If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 75 The final farewell
"Yes, when the hummingbird brings the news back to Luodu, Miss Yu's legendary achievements of first fighting the Flag Hunter and then challenging Boyue Sanren will surely be known to the world and admired by everyone."

County Magistrate Wang did not understand Guan Zhong and Xiao Yu's worries, and at this moment his face was filled with sincere admiration and awe.

"Who is using hummingbirds to spread messages?" Guan Zhong asked.

County Magistrate Wang was stunned and said, "Who else needs to spread the news of the Feixiandu battle? No matter what the result is, it must be reported to Luodu immediately.

However, I learned the details of the Battle of Feixiandu from the Fire Crow Army's herald.

This morning, a herald arrived at Jiming Town with a fire token, asking me to prepare all the necessary supplies for Marquis Lieyang and the Fire Crow Army."

"The messenger of the Fire Crow Army." Guan Zhong's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and asked, "The first merit in the battle of Feixiandu should go to Lord Lieyang Hou.

The commander should be welcoming the marquis and the soldiers from the upper state, why are you looking for my young lady alone?"

Early this morning, Song Changqing fulfilled his promise and found Xiaoyu and Guan Zhong before the Fire Crow Army set out, and asked them to catch up with the main force in time.

When the Fire Crow Army set up camp in the evening, Song Changqing came out again to tell Guan Zhong and Xiao Yu outside the camp that Marquis Lieyang and the Fire Crow Army would remain outside the city, but would pass through the county town and continue south at five o'clock the next morning.

Because they knew that Marquis Lieyang would enter from the north gate and exit from the south gate, they chose to rest in an inn near the north gate.

“Alas, not to mention the great military exploits of Marquis Lieyang, just because he is an outstanding hero of the Chinese nation, I will bathe, burn incense, and go to pay homage to him as soon as possible.

But Wang was a low-ranking official, so he couldn't even enter the Fire Crow Army camp. He was stopped by a general, who warned Wang to do whatever the Marquis ordered and not to do unnecessary things. "Wang County Magistrate smiled bitterly.

Guan Zhong really wanted to unite with County Magistrate Wang against the same enemy.

"My Lord, you are busy with military affairs, and you have to rush to Tianmen Town to meet the imperial envoy from the country. You have to start your journey at five o'clock tomorrow morning!" He soothed with a sincere look and a gentle tone.

County Magistrate Wang nodded and said, "I also know that the herald has already gone south to Suiyang County with a fire sign. The Marquis of Lieyang is on a hurried march and has no time to socialize."

Guan Zhong thought for a moment, then stood up and bowed to County Magistrate Wang, saying, "Let the county magistrate know that the Marquis led the Fire Crow Army to travel hundreds of miles a day, and Miss Yu and I followed along the way.

Tomorrow morning, we will leave Jiming Town with the Fire Crow Army and eventually arrive at Yingxiang Prefecture.

So I feel ashamed to live up to the County Master’s kindness.”

County Magistrate Wang was surprised and asked, "Why are the steward and the young lady so anxious?"

Guan Zhong sighed and said, "My master is still in danger of death, and I am extremely worried. Miss Yu is also very concerned about her and is eager to return to Yingxiang Mansion!"

County Magistrate Wang's eyes flickered as he asked, "Why is it unknown whether General Guan is alive or dead?"

——Didn’t Guan Huchen violate Marquis Lieyang’s taboo and be beaten to death? Wasn’t he dead?
Guan Zhong said: "My master was seriously injured and almost died heroically on the Feixiandu battlefield.

Fortunately, the master has a magical horse that can travel 3,000 miles a day, and the Guan family also has a box of Huawuxiang, which may be able to save his life."

"Alas, General Guan is the pillar of the Shu Kingdom. May God bless this good man to have a safe life and escape disasters!"

County Magistrate Wang gave a sincere blessing, then stood up and said goodbye without inviting Miss Yu to the banquet.

