Without further conversation, they quickly arrived at Tonglin County.
"Lu Lang, sister, Elder Si... Elder Si?"
Sensing Lu Zheng's arrival at the entrance of Renxin Hall, Liu Qingyan, who had no patients at the mont, ca out to greet him. She was very surprised to see Si Lingxi, and her surprise quickly turned to joy, "How did Elder co to Tonglin County?"
It's important to note that when they left Wansong Mountain, they hadn't told Si Lingxi their whereabouts, as they never expected she would seek them out on her own.
"I ca to explore the Central Plains and happened to encounter Lu Zheng and Shen Ying," Si Lingxi replied with a smile.
Du Yueyao followed from behind, curiously looking at Si Lingxi.
Si Lingxi's eyes moved, "The Saintess of the Primordial Saint Sect?"
Du Yueyao was startled; she didn't expect the expert would instantly see through her identity.
Liu Qingyan introduced with a smile, "This is Du Yueyao, whom I ntioned before. Yueyao, this is Elder Si Lingxi, the Master of South Border Phoenix Mountain."
"Greetings, Elder Si!" Du Yueyao hastily saluted. She had also heard from Liu Qingyan about the experiences at Wansong Mountain and knew this was an elite expert.
Si Lingxi nodded, then saw Elder Liu hurriedly coming out, bowing in salute.
It was right around Mid-5 PM, and without any patients, Elder Liu decided to close the clinic, and everyone returned to Lu Zheng's ho together.
Lu Zheng cooked personally, with Aunt Liu assisting him. They quickly prepared seven or eight dishes. Although the ti was tight, they were just ho-cooked dishes, yet they were full of color, aroma, and taste. Paired with the rare Wuliangye and Flower Carved Wine of this world, the table was a sight to behold.
...
Everyone sat at the table, making toasts and clinking glasses.
Lu Zheng and the two won accompanied Si Lingxi in conversation. The others, having been to the Dragon Palace, showed respect but no timidity towards Si Lingxi, which made her feel quite comfortable.
Listening to Liu Qingquan boast about experiences at the Dragon Palace and to Elder Liu talk about difficult cases was quite interesting.
A mont later, Liu Qingquan, getting excited with the food, said while holding her chopsticks, "Brother-in-law, it would be great if you cooked every day!"
"Hmm?" Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, and then Liu Qingyan couldn't help but smile and gently nudged her sister.
"Eh?" Liu Qingquan turned around and saw that her sister, next to Madam Liu, kept a calm face but with smiling eyes, while talking to Si Lingxi and Shen Ying.
But for so reason, Liu Qingquan felt a shiver all over, her eyes darted around, and then she quickly bowed her head to eat, behaving very obediently.
Elder Liu and Yue Honghai clinked glasses, pretending not to see.
Si Lingxi took a gentle sip of the Cyan Plum Wine, its mild sweetness lingering in her mouth. She tasted it lightly and swallowed, then looked at Lu Zheng with a teasing smile, "Such good wine, why didn't you bring it out at Wansong Mountain?"
This smile was cold yet captivating, making Lu Zheng shiver slightly as he touched his nose and said, "Elder Wansong didn't drink, and I made soup for every al, so I didn't think about having wine."
Si Lingxi curved her lips, accepting Lu Zheng's explanation, and took another gentle sip.
This was a fruit wine that Lu Zheng had brought from the modern world, and its price was quite impressive. Though it contained many additives, its taste was light in acidity and rich in sweetness, the alcohol not overpowering, moderate in strength, refreshing to the entrance, and with a pure sweet aftertaste, incomparable to the ancient naturally fernted fruit wine which was sweet yet sour and murky.
Having lived for three thousand years, Si Lingxi had certainly tasted many good wines, but limited by ancient techniques, even the best wines, excluding Spirit Wine, didn't feel as pleasing as this Cyan Plum Wine.
Just like Liu Zong and Hu Yijun, while the dishes were impressive, what left the deepest impression was the good wine in Lu Zheng's possession.
Although not Spirit Wine, its taste was indisputable, and one could enjoy it in abundance without concern.
...
After dinner, everyone returned ho.
Liu Qingyan stayed overnight at the Lu family, while Si Lingxi and Shen Ying returned to Peach Blossom Plain.
Arriving at Peach Blossom Plain, the Eighteen Peach Blossom Celestial Maidens ca out to greet them. After Shen Ying introduced them, she took Si Lingxi on a tour around Taohua Village.
They passed through the main hall and the backyard, eventually reaching Shen Ying's private room.
"Oh?"
Upon entering, Si Lingxi saw an identical version of herself on the left, turning to look at her from within a person-high and half-person wide wooden fra. The scene within the fra mirrored her surroundings but was reversed.
"This is..." Si Lingxi curiously tilted her head to examine it closely, "A mirror?"
"Indeed, it's a dressing mirror that Lu Lang gifted ," Shen Ying said proudly with a smile.
"A dressing mirror?" Si Lingxi blinked and touched the mirror, imdiately understanding its glass materials, "Ah, so this is how it's made—how interesting. It never occurred to before."
With this thought, Si Lingxi asked, "I noticed during dinner that the Lu family's tableware and chopsticks were exquisitely luxurious—didn't Lu Zheng make those as well?"
Shen Ying nodded with a laugh, "Exactly so."
Si Lingxi shook her head amusedly, "Your husband is skilled in many crafts; he's quite an intriguing person."
Turning back, Si Lingxi's eyes lit up, captivated by a painting hanging on the east wall of the bedroom.
The painting's background depicted the old peach tree from the front yard, with a lady under it. She wore a light red phoenix-tailed trailing skirt and a Hundred-Cui Flying Sparrow Gold Hairpin, her eye shadow like dust, lips like dew, eyes bright and water-like, charming as a demon.
This was a "Peach Grove Ladies Painting" that Lu Zheng created with Shen Ying as the main character.
"Good painting!" Si Lingxi's eyes brightened, "Such skill!"
Si Lingxi wasn't amazed by the painting's ntal realm since by then Lu Zheng had only added a dozen strands of Light of Fortune to his painting skills. It wasn't quite at Xu Beihong's level and far from his later work on the "Wansong Mountain Sunrise Painting."
Worth ntioning, since Lu Zheng used Go to earn innurable strands of Light of Fortune, he occasionally enhanced his music, painting, calligraphy, and other skills with fortune as preparation for unexpected needs. Although lacking the challenge and stimulus of practice or competition, his skills had accumulated to a high level over ti.
For example, occasionally when Lu Zheng felt the itch to paint, aside from pieces taken by Lin Jing'Er, his works were all collected by Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying.
Pulling the topic back, Si Lingxi wasn't amazed by the painting's ntal realm but by its technique, as Lu Zheng used so modern 3D composition and sketching thods, creating alternating light and shadow that made Shen Ying in the painting co alive and very three-dinsional.
"Whose work is this?" Si Lingxi couldn't help but ask, "What painting technique is this?"
Shen Ying didn't answer but instead covered her mouth and giggled.
Si Lingxi was taken aback, surprised and asked, "Lu Zheng?"
Shen Ying nodded with pride at Si Lingxi's astonishnt, "Indeed, it's Lu Lang."
"He can paint too?" Si Lingxi was sowhat surprised and then nodded, "His level is average, but the technique is quite novel."
"Lu Lang's painting skills are excellent; this is one of his works from a few years ago," Shen Ying defended, "This is the first painting he gave , which is why I've frad and hung it here."
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