Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 172 - 135 We Should Be the Best in This Era

Chapter 172: Chapter 135 We Should Be the Best in This Era

"You may leave now."

Gu Wen didn’t dwell on the matter too much. Jiang Jucai frowned slightly but still left very obediently.

Afterwards, Jiang Fugui also sent his wife away, believing that a woman would only be in the way here, and certain conversations were not suitable for her to know.

After Jiang mother and son had walked far away, Gu Wen praised them instead, "He hasn’t turned out to be an ungrateful wretch."

What young person is ever obedient? Especially those with some ability are usually wildly uncontrollable, only sobering up after society has beaten them down.

To be obedient was already quite good; the truly rebellious had already taken up arms. People always treat themselves leniently and others strictly. Jiang Fugui had often drunkenly complained about his own father; now as a father himself, he came full circle.

In his view, Jiang Jucai hadn’t yet reached the point of unforgivable rebellion.

Jiang Fugui indignantly said, "This kid is nearly starting a rebellion."

But deep down he breathed a sigh of relief, at least Jiang Jucai hadn’t made Mr. Wen detest him; in the end, he was still his own flesh and blood.

Gu Wen reassured him, "Young people are like that, besides, there’s no point in dwelling on it now."

"What if the imperial armies come to suppress the rebellion?" Jiang Fugui brought up his biggest worry.

"Are those higher-up generals of the Nanchun Army not barefoot?" Gu Wen retorted. "The dynasty suppressing rebellions isn’t new, and it’s not the last time southern magnates will rebel; they won’t lay a hand on the landlords."

The Daqian Dynasty was unaware of someone like Jiang Fugui. He was just a minor manager.

"After all, it’s just a small military leader, and it’s not like you only have one son."

With those words, Gu Wen’s voice took on a cooler tone, and Jiang Fugui understood.

If Jiang Jucai was indeed stubbornly courting death, they wouldn’t stop him; without him, Jiang Family Village would still go on. Jiang Fugui always knew this, but when it was explicitly stated, he still thought about familial affection.

"You decide for yourself."

Gu Wen didn’t force him and turned to Jun Yan and Chi Yu Zi, saying,

"Do you have any life-saving trinkets?"

"It won’t guarantee life in front of a cultivator."

Chi Yu Zi took out two spiritual swords from the Sword Box and on the spot pinched them into two pieces of inner armor. Under the control of mana and extreme physical strength, the spirit iron stretched as thin as cicada wings.

"Mr. Wen, who are these people?"

Jiang Fugui couldn’t help but ask, his gaze lingering on Yu Hua.

Wasn’t she the Goddess from before? How did she end up with Mr. Wen? Could the playful joke from before have come true?

With triple doubts, he sharply sensed that these people were all extraordinary, and Gu Wen was no ordinary person either.

As Gu Wen’s only confidant, Jiang Fugui knew that right after Gu Wen vanished from the Water House, turmoil erupted at Dragon Bridge and countless imperial guards surged towards it.

But Jiang Fugui never brought it up proactively. As long as Gu Wen didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t ask.

Gu Wen generously introduced each of the others’ names to Jiang Fugui, and this was also how Qin Mian learned the names of these ’strange people.’

Yu Hua, Chi Yu Zi, Jun Yan.

None had common surnames; they sounded more like Daoist names or Dharma names.

Seeing Gu Wen make the introductions, the three of them also gave Jiang Fugui face by nodding. Unbeknownst to Jiang Fugui, this was the pinnacle of his life; standing before him were exceptional individuals at the very apex of the Cultivation World.

In the Cultivation World, let alone a County Governor, even the lord of a great city governing a territory ten times larger than Daqian would have to bow to them.

Jiang Fugui did not understand these things, but he was very knowledgeable in the ways of the world and greeted each person with the most appropriate decorum he could muster, his cautious and restrained bearing amusing to others.

Then Gu Wen handed over the toys crafted by Chi Yu Zi on the spot to Jiang Fugui, incidentally picking a defective piece from his thousands of spiritual swords for him, because Jiang Fugui couldn’t use them otherwise.

