The courtyard was full of autumn chrysanthemums, many of which were famous varieties, but Jing Mo and the other two had no intention of appreciating the flowers. They walked in silence all the way until they entered another wooden pavilion on the rockery. Jing Mo then spoke to Gu Xingnuo, "Your Majesty wants to delay the matter regarding Master Fenglin. I don't think that's appropriate. After all, Fenglin has the final say. When he returns to the Eternal Life Temple, how he tells Abbot Mo Wen about this is up to him alone."

Zuo You sat on a stone bench in the pavilion and sneered, saying, "Then just make sure he can't return to the Eternal Life Temple. He's just a junior master, do you really think he will be able to take over Mo Wen's position in the future?"

"You're going to kill him?" Jing Mo asked Zuo You.

Zuo You's face turned pale. Even though he hated the Eternal Life Temple, he didn't want his White Tiger country to be destroyed.

Gu Xingnuo picked up the purple clay teapot on the small stove and brewed a cup of tea for the three of them. He whispered, "I only found out today that the two monks Chen Qi Chen Mie also followed Feng Lin to Fengtian."

Jing Mo immediately said, "Do you think they are not on the same page with Feng Lin? Even if that is true, they will not betray the temple, let alone do anything bad to Feng Lin."

Zuo You nodded and said, "Jing Mo is right. Those two are very skilled in martial arts, but they don't have the courage to go against Mo Wen."

Gu Xingnuo turned the teacup in his hand, "Two years ago, Mo Wen wanted to take in another disciple, but the child fell ill on the way to the Eternal Life Temple and eventually died."

Jing Mo said, "Do you think Feng Lin did this? At this time two years ago, the one who personally went to pick up the child was my national teacher Zhu Ri. He is Mo Wen's eldest disciple, so he should be more suspected, isn't he?"

Gu Xingnuo smiled and nodded, and said to Jing Mo: "What the eldest prince said is right. I am not interested in who killed this child. In fact, there is no one in the Eternal Life Temple who does not want to be Mo Wen's personal disciple."

Zuo You said impatiently: "You two are both soldiers who have led troops to fight in battles. Can you please speak more straightforwardly like a soldier? What exactly do you two want to say?"

Gu Xingnuo said: "Since Master Wuhuan can't even tolerate a child who doesn't know if he can learn Buddhism, why can he tolerate Fenglin?"

Jing Mo's eyes jumped.

Zuo You said, "You mean, no way? Wuhuan and Fenglin get along like brothers. Ask Jingmo, which year did Wuhuan not write to Fenglin to visit Zhuri? This time Fenglin wants to kill your Chengguan, I think he did it for Wuhuan. Chengguan opposed Wuhuan in the past, we all know this."

Gu Xingnuo said pointedly, "But hasn't Master Fenglin never been to Zhuri?"

Zuo You was stunned for a moment, and slapped the stone table, "Gu Xingnuo, do you mean to borrow Wuhuan's hand?"

Gu Xingnuo lowered his head to drink tea, and the expression on his face was blocked by his raised hand, making it impossible for Jing Mo and Zuo You to see clearly.

Jing Mo stared at Gu Xingnuo for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "Gu Xingnuo, are you so sure that I will help you?"

"We, the Gu family, want to protect the princess' safety," Gu Xingnuo said, "but our Fengtian Kingdom is small and weak, not to mention that our Gu family is just a subject of Fengtian."

Jing Mo asked Zuo You: "Are you willing to gamble your White Tiger's national destiny for Princess Linglong?"

Zuo You was speechless. He could die for the princess, but he couldn't die alone and drag his country with him, right?

Gu Xingnuo put the teacup in his hand on the stone table and said, "The eldest prince has ambitions for the world, but you have never been to the Eternal Life Temple. For the sake of Zhuri's kingdom, the eldest prince must confront the Eternal Life Temple."

The smile on Jing Mo's face disappeared, and he lowered his head and turned the teacup in front of him.

