Chapter 63, Sixty-Third Side of the Old Land

Underground city.

Zuo Qinghou brought him here back then, Zhu Huantang and Qi Lingjun came a few years ago, and now he's coming on his own again. He's revisiting this place, just to find an answer.

On his second visit, Zhu Huantang finally understood how the Sui Kingdom could hoard so much grain with gold. She had clearly brought him here before, and he had clearly seen the gold scattered all over the ground, but he just couldn't think of anything else.

Now that the gold is almost gone, the dungeon remains peaceful.

Zhu Huantang found Fan Wubai's Stone Forest based on his memory, which can be considered as paying respects to his elder. He activated the mechanism array at the entrance of the Stone Forest.

The noise naturally alerted Fan Wubai. When the man came out and saw that it was Zhu Huantang, who had changed drastically, he was not surprised. He stepped aside to let him in, as if welcoming an old friend he had not seen before.

Fan Wubai led the way, turning his back to Zhu Huantang without a care, and said, "How have you been these past few years? You look much older."

Zhu Huantang sighed: "There are so many things to do, it's making me look older and older."

Fan Wubai patted his shoulder and made him sit down: "Just kidding, this is called maturity. A man should be more mature."

After a series of smooth, flowing tea-pouring movements, a cup of amber-colored tea was placed in front of me, and it tasted quite good.

Zhu Huantang cut to the chase, saying, "Senior knows why I've come, right?"

"You know why you're here, that's good. Don't come to me for answers when you don't know yourself. Let me be clear from the start: I can't come to answer your questions at all, not even a little bit." Fan Wubai gulped down a cup of tea and said seriously.

It's really awkward for two grown men to talk about feelings, especially since they've only met twice. Zhu Huantang said, "Of course, I always ask about the underground city, how it was built here... and what its purpose is."

"Wow, so grand right off the bat," Fan Wubai said, taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "This thing is even older than that brat Zuo Qinghou. Think about it, a hundred years ago there were twenty-seven countries on this land, and now there are only two left. Where did all the people from the other countries go? Were they really accepted by the Wu and Sui countries?"

"The Wu Kingdom appears cheerful on the surface, but behind the scenes, it either demotes the people of its conquered state to slaves, or confiscates the property of those who are capable and leaves them to fend for themselves. As for the Sui Kingdom, it's even worse; some of its own people can't even survive, let alone the people of other countries."

"I am a member of the Wu tribe, and I have a long lifespan. I don't even know which country I belong to. I wander around and around, and when I get tired, I always need to find a place to rest."

"Then how did we end up in a place like this?" This place is truly a deserted land with harsh conditions. Zhu Huantang just couldn't understand why it wasn't some kind of paradise with a naturally good environment.

"You've hit the nail on the head," Fan Wubai slapped his thigh and leaned closer to Zhu Huantang, saying, "There's no such thing as a paradise on earth. Good places are always occupied by the powerful and influential. Back then, a plague broke out in a settlement of foreign citizens, and every country was purging their people. They were all desperate and that's why they hid here. Besides, who doesn't want a paradise on earth? Luckily, Marquis Zuo Qing discovered us and gave us the money to build this place, so we can also enjoy the feeling of a paradise on earth."

“So, she can do whatever she wants with our land. As for what she’ll do, the person who builds us a golden house can’t be a bad person.” Fan Wubai added a glass of water.

Perhaps it was because no one had spoken to him for so long, but Fan Wubai was unusually talkative today, giving a thorough account of the history of the underground city.

As Zhu Huantang was leaving, Fan Wubai waved goodbye to him with reluctance. Zhu Huantang couldn't bear it and said, "The people of the underground city are quite simple and honest. Why don't you leave the Stone Forest and come live outside, senior?"

Fan Wubai waved his hand: "People from other countries are abnormal, but I, an immortal alien, am even more of an anomaly. Before my country was destroyed, I was almost wiped out..."

The stone forest slowly closed, shutting out the sigh that followed Fan Wubai.

I thought the dungeon had some special purpose, but it turns out it was just something Zuo Qinghou decided on a whim. Maybe it was for hiding gold, but it doesn't matter where you hide it, it doesn't have to be in the dungeon.

The more he thought about it, the deeper his unease seemed to grow. Zhu Huantang didn't know where this unease came from, but ever since he started receiving bits and pieces of information about Zuo Qinghou from time to time, this feeling of unease had been intensifying.

He was caught in a conspiracy he was unaware of, and no matter which way he went, it was all within the expectations of the person behind it.

On second thought, since Zuo Qinghou left behind so many things, he could use the underground city, the Wanxiang Hotel, and some of those gold and copper mines to set up a trap and start a war.

The imperial edict arrived at the Prince of Nanyang's residence with the chill of early spring of the following year. Nan Jinping was still eating melon seeds that had just been harvested the previous year when she heard that she was to be married to Zhu Huantang as a concubine. She threw a handful of melon seeds away.

The Prince of Nanyang quickly gave his steward a look, and the steward hurriedly slipped a handful of gold melon seeds to the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree. The eunuch knew what kind of temper the princess had, so he didn't blame her, smiled, pocketed the gold, and forgot all about it.

The Prince of Nanyang pulled Nan Jinping, who was so agitated that she was about to grab a stick to demand an explanation, into the house, knocked the stick away from her, and scolded her in a low voice, "Calm down!"

Nan Jinping became even more agitated, jumping up and shouting, "Calm down? He insulted me, which is a slap in your face. How can I calm down?"

Seeing that his advice was ignored, the Prince of Nanyang took out a brocade pouch. The pouch was embroidered with wheat, a rare design. Nan Jinping had her answer in her heart. She immediately quieted down, looking at her father with a mixture of belief and doubt, and asked softly, "Is there news of her... or did she stay behind earlier?"

"Open it yourself and see." The Prince of Nanyang exhaled heavily, grumbling, "You're my only daughter, how could I watch you jump into a fire pit! Your mother back then..."

The words that followed the King of Nanyang became unclear. Nan Jinping carefully read the note in the brocade pouch: Help Zhu Huantang if necessary, even if it's just to help me, help the State of Sui.

Such grand and high-sounding words! But Nan Jinping's eyes welled up with tears, her nose tingled, and she burst into tears.

Seeing his most precious daughter crying so bitterly, the Prince of Nanyang was at a loss, unsure whether to wipe her tears or not. So he simply sat down beside her and waited for her to finish crying.

Fortunately, Nan Jinping's inexplicable emotions came and went quickly. She wiped away her tears and said, "Tell me, when did you side with her?"

"What do you mean by 'seeking refuge'? This is called 'having the same ideals and goals.' Hey, don't worry about my business. Tell me, if you really want to go, then go. If you don't want to go, I'll find someone else." The Prince of Nanyang forcefully wiped away his daughter's tears, speaking earnestly to her. After all, the nation's affairs were important, but his daughter's happiness was equally important. Zhu Huantang, this man, is capable beyond measure, and his personal morality is impeccable…

Nan Jinping sniffed, opened the imperial edict and read it through before saying, "Anyway, I'll have a mission if I go, right? It's not like I'm really going to marry him. It's fine, it'll be easier for me with my status, I'll go. But what for? Is there something wrong with that Zhu Huantang guy?"

The Prince of Nanyang looked solemn and said in a deep voice, "The princess of Wu has come to marry Zhu Huantang."

It's instigation.

It's a test.

It's about appeasement.

Nan Jinping immediately sat up straight and asked seriously, "Father, what do you want your daughter to do?"