socalfunplaces 025 The Sage of Longshan
025 The Sage of Longshan
The first rays of dawn illuminated the courtyard.
When Li Yu woke up from his daze, his first thought was—damn Liu Feng, why didn't you sharpen this knife a little longer? It hurts so much!
Then, he looked up and saw the courtyard, the pillars, and the big mulberry tree outside the door.
He gradually came to his senses, realizing it was just a dream.
A ridiculous dream.
Li Yu opened his "character panel," and his level, attributes, spells, etc., were as usual.
The intellectual experience gained from conversations with my elder brother is still there.
However, the "special title" for "The Pillow Book" that Li Yu had previously envisioned, similar to "[Little Horse Corner]", did not appear.
Could it be that this "moonlight journey" only involves this much [intellectual] experience?
Oh, and this celadon pillow.
Recalling the word "1/3" on the celadon pillow, Li Yu speculated that one might have to dream three times to obtain a "special title".
Or perhaps the people and events in our dreams are the greatest "gain"?
If only those were true!
When Li Yu thought of the "opportunities" in his dream, his heart immediately burned with excitement.
[Nankang Stone Dog], [Eight Great Kings Jade Figure], [Ruyi Golden Rhinoceros Hair]...
[Longxiao Palace], [Longyan Bixian Nunnery], [Dazu Hualong Bridge]...
[White Ape Embracing the Pillar], [Ci Zhong Grasping the Wood], [Fox-Sealing Walking Technique]...
Magnificent and powerful troop buildings, ingeniously useful treasures and items, and mysterious and magical divine spells...
If all his dreams were true, although most of them would be subject to change, and if he tried to imitate them blindly and "act according to his dreams," he might not get what he wanted. But as long as he did get something, it would be a great help, preventing him from ending up in the situation he had in his dreams where "his men died in battle and his lover left him."
As the sun rises higher, the sounds of people and dogs begin to rise.
Li Yu wanted to find something to corroborate the details in his dream in order to determine whether the dream was real or not, but he didn't know where to start.
"Young Master Li, is Young Master Li home?"
A clear, familiar female voice rang out from outside the door. Li Yu went to open it; it was Xiao Que'er.
"Good morning, Miss Sparrow," Li Yu said first.
The maid saw him and pouted, "I thought no one was home again."
"What's wrong?" Li Yu asked. "What brings you here, young lady?"
"It's nothing," the maid asked. "Why aren't you going to study?"
"I used the [Moonlight Scroll] a few days ago, which is why I wasn't home and didn't go to school," Li Yu told the truth.
"A moonlight scroll?" Little Sparrow's eyes widened instantly, and she asked excitedly, "Tell me quickly, what happened to you?"
Li Yu didn't hide anything much. Apart from the matter of "returning with a pillow," he told everything else in detail.
The two stood at the door. Since they were a man and a woman alone, Li Yu felt awkward about welcoming them into the courtyard. So they could only talk while one stood inside the door and the other leaned against the door.
Fortunately, the content wasn't long and was finished quickly.
Li Yu thought the little maid would be interested in the "immortals and Taoist priests" and "dream pillows" in the story, but to his surprise, the little girl was curious about what the "Jianghu style" looked like.
Li Yu explained it to her briefly, which made her even more interested. She insisted that Li Yu write it down for her to see.
Li Yu really didn't want to lead her into the house, so he figured he might as well go to the Wang family's house to write since he was going to study anyway.
The maid nodded vigorously, the wooden box she was carrying clattering. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, "My lady… wait, no, no, my master Boqing saw you haven't left the house for three days and was afraid you'd starve to death at home, so he sent me to bring you some food."
Perhaps realizing she had said something wrong, she shoved the wooden box into Li Yu's arms and said, "Go eat quickly, then go study." She turned and walked away quickly.
Li Yu shook his head with amusement. He returned to the courtyard and opened the wooden box.
This wooden box is a food box with two layers, containing soup, steamed cakes, and vegetables in bowls and plates.
Li Yu, who hadn't eaten his "Yellow Millet" and had just woken from a long dream, was also hungry. He devoured the soup dumplings and vegetables in a whirlwind.
After resting for a while after the meal, Li Yu washed the lunchbox clean and carried it to the Wang family.
Li Yu knocked on the door, and the servant opened it.
When the old man saw Li Yu carrying a food box, he looked surprised. But when he saw that the patterns and ornaments on the box looked very familiar, the old man's already kind face became even more amiable.
He greeted Li Yu with a smile and welcomed him in, asking if he was well-fed and warmly dressed, whether he was used to living alone, and why he only came every three days. He also told him to let him know if he needed anything.
Li Yu felt rather uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Mr. Wang returned from his close friend's place, and the family steward rushed to take care of him.
Li Yu went to his study by himself.