However, after County Magistrate Wang left the courtyard, he immediately ordered the servants to deliver eighteen mahogany food boxes to the inn.

Open the food box, and you will find steaming delicacies, exquisite and sweet snacks, and various nuts and fresh fruits.

Xiaoyu and Guan Zhong enjoyed a feast.

After having a good meal and a few words of thanks, Xiao Yu gave the yamen runners a dozen taels of silver and sent them away. Then he picked up a cup of hot tea and whispered, "Uncle Zhong, do you think that the Marquis of Lieyang is playing a big game, or that a certain general from a higher state is dissatisfied with our Guan Mansion?"

Guan Zhong understood that she was talking about the messenger who publicized her legendary achievements of killing Kong Zan and deposing Zhou Lang.

"I dare not think about it. It's terrifying no matter how I think about it." Lao Zhong said with a wry smile.

“Not really, not really.” Xiao Yu waved his hand and said, “If Marquis Lieyang is playing a big game and using me as a pawn to attract the remnants of the Eight Immortals, he will keep a close eye on the movements around us.

He is an upright hero and would not kill someone with a borrowed knife.

If the remnants of the Eight Immortals appear and I am no match for them, he will attack immediately.

If it has nothing to do with Marquis Lieyang, and it's simply because a general from a higher state is unhappy with the Guan family, there's no need to worry.

Marquis Lieyang is an upright hero, and General Shangbang dare not go too far."

"Alas, Marquis Lieyang may be a great hero, but it is also a fact that he died in an unclear manner!

And the Red Smoke Horse.
The master should really listen to the old ancestors and study for ten years, and then come out after ten years. "Guan Zhong sighed.

"Is it possible that Marquis Lieyang has discovered my adoptive father's plan?" Xiao Yu asked.

"How did you find out? Marquis Lieyang had just arrived at Feixian Ferry, so the master had no chance to reveal any flaws. And even if he did find out, it would be—"

Guan Zhong was stunned.

Hu Chen once analyzed with him that as long as the Shadow God Map was completed, even if Marquis Lieyang discovered his plan, he would have to endure it or help him complete the Little Li Fei plan.

As soon as the Shadow God Map was completed, the fact that Miss Yu was the "Little Concubine Li" could not be concealed at all.

Once the Emperor knew that someone had secretly murdered Concubine Li, who could bear the Emperor's wrath?

Marquis Lieyang was at most a little dissatisfied with the "Little Concubine Li Plan", but there was no irreconcilable hatred between them, and there was not even any conflict of interest.

It's not worth it to anger the Human Emperor just for your own little anger.

Therefore, knowing Hu Chen's plan, Marquis Lieyang would endure it and not take any action, or simply get involved in it to gain benefits.

Hu Chen's judgment was probably correct, but there was a major premise in his judgment: the Human Emperor was still alive.

No matter how beautiful "Little Concubine Li" is, she is only meaningful to the emperor who misses Concubine Li.

With the appointment of a new emperor, "Little Concubine Li" immediately lost all value.

Marquis Lieyang did not need to hold back at all and vented his anger right away.

"Alas, we have to ask the master about this matter. Let's rest early. Starting tomorrow, we must chase the Fire Crow Army more closely." Guan Zhong said helplessly.

"Miss Yu, Miss Yu"

Xiaoyu was very tired and slept soundly, but his soul became more and more unstable as he completely lost the Shadow God Map.

That night, after silently reciting the Tao Te Ching several times, she fell into a sleepy sleep. She didn't know how much time had passed before she heard someone calling her from a distance.

“Whoosh whoosh, bang bang bang~~”

Then, a chilly wind started to blow outside, stirring the branches of the magnolia trees outside the porch and tapping gently on the windows.

Xiaoyu rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed.

"Uncle Duan, is that you?"

"huhuhuhu"

The wind is getting stronger.

