I followed Elder Tang and the others into a courtyard of the mansion. An old man in white Song Dynasty official robes was practicing calligraphy at a stone table.
I glanced over and saw he was writing: "A cup of turbid wine, a thousand miles from home; Yanran Peak uncarved, no plan to return; the Qiang flute cries mournfully, frost covers the ground. Sleepless, the general's white hair, the soldier's tears."
The elder had white hair and a stooped posture, but his grip on the brush was firm. The moment he sensed my arrival, he didn't turn around and said to me with his back to me, "Newcomer, what do you think of my calligraphy?"
"On the surface, it's vigorous and powerful, with divine strokes, but in reality, you are filled with impatience and doubt. You must have encountered many troubles recently!"
"You!" The old man seemed utterly surprised that I would dare to speak to him like this. He turned around, fixing me with cold, falcon-like eyes. His eyebrows were long, reaching his chin, his lips were a bit thick, and his nose was slightly swollen. This kind of person is very stubborn, or rather, dislikes taking advice.
Elder Tang immediately reacted, "Milk Dog, apologize to the President at once!"
I continued, "A cup of turbid wine, a thousand miles from home; Yanran Peak uncarved, no plan to return. This Song Dynasty ci poem was written by Fan Zhongyan when he served as the Deputy Commissioner of Defense of Shaanxi and Governor of Yanzhou, taking on the heavy responsibility of defending the northwestern frontier of the Northern Song Dynasty."
"The first stanza depicts the desolate autumn scenery, highlighting the hardships of frontier life and the gravity of the military situation; the second stanza expresses the author's feelings, lamenting his unfulfilled ambitions and his complex emotions of homesickness. This poem not only displays the general's heroic spirit and the soldiers' arduous life but also implicitly conveys dissatisfaction with the Song Dynasty's policy of prioritizing the interior over the exterior. It combines patriotic passion with deep homesickness, forming the complex and contradictory emotions of the general and the soldier."
"However, when you wrote this poem, your arm trembled, your face was haggard, and your forehead was beaded with sweat, indicating that you were filled with unease and anxiety, completely out of sync with the poem's mood!" I answered truthfully.
The elder's face turned beet red. He seemed about to erupt in anger, but then he suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, "Haha, it seems we've found a capable person this time! Milk Dog, what's your full name?"
I told him my current name. The elder smiled at me, "Good, with you here, I feel the association's glory will surely expand and prosper. Tang Lao Jiu, arrange for this person to guard me day and night!"
"Alright, President. I'll arrange it immediately. Well, your health isn't very good, why don't you go back and rest first!" read a book.
I didn't know what was wrong with the old man, as he seemed to be in good spirits. Hearing Elder Tang's words, a very alluring woman walked out of the room. She was dressed in a Song Dynasty concubine's outfit, with her chest tightly wrapped by the clothing, giving her a voluptuous figure. She wore hairpins on her head. If I hadn't known about his peculiar tastes, I would have thought I had walked onto a film set.
The woman gently escorted the old man away. Elder Tang then said to me, "Milk Dog, you're quite brave to confront the President on your first day."
"No, I was just speaking the truth."
"Haha, the President likes capable young people like you. Alright, from now on, you'll be his personal bodyguard!"
Hearing Elder Tang say this, Third Brother said enviously, "Our little Milk Dog, you're quite lucky. You've been given an important role right after arriving. When you make big money, don't forget me! I was the one who promoted you step by step!"
"Alright, I know." I replied dismissively. Elder Tang arranged for someone to escort me into the ancient mansion. Only then did I see the environment of the inner hall.
The wooden walls were covered with patterns of dragons and phoenixes auspiciously intertwined. The beams were coated with countless elegant lacquers. A square table for eight stood in the center of the hall, with benches carved from rosewood on either side. There were no sofas, only furniture exuding a rich ancient aura. This old man truly had a penchant for retro style.
Especially the couplets framed in gold on the walls, which read: "'The great river flows east, its waves washing away heroes of ages past.' 'The cold cicadas chirp mournfully, facing the pavilion late; the sudden shower has just stopped. At the city gate, drinking wine with no mood, reluctant to part, the pleasure boat hurries to depart.'" These were classic Song Dynasty poems, with brushwork consistent with the calligraphy the elder had just displayed, likely all his works. wap.kanshuwu.net
As I passed through the hall, I admired the various pieces. The frames featured backgrounds of ink wash landscapes, as well as pictures of animals, insects, and birds. Paired with the text, they exuded a magnificent classical beauty, filled with profound literary depth.
Indeed, he was an old scholar who had once studied at a classical academy. But what led him down such a path of decadence? That answer, I suppose, only he could provide.
Noticing my focused observation of the elder's works, Elder Tang beside me said, "Isn't our President's literary background quite astonishing?"
"Yes, I didn't expect the leader of the Black Night Forest to be someone like this."
"Heh heh, the series of Song Dynasty poem murder cases that occurred in Gaogang City were our plan, though the President designed it from the start."
"Oh? I can see the President has such boldness and strategy. It seems I've followed the right person!"
I said, intentionally flattering him.
Elder Tang chuckled and patted my shoulder, "If you stick with us from now on, you'll be well-fed and clothed. But when you're the President's bodyguard, remember to accommodate his temper. Your words today were a bit too direct. Even though you were right, he's still the President, so you should give him some face."
"I understand. Thank you for your trouble. I'll guard here then!"
I said, and Elder Tang left. From the room behind me, moans and groans could be heard. The old man was probably up to no good. Now that no one was around, it was time to notify Liu Yuning and the others. I twisted my wristband and sent out a location along with a message: "Here, move out!"
Since my wristband looked like a watch, even if there were surveillance cameras, I could pretend to be checking the time, as long as I didn't expose the wristband's screen.
After sending the message, I was simply waiting. However, after standing there for less than two minutes, a scream suddenly came from the old man's room!
I was utterly astonished, wondering what had happened. Turning back to enter the room, the mansion's power supply was unexpectedly cut off at that moment!
Everything plunged into darkness. The corridor was deathly silent. The sounds of commotion rose from downstairs, and soon people ran up.
The newcomers were Da Hong and Elder Tang, who asked me together, "What happened?"
I pushed open the old man's door. A seductive woman ran out, as if she had survived a brutal massacre. She clutched my sleeve in panic, "President, the President is dead!!"