Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Going down the mountain~
It was suspected that a new powerful person in the Free and Easy Realm had appeared in Jizhou, and the news that Jizhou Governor Sun Chang took his son to climb the Thousand Feet of Yunliang spread like wildfire.
Everyone in the world admires the strong, and now there is such a young new Venerable. What's more, it is said that the Venerable's appearance is rare and unparalleled.
In an instant, the news spread rapidly across the states of Daliang. However, Gu Shiyan, the person who heard the news, sat leisurely in Wutong Hall, watching the snow and wind outside the window, his fingers constantly plucking the strings of his zither. The melodious and graceful sound of the zither, like the gurgling of water, filled the entire Wutong Hall.
The maidservant beside him, Hua Ling, was lost in thought as she watched the young man playing the zither. When she came to her senses, she said angrily, "Sir, you were almost molested when you came down the mountain this time. If you want to go out next time, you must bring me with you."
Gu Shiyan didn't like being called "Your Excellency", but in order to maintain his dignity in front of outsiders, he acquiesced to such a title and privately asked people around him to call him "Young Master".
"My cultivation is not fake. Besides, it's not like I would encounter this kind of thing every time I go out." Gu Shiyan said indifferently.
Hua Ling was about to say something when she heard Ji Yue's voice coming from afar, "Senior brother, senior brother, do you know how much is in the purse Sun Chang gave me?" Ji Yue couldn't hide the joy in her tone.
After Ji Yue entered the hall, Hua Ling bowed to her and then left.
Ji Yue came to Gu Shiyan's side and took out the purse given by Sun Chang from her lapel. Inside the purse were ten silver notes with a face value of one thousand taels. She did not forget to wave the silver notes in front of Gu Shiyan, and was very vigilant, fearing that Gu Shiyan would snatch her spoils. She looked like a real money-grubber.
Gu Shiyan couldn't help but feel a little curious and asked, "The apology gift Sun Chang sent was already very generous, so why did he also give you a banknote in private? What does he want to ask you about?"
After saying this, the joy on Ji Yue's face disappeared, replaced by guilt and a little panic.
Ji Yue quickly reacted and pulled Gu Shiyan's sleeve, saying, "He wanted to know your honorific title, so I told him. Don't be angry, brother." She looked at the banknote in her hand, then at Gu Shiyan, as if she had made up her mind. "At worst, I can give you half."
Gu Shiyan pulled out the fan caught on his collar and tapped her head. "You even gave me half. Do you think everyone is as obsessed with money as you? I haven't decided on my title yet. How did you tell him?"
Gu Shiyan had only been free and easy in the last few days, and it was precisely because he had just come out of retreat that he had the urge to sneak down the mountain to listen to storytelling that day.
Ji Yue was very proud. "I thought of this for you, Senior Brother. What do you think of the word 'moon'?"
Gu Shiyan was planning to give himself a title that would be unprecedented and unparalleled. Now his cheap junior sister had told him that she had already chosen a title for him and spread it around. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed and said, "Give me the banknote."
Oh, a mere ten thousand taels of silver? If you take my information to Fengyu Tower and sell it, I'll even ask for ten thousand taels of gold.
Gu Shiyan was afraid that his junior sister who was obsessed with money would really do such a thing, so he only thought about it in his heart and did not say it out loud.
Ji Yue was delighted to see that her senior brother wasn't angry, but when she heard those four words, her face was filled with disbelief: "Senior brother, you... didn't you say you weren't interested in these banknotes?"
Even though she was extremely reluctant, Ji Yue still didn't dare to go against her senior brother, and handed over the bulging purse with great sorrow.
"Oh, who would go against money that comes to their door? You still have time to worry about my affairs. I think you are too idle." Gu Shiyan took the purse handed by Ji Yue and threw it on the table. He said to Hua Ling outside the door: "Pass on my words, the young lady is under house arrest for one month and has to copy the rules of the sect ten times. Send the young lady back."
Ji Yue was completely stunned. She didn't expect that not only would she lose the banknotes, but she would also be punished by house arrest and forced to copy books. She subconsciously prepared to plead for mercy, but when she saw Gu Shiyan's cold face, her momentum weakened.
