Li Qing did not take the three women with him, and rode out of Jinling City one by one.
Since the fifteenth year of the Hongwu War, this is the first time that he has left Jinling due to personal matters.
The horses raised their hooves and galloped forward, the breeze blowing on their bodies, giving them a different kind of comfort.
He did not eat or drink all the way, changing horses every day, traveling day and night, and returned home as fast as an arrow.
After living in Jinling for so many years, Li Qing's home in his heart is still the dilapidated Taoist temple where he has lived for ten years.
…
More than half a month later, Li Qing came to the foot of the mountain and looked at the green mountains in front of him, feeling more and more shy about being close to home.
Li Qing whispered to himself: "I haven't seen him for ten years. Is the old man still here? Is he okay?"
For some reason, he was so flustered that he was afraid to climb the mountain.
After wandering for a while, Li Qing went to a nearby town and bought a lot of food and drink before climbing onto this familiar green mountain.
There is no road in the world, but when there are more people walking on it, it becomes a road.
Li Qing followed the winding path, winding upward.
Two quarters of an hour later, Li Qing climbed up the Qingshan Mountain carrying large and small bags.
"Master, I'm back!"
Li Qing did not dare to step forward, so he only shouted from afar, waiting anxiously for a response.
Soon, the door was opened, and a middle-aged man came out with a hoe.
"Who are you?" the middle-aged man asked, his expression full of vigilance.
"I..." Li Qing was stunned for a moment and said in surprise, "Zhu Yunwen?"
Yes, the unshaven, dark-skinned middle-aged man in front of me is Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen did not die or abdicate. Strictly speaking, he was still the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
"You have the wrong person." Zhu Yunwen was a little panicked, "There is no Zhu Yunwen here, who are you?"
"Li Qing!"
"Li Qing?" Zhu Yunwen recalled the past and asked in surprise, "How did you...?"
"My face was injured, so I'm wearing this." Li Qing explained and asked urgently, "Where is the master?"
Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment, then reluctantly accepted the fact, "The old man has gone to collect medicine. It will take two days to come back."
After hearing this, Li Qing finally felt relieved and said with a smile: "Won't you invite me to come in and sit down?"
Zhu Yunwen also smiled, put down his hoe and made an invitation gesture, "Senior brother, please come in."
"Senior brother?" Li Qing was stunned, "Master also accepts you as a disciple?"
"Yes." Zhu Yunwen nodded, pulled out the wooden latch, and opened the door, "You sit down first, and I'll make a pot of tea."
Li Qing did not stop his enthusiasm, put down his things, and looked at the strange yet familiar room.
The furnishings of the room are the same as they were decades ago. Although they are shabby, they are much cleaner than before.
Soon, Zhu Yunwen came in with a teapot, found two cups, poured a cup of tea for Li Qing, and asked: "Are you here to see the master this time, or..."
"Look for Master." Li Qing gave him reassurance, "Jianwen is dead and everyone in the world knows about it."
Hearing this, Zhu Yunwen relaxed and chuckled, "Long time no see."
"haven't seen you for a long time."
…
The two chatted for a long time, talking about their respective lives over the years and the changes in Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunwen said with emotion: "He is more suitable to be an emperor, which is good. He has lived the life he wanted. I am also very satisfied with my current life. It can be said that everyone is happy."
Li Qing nodded slightly and asked with a smile: "Are you still used to it?"
"There's nothing I'm not used to. I enjoy it." Zhu Yunwen was very open-minded, "Let's go and show you my results."
"Results?"
~
Zhu Yunwen's achievement is a vegetable garden.
The green vegetables are growing very well and are lush and green, which is very pleasing to look at.
Zhu Yunwen picked up the hoe, cleared the weeds, loosened the soil, and watered the vegetable garden... While farming, he talked about his experience in growing vegetables.
Years of hard work make him look much more mature than his actual age. The attitude of rolling up his sleeves and tightening his belt while working is no different from that of an old farmer in the field.
He did it while Li Qing watched.
Zhu Yunwen was a good hand in tending crops. Under his cultivation, the vegetable garden was full of vitality, just like the Ming Dynasty today.
During this period, the two of them chatted together in a relaxed and harmonious manner.
As the sun set, the two returned to their residence.
Zhu Yunwen, who had been working for a long time, used the fruits of his labor to cook two dishes for Li Qing.
The taste is very average, but Li Qing tastes it sweet.
After dinner, Zhu Yunwen found half a candle, took a book, and enjoyed the tranquility by candlelight.
Li Qing also took out a book from the bookshelf and started reading it.
…
The next day, Zhang Sloppy returned home with a loaded basket of medicines on his back.
Seeing Li Qing come back to see him, the old man was very happy and scolded with a smile: "You still have some conscience."
Li Qing smiled apologetically: "Master Shenlong has seen its head but not its tail, and my disciple has nowhere to look for you!"
After a pause, "Don't wander around anymore from now on, just stay here peacefully. This disciple misses you, so I came to see you."
"Yeah, that's fine." Zhang Slutty agreed readily.
Li Qing was surprised and said, "Seriously?"
He was ready to persuade him, but he didn't expect the old man to be so straightforward, "Master, you won't lie to me again, will you?"
