Hearing the Dao in the Morning

Upon hearing Twelfth Madam's reply, Ding Songyan glanced at her but didn't continue the conversation.

Since Twelfth Madam herself said so, let's assume it's true.

Take this as a casual remark, and take it as a casual remark.

Ding Songyan thought for a moment and said:

"We'll still have to spend money to ask Chef Shi and the others to find out about Shushui Street later."

The matter of the Shamanic Religion may only be what Demoness Ji has made public; there might be something else hidden in the shadows.

Even if I guess wrong, it doesn't matter. I'll only lose some Silver Coins, and it won't waste much of my time. Silver Coins is just an external thing; I can earn it back if I run out. It's not like I don't have the ability. Besides, I don't lack Silver Coins in my daily life, and I don't even have anywhere to spend it.

"You're quite perceptive." Twelfth Madam Luo understood Ding Songyan's thoughts after a moment's thought.

The two did not linger on Shushui Street, but instead headed towards Xiumei Mountain, northwest of Golden Pool Lake.

It is said that Li Linquan, the "Azure Thunder Banished Immortal," has been practicing his swordsmanship here recently.

When passing by the foot of Xiumei Mountain, Twelfth Madam Luo was attracted by a sugar painting stall. She paid five coins and eagerly tried to spin the wooden arrow to see which pattern it would point to.

"With your abilities, you can switch to whichever one you want, right?" Ding Songyan chuckled when he saw Twelfth Madam's serious demeanor.

Twelfth Madam Luo glanced at him:

"Of course, you don't need Martial Arts. Just look at your luck. When you go to a temple to draw a fortune stick, do you expect to use your True Qi to force out the one you want?"

Ding Songyan remained silent for a moment before saying:

"I might be able to do it."

"I think so too." Twelfth Madam Luo nodded quickly.

With a gentle flick of her slender fingers, the wooden arrow fixed to the turntable began to spin.

Twelfth Madam Luo watched intently, her eyes bright, clearly enjoying herself.

Soon, to her expectant gaze, the wooden arrow stopped, pointing to one of the two best options:

"Phoenix".

"Again..." Twelfth Madam Luo showed no surprise, only a touch of melancholy.

"Every single time?" Ding Songyan was slightly taken aback.

"No, otherwise what would I have been expecting? Seven or eight out of ten, I guess." Twelfth Madam Luo sighed.

Seeing that the stall owner had already prepared to paint Phoenix with syrup on the white stone slab, Ding Songyan smiled and asked about Twelfth Madam:

"You don't really want the Phoenix anymore?"

"Mm." Twelfth Madam Luo nodded.

"If you don't want it, then don't," Ding Songyan said to the stall owner. "Give me something simple..."

If you don't want it, then don't... Twelfth Madam Luo paused for a moment, remembering similar words the other party had said before.

By the time she came to her senses, the stall owner had already prepared the item Ding Songyan had described: a thick, round cake made of golden syrup, about half the size of a palm, with a thin piece of wood inside.

"Is this a sugar painting?" Twelfth Madam Luo asked with amusement as she took the golden "sugar cake".

It doesn't resemble a painting at all!

"This painting of the Great Sun!" Ding Songyan lied through his teeth, then laughed, "It's the half-brother of the candied hawthorn."

Lollipops, never had one before?

Twelfth Madam Luo took a sip and found the sweetness lingering, but it was no different from other sugar paintings.

Her mood inexplicably improved considerably.

Taking a couple of sips of the "sugar cake," Twelfth Madam Luo glanced at the spinning wheel and Ding Songyan with great interest:

"You try it and see what you get."

Knowing that Twelfth Madam Luo was likely to be able to summon Phoenix, Ding Songyan became quite interested. He paid five coins, stretched out his right hand, and tried to fiddle with the wooden arrow.

With my talent and appearance, Ding Erlang, it wouldn't be right if I didn't have Second Brother Ding, would it?

As his fingers touched the wooden arrow, Ding Songyan subtly channeled his True Qi, gently striking it with his fingertips, determined to achieve the desired result.

Suddenly, a Sword Qi struck, not sharp but thick and long, which just happened to shatter Ding Songyan True Qi, causing Ding Songyan's fingers to flick the wooden arrow without any self-control.

Ding Songyan was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look. He saw Twelfth Madam Luo, who was holding a "sugar cake" in her mouth, shaking her head slightly, her eyes showing a hint of mockery and smugness.

I knew you were going to cheat!

"Heh... "Ding Songyan chuckled and shook his head, straightening up as he watched the wooden arrows on the spinning wheel gradually come to a stop.

The image it points to is of a "cow".

Ding Songyan's expression froze for a moment, a rare occurrence.

"You have a special connection with oxen?" Twelfth Madam Luo's mocking voice arrived just in time.

"I guess so." Ding Songyan always knew how to make fun of himself. "I used to have an older brother named Daniu, and some people called me Er Niu."

"Ding Erniu?" Twelfth Madam Luo had a look on her face that said, "I'll remember your shameful past."

She suddenly remembered what Ding Songyan had said earlier:

"When you first told me to pretend to be your sister-in-law, you meant to pretend to be Daniu's wife?"

"He's passed away?"

"Yes, we didn't have to use that method, did we?" Ding Songyan nodded. "He's actually a notorious bandit; I was forced to acknowledge him as my Elder Brother."

"You have quite a rich history." Seeing that Ding Songyan had no intention of recounting his past in detail, Twelfth Madam Luo wisely refrained from probing.

Ding Songyan followed suit, asking the stall owner to change the "cow" to a homemade "lollipop."

Once it was ready, he casually handed it to Twelfth Madam.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Twelfth Madam Luo asked in surprise.