He said, "I don’t intend to stay here for long; all that silver is for you. Also, Guard Qin will stay with you—he will protect you from now on."

Jiang Fugui, recovering from the shock of Chi Yu Zi’s ’Immortal Technique,’ urgently asked, "Sir, may I follow you?"

"You may not."

Gu Wen refused very straightforwardly. Jiang Fugui, anticipating this, cautiously asked, "Are you going to become an Immortal?"

"Yes, to seek immortality, but not for a life of ease. This journey is dangerous, and I can’t take you with me."

Gu Wen paused as he spoke, suddenly noticing a few strands of grey hair on Jiang Fugui’s head and fell silent for a moment before saying, "If I achieve my goal, I’ll help you."

After all, they had been together for so many years, bonded by life-and-death experiences.

Jiang Fugui didn’t persist in his entreaties, saying, "I wish you a smooth journey and success in attaining the Dao and immortality."

"Don’t be so downhearted; it will be at most a few years," Gu Wen said with a smile. "I’ll be staying around here for a while."

Chi Yu Zi interjected, "The day after tomorrow we set off to seek opportunities, which is only two hundred miles from here; if all goes well, you could return in a week. It’s not a major opportunity like that of Heavenly Spring Mountain, just some minor secret realms."

"What exactly are they?" Gu Wen asked curiously.

"They are minor secret realms, possibly no larger than ten acres each. We borrow a precious spot to plant herbs; every time a sect disciple enters, they can harvest a crop."

"How many are there?"

"Ten, with three by Nanshui. The yield of one is about equivalent to our previous harvests."

"Very good."

Gu Wen’s eyes lit up, marveling at the considerable number of opportunities and contingencies available to a Major Sect.

But does the Sanqing Taoist Sect have any?

As this thought crossed his mind, he turned to look at Yu Hua, who answered without being asked: "The Sanqing Taoist Sect has many secret realms, but they all belong to the Three Pure Daoists."

Gu Wen asked with confusion, "They really didn’t give us anything?"

"There’s nothing," Yu Hua explained. "Because all the strong members of the Daoist Sect have come to help us, it would be excessive to ask for the opportunities of The Three Pure Ones now."

"That’s true."

-----------------

That night, Gu Wen and his group settled into a small courtyard in Jiang Family Village.

The courtyard, half-hidden by bamboo groves, was accessed via slabs of green stone, leading to a delicate abode with green tiles and white walls.

The courtyard wasn’t large, but its decoration and materials were of excellent quality. Every bit of whitewashed wall and furniture was exquisite, and it was clear that it was regularly cleaned, although there were no signs of it being lived in.

However, it was still too small. Jun Yan plainly stated that meditating in the courtyard would suffice, while Chi Yu Zi took up a side room.

Gu Wen shared a room with Yu Hua. Normally sitting was enough for Yu Hua, but these days she was more prone to sleepiness, so the bed was naturally yielded to her.

For the following two days, Gu Wen led a life shuttling between three places: in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, he would wait for Jun Yan to prepare meals, spend time learning the Golden Core Path from Chi Yu Zi when free, chat with Yu Hua occasionally, and foster Innate Divine Beasts before sleeping.

It wasn’t until the third day, as they were preparing to set off in search of the Sword Control Sect’s secret realm, that an unsettling piece of news arrived.

Lin Chuan County had quelled a rebellion, and General Wenren Wu, after a month of reorganization, would arrive in Nanshui by mid-October.

Jiang Fugui came looking for them anxiously and said, "What to do, what to do! General Wenren Wu has been undefeated in many years of campaigns, quelling rebellions far and wide. The Nanchun Army will be defeated without doubt!"

"My eldest son, I fear, is not long for this world. Mr. Wen, can you come up with a plan to let that rotten kid find a place to hide?"

Jiang Fugui had none of his previous coldness; he was in a panic now that Jiang Jucai’s life was hanging by a thread.

The name Wenren Wu was known throughout the Daqian Dynasty. Over the past decade, he had quelled every major and minor rebellion and had become the greatest stabilizing force of Daqian.

At least publicly, the citizens did not know of the Lord Emperor’s cultivation, only the grand military exploits of Wenren Wu.

