Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 1

"come yet?"

"not yet."

In the Jiquan Pavilion in front of the lecture hall of Chongjing Academy, two young girls were standing on tiptoe and looking around, searching for a certain figure.

They were Shen Lingshu, the daughter of Marquis Wuding of Rui State, and her maid Ayuan. They were both wearing plain straight-hem long gowns, and their attire was no different from that of the students in the academy.

Shen Lingshu has a slim figure, a pretty oval face, fair skin, and curved eyebrows. Even in men's clothes, she is still incredibly beautiful; A Yuan still has baby fat, and is pretty yet childish.

Switzerland does not ban girls from enrolling in school, but they actually used connections to sneak in today.

The purpose is to cause trouble to someone.

Shen Lingshu had been engaged to a man, but in terms of family background, the other party was not worthy of her. However, she was broken off not long ago.

She had always been proud, and thus became a laughing stock in the capital. She could not swallow this humiliation, so she decided to come and ask for clarification in person.

As the bell rang, most of the students had taken their seats before A Yuan finally raised his hand and pointed.

"coming."

When the other party came to cancel the engagement, she ran over to take a peek and was deeply impressed by his figure and appearance.

Shen Lingshu looked in the direction Ah Yuan pointed, and saw that there was only one person walking slowly at the mountain gate.

To be fair, the madman actually had a pretty good appearance. He was very graceful and had an air of being aloof from the world, but his expression was indifferent, and there was a sense of coldness and aloofness between his brows.

"He looks like a maniac who has no manners."

Shen Lingshu snorted, walked towards him with some annoyance, and called out the name that was once written on her marriage contract -

"Gu Jingnian."

The young man was walking leisurely when he heard someone calling him. He turned his head and saw it was a female disciple, but he ignored her.

Shen Lingshu became even more annoyed, and quickly rushed to Gu Jingnian and took out his divorce documents from his sleeve.

"you……"

"I won't read the letter. Sorry."

Gu Jingnian seemed nonchalant and passed her by before he could finish his words.

Shen Lingshu was stunned for a moment before she realized that he probably thought she was an admirer who wanted to give him a love letter.

It's hateful that this rude lunatic is so self-righteous and conceited.

She stamped her feet in anger and said, "Stop, let me tell you, I am..."

"Lectures are being given."

"Ok?"

Shen Lingshu was stunned.

As the last bell rang, a middle-aged man with a long beard and wearing a hemp robe walked over from the corridor with his hands behind his back.

"Mr. Mingchuan is here."

The students suddenly stopped talking to each other.

The middle-aged man in a ramie robe looked towards Shen Lingshu and shouted, "Are you still messing around?!"

Shen Lingshu was intimidated by the aura and dared not say a word, feeling quite innocent.

When I looked again, I found that Gu Jingnian had sat down on a cushion in the corner of the lecture hall without me noticing, with a book in his hands, looking like he was studying seriously.

Seeing the solemn atmosphere, A Yuan felt frightened and quickly pulled Shen Lingshu to sit down.

It should be noted that Chongjing Academy has a high status and Mr. Mingchuan is also a great scholar of the time.

The gentleman's name was Song Zhang, with the courtesy name Boyu and the pseudonym Mingchuan. He was knowledgeable and well-known. The emperor of Ruiguo wanted to recruit him as an official twice, but he politely declined both times.

Today, even if Wu Dinghou is in person, he has to show some respect to Song Zhang...

"Meet Mr. Mingchuan."

All the disciples stood up and bowed, their white clothes as white as snow.

The lecture hall is spacious, with several characters taller than a person written on the three white walls. They are "loyalty", "filial piety", "chastity", "righteousness", "propriety" and "faith". It seems as if six Vajras are gazing at the disciples in a flying dancing posture.

On the plaque in front are written the four characters "Heavenly Dao Zhengmai" in majestic handwriting.

Below the plaque, Song Zhang sat down, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and began to speak.

It didn't seem like a lecture, but more like a casual conversation.

"As you wish, today we will talk about aliens."

