Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 255 Exchange
No one spoke in the main hall; only the crackling sound of the fire could be heard.

Yan Da and A Meng sat there in a daze, looking completely lost. Hu Jingnan sat upright, surveying the empty hall, occasionally glancing at Gu Jingnian.

Gu Jingnian was diligently refining elixirs.

To be precise, the only part he knew how to do was start the fire, since everything else was readily available. Even the medicine to induce blood clotting was prepared by Gui Zhi herself. Gu Jingnian simply moved some firewood piled under the stove to make it burn brighter.

However, Hu Jingnan clearly sensed that Gu Jingnian had undergone a tremendous change during his journey into the realm of immortals; his focused eyes now held a coldness that was not present before.

The ways of the world eventually forced a simple boy into becoming a complex being.

Yingyao, however, failed to sense Gu Jingnian's change. She looked around the hall with a furtive feeling and whispered, "Young Master, is the hall you see different from the one I see?"

"Ah."

Gu Jingnian pointed and said, "There's someone over there."

Ying shook her head and looked over, muttering, "No."

"They were people who existed before."

"Who?"

"I don't know, but he was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, dressed very elegantly," Gu Jingnian said. "He also looked very wealthy."

Yingyao still couldn't see anything and asked, "What is he doing?"

“He’s dead,” Gu Jingnian said. “He was tortured to death by being nailed to a frame.”

"what?"

Yingyao gasped in surprise, feeling even more that this place was eerie, and dared not speak again.

Upon first hearing this, Hu Jingnan thought that Gu Jingnian must have made it up. But then she wondered if Gu Jingnian was deliberately trying to scare Yingyao, and she wondered why Zi Cang had kept a corpse in the hall.

She asked the question that had been bothering her, but Gu Jingnian didn't know the answer either, only saying, "Perhaps it has some meaning for him."

"Alright," Hu Jingnan said, not wanting to stay any longer. "Let's go."

Gu Jingnian said, "The pill is not yet ready."

"You really want to take it?" Hu Jingnan asked. "How will we know if the pill is ready?"

"I'll go up and have a look."

Gu Jingnian only knew the simplest method: he flew to the top of the furnace and peeked inside through a small hole.

Gui Zhi was sitting cross-legged, tiny droplets of blood appearing on her forehead; she looked to be in great pain. This reminded Gu Jingnian of his past experiences. In the past, Gu Jingnian would not have been willing to increase his strength in this way, but now he felt no pity.

"It should take another day or two, let's take a break."

Gu Jingnian landed on the ground, picked up some pastries, and distributed them to everyone.

To onlookers, it seemed as if he conjured pastries out of thin air with a flick of his hand, quite magical. But to him, the pastries were already laid out on the table to the side.

"Is this from before?" Hu Jingnan asked, taking the pastry.

"Of course it is."

"Did it... go bad?"

"should not."

Hu Jingnan still didn't dare to eat, but when she turned her head, she saw that Yingyao had already finished eating, and there was even a happy expression on her face, so it must have been delicious.

Her stomach growled, which was quite unbecoming of a lady, so she covered her mouth and took a small bite.

"Yes, it's a royal apricot blossom pastry. Although it's not as good as the one made by the imperial chefs of Yan Kingdom, it has a delicate and glutinous texture and is sweet but not greasy."

"anything else?"

Gu Jingnian continued to feed her. Hu Jingnan had a small appetite and was full after eating two pieces, while Yingyao tried her best to eat four pieces.

Yan Da and A Meng have big appetites, and small pastries like apricot blossom cakes are not enough to satisfy them. In the past, they could only occasionally try them in restaurants, but today they ate over a hundred pieces and exclaimed that they were very satisfied. In the end, they even waved their hands and said that they were tired of them, so Gu Jingnian stopped taking them.

Hu Jingnan asked, "Young master, is this apricot blossom pastry inexhaustible?"

"Seems to be."

"If that's the case, then Zi Cang is far too powerful. With just this one skill, wouldn't he be able to eliminate the suffering of hunger and cold in the world?"

"Yes."

If it were inexhaustible, it would indeed be terrifying.

Time passed slowly, and the next day, the pill was still not refined. Yan Da and A Meng started asking for apricot blossom pastries again. Gu Jingnian kept taking them from the plate he saw. As he took them, his hand suddenly went empty. He turned his head and saw that the plate was empty.

"what happened?"

"Finished."

Hu Jingnan was quite surprised and asked, "How could you finish it all?"

Gu Jingnian thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps, Zi Cang's memory only contains so many apricot blossom pastries."

"I see. It's not that it's inexhaustible, but rather that it can display as many pieces as it once had."

