"Jiang Hai Ji Yu Sheng..."
"Peaches and spring breeze, a cup of wine; martial world, night rain, ten years of lamplight..."
From the grand ship's cabin, Zhuo Xun's clear reading drifted out, like heavenly music.
Zhuo Xun recited Liang Xiao's poetry, lost in enchantment.
With Liang Xiao's consent, Jian Qin Wan also made public the poems Liang Xiao had written for her. These poems began to be sung and admired throughout the Luzhou region, captivating all of Jiangnan.
The people of Da Gan possessed an inherent melancholic spirit, and these verses perfectly stirred their emotions.
The poem "Guan Yi Yin" and the couplet Liang Xiao wrote for the Liu Yun Temple also spread far and wide, becoming objects of fervent copying by Taoist disciples.
Furthermore, in Jiangnan, the production of printing paper for Liang Xiao's bookshop began to accelerate, directly leading to a surge in prices for paper dedicated to calligraphy, yet it remained in high demand!
Some people even resorted to buying cheaper printing paper to write on!
Along this route, Liang Xiao's ship sailed downstream, heading towards Jinling.
As dusk settled, Liang Xiao stood at the bow, gazing eastward, a sense of melancholy in his heart.
He had just finished telling the girls a revised horror story, "The Village Monster," even dressing up with disheveled hair as Chu Ren Mei, terrifying them.
This time, there was no scene of the female Rakshasa clinging to him in fear; instead, he was driven out of the cabin by the girls.
Inside the cabin, the three girls – Yue Lian clinging to Jian Qin Wan, Jian Qin Wan clinging to Zhuo Xun, and Zhuo Xun clinging to Li Jinyu – trembled uncontrollably!
"This flower thief is getting more and more outrageous..." Jian Qin Wan's gaze was filled with a lingering resentment.
"Exactly, exactly!" Yue Lian and Zhuo Xun nodded in agreement.
Li Jinyu was also terrified by Liang Xiao, but seeing their adorable reactions, she couldn't help but chuckle and ask, "Will you still listen next time?"
"We still want to listen...!" the three replied in unison.
Outside the cabin, a certain person grinned, letting out a chilling call: "Little Qiang... Little Qiang..."
The girls' screams echoed from inside the cabin once more.
Only then did Liang Xiao enter the cabin, adopting a sanctimonious demeanor and saying, "Fear not, with your husband here, demons and monsters are nothing to fear!"
Jian Qin Wan and Yue Lian quickly clutched Liang Xiao's arms. Zhuo Xun, with no one left to hold, could only embrace Li Jinyu, tears welling in her beautiful eyes.
"Alas, I truly don't know what to do with you all," the person said again, shamelessly, not forgetting to pat Jian Qin Wan's head.
Li Jinyu had long grown accustomed to Liang Xiao's demeanor and merely offered a faint smile.
Yet, she still couldn't comprehend how the foremost scholar and the foremost scoundrel of Da Gan could be the same person!
"Senior, have you read the chapters of Journey to the West?" Liang Xiao asked.
Li Jinyu nodded. "Full of imaginative ideas, wild and unrestrained, simply marvelous! I will personally create illustrations for this book."
Li Jinyu had now decided to follow Liang Xiao. He had entrusted her with creating simple illustrations for "Journey to the West," allowing her freedom to create other works in her spare time. Inspired by "Journey to the West," Li Jinyu also hoped to achieve a breakthrough in her painting skills during her lifetime.
Qin Xin and the others had not returned to Tian Qin Mountain but were traveling with them to Jinling. They were also guarding the Sunset Bow for Liang Xiao. They only sent word back to Tian Qin Mountain, asking Qin Sheng to rush the production of some Dragon Fang Arrows to be sent over.
"Marquis An Guo, the boatmen on the other ships say a storm is coming and we need to stop and dock!" Yu Qing Chuan's voice called from outside as they were midway.
This Yu Qing Chuan was more astute than Chen Shaoling, but less reserved.
With Chen Shaoling absent, they no longer actively eavesdropped on Liang Xiao and Jian Qin Wan's flirtatious banter, especially since their junior sister and Liang Xiao had already confirmed their relationship, eliminating the need for their "support."
Liang Xiao had no choice but to order everyone to dock, take their valuables, and seek shelter from the rain in the nearby Longxi County.
