Chapter 123 Treasure Ship Cui Jin Did Not Lie to Him

Cui Jin's single eye, like a silver needle in the dark night, resolutely pierced A Jiu's hidden vulnerability. He stared at A Jiu's twitching face, his expression a half-smile. Seeing A Jiu's silence, Cui Jin casually smoothed the wrinkles on A Jiu's brocade robe, each movement like a scalding pain, sending chills down one's spine.

Cui Jin glanced at Ajiu's forced composure and told Wan Qixi that Ajiu had already opened this door. The Ajiu before him was doing even better than he had expected. Cui Jin was increasingly convinced that Ajiu could do it for them.

“You’ve tasted the Dihua Shao.” Cui Jin spread his wide robe sleeves, as if unfurling a giant net that could control everything. “You are already the one he has chosen.”

—"What if I...can't do it?"

“You can do it.” Cui Jin strode confidently forward, his black robe brushing against A Jiu’s tall figure. “Now that things have come to this, you must do it.”

"But I'm not him..."

"It's love, it's hate, it's unrequited love, it's being unable to let go. All you need to know is that he has chosen you, and you are the one."

Cui Jin walked towards Chengen Hall without looking back, leaving only a strange, ghostly figure for Ajiu. A cold wind swept over him, making Ajiu's thin body tremble. From the moment he boarded Hu Xian's ship, he could only walk to the end of the road, with an abyss behind him. He had no way to retreat.

He's convinced it's you, that you're the one. But Ah Jiu knows she isn't.

Cui Jin looked up at the Chengen Hall gate that was open to him not far away. Inside the Chengen Hall, Mu You took down the old sword that was hanging high. He carefully wiped it again and again. This was his beloved sword that he could not get, his obsession that he could not let go of, and his nightmare that he could not escape.

Lu Xiaojun thought this was a secret known only to him and his sister. Even though his sister wasn't around, he wanted to keep this secret. Little did Lu Xiaojun know that A Jing had already discovered the secret between the young lady and that person.

Time is fair to everyone. Twenty years have passed. Lu Xiaojun has grown from a child to an adult, and A Jing has also become increasingly weathered. The person favored by the young lady has also grown old, but his figure is still the same as when they first met. His gait, expression, and tone of voice are exactly the same as they were twenty years ago.

Several years ago, Mu You went to Cangshan to seek the Dao. At first glance, A Jing recognized him. Emperor Mu You of Jin was the man who was with the young lady. Since seeing him, the young lady had no one else in her eyes. Her heart and eyes were only for him.

The young lady even forged a sword for him herself. It was the Chaoge Sword, a sword that all swordsmen in the world would kill for. What did he do to deserve this? Why is it that since he appeared, the young lady no longer has any regard for A-Jing? Or did the young lady ever have any regard for A-Jing at all?

"Ah Jing, Ah Jing?"

Cui Jin vaguely heard Lu Chaoge calling her name again, like heavenly music.

"Ah Jing, where's my newly brewed Dihua Shao? Did you sneak a sip again?"

"How dare Ah Jing steal the young lady's treasure? It's right here, look."

"Yes," Cui Jin hummed bitterly. On the eve of the reinforcements rushing to Eagle Ridge to quell the rebellion, Lu Chaoge and Guan Xiaotian inspected three thousand crossbows and invited that person to a villa in the suburbs of Tianhufang. The wine they drank together was the one that he had found for Lu Chaoge.

A-Jing secretly followed Lu Chaoge to the villa. With the war raging and Rongdu in a state of panic, he hadn't intentionally gone along. Who knew if this man of unknown origin might have designs on the young lady? A-Jing hid outside the villa, waiting from 7 PM to midnight, but the two didn't emerge. Then he saw the lights in the villa suddenly go out… and it seemed he suddenly understood something…

Ah Jing crept into the courtyard, intending to break down the gate and rescue the young lady. "Rescue," Ah Jing stood frozen outside the gate. The way the young lady looked when she saw that person was more beautiful than he had ever seen before. Ah Jing had thought that his first meeting with the young lady was the most beautiful scene in his life. Only today did Ah Jing realize that what he thought was wrong.

Aside from my life, I have nothing else to give the young lady, so I will use this life to protect her.

Leaning against the cold old tree trunk, A-Jing opened his eyes and waited until dawn. The moment they came out, A-Jing was like a startled rabbit, rushing back to Tianhufang like an arrow released from a bow. A-Jing told himself that as long as he ran fast enough, he wouldn't feel the sadness, and as long as he didn't look back, despair couldn't catch up with him.

Lu Xiaojun thought that even things no one else knew, A Jing knew.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Cui Jin calmly stepped across the threshold of Cheng'en Hall, shook his sleeves, clasped his hands, and bowed respectfully.

