Volume 1 Chapter 39: The Sound of the Waves is Calm, and the Beauty in the Painting is Beautiful
There were sounds of tables and chairs being overturned from above. Doctor Cheng took a wrong step and couldn't find the three people when he looked back. He must have been very angry.
Lin Longqing was silent for a while before he said, "Let's not talk about him for now. How come you, kid, knew how to perform the Qian Yuan Palm gesture just now?"
Lin Jianlan said, "I learned this secretly from Uncle Qing's practice every morning. Uncle Qing said that the more powerful the Qianyuan Palm is when used by someone with strong internal energy, the quieter it is without any wind. The palm power will only explode when it touches a physical object. Just now, Grandpa Cheng hit me with his palm, and I immediately knew that the last bit of internal energy that was retained in my body was bounced out with his palm. I don't have any internal energy left. The Taoist priest said that there was one last part and was going to trouble Grandpa Cheng, but he wanted to harm me but helped me instead. It seems that he doesn't fully understand the whole process, so I thought that since I was going to die anyway, I might as well try my luck by scaring him."
Duanmu Er said: "You have no internal strength to begin with, so it's just right for you to use this Qianyuan Palm."
Lin Longqing said: "Doctor Cheng is too clever for his own good. Besides, the closer he is to success, the more he cherishes his life. It seems that Lan'er and I have become his pawns. He actually came for the Taoist priest. I wonder why he wants to kidnap the Taoist priest and take him to Dongdu?"
Duanmuer was silent for a long time before he said slowly, "Now that things have come to this, I shouldn't hide anything. Perhaps Doctor Cheng came here for an item that has been passed down from generation to generation in Baiyun Temple. However, this item is of great importance, so I'm sorry I can't say more."
Lin Longqing said "Oh" and thought: "Since it is a secret in Baiyun Temple, it is not convenient for us to inquire more."
The three of them were silent in the darkness. Lin Longqing and Lin Jianlan were thinking the same thing in their hearts: "What on earth is this object that made Doctor Cheng give up the power of the Kuangyi Gang that was within his grasp and expose his identity?" But they heard that it had quieted down a little, and the footsteps were also very quiet. From time to time, there were sounds of rummaging and moving tables and chairs. It seemed that Doctor Cheng had calmed down and began to slowly search to see if there was any mechanism.
Duanmuer listened for a while and said, "It's a waste of effort for him to stay up there. He can't find anything unless he really finds someone to dig three feet deep. But if he doesn't leave, we will be very uncomfortable trapped inside. The treatment just now consumed a lot of physical energy. To be honest, I have been hungry for a long time!" As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of "gurgling" sound, as if confirming his words, and the three of them all laughed. The footsteps above circled for a long time, as if walking out of the door, and the sound became smaller and smaller. The three people below had the same idea. Even so, they were afraid that it was a trap set by Doctor Cheng, pretending to leave and lead them out, so they still couldn't take a step out of the tunnel.
Duan Muer sighed, "It seems that we can't get out. I should have brought some food and drinks with me. Boss Lin, you and I can take this opportunity to recover our strength. But I'm afraid you won't be able to stand the hunger."
Lin Jianlan said: "I'm not hungry. If you have recovered your strength, you can go out. Are you still afraid of Grandpa Cheng?"
The two nodded, and then stopped talking, concentrating on resting their eyes. Lin Jianlan slowly leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He was very tired after going through all these twists and turns, and fell asleep. I don’t know how long it took before he opened his eyes again. It was dark in the basement and he couldn’t tell the time, but it was very quiet. He called out softly: "Uncle Qing? Taoist priest?" He heard a warm voice next to him answer: "Is Lan'er awake?" It was Lin Longqing's voice. Lin Jianlan said: "Well, I don't know how I fell asleep. How are Uncle Qing and Taoist priest? Uncle Qing, are you feeling better?"
Lin Longqing said: "The injury is not serious, but the internal strength is insufficient, and it is slow for me to recover. How about you, Taoist priest?"
Duanmu Er said, "Well, to be honest, I can't do anything if I'm hungry. I couldn't calm down even after meditating for a long time. I've only recovered about 20%. I don't know when Mo Dan will come back. If he comes back, we can go out."
Lin Longqing recalled the time when the young man flattened the handprints on the two iron barrels with a few slaps, and asked curiously, "The martial arts of the Immortal Master's disciple are not weak, but was he taught by the Immortal Master himself? His temper is a bit strange."
Duanmu Er said, "He is just like this..." But then he heard a shout getting gradually stronger and closer, and it turned out to be the voice of a young boy.
"Old man! Are you not thirsty to death? I bought a roast chicken!"
