Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 604 Solved

Situ Gu turned around, greeted the people at the library, and left, saying that there was something going on at the sect.

He had just accepted a disciple and ran off overnight, not even allowing anyone to see him off. A group of people saw him off to the door of the alley and watched Situ Gu leave. The Dong Wenshu family had somewhat complicated expressions.

Seeing this, Li Xianghong, who was in the know, offered a friendly suggestion, saying, "Master, please don't mind. Elder Situ was not lying. Something has indeed happened in his sect. I personally told him. He should be rushing back to confirm the situation."

Wei Mo and Young Master Nan exchanged a glance, both curious about what was going on, and prepared to turn around and find out for confirmation.

Upon hearing this, the Dong Wenshu family realized that it was not an obvious act of contempt, and their expressions softened slightly.

"I also have some things to take care of, so I'll take my leave now." Li Xianghong nodded slightly to Dong Wenshu before disappearing in a flash.

Seeing the guests leave one by one, Wei Mo and Nan Gongzi felt it was inappropriate to stay any longer, so they also took their leave.

When the rest of them returned to the courtyard, they found Li Hongjiu still sitting at her seat, drinking by herself. She hadn't gone to see Situ Gu off earlier, seemingly preferring to disrespect the reputation of the number one weapon refiner in the cultivation world rather than waste the fine wine.

Sword Saint Fuque did not go to see him off. He had already called Dong Liangze to test his foundation. This master was obviously much more serious than the other masters who had come here. Regardless of whether Dong Liangze's foundation was good or not, since he had taken this disciple, he had to take responsibility.

Shi Chun, who was hiding behind the window in the library pavilion, watched all of this from the sidelines and shook his head. He found that they were all people with strong personalities. If it were him, he would be willing to make Wu Jinliang kneel down and call him "father" as long as he could get on good terms with Situ Gu.

Wu Jinliang would definitely be happy to have such a powerful father. Isn't that better than anything else?
After a hearty meal and drinks, Li Hongjiu finally returned to the library, slightly tipsy, where he now practically lived day and night.

Even the Sword Saint Fuque would meditate and rest when he was tired, and look for books to read when he woke up.

Two people with strong personalities were tripped up by some pieces of paper that the world looked down upon.

Shi Chun wasn't in a hurry to leave with Situ Gu. He was waiting for Li Hongjiu to return, especially now, when the opportunity was perfect. Sword Saint Fu Que had gone to Dong Liangze, and there was no one else in the library.

With a shameless grin, Shi Chun stood guard at the stairwell. As soon as Li Hongjiu came up, he immediately went up to him, put his hands on Li's arms, and said obsequiously, "Brother Jiu, you haven't had too much to drink, have you?"

Li Hongjiu paused, staring intently at the person helping her up, instantly sobering up. "I'm telling you, I'm not used to you doing this. If you have something to say, just say it directly, don't try anything underhanded."

After saying that, he quickly shook off his arm and walked away, seemingly wanting to get away from someone.

Shi Chun quickly followed, climbing to the third floor. Only after he stopped did he say with a solemn expression, "Brother Jiu, to be honest, I have a favor to ask of you."

Standing in front of the bookshelf, Li Hongjiu, who was searching through a row of books, looked at him warily. Regardless of the matter, she directly refused, saying, "Your problem is not something a normal person can handle. I'm sorry, I'm incapable of helping you."

Shi Chun pretended not to hear, letting the other person refuse, and continued talking, "Brother Jiu, it's like this, do you remember our first fight in the Divine Fire Domain? The one in that tornado-like pillar of wind, the one where you used the Heaven-Shattering Thunder Sword to strike me."

His words made it difficult for anyone not to respond. Even Li Hongjiu couldn't help but look at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "I can't remember. What's wrong?"

The words still left a defensive line; if something went wrong, they could simply say they'd forgotten.

Shi Chun leaned closer and whispered, "How about I trouble you, Brother Jiu, to chop me up again?"

"..." Li Hongjiu froze, it was the first time she had ever heard such a request, she was asking for a beating.

He immediately sensed something was wrong. Even if this scoundrel was despicable, he wouldn't be so itchy as to want to be beaten up. So he immediately questioned, "Speak like a human being."

"Alright," Shi Chun continued in a low voice, "To be honest, Brother Jiu, I think I've had a bit of an epiphany from your lightning sword. I heard that you created your own cultivation technique, and your lightning sword gave me a bit of a feel for it. I'd also like to create my own cultivation technique, but I don't know if it will work. I'd like to give it a try."

"..." Li Hongjiu was genuinely surprised this time, looking him up and down repeatedly as if she had seen a ghost, as if to say, "You think you can do this?"
He didn't believe that someone who schemed around could have such insight. A person with scattered energy, no matter how smart, is useless. With a fluctuating mindset, it's hard to cultivate wisdom. They can gain external benefits but rarely personal ones. Isn't it a joke to talk about creating their own cultivation method?

So he still didn't believe it: "Just say what you want to do, don't beat around the bush with me."

Shi Chun cried out in protest, "Really, I had no other intention. After being struck by your lightning sword last time, I had some clues, and I've been trying to sort them out. That's one of the main reasons I hid in the library reading books before, trying to find the answer from all the books I read, but I was always missing something. So I thought, why don't I let you strike me with your lightning sword again and try to get a feel for it?"

"Really?" Li Hongjiu's face was full of doubt, so she remained wary and asked, "Do you think someone like you is trustworthy?"

Shi Chun immediately clasped his hands in prayer and bowed to him, saying, “What’s so unbelievable about this? There’s no point in me lying to you about this. What could I possibly lie to you about? To be honest, you’re probably not as rich as I am right now. Consider your own worth. What could you possibly give me? Really, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration today and came up with an idea. I really want Brother Jiu to help me verify it. If it works, Brother Jiu, I’m not bragging, but I might just create the world’s number one extraordinary skill.”

The best in the world? Li Hongjiu neither believed this boast nor was hesitant to try it. He wanted to see what kind of martial arts technique this scoundrel could create.

Of course, there are reasons why people are itching to try it.

The main reason lies in that so-called encounter with Shi Chun. When he struck Shi Chun with a thunderous sword strike, he seemed to see an ancient lotus light and shadow on Shi Chun's body. This Dharma image was extraordinary. Could it be that he had truly comprehended something in an instant?
He raised his hand and scratched his chin, then suddenly asked, "I can help you, but what's in it for me?" Shi Chun immediately knew things were settled, so he didn't haggle with the other party. Since he didn't want to give anything, he made a promise without hesitation: "How about this, next time if there's anything, I can help you too. As long as it's within my power, I won't refuse. How about it?"

Li Hongjiu ran his fingers along his chin for a while, but couldn't think of anything he could get from the other party that suited him. The key was that he was a person with few selfish desires. After thinking it over, he figured a promise would be acceptable.

As for whether the other party will keep their promise, that's a matter for the future. The key is that he himself has been persuaded and wants to see what this guy's self-comprehension technique that was supposed to get him struck by lightning is all about. If he can understand it, it will be a great gain for him as well.

After much deliberation, he glanced at the nearest window and said, "To condense a thunder sword, not just any place will do. This area probably won't work; we'll have to find a place with plenty of water."

Shi Chun quickly bowed and thanked him before asking, "Is it alright to go to the beach?"

"It's just a matter of going a little further," Li Hongjiu hummed in agreement, then turned and said, "Let's go."

"Hey, Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu." Shi Chun quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, saying, "Wait a moment, wait a moment, let me make some arrangements and have someone come to meet us."

It's fine for him to pretend to be reading during the day, but now that it's nighttime, a stranger like him suddenly opening the door and going out could easily attract attention, so he has to be careful.

Li Hongjiu asked suspiciously, "Why bother with a backup when we can just leave directly?"

