Chapter 6 Chapter 6 I Will Always Wait for You
Even as soldiers drew their swords, the scholar remained unfazed. He would rather die clinging to a fragrant branch than be blown away by the north wind. Such integrity is truly admirable.
Mu Congmo took in everything. It seemed that the Jiangnan officialdom was truly rotten. The Prince of Huai might not be able to stay. After this incident, Mu Congmo had no interest in continuing.
He summoned Yong Zhou, who had been following him secretly, and whispered some instructions to him. Yong Zhou then took a few steps forward, approached the officers, and pulled out a dark golden token with the words "Shadow Dragon" clearly written on it.
"Seeing this token, it is as if Your Majesty has come in person." After saying this, he looked at the officers and soldiers around him and said, "Why don't you kneel down?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of "Shua Shua" echoed throughout the government office. Seeing this, the surrounding officers and soldiers put down their weapons and knelt on their knees, "Long live our emperor."
The county magistrate, who had been sitting in the government office watching from the sidelines, could no longer remain silent. Upon hearing the commotion outside, he led the officials out of the government office, saluted, knelt, and shouted "Long live the emperor."
The group of scholars also knelt on the ground, their bodies somewhat unsteady. Unlike the officials' fear, they were genuinely excited. Now that the emperor's envoys had arrived, they wondered whether they would punish these corrupt officials and give their classmates justice. This was their chance.
Seeing that the Shadow Dragon Guard official was about to call him to task, the prefect said, "I was unaware of your arrival, and I apologize for not welcoming you. Your humble name is Bao Chengen, the prefect of Xingding County. Your Excellency has traveled a long way, and I hope you will come with me to the government office to rest for a while. I will host a banquet to welcome you this evening."
"Now there are so many students waiting in front of the government office and wanting an explanation. How can I just ignore it like you? How can I feel at ease and just care about my own enjoyment?" Yong Zhou changed his usual easygoing attitude, his attitude was stern, and every word he said was precious.
Even Hong Ting, who didn't get along well with him, leaned over to whisper in Gu Shiyan's ear: "I didn't expect this guy to have such a majestic side."
"After all, he is the commander of the Shadow Dragon Guard. No matter how unreliable he is on weekdays, he still has some ability when it comes to serious matters. Why, seeing how powerful he is, you also want to give it a try?" Gu Shiyan joked.
Mu Congmo watched the two of them being intimate, envious of Hong Ting's ability to whisper in Gu Shiyan's ear, but also a bit jealous. Gu Shiyan's attitude towards Hong Ting was no longer as distant as towards others, but instead had a touch of warmth.
Hong Ting didn't want to admit that he envied Yong Zhou, so he changed the subject. "Your Majesty is right here, isn't he? Why doesn't he go and seek justice for those students himself? That way, you could gain fame among the students. Instead, you're giving this opportunity to that fellow Yong Zhou."
Before Gu Shiyan could speak, Mu Congmo took the lead to explain: "Although I was assassinated before and my whereabouts have been exposed this time, the civil and military officials in the court do not know about it. They still think that I am recuperating in the palace due to illness. If I stand up now, wouldn't it be telling them clearly that I am pretending to be sick? Besides, I don't even bother to take action myself for a mere prefect of Xingding County." Mu Congmo spoke, and the majesty of the emperor was fully displayed.
Gu Shiyan didn't say a word, as if he felt embarrassed, and just watched silently from the side.
Meanwhile, Bao Cheng'en was seething with anger at Yong Zhou's lack of respect. He had been accustomed to bullying in Xingding County for years, even the Prince of Huai treated him with respect when he received generous tributes. He had never experienced such humiliation before.
Unfortunately, Yong Zhou, as a Shadow Dragon Guard, must have exceptional martial arts skills, and with the imperial token in hand, he was clearly not someone he could easily control. He could only suppress the raging anger in his heart and put on an apologetic smile, "I am only concerned about your health, sir, not about this case. How about you take a break today, let these students go, and invite them back tomorrow?"
Yong Zhou thought, I can't push someone into a corner all at once. He glanced calmly in the direction of Mu Congmo, and when he saw the latter nod at him, he agreed. He followed Bao Chengen into the government office.
As for the group of scholars around them, they returned to the academy under the guise of escort by soldiers who were actually keeping them under surveillance. "Who is the leading scholar?" Mu Congmo saw that he was not afraid of danger and became a little interested in him.
"The scholar's name is Lu Mingzhi. He is a direct disciple of Mr. Lu Ming, the principal of Qinghe Academy. He is a fellow apprentice of Ji Anran who was assassinated. It is said that the two had a close relationship. As for Mr. Lu Ming, he also has a considerable background. He was originally from Jiangnan. Later, he heard that Master Ru was practicing Taoism through literature in the northwest. He was yearning for it and traveled thousands of miles to the desolate land of the northwest. Finally, he became Master Ru's disciple as he wished." Chang Ye explained to the three of them.
"I'm afraid Bao Chengen will attack those scholars tonight. You should personally bring a few Shadow Dragon Guards with you to protect their safety."
"But if something happens to that group of scholars tonight, they are the most suspicious. Aren't they afraid of the world's criticism?" Hong Ting has a simple mind and obviously cannot understand these twists and turns. Yun Liang Qianchi has been secluded from the world, which has cultivated his childish nature.