"The Book of Rivers says that the land is 335,000 li wide, with a mountain in the middle called Kunlun, which is 10,000 li high. It is where gods and saints are born and where sages gather. The 80 states under heaven surround it, and Zhongzhou is one of them, located in the southeast corner."

"Zhongzhou is 15,000 miles in radius, with the sea on the left, the flowing sand on the right, the snowy abyss in the north, and the extreme steepness in the front. It has been unified since ancient times, but now it is divided into five countries, so there is no need to elaborate."

"The area outside Zhongzhou is called 'Yihai'. There are many strange people, strange beasts, strange things, and strange customs in Yihai."

"Give me a few examples."

"Forty thousand miles east of Pengshan, there is a tribe called 'Ji'. The Ji people are born after a gestation period of thirty-six years. They are born tall, with deer horns on their heads, and can ride on clouds and mist. They are probably dragons."

"Thirty-six thousand miles west of Huguan, there is a tribe called "Shi". The Shi people have four arms and are good at making flying chariots that can travel far with the wind. They are also good archers. Six hundred years ago, they rode the west wind to Zhongzhou, but were defeated by King Chengwu, so they rode the east wind back again."

"30,000 miles south of Jiuwei Mountain, there is a tribe called 'Yu'. The Yu people have wings and can fly to the sky. This is because there are many phoenixes in their area and they have been eating phoenix eggs since ancient times. The Yu people do not like war but love singing..."

A fat student from the academy suddenly raised his hand.

"gentlemen."

"Zhuang Ziyuan, what's the matter?"

"May I ask, sir, there are so many alien species in Yihai, can they destroy us mortals?"

Song Zhang laughed when he heard this and said, "The land and water nurture the people. The atmosphere of Zhongzhou is a paradise for ordinary people, but it is not suitable for the people of Yihai to live in."

"Ah? Why is that?"

"The breath of ordinary people is turbid, while the breath of phoenixes is pure, so when winged people reach Zhongzhou, they cannot fly far; when Shi people drive a chariot, they need wind. If the wind dies, even if they have four arms, they cannot defeat the soldiers of Zhongzhou; when Ji people ride on clouds and mist, how can they go higher, and give birth safely after 36 years of pregnancy in Zhongzhou?"

"May I ask, sir, why have students never seen any aliens?"

Many disciples found it funny and whispered to each other, mocking Zhuang Ziyuan for his lack of vision.

Shen Lingshu was born in a marquis's mansion, so he knew that the army actually recruited many strange people and strange beasts to fight, but they were rarely seen among the people.

Song Zhang did not discuss this, saying, "There are many famous scholars and great men in the capital, so the strange people dare not come. The two words "civil" and "military" are what make the people enjoy peace. The civil one is the learning of the ancient sages, and the righteous spirit can make the evil spirits dare not approach; the military one is to defend the country and achieve the great cause of unifying the Central Plains and bringing peace to the people."

Having said this, he put down his teacup and pretended to be scolding his disciple.

"If you are willing to study literature and martial arts diligently, why should you be afraid of aliens?!"

"Yes."

"..."

When the bell rang again, Song Zhang didn't show any intention of lingering. He just stood up and left.

"Farewell, sir." The disciples bowed.

Shen Lingshu couldn't get up. She knelt on the cushion, which was cold and uncomfortable. Her legs were numb from sitting so much that she rubbed them for a long time before they recovered.

It's not worth it to go and question that rude lunatic.

When she turned around again, she found that Gu Jingnian was no longer there.

"Hey, where are they? A-Yuan?"

A Yuan was still sleeping soundly with his head down and swaying. He only woke up when he was pushed.

She wiped the corner of her mouth, looked over, and said in surprise: "Ah? He was here just now."

"Just now? You've been sleeping for half an hour... Go and look for him."

"Eh."

Ah Yuan quickly asked a passing academy disciple, "Have you seen Gu Jingnian?"

"Who is that?"

"He's your classmate." A Yuan said, "Don't you recognize him?"

"There are more than 200 classmates of mine, all of whom are unknown. It's not worth my getting to know them." The scholar brushed his sleeves and walked away proudly.

