Chapter 473: The Mutiny at Chengkang Temple (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
As dawn breaks in the east, clouds and rosy hues rise and fall.
Gong Xilai ignored Gong Xichou's advice to catch up on sleep and instead packed her bags overnight. Most of her belongings were provided by Gong Xichou; her clothes, fabrics, and jewelry were mostly gifts from higher-ups. Knowing the importance of this trip, she specifically targeted valuable items.
The patient wanted to help.
Unfortunately, her fever persisted into the latter half of the night.
She drifted off to sleep again, only waking up around noon the next day. With a slight movement, she found herself covered in sticky, hot sweat. However, she felt much better than the day before, and her mind was no longer foggy. Finding no one in the room, she struggled to get up.
Just then, Gong Xilai pushed open the door and entered, carrying a bowl of congee.
"Our benefactor has finally woken up. How are you feeling?"
"I feel much better after sweating it out."
Thanks to Gong Xilai's meticulous care over the past two days, using top-grade wound medicine borrowed from Gong Xichou, the wound is healing exceptionally well. Furthermore, the cold weather has prevented any ulceration or inflammation after treatment. It seems it should be fully healed in half a month.
The patient coughed and said, "You don't need to call me benefactor anymore. My family name is Yang Ying. Just call me Yingniang."
"In return for courtesy, Yingniang should call me Alai."
Gong Xilai couldn't bear to leave Yang Ying, whose injuries hadn't healed yet, so after consulting his sworn brother, he decided to take her with him.
She packed all her belongings into a small wooden box; if she were traveling light, two carriages would probably suffice. However, when she saw what Gong Xichou had prepared, she was immediately astonished—a full twenty carriages!
Open any car, and it's full of boxes.
"All my possessions are here." Although he hadn't commanded many troops and was jokingly called the "most powerful soldier," he was, after all, a brave and courageous warrior who went to the battlefield. In addition, his adoptive father never hesitated to reward him in order to recruit him, so he was quite wealthy.
Over time, he accumulated a considerable amount of wealth, which he has now donated to Gong Xilai as an inheritance to rebuild the clan's land.
"The clan's land has been neglected for many years, and life in the mountains is harsh. Remember to stock up on food. The vast tracts of fertile land outside the mountains belong to us, but they have been abandoned. You can recruit refugees as tenant farmers to help manage them, but don't do it yourself."
Since Gongxilai has no military protection, it's best to find someone to handle these matters that involve interests and attract envy.
He hasn't been playing around all these years.
He also secretly cultivated a number of trusted elites.
They were all helpless orphans and loyal warriors who would absolutely regard Gong Xilai as their own.
"I have already made arrangements. Once it gets dark, you should leave under the cover of night. Someone will come to meet you outside the clan territory."
Hearing Gong Xiqiu's every word about his own interests, Gong Xilai could no longer suppress his surging emotions, and his nose stung with tears.
Not to mention her days of selling smiles in despair after she turned ten, even before she turned ten, when her blood relatives were still alive, she never felt much love from her family. All she felt was cold exploitation. She was nothing more than a stepping stone used by her biological father to climb the social ladder.
In contrast, Gongxi Chou—
First, he helped her out of her predicament at a banquet.
Another year or two of care and concern followed.
Now, they don't look down on her humble origins, treat her like a younger sister, give her all their wealth, and even help her make arrangements for her future, completely eliminating any worries she might have—such pure devotion only makes Gong Xilai feel a vague sense of self-reproach and embarrassment.
Ask yourself honestly.
If she were Gong Xichou, even with all that, she wouldn't be able to give her all to someone she barely knew and who wasn't related to her by blood.
"Why are you crying?"
Gong Xichou tilted his head and asked.
I didn't do anything to her.
Gongxi said, "N-nothing—"
She hastily wiped away her tears: "I can't bear to part with my brother."
"Oh, brother is reluctant to let you go either, but you'll only cause trouble if you stay." The girl outside really is hard to understand.
He personally escorted the caravan out of the city and returned to his residence. Even though only one person was missing, the house felt much colder. Gong Xichou lit a lamp and carefully polished a magnificently designed dagger with bizarre patterns. He had just sheathed the dagger—
"Come out."
As soon as the words were spoken, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
This man, dressed in scholar's attire, appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with a hint of gray at his temples and a vermilion monogram hanging from his waist. Against the backdrop of his dark brown scholar's robe, he appeared exceptionally dazzling and alluring, like the red eyes of a venomous snake.
"You're just going to... hand over the clan's territory to outsiders like this?"
“Alai is my mother’s adopted daughter, so she’s not an outsider. In comparison, you, who have been expelled from the clan, are the outsider. What right do you have to interfere with my decision?” Despite believing in his heart that this person was his half-brother, Gong Xichou still couldn’t bring himself to like him.
The cooperation over the past year or two has simply been a mutually beneficial arrangement.
As for the relationship—
They didn't get close at all, and the more they disliked each other, the more they became.
Gongxi Chou deliberately raised his voice and said defiantly, "I am the last descendant of the Gongxi clan. Do I need you to tell me what to do?"
The scholar was not annoyed.
He just joked, "Aren't you afraid of misjudging me?"
"Hmph, worldly things, you can't take them with you when you die. If I cling to them, will I be able to recruit soldiers and horses after I die, or will my grave be two inches wider?" Gongxi Chou knew that his chances of survival were slim. Although he was a fifteenth-rank junior scholar at a young age, his adoptive father... Don't be fooled by the old man's daily indulgence in wine and women and his frail appearance. Gongxi Chou had never been able to see through his true nature.
My adoptive father also has several martial arts masters who rarely appear in public. Years ago, they were ordered to launch a surprise attack on the Gongxi clan, resulting in a bloody massacre. It's unknown what benefits they obtained from the clan's secret manuals. Over the years, their strength has grown considerably.
He dares to take action, and he's also willing to prepare for the worst.
As for money and assets—
He really didn't value it much.
The scholar said calmly, "You may appear impetuous and naive on the surface, but you are actually quite composed. You've endured all these years, so why are you suddenly making a move? There must be a reason. Now is not the right time to act; perhaps you should wait another year or two."
Gong Xichou turned his head away: "Hmph, I can't bear it."
Scholar: "..."
Gongxi Chou sneered, "I know you are loyal to the King of Zhi. If you want to use me to curry favor with him, this is the perfect opportunity."
Scholar: "..."
It's quite rare to see someone who only knows how to have fun and cultivate themselves all day now know how to speak sarcastically and wittily.
He said, "We are of the same race and origin, so I would never do such a thing, but if you are courting death, I will not stop you."
Gong Xichou ignored him.
Although I was somewhat prepared.
But upon hearing the other's reply, a lump still formed in his throat—even though this fellow had been expelled from the Gongxi clan and left, the years of nurturing he had received were genuine. To stand idly by and watch the annihilation of his clan was utterly despicable!
"Don't worry, even if I'm seeking death, my enemy will definitely get there first!" The hatred for the extermination of our clan—if my brother won't avenge it, he will!
Originally, he was the only one left in the Gongxi clan.
This revenge must be taken by someone else!
The scholar fell silent.
He didn't come here looking for trouble.
Try to persuade them if you can, but if you can't, then forget it.
He had experienced firsthand the stubbornness of the Gongxi clan.
By the way, I have another piece of news to share.
"The Yonggu Pass you asked me to pay attention to—"
Gong Xichou perked up his ears when he heard this word.
"How about it?"
The scholar said slowly, "It's broken."
(●ˇˇ●)
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(End of this chapter)
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