The deepest affection in Gu Long's world

Chapter 120 Love Triangle (33 words per day)

After being diagnosed by Zhang Jianzhai, he was given acupuncture, which eventually put him into a deep sleep.

Fang Yunhua looked helplessly at Ji Bingyan, who had started snoring, and then his gaze shifted to Gao Yanan.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, the detailed route map has been drawn by the eldest master. Tuopo and Situ Liuxing are also keeping an eye on it. The people who went to the royal city to carry out the assassination have begun to return, and it will take about two more days."

Senior Xue and Senior Shangguan are still adjusting their state. Once Situ Liuxing confirms that he has seen the desert ship leave, he will immediately send a message through the falcon to inform the two seniors to come and help.

General Qing's subordinates will arrive here in about half a day.

The Tang Clan disciples and Physician Zhang that I brought this time will also be scattered throughout this oasis. With their ability to identify poisons, they can prevent Shi Guanyin's subordinates from using poison to wipe out our main force.

Everything will depend on tomorrow.

"Ah."

Fang Yunhua nodded.

He looked at Hu Tiehua, who still had a blank and infatuated expression, and suddenly felt a little bored.

He didn't know if this person was genuinely stupid or just pretending. After all, this social butterfly could be quite quick-witted at feigning stupidity in certain situations.

As a result, he lost interest in joking around with the other party.

He then stepped forward and released all the pressure points on the other person.

"We'll need your help then, to appropriately attract the attention of the Stone Guanyin."

Hu Tiehua nodded subconsciously.

He originally planned to throw a punch as soon as the other party released his pressure points, but now, under Gao Yanan's gaze, he was so weak that he couldn't even lift his arm, let alone throw a punch.

Even after the pressure points were released, he remained in the caterpillar-like state, and even deliberately tucked his head down a little.

For a time, he was unable to withstand the shock of being bombarded with real-world information.

However, he does not possess Ji Bingyan's strong rational thinking, which allows him to completely mess things up and even faint on the spot.

This made him very upset.

It's like someone who's been played with and broken but not completely. If it were normal, what normal person would consciously tie themselves up again after being released from their restraints, and then roll around and wrap themselves in another layer of cotton blanket?

After staring at the other person for a few seconds, Gao Yanan followed Fang Yunhua out of the tent without saying a word.

Inside the tent, only Ji Bingyan, who was peacefully enjoying a baby-like sleep, Hu Tiehua, who was like a caterpillar, and Yuan Suiyun, who had already finished eating a handful of melon seeds, remained.

The latter actively approached the caterpillar.

"Tomorrow is the day of the decisive battle. Now that you have agreed to cooperate, you should try to recover your physical condition as soon as possible."

The caterpillar pupated once to indicate that it had heard.

"I heard you love drinking. Brother Fang wouldn't let you drink before, but now that your acupoints have been released, it means you can drink now. Will you drink?"

The caterpillar was silent for a moment, then stretched out a hand from under the covers.

After Yuan Suiyun handed a small wine jar to the other party, the caterpillar huddled in a corner and began to drink the wine in large gulps.

Meanwhile, Gao Yanan was taken back to her tent by Fang Yunhua.

Princess Pipa, who had barely recovered some of her strength, immediately stepped forward and grabbed Fang Yunhua's arm warily when she saw a strange woman.

“I am his senior sister.” Gao Yanan felt a little helpless, because she had seen similar looks from many other women. After thinking for a moment, she added, “It’s a very pure senior-junior relationship.”

This made Princess Pipa immediately realize the key element!
"You mean there's an impure senior-junior relationship?"

Gao Yanan smiled slightly but did not answer. The sudden love triangle scene had actually made her very depressed, since she could tell that her junior brother was just a person who enjoyed himself.

They really brought the trouble to light, then just ignored it and treated it as pure entertainment.

So now is the time to stir up some emotional troubles for him, which can also help her balance things out.

Princess Pipa decisively turned her large, watery eyes to Fang Yunhua.

Fang Yunhua continued to imitate Chu Xiangshuai's three-step routine: silence, smile, and touching his nose.

