The Cultural Gathering has begun!
Yaoguang walked out of the side hall, with Xia Chen and Lu Tong following behind her.
After Xia Chen walked out of the side hall, he took Xia Qian and left Yaoguang's group. He went to a corner of the main hall and stopped beside a Daoist.
"Xuanzhenzi Daoist Priest, drinking alone is so boring. I'm not very interested in the Cultural Gathering either. How about we drink together!"
Xia Chen, acting familiar, sat down beside Xuan Zhenzi and raised his wine cup to toast Xuan Zhenzi from a distance.
Xuan Zhenzi heard the voice and looked over with blurry, drunken eyes.
With that look, Xuan Zhenzi felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His pupils constricted, and the drunkenness in his eyes instantly cleared. The wine cup in his hand wasn't held steadily and fell onto the table, spilling wine everywhere.
What did he see?
An boundless nine-clawed True Dragon coiled above Xia Chen's head. Purple Qi permeated Xia Chen's body, and purple-gold Qi bloomed...
Xuan Zhenzi was startled. He looked again carefully and saw a young Young Master, as smooth as jade, with a smile on his Face, raising his wine cup to toast him.
And that boundless nine-clawed True Dragon had vanished, the Grandmist purple Qi had also returned to nothingness. Everything just now seemed to be merely his illusion.
Was he drunk?
Xuan Zhenzi's mind was unsettled, his emotions surging.
Xia Chen was slightly stunned, looking at the greatly astonished Xuan Zhenzi, and then at the wine cup spilled all over the floor.
"Daoist Priest, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Who are you?"
Xuan Zhenzi steadied his mind, looked at Xia Chen, his eyes filled with reverence, and spoke in a serious tone.
"My name is Xia Chen!"
Xia Chen replied with a smile.
Xuan Zhenzi looked at Xia Chen for a long time, scrutinizing his facial bones, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became.
"So it's you!" Although Xuan Zhenzi stayed in Tianshi Mansion, he had heard of Xia Chen's name in the past two days.
"Your physiognomy is quite peculiar; you are likely not a Mortal!"
Xuan Zhenzi said seriously, but in truth, he felt a bit guilty, because he couldn't see anything at all. He was skilled in physiognomy, and in this aspect, even if Old Celestial Master came, he would dare to compete with him.
These years, frequenting the homes of high officials and nobles, aside from Princess Yaoguang's physiognomy being somewhat peculiar and making him unable to fully discern it, he had never been mistaken.
But with this Xia Chen's physiognomy, he couldn't see anything at all. He couldn't discern his past, couldn't see his future, and didn't know his present. He seemed not to belong to this ancient history, transcending the long river of time...
"Can Daoist Priest elaborate?"
Xia Chen was quite interested, picking up a new cup and refilling Xuan Zhenzi's wine.
"Cannot be said, cannot be said. Heavenly secrets must not be revealed!"
Xuan Zhenzi shook his head, took Xia Chen's wine cup, and drained it in one gulp, using it to cover his guilt. He couldn't see anything at all; everything he said just now was made up.
But beneath this guilt, Xuan Zhenzi's heart was incredibly heavy. He had previously vaguely seen Xia Chen's body enveloped in purple Qi, and an boundless nine-clawed Golden Dragon, seemingly formed by the power of Luck, coiled above his head.
And now, he couldn't discern this young man's physiognomy at all. All of this was somewhat incredible.
If what he saw earlier wasn't an illusion, wouldn't that phenomenon mean that this Xia Chen before him had the physiognomy of an Emperor?
But how could that be? In the current world, within Wu Country, he had only seen this kind of physiognomy on Emperor Wen, the Crown Prince, and Princess Yaoguang.
When he first saw Princess Yaoguang with this physiognomy, he was already greatly astonished, and for a time, he doubted if he had seen incorrectly. Later, he carefully observed Princess Yaoguang and even went to consult Old Celestial Master.
Although Old Celestial Master remained silent and did not respond to him.
But he was very sure that although Princess Yaoguang's physiognomy was very hazy, making it somewhat unclear for him to see, the physiognomy of an Emperor was indeed present. He had definitely not been mistaken.
This made him incredibly emotional at the time. Could it be that in the future, Wu Country would have the opportunity to usher in an era where a woman rules the world?
It was precisely because of this peculiar discovery that he would give Yaoguang Face and come to attend this boring Cultural Gathering.
