Chapter 32: Auspicious Day
Lu Wenxuan narrowed his eyes cautiously, and said in a tone as gentle as possible. âI apologize, Your Highness. Tonight, the celestial charts are obscured by clouds, making it impossible to observe the stars and determine auspicious days for you.â
Shen Yian looked up at the full sky of stars, the air falling silent for a few seconds.
The old geezer was indeed a sly one.
He had come to the palace tonight to have the old master definitively set a good day for his wedding.
Emperor Wuâs words, âMarriage is no childâs play,â had effectively kicked the ball to the Heavenly Gate Pavilion.
The marriage of a prince was no small matter, it involved the fortunes of Great Qing. So, he was left to ask the National Master himself to choose an auspicious day.
âMaster, I apologize for my previous actions. Please donât take it to heart,â Shen Yian said with a plastered smile, taking a few steps forward.
Lu Wenxuan took two steps back, waving his whisk. âYour Highness, please stop. Calling me âMasterâ is too much, Your Highness.â
âMy memory is terrible, I know you love to drink tea, so I specially brought some Bodhi tea from Tianzhu for you,â Shen Yian said, pulling out an ancient wooden box with a mysterious air. âMaster, this tea is made from leaves of the sacred Bodhi tree in Tianzhu. Legend has it that it is infused with the power of Bodhi, allowing one to better comprehend the Dao. Would you like to try it?â
He had tasted this Bodhi tea before. It wasnât particularly flavorful, but it had once put him into a state of enlightenment. The effect was only once, and drinking it again had no effect.
He had made a lot of it back then, and almost everyone under him had a share. The silly girlâs current realm was too low, so the effect wouldnât be great. Heâd talk to her about it later.
He had given Emperor Wu his share when he returned. As for Lu Wenxuanâs, he had been waiting for today, to maintain their precarious master-student relationship.
Lu Wenxuanâs face changed. âThat year, Master Shida from the Great Nirvana Temple passed by Tianwu on his journey to the east. He met me once. I heard that the ancient Bodhi tree located in the Great Nirvana Temple was chopped down by a small thief with a sword, and a large number of branches and leaves were stolen.â
Shen Yian said with righteous indignation, âMaster, you know me, I would never use a sword!â
Lu Wenxuan: â...â
âAlright, alright, Your Highness, letâs sit down and talk,â Lu Wenxuan said, lightly waving his whisk. Immortal Qi drifted out from his sleeve, and in a blink of an eye, a stone table and two stone stools appeared between the two of them.
Shen Yian stared intently at the stone bench and table. No matter how many times he saw this ability to conjure objects with a flick of the wrist, he still found it unbelievable. If this had happened in his previous life, he would have definitely thought it was some kind of magic trick.
After the two sat down for a short while, the young attendant came over with tea.@@novelbin@@
âYour Highness, please.â
âThank you, Master,â Shen Yian replied.
Shen Yian took a sip of the tea. Besides the welcoming tea from the Thousand Gold Pavilion, he also loved the Wudao tea from the Heavenly Gate Pavilion. Sadly, it was only produced in the Daoist holy land â Sanqing Mountain.
Lu Wenxuan opened the small wooden box, and a refreshing fragrance wafted out, making one feel enlightened, as if waking from a dream.
The National Master as a witness?
Youâre acting like youâre the Emperor getting married!
Even Emperor Wu probably wouldnât have this kind of face.
âGood.â Lu Wenxuan flicked his whisk with surprising enthusiasm.
Shen Yian was even more shocked. He hadnât expected the other party to agree so readily.
âWhat? Surprised by this old man?â Lu Wenxuanâs voice held a hint of pride.
Shen Yianâs lips twitched slightly. âStudent always thought Master was a serious person, never expecting Master to have such a cute side.â
Cute?
Lu Wenxuan chuckled softly. âDoes Your Highness think this old man can forgive your previous actions just because of this?â
âMaster, I had my reasons back then,â Shen Yian said with a wry smile.
Being confined to the palace for half a year, without Yin Hai and the others by his side, he could only glean information about Tianwu City through eunuchs and maids. As for anything further afield, he had no way of knowing.
So he set his sights on the Heavenly Gate Pavilion and Lu Wenxuan, using the pretext of studying to inquire about local affairs and thus deduce what might happen.
He had apologized, but at the time, Lu Wenxuan was too angry to forgive him.
Now that Lu Wenxuanâs anger had subsided, he was much easier to talk to.
âForget it, forget it. Let bygones be bygones,â Lu Wenxuan said with a wave of his hand.
The main reason he was angry back then was that he, the head of the Daoist sect, had become Shen Yianâs pawn.
Although he was now considered a pawn of Great Qing, serving the country and the people, ensuring peace for the world, was something he did willingly.
âThank you, Master,â Shen Yian bowed again.
âMaster, I have one last question,â Shen Yian said.
âGo ahead, what is it?â Lu Wenxuan sighed lightly. He wanted to see what this mischievous boy would ask next.
âThat... will it rain tomorrow?â
âThere will be heavy rain tomorrow. Remember to bring an umbrella when you go out,â Lu Wenxuan replied calmly, putting down his teacup.
Shen Yianâs expression was respectful. âStudent has noted it!â