Duan Muer said happily: "Now that Mo Dan is back, we can get out. I think a few people can handle Doctor Cheng." After that, he stood up and slowly groped his way to the tunnel entrance, but heard Mo Dan shouting: "Old man? What's wrong? Hey!" The voice was already very anxious. Duan Muer hurriedly turned on the switch, and a head popped out from behind the incense table and said: "Disciple, I'm here!"
The three of them filed out, all of them looking pale and staggering. Seeing this, Mo Dan threw the roast chicken in his hand aside, ran to the front and supported Duan Muer. Seeing that the two behind him were the two he met when he went down the mountain a few days ago, he angrily asked, "What did you two do to my master?"
Duanmu Er waved his hands and said, "It's not them. They saved my life." Lin Longqing saw that what he said was very simple and did not mention the fact that he had used up all his internal energy to treat Lin Jianlan's illness. He was very grateful in his heart, but knowing that he was afraid that his disciple would blame him and Lan'er for this, he did not mention it any more.
Lin Jianlan saw that the tables and chairs around him were in a mess, and the curtains beside him were torn to pieces by Doctor Cheng. No wonder Mo Dan was extremely worried when he saw this scene when he entered the room. But then he heard Duan Muer screaming strangely: "Mo Dan, you little bastard, why did you throw away my roast chicken!" Mo Dan kicked him and said, "I am the little bastard, and you are the old bastard! I am so worried about you, but you are still thinking about the roast chicken!"
Although he was sharp-tongued, he still helped Duan Muer sit on the chair, turned around to pick up the roast chicken, handed it to Duan Muer and said, "There is a layer of oilcloth outside. Damn it, I don't know why you were so anxious just now!"
Lin Jianlan couldn't help but smile. Mo Dan patted his head and said, "The old man's martial arts skills are pretty good. How come you two are bullied like this?" He turned around and grinned at Duan Mu'er, "Hehe, if I come back with bruises on my body, you'll be sarcastic and insult me. You thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're just like this. You're beaten to pieces, aren't you?"
Duanmu'er's face flushed red as he said, "I was ambushed by someone else. If we fight openly, there are not many who can beat me!" Thinking of this, his expression became serious and he said, "I don't know if Doctor Cheng has come down the mountain. There are so many dilapidated buildings and temples in Baiyun Temple. I'm afraid he hasn't left yet. Who knows where he is hiding and waiting for an opportunity to strike."
Mo Dan said anxiously: "Hey, hey, I don't understand what you said, what's going on?"
Seeing that he looked really anxious, Lin Jianlan told him what happened just now, and said with a guilty look on his face: "It is because we did not realize his intention that we have implicated the Taoist today."
Mo Dan did not lose his temper as expected. He looked Lin Jianlan up and down and said, "It's because you were alert, otherwise it would have been very dangerous. It's all my master's fault."
Duan Muer said anxiously: "You little bastard, why are you blaming me?"
Mo Dan rolled his eyes and said, "Who told you not to wait for me to come back, you old fool! If Doctor Cheng was a little smarter, I think I would have to dig three pits to bury people when I came back! You two must be hungry, so I'll go make some food. Call me if you need anything. Old fool, remember to save the chicken bones!" After that, he ran out.
The roast chicken had been torn into pieces by now. Duanmuer held up a chicken leg and said, "Brother, why are you looking at him? Have a chicken leg first!"
Lin Jianlan turned around and saw that the black veil covering the middle portrait of the two had fallen off. The painting showed a woman with a radiant face, a fixed gaze and a smile, her long hair hanging on the ground, a red whisk in her left hand, and the five fingers of her right hand slightly waving forward, looking lifelike.
Seeing Lin Jianlan staring blankly, Duanmuer walked over with a piece of chicken in his mouth and looked back, saying, "You can be so absorbed in looking at a portrait. I've been looking at it for more than ten years."
Lin Jianlan said, "This portrait is very carefully drawn, especially the woman, which is much more detailed and lifelike than the two beside it. However, it is a bit strange for the Taoist priest to hang a portrait of a woman in this quiet place."
Duanmu Er said, "I didn't hang these up. This Chaoran Pavilion, the incense table, and the hanging portraits were there when I first arrived at Baiyun Temple. They have not been moved at all over the years. Young man, try to guess who these portraits are of."
Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "What's the difficulty? If the black veil hadn't fallen, I probably wouldn't know who the two men next to them were. Now that the beauty's true face has been revealed and her features are so obvious, I know. I haven't finished my last sentence yet. It's strange to hang a beauty's picture in a place of meditation, but if this beauty is the wife of Li Jing, the founder of this temple and a founding hero, or the wife of the founder, then it's not surprising. It's just that you don't allow ordinary people to admire her on weekdays, and you have to cover her with a black veil to show respect. The handsome young man holding a sword on the left is naturally Li Weigong, and the one on the right is probably the legendary bearded guest! If I guess correctly, this beauty must have been painted by one of them."
