Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 319 Recruitment
For a fleeting moment, Pei Nian wondered if the Pei Wugou in front of her was actually Gu Jingnian in disguise.

However, when she looked at him, she could still distinguish between her father and Gu Jingnian, and knew that it was indeed Pei Wugou.

A slight sense of disappointment welled up inside me, but she quickly dispelled it.

"Has Father also joined the Kaiping Division?"

Pei Wugou waved his hand dismissively and said, "I have my own sources of information. I only ask you, did you really see Gu Caiwei?"

"Yes."

"Not fake?"

Pei Nian said, "I can still tell whether Gu Caiwei is real or fake."

Pei Wugou stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "They're using you as bait again to lure out Gu Jingnian."

"Otherwise what?" Pei Nian said, "Does Father think that by letting me run away from the marriage, I can have nothing to do with Gu Jingnian anymore?"

Pei Wugou sighed, not continuing the question, but instead asked, "Can you get Gu Caiwei to persuade Gu Jingnian to join the Kaiping Division?"

"You even know this?" Pei Nian asked. "Where did you get this information from?"

Pei Wugou did not answer again, but asked, "Can you meet the requirements of the Kaiping Division?"

“It’s almost impossible,” Pei Nian said. “Gu Caiwei doesn’t want Gu Jingnian to be involved in these matters anymore.”

"So, will you go see her again?"

"Do you have an inside man in Kaiping?" Pei Nian probed in return. "Who is it? Li Shuangyun?"

"You don't need to worry about it."

Pei Nian slammed her Heartbreak Sword onto the table and said, "Father, aren't you afraid that Li Shuangyun will see through my memories and become suspicious of you?"

"It doesn't matter, she doesn't care about these things."

"Is that so?" Pei Nian asked. "What is it that Li Shuangyun can know, but I cannot?"

Pei Wugou didn't answer. He stared blankly at the dishes on the table, lost in thought.

Pei Nian said, "I'll ask you one last time, Father, what secret do you have? If you don't answer, don't even think about getting any information from me. I am an investigator in the Kaiping Division, and leaking intelligence is a capital offense."

"Ok."

Pei Wugou finally made a decision.

He gestured for Pei Nian to sit down and murmured, "I've thought about this for a long time. One day, I'll tell you everything. You're all grown up now, and you can't hide it from me anymore."

Pei Nian sat down.

At that moment, she mentally prepared herself for the possibility that her father might be a spy for an enemy country.

But when Pei Wugou spoke, he only uttered five words slowly.

"I am just a mortal father."

"I know."

“No, you don’t know,” Pei Wugou said. “The ‘mortal’ I’m talking about is an entity similar to the Kaiping Division.”

Pei Nian's eyes narrowed.

She knew about the organization "Ordinary People"; she had heard Gu Jingnian mention it and had even interacted with them before.

"you……"

Pei Nian thought for a moment, then asked softly, "You... saved us?"

Pei Wugou nodded and asked in return, "Do you know what mortals are supposed to do?"

"what?"

“Protect Zhongzhou,” Pei Wugou said.

Pei Nian looked puzzled, thinking that these four words were too abstract and too broad.

"It sounds simple," Pei Wugou said, "but protecting Zhongzhou is difficult in practice. First, we must unify Zhongzhou, maintain the balance of the four pillars, close the gaps, and prevent the people of Zhongzhou from being persecuted by the supernatural beings and alchemists..."

As he continued, he frowned and said, "The more difficult thing is that later we discovered that what we were doing was contrary to all the most powerful forces, whether it was superpowers or imperial power."

Upon hearing the last four words, Pei Nian immediately understood his meaning and asked softly, "You... are you going to rebel?"

“It’s not as simple as rebellion,” Pei Wugou said. “But you should also know that the current emperor’s actions have gone against the aspirations of ordinary people.”

"you……"

Pei Nian hesitated, then looked at Pei Wugou as if she were getting to know her father all over again.

"In my eyes, you have always been a loyal subject of the Kingdom of Rui. From childhood to adulthood, I have been deeply influenced by you, but today, you tell me that it was all a facade?"

“That’s right, I’ve been pretending all along,” Pei Wugou said. “It’s too difficult for mortals to succeed in this world. I’ve always been walking on thin ice, and because of that… I’ve lost a lot.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Pei Nian, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Pei Nian immediately understood. The "many" he mentioned included her lonely mother who died, her childhood, and the close relationship between her and her father.

"No matter how difficult it is, mortals must persevere. Otherwise, if we allow heretics to wreak havoc in the Central Plains, there will be no place for us ordinary people to stand here. Do you know that many places in the Yihai Continent were originally paradises for mortals? It's just that the breach has widened and the situation has become increasingly serious. In the end, only the heretics can survive. We have no way to retreat."

