Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 333 A New Beginning (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Pei Chuyun and A Nuo were already waiting at the corner. They both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Lu Xingzhou come out unharmed.

Pei Chuyun said reproachfully, "You're really something else. We've been worried sick about you for nothing."

"The Huo family isn't some dragon's den or tiger's lair." Lu Xingzhou bent down to pick up A'nuo and laughed, "Are you two done fighting?"

"We didn't really fight much." Pei Chuyun grumbled twice, refusing to admit that she had actually fought to a draw with a brat.

That's outrageous! What is this brat made of? His soft, squishy fists are as hard as iron.

"Have you eaten?"

"We ate at a restaurant near the Huo family's residence," A'nuo said. "Master came out all smiles, he couldn't stop grinning. Did something good happen at the Huo family's place?"

"Yes, we got a definitive diagnosis, and then we unexpectedly received some news, haha." Lu Xingzhou carried A Nuo all the way back to the cave: "Let's go, let's go back and discuss it."

Pei Chuyun followed beside her, asking, "Discuss it with me?"

Ah Nuo glanced at her.

Lu Xingzhou often discussed things with A Nuo, but as for this little maid... she didn't seem very bright, so what was there to discuss?

Well, it seems Master is willing to discuss this with her this time, look at how smug she is.

"You mean, the Emperor is already in the Northern Frontier, conspiring with a powerful demon to ambush the Demon Emperor?" After returning to her cave and hearing Lu Xingzhou's brief explanation, Pei Chuyun looked quite surprised: "What does that have to do with us? What's there to discuss?"

Ah Nuo chuckled, "So what's the point of discussing this with you? Ah Nuo knows what Master is thinking."

"Master, are you trying to remind Sister Long?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head slightly: "Not really. No matter how much I hate Gu Zhanting, I can't be a villain at a time like this."

Ah Nuo was embarrassed when she guessed wrong: "Sister Long will be sad if she finds out."

"...We had no relationship to begin with. We were her prisoners back then, you know? Prisoners. Why would she be heartbroken if I didn't help her?"

"Then why did you send her away in the end?"

"Leave a way out for others." Lu Xingzhou sighed. "At least she wasn't bad to us, right?"

Ah Nuo glanced at him sideways and remained silent.

Whether she's bad or not, it all depends on how sweet-talking we are. If it had been someone who didn't know how to handle things, they would have been crushed long ago. But now, Ah Nuo is starting to doubt that even the sweetest words will work. If Sister Long catches Master, she might already have a brush ready to scrub pig bristles...

Lu Xingzhou glanced at Pei Chuyun, whose expression was becoming increasingly dangerous, and adopted a defensive stance.

Pei Chuyun chuckled: "Alright, it's completely unrelated. That's the Demon Emperor."

In fact, Pei Chuyun didn't really think so. Of course, we should talk about serious matters now and not get jealous for no reason. We can talk about it later.

"That's the best way of thinking." Lu Xingzhou sighed. "What I'm really thinking is that the Demon Emperor has been stationed in the northern border for so many days without making a move. He says he's observing what the Tianyao Holy Land is up to... Do you think it's possible that the Demon Emperor has actually sensed something is wrong, which is why he's hesitating?"

Pei Chuyun said, "That's quite possible. After all, the demon race's intuition is usually very strong, and the Demon Emperor has cultivated to this level. Even if she has no source of information, she might become wary and feel that something is wrong, so she holds back."

"Well, although the Demon Queen is proud, she couldn't have unified the unruly demon tribes by relying solely on violence. Besides, it's not that she has absolutely no sources of information... She has Chen Yu on her side." Lu Xingzhou said, "What we can't be sure of now is how much Chen Yu knows... If Chen Yu tells Long Qinghuang that many officials in the Great Qian Dynasty are demons, what will Long Qinghuang think of from that?"

Pei Chuyun narrowed her peach blossom eyes.

This is an interesting question; no wonder Lu Xingzhou wanted to discuss it with someone.

If that's the case, then this is a direct power struggle between the two emperors on the front lines, something that Lu Xingzhou, a mere minor figure, could no longer interfere with. It's completely different from what everyone originally imagined.

Will the Demon Emperor immediately think, based on this incident, whether someone in his own clan is colluding with the Qian Emperor?
Could this battle turn out to be a case of turning a ruse against a plan?

So, the question Lu Xingzhou could consider was whether or not to remind Gu Zhanting…

Lu Xingzhou doesn't want to be a traitor, but he also clearly doesn't want to help Gu Zhanting. How can he maximize his benefits in this situation?

Ah Nuo's eyes were red and swollen. She thought that only Ah Nuo could help her master to discuss the matter, but she found that she couldn't say a single word.

What does it have to do with a mere glutinous rice ball when it's a battle between big shots?

"Don't tell your master about this. I don't trust her, so as not to cause any unforeseen complications." Even though there was no one in his own cave, Lu Xingzhou still lowered his voice: "As for Old Pei, you can hint to him to be prepared for the possibility of unrest in the capital."

Pei Chuyun asked, "Will there be any changes in the capital?"

"It's uncertain, but what if Gu Zhanting doesn't come back?"

Pei Chuyun was startled.

“They don’t even need to be unable to come back. Just being trapped for a few days will create rumors, and the situation will be different.” Lu Xingzhou sighed deeply. “It’s better to be prepared. Go and prepare now, and remember to keep things private.”

Pei Chuyun nodded, no longer in the mood for tenderness with her lover, and quickly left.

Ah Nuo said, "Master truly trusts Ah Lu now."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "What could I not trust about a girl who would willingly let all the carefully constructed image she had created go to waste in order to exonerate me?"

