Chapter 145 - 144: A Dragon Comes from Beyond the Skies
Gu Zhan thought for a moment and asked, "So, if I go over there, are there any restrictions?"
"Restrictions? Not much," Bai Jiu’Er said. "It’s just that you used to be in Yundong, so maybe you’re not familiar with Yunxi’s environment. If you need any help after you arrive, you can seek assistance at Shuixie Manor.
Although the Sixth Young Master can’t compare with the other sons of the City Lord’s Mansion, after all, he’s the Dragon King’s biological son, so people in the Martial World will still give him some respect. As for the Government Office, you don’t need to worry about it.
The Yunxi Government Office is nothing but a facade. All local Martial World Influences hold the real power, and those officials are just there to go through the motions and leave after a few years. No one is thinking of grabbing power, nor could they win against the local powers."
"Then, what about the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Gu Zhan asked.
Bai Jiu’Er replied flatly, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard, hmm, well, it is what it is... Most of them are people who couldn’t survive in the Martial World, so they joined the Guard just to make a living. But don’t overthink it. When you arrive, you’ll be the Thousand Households of the Hundred Households Office. When you have free time, go visit the Sixth Young Master’s Shuixie Manor more often, and no one foolish will come looking for trouble."
"Mm, got it." Gu Zhan nodded.
...
Next day, atop a hill outside Thousand Lights Town.
Snowflakes whirled, covering the mountains and fields in endless white.
Gu Zhan and Bai Jiu’Er stood before a grave, incense candles burning.
Bai Jiu’Er whispered, "Our family has never been prosperous. In my generation, remarkably, there were nine siblings. I’m ninth, so I’m called Jiu’Er.
But our Bai Family was destined to end. After a plague swept down, almost all my family died, leaving only my elder sister and me. She raised me.
My elder sister was once a famed beauty, so many suitors that the family threshold was almost worn out. But my sister was unlucky; just as she began to feel love, she met someone she shouldn’t—Yang Yuzhi.
But Yang Yuzhi was already married at that time, and only treated my sister as a silly little girl. The two of them were destined for nothing. My sister gathered her courage to confess, but Yang Yuzhi interrupted her and they became sworn siblings.
Later, Yang Yuzhi left Yunxi. My elder sister pined away with longing, and in the end died of sorrow. Even on her deathbed, she kept speaking of Yang Yuzhi. What she wanted was to spend her life with him, not just a sworn kinship. Alas, if only she’d never met Yang Yuzhi!"
Snow fell softly.
Gu Zhan slowly put on his bamboo hat.
He truly had no way to judge that unrequited love without outcome.
Perhaps, sometimes, a single glance really is enough to disregard the world and ignite a rush of feeling across ages.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Gu Zhan himself.
They stood before the grave for a long while,
Only then did Gu Zhan follow Bai Jiu’Er down the mountain,
At the foot of the mountain, two carriages waited,
Bai Jiu’Er boarded one and handed a bundle to Gu Zhan, saying, "Inside are some clean clothes, as well as the Official Seal and some silver taels. When you’ve settled in Pingyang Prefecture, remember to write me."
Gu Zhan took the bundle and saluted: "Thank you, Miss Jiu’Er."
Bai Jiu’Er replied calmly: "You ought to call me ’Aunt.’"
Gu Zhan smiled lightly, turned, and boarded the other carriage.
This carriage was arranged by Bai Jiu’Er for him, complete with a veteran driver from the Martial World.
Gu Zhan gave a brief command,
The driver whipped the horses and the carriage set out into the distance. The vast wind and snow soon swallowed it, vanishing from sight.
Bai Jiu’Er held up the curtain with one hand, and on her chilly face, a faint smile appeared as she murmured, "This feeling of being an elder is actually quite nice, strangely binding."
Inside the carriage,
A middle-aged woman carrying a sword spoke softly, "Miss, though I’ve not interacted much with Young Master Gu, his temperament is certainly not that of someone who settles for peace. You shouldn’t send him to Pingyang Prefecture. If he goes, he’ll surely stir things up and Sixth Young Master will find no peace!"
"I know," Bai Jiu’Er said.
The sword attendant asked, puzzled, "Then why didn’t you stop the Dragon King from sending him to Pingyang Prefecture?"
"Why should I stop him?" Bai Jiu’Er said slowly. "If the Dragon King hadn’t sent him, I would have found a way myself. If Gu Zhan were of a docile character, I wouldn’t want him in Pingyang Prefecture.
It’s precisely his temperament that fits the current Pingyang Prefecture. Without someone to stir up the waters, Xiaoliuzi has no chance to leave Pingyang Prefecture. He’s my aunt’s son, and by rights, he should be the eldest legitimate son, the one most qualified to inherit Canglan City."
The sword attendant exclaimed, "You want Sixth Young Master to join the fight for inheritance? But why didn’t you before?"
"There wasn’t an opportunity, nor the right person," Bai Jiu’Er replied gently. "If I’d rashly sent someone to Pingyang Prefecture, it would attract the attention of others in the City Lord’s Mansion. The Dragon King wouldn’t permit it, nor would the other sons. It would only make Xiaoliuzi’s path ever more difficult. But this time, Yang Yuzhi’s letter, the Dragon King’s decision, none of it has to do with me, so no one will pay much attention.
Besides, three years ago I set the rule to meet one person a day three days a month, just to find the right person. Gu Zhan was the first to understand my rules, and he is the most suitable to go to Pingyang Prefecture."
Wind and snow swirled, the world bleak and vast,
The carriage slowly moved toward Thousand Lights Town, leaving a long trail in the snow, which was gradually covered and erased by fresh snowflakes.
...
The snow in Yunxi kept falling, endlessly,
On Nu River, wind and snow swept across the sky, the boundless waters submerged in fog.
A passenger boat slowly approached from the east,
Speeding across the icy river surface.
At the bow stood a young man in green, carrying a black longsword on his back, his eyes lost and vacant as if blinded by wind and snow.
This was none other than the famed Sword Spirit, Qi Baiyu of Yunzhou’s Martial World.
Behind Qi Baiyu, several Great Cultivators stood,
They hailed from Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion.
"Alliance Leader Qi, once we cross Nu River, we’ll enter Canglan Dao’s territory. According to the information received, Gu Zhan is hiding within Canglan Dao," one Great Cultivator said.
"Canglan Dao," Qi Baiyu muttered, then said, "That’s the domain of Nu River Dragon King, Mo Jingzhou, isn’t it?"
One of the Great Cultivators nodded, "Don’t worry. Our Marquis knows you’re eager for vengeance, so to avoid Mo Jingzhou’s interference, he specifically sent a Grandmaster to make arrangements with him."
Qi Baiyu suddenly lifted his head, and a glimmer of spirit appeared in his empty gaze. He snorted coldly, "Looks like your Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion isn’t respected enough!"
Several Great Cultivators looked puzzled.
But before they could ask,
Suddenly, they sensed a violent fluctuation in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi amid the wind and snow, and a terrifying dragon roar echoed down from the heavens. In that hazy moment,
They saw a massive white dragon swoop down from the stormy clouds, its huge claws slamming downward.