Chapter 284 Return to the Imperial Capital

Gu Dan stood by the Yuan River, staring at his reflection in the water.

Today the source river was unexpectedly calm, without any waves, and extremely clear, reflecting his figure like a mirror.

He has straight eyebrows, dignified bearing, handsome features, and most importantly, his face seems almost ageless.

Over the years, he has not used his [Healing the World] to make himself younger, but his lifespan itself has far exceeded that of the mortal world, so much so that the word aging, even under normal circumstances, is still very far away from him, far enough away that people around him will never see it in this lifetime.

After staring silently for a long time, Gu Dan casually pulled out his hairpin, and his waterfall-like black hair fell down his shoulders. It was as dark as the deepest night sky, without a single speck of other colors.

Only those eyes seemed to be filled with too many emotions, and they even looked a little vicissitudes of life.

There was no one beside him.

No matter how joyful and sentimental the festival is, it will pass, and normal life is the main theme of life. The banks of Yuanhe River, which were extremely noisy some time ago, now only have a few wild birds flying and big fish leaping.

It's so lonely.

It is now the forty-eighth year of the Xia Dynasty.

Ten years have passed since the International Chamber of Commerce went to the Xia Dynasty.

Calculating the time, if nothing unexpected happens, those masters of the Xia Dynasty have already rushed to the Buzhou Mountains and started practicing Taoism.

Although we live under the same sky, the world is different.

After looking for a while, Gu Dan turned around and walked alone in the wilderness, leading two donkeys.

The world is vast and I am alone.

While strolling, Gu Dan arrived at the most prosperous city in Yuzhou.

He went to see Cang - but did not meet him. He just watched the fat, white man working on a chair from a very long distance.

In addition to official documents, there were also various cakes and crispy candies on the desk.

Behind Cang, there were two beautiful women serving him.

When it comes to enjoying life, Cang is probably the most outstanding one around Gu Dan.

He was neither influenced by Mo Qiu's frugality, Gong Shangguo's diligence, nor Xun Ke's morality, nor did he encounter Qin Lisheng's self-restraint and tranquility.

Fortunately, although Cang has a rather indulgent personal life, he has never done anything illegal. Otherwise, how could he enjoy the good food and drink here and remain indifferent when being impeached again and again?

Gu Dan stared quietly for a long time.

Until a young man in his twenties walked in and shouted to Cang: "Dad, the task you gave me has been completed."

"How many times have I told you, outside, what are you shouting about?"

Cang's fat, white face suddenly became serious, and unexpectedly full of majesty.

"Governor"

The child seemed to have done something wrong. He immediately lowered his head in fear, staring at his toes, not daring to speak anymore.

Cang stared at him for a long while with a frown on his face.

Then he sighed softly.

Alas, the child is useless!

"You can go back."

Cang was too lazy to pay attention to him. He waved his hand casually, then curled up in his chair, looking lazy again.

"I"

"Um?!"

There was a slight sound from Cang's nose.

The young man didn't dare to argue and immediately walked out of the room in small steps, not even daring to raise his head from beginning to end.

"What a virtue!"

As he left, Cang became even angrier.

He said to the two concubines beside him with some anger: "How could I raise such a thing?"

"Sir, are you expecting too much?"

His concubine was not afraid of him and continued.

"What do you mean by expecting too much?"

Cang said angrily: "I hired the best teachers, the most knowledgeable masters, and the most experienced team to guide him, and look at what he is like now! I gave him a task, and he just worked for half a month to complete it. If I send a clerk to do it for more than seven days, he will get out of this mansion!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he got. Cang struggled to get up from his chair, grabbed a handful of documents, but was reluctant to throw them on the ground. He looked left and right, and could only punch the desk, cursing, "You are a piece of rotten wood that cannot be helped!"

The two concubines serving him did not respond this time, but just covered their mouths and laughed.

The master had too high expectations for his offspring. He was already the governor of Yuzhou, but he still hoped that his child could surpass him, or at least perform better than him. How could it be that easy? The key point was that the master taught his child a lesson, but every time he compared people, he had to compare the Confucianist and the Mohist master. Who would dare to compare with him? But they couldn't say that the master was wrong. After all, the master had already become the governor of a state. If he wanted to go any higher, it would be almost impossible without the talents of those two.