"A mortal?" Pei Nian chuckled self-deprecatingly. "You've kept this from me for so long, and I, a spy from the Kaiping Division, haven't noticed a single clue."

She was somewhat angry and was trying her best to suppress her anger.

Pei Wugou said, "If you are willing to sacrifice your own family for the greater good, you can do so today."

His gaze fell on the Heartbreak Sword on the table.

The father and daughter remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, Pei Nian drew her sword and slashed it through the air.

"Tiger--"

This sword strike cut nothing, yet it seemed to sever some kind of obsession she had always held onto.

“They say sons follow in their fathers’ footsteps, and if your father has chosen this path, your daughter cannot escape it either,” Pei Nian said. “Father, why don’t you just tell me how to join the ranks of mortals?”

Pei Wugou stared intently at her daughter, her gaze filled with worry rather than joy.

"Let's make a vow."

"it is good!"

"Pei Nian, no matter what powerful abilities you acquire in this life, you must do your utmost to close the gap in Zhongzhou. Is it possible for you to do so?"

"I swear to God, I will definitely do it."

"If there is an opportunity to restore the balance of the four pillars, do not hesitate. If anyone tries to stop you, kill them immediately. Can you do that?"

"I swear to God, I will definitely do it."

Pei Wugou nodded and said, "From now on, you are one of the mortals."

Pei Nian asked, "So loose?"

“Mortals are not like the Kaiping Division, we… are very weak.”

Pei Nian asked again, "Is Li Shuangyun also one of the mortals? Is she Father's inside man in Kaiping Division?"

“No,” Pei Wugou said. “She has only received favors from mortals and promised not to interfere in any mortal affairs. More importantly, she has always looked down on mortals and believes that what we want to do is impossible to achieve.”

Pei Nian said, "Then she is still a potential threat."

"Yes, it's not a bad thing to leave her with some leverage; she knows too many people's secrets."

That makes sense; given that Li Shuangyun can possess other people's bodies and access their memories, she must know a great deal of secrets.

Upon further reflection, Pei Nian realized that Li Shuangyun might not be entirely loyal to the Kaiping Division.

Pei Wugou never revealed who his inside man was, but said, "There's something I need you to do."

"what?"

“We want to recruit Gu Caiwei as a mortal,” Pei Wugou said. “We need you to persuade her, and if necessary, you can even rescue her.”

Pei Nian asked, "Do you also want to control Gu Jingnian?"

"It's less about control and more about recruitment."

"He's an extraordinary being; can he accept the ideals of ordinary people?"

“There are extraordinary people among mortals,” Pei Wugou said. “We do not distinguish between mortals and extraordinary people based on whether they have special abilities.”

“But among us, there should be few extraordinary individuals as powerful as him,” Pei Nian said. “And all his friends are extraordinary individuals.”

"It's really hard to convince him, but let's give it a try."

Pei Nian nodded.

She finds herself a double agent again, and this time, the situation is even more difficult.

--------

The next day, Pei Nian returned to Kaiping Division. As soon as he entered the Investigation Hall, a subordinate said, "Investigator Pei, the Mei Division summons you."

"it is good."

Despite having some worries, Pei Nian remained composed and calm.

She knew that if she came into contact with Gu Jingnian, Li Shuangyun would immediately possess her and examine her memories, but at least for now, it hadn't come to that.

As for Mei Chengzong, although he possesses extraordinary abilities, he is not capable of discerning anything from her.

With these thoughts in mind, she entered the Ti Si Yuan (a court of judicial officials).

Mei Chengzong was examining a bolt of silk when he saw Pei Nian arrive. He snorted and stood up, saying, "Let's go, I'll take you to see Gu Si Niang."

Pei Nian said, "Chief, I've thought of a way to persuade her, but I need to gain her trust."

"Alright." Mei Chengzong glanced at her sideways and said, "If you have a way, then use it. We at Kaiping Division have always been fearless in our dealings."

"Yes."

Pei Nian was quickly blindfolded and taken to Gu Caiwei's location in complete darkness.

"go in."

She stepped over the threshold, heard the door close behind her, removed the black cloth from her face, and slowly opened her eyes.

Before her, Gu Caiwei was sitting there holding a child, her head down, a gentle smile on her face.

She spoke to Pei Nian in a very indifferent tone.

“I told you, you don’t need to come. I will not agree to your demands.”

Pei Nian took two steps forward, spoke, and said something strange.

Gu Caiwei was taken aback, looked up, and stared at her in surprise.

Because what Pei Nian said was clearly a secret language that only Gu Caiwei and Gu Jingnian knew.

(End of this chapter)