Gu Xingnuo looked at Zuo You again and said, "As for you, Marshal, the Little Saint of Baihu is growing up day by day, and the Queen Mother is getting older day by day. Your Zuo family has been the regent of Baihu for many years, but will the Rong royal family allow you to continue like this? Oh, by the way, there is an Eternal Life Temple standing behind the Little Saint."

Jing Mo also looked at Zuo You at this time and whispered, "I received news this morning that Empress Dowager Zuo is ill, and your little emperor has been ruling the country by himself for two months."

“What?!” Zuo You slammed the table and stood up.

Jing Mo said, "Why? I, a Zhuri, know about your White Tiger affairs, but you, the Regent, don't know?"

Gu Xingnuo said softly: "If the young emperor is already able to control the government, then it won't be difficult to block the news from the marshal."

Zuo You thought for a moment that if his sister was gone and he was far away in Fengtian, then their Zuo family... Zuo You shuddered and didn't dare to think any further.

"Okay," Jing Mo said to Gu Xingnuo, "We both have reasons to be enemies with the Temple of Eternal Life, so what's your reason?"

Gu Xingnuo said: "I said it was for the princess, do you believe me, Prince?"

Jing Mo shook his head, "If Gu Xinglang said this, I would believe it, but you, I don't believe it."

Gu Xingnuo's hand on the stone table trembled, and he said, "Of course I have my reasons. Besides, for the princess' sake, our emperor will definitely find a way to deal with Fenglin. As a subject, it is my duty to relieve the king's worries."

"You went to the Eternal Life Temple to learn martial arts," Jing Mo looked at Gu Xingnuo and said, "I heard that Mo Wen took good care of you back then and ordered the best monk in the temple to guide you. Mo Wen never treated you unfairly. Why do you want to?"

Gu Xingnuo stroked his forehead. There were some things he didn't want to recall. The top of Mount Everest, towering into the clouds, was covered with snow all year round. People said that it was the place where gods and Buddhas lived, a holy place. However, in the abysses between the peaks, in the dark underground places of the so-called forbidden areas, the screams and wails of people or animals that could not be identified seemed to ring in Gu Xingnuo's ears again. These were nightmares that followed Gu Xingnuo like a shadow in his life.

"Gu Xingnuo?" Jing Mo waited for a long time but Gu Xingnuo didn't speak, so he called out to Gu Xingnuo.

Gu Xingnuo put down his hand that was stroking his forehead and said to Jing Mo and Zuo You: "People live for fame and fortune. The eldest prince has ambitions for the world, and Marshal Zuo, you have to protect the family's wealth and prosperity. I want to protect my family. Since we have the same opponent, why don't we cooperate for once?"

Zuo You said in a gruff voice: “What are you going to do?”

"The Eternal Life Temple is a thousand-year-old temple," Gu Xingnuo said, "Outsiders think that this temple is located on the top of Mount Everest and is out of reach..."

"If they let the internal strife break out," Jing Mo interrupted Gu Xingnuo and said, "it might be a pleasure for us to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the tigers."

In the wind and rain, several marigolds fell from the branches, and the flowering season of this life came to an abrupt end.

Many years later, when everything was settled, this conversation between a prince, a marshal, and a general in the wooden pavilion was considered by people to be the beginning of all the disputes and wars thereafter, which made countless people in the world experience joys and sorrows.

At this time, Yu Xiaoxiao listened to Xiao Wei's story about the grievances between Jing Mo, Zuo You and the Eternal Life Temple. While eating a bean paste bun, she said to Gu Xinglang, "Don't be afraid of the Eternal Life Temple." Jing Mo will become the emperor of Zhuri in the future, which means that the Eternal Life Temple must have never fought against Jing Mo in his previous life. Now that Instructor Yu is here, with her help, they don't have to be afraid of the Eternal Life Temple.

A note to readers:

Today's last update is here. Good night, everyone. See you tomorrow. Thank you for your subscriptions, tips, and Meiguo votes. Thank you. (Meiguo asks for all kinds of things, with stars in my eyes.)