Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 548 Where Are the Good People?

But like Jiang Duxu, no matter how much Jiang Yuan complained in his heart, he couldn't give up on this lift. Instead, his voice became seven or eight parts more honest: "Thanks."

There's no need for formalities between us.

One sentence ignited Jiang Yuan's anger again: "What do you mean by 'between you and me'? What relationship do we have? We're not familiar with each other, not familiar at all!"

"Alright, alright, we're not familiar with each other. Little princess, could you tell me about the situation in the Ancient Realm Jiang Kingdom? Was it destroyed or what? You don't seem like refugees carrying deep hatred; you seem more like you gave up voluntarily."

Jiang Yuan hesitated.

This was a topic Lu Xingzhou had asked about before: their specific background information.

I refused to answer at the time and told him to talk to his grandfather.

Now... the entire clan has started begging for food under his command. Even if he doesn't say anything, he can just ask any member of the clan and someone will tell him.

"Alright then." Jiang Yuan walked towards the pavilion on the mountainside: "Where's your white-haired pet?"

"Qingli is cultivating, studying the Ice Illusion you mentioned. Now that she's reached Huiyang, her understanding can be even deeper. She's making full preparations for the next battle."

"I thought you two would be inseparable." Hearing that Dugu Qingli wasn't there, Jiang Yuan felt a small joy she herself didn't know, yet also a little uneasy. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then sat in the pavilion gazing at the vast sea of ​​clouds beyond the mountains, lost in thought.

Lu Xingzhou casually sat down beside her and turned to look at her expression.

As Hanhuo looked at Yunhai in remembrance, his peach blossom eyes held a touch of melancholy, and he inexplicably gained a certain intellectual beauty.

Jiang Yuan sighed: "The eight ancient clans have long since declined. Several of them no longer have a clan name and have become just ordinary people. As you can see, our Jiang clan only has these people left, and none of them are very capable. Grandfather is the last pillar."

"It's not like you're the last pillar of support. You're so young and you're already at Huiyang level. Aren't you a more reliable pillar of support than your grandfather? If you ask me, it would be a miracle to send you out for a marriage alliance."

"I've already said that our marriage alliance isn't about using me to gain resources and establish a foothold, but rather about hoping that I will seize power from the Gu or Huo families and become the dominant force. In this concept, I am the core figure on whom high hopes are placed."

The reason I stopped discussing marriage with Lu Xingzhou was because I felt his family situation was too complicated and the waters were too deep for me to handle...

Not only was the backyard complicated, but Jiang Duxu was also worried that Lu Xingzhou was different from those old men. If his granddaughter really took a liking to him, he would be completely wasted.

Lu Xingzhou considered it carefully and said, "Hmm, how about you change your surname and use Jiang as your given name?"

Jiang Yuan was puzzled: "Huh?"

"Let's change our surname to Song."

"?"

Lu Xingzhou said speechlessly, "Why would I ask Jiang Duxu to do this job? What kind of misunderstanding does he have about his own granddaughter? Isn't that just a freebie?"

Jiang Yuan kicked him: "I've undergone rigorous training!"

"laugh……"

Jiang Yuan glared angrily.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this world anymore, let's talk about the past."

"The eight ancient clans relied too much on bloodlines. Their decline was mainly due to the dilution of their bloodlines generation after generation. Only a very few could inherit a purer bloodline that was reverted to its ancestral form. My grandfather and I belong to this category. Our bloodline purity is higher than others, which is why we are stronger. But this reversion to our ancestral form is limited. At least it is not as pure as the drop of blood you gave me. Other clan members are simply no different from ordinary people."

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment and said, "Then there is a problem. When you were powerful, no one dared to provoke you. But after you declined, such a special bloodline will inevitably become the object of some people's covetous research. You will be under pressure from all sides and will have a harder time than ordinary families."

"Yes, Grandpa said that those clans that have lost their ancestral hall names may have been framed behind their backs. They also had some powerful members who disappeared without a trace, and gradually the entire clan vanished without a sound. Grandpa felt that if things continued like this, our Jiang family would be wiped out, so he planned to relocate the entire clan."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Silent and without any clear enemy? That doesn't make sense. At least your grandfather should be able to sense who the hostility is coming from."

"Grandpa said that this silence actually proves who the enemy is."

Lu Xingzhou resolutely replied, "Heavenly Patrol."

Jiang Yuan turned to look at him, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration. She then lowered her voice and said, "I've already told you, try not to call me by my first name, not even a code name."

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "He should also be one of the eight clans, right?"

"Yes, the surname is Gui. Their clan has long been the maintainers of order in the ancient world."

"Then let's call him Turtle."

Jiang Yuan: "..." "You didn't tell me before because you were afraid the enemy was too strong and I would betray you?"