Xiaoyu took the clothes from the bedside and put them on, then found the embroidered shoes, walked quickly to the door, opened it, and saw two dark shadows standing in the yard outside the porch.

"Miss Yu!" Both black shadows bowed.

"Hey, Uncle Duan, what are you doing?"

Xiaoyu wanted to stop him, but couldn't touch him.

"Miss Yu, fortunately you are not staying near the military camp today, so my father and I can come and say goodbye to you. Alas, this place is too far from our graves, almost as far as we can go.

If you go one day further, we won’t have the chance to say goodbye in person.”

Xiao Yu said, "Before I fell asleep last night, I went back to the old site of Feixian Ferry and called Uncle Duan's name."

She wanted to know whether the Duan father and son were in danger after the flood.

If Uncle Duan shows up safely, we can also say goodbye.

In the end, I didn't encounter any ghosts.

"Yesterday the flood surged so fast and so suddenly that it was about to rush towards me. I was anxious and dove underground, and I got lost.

I took a detour back to Sanchaling, and then I took Guisheng to Hualongguan to find you again." Duan Yuhan said embarrassedly.

Xiaoyu knelt down and bowed solemnly to the two ghosts.

The two ghosts were now anxious, and they immediately knelt down opposite and kowtowed three times.

Xiao Yu said seriously, "Uncle, you have done me a great favor, and I deserve this respect. Besides, we are about to part ways, and I don't know when we will meet again. I feel a little sad, and I really want to pay my respects to Uncle."

She even bowed to that group of adoptive fathers with bad intentions. So why should she be reserved towards Duan Yuhan, a gentleman who sacrificed his life to help her and knelt down to her many times?
Duan Yuhan said: "Miss Yu's kindness to my father and me is truly as great as a mountain. Although I want to repay her kindness, my ability is limited and I can't help much."

"How could I not help! If it weren't for my uncle leading the way in the Qimen escape formation yesterday, I would have died under Kong Zan's Heavenly Sword." Xiao Yu said.

"Miss, is that you?"

At this time, there was a rustling sound of groping coming from the house opposite, and Lao Zhong was awakened.

"Ms. Yu, take care!" Duan Yuhan said.

"Miss Yu, have a safe journey." Guisheng said.

After saying this, the two dark shadows gradually went north.

"Squeak~~~"

Guan Zhong came out holding a candlestick and asked in surprise, "Miss, what are you doing kneeling in the yard in the middle of the night?"

"Alas, I met two good ghosts"

Xiaoyu got up from the ground and told the story of himself and the two ghosts from the Duan family.

"Humans and ghosts have different paths. The Flag Gate Escape Formation has different effects on humans and ghosts. With his guidance, I was able to return to the wine cellar in time and stop Li Qing, Wang Bao and the others. Later, I was able to kill Kong Zan and avoid Zhou Lang's flying sword, all thanks to his reminder."

Guan Zhong was amazed. "I didn't expect that the young lady's burying of the bones in the mountains that day would lead to such a great adventure. It is true that the law of nature is fair, and good and evil will be rewarded."

After a pause, he pondered and said, "Since Mr. Duan and Mr. Duan have been so kind to Miss, Miss should repay them with all her heart."

"How to repay?" Xiaoyu asked.

Guan Zhong glanced at her, and thinking that she had just escaped from the barbarians and did not yet understand the etiquette and customs of the "Central Plains people", he said: "Being buried in the ground is a great gift, and returning to one's roots is also a great gift."

Xiao Yu seemed to understand something, "I should send the remains of the Duan family father and son back home so that they can be buried in their hometown, so that their souls can find peace and enter reincarnation.

Alas, I only know that they live in Guangning Prefecture, but I didn’t ask for the specific address. I have to go to the local area to inquire carefully.”

She looked to Guan Zhong for help.

Guan Zhong smiled and said, "This is not difficult. When we return to Yingxiang Mansion, I will personally arrange for capable people to go to Guangning Mansion to find the Duan family.