"Tell me, is there really an impure relationship between senior and junior siblings, or..."

Princess Pipa quickly fell silent, her lips sealed by Fang Yunhua's. Her body, which had felt she had regained most of her strength, was as soft as melting spring water. As Fang Yunhua reached out to embrace her soft waist, she instinctively nestled into his arms.

Then Gao Yanan stared in disbelief as the two kissed for ten minutes straight.

She desperately wanted to rush out of the tent, but she also knew that with her unfamiliar appearance and the fact that she was a fairly pretty woman, if she wandered around aimlessly, she would inevitably be spotted by Shi Guanyin's spies.

I can't just ruin this carefully laid trap to ease my own awkwardness.

So all she could do was watch.

Princess Pipa, who had initially been humming a few words as if expressing some dissatisfaction, slowly transformed into an obedient little lamb under Fang Yunhua's excellent kissing skills.

If I weren't here, this little lamb would probably have already shed its wool and become a little white lamb waiting to be served.

When their lips finally parted, Gao Yanan awoke from her state of practicing internal energy cultivation.

She secretly vowed that she would never do such a stupid thing again. This wasn't about causing trouble for Fang Yunhua; it was about provoking herself.

At this moment, Princess Pipa stopped asking about her senior sister; she needed to calm down.

Taking advantage of the moment when he was somewhat bored, Fang Yunhua retaliated.

"Senior sister, what are you thinking?"

"What...what were you thinking?"

"It's about choosing someone—someone you love, or someone who loves you." Fang Yunhua smiled innocently, but Gao Yanan always felt that he was trying to stir up trouble.

"What about the one I love, or the one who loves me? So many years have passed. That Brother Ji might not still have those feelings. As for Xiao Hu... I originally thought I would be very excited when I saw him again."

But perhaps because you sent me too much information about him recently, I wasn't too surprised when I saw him again.

On the contrary, it has a certain kind of spirit.

Gao Yanan couldn't express her own thoughts either. Although she wasn't disappointed in Hu Tiehua, after all, her disappointment with him had plummeted when he reneged on his promise. At this moment, all that remained was a sense of melancholy for her lost youth.

"Brother Ji? Little Hu?" Princess Pipa, whose mind had been blank, was instantly revitalized after hearing the gossip. She looked at Fang Yunhua with bright eyes.

Fang Yunhua didn't say anything, but first gestured to Gao Yanan. After Gao Yanan nodded, he briefly explained the details.

Upon hearing that the other party had wasted seven years of their youth because of Hu Tiehua, Princess Pipa immediately felt indignant on their behalf.

"How can we just let this go! We have to teach him a lesson he won't forget. With his personality, it'd be incredibly easy to hook him."

The pipa princess, who had just been kissed so much that she was almost oblivious to the world, suddenly transformed into a theoretical expert, leaving Fang Yunhua completely stunned.

It's rare to have such a friend who can give her reasonable advice on relationship issues, unlike Fang Yunhua who only knows how to have fun. Gao Yanan found herself getting along better and better with him.
-
The atmosphere at the Oasis outpost was pleasant, while the atmosphere at the Stone Guanyin outpost, where Chu Liuxiang was located, was becoming increasingly oppressive.

Over the past two days, he felt that his relationship with Shi Guanyin had been quite good.

The emotional turmoil even stirred Chu Liuxiang's heart a little. However, after chatting with the two disciples for a while, he witnessed them being forced by Shi Guanyin to kill each other.

He realized once again that although Shi Guanyin could charm any man in the world on the outside, her heart was incredibly ugly.

This led her to focus on playing the role of a conflicted character who, due to differing stances, was unable to honestly confront her feelings.

This perfect distance only fueled Shi Guanyin's desire to conquer.

Judging from the current situation, if Fang Yunhua hadn't intervened, the two of them could have dragged out this tacit understanding for at least ten days or half a month. But soon, a series of letters shattered this tacit understanding.

When Chu Liuxiang was summoned to Shi Guanyin's room once again, he clearly noticed that the disciples all looked somewhat apprehensive.