Before long, Little Sparrow arrived. She glanced around the room before asking, "Where's the dowry?"
Li Yu said he had already handed it over to his family.
The little sparrow smacked itself on the head.
Tears welled in her eyes from the pain, and under Li Yu's speechless gaze, she rubbed her forehead, groaning in pain.
Before long, both of her small, horn-like hair buns were completely undone.
Once the pain subsided somewhat, the little sparrow said with a pitiful expression, "Young Master Li, could you write a couplet for me?"
Li Yu understood her meaning, so he spread out a roll of silk, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink.
Recalling the "Moonlight Scroll - Tiger Uncle" from the "Fanghu" collection, Li Yu wrote—
The duckweed leaves are large and the fish fry are thriving; the parrot's voice is loud and the tiger's uncle is coming.
It's described as a piece of calligraphy, but it's actually a scroll painting.
A huge vat stands in the courtyard. A parrot perches on the vat, its beak curved as it sings; duckweed floats in the vat, and fish swim among the duckweed. Beside the vat, a fat cat trots over, its eyes fixed on the sky.
The little sparrow clapped its hands and cheered. Once the ink had dried slightly, it carried it away.
Li Yu continued reading.
At noon, the steward came to invite Li Yu, saying that the head of the household wanted him to appraise the treasure.
When Li Yu met Wang Zhang, the two exchanged some pleasantries. Wang Zhang then took out a [Moonlight Scroll] and said, "This was acquired by a close friend from my hometown. He couldn't keep it, so he gave it to me. I'm curious about the story behind this [Scroll], so I invited my nephew to take a closer look."
Indigenous people were not allowed to enter, so this [scroll] story must have taken place after the Han Dynasty. Wang Zhang thought Li Yu was quite knowledgeable, so he invited him to take a look.
Li Yu thought it was some kind of treasure. But when he took a look, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
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"Moonlight Scroll - The Sage of Longshan"
[Rank] Not classified.
[Attribute] The moon shines brightly at midnight, illuminating the earth. Holding this scroll at that time will open the gate to time and space.
[Description] This is the work of a beast!
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What is a sage?
A sage's virtue and talent are so high that they are praised throughout the world, which is the ultimate virtue of humanity.
In the eyes of Confucian scholars like Wang Zhang, a sage is a morally perfect person who achieves "three immortalities": virtue, merit, and words.
From the earliest historical records to the present Han dynasty, there has only been one universally recognized sage—Confucius.
But looking at this scroll, one can see the Sage of Longshan.
saint?
Could it be that a figure comparable to the Sage Confucius will emerge in later generations?
However, judging from Li Yu's expression, Wang Zhang sensed something amiss.
"Nephew, do you know this Sage of Longshan?" Wang Zhang asked.
Li Yu pinched the bridge of his nose: "I know."
"Now that we know of this sage, why not expound upon his deeds, virtues, and writings?" Wang Zhang said. "This scroll describes the actions of this beast, clearly a condemnation of the thief. Could there be another poignant story behind it?"
Li Yu smiled bitterly.
It has a story, but it's not epic.
Instead, he is straightforward and unrestrained.
During the Ming Dynasty, there was a talented scholar named Zhou Ruli, a native of Kunshan. He was renowned for his literary talent and became the top scholar in the Nanjing provincial examination, but he failed to pass the imperial examination.
To make a living, he worked as a tutor in the home of Dong Zongbo (whose courtesy name was Longshan). After a while, he had to say goodbye and go home.
Knowing that Zhou Ruli was suffering from loneliness and sleeplessness, Dong Longshan deliberately brought up the terms "Longyang," "cut sleeve," and "sharing a peach" at the farewell banquet. Zhou Ruli was furious and said, "This is the behavior of beasts and beggars. You have never understood male beauty in your life."
These are all the shameful deeds of beasts, robbers, and beggars!
After drinking, "he ordered a lewd boy to take advantage of his drunkenness and insert his penis into him. The boy awoke from his dream of pleasure without realizing it. The boy became even more agitated and insatiable, finding himself increasingly satisfied and pleased."
Zhou Ruli asked the boy, and upon learning that it was Dong Longshan's intention, he exclaimed, "Longshan is truly a sage!"
The sound continued unabated for dozens of days.
Li Yu was telling a story when his servant pushed open the door and left.
After the story was finished, Wang Zhang's face turned ashen, and he cursed, "You bastards! You scoundrels! You're not human!"
After finishing his rant, he suddenly sensed something was amiss—
His close friend had also associated with strange people; did he know the story of the "Sage of Longshan"?
If you knew, why did you give it to me?
Wang Zhang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. In the past five or six days, he had been drinking heavily with friends on several occasions, but on several occasions he had shared a bed with one of them, sleeping side by side!
hiss! ! !