Inside the courtyard, including Gu Wen, everyone appeared calm.

Chi Yu Zi, lying on the stone table with a shake of his ears, yawned and said, "What’s there to fear from this old fellow?"

"No, there is indeed a threat. The art of war is very useful in the Immortal Land," Jun Yan shook his head and said. "I saw Wenren Wu in Ze State a few days ago. This True Monarch of the military completed his Golden Core and is now at the Eighty-Five Foundations."

"That’s just one level higher than me. My Golden Light Spell could blow him up too."

"His Divine Skills are higher by one level, but so is his military might."

"Then we shall join forces."

Chi Yu Zi’s words suddenly sparked interest in Gu Wen; maybe, just possibly, they could actually take down Wenren Wu in one fell swoop.

Once Wenren Wu was dead, the impact on Daqian would be greater than the death of Zhao Feng. Because Zhao Feng’s death would at most be a loss in reputation, whereas Wenren Wu represented an actual deterrent.

The entire world could revolt without being able to overthrow the Lord Emperor, but they could prevent the Lord Emperor from continuing to gather Spiritual Medicine for Alchemy, leaving him exhausted from suppressing rebellions everywhere.

"Why kill?" Jun Yan asked in reply. "We have no old grudges, and as one of Daqian’s pillars, he must have many lifesaving methods. The Lord Emperor will surely go to great lengths to protect him."

As soon as the words were out, Gu Wen spoke, "I have a grudge. What do you need from me to kill him?"

The two were taken aback but did not probe further. They then actually began to consider the possibility of killing a pillar of the Daqian Dynasty.

To others, such a deed would seem impossible, but to Jun Yan and Chi Yu Zi, it was just a question of cost. And Gu Wen, who possessed the True Sword Dao, was undoubtedly the one who could offer the most. Both of them had requests for Gu Wen.

Compared to the ’chronic diseases’ they suffered from, a mere military True Monarch was nothing.

"My demand is very simple. Help me kill three Demon Heads with your True Sword Dao," Jun Yan said.

Chi Yu Zi, after pondering for a moment, said, "I can help you."

The answers of the two were similar. Jun Yan was practical, while Chi Yu Zi seemed more like supporting a comrade.

The three agreed on the spot. Gu Wen, grinning, asked, "Will this not draw too much attention?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha, you’re worried about attracting attention? If you had the strength right now, you’d probably love to shit on the Lord Emperor’s head."

Chi Yu Zi mercilessly exposed Gu Wen; he was the most arrogant one present.

Then she stood up from the table, her orange eyes ablaze with laughter, "Wait until mid-October. As soon as he enters Nanshui, we’ll ambush him and blow up the old fellow."

Jun Yan, stroking his beard, said, "Then we’ll blood sacrifice hundreds of thousands of troops and ride the evil sprit to attack Fire Cloud Cave. How about that?"

"Such crooked and evil practices."

Chi Yu Zi glared at him and said, "As long as mortal soldiers die in formation, it doesn’t matter. If you dare to slaughter fleeing survivors, I’ll cut you down."

"You and your quaint hypocrisy," Jun Yan retorted.

Gu Wen ignored the daily bickering between the two and turned to seek Yu Hua’s opinion.

Yu Hua’s veil fluttered in the wind as she said lightly, "If you want to fight, then fight. Whether we do it openly or in secret, it doesn’t matter. We should choose the approach that is most beneficial to us."

"We are not rats crossing the street; we should be the peerless of this era."

The Lord Emperor shared the same enemy, and disrupting the opponent also meant creating advantages for themselves.

As for the Lord Emperor, it would save trouble if he came.

As if finalizing the matter, Gu Wen said, "Then it’s settled. Next month, we kill the pillar of Daqian and shatter the nation’s fortunes."

The breeze rustled through the bamboo grove. Here sat a Taoist Heavenly Girl in meditation, a Golden Core becoming a Saint and a Ten Thousand Demons Saint arguing, and also the number one Sword Cultivator beneath the Immortals.

The peerless of this era naturally stand against the world, or else, how can they be invincible against the world?