Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 282 Figure it out

Gu Jingnian had plenty of time on this trip to Jusai City, so he took his time and, along the way, led everyone to visit the famous mountains and rivers of Yong Kingdom.

Therefore, Qin'er, Luoxia, and the others stopped calling themselves "homeless" and "floating duckweed," and started saying they were "traveling around" and "well-traveled."

Not only them, but Pei Nian, Feng Niang, and Miao Chunniang had all been spies and had never had the chance to calmly observe the landscape before, so their experience was quite different.

Initially, when they were boating on Donglin Lake, Fengniang mocked them, saying, "You can fly, yet you insist on sitting in this slow little boat. I wonder who you're doing this for?"

She knew that Gu Jingnian wouldn't be angry about her past relationship with him, given her slight jealousy.

Pei Nian ignored her, looked at the boundless lake, and recited a few poems.

Later, Fengniang also felt the joy of boating on the lake and feeling the gentle breeze, and couldn't help but sing a few songs.

Her singing voice was clear and beautiful, but Pei Nian, who held a grudge, made a sarcastic remark at this moment.

"On such a fine day and in such beautiful scenery, what's the point of just singing? Why not play a tune on the zither?"

Fengniang couldn't play the zither, but there happened to be one in the cabin, so she couldn't refuse directly. Instead, she retorted sarcastically, "Can you play?"

Pei Nian said, "My zither skills are not good, but I have heard that you have studied under a famous teacher. Why don't you show me your skills?"

Her words really angered Fengniang.

The scenery was breathtaking, but then he thought about the money he had spent for nothing.

Seeing them bickering, Miao Chunniang simply sat down, picked up a string with her delicate hands, and began to play.

With the melodious sound of the zither, they passed Donglin Lake, crossed Hongluan Peak, and admired the wildflowers covering the mountains and plains of Liuyuan. Finally, they arrived at Jusai City.

The mountain suddenly became steep and precipitous, adding a touch of solemnity.

Gao Changgan, who had been talking with a joking smile, suddenly sensed something, stopped smiling, and looked around blankly.

The journey ahead could only be undertaken on foot, but they had not walked far when Gu Jize received the news and sent people to pick them up and bring them into the city.

When the city gate opened, Gu Jingnian looked up at the city wall, feeling that his supernatural abilities could not be used and also feeling his own insignificance.

"Eleventh brother!"

Gu Jize strode forward to greet him, his face beaming with a smile.

Gu Jingnian thought that perhaps his elder brother's mentality would change after he took power, so he paid special attention to him. He found that Gu Jize's eyes were clear and did not seem to have any other thoughts.

Of course, even if he did have it, he might not be able to tell.

"Fourth brother."

"Hahaha, I told you long ago that you shouldn't stay in Yongjing anymore. A son of the Gu family should stay in Jusai City."

Gu Jize patted Gu Jingnian's shoulder with his broad hand, lowered his voice, and said with more sincerity, "I have few men at my disposal, so it won't be easy to keep the Xiaoyi Army in check. You must help me this time."

Gu Jingnian said, "I came back this time because I want to marry Pei Nian."

“It won’t delay you.” Gu Jize’s smile remained unchanged. “It’s time for you to get married, settle down, and start a family. After you get married, you can take command of the Xiaoyi Army with me.”

Despite Gu Jize's stance, Gu Jingnian remained silent, only asking, "How is Father?"

"Nothing has changed."

"I have just returned and should go to see my father to inform him of my upcoming marriage."

“That’s true,” Gu Jize said. “I’ll take you with me.”

After settling the people Gu Jingnian brought, the two brothers went together to see Gu Beiming.

After passing through high walls and entering a heavily guarded stone chamber, the last iron door opened with the clanging of chains, and Gu Jingnian saw Gu Beiming again.

Sunlight streamed down from the small courtyard, illuminating the various snacks laid out on the table. Beside them were numerous musical instruments and books, presumably for Gu Beiming to use to relieve his boredom.

But Gu Beiming simply sat cross-legged on the couch, like an old monk in deep meditation.

“This place is a bit small. I’m building a new room for Father. When he moves there, he’ll be much freer.” Gu Jize said to Gu Jingnian, then bowed and said, “Father, your son and Shiyilang have come to pay our respects.”

Gu Beiming, who was sitting there, opened his eyes.

His hair was loose, but he didn't look disheveled; on the contrary, he was in very good physical and mental condition.

The moment he saw Gu Jingnian, his eyes narrowed noticeably, a glint of light flashing within them.

"I thought you would die out there, but you came back alive. That's good."