Jiang Yuan turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly, and after a long while muttered, "You've already become enemies with Maha. If you also become enemies with Gui... Guigui, then you'll have offended the two strongest forces in the world. Grandpa said that given your antagonistic relationship with Maha, you're more likely to cooperate with... Guigui."

"I'm so sad. It turns out that Old Jiang has always been wary of me."

"Shouldn't it be like this?" Jiang Yuan pouted. "It would be stupid of me to tell you this. I might wake up tomorrow and find myself tied up and handed over to the turtle."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her and muttered, "If you really want to tie her up, it'll be for your own use."

Jiang Yuan didn't hear clearly: "Huh?"

"It's nothing." Lu Xingzhou coughed lightly. "So this turtle is a hypocrite, seemingly a maintainer of order, but actually secretly killing other ancient clans while pretending to be a good person. By that logic, Maha is actually a rebel?"

“We don’t know exactly what Maha is planning, but we do know that Maha and Turtle don’t get along. So Grandpa approached Maha, hoping to cooperate. Maha happened to be planning a large-scale smuggling operation, the one on Golden Wind Island, and that’s when we came along. Later, Grandpa discovered that Maha’s descent to the mortal realm was also an incarnation; his true self couldn’t come, and even his incarnations had to suppress their cultivation. So Grandpa decided to go it alone…”

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "Gu Zhanting is right, it's not surprising that Old Jiang is two-faced. Mohe probably hates Old Jiang to death."

Jiang Yuan glared at him angrily, then turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly after a long while: "Grandpa had no choice. He had to be responsible for our entire clan, and he had to bear the infamy. He despised the dark ways of Mohe, such as possession. You...you're not like Mohe, Grandpa won't...please don't hold a grudge against him..."

"What can I say about him? I should thank him for his actions, which brought us together. This is very important for my understanding of the ancient world."

Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

He talks about understanding the ancient world, but isn't the phrase "we are connected" a bit ambiguous? Is he doing it on purpose...?

Lu Xingzhou was also deep in thought. He had considered this before: if Tianxun was on the side of justice, then Tianjie's actions seemed rather suspicious; if Tianxun was a hypocrite, then everything became clear. Mohe was more of a villain than a rebel; neither side was any good.

That being said, in reality, Maha's image in the ancient world should be that of a highly virtuous monk, but also a hypocrite.

How interesting! Several powerful beings who are highly likely to be formless cultivators are actually hypocrites. How did they cultivate to the formless realm? Shameless!

Jiang Yuan looked carefully at his profile: "What are you thinking about?"

Lu Xingzhou snapped out of his daze and chuckled, "What, are you really worried I'll sever ties with you?"

"No, no, that's not it."

“This world is like a furnace, how many good things are there? Am I, Lu Xingzhou, some kind of good person? As for your Jiang family…” Lu Xingzhou smiled: “As long as your grandfather realizes that cooperating with me can achieve what he wants, then the alliance will be unbreakable.”

Jiang Yuan's eyes held a complex expression: "And then what?"

Lu Xingzhou turned to look at her.

Jiang Yuan avoided his gaze.

Both of them knew in their hearts that if they wanted to maintain the trust in their cooperation, it all came down to the original point of arranging a marriage, only this time it had changed from a "cuckoo in the nest" approach centered on Jiang Yuan to a genuine political marriage.

Jiang Yuan felt very embarrassed. She knew that given the current situation, if Lu Xingzhou really brought it up, the matter might actually come to fruition.

But she never wanted to be a pawn in a political marriage, whether it was a core affair she once led or a political alliance.

No matter who the recipient is, even if it's him.

But Lu Xingzhou smiled brightly: "A little princess should do what she likes without any worries. Those messy burdens shouldn't be yours."

Under Jiang Yuan's stunned gaze, Lu Xingzhou stood up: "Marriage is based on liking each other. Just like Chu Yun and Yuan Yao, it is essentially a marriage of convenience, but we are very happy. There is no need to do things that make us unhappy."

Jiang Yuan stood up in a daze, not knowing why she was standing up.

Lu Xingzhou said, "It's almost time. I'll go find Qingli now to prepare to leave the mountain. Is there anything else you need to prepare?"

"……there is none left."

"Then let's go, adventure and treasure hunting are what you like, aren't they?"

Jiang Yuan finally smiled and said, "Mm."

Jiang Duxu had no idea that his granddaughter had completely sold him out. By the time she contacted her clansmen, Jiang Yuan had already run away with Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli like a little follower.

Also leading the advance were the elite forces of the Blood Refining Sect and the southern division of the Yama Palace, led by Yan Li. They had already arrived at the edge of the Cursed Land in batches before Lu Xingzhou set off.

(End of this chapter)