Chapter 825.1: Overlord Jiao Has Arrived!
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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O R A N G E S T A R
[Alma S.] [Christine G.-L.] [K.Rom]
[Lily J.] [Suong D.] [Tessy Ivy O.] [Victoria] [Ziana K.-P.]
Y E L L O W S T A R
[Anasi G.] [Passerby] [Xena]
G O L D S T A R
[Anne C.] [Nevy] [Roxanne C.]
R A I N B O W S T A R
[Debra W] [Smurfinbatik] [Scorpion Princess]
C E L E S T I A L C O N Q U E R O R
[Ava C.] [Kiiayame] [kuroneko_chan] [Manon] [Sophia W.] [Val Nes]
Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*≧∀≦*)
Gu Jiao stepped into the small bamboo house.
By now, night had fallen, and feather-fan glass lanterns had been hung beneath the eaves. The clarity of this glass was nearly identical to that of modern glass, far surpassing the craftsmanship of the State of Liang.
"When were these put up? They look quite nice." Gu Jiao remarked.
"They were put up for the Moon Worship Festival." Ye Qing said as he ushered Gu Jiao inside. "They’re usually kept up until the end of the month before being taken down."
The Moon Worship Festival—also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival—was celebrated in Great Yan with moon-viewing and lantern-hanging traditions.
Gu Jiao knelt down opposite the Imperial Advisor and said with a teasing tone, "Lord Imperial Advisor, descending to the mortal world must be quite tiring, yet you still partake in such common festivities?"
The Imperial Advisor gave her a speechless sideways glance.
"Play a game of chess with me." He decided not to bicker with her.
"Alright then."
Considering how long I misunderstood you, I’ll humor you with a game.
Ye Qing, having just put the chessboard away, had no choice but to bring it out and set it up again. He then went to brew a pot of fruit tea.
The tea carried a natural fruity fragrance, refreshing but not overly sweet, perfectly suiting Gu Jiao’s taste.
"You’ll play as black." The Imperial Advisor said.
"Alright." Gu Jiao accepted without hesitation. She took the black pieces and made the first move, placing a piece on the small point in the upper right corner of the board.
The Imperial Advisor stared at the chess piece, momentarily lost in thought.
"Why did you stop playing?" Gu Jiao blinked and asked, "Don't tell me you actually don’t know how to play?"
"Who said I don't know how?" The Imperial Advisor coolly picked up a white stone and placed it on the board.
"I'm here to retrieve my little medicine chest." Gu Jiao said. "And while I'm at it, I came to bid you farewell."
During this period, Gu Changqing had been secretly training in the pirated version of the death warrior manual inside the intensive care unit. Gu Jiao had turned a blind eye and left the little medicine chest in the secret chamber the entire time.
Now that Gu Changqing had left, it was time for her to take the medicine chest with her and head to war.
The Imperial Advisor let out a huff. "You actually came to bid me farewell? That's a rare occurrence."
Gu Jiao placed a black piece on the board. "Why didn’t you clear your name?"
The Imperial Advisor’s hand, which was holding a chess piece, paused slightly.
The question was abrupt and out of nowhere. Ye Qing was utterly confused, white the Imperial Advisor, after a brief moment of thought, understood what Gu Jiao was referring to.
"There was no need." He answered.
The tragedy of the Xuanyuan Family had already happened. Simply saying, "It wasn't me who leaked the information," wouldn't bring back all those lost lives.
Besides, it was indeed his own failure in judgment back then. He had actually allowed a spy from the State of Jin to infiltrate the Imperial Advisor’s Hall and even become his most trusted disciple.
The Imperial Advisor didn’t ask her how she had learned the truth. Instead, after placing another stone on the board, he said flatly, "Tianshan Pass and Yanmen Pass are not far apart. The armies of both Jin and Liang may cross paths during this campaign. Be wary of Gongsun Yu from the State of Jin and Chu Feipeng from the State of Liang. These two are renowned war generals with formidable battle records."
In the dream, Seventh Young Master Xuanyuan, along with Taoist Qingfeng and Mu Qingchen, had all perished at the hands of Gongsun Yu!
As for Chu Feipeng, he was a tough adversary. It was he who had led an army to besiege the trapped Black Wind Cavalry in Liang Mountains. The Black Wind Cavalry fought to the last man, but in the end, they all fell under the relentless rain of arrows from the Chu Family's forces.
Even if the Imperial Advisor hadn’t mentioned them, she would have paid close attention to these two.
The fact that he had warned her meant that he was truly considering her well-being.
"I will be careful." Gu Jiao said.
