Jiuxi

Chapter 21 021 [Lu Yuan]

Guangling City in the gentle breeze and drizzle is like an ink painting filled with misty fairy spirit.

As far as the eye can see, there are white walls and black tiles. The courtyards on both sides of the wide and narrow alleys are deep and well-proportioned.

The black and white buildings all over the city are stained with a layer of haloed color in the drizzle, adding a bit of hazy charm.

At dusk, although the rain was light, it still didn't stop, dripping down to the front steps.

Lu Chen and Li Chengen walked along the main street in the east-west direction of the city, chatting away from time to time.

"Young master, when that fake Yan master rushed into the house, I was so frightened that I almost cursed my mother. If the young master makes any mistake, I will definitely expel the villain from the Lu family."

"Cheng'en..."

"Master, please tell me."

"You and I have a fortune-telling relationship now. Can we be equal in the future? You always sound like a villain, but I am not an adult. It sounds very awkward."

"Didn't Colonel Su want the young master to join the Weaving Department? It won't be long before the young master will become a serious adult."

"We will discuss this matter later, let's talk about the matter at hand first."

"If there are no outsiders, just do as the young master says."

The two entered the Xicheng area. Li Chengen led Lu Chen to turn from the main street into another narrow street, pointed ahead and said, "Master, we will be home in three more streets."

Leaving the bluestone road just now and walking on the muddy dirt road, Lu Chen looked as usual and said casually: "Actually, when the Yan man rushed in front of me, my mind went blank. You also know that after my serious illness, There are a lot of things that I can’t remember and I don’t know how to deal with them, so I rely entirely on instinct to fight back.”

Li Chengen still nodded with some fear and said: "Fortunately, the young master can protect himself. This matter is also my fault. I know that the young master cannot remember things after he is ill. I should try my best to help the young master check and fill in the gaps on the way back."

"It's not your fault." Lu Chen smiled slightly and asked: "Chengen, who did I learn my martial arts from? What level is it at now?"

Li Chengen said: "Only the master in the house knows about the young master's inheritance. It seems that when the young master was eleven or twelve years old, someone helped him lay a solid foundation and then taught him a qi training method and a set of boxing techniques. As for the young master's martial arts realm, It’s definitely not bad among his peers.”

He said it very tactfully, and Lu Chen said with great self-knowledge: "In other words, he is not worth mentioning among those who practice martial arts?"

Li Chengen smiled slightly awkwardly, shook his head quickly and said: "No, the young master just lacks experience in fighting."

Lu Chen asked: "What about yourself? Are you considered a first-rate master?"

Li Chengen solemnly replied: "I haven't entered the Jianghu martial arts rankings yet, but when the martial arts rankings are re-ranked next year, I will try my best to squeeze in. Even if it is only at the bottom, it will be considered worthy of the hard work of my ancestors."

He knew that Lu Chen knew very little about Cao Mang's anecdotes, so he took the initiative to explain: "The so-called martial arts list is just the ranking of masters created by people in the world, not a list recognized by the government. The martial arts list is divided into three volumes: upper, middle and lower. There are ten people in each list, and most of the people on the list are the heroes of the green forest in the North. However, according to my master, the martial arts list cannot include the world's masters."

Lu Chen asked with great interest: "Who is No. 1 on the martial arts list now?"

Li Chengen's eyes showed a trace of fascination: "No.1's name is Lin Jie, the leader of the Seven Star Gang, the largest Green Forest gang in Puppet Yan territory. It is said that he is invulnerable through Kung Fu training. As early as more than ten years ago, the Seven Star Gang had dominated the Green Forest. It forced several gangs below to join forces, so that they could not dominate the world. However, when the martial arts rankings were reorganized last year, the one who attracted the most attention was not Lin Jie, but a newcomer named Bodhisattva Man."

"Bodhisattva Man? Is this a nickname?"

"Yes, no one knows her true identity. This person usually wears a mask with a green face and fangs, and is followed by dozens of masters. She walks in the territory of Pseudo-Yan and Jingchao, and has killed many evil people. The most famous among them is He was Mo Shanke, a confidant of Marshal Qing Yugong of Jing Dynasty. From then on, the name of Bodhisattva Man spread throughout the world, and last year he was listed as ninth in the martial arts list."

"No. 19 in the world... he should be still very young, right?"

Lu Chen smiled, and only listened to it as an anecdote. After all, after witnessing the bloody battle between the Weaving Department and the Beiyan Procuratorate, he deeply realized that in today's troubled times, the power of an individual is really small.

Li Chengen said: "This person is well hidden. Her appearance, identity and age are unknown. We can only confirm that she is a younger woman. Young master, we are home. I am waiting in front."

The two of them had now reached a wide alley.

Lu Chen looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the door in the slightly dark sky, with his hands folded in his sleeves. There were seven or eight men standing next to him.

"Young Master! It's Young Master!"

"Master, the young master is back!"

The noise suddenly broke the tranquility at dusk, and Lu Tong walked towards this side slightly excited.

Lu Chen hurriedly greeted him, bowed and said, "Father."

