Chapter 263: Grandmaster Asks for a Disciple

"I always have plenty of time."

Gu Dan shrugged slightly and said helplessly: "You are the one who really has no time, right?"

The people who originally lived in the Gu family courtyard now all have their own places to go.

Xun Ke stayed in the Tianxia Academy, where he had many disciples and shared his ideas with them.

Xiaoying served as the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, in charge of more than a thousand women, teaching them how to deliver children and take care of babies.

There is no need to say more about Qin Lisheng. He took the Mohist school all over the Xia Dynasty and it is unknown where he is staying.

Even Cang has now fled to Yuzhou and served as the governor.

Gong Shangguo has been busy with state affairs since the founding of the Xia Dynasty, and has completely forgotten himself.

The previous few people would go to the Gu family's courtyard and sit for a while, but the person in front of him had completely forgotten the word "private" except during the Chinese New Year.

It’s not that Gu Dan doesn’t have time, but they all have their own things to do.

"Ha ha."

Gong Shangguo laughed, not as fiercely as before, but more cheerfully, "After all, people can only live for so long, so I dare not squander it. I have to do more things while I can still move."

"Come on, I don't think you've ever thought about retiring."

Gu Dan waved his hand.

"retire?"

Gong Shangguo pondered for a moment and understood the meaning of these two words, "Retire and return to my hometown? Where do I have a hometown? The Xia Dynasty is my hometown."

When Dayue was in decline and under attack from all sides, Gong Shangguo was already in despair. After angrily confronting the emperor, he didn't even think about going back alive.

But all the events that happened afterwards were beyond his expectations. As the surviving son of the emperor from the previous dynasty, he should have been branded as an unforgivable criminal. However, who would have thought that he would be able to hold an important position in the Xia Dynasty and display his talents.

Perhaps because of the apology in his heart, or perhaps to make up for the pain that Dayue brought to this land, Gong Shangguo became selfless after taking office, even more so than the Mohists, and devoted himself to state affairs without stopping.

Even if they all lived in the imperial capital, it was quite common not to see each other for years.

If Gu Dan hadn't come to look for him, Gong Shangguo would definitely not have had the time to chat with him.

"It doesn't matter if you don't return home yet."

Gu Dan stared at Gong Shangguo for a moment and said, "But you don't have to be too tense. You should know that every generation has talented people. The Xia Dynasty is not Dayue, and Wang Mang is not Emperor Zongming. If you can accomplish 100% of the things you have done with your hard work, and give them to people who can accomplish 90% or even 80%, it may help them grow slowly."

"I won't be busy for many years."

Gong Shangguo laughed, and wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. His handsome face, which had been weathered by the years, showed a gentleness from the inside out. The sharpness of the past had completely faded away, revealing his true face that still loved life after experiencing many things in the world. "While I can still do more, I want to do more by myself."

Hearing this, Gu Dan sighed.

There are a number in this world.

One life in this mortal world is not even a hundred years long, so how rare is it to see one who lives a hundred years?

As living beings living in this world, whether it is for fame, wealth, personal honor, or for family, country, and the morality in our hearts, we must strive hard for it in our limited lifetime.

Many things can be done neither hastily nor slowly.

I once sighed: The country’s difficulties are caused by the people.

Now that the prosperous era has arrived, those who grew up in the difficult times of the country are still doing their best to shine and illuminate the people of this era.

"But you, have you finished compiling the medical book? What are you going to do next?"

Gong Shangguo briefly ignored himself and asked.

"Continue practicing."

Gu Dan said, "I promised someone before that I would try to see the scenery that he had never been able to see."

"Practice"

This time it was Gong Shangguo's turn to shrug. His eyes fell on Gu Dan's face and he said helplessly, "When it comes to this, no one can compare to you."

When he first met Gu Dan, he could still regard himself as a handsome young man in the prime of his life, but after so many years, he now looks old, with white hair hanging down his shoulders. Even as a martial artist with great internal energy, he sometimes feels an irresistible fatigue rising from his body.

But what can I worry about?

He looks to be in his early thirties, probably less than forty years old.

Time seemed unable to take anything away from him. Now that the two of them stood together, if someone said they were grandfather and grandson, I'm afraid no one would dare to believe it.

Even the Grand Master wouldn't be so outrageous!

If you compare yourself to others, you will die; if you compare goods to others, you will throw them away; you can't help but accept it.