Ah Yuan was speechless. She asked two more people, but they both didn't know Gu Jingnian. She couldn't help scratching her head and said, "Girl, that lunatic doesn't seem to have any friends."

"Serves you right." They searched around again before they met a female disciple who recognized Gu Jingnian.

"Gu Jingnian? Oh, what a hateful person... He is a weirdo, eccentric, arrogant and rude, and never interacts with his classmates."

"I don't want to associate with him either, but I have something to ask him." Shen Lingshu shared the same hatred and asked, "Do you know where he went?"

"I'm going to learn swordplay later. He never goes to the martial arts arena. I guess he doesn't know how to do martial arts and is afraid of losing face."

"Huh?" Shen Lingshu couldn't help but wonder, "A general's son doesn't know martial arts?"

"The general's son? I don't know about that. I only know that when other men meet to compete in martial arts, he always refuses. He never learns from his shame and becomes braver when being ridiculed. He is very weak."

"I see, thank you very much."

Seeing this, A Yuan whispered, "Girl, it seems that he is a coward. He must have felt that he was not worthy of you, so he broke off the engagement. It's a good thing that you didn't marry him. Let's go back."

"Humph, if I had seen him earlier, I would have taken the initiative to cancel the engagement, but I'm angry that he canceled it first. How can I not ask for clarification? Let's go, look for him this way."

Shen Lingshu refused to give in.

Of course, even if Gu Jingnian knew that she was so beautiful and came to ask for her hand in marriage, even if he regretted it too late, she would absolutely not marry again. She just wanted to find out the reason.

--------

Passing through the long stele corridor from the lecture hall is the library of Chongjing Academy.

The plaque has the four characters "怀览今古" written in elegant cursive script, and the handwriting is mottled.

This building has been built for more than six hundred years.

The courtyard was filled with lush vegetation, and an ancient maple tree towered into the sky. A broken swing hung on its branches, and the wooden boards had long since rotted away. No one knew why there was a swing in such a solemn occasion, but no one moved it away, leaving it leaning against the grass to tell of the traces of time.

An old servant was sitting on the steps dozing in the sun. His gray beard had grown so long that it dragged on the ground and was as dry as autumn grass.

Gu Jingnian walked into the yard and stood quietly for a while. The old man woke up, rubbed his eyes, and his gaze fell on the corner of Gu Jingnian's coat.

"Students of the academy can read books on the first floor."

"Senior, it's me."

"So it's you." The old man said slowly, "My eyes are blurry. If you didn't tell me, how would I know it was you? Even if you told me, I would have to think for a while before I could remember who you were."

Gu Jingnian only knew that the old man had received favors from his father, so he had been taking good care of him since he entered school. However, he had never asked about the old man's origins for many years.

"I listened to Mr. Mingchuan's lecture today. There are many things I have never seen in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Tribute to Yu, Erya, Shuowen, and Geography. I wonder how Mr. Mingchuan knew them?"

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Maybe Song Zhang has seen it with his own eyes?"

"The Yi Sea is thousands of miles away. How could Mr. Mingchuan have traveled to various states?"

"No, he's too young... Yeah, so where did he know that?"

The old man shook his head and muttered to himself, and the wrinkles on his face became more obvious.

Gu Jingnian didn’t know how old he had to be to have so many wrinkles, maybe he must be a hundred years old?

Then the old man seemed to remember something.

"Oh, there were originally ten volumes of Fengwuzhi in the library, but unfortunately they were collected by Zhaowenguan, and there is not even a copy left in the library."

Gu Jingnian asked, "Apart from Zhaowenguan, where else can I find this book?"

The old man slapped his knee and sighed, saying: "You have been reading books here for five years, diligently, but I still say the same thing - you are lost in the crowd."

"I also want to be lost in the crowd." Gu Jingnian said, "But the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop. Recently I have noticed that someone is following me. This may be related to the answer I have been looking for."

"Ok."

The old man sighed and said, "I am too old, and I don't know many recent events. You can ask Feng Niang and tell her that it was your friend in the cage who asked you to go twenty years ago."

As he spoke, he reached into his arms and after a while took out a small sign.

The sign seemed to be made of tree bark, with some unfamiliar words engraved on it.