After all, even without mentioning their talents, those two are masters-level figures. If you want to outlast them by enduring years of hardship, you are more likely to end up buried in the ground.

"ha."

Gu Dan couldn't help laughing secretly.

"who?!"

The furious Cang reacted extremely quickly, his eyes as fast as lightning, and immediately looked towards the location where the sound came from.

But when he saw that man, Cang felt like he was struck by lightning, and his whole body froze there.

After a moment, Cang slapped himself twice with his palms, and his expression became kind and gentle, even cautious, "Master, are you here?"

Master?

Hearing these two words, the two concubines beside Cang looked over curiously.

They just heard that Cang had a very powerful master, but Cang did not allow them to visit him, nor did they need to go to pay him a visit every year.

So everyone in the house thought that Cang didn't have a good relationship with his master, but looking at Cang's current appearance, it didn't seem like that! Finally, they saw that person.

It was a little different from what they had imagined. The man was obviously old, most of his hair had turned gray, and there were more wrinkles on his face, but one could still make out his handsome face, which even made people feel a little sorry for him.

If it weren't for those wrinkles, he would probably be a handsome and elegant young man!

But his expression was not stern, and his brows were slightly relaxed and kind, just like most elderly people, but with an indescribable aura.

What attracted the most attention was the pair of black eyes.

It was as bottomless as an abyss, embracing everything and seeming to draw everyone’s attention to it—those were a pair of eyes that had experienced much of the world.

"you?!"

Cang was also stunned.

"Why, you don't welcome me?"

Gu Dan asked.

"No, no."

Cang's eyes wandered over Gu Dan's face for a moment, looking a little suspicious.

How did the master suddenly become so much older? Although this kind of "old" could only be considered as an average person in his sixties, it still surprised Gu Dan.

He had almost gotten used to Gu Dan's constant appearance. Even if he walked side by side with Gu Dan, Cang would not be surprised if someone on the street mistook him for their master's elder.

"I passed by Yuzhou and came to take a look."

Gu Dan said casually.

"It should be. It should be."

Of course Cang knew that Gu Dan and Gong Shangguo went out traveling together. He looked around and there was no one behind Gu Dan.

He seemed to realize something, but did not mention it. Instead, he said, "Why don't you stay here for a while? I'll ask the cook to welcome you!"

Gu Dan doesn't care much about many things, except for eating, which is one of his few hobbies.

He still remembers it clearly.

"No, I just came to take a look. Seeing that you are still so fat, I know that you are doing pretty well."

Gu Dan said indifferently.

"Alas, I am so busy with official duties every day that I don't have time to exercise."

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Cang could only scratch his head in embarrassment.

"there is no time?"

Gu Dan stared at him with disdain.

Cang practiced martial arts, but since he was promoted to the level of practicing Zang, he has made no progress.

It’s not that you can’t continue practicing, but after training the internal organs, if you want to make further progress, you have to break through the obstructions of Qi and blood.

The pain of Qi and blood obstruction is naturally needless to say. Ever since Cang tried it for a moment, he made up his mind that even if the king of heaven came, he would not practice! There are very few masters, and it is not just because of the five elements sympathy blocking the last pass. In fact, Qi and blood obstruction is the culprit.

Without a mind and faith that is a hundred times stronger than that of an ordinary person, how can one improve his flesh and blood? Any warrior who can complete the barrier of qi and blood must be a ruthless person - a ruthless person who is especially ruthless to himself.

But in the absence of war and the belief that one has to do it, where is the motivation for people to continue their practice?

The vast majority of people don’t actually want to challenge their limits. It’s not even enough to just have enough, but just to stay alive.

Under the pressure from Gu Dan, Xun Ke and even Qin Lisheng, Cang gritted his teeth and practiced to train the internal organs. After training the internal organs, when he faced the long pain of Qi and blood obstruction that would torture him for ten years at a time, Cang had no motivation at all.

It's not something that will show results in a day or two, nor is it something that can be overcome by gritting your teeth and enduring for a month or so. It requires ten years of hard work!