When this was mentioned, Gu Dan just smiled and didn't say much more.

Because Gong Shangguo was unfortunately blocked by the interaction of the five elements and could not be promoted to a grandmaster, otherwise his life span could have been extended by at least another 20 years.

When mentioning qualifications in front of people who lack talent, or in front of old friends, even if the other party does not mind this and has already moved on, Gu Dan will deliberately avoid it.

Time really can’t take anything away from him, but his surroundings are always filled with traces of time.

Next, Gong Shangguo and Gu Dan made tea and chatted casually.

In fact, they were all talking about national affairs, where it was raining heavily, where there was a drought, where there was a flood, where there was a good harvest, where there were more children being born, and the increase in household registrations. When it came to these things, Gong Shangguo knew them all like the back of his hand and could talk about them at will.

Like Gu Dan, he never married, never had any affairs with women, and even had no offspring. It can be said that he had no involvement in any family affairs.

The two chatted casually about this and that, and most of what they said were random things, without any serious topics.

As for disasters - no matter how prosperous the era is, it is impossible to control the world. The Xia Dynasty has a vast territory, so it is inevitable that some places will be affected by disasters. It is not surprising.

Most of the time, Gong Shangguo was talking and Gu Dan was listening.

His arrival could not help Gong Shang deal with any state affairs, but it only bought him a moment of rest.

As the sun gradually slid to the west and dusk faded, Gu Dan left.

After thinking about it, he walked towards the Xia Dynasty Palace.

After all, Wang Mang was the emperor of the Xia Dynasty, so he had to be informed after the compilation of the medical book was completed.

Gu Dan came to the imperial study with familiarity. Every time Gu Dan came here in the past, he could see Wang Mang sitting there reviewing a mountain of memorials.

But this time, there was no one inside, which was rare.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the window onto the desk, revealing some mottled light and shadows.

Gu Dan casually wandered around the palace, and thanks to his own perception, he quickly found where Wang Mang was.

He and Xu Wanrong were admiring the flowers in the imperial garden hand in hand, looking warm and beautiful.

His sudden appearance surprised Wang Mang a little, but more of a delight. Every time Gu Dan came to the palace, it was a real good thing for the Xia Dynasty.

"Brother Gu!"

Wang Mang was the first to greet.

With a greeting, the guards who were originally guarding the imperial garden were filled with surprise when they suddenly saw someone appear and were extremely nervous.

What is Emperor Xia shouting at that person? !

Many people thought they had heard it wrong.

Because that man looked too young. Even a master couldn't look that young. Emperor Xia was already over sixty years old. The person whom he called brother must be at least seventy years old, right?

Even if he is a master, he shouldn't look that young when he is seventy years old.

What's more, each of the masters has experienced many vicissitudes of life, so their temperament will look different. They are also familiar with the masters of the Xia Dynasty.

The only difference is that this person has never been seen before, and even his temperament is somewhat different from that of the Grandmaster.

Although it was only the first time I saw it, temperament, something that can be seen, was still particularly conspicuous in the eyes of others.

Gu Dan has a calm and quiet aura, but he is also full of energy. He lacks the arrogance that a grandmaster unconsciously exudes, or the attitude of being superior to others for a long time.

"Are the young couple hanging out?"

Gu Dan said casually.

"There is no such thing as a young couple. They are already an old couple."

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Wang Mang looked helpless.

Xu Wanrong unconsciously pulled out Wang Mang's hand and covered half of her face.

There was surprise, envy, and even avoidance in his eyes when he looked at Gu Dan.

As martial artists who had mastered the art of internal organ training, she and Wang Mang were both stuck before the Grandmaster level and could not make any progress.

The once radiant Saint White Lotus became the empress of the Xia Dynasty. She controlled the affairs of the harem for more than 30 years, and little was known to outsiders.

Compared with the former Queen Dayue, Lin Xiaoyi, who ran outside every other day, Xu Wanrong could be said to have never left the house, and her main focus was thrift and frugality.

Time is merciless. More than 30 years have taken away many things, such as appearance.

She looked old and no longer had the beauty of her youth. The wrinkles on her face reminded her all the time that she was no longer young. Her originally slim figure now inevitably looked a little bloated. Fortunately, the phoenix robe was wide enough to cover it.