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If the person is dead, there will be no evidence, and without evidence, there will be no basis for the allegations. They can naturally deny it, and even impose the blame on those students. In any case, the dead cannot speak, so only the dead are the safest." Gu Shiyan explained.
Mu Congmo secretly marveled at the young man in front of him. Not only did he have superb martial arts skills, he also had such a keen grasp of political affairs. He was truly a rare genius.
"You should come with us. It's a good opportunity to see the world and learn something." Gu Shiyan instructed Hong Ting.
"If I go with him, who will take care of you, young master? When we were at Yunliang Qianchi, you always didn't eat on time. Before I left this time, Sister Hua told me to take good care of you. If anything happens to you, how can I explain it to Sister Hua and the master when I return?" Hong Ting was unwilling to do so and even brought up Hua Ling and Ji Ruoxi to try to change Gu Shiyan's mind.
But Gu Shiyan had made up his mind, so Hongting had no choice but to follow Changye with a sad face and work hard without complaint.
As they left, Gu Shiyan and Mu Congmo prepared to return to the inn. "Last time, my people sent Hongting away, and you refused to eat the shrimp you loved. This time, you sent Hongting out yourself, so who will serve you?" Mu Congmo quipped.
"I've lived for seventeen years. If I need help even when changing clothes, what's the point of all these years? Besides, my Wutong Palace only has Hongting, a servant, and a maid. It's certainly not as good as Your Majesty, who has so many eunuchs and maids serving in the palace."
Was it because the place he lived in was called Wutong Palace? The phoenix only roosts under the Wutong tree. It seemed they were truly a match made in heaven. Mu Congmo was secretly delighted.
I have heard for a long time that Yunliang Qianchi has one palace, two pavilions and twelve halls. This palace is the most mysterious place among them. There are rumors in the martial arts world that this is the forbidden area of Yunliang Qianchi. Even the files of Shadow Dragon Guard do not have any record of this palace.
Seeing that Mu Congmo didn't speak, Gu Shiyan continued, "Didn't you also send out all the Shadow Dragon Guards around you? If someone attacks you now, I wonder what you'll do. Why don't you tell me who I sent Hong Ting out for? If your men weren't weak, I wouldn't have sent Hong Ting out either."
The Shadow Dragon Guards that Mu Congmo brought with him on this trip were all experts from the Seaside Realm. If they heard about this, they would probably vomit blood. The Seaside Realm was already the top combat force. If Mu Congmo hadn't focused on training these people, not even the royal family would have been able to produce so many Seaside Realm experts.
"Brother, you know that Xiaolang is devoted to me. So what if there's no one to serve him? I promise to serve him comfortably." Mu Congmo's voice was captivating, but Gu Shiyan remained unmoved. "With the dignified Yue Zun here, even if all those assassins came out in full force, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to hurt me in the slightest. Xiaolang will protect brother, right?"
"Don't call me Xiaolang again. If you do it again, I will kill you myself without the need for assassins." Gu Shiyan was annoyed by Mu Congmo's shamelessness and threatened.
"If someone else said that, I would be cautious. But you won't. If one day you want my life, I will offer it to you without hesitation. If you don't allow me to call you Xiaolang, then what should I call you? Why don't you tell me your name?" Mu Congmo's tone was sincere, and then his pair of watery peach blossom eyes appeared again, and he raised his eyebrows and looked at Gu Shiyan.
But Gu Shiyan just stood there in a daze, looking extremely depressed. Mu Congmo sighed inwardly, wondering what he had said to make the young man so sad. He blamed himself immensely and was about to apologize when Gu Shiyan spoke first.
"You should have heard of the name of my master's old family member. He is famous in the martial arts world for his astrology and gossip. He once asserted that no one should know my name before I reach the perfection of the Free and Easy Realm, because I was already a dead person the moment I was born." Gu Shiyan said in a low voice, and then began to speak again.
"So I've been hiding in Wutong Palace all these years. When I was five, my master brought back two children, one of whom was Hongting. Even with them around, I was still trapped in the so-called forbidden area. There's a tall, century-old Wutong tree in front of the palace. I often use my Qinggong to climb to the top of it and look down at the world below. It wasn't until I successfully entered the Linhai Realm that my master took me down the mountain for the first time. Many of the things there were things I had seen in books. After that, I often sneaked down the mountain."
"Master told me that once I become a powerful warrior of the ninth level of the Free and Easy Realm, the master's precepts will be broken, and I can return home. I can live in this world with my own identity and dignity."
Seeing Mu Congmo remained silent, Gu Shiyan didn't want his bad mood to affect him. However, he had kept these words and events in his heart for more than ten years. Now, facing Mu Congmo, he spoke them out without reservation. Gu Shiyan didn't know why. They had only known each other for two days. Perhaps it was because Mu Congmo had a magical charm.
"Although you are not allowed to call me Xiaolang, and I cannot tell you my name for the time being, you can call me Ayan. This is what my master called me when he was alive. My master said, 'Yan', which means 'water' and 'travel'. He hopes that my life will flow like running water." He spoke in a light tone, as if what he just said was not his personal experience, but a small story in a storybook.
After hearing this, Mu Congmo felt both guilty and distressed. He took the young man's hand and made a solemn promise, "Once you know your identity, come to the capital to find me, okay? I'll be waiting for you anytime. If your parents treat you badly, then you can live with me in the palace."
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