Gu Shiyan seemed easygoing, but those close to him knew perfectly well that once he made up his mind, not even her father's presence would sway him. The Sun Ang issue hadn't entered Gu Shiyan's mind at all; otherwise, even Duke Su's presence would have been of no avail.
Before leaving, the girl looked at Gu Shiyan with a wronged look. Seeing that the latter had no intention of changing his mind, she ran out angrily.
Gu Shiyan wanted to speak out to comfort her, but when he thought of his own plan, he chose to remain silent.
Half an hour ago, Hong Ting half-knelt on the ground, reporting the recent intelligence. When he mentioned that the Demon Lord had appeared in Xingding County in Jiangnan, Gu Shiyan's hands tensed up, and for a moment he was so imposing that the precious white jade porcelain teacup in his hand turned into powder.
Even though Hong Ting was a powerful warrior of the ninth level of the Linhai Realm, he felt suffocated by this aura. Gu Shiyan noticed Hong Ting's abnormality and quickly tightened his aura, saying, "Aren't there many people interested in me? Then let's go to the Jianghu. Go down and prepare, take Pohong with you, and leave for Jiangnan tomorrow."
The master actually planned to bring Broken Rainbow, it seems that he is really serious. However, if the opponent is the Demon Lord, it is normal to be cautious. Hong Ting thought to himself, bowed to Gu Shiyan, and disappeared from the spot.
The Broken Rainbow sword was a birthday gift from Martial Master Ji Ruoxi to Gu Shiyan on his tenth birthday. This sword was personally forged by Master Weapon Master Ouyang Wenhai, reportedly using half a pound of meteorite iron and various rare minerals. Master Ouyang spent a year crafting the sword.
On the day the sword was completed, Ouyang Wenhai said to Ji Ruoxi, "This sword is the most proud work of my life. Even if thousands of years from now, when people talk about the world's famous swords, it deserves to have a place among them."
Gu Shiyan was naturally overjoyed after receiving it, "If the Zen gate is suddenly broken, the beauty will be like a jade sword and a rainbow. Then let's call it Breaking the Rainbow."
A young man's joy for new things was undeniable. In the first few days after acquiring the skill, Gu Shiyan practiced swordsmanship for hours every day. Later, during a sparring match with a sect elder, Gu Shiyan, who had just reached the third level of the Seaside Realm, lost control of his strength and severely injured the elder, who had reached the ninth level of the Seaside Realm.
The elder did not blame him. Instead, he smiled and said, "Young people are formidable. My Yunliang Qianchi has successors."
Later, the elder recuperated for three months. Gu Shiyan felt very guilty and ordered people to seal up Pohong.
Wu Zun once asked him, "Don't you like this sword very much? Why don't you use it?"
He said, "The sword in your hand should be pointed at the enemy, not your loved ones. Since I can't control its power now, I will wait until I can truly control it before letting it see the light of day again."
Gu Shiyan had seen the portrait of the Demon Lord when he was very young, in Ji Ruoxi's study. That was the first time he had seen his master like that. The master was powerful in front of everyone, but at that time, the master stared blankly at the portrait of the Demon Lord, the hatred and murderous intent in his eyes unable to be concealed, and he chuckled from time to time, as if hating his own incompetence.
At that time, Gu Shiyan made up his mind that one day, he would personally capture the Demon Lord and bring him before his master.
He knew that Ji Ruoxi had been trying to find out about the Demon Lord over the years, but the Demon Lord seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
So over the years, he has been secretly asking Hongting to find out the news about the Demon Lord. Now that he finally has some clues, he naturally has to set off as soon as possible.
The next day, at noon, at Yunliang Pavilion.
"Why do you suddenly want to travel? You have been too lazy to do your daily homework these years, and you are willing to go on a long journey?" In the past sixteen years, Gu Shiyan has only come down the mountain a few times. Now he suddenly proposed to go on a long journey. Ji Ruoxi couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"I recently read a storybook about the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, and I was fascinated by it."
These words did not arouse Ji Ruoxi's suspicion. After all, his eldest disciple's favorite thing to do besides sleeping was to read storybooks.
