My Wife Is A Sword Immortal

Chapter 58: Chapter 50 Thunder and Rainbow Purple Gold Furnace
 

The rainy season in Zhongnan Country falls in June and July.

Today was a rare rainless day, with the sun shining brightly.

The Lin family estate between the two Qingshan Hills, having bathed in a new shower, was cool and refreshing.

Lin Wenruo walked briskly with a smile on his face, strolling along the winding and quiet paths.

He passed clusters of plants and numerous pavilions.

Suddenly, Lin Wenruo stopped at a corridor overlooking a pond, where a mahogany round box filled with bait rested casually on the railing.

Lin Wenruo reached out to grab some bait and casually scattered it into the lake.

“Master.”

From behind him, a tall woman dressed in black tight-fitting clothes, with a pendant on her head, had appeared at some point, bowing her head in salute.

“Speak.”

Lin Wenruo gazed at the red carps gradually gathering beneath him and idly tossed more bait down.

The woman in black spoke respectfully, “Master, regarding that plain-clothed old man, we still have not found any clue. He seems to have appeared out of thin air. However, we have found the third participant from Chongxu Temple in the debate on Confucianism. He should be Qing Yuanzi, the Daoist brother of Qingjingzi. According to our informant, he went up Taibai Mountain quietly at midnight yesterday and is now in Chongxu Temple.”

Lin Wenruo’s movements paused slightly as he turned his head, “Qing Yuanzi? Is it that romantic Daoist who likes to engage in idle chat with the notables of Zhongnan Country? I seem to remember he left Zhongnan before I went to the Academy.”

The woman in black nodded her head, “Exactly him. After he left Zhongnan, he traveled through the neighboring countries, but three years ago, he suddenly disappeared. It is rumored that he went into seclusion for cultivation somewhere.”

Lin Wen’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Rumored? It seems? You’re giving me this kind of hearsay as an answer?”

The woman in black hastily replied, “Master, please forgive me! I will immediately do my utmost to investigate!”

However, then she lowered her head, sweating profusely, “Master, the mountain is now slow to pass messages due to the blockade by the Punishment Mansion. It takes a great deal of time to travel between the two places, and it often takes ten days to half a month to get a reply from the people we send out…”

Lin Wen’s face turned cold as he turned back and looked at the gathering red carps, “We cannot afford any errors in the debate on Confucianism, or it will be beyond redemption. Use all of the family’s channels to investigate, regardless of the cost.”

“Your servant obeys!”

“What else?”

“Master, the second master left early this morning. He took his luggage and is staying in the city now.”

Lin Wen frowned slightly, “I’m aware.”

Suddenly, as if he remembered something, the corners of his mouth hooked up slightly, “By the way, Xiu Mei, just how many women are there in my back house?”

The woman, named Xiu Mei, was taken aback upon hearing this, “Initially, Master told us to arrange it as we saw fit, so I selected eighteen women to be taken into your room. I have carefully vetted them all; they come from good families and as for their appearances…”

Lin Wenruo interrupted with a waning interest, “Alright, I’m aware… Don’t skimp on their necessities. Is there anything else?”

“Master, the current public opinion in the city is not favorable to us. Should we do something about it?”

Lin Wenruo chuckled softly, scooped up a handful of feed, and with a relaxed lift of his hand, it all landed in the pond. Countless red carps surged forward, like a boiling crimson tide, gathering beneath his feet,

“The common people are like these carps in the pond,” he said slowly, “and the debate on Confucianism will determine who will be the only one standing on the shore as the feeder.”

“There’s no need to intervene. Our most important task at the moment is the debate on Confucianism.”

————

Zhao Rong took Su Xiaoxiao to play in Luojing City.

After about half an hour, they left the territory of Lanxi and merged into the bustling flow of people.

Luojing is situated on the most fertile plain of Zhongnan Mountain. The citizens are generally prosperous, as evident from their clothing.

This is probably also why they enjoy discussing politics and cultivating philosophies; after all, with full bellies, the idle need something to do, such as exercising their tongues. Zhao Rong’s opinion of them was simply that they were idly chatting.

Zhao Rong was feeling very strange now.

Because he noticed that Su Xiaoxiao was a bit off.

Was it just because I snatched a piece of fruit from you? Why haven’t you said a word the entire trip?

Zhao Rong was a bit panicked.

After all, a bleeding history taught him that the oppressed either explode in silence or perish in it.

Since he greeted Lin Wen this morning and snatched away the red fruit that Su Xiaoxiao had just barely managed to pick before having a bite, and then told her that they would stay in Luojing for a while, Su Xiaoxiao had gradually become quiet.

Zhao Rong glanced subtly again at Su Xiaoxiao, who was a bit behind on the left, and saw she was still silent, now seemingly different from when she was usually angry.

If she was bullied into anger before, she would bite her half-red lips, turn her head, sulk, and stew in her own frustrations; if it was more serious, she would turn her back and secretly wipe her tears, thinking no one noticed.

But her current state was one of a cold-faced indifference, showing no interest in anything, not even raising her eyelids when they just passed a grandiose bookstore, merely occasionally stepping aside to let passersby through, closely following behind him.

From Zhao Rong’s perspective, her already high-beauty face now appeared extraordinarily aloof due to being tightly drawn, and those alluring fox-like eyes had their outer corners slightly raised, exuding an irresistible charm.