Ten years in a row, a torture that he inflicted on himself! Even if it was just reading a few pages of a book every day, how many people could persist for ten years in a row? The most important thing was that the Xia Dynasty was not short of top combat power, and Gu Dan had not left yet.

Therefore, no one scolded Cang for "not knowing how to improve". After all, people tend to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. Who would like to torture themselves unless it is absolutely necessary?

The predecessors have already suffered all the hardships they should have suffered, and the future generations will have the remaining shade to enjoy the coolness.

It is hard to say whether it is fortunate or unfortunate that you don’t have to force yourself to challenge your limits.

Gu Dan is not the type of person who likes to point fingers at others, but after all, he watched Cang grow up, so naturally he has some different feelings about him.

Only this guy can make Gu Dan occasionally have the idea of ​​"beating him up".

Although he said he was just wandering around, Gu Dan still wandered around Yuzhou for a few days with Cang's company.

In today's Yuzhou, we no longer see the tragic scene when the Yuan River burst its banks.

The Xia Dynasty never gave up governing Yuzhou.

After Wang Mang ascended the throne, the three governors were Xun Ke, Zou Dan and Cang. They were all very capable and governed Yuzhou in an orderly manner.

However, this is an important grain-producing area after all, and the atmosphere of commerce is not strong here. Even if the outside world is bustling, it is strongly suppressed here.

No matter when, the foundation here is four words.

Agriculture-based.

“You did a great job.”

After accompanying Cang to see the lives of the people in Yuzhou under his efforts, Gu Dan not only did not reprimand him, but praised him, "You are talented, you don't need to compare yourself with anyone."

"Master."

Cang's lips were slightly open, as if he wanted to say something but stopped, his eyes were a little moist.

He is actually under a lot of pressure.

The people around me are all too evil.

Even Sister Ying is now a world-renowned imperial physician and a miraculous doctor of the time. She is deeply loved by the people and even he has heard a lot about her.

Compared with these people, the governor of a state seems to be just that - after all, there are at least eight governors like this.

But he knew that he was not the type of person who liked to endure hardship, so he passed most of the pressure on to his offspring.

However, there is no such thing as the greater the pressure, the greater the motivation. Pressure is pressure, and talking nonsense is not motivation.

Talent cannot be obtained through force, that can only be called exploitation.

"Okay, don't be a daughter."

Gu Dan waved his hand and said, "If we can help settle the local people, we will be considered to have made contributions to the country."

He did not let Cang see him off, and led the two donkeys back to the imperial capital of the Xia Dynasty, to the Gu family courtyard.

The yard was quite clean. During the time he was away, Xiaoying would come and sweep the yard every once in a while.

The sun chrysanthemums in the small courtyard are in full bloom again. The fragrance is so bright and dazzling that it looks like the sun on earth. It is indeed a treasure.

Gu Dan tied the two donkeys to the willow tree and returned to his house.

After walking for so long, he was a little tired and wanted to have a good sleep.

After a good night's sleep, when he opened his eyes again and looked at the familiar room, Gu Dan had the illusion that he was in a dream.

He walked into the yard, and it was not until he saw two donkeys tied under a willow tree that he finally confirmed that everything was not a dream.

He did come back, but some people never come back.

Sitting down at the stone table in the yard, Gu Dan made tea.

This time he didn't drink it. He stared at the cup in his hand quietly for a moment, and the tea was gently poured onto the ground.

In the summer, cicadas are chirping in unison, one after another. It is clearly very noisy, but to Gu Dan's ears, it seems particularly quiet.

Maybe it's because I've been out and about for too long, and my heart has become a little wild.

However, Gu Dan's leisure time did not last long.

Soon a voice came from far away, "Brother Gu, you're back?!"

An old man pushed the gate open a little and stuck his head in like a thief.

"You are such a grown man, why are you still like this?"

Gu Dan’s face turned serious.

"hey-hey."

Wang Mang then squeezed his whole body in and suddenly noticed that Gu Dan's hair had turned a lot grayer. He was a little surprised: "What's this?"

(End of this chapter)