TGCFNM -Chapter 279 Descending the Mountain

In the courtyard, now no longer as brightly lit as before, Uncle Wu let out a deep sigh. He decided not to say anything further and instead sent everyone off one by one to wash up and rest.

After Chu Ling had finished tidying herself and lay down on the bed, Bai Su held her hand and said softly, “It’s all over.”

Chu Ling clasped her hand in return. “Aunt Su, you’ll always stay with me, won’t you?”

Bai Su nodded. “I will.”

Only then did Chu Ling feel at ease. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. The succession of events that day had truly exhausted her.

—

Early the next morning.

After breakfast, the group prepared to find disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect to guide them down the mountain.

At that moment, Yuan Luo came over, offering to personally see them off.

After thanking him with a cupped-hand salute, Uncle Wu didn’t ask further questions. He simply told everyone to gather their things and followed Yuan Luo down the mountain.

This time, the path Yuan Luo took was not the one they had used to ascend. Instead, it was the route commonly used by disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The road was wider and easier to walk.

Yuan Luo deliberately slowed his steps, falling back to walk beside Chu Ling. In a low voice, he said, “After Wushuang went in, his Saintess left first and departed directly from Tianjian City.”

Chu Ling’s steps faltered for a moment before she continued walking down slowly. “So the Palace Master of Yun Palace already knew that Gui Wushuang would die?”

Yuan Luo gave a slight nod.

Chu Ling couldn’t help glancing at Bai Su beside her and muttered indignantly, “That Yun Palace Master has gone too far.”

Yuan Luo let out a soft sigh. “Ridiculous how outsiders think he lives in such glory.”

At that moment, Wan Sanjin suddenly leaned in toward Yuan Luo and suggested, “Yun Palace doesn’t act honorably. A partner like that isn’t trustworthy. Why not cooperate with my Wan family instead? We have dedicated land for cultivating medicinal herbs, and for high-year specimens—so long as you can pay, my Wan family can find a way to obtain them.”

Yuan Luo curved his lips in a faint smile. “To cooperate with the Wan family would naturally be a dream come true. Once I report to my master, I will contact Uncle Wu.”

Uncle Wu turned back with a smile. “Good. Come down the mountain anytime to find me. They’ll also be staying at the foot of the mountain for a few days.”

“Staying a few days?” Yuan Luo looked at Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin in surprise. “You two took so much Divine Water. Instead of leaving quickly, you’re planning to rest for a few days?”

Uncle Wu stumbled mid-step, and Xiao Hua quickly reached out to steady him.

Yan Sheng and Cao Tong instinctively shrank their necks and turned back nervously.

Seeing their reactions, Yuan Luo burst into laughter. “Those two really trust me—telling me everything. Besides, with the chaos this time and the snow mountain burying so many people, Uncle Wu, you can rest assured. No one will notice.”

Uncle Wu wiped his forehead. “How can I possibly feel at ease?”

Yuan Luo shook his head helplessly. “When it comes to them, it’s indeed hard to feel at ease.”

Uncle Wu wore the expression of someone who had finally found a kindred spirit and nodded heavily.

Since Yuan Luo had already spoken openly, the atmosphere lightened considerably. They chatted along the way and soon reached the foot of the mountain.

Uncle Wu gave Yuan Luo a slight nod and smiled. “I know the rest of the way. You should head back.”

Yuan Luo responded and cupped his hands in farewell. Before leaving, he looked at Chu Ling and said, “I recall that someone in the imperial court was also extremely covetous of that item—he even offered a price of ten thousand gold.”

With that, he turned and left.

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up. She looked at Wan Sanjin and raised a finger. “Three hundred and eighty thousand gold?”

Wan Sanjin waved his hand. “Sir, your calculation is off. Each of us here gets one bottle. Add the one for my elder brother, and five bottles for Fu Qingyu—that still leaves twenty-four bottles.”

“Why does Fu Qingyu get five bottles?!” Chu Ling protested.

Wan Sanjin replied matter-of-factly, “Qingyu has a cold ailment. What if one bottle isn’t enough to cure him?”

“If one bottle can’t cure him, five bottles won’t either. And stacking a divine medicine like this—I think you’re trying to kill him instead,” Chu Ling said, hands on her hips.

Wan Sanjin thought about it. That seemed reasonable. “Then that leaves twenty-eight bottles. Two hundred and eighty thousand gold.”

Uncle Wu rubbed his temples and looked at Wan Sanjin helplessly. “Young Master, do you think a court official who can produce ten thousand gold would be an ordinary person?”

“No, ten thousand gold is quite a lot,” Wan Sanjin replied.

Uncle Wu sighed in relief. At least there was hope.

“But the officials in court, taking advantage of the chaos in Great Zhou, either latch onto powerful clans or protect one another. They have plenty of ways to make money. Ten thousand gold probably isn’t much to them,” Wan Sanjin added.

Uncle Wu: “…”

Chu Ling, however, understood. “Anyone who can afford ten thousand gold and still wants to buy Divine Water must also have a hand in martial affairs. And Yuan Luo’s reminder shows that the martial world is already aware of the court’s methods.”

Uncle Wu nodded. “That’s right. Yuan Luo meant: don’t flaunt your wealth, and don’t expose the Divine Water. But if the situation calls for it, you may use it to smooth things over.”

Chu Ling pondered for a moment, then looked at Wan Sanjin. “Does your elder brother have a vault?”

Wan Sanjin blinked. “Huh?”

“I want to temporarily store the Divine Water,” Chu Ling said.

Wan Sanjin nodded. “It should be fine. Didn’t you already store that Exquisite Chessboard at my brother’s place?”

“The Exquisite Chessboard—there’s only one in the world, isn’t it? Shouldn’t it be in the imperial harem?” Uncle Wu said, then suddenly widened his eyes.

Wan Sanjin quickly explained, “We didn’t steal it from the harem! We picked it up from a branch residence of the Sun family.”

“Fine…” Uncle Wu turned around and silently led the way. “Let’s head back to the inn first. After resting for a few days, we’ll hurry to Ningzhou.”

Better to get the items out of these people’s hands as soon as possible!

After returning to the inn, Uncle Wu learned that most of the people who had come to Tianjian City had already left—almost as if they had received sudden news.

Those who had descended from Tianjian Mountain also did not linger. After packing their belongings, they departed as well.

These unusual movements made Uncle Wu sink into deep thought.

After quite a while, he summoned someone over, gave a few quiet instructions, and sent him immediately to the Tianjian Sect.

“Uncle Wu, what’s wrong?” Wan Sanjin asked.

“Yun Palace has been second place for far too long. Now her only adopted son, Gui Wushuang, has died at the Tianjian Sect. She will soon come demanding an explanation,” Uncle Wu said with a faint shake of his head, finding it almost laughable. “As long as Mei Zhongxue remains there, her wishful thinking will never succeed.”

“She’ll demand an explanation from the Tianjian Sect?” Chu Ling asked.

“Yes. And most likely she will use medicinal herbs as leverage,” Uncle Wu replied.

Wan Sanjin lifted his brows proudly. “But the Tianjian Sect is preparing to cooperate with our Wan family. And our Wan family doesn’t fear Yun Palace.”

Uncle Wu smiled. “True. If medicinal herbs can’t be used as a threat, then it’s only a matter of demanding an explanation… There’s no need for us to worry about that. They will handle it themselves.”

Chu Ling nodded. The affairs of the Tianjian Sect were not their concern. They should rest properly, recuperate, and set out as soon as possible.

Once they exchanged for the gemstone Divine Water, they could finally return to Sishui County.