When he arrived at the house that highlighted the charm of the stone Guanyin, he witnessed her true nature as a female demon.

"have a look."

Shi Guanyin coldly tossed the letter to Chu Liuxiang.

Chu Liuxiang was puzzled at first, but after examining it carefully, he suddenly realized what was going on.

"So the secret of Elysium is just a hoax?"

Shi Guanyin carefully observed Chu Liuxiang's changing expression. After confirming that it seemed he was truly hearing the news for the first time, her tone softened considerably.

"That's right, this King of Kucha is quite capable. On the surface, he throws out this gem to attract everyone's attention, while in secret he sends his confidants to use the treasure of the former king to complete the mercenary negotiations with the five armies."

It is suspected that they secretly hired several martial arts masters to assassinate all three of Andeshan's companions.

You are nothing more than a pawn in his game.

Chu Liuxiang appeared innocent, but at the same time, the so-called truth was forming in his mind.

If the King of Kucha was indeed capable, then Fang Yunhua, who was hiding in the shadows, was the real mastermind behind this whole affair. This made him realize belatedly that the other party had kept his identity hidden, actually intending to use them as a pretext to gain the King of Kucha's trust.

For example, Hu Tiehua's outburst earlier was likely within the opponent's calculations.

"Hu Tiehua and the others are fine, so the King of Kucha won't go to such extremes," Shi Guanyin said calmly.

Chu Liuxiang also brought up something.

"You killed that eldest princess, and you were with Xiao Hu back then."

Shi Guanyin stepped forward, her eyes suddenly becoming misty, and said softly.

“That eldest princess got in my way, so naturally she has to die. As for Hu Tiehua and me, he's not even worth a toe of yours. It's just that at the time, I didn't expect that there would be this connection between us.” This made Shi Guanyin focus her attention on the latter part of the question.

But in reality, Chu Liuxiang was more concerned about the earlier parts.

He had considered that Fang Yunhua's use of their actions to attack them might mean that Fang Yunhua was also the mastermind behind the murder of the eldest princess, and this result relieved him.

Fang Yunhua is still the same Fang Yunhua. He will not actively harm an innocent person, but he will ignore everything that happens. Although, according to Chu Liuxiang's principles, if he had foreseen this, he would definitely have stood up to save him.

However, because he had overestimated the abilities of Fang Yunhua, who was like a half-witted sorceress, he genuinely felt that it was already a great deed for Fang Yunhua not to actively harm those innocent people.

Upon seeing Chu Liuxiang, Shi Guanyin breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile returned to her face.

She had clearly misunderstood again.

"If you think Hu Tiehua's existence will affect you and me, I will kill him when I go back this time."

"No! He's my friend. If you kill him... humph! You know the consequences!"

Chu Liuxiang turned around, having mastered the art of living off a woman without any instruction. Looking at the tough man in front of her, Shi Guanyin was even more moved. She stepped forward and gently hugged his back, even rubbing her soft body against him.

"Alright, alright, I won't kill him, but I need to handle this matter personally. When I return, I'll bring your friends back as well, but they might not cooperate. You shouldn't mind if I make them suffer a little, right?"

"Yes, but I hope you remember, they are still my friends!"

Chu Liuxiang gave a light snort, neither pushing the other away nor responding, maintaining his tough image to the very end.

Shi Guanyin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had some suspicions that Chu Liuxiang had made some kind of agreement with the King of Kucha, but seeing that he did not ask her how she would deal with the King of Kucha, she was truly at ease.

However, she still couldn't help but remind him.

“I won’t restrict your movements, but I hope to see you when I come back. Your friends must also hope to see you here.”

These words were spoken very gently, but Chu Liuxiang had already sensed the hidden threat in their tone.

If I take the opportunity to run away, then Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan will probably lose their lives.

Chu Liuxiang was genuinely not worried about this. As strong as Shi Guanyin was, how could she possibly compare to that great demon who had schemed everything?

He definitely has to run away; if he can make it in time, he might even be able to get some assists.

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Chu Liuxiang took a step forward and deliberately broke free from the other's embrace. "Where can I go if I leave? It's all desert and rocks outside. You don't care about my life, but I care a lot about mine."

