Chapter 21 Such Talent
Li Shimin talked about Xu Luo with great excitement, and his excitement was beyond words. Empress Changsun leaned on the cushion, her eyes moving, her mouth smiling, and nodded gently.

"Yes," Li Shimin responded, but his facial expression became a little subtle.

"Brother, why don't you invite such a talent directly to the court?" Empress Changsun raised her hand and gently stroked the pearl necklace on her chest, saying seductively, "This way, brother won't have to sneak around to see him every time."

No one could guess Li Shimin's thoughts except Empress Changsun. She had been with Li Shimin for more than ten years since she was thirteen years old, and she had long seen through Li Shimin's inner thoughts.

Hearing what Empress Changsun said, Li Shimin was slightly stunned, and then he smiled bitterly.

"I also want to do that." He sighed, "But I have some concerns in my heart."

Empress Changsun smiled, her eyes seemed to be able to see through Li Shimin's heart, "Second brother, are you worried that once your identity is exposed, Xu Luo will hold back and no longer be open with you?"

"Guanyin, you really understand my thoughts!" Li Shimin said with admiration in his tone.

"Well, Xu Luo is indeed talented, but I am worried that after his identity is exposed, he will be tainted by the vulgarity of those court officials!"

"He has become slick and flattering. It is better for him to remain in hiding."

"Let's wait and see. If he is really a promising talent, I will recruit him into my team even if it takes all my efforts!"

"But if it weren't for..."

When the words were on the tip of his tongue, Li Shimin suddenly stopped and turned his eyes to the night sky, as if looking for an answer.

Empress Changsun smiled gently, her eyes moving and full of temptation, "Then how long do you plan to observe him, second brother?"

"Observe?" Li Shimin's eyes were deep, as if he could see into the future. "Wait until the time is right!"

In the dilapidated house in Matou Village, the morning sun shone on Xu Lingling's pretty face. She was running into the house in a hurry, her hair dancing in the wind, revealing her white neck.

"Brother, what happened?" Xu Lingling asked anxiously.

She rushed into the room and saw Xu Luo sitting on the couch with a stack of yellow paper money in her hand. His originally angry expression softened the moment she appeared.

"Ah, sister, it's okay, it's okay!" Xu Luo smiled awkwardly, trying to cover up his previous gaffe.

Xu Lingling patted her chest lightly and said with relief: "Brother, you are finally back, I thought you were in trouble.

Hey, do you have to go into town today?

Xu Luo raised one eyebrow and answered proudly: "Of course, I am now a famous half-immortal in the city. If I don't go there for a day, I don't know what those people will say about me!"

"Don't give me that!" Xu Lingling couldn't help but laugh.

She hesitated for a moment, frowning, and continued, "The price of rice in the city has skyrocketed recently, and the rice jar at home is almost like a desert.

How about...when you go back today, buy some rice?"

Xu Lingling went to the city by herself these days and saw that the price of rice had been soaring, which made her feel very nervous. The rice that used to cost only a few cents had now doubled in price, which made her feel distressed. Although Xu Luo had made some money from Lao Li, she still wanted to save some money.

After hearing this, Xu Luo's eyes flashed with cunning, and he nodded and said, "Okay, when I come back in the evening, I will make sure to bring you plenty of rice."

He changed the subject and asked, "By the way, are you going to help Aunt Zhang today?"

Xu Lingling pursed her lips, a hint of tenderness in her eyes: "Well, I have to go. Aunt Zhang is old and alone. She helped us so much in the past, and now it's time for us to repay her."

Xu Luo looked at his sister, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, then he packed up the yellow paper money and prepared to go into the city.

At this moment, Xu Lingling's bright eyes flashed with determination in the sunlight, and her lips were slightly raised, making her look both firm and seductive.

She twisted her waist gently, as if preparing for the upcoming busyness; her calmness and beauty made people unable to help but take a second look.

When Xu Luo woke up, he was thinking about using his points to try his luck.

He thought, if he could win a martial spirit and strengthen himself, that would be wonderful. Each lottery costs 200 points, which is no joke.

However, he only got a pile of yellow paper money in return despite his high expectations. Xu Luo was so angry that he jumped to his feet and cursed in his heart that this system was so deceptive.

At breakfast time, Xu Luo and his sister sat around the dining table, eating and chatting.

After dinner, they each went their separate ways. The younger sister went to Aunt Zhang's house to help as if she was familiar with the place, while he, under that ostentatious cover, set out on the road to Chang'an city.

Ever since he merged with Xiang Yu's martial spirit, Xu Luo walked with the wind, but he couldn't help feeling regretful in his heart that he hadn't encountered any challengers along the way to give him a chance to stretch his muscles.

In less than half an hour, he saw from afar that there were crowds of people outside Chang'an City. There were common people, vendors, some pushing carts, some carrying loads, queuing up to enter the city. Xu Luo looked at this scene, his mouth slightly raised, but his heart was calm.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew, gently brushing his sister's hair, revealing her fair neck, the lines of which were soft, as if silently tempting something. But Xu Luo just shook his head slightly, and continued to move forward with a firm look in his eyes.

Xu Luo slowly moved to the end of the line with the flow of people, his ears filled with the noisy discussions of the people.

At this time, a young man who usually liked to joke said jokingly: "Hey, have you heard? The price of rice is rising faster than my hair. In the blink of an eye, it's only a penny a bushel!"

"That's right. The world we live in is really a mess." An old man shook his head with a wry smile.

"You don't know yet, do you? My cousin who works in the rice shop said that the price of rice has skyrocketed today, and I heard that it will continue to rise soon!" a middle-aged man revealed mysteriously.

"Oh my God! A bushel of silver? How can we live with this?" A woman exclaimed, covering her chest with her hands unconsciously.

As Xu Luo listened to these words, his expression gradually became serious.

At this time, a voice sounded again: "I will tell you a secret, don't tell anyone. I heard that there was a famine in some places in the Tang Dynasty, and there was not a single seedling left in the fields, so the price of rice is so outrageous."

A beautiful woman nearby heard the news, a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, her hands unconsciously grabbed the hem of her skirt, her lips trembling slightly: "Really? Another disaster? We civilians have just taken a breath from the war..."

"Hey, have you heard that joke? It's about someone who was afraid that the price of rice would go up, so he stockpiled a whole room of rice. As a result, there were more rats than rice."
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(End of this chapter)