I Have A Dual World Seal

Lu Zheng certainly wouldn't let Master Guangyue stay at his house, so he arranged for him to stay at the Tonglai Inn.

After returning, he found that Shen Ying had not left.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but swallow because Liu Qingyan was right there with Shen Ying.

So then...

...

"What? Guangyue actually wants to take you on a journey around the world?" Shen Ying looked surprised.

"Nonsense, as if he'd waste Lu Lang's... that..." Liu Qingyan said with a flushed face, both angry and anxious.

On the left, it was cold; on the right, it was soft.

The Land Sage pulled the velvet blanket on himself, comforted, "Don't worry, this story is not unheard of in storybooks. But I'm not a weak scholar from a storybook. If he wants to break up this couple, he'd have to see if my fists agree."

Shen Ying's eyes flashed with surprise and asked, "The injury on his face..."

"Hehehe—" Liu Qingyan covered her mouth and giggled, then raised her small fist, "Lu Lang did a good job!"

Lu Zheng nodded as a matter of course, "He's my toolman now, and just happens to have thick skin, so he can help me practice some cultivation techniques, and I can go at him without holding back."

Shen Ying couldn't help but laugh and lightly patted Lu Zheng, "You're so bad."

Liu Qingyan softly said, "It doesn't matter if he's injured. I'll heal him, and you can hit him again once he's better."

Neither of them were worried; firstly because Lu Zheng's cultivation was advancing rapidly, Guangyue couldn't even defeat Lu Zheng now, and even less so in the future. Secondly, Lu Zheng wasn't someone without support. If the monks from Rizhao Temple tried to force him, would White Cloud Temple just watch their disciple get bullied?

Rather than worry about that, they might as well start another round before dawn.

...

The next day, they were in high spirits.

Today happened to be a day off at the ten-day interval, so Lu Zheng rented a donkey cart and took Shen Ying and the Liu Family Sisters back to Peach Blossom Plain to rest for a day.

"Today's sun is nice." Liu Qingyan raised her hand to shield her eyes and looked up at the sky, where white clouds floated across the vast blue.

They didn't go to Taohua Village but found an open space deep in the Peach Blossom Forest. Nearby was a river and wind from all sides. Shen Ying waved her hand, and stones rose from the ground, forming a stone table and benches. "Little Sister Qingyan, how about a round of chess?"

"Sure." Liu Qingyan agreed with a smile.

Xiaocui appeared, bringing a chessboard and pieces, which she placed on the stone table, and then she set up a stove and teaware to brew tea.

"You play, and I'll entertain you." Lu Zheng said as he took the wooden box wrapped in cotton from his back.

"Will you dance with a sword to entertain us?" Liu Qingyan chuckled, "We don't have the time to watch."

She thought Lu Zheng's wooden box contained weapons, as he did have such a weapon box which he carried last time they went to Yizhou Prefecture.

Shen Ying lightly laughed, "Lu Lang was a hero saving a beauty the other day, and today you're dancing with a sword — is that to aid me? But Lu Lang, Little Sister Qingyan's chess skills aren't as good as mine. Are you making a mistake?"

Liu Qingyan blushed, "Elder Sister just likes to tease me."

Lu Zheng chuckled, undid the cotton, opened the wooden box, and took out the Phoenix Tail Zither from it.

"A Yaoqin?" Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan asked in surprise.

"Huh?" Liu Qingquan jumped over, her mouth full of snacks, "Brother Lu, you can also play the zither?"

"Zheng—zheng—zheng—"

Lu Zheng softly plucked a few strings and then played a fluent tune of "Ping Sha Luo Yan."

When the tune ended...

"Eh?" Lu Zheng looked up, raised his brows, "You haven't started yet?"

"Lu Lang, you can play the zither too?" Shen Ying asked in surprise, then couldn't help but add, "We've all been listening to your new tune. How could we think of playing chess?"

Liu Qingyan also said, "I've never heard this tune before. Is it a new composition by Lu Lang?"

Lu Zheng blinked and shook his head, "No, I found it in an old score, maybe it's not widely spread."

Shen Ying nodded, "It's a great tune; it feels very soothing."

"Really? I have a few more tunes; I'll play them for you," Lu Zheng said, then grinned slightly, "to see if you've ever heard them."

"Alright!" Liu Qingyan clapped her hands and laughed, "We eagerly await your performance."

Xiaocui and Liu Qingquan also prepared tea and snacks, ready to enjoy Lu Zheng's music concert.

After a comfortable evening last night, Lu Zheng was in a good mood today, so he wanted to show off. His fingers lightly plucked the strings, and another famous tune, "Guangling Powder," appeared in the Great Jing Dynasty.

Drunken Fisherman's Evening Song...

Yangguan San Die...

Xiao Xiang Shui Yun...

Plum Blossom Sigh...

High Mountain and Flowing Water...

Although Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan didn't play the zither, they could tell whether music was pleasing or not. Lu Zheng's performance consisted of tunes they had never heard before, yet each was a masterpiece.

Their eyes shone with delight, leaving no inclination for a chess match.

"How was it?"

"Lu Lang, just how many talents do you have that we don't know about?" Shen Ying's eyes, misted with peach blossom-shaped tears, glistened as she spoke.

Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows and waved his hand modestly, "Not many, not many..."

"Junior Brother, you truly are multitalented!" Yuan Jing approached from afar, then turned to another figure, "I wonder what brings this master here?"

"Amitabha Buddha!" Guangyue clasped his hands in greeting, "This humble monk Guangyue from Rizhao Temple greets you, Brother Daoist!"

"Infinite Celestial Venerable!" Yuan Jing bowed in return, "Yuan Jing of White Cloud Temple greets Master!"

They had arrived a moment earlier but, seeing Lu Zheng playing music and the women listening, refrained from approaching, waiting at a distance. When Lu Zheng paused, they moved closer.

"Rizhao Temple..." Yuan Jing blinked, evidently recognizing the temple's name and knowing something about it, so he asked, "Is the master traveling for leisure here?"

Guangyue nodded, "This humble monk formed an affinity with Brother Daoist Lu, so I wish to invite Brother Daoist Lu to journey with me, traveling as companions."

"Hmm?" Yuan Jing blinked, paused to think, and then spoke, "I haven't heard of such a rule at Rizhao Temple, though?"

"Amitabha Buddha, I simply do not wish to see Brother Daoist Lu's talents buried in obscurity," Guangyue said with a sincere expression.

Yuan Jing: ???

"Why would they be buried?" Yuan Jing looked baffled, then quickly snapped back with an annoyed frown, "Are you saying White Cloud Temple cannot teach disciples well?"

"Amitabha Buddha, that is not the case," Guangyue waved his hand, "it's just that..."

Guangyue had an agreement with Lu Zheng to only discuss outcomes, not other matters, so he paused without finishing.

Yuan Jing blinked. "Just what, tell me?"

On the other side, Liu Qingyan playfully clenched her small fist and softly murmured, "Fight—fight—"

Shen Ying: ⚆_⚆

Lu Zheng: Õ_Õ

Alright, the fox truly holds a grudge.

But there was also a bit of Lu Zheng's influence in Guangyue's hesitation, so Lu Zheng couldn't just ignore it and let them actually fight.

"Master Guangyue is here to spar with me, right? Senior Brother, why did you also come down the mountain? Is there something you need?" Lu Zheng stood up and approached to ask.

Yuan Jing nodded, "There's been a situation at Jiming Temple in Pingtan County. I thought since Junior Brother likes such matters, I'd ask if you want to come along and take a look?"