The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 258 Contradiction (3k)

Du Yuan was unaware of Wang Chengye's thoughts; he simply listened quietly to Wang Chengye's perspective.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Wang Chengye say with a hint of sympathy:
"Moreover, the more I investigate this person, the more I feel a chill down my spine. His talent far surpasses mine; so too is the depth of his knowledge."

"If you're talking about being his enemy, no, we've been his enemies for a long time. It's just that neither of us is willing or dares to completely tear off that facade."

At the end of his speech, Wang Chengye looked up at Du Yuan, his expression solemn and earnest:

"When I was young, even though I was born into a noble family, I always believed that the current emperor was a true dragon descended to earth; but in the past few years, I have realized that this dragon is not a dragon at all, but rather like a vicious wolf that has been gathering its strength!"

"His fierce aura was completely concealed beneath that bright yellow dragon robe. If one were not careful, his throat would be bitten open and he would die instantly."

“Now, every time I enter the palace, I feel that what lies on the palace walls is not the golden and white tiles that only produce ten pieces per kiln, but rather sharp knives hanging over our heads!”

Upon hearing these words, Du Yuan first frowned slightly, then slowly nodded after a moment: "I understand."

Seeing this, Wang Chengye bowed respectfully and said no more—any further words would be superfluous at this moment.

The group walked silently forward. When they arrived at the Guanshui Tower, the place had already been cleared clean by the yamen runners, and there was not a single person in sight.

The confluence of the Lanhe River and the Linglong River is located just a few feet in front of this building, where one can see the sparkling waves of the two rivers colliding.

However, it was far from the flood season, and the confluence of the Lan River and the Linglong River lacked both the roar of crashing waves and the spectacular sight of surging blue waters. Instead, it presented a calm and tranquil scene, hardly a striking sight.

Leading Du Yuan to the front of the building, Magistrate Han bowed slightly, his tone both respectful and unequivocally urgent:

"Sir, do you see anything wrong here?"

Since Gao Cheng, the three successive magistrates of Hexi County have all been capable and talented individuals.

Although they openly denounced Gao Cheng as a "traitor," they did not overthrow the governance system he left behind. Instead, they further developed measures based on this foundation, making the county even more well-managed.

The Han family, recognizing this opportunity, made numerous connections and arrangements to get him sent to Hexi County.

The original idea was that by simply following the old ways and taking things step by step, one could steadily accumulate experience and have more confidence for future promotions.

But if something goes wrong at Guanshui Tower right now, the livelihood of Hexi County, which relies on tourists from all over the world coming here to see the scenery, might collapse in an instant.

Whether for the sake of the local people's livelihood or for his own career prospects, Magistrate Han dared not slack off in the slightest.

Therefore, he carefully added another sentence:
"Sir, this Guanshuilou area is the lifeblood of our entire Hexi County! Please take a good look at it and be sure to help us out!"

Du Yuan nodded gently, her tone mild:
"Magistrate Han, rest assured, this concerns the livelihoods of so many people, I will take it seriously."

Seeing Du Yuan's promise, Magistrate Han felt much relieved. He quickly bowed and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, sir," before slowly stepping aside to avoid further disturbance.

Du Yuan also walked to the fence and carefully examined the place where the rivers met.

It's clear that the water transport is quite good, but it's difficult to see much more.

This made Du Yuan frown slightly.

His Confucian cultivation was ultimately too shallow, unable to match the profound insight of a great cultivator.

Just then, Wang Chengye, who was standing beside him, suddenly called out to Magistrate Han, who was about to leave, his tone clearly tinged with annoyance:

"Was that stone platform on the other side of the river naturally formed, or was it built later by your county government? Besides, since there's such a place with such a superb view, why don't you take the young scholar there to take a look first?"

The stone platform he pointed to was much higher than the Guanshui Tower, offering a much wider view.

If you can only see about 70% of the confluence of the rivers from the Guanshui Tower, then the stone platform opposite you can see 90% of it clearly. It is also closer to the river, and you can even vaguely see the undercurrents beneath the water.

Magistrate Han was somewhat stunned: "What stone platform?"

Looking in the direction Wang Chengye pointed, he was suddenly startled and blurted out, "This place wasn't here before!"

Although he could not be described as diligent in his duties, Guanshui Tower was the lifeblood of Hexi County. He had come here to inspect it countless times, and the appearance of the opposite riverbank was already engraved in his mind. There was absolutely no trace of this stone platform!

"No? Such a large stone platform is right in front of us, and you say there's nothing there? Could it have flown in from the sky?"

Sensing that Wang Chengye was already showing signs of anger, Magistrate Han was so frightened that his body trembled slightly.

Although the Han family of Yidu is also a top aristocratic family, the person in front of him is a direct descendant of the Langya Wang family, while he is just a close relative of a collateral branch of the Han family. In terms of family background and status, he is far inferior. How could he dare to contradict him in the slightest?
Fortunately, Du Yuan spoke up in time to help him out of the predicament, her tone remaining calm:
"Young Master Wang, there's no need to get so angry. After all, this stone platform might really have just appeared out of thin air."