Gu Jingnian stood there for a while, but ultimately didn't know how to start a casual conversation with Gu Beiming, so he simply got straight to the point.

"Does Father know about 'boundaries'?" Upon hearing this, Gu Beiming stood up, walked towards Gu Jingnian, stared into his eyes through the iron bars, and asked, "And how do you know about them?"

“Not only do I know about it, but I’ve also been there.”

"You've been there?" Gu Beiming's expression shifted as he asked, "Tell me, what happened?"

Gu Jingnian said, "Father has not yet answered my question."

"I know the boundaries."

"So, your submission to Yong Kingdom was actually for the sake of the border?"

Gu Jize, who was standing to the side, couldn't understand what they were saying, so he asked, "What is a boundary?"

"Fourth Brother, please calm down, I will explain to you."

Gu Jingnian raised his hand to stop Gu Jize from asking the question, waiting for Gu Beiming's answer.

The father and son looked at each other for a while. Seeing that Gu Jingnian was unmoved by reason, and that he was trapped here, he could only ask Gu Jingnian for more information about the outside world. So he said, "That's right. After learning that Yingyao is a descendant of the phoenix, we considered that she is the most likely person to enter the realm in hundreds of years."

"You? Who are you all?"

"This matter will be discussed by me, Shen Jichi, and His Majesty."

"What do you want?"

Gu Beiming said, "I want Yingyao to act as an informant to gather intelligence on the situation in the border region and capture the Womin people."

Gu Jingnian asked, "Is it possible?"

“If I can control you, then I can. Yingyao is connected to you by blood, isn’t she?” Gu Beiming said. “I deliberately let you go to find her back then, but unfortunately, the subsequent changes were beyond my expectations.”

Gu Jingnian then asked, "Do you recognize Liu Yuchuan?"

"Who is that?"

"A very powerful superhuman."

Gu Beiming said, "I might recognize the person, but I don't know the name."

Gu Jingnian then asked, "Where did you get your understanding of the boundary?"

This question is a bit silly. Gu Beiming looked amused and said, "Your Majesty rules over the heart of the Central Plains, so naturally you are very clear about the origin of the boundary."

"What is its origin?"

Gu Beiming said, "Some extraordinary individuals reside in the sanctuary of Zhongzhou."

His view differed from Qu Jizhi's; he did not share Qu Jizhi's reverence for the power of the realm.

This suggests that Ruidi likely possesses some secrets about dealing with the realm.

Gu Jingnian asked about this in detail for a while, but Gu Beiming still didn't know the specifics.

Gu Jingnian then asked, "So, your allegiance to Yong Kingdom is a pretense; in essence, you are still loyal to Emperor Rui."

"Silly child," Gu Beiming sighed, "What loyalty are you talking about? It's all just going with the flow. You don't know your father's ambitions."

Gu Jingnian was not interested in Gu Beiming's ambitions. After pondering for a moment, he asked again, "But Shen Jichi entered the realm, yet in the end he only made an alliance with the realm lord on behalf of Emperor Rui. Why?"

"Is that so?" Gu Beiming frowned slightly and asked, "How exactly?"

Gu Jingnian said, "He entered the realm with me, and relying on his ability to transmit images, he ran around everywhere and was captured."

“It seems they still underestimated the people of the Realm,” Gu Beiming said. “The Realm and the emperor of Zhongzhou have an agreement of non-aggression. The fact that the Realm Lord is reiterating this shows that the Realm Lord believes His Majesty will unify Zhongzhou.”

"After Emperor Rui unifies the Central Plains, will he close the gap with the Yi Sea? If so, what use is his cultivation of supernatural abilities?"

Gu Beiming laughed and said, "Then it is naturally entering the realm. The alliance between Shen Jichi and the realm lord must be to allow His Majesty to enter the realm. In this way, Zhongzhou and the realm will each follow their own path."

Gu Jingnian, however, did not believe that Emperor Rui's ambitions were limited to this. He gave a slight sneer and asked, "Then what about us extraordinary people?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jize's expression changed slightly, while Gu Beiming was initially surprised, but his eyes lit up when he looked at Gu Jingnian.

Gu Jingnian continued, "We are extraordinary beings. If the breach in Zhongzhou closes, and we cannot enter the boundary, how will we cope?"

"Eleventh brother, what are you saying?!" Gu Jize asked in astonishment.

The next moment, Gu Jingnian suddenly struck out, hitting Gu Jize on the neck with a palm strike, knocking him unconscious.

Seeing this, Gu Beiming was overjoyed, stroked his beard and sighed, "You've finally figured it out."

(End of this chapter)