If his family members were still alive, they would give them money and let the Duan family go to Sanchaling to bring back the remains of their relatives.

If the Duan family lost anyone or the family was in financial difficulty, they would hire an escort agency to go to Sanchaling and escort the coffin back to the Duan family ancestral tomb in Guangning Prefecture for burial."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhong! This is a very thoughtful arrangement." Xiaoyu was happy and bowed twice to Guan Zhong.

“No, no, no!” Guan Zhong quickly dodged and said, “Mr. Duan is helping the young lady, which means he is helping the master and me.

If he hadn't led the way and allowed the young lady to return to the wine cellar in time, I would have been dead, the magic pill would have been lost, and the master would have suffered endless humiliation.

The father and son of the Duan family have been very kind to the young lady and the entire Guan family.

I still feel a little regretful that I was not able to personally thank the two benefactors just now!"

——When it doesn’t involve his own life and the core interests of the Guan family, Lao Zhong can be considered a kind person.

Xiaoyu felt emotional.

In the next few days, Xiaoyu and Guan Zhong followed the Fire Crow Army on an arduous march.

But Xiaoyu's hardship was not in vain. During the march, she silently recited the "Tao Te Ching" over and over again.

To practice the breathing technique of "Xiong Long Gong", one must first accumulate "Dao Qi".

Xiaoyu's goal is far more than just practicing the "Xiong Long Gong" internal strength, she wants to become an immortal!

The "Tao Qi" accumulated now will definitely be of great use in practicing immortal arts in the future.

Therefore, she had a very strong subjective initiative when reciting the Tao Te Ching.

Not only did she memorize the original text of the Tao Te Ching, but when she encountered a city on the road, she would also look for annotations and analyses of the Tao Te Ching by various "Taoist masters" in bookstores.

Those who could publish books in ancient times were basically big shots.

"Miss, if you want to recite scriptures to increase your spiritual energy, you might as well recite the Huangting Dadong Sutra. It is said that reciting it ten thousand times can allow you to ascend to heaven in broad daylight and become an immortal." Guan Zhong suggested after asking about Xiaoyu's situation at the door of the bookstore.

"How many days does it take to recite the Huangting Dadong Sutra ten thousand times?" Xiaoyu asked.

Guan Zhong thought for a moment and said, "I heard that if you recite diligently every day, it will take at least twenty years."

"It's worth it to exchange a mere twenty years for eternal life. How many people have become immortals because of this?"

Guan Zhong shook his head.

He had lived for more than forty years, and had only heard of the legend of ascension a few times.

“I don’t know, maybe everyone can’t persist for that long, or maybe reciting the Dadong Sutra requires a special method.

Anyway, if you want to grow your spiritual energy, and become an immortal, you will make a lot of money; if you cannot become an immortal, it will not hinder your recitation of scriptures and growing your spiritual energy. "

Xiaoyu felt that what he said was right, so she continued to recite the Tao Te Ching silently.

There are simply too many versions of the Dadong Sutra.

Not to mention different cities and different bookstores, even in the same bookstore, there are four or five versions of "The Great Cavern Sutra", and even the titles are different. Some books have "Great Cavern" in them, while others only have "Huangting". She can't tell the real ones from the fake ones.

If she spent several years earnestly reciting the fake scriptures compiled by some third-rate Taoist priest, not only would she not gain any Taoist energy, but her already slim chance of becoming an immortal would also be ruined.

There are quite a lot of versions of Tao Te Ching, but at least she can identify them a little and find the most reliable one.

On the fourth day, early in the morning, Xiao Yu had just mounted the saddle when he suddenly thought of Hu Chen and turned to ask Guan Zhong, "Father should be back at Yingxiang Mansion by now, right?"

Guan Zhong was stunned for a moment, and said with a worried look: "If there had been no accidents on the way, we would have arrived last night. I hope the master had a smooth journey and is out of trouble now."

(End of this chapter)