Acai's Sky

Chapter 444: People who practice cultivation should just follow their heart

General Li is playing chess with Taoist Jiugong.

Taoist Jiugon's figure was graceful, his robes rustling in the wind. He looked at the old man Li who was as steady as a rock in front of him, and couldn't help but asked jokingly:

"Today is your birthday, and your sons and daughters are all very busy, but you can remain so calm and composed. It's really admirable."

General Li slowly raised his eyes, glanced at the old Taoist priest with a big nose, and responded calmly: "Why are you in such a hurry? Finish this game of chess first." After that, he turned his attention back to the chessboard in front of him.

Taoist Jiugong chuckled, leisurely placed a black piece on the chessboard, then picked up a cup of fragrant tea and savored it carefully.

General Li frowned slightly and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Are you in such a hurry to end this game? You're being too harsh. Oh, we lost another game!"

Taoist Jiugon gently put down his teacup and said with a smug smile, "You are an absolute lousy chess player, yet you still pretend to be a real chess expert!"

Upon hearing this, General Li immediately put on a fawning smile and said flatteringly, "Hey, isn't this just learning chess from you? I'm just participating. You're so anxious, is it really that serious?"

Taoist Jiugong stroked his beard and rolled his eyes at him unhappily, "Don't try that! If Old Man Hu wasn't here, who would be willing to play this crappy game of chess with you?"

General Li continued to chat with Taoist Jiugong with a smile on his face. "Well, it's okay if we don't play chess. How about we go and stretch our bodies? And by the way, we can see if I, an old man, have made any progress recently."

Taoist Jiugong looked at the person opposite him and said, "Why are you so shameless? Oh, since you lost the game of chess, why don't you spar with me?"

"You are eighty years old, but you still think of yourself as a young man. If I beat you up in a sparring match, where will you put your face?" Taoist Jiugong said to General Li bluntly.

The old child was referring to the current General Li.

He curled his lips and glared at the Nine Palace Master across from him, "If I don't give you the longevity noodles later, you'll be fine as long as you eat a steamed bun!"

Taoist Jiugong glanced outside and looked at General Li with disdain, "Someone is calling you outside, get out quickly, don't let anyone look for you, leave quickly..."

The Taoist boy trotted over and saluted, saying that Princess Xian had notified the old general to go to the front to meet the guests.

When General Li heard his daughter calling someone to call him, he stopped making a fuss and quickly got up and went out, returning to his yard to change his clothes.

Taoist Priest Yuanfeng looked at General Li's back and asked, "Brother, is General Li worried about something?"

Taoist Jiugong nodded, "This old man must be thinking about the battlefield between the Nanman and the Japanese, and he's worried that his son and grandchildren might have an accident!"

Taoist Yuanfeng smiled and said, "There's no need for that. Princess Yunyue's secret guards are following us, so what kind of trouble can there be..."

Taoist Jiugong took a sip of tea and said, "A mother worries about her son even when he is thousands of miles away. How can he, as both a father and a mother, be at ease?"

"Junior Brother, just because we are cultivators doesn't mean we have to sever ties with our loved ones. Just follow your heart!"

Yuanfeng nodded in agreement.

...

General Li returned to the yard.

He felt a little embarrassed seeing Acai waiting for him for a long time.

Ah Cai looked at General Li and quickly grabbed him, "Grandpa, change your clothes quickly. Several old generals are coming up and we need you to entertain them. Hurry up!"

General Li was interrupted before he had time to think more, and hurriedly followed his attendant into the room to change his clothes.

Come out again, huh!

You really can't tell that he is already an eighty-year-old man. His hair is jet-black, his face is rosy, and he looks so energetic that you can't even tell he is sixty!

He was wearing a well-cut dark green brocade robe with an intricate pattern of the word "Fu" embroidered with gold thread.

Around his waist was a jade belt of the same color, with a emerald green jade pendant hanging on it. It swayed gently as he walked, adding a touch of luxury.

He was wearing a pair of cloth shoes with black soles and gold thread. Although they looked simple, they were carefully made by a craftsman.

Ah Cai helped him straighten his clothes and said with a smile, "Grandpa, you're getting younger and younger. If you were dressed like this, people would believe you were fifty!"

General Li laughed heartily and patted Ah Cai on the shoulder. "You are such a sweet-talker, little girl! But having said that, we have to treat those old buddies well today. They are all my old brothers who have followed me through many battles."

As he spoke, he strode towards the living room in front. As soon as he reached the door, he heard bursts of hearty laughter coming from inside.

He pushed open the door and saw several old generals, also with silver hair and vigorous spirits, sitting together, chatting and laughing.

"Oh, Old Li, you're finally here! We've been waiting for you for a long time!" An old general named Wang Qinian, with a burly figure and a ruddy face, stood up and greeted him.

General Li smiled and bowed, "Sorry, sorry to have kept you all waiting. I just finished playing chess with Taoist Jiugong and lost track of time."

"Haha, playing chess? You know how to play chess too? I hope that the bull has beaten you to a pulp." Another thin old general with sharp eyes, Liang Hechang, joked.

When General Li heard this, his expression changed slightly, but then he returned to normal and said with a smile, "No, no, I fought him to a draw! Come on, let's not talk about this anymore and take a seat."

Everyone took their seats, and the maids served tea and snacks. General Li picked up the teacup, took a sip, then looked around and said with emotion:

"Time is really unforgiving. We are all old now. Back then, we were so brave on the battlefield, but now we can only drink tea and chat in this yard."

"That's not the way to say it," the burly General Wang slammed his hand on the table. "We may be old, but our hearts are still young! Our sons and grandsons are still serving our country, and we should be proud of them!"

"That's right!" others echoed.

General Li nodded, his expression becoming serious. "Speaking of which, I've been worried about the war between the Nanman and the Japanese lately. Although we've sent a large army, those barbarians are incredibly cunning. I'm worried the children will suffer."

"Old Li, stop worrying about it. Didn't you read the battle report?"

The thin General Liang smiled and said, "Our children are not vegetarians. They are all warriors who have been tempered through thousands of trials and tribulations.

Besides, Princess Yunyue's secret guards are also going with them. They are all experts among experts. With them around, the children will be fine."

"That's right. Today is your birthday, so we're here to congratulate you. By the way, we'd like to ask you for some more 'Guben Peiyuan Dan'. Doctor Hu is not in the capital, so we have nowhere to buy it from you!" Another thin and ancient general complained.

General Li laughed heartily, "Old man, don't say that. It must be Doctor Hu, otherwise you would have passed away last year. How could you be in such good health now?"

General Wang followed suit, "That's right, old man. We are still waiting to see our beautiful land, we can't just lose it like this!"

...