Chapter 779 - 781: Must Surrender Weapons to Ascend the Mountain
On the morning of Bai Ruozhu’s departure, Jiang Yichun unexpectedly assigned her twenty men and instructed her to keep the dark guards with her, assuring her that he would handle things at Beiyu City.
"You must not abuse power for personal gain. What if someone impeaches you for using military personnel?" Bai Ruozhu was astonished. If these people were counted together, those in the know would be fine, but those who did not would probably think she was heading to Mount Hua for a fight or to kidnap someone.
Jiang Yichun playfully flicked his finger against her forehead, laughing, "Fool, what do you mean by abusing power for personal gain? They are my own people." He gave a secretive glance to two of them. "They’re called Chenfeng and Muyu, their martial arts skills are pretty good, they can protect you in secret."
Bai Ruozhu glanced at the two men. Chenfeng and Muyu... why did they sound like such BFFs?
Hadn’t he already handed over all his men to the Ministry of Public Security? Then who were these? Bai Ruozhu’s eyes roved around, these seemed like a lot of secrets he was hiding from her.
Jiang Yichun ruffled her hair, messing up her hairpin, and said, "Don’t overthink, none of these people would betray me."
As it was time for departure, Bai Ruozhu didn’t have the chance to argue with him; she would settle the accounts with him when she got back. She hugged Dengdeng, feeling reluctant to let him go, and tentatively asked, "Can I bring Dengdeng with me?"
"No!"
"No..."
Jiang Yichun and Lin Ping’er spoke simultaneously. Jiang Yichun cleared his throat awkwardly, indicating that his mother-in-law should speak first.
Lin Ping’er began wiping her eyes, complaining while wiping, "You’ve just been back for a couple of days and you’re already heading out again. Your eldest brother is too busy with business to accompany me, your second brother is occupied with his studies all day, your father often leaves for the manor and doesn’t return, I am unbearably lonely. If you don’t leave Dengdeng with me, then you might as well take me with you."
If it were modern tourism, Bai Ruozhu would undoubtedly prefer to take her mother along, but the current difficult travel conditions made her feel guilty to subject her mother to such hardship. Consequently, she sheepishly said, "Okay, okay, mom, don’t be sad, let’s let Dengdeng stay and keep you company."
She also didn’t want Dengdeng to always follow her and bear hardships. She was just reluctant to part and wanted to speak her heart. However, there were even more emotional reactions than hers.
"Ruozhu, leave early and return early. Don’t push Xiaosi too hard." Bai Yihong advised.
Other family members also came to bid farewell to Bai Ruozhu. Noticing that it was getting late, she finally climbed into the horse carriage with reluctance.
Jiang Yichun’s gaze remained glued to the moving horse carriage, then he whispered to Chenfeng and Muyu, "Protect your mistress well, otherwise your own lives won’t be enough to make amends."
Both of them, fully aware of their master’s emphasis on his wife’s safety, immediately expressed their compliance and took position on either side of the carriage.
Jianqi quietly scrutinized the two men, guessing that their martial arts skills were no weaker than his.
Mount Hua wasn’t too far from Beiyu City. If there were no delays on the way, they could reach it in about three days. Bai Ruozhu was not a delicate woman and didn’t want to procrastinate. Thus, three days later, her delegation arrived at Mount Hua.
Bai Ruozhu was bored during the voyage. If she wasn’t reading, she was appreciating the scenery outside the window. She had grown weary of natural beauty, yet when she saw Mount Hua, she felt her eyes light up. No wonder Mount Hua has been revered as "the most unique and dangerous mountain in the world" since ancient times.
As it had rained a little at night, a thin fog formed on the mountain. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, Bai Ruozhu could only see the mountain enveloped by a haze. It appeared to be a fairyland, making people eager to climb to the top and visit the deities of the heavens.
Bai Ruozhu packed lightly, also carrying the book given to her by her great-grandmother. She brought it with her when she set out and found the annotations made by her great-grandmother rather interesting. Given that the guards had seen her reading the book multiple times during the journey, she didn’t think it was good etiquette to store the book in the Space now.
Climbing a mountain is an arduous task. Plus, the weather was gradually getting hot and the sun would soon rise, scorching Bai Ruozhu’s delicate skin. Jianqi asked from the side, "Master, I can use lightness skills to carry you up, otherwise it will be too tiring."
Chenfeng and Muyu immediately turned to look at her. With a gaze as if their mistress was about to be taken away, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but shiver. She cursed Jiang Yichun for cultivating such loyal followers who wouldn’t even hesitate to accuse him of being jealous.
"No need, it’s rare for me to climb a mountain. I guess I’ll respect the Huashan Sect by walking up myself." Bai Ruozhu said after weighing her options.
After hearing her, Jianqi did not say anything more. But he carefully guarded Bai Ruozhu, afraid that she would stumble.
Unlike the developed infrastructure in later generations, the mountain at this time had no stone steps or iron chains for protection, only dirt and stone paths. There were no precautions at all. Only the most treacherous spots had iron chains for people to pull, and between the mountain ravines there was only a dilapidated wooden plank serving as a bridge.
Due to the narrow paths, only one person could pass at a time, so a group of over forty people stretched out into a long line and walked along in a scattered manner for a long time.
When they reached a sligthly flat plateau in the middle of the mountain, Bai Ruozhu finally saw some people from the Huashan Sect.
"Who goes there?" A gentleman in his early twenties asked. Judging by the color of his attire, his status within the Huashan Sect didn’t seem high.
Bai Ruozhu respectfully bowed and replied, "I am Bai Ruozhu. I have come to visit my brother Bai Zeqing and Elder Xuan Jizi of the Huashan Sect. Could you please relay my message?"
Whether the name Bai Zeqing or Xuan Jizi, they made the young man’s face turn unpleasant. He looked Bai Ruozhu up and down, and coldly said, "This is the Sword Washing Pool, and I am only in charge of guarding it. I remind those who ascend the mountain to unload their swords, otherwise they are not allowed to go up."
"Our mistress is speaking to you! What kind of attitude is this?" Muyu, short-tempered, reprimanded the disciple from the Huashan Sect.
"What, you can’t follow the rules when coming to Huashan Sect? Then you can go back. Even if you hurt me and force your way up, you will only make enemies with Huashan Sect." The man responded harshly.
Muyu was about to counteract when Bai Ruozhu interrupted him and asked the young man, "Do you insist everyone going to the Huashan Sect leave their weapons here? When we descend the mountain, can we guarantee that our weapons are still here? And if representatives from other sects visit and their weapons are kept here, won’t they be able to compete?"
The young man puffed his chest out and said somewhat smugly, "Our Huashan Sect naturally has weapons for guests to use. There is no need for you to worry about this."
Bai Ruozhu took an immediate dislike to the man’s tone. But before her displeasure could fully register on her face, the man continued to say, "The Sword Washing Pool of Mount Hua will benefit your weapons. It can not only cleanse the maliciousness from the blood-stained swords, but also make them sharper. You people are getting a great deal here. It’s simply absurd that you’re not willing to trade, really not knowing how to appreciate favors."
"Presumptuous!" Muyu bellowed. However, since Bai Ruozhu hadn’t spoken, he didn’t dare to draw his sword lightly.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Jianqi and asked him quietly, "Are you willing to give up your weapon?"
With an indifferent expression, Jianqi said, "Even without a weapon, we can still protect you."