "idle"."

The thin middle-aged man laughed and said, "It is quiet and elegant in the midst of the noise. I am waiting for you in the study in the rain. Xiaoke's surname is Gu, his given name is Zhi, and his courtesy name is Zifu. Taoist priest Xuandu can just call me Zifu, please!"

Ye Ning did not shirk, and immediately followed the lead of the thin middle-aged man Gu Zifu while talking to him. After two or three exchanges of greetings, he already knew the identity of Gu Zifu and the other person in his study.

Gu Zifu's reputation around Yuzhou is not small. He passed the scholar examination at the age of twelve and was hailed as a child prodigy by the locals.

In the years that followed, his knowledge increased day by day, and to this day, his writing and poetry are among the best!

It's a pity that despite his amazing talent, he either offended the examiner or was not lucky enough to take the exam, so he has been failing in the exams since he was twelve years old.

Fortunately, he loves the past and is familiar with hundreds of schools of classics and history. He also likes to be indifferent by nature. He is willing to live in poverty and does not seek glory and gain, so he does not care much about it.

At the age of thirty, when he decided to give up the imperial examination, unexpectedly, he happened to be on that list and passed the examination to understand the Yuan Dynasty in one fell swoop!

But even so, after thinking deeply, he finally unexpectedly chose to give up and continue the imperial examination.

Since then, he has been living in seclusion in this antique alley and opened a Heji study room. On weekdays, he can sit in this study room to talk about Buddhist scriptures and recite poems with his friends...

Apart from this, he was also fascinated by the lakes and mountains. He visited the ancient times to find the seclusion, admired the moon and chanted the wind, and traveled around the mountains and rivers, which was his own interest.

As one of the most famous people in Yuzhou City, and he had studied hard until he was thirty years old before he was admitted to the imperial examination. Gu Zifu was obviously not a poor person, and he naturally did not need to make a living from the Heji Study Room he opened.

In this case, the rules of Heji's study are different from those of other bookstores!

This place can be used not only as a bookstore, but also as Gu Zifu's personal study room. Therefore, whether every book or piece of paper in the study can be traded depends on Gu Zifu's personal wishes at the time.

The stacks of ancient books placed on each bookshelf here are roughly divided into read and unread, and of course, those that can be sold and those that are not.

Most of the paintings hanging on the wall depict plum blossoms or cranes. There are also several calligraphy hanging in the middle, either praising plum blossoms, praising cranes, or praising pastoral scenery.

Judging from the signature, private seal and handwriting, it is obvious that they were all written by Gu Zifu.

Following the two rows of calligraphy and paintings, we walked all the way to nowhere, and then came to the counter where the shopkeeper of the study was. At this time, a young scholar was offering his hand to Ye Ning.

"Old Taoist Priest, this is my good friend. His surname is Jing, and his name is Yi. He is the steward of Yong'an in front of us. Brother Jing, this is the person who recited the poem before, the real person of Xuandu."

While Gu Zifu acted as an intermediary between the two parties, he led Ye Ning to sit down. He completely ignored that he and Ye Ning had just met, so he poured another cup of tea on the side.

Jing Yi smiled and gently cupped his hand again, "Jing has met Taoist Priest Xuandu."

"King Jing is well."

Ye Ning smiled. The person in front of him was the target of his trip. He knew Jing Yi better than Gu Zifu. The Jing family has been a scholarly family for generations, and the ancestor Jing Huan was an official to the Minister of Rites...

But by his generation, the Jing family had gradually declined.

However, Jing Yi was erudite and talented, could write and draw, was proficient in antiques and appraisals, and had some kindness to the head of the Tang clan, so he became the manager of Yong'an Pawn Shop.

It's just that although he is a kind man and has outstanding talents, it is a pity...

Jing Yi has always been frail and sickly, so he rarely goes out to this antique alley on weekdays. However, he hit it off with Gu Zhi, the owner of He Ji Study, and became good friends.

…

"Old Taoist Master, don't be too polite. Please sit down. Sit down. Brother Jing and I are both open-minded people. We have always been informal about etiquette. I hope that the Taoist Master will not be weird."