Duanmu'er smiled and nodded, saying: "Your guess is indeed correct, but I don't know whether this portrait of Hongfu was painted by the two of them. This chicken leg is for you..." But he found that only bones were left. It turned out that he had eaten them up without realizing it. His face turned red and he said: "Mo Dan will prepare the meal in a while, please wait." After that, he returned to Lin Longqing's side and sat down with his eyes closed.
Seeing the two of them meditating and regulating their breathing, Lin Jianlan walked a few steps in front of the painting and said to himself, "The person in this painting holding a red whisk is a very obvious feature. I've heard storytellers say this many times before. I'm afraid all the women in the world want to marry a hero like Li Weigong, just like her?" After saying this, he still looked at the three portraits carefully. He always felt that the portraits were a little strange, but he couldn't put his finger on it. So he shook his head and walked to the door. He sat on the threshold and enjoyed the cool breeze for a while. Looking out, he saw smoke rising from the kitchen. He turned around and saw Lin Longqing and Duanmu'er still regulating their breathing with their eyes closed. Duanmu'er's face had become much rosier, but Lin Longqing's face was still very ugly after being slapped. It would take more than a day or two for him to recover. Doctor Cheng acted like this again today. The Kuangyi Gang has undergone great changes in the past few years. Thinking of this, Lin Jianlan couldn't help but worry about him.
After sitting there for a while, he suddenly felt a shadow over his head. It turned out to be Mo Dan standing in front of him, holding a large wooden plate in each hand, with more than ten dishes stacked on it. He lowered his head and smiled, "Hey, we said we would not block the way, you really know how to choose a place to be in a daze." Lin Jianlan jumped up and stood aside. He saw Mo Dan bring in the food steadily. In a moment, the table was filled with a variety of dishes, and the aroma of food was really fragrant. Duan Muer shook his head and sighed, "I am following you. Mo Dan hasn't cooked so many dishes for a long time. It's a pity that there is no wine..." But he saw Mo Dan threw a wooden plate over and said, "Greedy old Taoist! Be careful not to eat too much!"
Lin Longqing and the other two knew that their master and apprentice usually played and quarreled like this, so they were not surprised. They just smiled slightly, gave way to each other and sat down one after another. They ate this meal very quickly, because they were already very hungry. In a blink of an eye, the food was gone . Lin Jianlan had lived here for a few days and was quite used to it. He helped Mo Dan clean up the leftovers and put them in the basin. Seeing Mo Dan throw in all the chicken bones left by Duanmu'er, he said, "It's been many days since we last had meat. I'll boil some water, you go and feed it."
Lin Jianlan nodded and took the basin to the backyard. He saw the black donkey chewing the chicken bones with a crunching sound and shaking its head constantly, seeming to be very happy eating. Lin Jianlan waited until the black donkey had cleaned up the basin of leftovers before stroking its mane. He then took the basin back to the kitchen, which was already very clean. Seeing Mo Dan walking out with a cup of tea, he hurriedly put the basin in the corner, hurried a few steps, and walked towards Chaoran Pavilion with him.
Mo Dan glanced at Lin Jianlan and said, "It's really strange. This big black guy can be fed by you or me, but he just won't obey my master."
Lin Jianlan said, "Your master is very afraid of it. When he sees it, he trembles all over." Then he remembered Duanmu'er's embarrassed look that day, and laughed, "It also raised its hoof to kick your master when it saw him. The two seem to be natural enemies."
Mo Dan laughed loudly upon hearing this, and the tray in his hand also shook violently. The two of them chatted and laughed until they came to the door of Chaoran Pavilion, and heard Lin Longqing say from inside: "Alas, I really caused a lot of trouble for the Taoist priest. I will take Lan'er down the mountain tonight. If the Taoist priest has any problems in the future, just let me know."
Mo Dan's face changed outside the door, and he turned back and whispered to Lin Jianlan: "Uncle Qing, you are a little too proud. How can you go down the mountain in this state?" Then he went into the house, put down the tea set and said: "Hey, uncle, don't blame me for speaking rudely. My master became like this for you. If he wants to fully recover his internal strength, it will take a lot of effort. What if that Doctor Cheng comes again? You are not relying on me to protect the master alone, are you? Besides, you have internal injuries, and your internal strength has not recovered much. He doesn't know any martial arts. You don't even know Doctor Cheng is hiding nearby, and you bring him down the mountain? I think you are really brave."
