Chapter 1038: Unbroken Past Seven

Zao Niang saw Lu Shan Jun, who naturally also saw her. He descended onto the stone platform with Qing Feng, and they exchanged slight nods as a greeting.

"Long time no see, Shan Jun. Have you been well?"

"I suddenly felt weary during my cultivation and fell into a thirty-year dream. When I awoke, it was already New Year's Eve!"

Lu Shan Jun's answer was evasive. He gazed thoughtfully into the distance beyond the mountains, towards Ning'an County. The lights there, though somewhat dim compared to a large city, were a comforting sight of home.

"Zao Niang!"

Just as Lu Shan Jun finished speaking, a surprised cry rang out. A red figure swiftly streaked up from the foot of the mountain, leaping onto the stone platform in moments.

The newcomer was none other than Hu Yun, her face radiant with joy. She had a graceful, youthful, and beautiful figure, and her movements were full of vitality, like a vibrant flame that continued to glow even when she stood still.

"Little Fox!"

Zao Niang was also delighted and took a few steps forward.

"Greetings, Shan Jun!"

"Mm."

Lu Shan Jun responded, then glanced at Hu Yun a few times before shaking his head slightly.

"Your cultivation hasn't progressed much, but you've certainly put effort into your appearance."

"Pfft."

Zao Niang couldn't help but laugh. Although Hu Yun wore a red scholar's robe and a small bun, her soft, fringe-like sideburns, gently curled dark hair, and exquisite face framed by a strand of bangs exuded a captivating, heroic beauty. Indeed, many women would feel ashamed in her presence.

Hu Yun grimaced and mumbled softly.

"Do you think everyone is like you? Your cultivation is simply insane..."

"Hm?"

Lu Shan Jun slightly turned his face, making Hu Yun feel as if she saw the phantom of a fierce tiger emerging behind his calm expression, which startled her.

"I mean, next time, I plan to grow a beard."

Zao Niang imagined the scene and immediately shook her head.

"Please don't. You look best just as you are."

"Indeed, I actually thought so too. Oh, by the way, Zao Niang, I just went to Ju'an Pavilion to look for you and found you weren't there. I didn't expect you to be here, and Shan Jun is here too! Has Mister returned?"

Zao Niang smiled and shook her head slightly.

"Since you're here, let's go back to the pavilion together. I'll brew some flower honey tea for you."

"Okay! Let's go quickly then!"

Hu Yun transformed directly into a cloud-striding red fox and instantly disappeared into the distance.

"Shan Jun, please!"

After Lu Shan Jun cupped his hands in a salute, he and Zao Niang soared away on the wind, flying over Ning'an County, and soon arrived at the entrance of the pavilion.

Over the years, even a tranquil place like Ning'an County had undergone significant changes. However, the area where Ju'an Pavilion was located seemed untouched by these transformations, remaining a quiet alley with the pavilion nestled peacefully within.

Lu Shan Jun looked up at the courtyard gate, where Ji Yuan's calligraphy was clearly visible. The plaque, which appeared weathered, remained unchanged despite the passage of time.

Zao Niang personally opened the door. In the bitter cold of winter, the jujube tree in the courtyard had both fruit and blossoms, with bees buzzing busily among its branches. With some snow still lingering in the courtyard, it was truly a scene where winter and spring coexisted.

Rather than going inside, the three preferred to gather under the tree. Their conversation naturally revolved around Ji Yuan.

"Shan Jun, I haven't seen Mister in a long time. Have you seen him?"

Hu Yun was drinking honey tea and eating jujube cake. As the pastry and tea entered her mouth, a flame-like spiritual glow appeared on her face, making her look even more vibrant and alluring. Lu Shan Jun frowned slightly at this but still answered Hu Yun's question.

"After I woke up, Old Ox told me that a few years ago, he seemed to have encountered Master on the shores of the North Sea. Although he couldn't be certain, the feeling was very similar, but he couldn't confirm it. By the time I rushed there, Master was nowhere to be found."

