The Great Seminary

Chapter 295 Strange Events
The thirtieth day of the first lunar month is traditionally a time for humans to observe the old year and celebrate the new.

A day when all nations and peoples celebrate together.

Zhang Gui, however, led several idle cargo ships from Zhihai Town, aimlessly wandering around the coast of Siyang County.

They are searching for those who have long since disappeared.

As the sun set, he pretended to sigh and call it a day, then returned to Pingyang Town.

His ships then retreated to Zhihai Town.

At the large wharf in Pingyang Town.

Zhang Wunan and Zhang Qihui, the two head stewards of the Zhang family, led a group of lower-ranking servants under a tarpaulin, braving the biting sea wind, waiting for news.

Even a fool knows this action is completely meaningless, but it represents an attitude of utmost importance, and sometimes, it really won't work without it.

However, those who were unlucky enough to suffer were also going through an extremely difficult time.

As the two men were cursing under their breath, they suddenly saw Zhang Gui jump off a thousand-ton ironwood tortoise-shaped mechanical ship. They quickly shut their mouths and went to greet him.

"The Great General is back."

Zhang Gui burst out laughing.
"When I was in trouble in Blackwood Town, I was fortunate enough to be rescued by two elders of the clan who did not make things difficult for me."

Even if my seniority is too high and it's inappropriate to address me in formal matters, surely you don't have to call me 'General'?

My close relatives and friends in the clan, including the head of the family, all call me "Brother Gui".

Why don't you two follow suit? It's better than having an illegitimate "general."

Zhang Wunan and Zhang Qihui exchanged glances and tacitly bowed in unison.
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

Then Zhang Wunan said:

"Times have truly changed."

When I first met you, Brother Gui, you hadn't yet made your fortune. Although you had the potential to rise to prominence, you lacked a certain depth and experience.

Now, in just three years, it has completely transformed into a place of noble bearing.

"Hahaha, Wu Nan, the head steward, truly lives up to his reputation as one of the most prominent figures in the Zhang family of Pingyang. His words are so pleasant and pleasing to the ear."

It's a pity. If I were really that great, I wouldn't have had to bring my own food and boat for the Lunar New Year.

They were aimlessly drifting at sea, searching for a group of wandering "drifters."

"If everyone says that, then we people shouldn't even bother living."

Your departure for sea on the 30th of the first lunar month is out of courtesy, and I feel obligated to oblige.

Everyone who knew would give him a thumbs up and say, "He's a man of great loyalty."

But we just suffered for nothing.

Despite being so close to home, I had to spend the Lunar New Year at the dock.

This is absolutely outrageous!

Upon hearing Zhang Gui's words, which subtly conveyed dissatisfaction, Zhang Qihui immediately offered flattery, revealing his own similar attitude.

Even if Zhang Gui had become the governor of Dongyuehai Province, he would never have been so blatantly obsequious.

But now, due to the disappearance of Tao Tuzhe and others, the migration of the 'Dungeon Realm,' which was originally a secret, has suddenly become public knowledge.

With their intelligence and their status within the Zhang family of Pingyang, Zhang Qihui and Zhang Wunan quickly pieced together the details through a combination of eavesdropping and speculation.

Knowing that he did not want his family to wander thousands of miles and migrate to the 'underground realm'.

So, according to the old saying, after six months or even less, the flowers of yesterday are gone.

Zhang Gui, who was originally completely unrelated to him, would suddenly become the ruler of the entire clan.

Now is the time to take sides before the Crown Prince ascends the throne. What does it matter if we are completely loyal?

Zhang Gui immediately understood the underlying meaning in Zhang Wunan and Zhang Qihui's words, and laughed heartily:

"Both of the chief stewards are capable and competent; it would be a waste of their talents to use them for listening to rumors and reporting information."

If I were the head of the Zhang family in Pingyang, I would never do such a thing as casting pearls before swine.

Zhang Wunan and Zhang Qihui's eyes lit up, and they became even more respectful towards Zhang Gui. Zhang Gui seized the opportunity to ask:

"I know the one who went missing at sea, the one with the most connections, the pottery jellyfish."

He is the grandson of our clan's founding lineage in the 'Dungeon Realm', the great-grandmother Liulong.

But how come they also have such a close relationship with the Zhehai Tao family?

It is said that Tao Yilin, who invited him to the sea, was a direct descendant of the Tao family of Zhehai.

I don't know exactly how it was argued.

Others may not know the details of this matter, but I do know some inside information.

More than a hundred years ago, our Zhang family from Pingyang migrated from the northern frontier of the Ming and Song dynasties to the south, and our foothold was not yet stable.

He then went to great lengths to forge alliances with the Tao family of Zhehai, the Zhao family of Xiongsen Island, and the Li family of Muxiangchuan.

By the way, Brother Gui, wasn't your current fiefdom, Zhihai Town, originally 'Zhihai Village'? It was built by these four families working together.

So at that time, the relationship between the four families was truly blissful, to the point that they frequently intermarried.

However, nothing lasts forever.

More than ninety years ago, the relationship between the four families gradually cooled due to conflicts of interest.

But at this time, the beloved daughter of the Zhang family in Pingyang secretly developed feelings for her cousin, the pride of the Tao family in Zhehai, with whom she had grown up, and their entanglement lasted for more than ten years.

Ultimately, Aunt Liulong left for the 'underground realm'.

Tao Shanzhe, from the Tao family of Zhehai, became a monk and his whereabouts are unknown.

It seems they've gone to the 'underground realm' now.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui's mouth dropped open, and he stared at Zhang Qihui, saying:

"This, this, the Seven Radiances Steward, was originally a grand narrative of leaving his homeland and sacrificing his life for 'the greater good of the world and the survival of the human race'."

You've forcibly turned it into a melodramatic romance story.

How did you find out these inside stories?

Zhang Qihui said with a grin:

"So that my brother-in-law may know that my father has no other skills, but he has many children and they live a long life."

She gave birth to seventeen of us siblings in her lifetime. Six years ago, when she passed away, she was 150 years old.

And my mother was Aunt Liulong's wet nurse.

Since it's someone who experienced it firsthand, then there's nothing to criticize.

Zhang Gui opened his mouth and said dryly:

"Steward Qi Hui, your elders are truly blessed."

"I heard that the Tao family in Zhehai made a huge effort in this search for people."

Perhaps Tao Shanzhe has also returned to his hometown.

Taking advantage of Zhang Gui's momentary silence, Zhang Wunan, who had been silent for a while, changed the subject.

This was exactly what Zhang Gui wanted to do.
"Did the Tao family gain anything?"

"This gain is both real and unrealistic; it's all very mysterious and strange."

At the time, there was a lot of wind and snow at sea, and it was also the twelfth lunar month, so there were few ships coming and going, and so far no one has been found alive to witness it.

Eleven empty ships were found on the sea within a radius of two hundred miles.

There were painted boats, passenger ships, cargo ships carrying livestock... all sorts of things.

There were no living creatures or corpses inside, only tattered clothes, without a single drop of blood on them.

Some looked like they had been bitten and torn apart by wild beasts, some looked like they had been pierced by spears, and some looked like they had crawled out of clothes.

It's truly difficult to solve.

(End of this chapter)