The Imperial Advisor was used to seeing her render people speechless with her sharp tongue. Now, with her unexpectedly obedient response, he found himself momentarily at a loss.
"You lost." Gu Jiao said as she looked at the board.
Ye Qing was slightly stunned. He craned his neck to examine the game between the two.
It was true—the Imperial Advisor had lost.
Ye Qing was even more shocked.
His master was an exceptionally skilled chess player, second only to Old Master Meng, and yet he had lost to Xiao Liulang.
Judging by the flow of the game, there were no indications that his master had gone easy.
Which meant that Xiao Liulang’s chess skills were genuinely impressive.
Ye Qing turned to look at his master again, only to find that there was not the slightest trace of surprise in his eyes, as if this result had been expected.
Had his master played against Xiao Liulang before? Or had he learned about Xiao Liulang’s chess skills from Old Master Meng?
The more Ye Qing observed, the more perplexed he became about the relationship between his master and Xiao Liulang.
At times, he even had the illusion that they had known each other for a long time.
Gu Jiao stood up. "Alright, the game is over. I should be going. The safety of Shengdu—I'll leave it to the Imperial Advisor’s Hall."
The Imperial Advisor calmly replied, "Alright."
This was the third reason Gu Jiao had come to the Imperial Advisor’s Hall—to secure the Imperial Advisor’s promise to protect Shengdu.
Everyone had left, turning Shengdu into an empty shell.
The Imperial Advisor had been close friends with Xuanyuan Li, and the Imperial Advisor’s Hall had been founded by the Xuanyuan Family’s Lord of the Shadows. How much loyalty the Imperial Advisor truly held for the Emperor was uncertain.
That was why Gu Jiao needed a verbal guarantee from him.
The Imperial Advisor gazed at Gu Jiao without looking away. "I will hold Shengdu until you return."
Gu Jiao casually waved her fingers in farewell and strode off into the boundless night.
A sudden autumn wind swept through the purple bamboo grove, making the glass lanterns under the eaves sway and spin gently.
Inside the study, a painting depicting a general clad in black armor and wielding a red-tasseled spear was blown open with a crisp snap.
Only this time, the face of the person in the painting had been revealed.
After leaving the Imperial Advisor’s Hall, Gu Jiao made a stop at the Duke An Estate. Once she finished packing her belongings, she would have to head to the military camp, as she was set to depart with the army at dawn.
Duke An was waiting for her at the entrance of the Maple Courtyard, while Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun were peeking at her from inside the house.
Duke An had come to bid farewell to Gu Jiao. She was going to the battlefield, and he was also leaving. On the surface, he was traveling for peace negotiations, but in reality, he was covering for Grandaunt and Granduncle while also taking the opportunity to meet Xiao Heng’s biological father.
After all, he had to see for himself what kind of person his future in-law was.
——He had already heard everything from Gu Chengfeng. Xiao Heng had married her under a different identity, so technically speaking, this marriage could not be considered legitimate.
When it came to their marriage, both families would still need to negotiate carefully.
Neither of them spoke too many sorrowful parting words. Gu Jiao reminded him of the precautions he needed to take for his rehabilitation on the road, and he, in turn, urged her to take care of herself on this journey.
Gu Jiao said, "I will. I'm still waiting to see you stand up on your own two feet."
A faint smile flashed across Duke An’s eyes. He wrote on the armrest: ‘I will.’
I will stand up. I will see you off in grand style when you get married.
So you must return safely as well.
……
Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun refused to leave.
The two young men insisted that they would stay in Shengdu and wait for Gu Jiao to return victorious before heading back to the State of Zhao together.
Gu Jiao firmly disagreed. "I'm leaving, your brother-in-law is leaving, Grandaunt and Granduncle are leaving—who will take care of you? And don’t mention Lady Nan and Master Lu; it was already difficult enough for them to come here once, we can’t trouble them further."
Gu Yan said, "We can take care of ourselves!"
For the first time, Gu Xiaoshun defied his sister’s words. "That’s right! We’re grown-ups now!"
Gu Jiao pinched both their cheeks. "Grown-ups? You haven’t even fully grown your whiskers. Humph."
Gu Yan retorted, "I’m only half a day younger than you!"
Gu Jiao had already made up her mind—these three little men had to follow Grandaunt and Granduncle back to the State of Zhao.
With a sullen expression, Gu Yan finally said, "Fine, if you won’t let us stay, at least take this with you."
As he spoke, he placed a mechanical box on the table.
"And mine too." Gu Xiaoshun added, taking out his own.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…