After finishing brushing, he placed the half-filled tea cup on the cup holder and placed it gently in front of Ye Ning. Gu Zifu sat back on his pear wood chair, smiled and said,

"This tea is made by my family. I would like to see if it suits your taste."

"The soup is even and thin, and the rim of the cup is biting tightly, and it stays together for a long time, like "cold porridge noodles". The tea ceremony of the layman Gu is already superb..."

Staring at the black porcelain tea cup, the soup in the cup is green and white in color, and the aroma is overwhelming. Among the tea ceremonies, pure white is the best, but this look is also extremely good. After all, as Gu Zifu said,

This tea is grown and made by his family. To be able to obtain such second-grade green and white tea is extraordinary. Naturally, it cannot be compared to tribute tea from various places and carefully cultivated by famous masters.

People in the Song Dynasty liked to add flavors to their tea. Even the royal family’s tea would also add borneol, and some would add salt, ginger, green onions, coriander, osmanthus, green beans, flower petals and other condiments.

Although the method of brewing tea without seasoning has appeared now, it is not popular at all. It is just a small trend because most people in the Song Dynasty are not used to the bitter taste of tea.

He took a sip of the green and white tea soup in the black porcelain tea cup. It was different from the tea soup obtained by brewing and drinking in later generations. Although Gu Zifu's tea had some seasonings added, it was not difficult to drink.

On the contrary, the slight astringency has been transformed into sweetness before arousing the disgust of the taste buds, stimulating the fragrance of the tea to a certain extreme, making people feel relieved after drinking it, and the fragrance spreads for three miles.

"The tea is a little astringent but not deep into the bones, and the tea has a clear and fragrant aroma. Gu Jushi's tea is one of the best in this city of Yuzhou!"

Putting down the tea cup, Ye Ning tasted the fragrance in her mouth and couldn't help but nodded slightly in praise.

"The Taoist Master has great eyesight!"

Jing Yi smiled and said, "Brother Gu's tea is as famous as his calligraphy and painting. It is one of the three unique things. It's a pity that it is rarely shown to others. Except for you and me, few people in this city of Yuzhou have tasted it!"

"I'm in the woods, and I don't want to be famous for my poems and paintings, let alone the tea ceremony?" Gu Zifu said calmly, "My ambition is not to belong to a family, nor to fame and wealth. I only feel that the green mountains and green waters are with me.

Love is suitable."

"The layman has already aspired to leave the worldly world. Are you willing to follow the poor Taoist and go into the mountains to practice and find peace and freedom?"

Ye Ning's eyes moved slightly, and she unconsciously used her magical power to penetrate the mystery and looked at Gu Zifu.

He came to Yuzhou City this time to get acquainted with Jingtian in advance, but he never thought that here he would find a true seed with the heart to become a Taoist.

The brilliance in his eyes was flowing, opening and closing faintly, and then closing suddenly, Ye Ning already knew it in his heart.

A person with a clear destiny, a handsome face, good bones, good aptitudes, and a spirit of enlightenment. There may be some setbacks and hardships in the first half of life, but just like that, the plum blossoms will be fragrant in the future.

Not bad……

This is an unexpected joy. Although I haven't thought about practicing yet, it is in line with the principles of my Taoism. If you join my sect in the future and practice the true Taoist method...

Although I dare not say that everything will be smooth sailing, his achievements will definitely be far better than ordinary people!

Taoist practice naturally has certain requirements for qualifications, but what is often more important is a Taoist heart. After all, qualifications can always be compensated for by ways, but Taoist heart can only rely on personal self-understanding...

"The Taoist priest is joking. Although I don't like fame and wealth, and I often hide in the woods, but my family is still there, I won't go to the mountains to practice..."

Gu Zifu shook his head gently, and then said frankly, "Besides, I am old and have passed the time of cultivation, so what is the use of going to the mountains?"

"Sincerity can be pure and peaceful, it is not difficult to boil gold and refine stones; even before it soars into the clouds and rides the mist, it can also be reborn. The yellow stone rises in the clouds, and the red pines follow the rain. Although it is desolate, the words of the Analects of Confucius are better than those of Lao Peng

, is there no clear evidence?”

