BXBX NOVEL Chapter 294: 294. Great God was frightened.
Chapter 294: 294. Great God was frightened.
But in just three days, under Su Liang’s meticulous care, Old Bai’s spirit improved significantly, and he didn’t even mention the word “alcohol.”
Old Mu seriously doubted whether the drunkard who had tormented him before was the same person as the Old Bai now.
Su Liang hadn’t gone out for three days, and every night, Gu Ling would “sleepwalk” over to talk to her, just chatting for a while about what happened during the day, with her talking and him listening.
Old Bai really liked sitting in the pavilion by the lake, sitting for half a day, watching the lake quietly without saying a word.
On the other hand, Old Mu, who had lived a simple and semi-reclusive life all his life, was now indulging his true nature and going wherever the hustle and bustle was, whether it be tea houses, taverns or gambling dens, having a blast.
This evening, Su Liang accompanied Old Bai in having dinner in the garden.
Lanterns hung from the four corners of the pavilion, casting a hazy light on Su Liang’s face, making her look even softer, causing Old Bai to be somewhat lost in thought again.
“Master! Save me!” Qi Jun shouted, breaking the silence.
Su Liang looked up to see Qi Jun running towards them with Old Mu chasing him and Ren Dong following leisurely behind.
“What’s going on?” Su Liang asked, puzzled.
Both of them rushed into the pavilion, and Old Mu grabbed Qi Jun first, “Apprentice, didn’t you say that this kid will accompany me to play and listen to everything I say?”
Su Liang nodded, “I did say that.”
Qi Jun frowned, “Master, Senior Jin wants to go to a brothel, and I don’t want to go, but he insists that I go!”
Su Liang: …
Old Mu coughed lightly, “What’s the big deal about going to a brothel? I’ve never been to one in my life; I just want to see what it’s like! What are you afraid of, kid? Are you afraid that someone will eat you up?”
Qi Jun kept shaking his head, “I’m not going! I’d rather die than go!”
“If Master wants to go, just go himself, ask for money from Ren Dong if you need it. Don’t force Qi Jun; he’s a good kid.” Su Liang said seriously.
Qi Jun nodded in agreement, asserting that he was indeed a pure and good child.
Old Mu became unhappy. “Just because I want to take a look. does it mean I’m
bad?”
Su Liang shook her head, “That’s not what I meant. Master, if you want to go, just go; don’t force Qi Jun.”
“But if I go alone, it’s so awkward!” Old Mu still clung to Qi Jun unwilling to let him go.
Old Bai couldn’t take it any longer, “Old Jin, it’s not something to be proud of, just stop making a fuss.”
Old Mu became angry immediately, “You actually say I have no shame? You all heard him, right? He’s cursing at me!”
Old Bai shook his head, “I’m not cursing at you, I’m just telling the truth.”
Seeing that both old men were about to fight over their disagreement, Qi Jun quickly hugged Old Mu to calm him down, “Senior Jin, cool down.”
“Then you go with me to the brothel!” Old Mu still insisted on going.
Qi Jun’s face stiffened, “I really can’t do that!” If his father found out, he would definitely be beaten. Besides, he didn’t want to go to a place like that either.
Old Bai frowned in disgust, “Xiao Bai, hurry up and let Old Jin find his true disciple. Don’t let him hang around your house, wasting your money on eating, drinking, and merrymaking. He’s useless.”
“You ungrateful person! Who brought you here? If it wasn’t for me, you would have been dead drunk long ago! You’re just trying to break off our relationship after crossing the river!” Old Mu was genuinely angry when he heard Old Bai suggesting that Su Liang should let him go.
Qi Jun couldn’t hold him back, but Su Liang stepped in between the two old men in time, catching Old Mu’s attacking hand. She smiled sweetly, “Master, I’ll go with you.”
Old Mu’s face instantly brightened, and he laughed heartily, “My good apprentice! I won’t argue with Old Bai. He’s not your master. He’s just a guest in our house!”
Emphasizing the words “a guest in our house” made Old Bai’s face turn black.
“Old Jin, if you have the guts, let’s compete, and whoever loses leaves!”
Old Mu snorted lightly, “Who wants to fight with you? I’m going out to have fun with my good apprentice! Hahaha! Xiao Liang, let’s go!”
Su Liang turned around and smiled at Old Bai, “We’re just going for a drink and watch the pretty girls sing and dance, that’s all.”
“You’re a girl yourself, why do you need to look at other girls? Who can be prettier than you? Don’t you like his apprentice?” Old Bai frowned.
“Unfortunately, he’s not interested.” Su Liang sighed.
Old Bai snorted, “I’ll have a talk with him.” It sounded like he would beat Gu Ling until he agreed…
Su Liang finally pacified the two elderly men and had Ren Dong take Old Bai back to rest.
Then, Su Liang changed into a man’s clothes, without disguising herself, and really accompanied Old Mu out of the mansion to visit the brothel.
Duanmu Yi already knew that there were two old men in Su Liang’s house; Ren Dong had reported to him that they were Su Yuanzhou’s friends and had helped Su Liang during her difficult times.
Su Liang and Old Mu walked on the streets of the capital city at night, with many shops still open. Old Mu looked at the beautiful night scene and couldn’t help but sigh, “I was stupid in the past, life is short, and I should have enjoyed myself more! I wasted more than half my life, and now I have nothing in the end!”
Su Liang chuckled, “Let’s not dwell on the past; the present and the future are more important.”
Old Mu nodded, “You must be sent by heaven to pity me and save me, haha!”