As Ding Songyan left the sugar painting stall, he smiled and said:

"Wasn't I trying to wake Li Linquan up? Eating something like this will probably make him feel like I'm humiliating him."

Burning incense and calming the mind before a fight is a classy thing that can enhance one's personal style, but having a lollipop before a fight will only make the opponent angry.

Twelfth Madam Luo imagined that scene, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

She accepted Ding Songyan's explanation, took the "sugar cake," and said with a slightly worried expression:

Didn't I tell you that my special talent is gaining weight easily when I eat too much?

Before Ding Songyan respond, the Manager said in a light tone:

"But I can lose weight in just a few breaths."

Twelfth Madam, you really know how to amuse yourself... You do this too when you're making flower wreaths, headdresses, and shuttlecocks... Ding Songyan asked curiously:

How to lose weight?

"Burning." Twelfth Madam Luo made no attempt to conceal her identity.

"Seriously, I'm burning my calories..." Ding Songyan stopped and bought a plain-looking Refined Steel longsword from a roadside vendor.

Seeing that Twelfth Madam was looking at him, he explained simply:

"My Cold Shadow Sword has a unique design and is easily recognizable."

When he broke through the "Hidden Truth Immortal Realm," he didn't expect that he would later wear the Golden Boy Mask to kill the "Evil Through and Through" Sun Feiyang, so he didn't specifically change his sword. Now he can't do that again.

Twelfth Madam Luo hummed in agreement, watching as Ding Songyan bought the sheathed Refined Steel longsword for three taels of silver.

"In Dingjiang Prefecture, this would cost at most two taels, and we might not even have enough." Ding Songyan complained to Twelfth Madam about the prices in Flame Capital while they climbed the mountain together, searching for the place where Li Linquan practiced his swordsmanship.

With Great Grandmaster Twelfth Madam Luo by their side, they soon arrived at the edge of a desolate forest where no birds had flown, the early plum blossoms had not yet bloomed, and the forest was withered and silent. Li Linquan was inside, all alone.

Although the people of Flame Capital and the traveling heroes greatly admire the "Rivers and Lakes Beauty Register" and the "Jade Tree Martial Arts Rankings," and often gather around to watch those listed, they all have to abide by some established rules in the Great Wilderness Realm where Martial Arts are revered. For example, they cannot peek at others practicing martial arts.

If you glance at it while passing by, that's fine, but if you stop and watch, and don't leave even after being advised to do so, you wouldn't be innocent if you were killed by a martial arts practitioner.

For many years before, such things happened frequently. It was only after the Former Emperor revitalized the court that such arbitrary killings became almost nonexistent, and people were instead sent to the Yamen through various means.

Therefore, although Li Linquan was famous and many people wanted to see the style of the "Azure Thunder Banished Immortal" and see what it meant to "Charming to Others," once they learned that he was practicing swordsmanship on Xiumei Mountain, no one dared to surround him.

With a "sugar cake" in her mouth, Twelfth Madam Luo found a secluded spot, took out Brow Stone, Wax Paste items, and began to give Ding Songyan a preliminary disguise.

Not long after, she patted Ding Songyan on the shoulder, packed her things, took two steps back, and scrutinized Ding Songyan, whose skin had turned slightly yellow and who looked about ten years older.

"Ling Donglai," Ding Songyan, bowing slightly with his hands behind his back.

Twelfth Madam Luo bowed very respectfully:

"Greetings, Senior Ling."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ding Songyan's appearance changed abruptly. His temples were graying, but his features were still youthful, and he possessed a certain Gods and Devils charm.

This change in status lacks sufficient "recognition" and has many areas for improvement, but for Ding Songyan, it is enough. He only needs Li Linquan not to recognize him, not for the other party to believe that he is Ling Donglai or that this face is real.

Carrying the newly purchased longsword, Ding Songyan's figure flashed and he entered the cold forest.

The handsome and masculine Li Linquan was deep in thought, occasionally using the simplest and most unchanging sword moves such as chopping, slicing, and wiping.

His appearance was particularly heartbreaking.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he saw a figure dressed in a scholar's blue robe.

The figure had graying temples, youthful features, and deep, unfathomable eyes, appearing both god and demon. Without uttering a word, he slashed his sword at Li Linquan.

Li Linquan was terrified. He felt that the sword hadn't even reached him yet, but the intention had already arrived, making him feel as if he were in the midst of a thousand troops, with countless weapons pointing at him.

He immediately felt a chill run down his spine and had a strong premonition of danger.

The fear of impending death made him forget about martial arts and unleash the full power of the "Thunderlight Heaven-Splitting Sword".

Amidst the clashing of blue lightning and silver thunder, Li Linquan discovered that his opponent was employing all sorts of Swordsmanship —complex, simple, exquisite, and archaic—a diverse array, as if hundreds of people from different Sects were showcasing their respective lineages.

Li Linquan tried his best to defend, repeatedly using offense as a form of defense, but his attacks were easily countered by his opponent.

Gradually, he was astonished to realize that the enemy's Swordsmanship was strangely converging, changing from complex and exquisite to simple and unadorned, from plain and ancient to profound and mysterious, as if demonstrating some kind of Principles of Law.

Ultimately, each move and stance was restored to the simple, unadorned, and authentic state that Li Linquan had been striving for.

When!

His longsword was knocked away by his opponent, and he stood there stunned, dumbfounded.

He then heard the god-like, demonic figure speak in a low voice:

"Someone felt sorry for you because of your madness and specifically asked me to come and wake you up."

The sound echoed, and the figure vanished.

Li Linquan's eyes were vacant as he stared blankly ahead, his mind replaying the various moves from the "sparring" they had just exchanged.

They fluttered down and gradually settled.

After a long while, Li Linquan suddenly burst into tears and murmured to himself:

"I see..."

So this is how you should take this route...

If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening.