Light Fortress
Chapter 426 - 89: People Above the Mountain, People Below the Mountain (Long - , Votes for Monthly Tickets!)

Chapter 426: Chapter 89: People Above the Mountain, People Below the Mountain (Long Chapter, Votes for Monthly Tickets!)

"Seeking a monument?"

Gu Shen was taken aback.

He had never expected... that such a request would be this simple.

It was not even a request, to begin with.

There were plenty of steles in the Qing Tomb Outer Mausoleum... After Gu Changzhi’s Divine Throne was laid to eternal rest, the power emitted by the fire seed condensed into this extraordinarily large marvelous realm, different from the Disaster Realm of Moon City Fortress. Qingzhong was a completely controllable "Land of Divine Miracles," where the dead buried here would not have their Extraordinary Essence dissipate, but rather spontaneously condense, lingering outside of the vast sky.

Moreover, it was said that during the construction of Qingzhong, the fire seed had a wondrous reaction with the "Array Patterns" that was beyond imagination.

As long as one was buried here, even some Transcendents who had passed away long ago, whose bodies’ Extraordinary Essence had already dispersed, could still be summoned back... Of course, this claim had not been truly verified, but the Extraordinary Essence currently congealed in Qingzhong had far exceeded the estimates made before its construction. This was not an amount that the transient essence of the ordinarily interred dead could account for.

"Friend... this doesn’t seem to warrant a deliberate audience with the Tomb Guardian."

Gu Shen was somewhat helpless.

If it were just a stele that was sought, then approaching the five major houses or the three institutions would suffice!

Despite the heavy fog, Gu Shen could vaguely see the stature and bearing of the person at the base of the mountain, and thought that he must come from a distinguished lineage. Even if not from among the five major houses, the difference couldn’t be much.

A step back.

Even if it were just an ordinary Loose Cultivator... as long as he reached out to the three institutions and expressed the desire for a stele, he could still obtain the "burial rights" in Qingzhong. Changye had always been gathering the disordered Extraordinary Essence, attempting to protect the entire region with it.

Therefore, during these times of urgent need for essence, as long as the Transcendent laws were not violated, most could be buried in "Qingzhong." The only thing was the quality of the plots within the cemetery varied, arranged according to contributions made. The plots that a common Transcendent might get were probably not so favorable, that’s all.

The person at the mountain’s foot spoke in a deep voice.

"Not only for a monument, I also seek a name."

Seeking a... name?

Gu Shen was even more puzzled.

Before he could say anything, the voice of the Tomb Guardian echoed in his ear, and at the same time, the outline of a name’s strokes surfaced in his mind.

"Tell him... the name on the monument is Yu Shu."

The Tomb Guardian spoke softly, "He will owe you a favor."

So that was it...

Gu Shen’s expression grew complex. Master Qianye had deliberately sent him to this mountain to meet this mysterious young man, and her refusal to respond and her insistence on not seeing him were to make him owe her a favor.

Who in the world was this individual?

Worthy of being treated so by the Tomb Guardian... In other words, with his current status, did he even need a favor from anyone?

But.

Gu Shen had a good impression of the man below the mountain.

Even if Master Qianye had not spoken, he would have offered help on his own initiative.

"The man’s name is Yu Shu, Yu as in ’within’ and Shu as in ’beam.’"

Gu Shen spoke again, and at the same time, he raised his hand, slowly tracing the strokes in the fog with his fingertip... With such dense fog, he wondered if the other person could see it clearly?

After a few seconds.

The man at the foot of the mountain got up from his seated position and stood up.

"Thank you for your assistance."

He slightly bowed, performing a very ancient courtesy... a courtesy Gu Shen had seen performed by Li Qingci.

Indeed, was it someone from the five major houses?

Gu Shen returned the courtesy.

Just as the young man at the base of the mountain was about to take his leave, Gu Shen’s ear caught the voice of the Tomb Guardian once more. His pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly spoke up, calling out loudly.

"Wait—"

The young man paused, turning his head back.

Gu Shen spoke with deliberate earnestness, "The person intending to kill you has the character ’Zheng’ in his name, Zheng as in ’strife’... be careful."

Despite the heavy fog.

Gu Shen had a vague feeling.

When he heard these words... the man below the mountain seemed to smile.

The two of them, one standing atop the mountain, the other at its base.

As they parted, they nodded to each other.

...

...

Tonight.

In Changye, there was heavy rain, heavy snow, and thunder.

Such wretched weather had not occurred for a long time.

The Thunder Dragon dominated, Blazing Light flickered in and out, and across the ten-thousand-meter expanse of the heavens, their thunderous roars resounded.

Within the Bai’s Ancestral Hall, various elders were discussing ancestral worship, as the recent climate had been too poor. Many ceremonies needed to be altered, perhaps even held indoors... While everyone was in discussion, the ancestral hall’s wooden doors were pushed open.

"Bai Xiu?"

The Second Elder saw the drenched white clothes of the youth and frowned, "Where were you yesterday... not a trace of you in the entire Snow Forbidden City..."

Bai Xiu didn’t respond to this question.

His gaze swept across the elders... silently searching his mind for names.

Unfortunately, he was not usually concerned with the family’s news nor did he care about the composition of the Elder Council. Aside from the Second Elder, Bai Zesheng, he could hardly call out any other names here.

But today, they were having a meeting.

On the long table stood several wooden plaques each inscribed with the names of the attendees... The more ancient the clan, the more they valued such intangible ceremonial elegance. During formal family council meetings, each seated member seeing their name plaque was in fact a great encouragement.

They had spent decades striving for a seat here.

However, it must be said that everything has two sides—

This intangible ceremonial elegance wasn’t just "excess"; at times, it could also provide convenience.

Such as, at this moment.

Bai Xiu spoke softly, "Tomorrow, I will make a trip to Jiangbei, Huaiyin."