"Can Mister really stay in one place for a few years?" Hu Yun grumbled, while Zao Niang, beside her, rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Given Mister's temperament, you really can't tell."

"That's right, I thought so too. Oh, and Old Ox mentioned you to me. He said he'd take you to a gathering someday."

Lu Shan Jun's expression remained unchanged, but his "casual mention" was full of malice. Hu Yun, who was chewing jujube cake, froze, then trembled slightly, and whispered fearfully.

"No, no, I'd rather not... Uh, right, Zao Niang, how long have you been out, and what were you doing?"

Zao Niang then put down her teacup and elaborated on recent events. When she had almost finished speaking, Hu Yun, already somewhat indignant, spoke up.

"Well now, where did that scoundrel come from, daring to plot against the descendants of the Sun family? They clearly don't know what death means! But if it's true love and it becomes a human-demon romance, even Mister wouldn't break them up. Am I right, Shan Jun!"

Hu Yun knew Bai Ruo's story and had also met many benevolent demons, so she still held positive ideas and good wishes for human-demon relationships. After all, from Zao Niang's description, the demon didn't seem particularly malicious.

To Zao Niang's and Hu Yun's surprise, however, Lu Shan Jun showed no reaction upon hearing this. He simply continued to calmly sip his tea, and only spoke slowly after a long silence.

"It's already difficult for good fortune to be passed down through many generations, and the blessings of ancestors cannot last forever. But since we've stumbled upon this, we naturally cannot ignore it. We'll see."

The current Sun family has long forgotten for whom the leftover ingredients at the noodle stall were originally meant. The formalism they maintain won't last much longer. In fact, the Sun family noodle stall has closed before; it's just that people have always learned the craft, sometimes passing it to outsiders, or the Sun family eventually reopened it. It has never been a completely continuous legacy, and there will always be a day when it fades away.

Lu Shan Jun set down his teacup. Ripples spread in the teacup, and in their undulations, images seemed to be reflected: a magnificent courtyard and opulent residences.

This was a future with a high probability in his divination: one of great prosperity, with ancestral tablets and celestial plaques all intact, and everything seemingly perfect. Yet, in a dusty, cobweb-filled corner somewhere, a wooden token marked "Leave a share" lay fallen.

Ripples rose again in the teacup, and the images were gone. Lu Shan Jun smiled faintly, picked up the cup again, and drained it. He turned to reach for the jujube cake, only to find the plate empty. Hu Yun's cheeks were puffed out as she vigorously chewed.

"Hmph..."

The corner of Lu Shan Jun's mouth twitched. He barely managed to contain his anger.

"I'll go get some more."

Zao Niang suppressed a smile and got up to go to the kitchen, while Lu Shan Jun said to Hu Yun in a cold voice.

"It's extremely rare to even have one plate of this jujube cake, and you don't even know how to restrain yourself? You should know that such a fortunate encounter is a once-in-a-lifetime thing..."

"Are you going to eat some or not?" Zao Niang's voice came from the kitchen, and Lu Shan Jun's expression immediately became serious.

"Yes!"

Even Lu Shan Jun had his gastronomic desires. This jujube cake was unique in all the world. Across the Three Realms and Five Elements, no matter if one was a celestial immortal, a god, a Buddha, or an enlightened master, only a handful of people could ever taste it.

Hu Yun covered her mouth, almost spitting out the jujube cake from laughter. But seeing Lu Shan Jun's displeased expression, she quickly turned her head away and winked at Zao Niang, who was bringing out the plate, mouthing silently: "He's imitating Mister again!"

Ning'an County's New Year temple fair was exceptionally lively. Nearly half of Miaosi Square became part of the fair, enveloped in a festive atmosphere of lanterns and decorations. As the hometown of the Sage of Literature, Ning'an County's fame spread far and wide, and its temple fair also held extraordinary significance.

This year's temple fair was also quite large in scale. People came to Ning'an County at this moment from nearby Desheng Prefecture and from thousands of miles away, through various means, to behold the literary aura rising from the Temple of Literature at the moment of transition from old to new.