"Who said I don't care?"

Looking at the increasingly assertive man in front of her, Shi Guanyin really wanted to have a good time with him right now, but she also knew that such a feast had to be enjoyed when it was at its most delicious.

She was about to step forward and give him a hug, but Chu Liuxiang dodged her and left without looking back.

Shi Guanyin was not unhappy at all; on the contrary, she chuckled happily a few times.

After savoring the moment again, her previous infatuated expression vanished completely, replaced by an icy aura that transformed her back into the infamous female demon who shook the Central Plains!
The King of Kucha held a victory celebration banquet.

Outside the tent were also filled with the eight hundred skilled men brought by General Qing. Of course, the official reason for these men's presence was to escort the King of Kucha back to the capital safely.

Of course, there were also some unfamiliar faces in this crowd.

Tang Clan disciples were scattered in all directions, on guard against possible poisoning methods. Zhang Jianzhai was stationed in the center to facilitate the detoxification work in case of any accidents at critical moments. Gao Yanan changed into men's clothing and, along with ten experienced Huashan Sect disciples, secretly watched several suspicious targets.

Among them were some martial arts guards who were completely unaware of the current situation. They genuinely felt that their suffering had finally come to an end, and that a casual gamble had yielded a much brighter future.

Among these people, the ones who truly turned their lives around through a high-stakes gamble were Kurban and Aji, who had chosen to side with Fang Yunhua early on.

During this time, they followed Yuan Suiyun's orders and did some odd jobs. Their most important performance was when they disguised themselves as Fang Yunhua to cover up the oversight when the King of Kucha faced assassination.

After the trade route was reopened, Fang Yunhua intended to recruit the two into the Huashan Chamber of Commerce and put them in charge of matters related to the trade route in the Western Regions.

Inside the tent sat several key figures.

The King of Kucha looked the most smug.

The man with the green beard kept a very low profile throughout.

Princess Pipa leaned against Fang Yunhua like a timid wife.

Fang Yunhua appeared calm, but was actually getting a headache from the constant mentions of who Hua Zhenzhen was, who Jin Lingzhi was, who Zuo Mingzhu was, and who Shi Yin was.

He knew that after Gao Yanan and Princess Pipa whispered to each other yesterday, his dirty secrets would be exposed. However, this was within his expectations. Some truths cannot be hidden, and there is no need to hide them.

Gao Yanan was relatively kind; she didn't go into too much detail about the matter, and she didn't even tell Princess Pipa about the broken relationships in the past, otherwise the current situation would have given her an even bigger headache.

As for Yuan Suiyun, he maintained a relaxed and indifferent smile, his attention focused on Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan, who had suddenly become at odds for some unknown reason.

Although the two are currently at odds, they haven't forgotten their business.

"Your Highness, what secrets does the Star of Bliss hold?" Ji Bingyan began to improvise, following the pre-arranged lines.

"That was just a rumor I deliberately created to make everyone think that there was a great secret in this gem, and that I could only have hope of restoring my kingdom by relying on it!"
While their attention was entirely focused on the gem, I had already secretly used the treasures left by my late father to bribe five armies, thus completing the restoration of my kingdom without anyone knowing!

The King of Kucha stroked his beard and laughed heartily; he was indeed very proud of the successful execution of this plan.

"This is called the feint attack strategy of 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass'."

"It's your turn, go on with your lines." Fang Yunhua quietly nudged the Pipa Princess, who was completely out of it.

Princess Pipa immediately changed her expression, giving the King of Kucha a coquettish look.

"But why did you keep me in the dark, Father? Don't you trust your own daughter?"

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, my precious daughter. It’s just that the tighter I keep this secret, the more people will suspect me. As long as I don’t reveal this secret, my life will not be in danger. Those who are eager to find out this secret will definitely protect me in secret.”

Although Fang Yunhua said it was a line from a script, it actually reflected the true feelings of the father and daughter.

Princess Pipa sighed.

"It seems that being born as the daughter of a king is not a lucky thing. No wonder a princess from the previous dynasty covered her face and wept bitterly on her deathbed, saying that she wished she would never be born into an imperial family again."