Ah Nuo pouted and remained silent. Although she didn't get along with Ah Lu, she felt that this woman had had a tough time this time, so she decided not to say anything bad about her.

"It's inconvenient not being able to communicate remotely like Tinglan and the others," Lu Xingzhou sighed. "I need to send a letter to Tangtang. Would you like to go and deliver it?"

"Hmm." Ah Nuo knew there was serious business at hand, so she became quite earnest: "But Master..."

"what?"

“I don’t have a flying artifact, so I usually just use your wheelchair.” Lu Xingzhou rubbed his forehead, then took out his wheelchair.

Ah Nuo: “…”

Lu Xingzhou spread out paper and pen to write a letter, and casually asked, "I forgot to ask you, what did you get from Fang Qihao, besides that God-Slaying Whip?"

Anuo said, "There is a jade pendant that helps to consolidate the fusion of body and soul, and that's all. It's just some spirit stones and pills. I'll keep the pills for food."

"Put the jade pendant on properly." Lu Xingzhou had a feeling that Anuo might find it useful.

Anuo nodded and put on the jade pendant.

Lu Xingzhou finished writing the letter and handed it to her. A Nuo sat in her wheelchair and paddled out the door.

Lu Xingzhou paced back and forth a few times, feeling that while there were many things that could be done, the levels of understanding were too far apart, leaving him somewhat powerless. Should he go find Su Yuan and ask him to inform Ye Tinglan?
But Ye Tinglan must be quite nervous too, not knowing how many people from the Ancient Realm are in the sea. She can't spare any attention. To put it bluntly, Ye Tinglan shouldn't have such a strong sense of responsibility for the affairs of the Great Qian. The immortal sects are beyond the reach of worldly politics. Now that her perspective has been extended to Tian Shuang, she shouldn't be worrying about the Great Qian.

The reason she previously protected the Great Qian Dynasty was mainly because she was worried that the demon race would wreak havoc on humanity, but Gu Zhanting has repeatedly caused her trouble...

If Ye Tinglan were told that this man's strong sense of responsibility and willingness to sacrifice "for the greater good" would most likely lead him to repay evil with kindness and save Gu Zhanting first.

But Lu Xingzhou was reluctant to see Ye Tinglan so aggrieved. Should he explain this to her?
Just as he was pondering this, the communication jade talisman vibrated.

—Lu Xingzhou left his mark on the communication array of Tianyao Holy Land. His divine sense was not enough to call Ye Tinglan, but Ye Tinglan was enough to call him.

Just as he wished, even if it wasn't for serious business, Lu Xingzhou was quite happy to be able to exchange a few words with Ye Tinglan and hear her voice. So he happily answered, "Madam."

Ye Tinglan's languid voice came from the other end: "What, I heard you went back to the Huo family today? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

The sound... it sounds a bit like someone bathing and leaning against a pool...

Lu Xingzhou was right. Ye Tinglan was in the pool, casually washing her naked body while chatting on the phone with her lover, feeling as if he were right beside her.

Lu Xingzhou was also happy to hear Ye Tinglan's voice: "I was just missing you."

Ye Tinglan spat, "You're all glib and smooth talk; I don't believe you."

“I’m serious,” Lu Xingzhou said. “I’ve assessed the situation here, but I feel somewhat powerless. I was thinking about you when you came to me. Isn’t this a case of telepathy?”

Ye Tinglan was quite pleased to hear this: "Of course."

Lu Xingzhou gave a general explanation of the situation. Ye Tinglan pondered for a moment and sighed, "You mean you don't want me to get involved?"

"Hmm... Gu Zhanting harmed you like that, and you still helped him. I can't get over it. I've never been a good person who repays evil with kindness."

"Then I won't help."

"Gu Zhanting is a top-tier official, he doesn't need you... Huh? What did you say?"

Ye Tinglan laughed out loud: "I said I won't help."

Lu Xingzhou asked in surprise, "Is this really you?"

“I have a man. Why should I do things that my man doesn’t like me to do?” Ye Tinglan said lazily. “Besides, I have a temper too. Gu Zhanting has caused me so much trouble these past few months, but he managed to cover it up without any evidence. Otherwise, I would have gone to his door to cause him trouble. Why would I help him? Didn’t you say that I sometimes resemble Yuan Muyu? Well, I’ll show you then.”

"..." Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Who cares about fish or not? As long as you don't want to help him, then it's easy to handle."

Ye Tinglan became alert: "You're not planning to help Long Qinghuang, are you?"

“Not at all,” Lu Xingzhou said. “The struggle between the two emperors is their business; we have our own stage.”

"Jingzhong?"

"Um……"

"Is the National Observer doing its best to help you? If not, I'll send some more people."

"That's enough. You're short-staffed too."

"That's good. As long as you stay in the capital and don't go to the front lines unnecessarily, I'm relieved that you're safe."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Wait, there's one more thing..."

He then mentioned the suspected attempt by an ancient force to infiltrate through marriage. Ye Tinglan pondered for a long time before replying, "I understand. I will investigate this matter. Xingzhou~"

"Ok?"

"You're so amazing! You've only been in the capital for a short time and you already have so much information. Here's a reward for you, mua~"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

It seems that after leaving, this gentleman has lost some of his motherly charm and become more womanly and naive, and he's playing so many tricks on people.

Is it because of the longing that a day apart feels like three autumns, or is it because since you can't see the person, you can only hear their voice on the phone, so you can be more open? No wonder some people can engage in text love.

Lu Xingzhou's mood improved a lot after being kissed by his master. After thinking for a while, he went to find Sheng Qingfeng again.

Gua Mei is still on the front lines.

When gods fight, melon girl (a nickname for a girl) should not suffer.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Please vote for me with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)