"Given Junior Sister's personality, if she knew, she would definitely make me take her with her. So yesterday, I found an excuse to confine her for a month. Master, please take good care of her," Gu Shiyan instructed. Although Gu Shiyan was confident in his own strength, he was facing a well-known Demon Lord, and he was afraid that he would not be able to protect Junior Sister.
"Your master left behind a message that day, saying that you must go down the mountain to the sea, and you must return home until you achieve freedom and perfection. I will tell you your life story when I come back this time. This time you go down the mountain, you must not go to the capital. With your talent, it will only take a few years at most for you to enter the ninth level of freedom. So many years have passed, and these few years won't make a difference, right? As for your junior sister, I will definitely keep an eye on her and not let her sneak down the mountain." Ji Ruoxi admired his master's astrology very much. Under the guidance of his master, he went to the capital in person and brought back Gu Shiyan, who was still in his infancy.
Gu Shiyan's master, a master without any advanced martial arts skills, devoted himself to astrology. That night, he saw the star of martial arts hanging high in the sky, yet poised to fall. He calculated that Gu Shiyan, blessed with martial luck, was a star from heaven sent down to earth, yet persecuted by villains. He then sent Ji Ruoxi to the capital, where she rescued the weakly breathing newborn Gu Shiyan with a rejuvenation elixir and brought him back to Yunliang Qianchi.
"I will keep my master's teachings in mind." Gu Shiyan bowed and turned to leave.
Gu Shiyan had heard his master talk about his family. He said that his parents treated him as an equal and were very loving. He said that his parents called him Shi Yan and hoped that he would be safe every year. He also talked about his parents' reluctance to let him go and their difficulties.
Yes, so many years have passed, and these few years won’t make a difference, Gu Shiyan thought.
Having learned from the last lesson, in order to prevent his appearance from attracting other people's interest and causing unnecessary trouble, Gu Shiyan specially found a silver mask and put it on his face.
In this way, Gu Shiyan and Hong Ting rode their horses and rushed to the south of the Yangtze River.
On the other side, in the capital of Daliang, there are nine-story palaces.
The flying snow in winter falls on the red walls, adding a sense of desolation to the solemn and dignified palace.
In the Qinzheng Hall where the emperor usually handled government affairs, Mu Congmo, dressed in the imperial robes, was looking through the memorials sent by Sun Chang. The chief eunuch Hu Xian stood beside him, carefully serving the young emperor.
"A new venerable has appeared in the land of Jiuzhou, and the Shadow Dragon Guards haven't heard a single word about it?" Mu Congmo was imposing without even getting angry.
A sound that cut through the air was heard in the quiet hall, and the next second, a figure kneeling on one knee appeared in front of Mu Congmo's desk.
"I have failed to perform my duties properly. Your Majesty, please punish me."
"You and the two deputy commanders will each receive ten lashes from the Punishment Hall. As for the people below, you can handle it yourself. If it happens again, you will no longer be the commander of the Shadow Dragon Guard."
"Yes, I'll take my leave." The next second, the hall became empty again, as if no one had ever been there.
Mu Congmo was flipping through today's memorials, and the top one was handed to him by the Prime Minister.
"Your Majesty is now in the prime of life. It is time to appoint an empress early to provide peace and stability for the harem and strengthen the foundation of the state. Selecting a virtuous woman to occupy the throne of honor will ensure order and peace in the harem. Furthermore, the empress will assist in managing the inner court, freeing Your Majesty from internal worries and allowing him to focus on all matters of state and rule the country with ease.
"I, your Majesty, have the honor of serving in the court and receiving your grace. I dare not fail to offer my sincere advice. I humbly hope that Your Majesty will heed the advice of all, carefully select a virtuous woman, and quickly establish the position of Queen, so as to carry on the heavy responsibility of the ancestral temple and satisfy the hopes of the people. This will be a blessing for the world and the country."
It was another memorial requesting the establishment of a queen. Mu Congmo had been annoyed by these memorials in recent days, so he raised his hand and wrote on the memorial.
"I have heard that the Imperial Master once asserted that someone carries the Phoenix's destiny. Now that I am the Son of Heaven, I shall make this person my empress."
The eldest daughter of the Gu family, who held the title of phoenix, was born dead, so how could she establish a dead person as her empress? The ministers were afraid that the emperor would actually do something, so from then on, they kept silent about the word "establishing an empress."
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