Two quarters of an hour later, the wind and rain indeed intensified.
Longxi County was not far from Jinling, making it an excellent place to stop. It was a hub for travel and located in the fertile Jiangnan region. The tens of thousands of households in the county were all relatively prosperous.
Liang Xiao and his entourage, having disguised themselves and wearing casual attire, did not appear out of place.
A hundred or so people had already gathered in the spacious tea house, listening to the storyteller on stage.
Liang Xiao and the Tianshan martial artists chose a less crowded corner, ordered tea, but did not eat.
As per Liang Xiao's instructions, they were to prioritize food safety when traveling, as the Hui Chun Sect's followers were elusive and would not hesitate to do anything, let alone seek opportunities to poison them.
"On this day, the heavenly general, who demonstrated divine power, saved the white-robed soldiers and, with them, rallied to defeat over ten thousand enemies, capturing over ten thousand warhorses, turning defeat into victory! But why are legends legends if their stories end so easily?"
The storyteller spoke slowly, deliberately taking a sip of tea and pausing thoughtfully.
Jian Qin Wan and Yue Lian's beautiful eyes lit up, eagerly awaiting the continuation.
"Old Liu, have you no shame? You always leave things unfinished to pique our interest!"
Several young masters, unable to contain themselves, cursed playfully. They approached Old Liu one by one, leaving a dozen copper coins as a tip.
In the corner, two figures were silently savoring their tea, smiles on their faces.
One of them was a woman wearing a pure white veil, revealing only a pair of gentle, beautiful eyes with subtly moving eyelashes.
The other person leisurely fanned himself with a feather fan, exuding an air of nonchalance.
It was none other than the Yun Xiu Zhai Master, whom Lin Fan had met that day!
The storyteller, looking at the tips on the table, smiled with satisfaction before continuing.
"Legends are legends because they always leave behind more touching stories!"
"That day, besides the white-robed soldiers, the heavenly general also saved the dowry procession from the Kingdom of Qiuci in the Western Regions. Princess Klisti of Qiuci was in her carriage..."
"This was an accidental hero saving a beauty. Princess Klisti fell deeply in love and did not hesitate to offend our equally revered Marquis An Guo. She publicly declared: she only wished to marry the heavenly general..."
Jian Qin Wan, seated beside Liang Xiao, shot him a resentful glance. Listening to the storyteller's vivid narration, she couldn't help but pinch Liang Xiao's thigh.
She had almost forgotten that there was another foreign princess who harbored unrequited feelings for the heavenly general, and she was currently at the Heavenly General Temple!
The foreign princess, setting aside her noble status, chose a life of solitude and even humbly pleaded with Liang Xiao, for the sake of the "heavenly general," not to touch her. She bravely encouraged the public to spread the deeds and spirit of the heavenly general.
The entire capital knew that Klisti admired the heavenly general and that her marriage to Liang Xiao was merely a political alliance. This had led to Liang Xiao being ridiculed by the scions of noble families, but Liang Xiao paid no heed to such trivial matters.
It was only now that Jian Qin Wan understood Klisti's true plight...
Liang Xiao, of course, kept his identity hidden even from his own kin, so he could not casually reveal himself to Klisti. Thus, Klisti had to endure her circumstances.
The tea house patrons, moved by the storyteller's emotions, applauded enthusiastically, while some even shed tears of sorrow.
The heavenly general was dead, yet he had manifested divine intervention multiple times to save Da Gan, fulfilling his mission of preserving the state. This was the common consensus among Da Gan's military and civilians!
The storyteller continued, "Henceforth, Heavenly General Temples were built across the land to worship our Da Gan Martial God, the Divine General Tian! In life, the heavenly general died fighting for Da Gan; in death, he still manifested to save the world, his significance immeasurable. And the spirit of the heavenly general would be the military soul passed down through generations of Da Gan, eternally enduring!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Even Yu Qing Chuan and the others couldn't help but applaud softly.
If it weren't for the need to maintain a low profile, they too would have joined the applause.
Just then, a clear voice rang out from a corner of the tea house: "Sir, your storytelling is brilliant, but your conclusion is too one-sided."
As soon as the words were spoken, the tea house buzzed with activity, and many turned their dissatisfied gazes towards the source of the voice.