"What do you mean?" Zhang Sloppy said dissatisfied, "When did I ever lie to you?"
"Ten years of Hongwu..."
"Okay, okay, can't you remember something about Master?" Zhang Slutty looked a little worried, "This time it's true, I will be on this mountain from now on."
Immediately, he sighed and said, "As I get older, I don't have the energy to wander around anymore. I can't stand it anymore!"
Li Qing felt sour in his heart, "Master, you said before that it would not be a problem to live for another seventy or eighty years. How many years has it been?"
Zhang Slutty said helplessly: "Who can say for sure about life and death? I'm not like you...forget it, I'll try my best to survive, right?"
He said angrily, "You are now an adult, and you are still like a child. You haven't remembered a single bit of what the old man taught you about self-cultivation!"
Li Qing said sarcastically: "It's still possible to cultivate one's body. I've been improving my Qi over the years."
"Then let's try it, shall we?"
"OK!"
The two of them came outside to square off.
Zhu Yunwen chased him out and said, "That's it."
"That's natural." Li Qing nodded with a smile and said loudly, "Master, you have to be careful."
The little old man was proud and independent, "Come on."
Li Qing took a deep breath, kicked off his right foot fiercely, and moved forward rapidly like an arrow from a string.
He knew his master's strength, so he didn't hold back.
With the blessing of his true energy, Li Qing's speed was extremely fast. Before he got close, the strong wind blew up the old man's beard and hair.
"Bang--!"
Zhang Sloppy came first, slapped Li Qing away, and said mockingly, "That's it?"
"..." Li Qing patted the dirt on his body and forcibly redeemed himself, "I was afraid of hurting you just now. Since the master is still at his peak, I will go all out."
He slowly calmed down the turbulent Qi and stepped forward again. This time, Li Qing used all his strength.
However, it did not change the results.
The master's speed is obviously very slow, but he can always get ahead of him, which is very strange.
"Come again." Li Qing refused.
"Bang--!"
"Come again."
"Bang--!"
"I won't come." Li Qing said softly, "Master is so powerful, I am no match."
Zhang Slutty clapped his hands, "I have improved my Qi a lot, but compared to my master, it is still far behind."
"...Master, what kind of punch is this? Why have I never seen it before?"
"Want to learn?"
Li Qing flattered him, "Teach me."
"It's not time yet," Zhang said sloppily, "I will teach you when I am perfected as a teacher."
"Okay then." Li Qing patted the dirt on his body and said, "Master, I bought a lot of your favorite food. Let's improve it today."
As soon as he heard that there was delicious food, Zhang Slutty perked up and said, "I guess you have a conscience."
"Xiao Zhu, how long has it been since we had meat?"
Zhu Yunwen thought for a while and said: "The last time I opened meat was the last time!"
"..." Zhang Sloppy was so speechless last time, "Let's go, eat with all your heart today, your senior brother has plenty of money."
Pork head meat, roasted chicken, fine wine, fruits, snacks... The master and the apprentice had not eaten good food for a long time, and they were like hungry wolves.
Zhu Yunwen is better, but Zhang Sloppy really doesn't care about his elders' demeanor and just shows off when caught.
After the two of them had eaten and drank enough, Li Qing took out a large stack of treasure notes and said, "Master, keep these. If you want to eat something later, go buy it."
Zhang Sloppy was never polite to Li Qing, so he accepted it happily.
The three chatted for a while. Zhu Yunwen knew that the master and apprentice had not seen each other for many years and had a lot to say, so he stood up and said, "Master, senior brother, I went to plant a vegetable garden. You guys chat."
Li Qing smiled and said: "You don't have to work so hard, I will come often in the future."
"That's different." Zhu Yunwen said sternly, "Every drink and every peck is all practice. Junior brother has been practicing for ten years, how can he be affected by external things and lose his original intention?"
Now Zhu Yunwen can take things up and let them go. He has a stable mind and always maintains a normal heart.
Zhang Sgru was convinced, and at the same time he did not forget to teach Li Qing a lesson, "Look at Xiao Zhu's character, he is much better than your senior brother."
"..." Li Qing looked hurt, "Master, you used to call me Xiao Qing."
Zhang Sloppy rolled his eyes, "You're the only one with the most witty words."
After all, they haven't seen each other for ten years. The old man complained on the outside, but in his heart he was still very happy for the arrival of his apprentice.
"Come to think of it, I used to be carefree, but since I accepted you as my disciple, I have been thinking about you." Zhang Slutty complained, "If I had known this, I wouldn't have ignored you in the first place."
"Human beings are not grass and trees, how can they be ruthless?" Li Qing said with a smile, "In the words of Master, this is also a kind of practice."
"That's true." Zhang Ruosu nodded, "Don't bother with this, Master. Take off your hood and let the old man take a good look at you."
Li Qing did as he was told and took off his hood.
His long, thick black hair hangs down naturally, his face is like a crown jade, and his eyes are like bright stars. He still looks like a good-looking young man, and he is still at his prime age.
Zhang Sulu said with emotion, "Except for the fact that my hair has grown longer, everything else is the same as when I first met you. It's great."