After seeing Zhao Liulang off, Ouyang Xiu said regretfully, "That Liulang is so talented and easygoing. It's a shame I hadn't met him before. We could have spent more time together, and now I can't help regretting it."
Seeing how disappointed Ouyang Xiu looked, Wang Yue could only shake his head helplessly. Ouyang Xiu would have decades to spend with the emperor yet.
So he cheerfully reassured him, "Brother Ouyang, didn't Liulang say as he was leaving that we'd meet in Luoyang? Surely we'll see him sooner or later once we get there."
Ouyang Xiu quickly nodded, then said with a smile, "In that case, let's hurry to Mount Song. We've already wasted so much time."
Wang Yue was speechless. Ouyang Xiu had been the one chatting most happily with Zhao Liulang. If Wang Yue hadn't known that Ouyang Xiu hadn't recognized the emperor, he would have thought Ouyang Xiu was deliberately currying favor with him.
The two of them spent a few more days sightseeing, and Wang Yue explored all the surrounding area. He had more or less figured out this world: it seemed that among the famous mountains and rivers, Shaolin Temple stood alone, while the other temples and Taoist monasteries were all rather small.
Yet the temples didn't seem to get along particularly well, and monks often went out and about.
It seemed that this world did have a martial world, just with far fewer sects.
Wang Yue had accomplished what he'd set out to do, and Ouyang Xiu had lost his enthusiasm for sightseeing. When the two returned yet again, he turned to Wang Yue and said, "Brother Wang, since we've seen enough of the area around Luoyang, I'm going back to my hometown. We'll meet in the Eastern Capital when the next imperial examination comes