Wang Chengye's first instinct was to refute – how could a stone fly out of thin air?
But then he remembered the bear and the golden-armored deity he had encountered before. Those things, which were far beyond common sense, had already shattered his understanding. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and quickly cupped his hands and bowed, his tone becoming much more respectful: "Young master, have you noticed anything?"

"It's not accurate to say that I 'saw something'."

Du Yuan gently shook her head and said slowly:

"There was once a famous mountain in the world called Flying Peak. The reason it got its name was because it flew from somewhere else to this place. If a mountain can fly, what's impossible about a larger rock? Don't you agree?"

These words left Wang Chengye and the others stunned, utterly incredulous. How could such a majestic and imposing mountain peak fly through the air?

This fact was so revolutionary that no one could respond for a moment.

Just then, several sharp-eyed constables suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, "Sir, look! Someone has appeared on the stone platform across the way!"

Du Yuan looked in that direction and saw five people standing on the stone platform, some old and some young, some men and some women.

They were an elderly man with white hair and beard, a serene middle-aged woman, and three young men and women.

With just one glance, Du Yuan determined that these five people were all cultivators, and that their purpose in coming here must be related to the sword beneath the river.

Thinking of this, Du Yuan slightly cupped her hands towards the stone platform to show her courtesy and friendliness.

The five people on the stone platform did not respond at all, and their eyes even carried a hint of disdain and amusement, as if they found his attempt to curry favor as a Confucian scholar particularly laughable.

Of the three young people, the "woman" with exceptional beauty spoke first, her voice clear and bright:

“Second Uncle, that scholar over there is greeting us.”

Although the voice wasn't hoarse, it was clearly a man's voice. Then, looking at his flat chest, one suddenly realized—this person was a rare woman with a male body and female features, and his beauty was comparable to that of the sword-wielding woman beside Gao Cheng.

The old man remained silent, his gaze fixed on the river beneath his feet, as if he could see through the murky surface to the depths of the riverbed, completely ignoring the commotion on the opposite bank.

The middle-aged woman standing nearby, feeling sorry for her disciple, spoke up as soon as the young man with "female features" finished speaking, her words laced with sarcasm:

“The Confucian Temple has no intention of setting foot here. We can’t even say for sure whether the Confucian Temple has ever truly entered the world. This kid is definitely not from the Confucian Temple. At most, he’s just a Confucian scholar who has read a few Confucian classics and thinks he’s attached himself to the name of the Confucian Temple.”

If it were someone else of unknown origin, they might be more wary and wonder who the other party came from.

But he was a Confucian scholar who had never been a 'mature man' before. Therefore, they were unwilling to give him even the slightest perfunctory response.

The people on the mountain are used to being arrogant. This arrogance is directed not only at the ordinary people below the mountain, but also at fellow cultivators. Few can make them truly lower their guard.

After all, they are either seniors or ants, and it is rare to find someone who can be called a fellow Daoist.

"How can these people be so arrogant and rude!"

Seeing that the other party completely ignored Du Yuan's good intentions, Wang Chengye felt a surge of resentment and his tone became a bit harsher.

"Even ordinary people know the principle of returning courtesy when greeting others. But these people are so disrespectful; they simply don't know any manners!"

Seeing this, Du Yuan quickly raised her hand and pressed down on his shoulder, saying:
“Young Master Wang, I know you are standing up for me, but this is really nothing serious, there’s no need to get angry. Besides, the world is destined to undergo great changes in the future.”

He paused, then spoke with a more serious tone:
"So I have to advise you, in the future, if you encounter people like this when you are out and about, remember to avoid them as much as possible."

Seeing that Wang Chengye still looked bewildered, his eyes filled with confusion as if asking "why is this so?", Du Yuan sighed helplessly and explained in a low voice:

"In the eyes of the people on the mountain, ordinary people below the mountain are not worth their attention. More importantly, the strength of the two sides is vastly different. A slight mistake, even a careless word, could bring about a fatal disaster."

From the very beginning, no one deliberately raised their voices. After all, the sound of the waves crashing at the confluence of the rivers was incessant, and no one expected that the other side could hear them from so far away.

But none of the five people on the stone platform were ordinary. Wang Chengye's resentful words were heard by the people opposite him without missing a single one.

One of the young men, dressed in a blue robe, immediately raised an eyebrow, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

He lightly stomped his foot on the stone platform, and a pebble the size of a goose egg bounced up. He caught it firmly in his palm, and with a flick of his fingertips, he aimed the sharp edge of the pebble at Wang Chengye's head.

The other four people on the stone platform all saw this scene, but none of them spoke up to stop it.

The middle-aged woman and her two young disciples looked indifferent, as if they were looking at a trivial matter; even the old man who had been staring at the river only raised his eyelids slightly before lowering them again.

(End of this chapter)