And now, a suspected fourth person has appeared!
"Wu Country's national strength is currently strong. Your Majesty is the ruler of Wu Country, but even so, the power of Luck can only condense a somewhat illusory five-clawed Golden Dragon, about one meter long. Yet, Xia Chen's body seems to have an boundless nine-clawed Golden Dragon, spanning an unknown number of territories?"
Xuan Zhenzi was now very unconfident. He even doubted his own physiognomy skills, and he even thought that he was truly drunk earlier and had hallucinations in his sleep.
Xia Chen was genuinely a bit confused. Why was this Xuan Zhenzi somewhat distracted?
Could it be that he used too much paper last night, making him a bit weak and unable to concentrate?
"Drink!"
Xuan Zhenzi thought for a long time and finally stopped agonizing. He decided to go back and consult Old Celestial Master.
Although he considered himself unrivaled in physiognomy, Old Celestial Master was indeed comprehensive and could decipher heavenly secrets, which he currently could not compare to!
Xia Chen and Xuan Zhenzi drank and chatted, talking about everything from royalty, nobles, and politics, down to which street vendor had the best food. Towards the end, Xuan Zhenzi seemed to get drunk, linking arms with Xia Chen and sharing his exclusive information.
"I'm telling you, in the Rouge Pavilion on Su Yu Street, Miss Lianyu might not be the prettiest, but she's definitely the best at serving people. Stay in Miss Lianyu's room for a night, and I guarantee you won't want to go back the next day..."
Xuan Zhenzi laughed merrily, completely losing his previous image as an ethereal and esteemed master.
Xia Chen praised in his heart: As expected of a highly accomplished individual who can open up another Dao lineage in the future! He is unconstrained by worldly affairs, acts as he pleases, and indeed has a profound understanding of the Dao!
I should find an opportunity to go to Su Yu Street with him to discuss it!
This high-quality stock, he's going all-in!
Xia Chen was here discussing the Dao with Xuan Zhenzi, while in the main hall, the Cultural Gathering was in full swing.
Drinking games, drum-passing flower, pitch-pot, and floating-cup poetry, various small games among cultured people, were being played with great enthusiasm.
In the Central part of the hall, there was also a dance troupe performing.
Xia Chen glanced over and could only lament, each era has its own bar!
This is essentially no different from a bar. If you lose, you drink or perform poetry or talent on the spot. It would be great if there was a dice-rolling game!
Xia Chen thought randomly, having no interest in participating and playing a round.
Isn't it better to discuss life with Xuan Zhenzi here?
Although Xia Chen was tucked away in a corner, many people present had their eyes on him. There was no helping it; he was too handsome and stood out too much. Even hiding in a corner, he still attracted attention.
Especially the Daoist Priest he was drinking with, that was Xuan Zhenzi. Although his reputation wasn't huge, some people knew that this Daoist Priest came from Tianshi Mansion and was a truly capable person.
Suddenly, the entire Cultural Gathering fell into a brief silence, followed by exclamations.
"Young Master Jing Xuan has arrived!"
At the entrance, an exceptionally handsome man slowly stepped in, followed by a pageboy.
Jing Xuan smiled, stopped at the doorway, stood there, and opened the folding fan in his hand, looking extraordinary.
He did not walk forward. He was waiting for everyone's praise. In the past, no matter where he went, he would become the center of attention, so he already had experience.
This pose best displayed his handsomeness, especially allowing his right side of his Face to be perfectly exposed. His right side of his Face was the most perfect.
He enjoyed everyone's gaze, so at this moment, he was ready to receive everyone's praise!
"Come, be the center of the entire gathering. Let the praises come at me like a storm! Let them come more fiercely!"
...
【"Xuan Zhenzi, skilled in physiognomy, when he first met the Emperor, his expression drastically changed, he was greatly alarmed, and immediately knelt down and said: 'Last night in a dream, I saw purple Qi pervading the sky for nine thousand li, and a Divine Dragon coiling within, its head and tail difficult to discern. Today I meet you, and only now do I know that you are this True Dragon. I wish to follow you and serve by your side.'"
— "History of the Dao", Volume Three, Biography of Xuan Zhenzi】
PS: Happy Christmas Eve to all my brothers tonight. May your future lives be safe, peaceful, and happy. And I'll continue to update tonight! ٩(๛ ˘ ³ ˘)۶ ♦