"Did the Imperial Advisor see that?" Mu You pointed his sword at A Jiu's receding figure outside the palace.

“I see it.” Cui Jin looked in the direction of Mu You’s sword. He was holding the Chaoge Sword. If he could, Cui Jin would also like to hold it. “I see the Dao that Your Highness has been longing for. Your Highness has finally obtained it.”

"The Imperial Advisor said that everything in the world has its destiny, and Ajiu is my destiny." Mu You held the Chaoge sword close to his chest, as if talking to himself, or as if speaking to the girl in his arms, "I swear for the rest of my life that I will cherish her as a treasure, protect her in this life, and never let her suffer the sorrows of the world again. She will never leave me again."

Mu You was lost in thought for a moment, then hung the Chaoge sword back in its place. As he turned around, his face, once full of deep affection, transformed into that of a heartless and emotionless emperor. He walked to the table, his palm stroking over the remaining eight-treasure fruit dish. He picked up a salted kumquat, rubbed off the salt, and slowly sucked on it, savoring the taste. "Is there any progress on the matter that I asked the Imperial Advisor to investigate?"

Cui Jin reluctantly averted his gaze from Xiang Chaogejian. "The matter Your Highness entrusted to me is not simple, but it is not too difficult to find out. We can just follow the clues."

"The Grand Preceptor is so confident. The fact that he came to see me means he's already got the gist of it?" Mu You spat out a kumquat seed, held it on his fingertip, and crushed it into a paste with a little force. "I've heard that these seeds, once they fall into the soil, will grow into kumquat trees the following year, and within three years they will bear fruit, spreading like wildfire, impossible to extinguish. What a pity." Mu You said, revealing a look of disgust. "I still don't like eating kumquats. Even after being pickled in salt, they're still sour and astringent."

Cui Jin's expression was calm. He seemed to be used to Mu You's sudden change, or perhaps, Mu You eating kumquats at this moment was his true self. "The twenty-six counterfeit copper coins received by Gongcheng Money Shop were deposited by five vendors: the fried cake shop on West Street, Deng's steamed bun shop, Fulai Tavern, Song Niang's pancake stall, and a tea shop."

“Most of those who can deposit copper coins are small merchants and vendors. These stalls are bustling with people, mostly ordinary folks. I’m afraid… it’s not easy to follow the trail.” Mu Youcang waited for Cui Jin to continue, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Cui Jin remained expressionless: "His Majesty can tell from the name of the shop that the patrons are all commoners, so it is indeed difficult to find. However, Fu Lai Tavern is a famous tavern in Rongdu, and it serves family-style dishes. A meal there is not cheap."

Mu You's eyes flickered, signaling Cui Jin to continue. Cui Jin continued, "It was precisely because of the exorbitant price that these copper coins left a deep impression on the manager and the staff. That day, a group of scoundrels went to Fu Lai Tavern. The manager was afraid they wouldn't be able to pay, so he had the staff keep an eye on them. This group drank until midnight, and when they got drunk, they kept clamoring for more wine. When it came time to pay, they didn't have enough silver, so they pooled out the copper coins they had on them. The next day, when the manager went to Gong Cheng Money Exchange to deposit silver, he discovered that among the copper coins he had received the night before... there were counterfeit ones."

"Has the Imperial Advisor already found them?" Mu You asked in a low voice.

Cui Jin smiled calmly, “These people usually roam around Rongdu, doing all sorts of swindling. They have already confessed that they made a fortune outside the Ghost Market that day, and that’s why they went to the tavern to eat and drink. The fake copper coins they used to pay for the drinks were obtained by swindling people outside the Ghost Market using the 'hiding hook' trick.”

"Hidden hook? Outside the Ghost Market?" Mu You murmured. "Who would enter and leave the Ghost Market if they received counterfeit copper coins outside it? It seems that this person's whereabouts are suspicious and they must have something to do with it."

“Your Majesty,” Cui Jin shook his head, “the Crown Prince also occasionally goes to the Ghost Market. Although the Ghost Market is eerie, it is not entirely without merit.”

Mu You frowned. "Anyone who can be deceived by the trick of the hidden hook is extremely foolish and can't cause any trouble. I'm afraid that the people outside the Ghost Market are just ordinary people who are used to spread rumors. That's what I'm worried about."

"Your Majesty, rest assured." Cui Jin's expression was confident, as if everything was under control. "The Shadow Guards have already investigated the Ghost Market. In a few days, they will be able to compile a list of buyers who entered and left the Ghost Market that day. Once the list is available, I believe the answer will be there."

Mu You revealed a satisfied expression, "I naturally trust the Grand Preceptor to do things." After glancing at Cui Jin's half-lit, half-shadowed ghost face, Mu You lowered his voice, "Grand Preceptor, are you wondering why the Shadow Guards were mobilized for just a few dozen counterfeit copper coins? There are no more counterfeit coins circulating in the market, so why go to such lengths? We should stop here."