"That's quite impressive." A-Meng patted his belly and said proudly, "He probably didn't expect that Yan Da and I could eat so much."

Even so, Gu Jingnian and Hu Jingnan still felt that Zi Cang was terrifyingly strong.

Suddenly, a hissing sound came from the stove, and a wisp of steam rose from the top of the stove.

"Is it ready?" Gu Jingnian glanced through the small hole again and saw that Guizhi's body had floated up, so he opened the furnace door.

Looking at it, Guizhi had turned as pale as Baiyuze and Longxushui, and two red pills were stuck in his chest.

Without much hesitation, he took the pill and swallowed it.

When Hu Jingnan quickly stepped forward, she saw Gu Jingnian tilting his head slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the pill.

He had no intention of sharing it with him and kept it all for himself.

The two exchanged a glance, and Hu Jingnan, sensing Gu Jingnian's assertiveness, actually offered an explanation on his behalf.

“This person is skilled in the art of teleportation. You are the only one among us who can do it, so you can improve your strength and lead us away.”

“Yes,” Gu Jingnian said, “Since we’re working together, I won’t shortchange you what’s due.”

"Let's go."

"This way."

Gu Jingnian led the group through a door they couldn't see, out of the main hall, and outside lay a beautiful palace built against the mountain.

There is a pavilion on a small hill not far away.

There was no one in the pavilion, only a small table.

"Just wait for me."

As Gu Jingnian spoke, he patted Yingyao's shoulder to comfort her, then turned and walked towards the pavilion.

Yingyao and Hu Jingnan followed Gu Jingnian's gaze, only to see him walk into the pavilion, raise his hand and clasp his hands in a gesture of respect towards a certain place, but there was clearly no one opposite him.

In Gu Jingnian's line of sight, he saw Zi Cang sitting there.

"Yesterday, before I left, I sat here for a while and left a 'past' for you."

Zi Cang casually remarked, glancing at Gu Jingnian from head to toe, and said, "It seems you've already subdued my servant?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel?"

"I haven't tried it yet, but my strength should have improved, especially in the Shadow Transmission Technique," Gu Jingnian said.

"That's not what I'm asking you," Zi Cang said. "I'm asking how it feels to refine other people's essence."

"I don't feel anything."

“That’s right,” Zi Cang said. “Sheep eat grass, wolves eat meat. If you were a grass-eater, I wouldn’t need you.”

Gu Jingnian said, "I don't understand why you want to use me? Compared to Liu Yuchuan, I am not strong enough and difficult to command."

Zi Cang smiled and said, "You should know what I want to do. You heard my conversation with Liu Yuchuan, which was also meant for you."

"You want to eliminate the Realm Lord and rule the Central Continent?"

"good."

Gu Jingnian said, "I can't think of anything I can do to help you."

Zi Cang pointed and said, "Her."

He was referring to Yingyao.

This action caused Gu Jingnian to frown, revealing his hostility.

“No need to be nervous,” Zi Cang said. “What I want is not her life, but something for her to do for me. To be frank, with Longxushui’s death, the realm is one less person. The realm lord and Lao Womin both plan to bring her into the realm.”

"Why?"

"Why? Perhaps it's fate." Zi Cang sneered slightly, clearly disagreeing with the word "fate," and said sarcastically, "How should I put it? In the end, it all comes down to her background. She has the blood of a phoenix, is extremely talented, and is from a fertile land. She is simple-minded and can endure loneliness to guard this Seven Star Array."

Gu Jingnian remained silent, lowering his head in thought as he considered the matter of letting Ying Yao enter the realm.

“You don’t need to think about it, it’s no use anyway,” Zi Cang said. “Entering the realm is something you can’t stop, and besides, this is a great opportunity for her. Even if it’s for her own good, you can’t stop it.”

"Ah."

Zi Cang said, "What I want is very simple: just do one thing for me after she enters the realm."

"what?"

"Take something from the Realm Lord."

Gu Jingnian was somewhat surprised and asked, "Is it that simple?"

“Not bad.” Zi Cang looked at Ying Yao and said, “I think this young woman is very stubborn. No one can force or persuade her, but one word from you is enough. You tell her to carry my things, and I will see you off. From now on, I will protect her.”

With these words, Gu Jingnian sensed that he was about to part ways with Yingyao.

He was not strong enough to change the outcome of their separation, so he could only stand in the pavilion and watch her, remaining silent for a long time.

Zi Cang sighed, patted his knee, and said, "I am a man of my word. You have seen so much of my past; you should understand me by now."

"it is good."

“It’s a deal.” After saying that, Zi Cang stood up and said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to see the Realm Lord.”

(End of this chapter)