He didn't have many concerns; in his view, as long as he guarded against Shi Chun, there wouldn't be any major problems.

Shi Chun hurriedly explained, "No, there might be quite a few people who want to harm me right now. Leaving openly like this could cause trouble. Please wait a moment, I'll arrange for a carriage to come over, and then I'll have the driver come in and change my clothes with you. I'll pretend to be the driver and then leave with you."

"..." Li Hongjiu was speechless and somewhat amused, shaking her head and saying, "Shi Chun, Shi Chun, I'm telling you, you're always causing trouble. You pounce on any benefit you see, like a dog. You dare to steal anyone's advantage and take advantage of anyone. You even dare to swindle things from the top ten sects in the weapon-refining world. I'm truly impressed by you. Now look at you, hiding all day long, like you can't stand the light of day. Is it fun to live like this?"

Like Wu Jinliang, Shi Chun chuckled, "You know, we come from a bad background. Nobody wanted us even for menial jobs. We're doing very well now."

"..." Li Hongjiu's expression calmed down slightly. After bowing her head for a moment, she said, "Alright, you can arrange it as you see fit."

After saying that, he picked out a book he liked, found a place to move the lamp and start reading.

With manpower on hand, things were arranged quickly, and soon a carriage arrived outside the Chaoyue Pavilion, whose doors and windows were tightly closed.

The coachman, wearing a straw hat with the brim pulled down and a vest draped over his shoulders, knocked on the door of the library. The door opened halfway, and he stepped inside.

They came out again soon, and Li Hongjiu followed them out and got into the car. The driver then drove off with a whip crack.

Deep inside the house, the second young lady, Dong Liangyu, who had been sitting cross-legged in the darkness, slowly opened her eyes.

Not long after the two drove away, someone quickly entered Wei Mo and Nan Gongzi's room at a nearby inn. The two were playing chess, as the new house on the purchased land was not yet completed and needed more time.

The person who knocked on the door entered and whispered to Wei Mo, "A carriage suddenly arrived and took Li Hongjiu away."

While weighing the options, Wei Mo Nianzi casually asked, "Should we stay in the city or leave?"

The messenger reported, "Judging from the route, we need to take the main road out of the city."

"Going out of the city by carriage late at night..." Wei Mo paused, his eyes flashing slightly, before slowly placing a piece down. "Situ Gu and Li Hongjiu are both people who have connections with Shi Chun. Their presence here suggests they have nothing to do with Shi Chun. I don't believe it. Send someone to follow them and see what they're up to. Also, prepare the necessary manpower so that we can avoid any mishaps if they run into Shi Chun."

"Yes." The messenger accepted the order and left.

The young master Nan, who was staring at the chessboard opposite him, looked somewhat serious and absent-minded.

In the antique courtyards and pavilions of the city, a woman in red was also reading a book by a solitary lamp, a book she had brought from the library's collection.

After Alan came up, he went to her side and reported: "We have found out who the two are. One is Young Master Nan, and the other is a servant of Dongsheng. The former lord of Shengzhou is named Wei Mo. He also has a past relationship with Shi Chun. There are people from the Dongsheng Royal Court secretly working with him."

The woman in red seemed not to hear, gently turning the page and reading intently.

Suddenly, Alan took out the mother-child talisman, read the message on it, and hurriedly reported again: "Your Majesty, Li Hongjiu has come out. A carriage just picked him up, and it looks like he is going out of the city."

She didn't know why this lady valued Li Hongjiu so much. She had been instructed beforehand that if Li Hongjiu left, she must be informed immediately.

"Oh, are you leaving already?" The woman in red buttoned her book to her chest, turned her head to look at Alan, and said indifferently, "This guy is indeed a talent, what a pity... We can't let him leave alive. Arrange for someone to take care of him. Be careful, it is said that when he was in the high martial arts realm, even the earth immortal realm could not do anything to him. When he is in position, don't make any mistakes."

(End of this chapter)