Cui Jin met Mu You's unreadable gaze with an unwavering expression. "I am willing to gouge out one eye to die for the cause and follow Your Majesty. This is because I believe Your Majesty will become a wise and benevolent ruler for all time. Since I have made this belief, whatever the prince does is right, and I will not ask any further questions."

Mu You chuckled a few times, "My personal journey to Cangshan, with the Imperial Preceptor by my side, was all worthwhile. The Imperial Preceptor, an immortal, sought the Dao for me; with his assistance, the Great Jin Dynasty will surely last for thousands of years."

Cui Jin flicked his sleeves and bowed his head, "Once the mastermind behind the riot is found, I will imprison the person in the imperial prison for the Emperor to interrogate personally."

"Thank you for your help, Imperial Preceptor."

As she stepped out of Chengen Hall, Cui Jin glanced at the Chaoge Sword on the wall out of the corner of her eye. The moment their eyes met, Cui Jin pulled her wide-brimmed hat up to cover the tattooed runes on her face. She was just an old sword, yet she seemed to see everything.

Cui Jin was afraid she would see the rune on his face—"Where the beauty walks, each step is hesitant; I now strike with my sword, and you shall return." Alas, the beauty was gone; each step was futile, a thousand swords, ten thousand swords, yet no one returned.

Ajiu had never felt the palace road was so long, so long that even after walking for a long time, he still couldn't see the palace gate. During his three years on Canglang Island, he always suspected that Cui Jin was lying to him. Cui Jin said that at most three to five years, a dragon-headed treasure ship would come to pick Ajiu up.

Cui Jin said: "That treasure ship is more than ten zhang long, with tall and magnificent pavilions, luxurious and majestic. The bow is carved with dragon heads, and the hull is carved with dragon scales. It rides the waves amidst rolling clouds and thunder. The treasure ship will take you to the city of the Son of Heaven - Rongdu."

As he said, the treasure ship did indeed appear off the coast of Canglang Island on a stormy, stormy day. Ajiu saw fully armed soldiers on the deck, their faces gloomy, weapons in hand. No one knew why they were coming to Canglang Island, or what they would bring to this isolated island.

Pei Yuan gathered the swordsmen who had been trained at Pei Chong's old residence and ordered them to hide their weapons and head towards the sea. Pei Yuan said that if a massacre was about to occur, everyone must risk their lives to protect the islanders. The island would survive, and the island would perish.

"What kind of ship is it?" Ah Jiu, who was usually taciturn, couldn't help but ask.

"What kind of ship is it? Does it matter?"

No one answered Ajiu until Ajiu saw the dragon-headed treasure ship that carved a path through the raging waves, and the black-robed man whose face was only half visible on the bow. It was him. He had come to pick her up, keeping his promise to her from back then.

His face... When sending Ajiu away, Cui Jin said that he would gouge out one of his eyes to change his appearance, and sneak into the palace before Ajiu, lying low beside Mu You. Ajiu only needs to stay hidden on the island. Once Ajiu is brought back, the great matter will be accomplished.

The sea breeze stirred the satin cloth covering the black-robed man's face, revealing his face covered in runes. His left eye wore a gold-embroidered eyepatch, while his right eye shone even brighter than before. Surrounded by soldiers, he rode the waves, appearing like a god descending to earth amidst the surging winds and clouds. Cui Jin had truly succeeded.

Ah Jiu thought the treasure ship was coming to take her to the city of the emperor, but who knew... Cui Jin only left behind a dark stone, and he didn't even look at her before embarking on his journey home.

Cui Jin said that once the meteorite is forged, he will come to take the meteor sword, and Xingguo Ward will return to Rongdu. After a century of ups and downs, his ambition has finally come true. Cui Jin is fulfilling Xingguo Ward's destiny, and he is also fulfilling Ajiu's destiny.

Ajiu was born at the foot of Cangshan Mountain. His parents died early, and he grew up eating food from many families. He was six or seven years old when he was scavenging at the foot of the mountain. Someone asked him for directions. The person asked: How do I get to Yuxian Palace in Cangshan Mountain?

Jade Immortal Palace? A-Jiu pointed to the mountaintop behind her. Jade Immortal Palace is behind the forest. Just keep walking uphill for three to five hours, and you'll get there.

Years later, Ajiu still remembers what Cui Jin looked like back then: he wore a coarse shirt so old that its color was unrecognizable, his face was somewhat haggard, his chin was covered with stubble, his hands had bulging veins and were covered with rough calluses, his trousers were rolled up to his knees, and his riding boots were so worn that his toes were exposed, with blackened bloodstains on the tips of his toes.