Fortunately, the people around me grow old together, and the feelings do not fade with age. Over the years, such things are common and not worth mentioning.

Only when she sees Gu Dan will she subconsciously avoid him.

For a woman, it is not a wonderful thing to see with her own eyes that her elders are still so "young" while she herself has begun to enter the irreversible aging.

Even though the other party may not care about this, they will still make comparisons subconsciously.

The most difficult thing to keep in this world is the red face leaving the mirror and the flowers leaving the trees.

Her youth was gone forever, but the elders were still the most amazing people in the world. How could she not feel sad and even avoid him subconsciously? After being stunned for a moment, Xu Wanrong put down her hand that was subconsciously covering her cheek. She smiled at Gu Dan with her wrinkled face, bowed and said, "Hello, Mr. Gu."

"It's okay, they are still a young couple in front of me."

Gu Dan comforted him.

He is not sensitive enough to time itself.

"I came here to tell you that the Medical Canon has been compiled. After so many years of development, the Medicine Field has accumulated a lot of medicinal materials. Although it seems a bit stretched to use them throughout the Xia Dynasty, there is no problem in selecting one or two states to implement them first."

Gu Dan was not a devil who liked to exploit others after all, and added: "These things are not so urgent. It would be good if we can see some results in the next ten years. If we want to implement it thoroughly, thirty years should be enough."

He has already made the first step in his destiny, and the rest will require the catalysis of time to yield results.

"Brother Gu, rest assured, I will do my best."

Wang Mang nodded immediately. It was rare for Gu Dan to be so concerned about something, so he would not slack off. He added, "The other four countries will also follow up. They have sent letters several times in the past few years to inquire about this."

“This is a good thing that benefits the people.”

Gu Dan nodded with satisfaction.

After so many years, many old acquaintances are no longer around. For example, the former Emperor Daqi, Qi Yinglong, passed away two years ago. Wang Mang even sent someone to deliver the letter to the courtyard.

Many people still remember the influence left by Gu Dan, but the good news is that the current strength of the Xia Dynasty is no longer supported by his military force.

Even without him, the Xia Dynasty had undoubtedly become the strongest country in the surrounding areas.

This is inseparable from Wang Mang's hard work and the talented people who dedicated everything to this country.

Gu Dan just quietly watched the rapid development of this country, feeling as if he was watching a prodigal son grow up to be a successful person.

"By the way, there is one more thing I need your help with. I was just looking for you, but I didn't expect you to come here."

Wang Mang said.

"oh?"

Gu Dan was a little curious.

The Xia Dynasty had been established for thirty-four years, but Wang Mang had never asked him for help.

Even if I went to the courtyard to look for him, it was just because I was tired and wanted to find a quiet place, not to talk about state affairs.

This was the first time Wang Mang asked him to do something.

"Tell me now."

Gu Dan said.

"Do you still remember those masters of the Xia Dynasty?"

Wang Mang reminded.

"Um?"

Gu Dan thought about it for a moment.

As the saying goes, talented people emerge in every generation. Although Gong Shangguo, Wang Mang and Xu Wanrong were all stuck at the barrier of the five elements' interaction and could not enter the realm of grandmaster, with enough people gathering, new, homegrown grandmasters were certainly born in the Xia Dynasty.

But now that the war is over, the Grandmasters of peacetime are not considered particularly important and rarely show themselves before the public.

The impact caused by the Grandmaster of the Otsuki era is incomparable, which is caused by the different situation.

Gu Dan had never been close to those new masters, nor had he given them any guidance, and he had never even met them in person.

Now the Grandmaster could no longer be his enemy, so naturally he didn't need to worry about him.

"Xue Wenjian and others"

Seeing that Gu Dan really didn't seem to understand, Wang Mang immediately added.

"Oh, you mean them!"

This time Gu Dan reacted, "What do they want from me?"

"Those masters who defected to the Xia Dynasty are now over a hundred years old, and some are even over a hundred years old, and are approaching their death."

Wang Mang said: "A few days ago, those masters came to me together, hoping that you could show them a way to move forward, even if the risk is great, even if they could die at any time, they don't care at all, and they have absolutely no resentment.

I've been thinking about the contributions those masters have made to the Xia Dynasty over the years, and I wanted to delay them for a few more years. Since you're here today, Brother Gu, I'd like to ask for your opinion."

(End of this chapter)