Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 278 The King of Yue
The front courtyard of the Yue Kingdom Princess's residence.

Zhang Dashi, a retainer of the Yue princess, was discussing the investiture ceremony with officials from the Ministry of Rites when he suddenly heard a commotion. Turning around, he saw seven or eight handsome young officials filing in, and he was momentarily stunned.

In the past, he thought most men looked pretty much the same, and someone like Gu Jingnian was extremely rare. But today's scene intimidated him. In front of these men with extraordinary demeanor and bearing, he felt like someone Nuwa had casually tossed out when she created humans.

Everyone continued working, but one person stepped forward and greeted Zhang Dashi.

"Brother Zhang."

"You recognize me?"

"I had previously seen Brother Zhang going on a spring outing with the princess from afar."

After exchanging a few words, Zhang Dashi learned that the other party was Lu Junhao, the son of the Princess of Yong, the nephew of Emperor Yong, a learned man who already held a noble title at a young age, and was exceptionally talented, not only able to generate wind but also invulnerable to swords and spears.

All of this led Zhang Dashi to believe that Lu Junhao was a perfect person.

What's even more remarkable is that Lu Junhao also expressed his fondness for Wei Yushi in his words, saying, "The princess is very lively and lovely."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dashi became agitated. He seized an opportunity to leave the front yard and strode up to the adjacent pavilion.

Sure enough, Wei Yushi was sitting by the railing.

She didn't adopt a ladylike demeanor; instead, she sat cross-legged as before, biting into a piece of fruit, her movements behaving like a country bumpkin.

"Did you see that? Those talented young men are all exceptional!" Zhang Dashi waved his hand.

"so what?"

"Which one have you taken a fancy to?" Zhang Dashi asked. "I think Young Master Lu is quite nice; he seems to like you a lot."

"I don't like it either."

Wei Yushi casually tossed the fruit pit aside, wiped her hands on her skirt, and glanced around to make sure Wei Li didn't find out.

Zhang Dashi was very puzzled and asked, "Why don't you like them? Any one of them would be someone you wouldn't see in a hundred years in my village. The ones you wanted to marry before weren't even half as good as them, no, not even a tenth. If Zhang Cuihua were here..."

“I’ll speak for you,” Wei Yushi said. “Zhang Cuihua wants everything.” “Then, brother, go and bring Zhang Cuihua to marry him off.”

"Sigh, I know you have high standards now, but they are not bad enough for a princess like you."

“It’s not about whether we’re a good match or not, it’s that I don’t like it,” Wei Yushi said. “I don’t want to get married.”

Zhang Dashi scratched his head and sighed, "But His Majesty's intention is to bestow a marriage upon you after the Empress is appointed. Otherwise, you can't very well enter the palace with him, can you?"

“Then I will not enter the palace; I will find somewhere else to go.”

Zhang Dashi hesitated several times before finally saying, "I know what you're thinking, but Ah Chou is your half-sibling, it won't work..."

“Brother, what nonsense are you talking about?” Wei Yushi said. “I don’t have such wild thoughts. I just consider him my elder brother.”

After saying that, she glared at Zhang Dashi with annoyance, then turned and walked away.

Zhang Dashi sighed and muttered to himself, "Treat him like an older brother... An older brother is like me, not like how I treat him?"

Over there, Wei Yushi quickly descended from the high pavilion, but since she couldn't go to see Wei Li and Gu Jingnian immediately, she went around to a secluded spot in the back courtyard to find some peace and quiet.

There was a small pond in the backyard. She walked to the edge of the pond, staring at her reflection, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a sound came from the water.

"Little girl, what's bothering you?"

Wei Yushi was taken aback and turned her head to look. To her surprise, she found a figure standing on the lake, its appearance unclear.

She asked, "Who are you?"

"Consider me the water god who governs this pool of spring water. You're lucky; I can grant you one wish."

Wei Yushi tilted her head and stared intently at the indistinct figure, noticing his flowing beard, which wasn't unpleasant at all.

“No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve,” Wei Yushi said, “this is not a place you can just come and go as you please.”

"Haha, if you won't tell me, then let me guess. You have someone you like, but he's your half-brother, right?"

"You were eavesdropping on my conversation with my elder brother?"

“I told you, I am the water god, I know everything. I also know that you and he are not actually half-siblings.”

"fraud."

Wei Yushi made her decision without hesitation and turned to leave.

She wasn't stupid; she knew the other party had discovered her weakness and must have come with ulterior motives. It was best to leave now.

She jogged back to the vicinity of the flower hall, and when she looked back, the strange figure was not chasing after her.