Ye Ning laughed, "Both Master Gu and Master Jing are well-informed people. We, the Great Song Dynasty, have worshiped Taoism since ancient times, so we should know that people in our Taoist sect are different from other heretical sects...

From ancient times to the present, there have been very few disciples who shined in the world in the first half of their lives. Some of the legendary Tao ancestors and immortals basically became monks halfway. After they realized the illusion and cut off the worldly ties, they became late in life!"

Looking at Gu Zifu in front of him with deep eyes, Ye Ning said leisurely, "The chickens have food close to the soup pot, and the wild cranes can fly high without food. If you ask for a small profit from the head of a fly, how can you be free?"

When Gu Zi heard this again, his heart was moved, but he was still hesitant to decide.

Jing Yi, on the other hand, disagreed and said, "I wonder where the old Taoist came from and where he will go? Brother Gu and I still have some connections near Yuzhou City, and we are willing to relieve the old Taoist's worries."

"No rush, no rush."

Ye Ning knew that although Jing Yi was always kind and generous, the thought of reviving the Jing family lingered in his heart and would not go away for a long time. He thought he was ill, so he did not say much.

"Lord Gu, can you lend me some pen and ink?"

"There is nothing you can't do."

Gu Zifu, who was silently lowering his head and thinking about what Ye Ning had said before, couldn't help but be startled when he heard the words, and then hurriedly led Ye Ning to the inner room where he usually wrote and painted.

"What does the Taoist priest use for the pen and paper? Could it be that he is using it to write poems to save my brother Gu?"

Jing Yi followed the two of them curiously, walked to the desk in the back room, and asked.

"Pindao's trip was originally to visit a friend, but the friend was not there. When he was about to leave something to express his gratitude, he happened to be in front of the study, and suddenly he thought of sending a copybook of Pindao."

The light in the room was slightly dark, but the candlelight was like a bean, which made the book desk open and bright. Gu Zifuping usually wrote poems and paintings in front of the book desk, and paper and pen were already prepared at this time.

Ye Ning's figure is as tall and straight as a pine tree, and as strong as a mountain. What she holds in her hand seems not to be a pen, but a sword. She is sharp and decisive, sitting on the rice paper that has already been laid out on the desk.

The pen moves like dragons and snakes while the ink is splashed, and the paper creates clouds and smoke.

The term "paper-made clouds and smoke" in ordinary people's mouth is definitely just a description. However, in Ye Ning's pen, this cloud and smoke is not a description, but a real and genuine bit of cloud and smoke rising from his pen.

Jing Yi was surprised, and he stepped forward and stood close to the right side of the writing desk, as if he wanted to distinguish the authenticity from the writing, or maybe he wanted to see what this Taoist was writing.

Immediately, I couldn't help but be attracted by the meaning of his writing, and my heart suddenly entered a mysterious and quiet state.

Gu Zifu, on the other hand, was distracted by thinking about the true meaning of what Ye Ning had said before, so he missed this opportunity and failed to enter this realm. He just felt that the calligraphy of this old Taoist priest was really extraordinary.

His brushwork is graceful and elegant, round and graceful, with some running or regular script, some flowing and stopping, and some stopping and flowing. It can be said to be "round, vigorous and elegant, with a leisurely and leisurely meaning, and an unfathomable taste."

After watching for a long time, Gu Zifu's eyes couldn't help but move towards the old Taoist's face, as if he wanted to find out the result, but he never thought that this sight made him dumbfounded.

At this moment, as Ye Ning's pen and ink flow on the rice paper, the qi of Guishui in the rain and the vitality between heaven and earth are unknowingly inspiring and infusing itself.

When the Qi of Guishui and the vitality were flowing, Gu Zifu looked at the old Taoist's face again. How could he still be half old at this time? His face was clearly like a crown of jade, and he looked like a young man!

There was a delicate fragrance lingering around the Taoist man's body, calming his mind, and his skin exuded a dense jade luster, just like the finest jade, polished and carved by heaven and earth.

Flawless and charming!

【Auspicious Year of the Rat】
Chapter completed!