Inside a private room on the second floor of the Clear Pond Tavern, Yao Xian sat by the window, her gaze directed outside.
"Tianrao City has really changed so much; it's completely unfamiliar," Yao Xian sighed. She had spent thirty years in the mortal realm and fifty years in the cultivation world, and her hundredth birthday had just passed less than half a year ago.
For her, only a few decades had passed, but the mortal world had already undergone immense changes.
Fortunately, Tianrao City was still Tianrao City; that hadn't changed.
"Isn't it a joy to have friends come from afar?"
At that moment, in the lobby on the first floor, an old man sat on a platform, playing an old erhu in his hands, a smile on his face.
"There are many new faces today! But visitors are guests. This old man is the storyteller of the tavern, and I welcome you all to the Clear Pond Tavern. If there is anything inappropriate in the story I tell later, I hope you will all forgive me. If you think my storytelling is acceptable, please applaud generously. Of course, if you could reward this old man with a sip of wine, I would be extremely grateful."
"Without further ado, today, the Li family's son has returned in glory after passing the imperial examination. The Li family's son is a genius disciple of the Wenju Academy. Today, this old man will take this opportunity to tell the story between the Li Scholar and the Wenju Academy. The Li Scholar's name is Li Shanchang…"
The storytelling old man's tone was full of cadence, able to draw people into the mood of the story he was telling, making them feel as if they were there, immersed in it.
"Do you think this Li family's son is related to the Li family of Li Wanyun, the Li family's daughter back then?" Yao Xian, hearing the storytelling old man also talking about Li Shanchang, thought of Li Wanyun, who had once competed with her purely for Gu Changsheng's affections.
"Why are you so concerned about Li Wanyun and Chun, are you jealous?" Gu Changsheng didn't answer Yao Xian's question but instead teasingly joked with her.
"They don't know how many times they've been reincarnated in this mortal world. Why would I be jealous!" Yao Xian rolled her eyes at Gu Changsheng. How could she be jealous of two people who had already passed away?
She wasn't jealous when they were alive, so after so many years of their death, how petty would she have to be to be jealous?
"He is indeed a descendant of Li Wanyun," Gu Changsheng no longer teased Yao Xian.
"Really!"
Yao Xian's tone was filled with emotion. Back then, the Qian family and the Li family were both famous wealthy families in Tianrao City. Now, the Qian family has declined, while the Li family has continued to prosper, and now they have even produced a top scholar. The fates of the two families are truly lamentable.
"Ouyang Xin, don't run around!"
Suddenly, a burst of rapid footsteps came from outside, and Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian exchanged glances when they heard "Ouyang."
"I remember that Ouyang Ji was still single back then, right?" Yao Xian asked.
"That's right," Gu Changsheng nodded.
"Could this be his…?" Yao Xian hesitated.
"That old scholar shouldn't be able to do something like an old pear tree pressing against crabapples, right?" Gu Changsheng was also a little hesitant.
"If he meets someone he likes, who knows? Aren't you much, much older than me?" Yao Xian used Gu Changsheng as an example.
"…" Gu Changsheng.
"Besides, with higher cultivation, returning to youth is easy. If he meets someone he truly likes, he might make himself return to his younger days," Yao Xian continued, and the more she spoke, the more she felt that what she said made sense.
"We'll know when we see," Gu Changsheng was also curious, so he and Yao Xian walked out of the private room. Just then, a little girl was running in the corridor, holding a lollipop. Behind her, a young woman was jogging after her, but the woman was wearing a dress, making it difficult to run, so her speed couldn't keep up with the little girl.
"Careful!"
The woman exclaimed.
The little girl made a face at the woman while running, completely unaware of Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian in front of her. When she turned her head to look forward, it was too late to stop. Seeing that she was about to crash, the little girl found her feet off the ground, floating in the air, and stopped in mid-air.
"Eh!"
The little girl's eyes lit up. Not only was she not afraid of floating in the air, but her eyes showed excitement.
At that moment, the woman also came forward. When she saw her daughter floating in the air, her eyes suddenly changed. The hand in her sleeve flashed with a faint light, wanting to save her daughter.
But before she could act, Gu Changsheng hugged the little girl in his arms and asked, "Are you called Ouyang Xin?"
The little girl nodded, showing no signs of being shy, whether it was her personality or for other reasons.
"Then who is your father?" Gu Changsheng asked.
"My father is of course my father, who else could he be?"
Ouyang Xin's crisp answer stunned Gu Changsheng.
Yao Xian, who was on the side, couldn't help but cover her mouth and snicker when she saw Gu Changsheng being stumped in front of a little girl.
The woman walked over, took Ouyang Xin from Gu Changsheng's arms, and said, "My daughter is naughty. If she has offended you, please forgive us."
Yao Xian looked at the woman, her eyes narrowed, and said, "You don't seem like a mortal."
She felt an aura that did not belong to the mortal realm from the woman. She also had this aura, but she could even change her soul aura, so she could naturally hide it perfectly.
However, this was her talent, and ordinary people could not do it. Not only did the woman in front of her have an aura that did not belong to the mortal realm, but her cultivation was also extraordinary; she was actually a Saint King. If the woman hadn't had a slight fluctuation just now, she really wouldn't have been able to tell.
The woman's eyes suddenly became very sharp when she heard this, and her aura became cold.
She said in a slightly cold voice, "Are you also sent by my father to find me?"
"Huh?"
When Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian heard this, they immediately felt that there must be many stories behind this.
"Do you know Ouyang Ji?" Gu Changsheng asked.
When the woman heard Gu Changsheng say the three words "Ouyang Ji," her heart sank even more. She said, "Why do you need to ask when you already know the answer?"
Gu Changsheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "You misunderstood. We are the old scholar's friends."
"Really?"
The woman's tone softened slightly because not many people knew "the old scholar," and it could even be said to be a rare few.
"Mother, what are you talking about? I don't understand," Ouyang Xin interrupted their conversation, feeling that she was being ignored. She felt that she was the protagonist of the scene. This uncle was asking her at the beginning, but now her mother has taken her words away.
Unhappy!
"Hmph!"
Ouyang Xin stuffed the candy into her mouth, then crossed her arms, expressing her displeasure.
"Adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt," the woman scolded.
"Wah, Mother, you're scolding me again. Put me down, I'm going to tell Daddy that you scolded me."
Ouyang Xin twisted in the woman's arms, trying to break free, but the woman held her tightly.
"If you're naughty again, Mother won't buy you candy anymore," the woman threatened.
Obviously, this threat was very useful. Children have no resistance to candy.
After hearing this, Ouyang Xin didn't cry or make a fuss, but her big eyes were tearful, as if she had all kinds of grievances.
"Follow me!"
The woman said to Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian, and then walked ahead, holding Ouyang Xin.
"Let's go!" Gu Changsheng smiled.
Yao Xian nodded, took Gu Changsheng's hand, and followed behind the woman.
Before long, they arrived at the back of the tavern. After passing through a small path in the backyard, the scenery changed, and they arrived at a paradise.
"Isn't it a joy to have friends come from afar!"
A young man dressed as a scholar was fishing by the lake. When he saw Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian, a smile appeared on his face.
Gu Changsheng looked at the young man. Although he had become younger, his outline had not changed. It was Ouyang Ji.
…