But in the flower hall ahead, Wei Li and Gu Jingnian were still talking, not allowing anyone to approach. That flower hall was equipped with magical treasures, so even if someone eavesdropped outside the window, they wouldn't hear the conversation inside. Wei Yushi stood outside, watching Gu Jingnian from afar, and as she watched, she became mesmerized.

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Gu Jingnian sat by the window, looking at Wei Li with eyes as bright as stars, filled with contemplation.

“Your ideas differ from Emperor Yong’s. He wants to unify the Central Plains, while you only want to restore your kingdom. The restoration of Yue will inevitably hinder the process of unifying the Central Plains.”

“No,” Wei Li said. “What I want is to get rid of Emperor Rui. I am of one mind with His Majesty on this matter.”

Gu Jingnian said, "He is an ordinary person without supernatural abilities, hoping to make Zhongzhou no longer suitable for people with supernatural abilities to live in. What about you? Are you willing to give up your ability to see through people's hearts?"

“I’m willing to give it up,” Wei Li said.

Gu Jingnian was not swayed by her words. His tone became even more resolute as he said, "It's impossible. If Yue wants to restore its kingdom, it will inevitably allow Zhongzhou to continue to split."

"Why?"

"Because the Yue Kingdom no longer has the strength to unify the Central Plains. The people have perished, leaving only some extraordinary individuals and alchemists like Zhao Boheng who have mastered the art of alchemy. In addition, there is the Undying Army that you may be able to win over. This is your greatest reliance. These people will not want to see the breach in the Central Plains close and for them to become mortals."

Having said that, Gu Jingnian made a very firm conclusion.

“You and Emperor Yong have fundamental differences, making long-term cooperation impossible. That’s why you’re seeing me today—because we share the same goal, aren’t we?”

Wei Li smiled faintly and said, "You're wrong."

"is it?"

Wei Li stood up, walked to Gu Jingnian's side, and whispered, "I saw you to tell you that I have seen through your deception... There is no such thing as a God Venerable. Zi Cang's ambition has not been approved by the Realm Lord at all. You are not just borrowing the tiger's power, but using the tiger's skin as a banner."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingnian was indeed surprised.

He planned to use his experience in the realm to build his own power, and this matter could not have been exposed, because apart from them, no one else in the world had come out of the realm.

What did Hu Jingnan say? But Hu Jingnan had not heard his conversation with Zi Cang.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Gu Jingnian's mind, and he remembered the clue Han Youxin had given him, and he understood.

"Shen Jichi?" He chuckled lightly. "What could Shen Jichi possibly know? He's just trying to protect Emperor Rui and belittle the Divine Lord."

Wei Li didn't answer, she just stared at Gu Jingnian.

Gu Jingnian then pressed on, "You saw Shen Jichi last night, didn't you?"

How did you guess?

"It wasn't a guess, but rather that the God already knew Shen Jichi's thoughts."

Gu Jingnian's words might have been a mistake; they didn't fool Wei Li. She smiled and shook her head, saying, "You're very clever, but you can't fool me. Do you know how Shen Jichi came out of the realm?"

Gu Jingnian raised his hand, gesturing for him to speak.

Wei Li said, "He made an alliance with the Lord of the Realm on behalf of Emperor Rui."

"What alliance?"

“I don’t know,” Wei Li said. “He told me to give up the idea of ​​eliminating Emperor Rui, saying that he could not be defeated. Also, Zi Cang has been imprisoned by the Realm Lord. Ha, God Venerable? You actually came up with that.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingnian couldn't help but worry about Ying Yao.

But then he thought, if Zi Cang was really captured so quickly, it would mean that the Realm Lord knew everything long before Ying Yao agreed to steal the things. So why did he lure Ying Yao into the Realm? Wouldn't that implicate Ying Yao?

Moreover, it is still unknown whether what Wei Li and Shen Jichi said is true or false.

Perhaps Shen Jichi is just like him, entering the realm once and then going around swindling and cheating.

So Gu Jingnian remained calm and said, "You had better join me in protecting the God, otherwise, do you intend to submit to Emperor Rui as Shen Jichi said? I have said that only I share the same goal as you."

"You have no trump cards, so what do you have to offer to cooperate with me? A fake god?"

“Who says I don’t have any trump cards?” Gu Jingnian took out the bone dagger and said, “If we kill Shen Jichi, no one else in the world will know whether the God is real or not. We can still use this to gather extraordinary people, restore the Yue Kingdom, and eliminate Emperor Rui.”

He knew why Wei Li was testing him today; it wasn't for information he already knew, but to see his courage and sincerity.

So, Gu Jingnian looked at Wei Li, not avoiding her gaze, letting her see through his thoughts and ideas.

After a while, Wei Li took the bone dagger and glanced at it.

"Alright, Wing King."

Gu Jingnian reached out and took the token back from her hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you, King Yue."

(End of this chapter)