Gu Jingnian had learned the languages of the various countries and tribes in Zhongzhou since he was a child, but he did not recognize these words, so he asked, "What is this?"

Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the yard, accompanied by the crisp sound of maple leaves being trampled.

Gu Jingnian immediately took the wooden sign, his eyes full of vigilance.

Ever since he realized he was being followed and then learned about changes in the court, he concluded that his father, Gu Beiming, who was leading troops outside, was suspected by the court and was always ready to be captured...

The next moment, a young girl poked her head out of the gate, saw him, and immediately ran up to him, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Gu Jingnian, I have something to ask you!"

"Ask someone else."

Gu Jingnian still kept his distance. The first time the girl handed him a piece of paper, he could tell she was a stranger and was worried that she was a spy who had sneaked into the academy to get close to him.

Another young girl came running over, holding up her straight-hem gown like a skirt, and shouted crisply.

"Let me tell you, the one standing in front of you is the daughter of Marquis Wu Ding!"

Gu Jingnian breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, "It turns out to be Miss Shen."

"Humph."

Shen Lingshu changed into a slightly more ladylike posture.

She didn't want to attract Gu Jingnian, but to let this blind man know what a stunningly beautiful woman he had missed.

Gu Jingnian did not play dumb and said, "I was offended by the cancellation of the engagement. I will apologize to Miss Shen."

"I ask you, what is the reason?"

"I am a bastard, not worthy of the daughter of the Marquis's mansion. I am ashamed of myself and dare not delay the young lady. Please forgive me."

Upon hearing this, A Yuan felt relieved and thought that the purpose of this trip had been achieved.

However, Shen Lingshu was not easy to dismiss. She could sense Gu Jingnian's perfunctory tone. He seemed to be apologizing, but in fact he was too lazy to explain.

"When we were engaged, my father didn't dislike you being born out of wedlock. Now you suddenly 'don't want to delay'. What's the reason? Also, I don't like you either, but don't try to evade me. You must explain yourself today!"

The reason why Gu Jingnian broke off the engagement was that he believed that if the General's Mansion were to marry the highly prestigious Marquis Wu Ding in the army, it would surely arouse more suspicion, and breaking off the engagement was a statement to the court.

He had no time and was too lazy to discuss with Gu Beiming who was thousands of miles away, but Marquis Wu Ding quickly agreed after receiving the document of breaking off the engagement, or perhaps it was out of tacit understanding.

It is not appropriate to tell this undercurrent to the girl in front of me who cannot hide the truth.

"Yes, I don't want to marry."

"Why?"

Shen Lingshu was even more reluctant to get married, but her self-esteem could not help being hurt.

"You're fine." Gu Jingnian comforted casually, and after careful consideration, he said, "But I...have someone in my heart."

"Sure enough, a playboy."

Shen Lingshu had expected this and despised Gu Jingnian for being entangled with another woman even though he was already engaged, but she had let it go anyway, so she snorted coldly and turned away.

After walking a few steps, she turned back and spat, "Also, whether I'm good or not is not for people like you to judge!"

"Yes."

Gu Jingnian was still perfunctory, but soon he thought of something. When Shen Lingshu was about to leave, he suddenly asked, "Miss Shen, did you bring a carriage guard?"

"of course."

"Then can you do me a favor?"

"what?"

Shen Lingshu was stunned. She looked over and saw that Gu Jingnian looked natural and open, and he didn't look like he felt any apology towards her. She couldn't help but get angry.

"How dare you ask that? You've let me down, but you're still asking me for help? You're really shameless."

But she was a very curious person, and she asked again in the middle of her sentence: "But...what's the matter?"

"Can I leave with the lady in her car?"

"Why?"

Gu Jingnian thought for a moment and said, "I want to see my sweetheart, but I'm afraid that the elders in the sect will know about it."

"What? You!"

Shen Lingshu and A Yuan both widened their eyes in disbelief.

"You...you broke off the engagement, and you still want me to help you meet your sweetheart?! You beast...what gives you the right? And I am...what gives me the right to help you?"

　Long time no see, happy December everyone~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)