The King of Kucha nodded, and when his gaze fell on Princess Pipa and then shifted to Fang Yunhua, he seemed to have made a decision.

However, his outward response remained the same.

"That's right. If a person wants to be a good emperor, he may not be able to be a good father."

"Your Highness is indeed a man of great talent and strategy, unmatched by ordinary people. It's just a pity that those foolish镖客 (bodyguards/escorts) lost their lives for a mere few taels of silver."

Following this topic, Ji Bingyan also shared her thoughts.

In fact, it wasn't just Peng's few bodyguards who died; they witnessed far too many deaths along the way.

However, those who frequented the martial arts world could never resonate with political beings, and even the King of Kucha was not exactly a seasoned politician.

"Military politics is a terrible thing. Even if a general achieves great success, his bones will fill mountains. How much more so for the ruler of a country? This has been an unavoidable tragedy since ancient times. Even the wise emperors who founded the Tang and Song dynasties could not escape it. Why must you single out me?"

Ji Bingyan remained silent for a long while, then lowered her head and said, "I misspoke for a moment, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Taking this opportunity, Hu Tiehua was quite moved. He stretched his neck, looked up, and laughed loudly:

"So I advise you all to drink your wine and not worry about what will happen after you die. Emperors throughout history have been lonely, how can they compare to me, a poor boy, who is so carefree and at ease?"

This sentence should have been meant to convey a sense of carefree ease, but at this moment it was filled with a strange sense of resentment. In fact, neither he nor Ji Bingyan felt relaxed or at ease at all.

They hadn't even accepted that Lu Xiaofeng was actually Fang Yunhua, whom Chu Liuxiang had been suspicious of the whole way.

Just as everyone on the field was lost in thought because of Hu Tiehua's words, someone suddenly laughed.

"What a fine saying, 'Let us drink our wine and not worry about what happens afterward. But when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away.' Haven't you heard this saying before?"

A fragrant breeze wafted by, intoxicating everyone. Inside the tent stood a stunningly beautiful woman with graceful bearing, who, under the lamplight, appeared as if a fairy had descended from heaven.

The Stone Guanyin has arrived!
The King of Kucha appeared calm, but he secretly moved a little closer to Yuan Suiyun, who was closest to him.

Princess Pipa silently lowered her head, afraid that if she looked up and saw that woman, she would be unable to resist fighting her to the death!
Fang Yunhua and Yuan Suiyun were the most composed, but the former had already placed the box he had been carrying all the way to his side.

Ji Bingyan attracted Shi Guanyin's attention at this moment.

"Once the birds are all gone, the cup is put away; once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. Does the princess intend to kill us all?"

The King of Kucha quickly said, "I had no such intention, and you need not worry."

The princess coldly replied, "Although you have no such intention, I do intend to kill you!"

At this moment, the queen slowly lifted her veil, revealing a pair of captivating eyes, and looked at the King of Kucha, asking, "Do you recognize me?"

The King of Kucha stopped smiling and did not answer, because at this point, there was no point in continuing to pretend.

And he had been patient for a long time.

The princess seemed oblivious to his change in expression, for at this moment, she too was engaged in a crucial solo performance!
In the original storyline, Wu Hua repeatedly urged him to kill Chu Liuxiang, and Hong Xiangong, one of the three leaders of the rebel party, also asked him why.

But Shi Guanyin answered.

If a calligrapher or painter completes a masterpiece but no one appreciates it, they will feel as if they have worn fine clothes in the dark, and all their efforts have been in vain.

Even a famous singer would find it quite boring if no one was listening.

Just as a painter wields his brush or a famous singer performs, what we do is meant to be appreciated, because what we do is undoubtedly a masterpiece.

Therefore, I want him to live, to live to see this matter completed. A masterpiece needs a discerning eye to appreciate it, a great piece of music needs a kindred spirit to listen to it, and what we've done can only be truly appreciated by someone like Chu Xiangshuai.

She knows how to put on airs; she understands all too well the importance of the audience!

(End of this chapter)