Lu Tong's face was filled with joy, and he nodded repeatedly: "It will be good to come back, it will be good to come back."

Lu Chen was imprisoned in the Yamen of the Sutra Weaving Department for more than ten days. Although Su Yunqing promised that he would not lose a hair, how could Lu Tong be completely assured?During this period, he couldn't sleep well all night, and the area around his eyes became much darker. His old friend Doctor Xue couldn't stand it, so he went to Su Yunqing in person to understand the situation, and gave him a prescription to soothe his nerves and replenish his energy.

"Let's go home." Lu Tong raised his hand and took Lu Chen's forearm, showing no sign of a strict father.

"Good morning, young master!" The servants saluted hurriedly.

Lu Chen smiled in response, and Lu Tong waved his hand and said: "Lao Wu, I am very happy that Shen'er is back safely. Tell the accountant that everyone will be rewarded with a monthly payment."

A middle-aged man who looked like a butler next to him smiled and agreed, and the servants naturally thanked him quickly.

Lu Tong still didn't let go of his hand and led Lu Chen a few steps forward to the front door of Lu's house.

This is a barbarian gate, not a Guangliang gate or a Jinzhu gate. After all, the Lu family is just the home of merchants, and Lu Tong has no official status. To openly violate the rules is to seek death.

At this moment, lanterns were lit both inside and outside the gate, enough to see the general appearance of the building.

Lu Chen vaguely remembered some remaining fragments, but they were not very clear. He only knew that his residence was quite spacious, far better than the two rooms in the warp weaving department's yamen.

The father and son took the lead. At first, it was pretty much what Lu Chen expected. After entering the gate, there was a screen wall. Go west through the arch and enter the vestibule. This is the first entrance in the traditional three-entry courtyard, consisting of the gate, concierge, screen wall, vestibule and It consists of an inverted seat room.

This is mainly the living place for servants and nurses in the mansion.

However, after walking into the vestibule, Lu Chen discovered that the area of ​​​​this area was not cramped at all.

"What's wrong?" Lu Tong noticed the change in his expression and asked with a smile.

Lu Chen was organizing his words, and Li Chengen next to him quickly whispered: "Master, there are some things that the young master can't remember after he recovers from illness."

Lu Tong raised his hand and patted his forehead, and said angrily: "Look at my pig brain, you clearly said that to me that day."

Lu Chen said warmly: "Father is serious, the child just feels that the home is quite spacious."

Lu Tong smiled and said: "That's it. According to the rules of the past and present, commercial residences are not allowed to exceed three entrances, and our family follows it honestly. When this house was built, the former prefect even came to give guidance, and no one could fault it. .”

After hearing this, Li Chengen and the housekeeper both laughed and agreed.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, there are hand-painted verandahs on both sides. In front of you is not an atrium, but a rockery, with jagged and strange rocks blocking your view.

Lu Tong said leisurely: "Don't worry, our Lu family knows the rules best. If there are restrictions on three entrances, then only three entrances will be built. All the furnishings and carvings will follow the rules, and there will never be any overstepping of the rules."

Lu Chen finally couldn't help but laugh.

This is not an ordinary residential house, it is clearly a land garden with an ordinary appearance but a universe inside!

It is true as Lu Tong said, the Lu family is only slightly larger in area, but in other aspects they abide by their duties. However, in Guangling City, where every inch of land is precious, an exquisite and elegant small garden is extremely rare.

Moving forward along the Chaoshou veranda is the place where the Lu family entertains guests, which consists of a sedan hall, a main hall, and a four-sided hall.

Further back to the east is the residence of Lu Tong and his two-bedroom concubine, and to the west is Lu Chen's courtyard.

Houses with stacked eaves form the second entrance in Lu Tongkou. Although the overall layout is a bit compact, the details are worth paying attention to. Calligraphy, stone carvings, wood carvings, brick carvings, stone carvings, piles of sculptures, and colorful paintings can be seen everywhere.

The essence of the entire Lu Garden lies in the third entrance. The back house in the usual sense was transformed into a garden by Lu Tong and named after "Zhiyuan".

There are corridors and curved ponds connecting the two.The pavilions, terraces and pavilions are scattered in different heights, elegant and harmonious.There are also stone railings, small bridges, and water pavilions, providing views every step of the way.

Although the Lu family cannot compare with the famous gardens that Lu Chen had seen in his previous life, it still shows that Lu Tong is quite popular in Guangling. Otherwise, he would not be able to build this unique house with money alone.

Next, Lu Chen met Lu Tong's two concubines, Aunt Mo and Aunt Sun, and the family had a harmonious dinner together.

Then Lu Tong asked the housekeeper to send Lu Chen back to rest, and Lu Chen did not hesitate. Those doubts were not urgent for just one night, not to mention that he also needed to sort out his thoughts.

The housekeeper named Lu Wu respectfully accompanied Lu Chen back to Xiyuan. As soon as he walked into the Moon Cave Gate, he saw a group of girls appear in sight.

The leader, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl with bright eyes and a clear voice, led the others in shouting in unison: "Greetings to the young master!"

Lu Chen was stunned.

(End of this chapter)