To be honest, Ning'an County still had many capable and extraordinary individuals at this time; they simply adhered to convention and did not reveal themselves much.

Although it was New Year's Day, the Sun family still pushed their noodle stall cart to the temple fair. This wasn't because they desperately needed to earn the money; to some extent, it was a necessity for the temple fair itself. How could such a large-scale fair not have food stalls? Setting up a stall for three days at this time every year was recorded by the yamen, which provided many conveniences, and the fair itself offered a great deal of exposure.

Fireworks bloomed in the sky, and red lanterns adorned the ground everywhere. Children ran around holding lanterns. Crowds, sometimes sparse, sometimes dense, flowed through Miaosi Square, and young men and women used the opportunity for secret rendezvous. The faces of both visitors and locals were flushed by the glow of the lights.

"Braised noodles for sale! Delicious braised noodles and lamb offal! Ning'an County's old brand! Braised noodles that even the Sage of Literature has eaten!"

Father Sun loudly called out, which was part of the temple fair atmosphere. Drawn by these shouts, many outsiders gathered around, most of them young scholars.

"Shopkeeper, has the Sage of Literature eaten your braised noodles?"

"Of course! Our family's craft has been passed down for who knows how many generations. The Sage of Literature indeed ate noodles made by our ancestors. Would you like to try some?"

"Okay, I'll have a bowl to try." "Then I'll have a bowl too."

"I also want to soak up some of the Sage of Literature's aura." "Hahaha, I'll also try my luck!"

"Alright, customers, please wait a moment!"

Several scholars placed their orders, and the Sun family immediately became busy. Sun Yiqiu also quickly lent a hand, preparing ingredients and checking the charcoal fire. Just as he finished adding charcoal, he looked up and saw a scholar looking at him.

Unlike the others, this scholar was dressed in fiery red robes and had an exceptionally handsome face. Sun Yiqiu was momentarily stunned, realizing at a glance that she was a woman disguised as a man, as women's scholarly attire was different. After a moment of hesitation, he asked.

"Young master, do you also want noodles?"

"Young man, I see the writing on this sign is quite good. Would you be willing to transfer it to me? I'm willing to offer fifty taels of silver."

Sun Yiqiu's eyes widened instantly.

"Fifty taels isn't enough? How about five hundred taels then?"

Perhaps fearing that words alone weren't enough, the red-clad scholar took out a money pouch and poured out several ingots of gold.

Sun Yiqiu gasped and subconsciously repeated.

"Five hundred taels?! Father!"

Sun Yiqiu had never seen such a large sum of money in his life.

"What are you shouting about? Quickly, make the noodles, we're overwhelmed with orders! Uh, young master, this sign has been passed down along with our cooking skills. We worship it every New Year, so it's not for sale. Do you want noodles?"

The red-clad scholar nodded.

"A gentleman does not take what others cherish, so I'll just have a bowl of braised noodles."

After Hu Yun finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the tables and chairs set up at the stall, where several scholars were already watching her.

"Lady, I have an empty seat here!" "Lady, please sit here!"

Hu Yun grimaced, ignoring them. She stood at the edge of the stall's canopy and extended her hand outside. Snowflakes were slowly falling from the sky, and a moment later, one landed directly in her hand.

Illuminated by the temple fair's colorful lanterns, this scene was beautiful, and it also silenced several discerning scholars. Leaning on a building and silently observing the sky, predicting the snow's fall, she was subtly aligned with the Way of Heaven and Man. Whether in literary arts or other forms of cultivation, she was certainly not someone to be underestimated.

Hu Yun meticulously examined the snowflake in her palm, noting its distinct facets, and watched it slowly melt. Then she spoke softly.

"An ordinary life is like this snowflake, falling from the sky to touch the earth, then quickly melting away. Brief, fragile, yet very beautiful. But when I reach out and catch a snowflake, admiring its beauty myself, I make that beauty even briefer, dissolving it instantly at my fingertips."

After speaking, Hu Yun looked to one side, where a beautiful woman was standing in the dim light. She had initially been quietly watching the noodle stall, but now she was looking at Hu Yun.