The master and apprentice walked leisurely until they reached Xunhua Building, the largest brothel in the capital city.
Two seductive girls were standing at the entrance, soliciting customers. Seeing Su Liang’s face, they were first stunned, then they greeted her with a charming smile, “Isn’t this Su Liang?”
Su Liang’s every move was that of a handsome and elegant young man.
Old Mu curiously peeked into Xunhua Building, with one hand subconsciously grabbing Su Liang’s sleeve. He followed her closely, and because he was too tall, he unconsciously hunched over when he was nervous, resembling a little kid.
Just as Su Liang was laughing and greeting the girls, about to step inside, horse hooves sounded from behind, “Xiaoliang!”
Su Liang was startled and turned around, seeing Lin Bojun galloping over. “Who is it?” Old Mu scratched his head, feeling that his brothel trip might be ruined.
“Second Brother, what happened?” Su Liang saw that Lin Bojun looked anxious and quickly ran over.
Lin Bojun dismounted, “Big Sister-in-law is about to give birth!”
Su Liang’s face changed, and by the time Old Mu realized what was happening, she had already mounted Lin Bojun’s horse and galloped away.
Lin Bojun soon left as well, not noticing Old Mu at all.
Seeing that Su Liang brought Old Mu to Xunhua Building, the madam of the brothel thought he must be an important person. She swayed seductively towards Old Mu, attached herself to his body, grabbed his arm, and said, “Sir, please come in quickly!”
Old Mu was depressed at being stood up by Su Liang. When he finally realized what was happening, for the first time in his life, he was scared of being close to a woman. He screamed and jumped up, running away without a trace…
That night, Gu Ling “sleepwalked” to find Su Liang again, only to see that Yuanming Pavilion was empty. He didn’t know where Su Liang had gone. He prowled around the mansion first, making sure she wasn’t there, and guessing that she might be at the Lin Family since Su Liang had mentioned that Lin Boyan’s wife was about to give birth. So, he went over secretly.
It wasnt until the sky began to lighten and the Lin Family heard the loud cry of a newborn that Gu Ling, who had been listening to Su Liang delivering the baby by the wall, quietly left.
Lin Boyan’s son looked a lot like him. Lin Shuzhi had already chosen a name for him – Lin Jingyun.
By the time Su Liang returned home, it was approaching noon. It was only when Qi Jun told her that Old Mu was in a bad mood that she remembered she had left him alone at the entrance of the brothel the night before.
When Su Liang found Old Mu, he was sitting by the lake fishing.
From the back, he looked very professional. However, when Su Liang approached, she noticed that his fishing hook hadn’t even been cast into the water and was hanging from a dry waterweed…
Old Bai was sitting in the pavilion, lost in thought. Su Liang waved to him from a distance and then sat down beside Old Mu, “Master, I’m sorry for what happened last night. A friend needed help with childbirth, and I had to go.”
“Oh, it’s all right.” Old Mu’s voice was muffled.
Su Liang felt something was off, “Master, are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you for doing the right thing? Do you think I’m that petty?” Old Mu retorted.
Su Liang quickly shook her head, “Of course not. So why is Master unhappy?
Were you bullied at Xunhua Building last night?”
Old Mu immediately denied it, “Nonsense! Nothing of the sort! I didn’t even go in! ”
“Master, don’t get agitated. Just tell me, what’s wrong?” Su Liang asked.
Old Mu sighed, “My dear disciple, am I sick? I’ve never touched a woman in my life, so I just wanted to go and take a look, have a drink, and listen to some music. But when the madam of the building leaned against me, I…” “What happened?” Su Liang looked puzzled.
Old Mu’s face was embarrassed, “I got scared and ran away…”
Su Liang: …I want to laugh, but I can’t, got to hold it in… I can’t help it, I really want to laugh, can’t hold it in anymore…
Old Mu couldn’t help but laugh at Su Liang’s demeanor, threw down his fishing rod, and got up to leave in a huff.
Su Liang hurried after him, “Master, don’t be mad, I wasn’t making fun of you.” “You were making fun of me!” Old Mu glared at Su Liang.
Su Liang swore that she really wasn’t, only that she found Old Mu quite adorable.
Then, Old Mu voiced his “worries”. It wasn’t because of Su Liang, but because he couldn’t help himself last night and went to seek comfort from Old Bai. After dawn, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted…
“Good disciple, can I kill Old Bai to silence him? Otherwise, that old bastard will definitely ridicule me for the rest of my life.” Old Mu was a little frantic.
Su Liang patted Old Mu’s shoulder, “Master, don’t worry about it, it’s not something to be ashamed of, it shows that the master is very… innocent.”
Old Mu looked downcast, “I’m so old, being praised for innocence by a little girl like you, it always sounds like sarcasm… Forget it, I’m going to get some alcohol!”
With the addition of two very different old men, the Su Mansion had become much livelier than before.
In the daytime, Su Liang, who had just sworn to Old Mu that she would never tell anyone about his embarrassing incident, couldn’t help but share it with Gu Ling when she saw him again that night.
“Great God, if you were to go to a brothel and suddenly be approached by a girl, would you react the same way as Old Mu?” Su Liang asked with a smile.
Gu Ling shook his head, “I’m not afraid of women.”
“Really? I don’t believe it.” Su Liang shook her head.
“Aren’t you a woman?” Gu Ling asked back.
“I am, but not to you, so our interactions don’t count,” Su Liang replied. Gu Ling thought for a moment and said, “People’s thoughts can change.”
Su Liang nodded, “Indeed, Old Mu didn’t want to get married when he was young, but now I think he really wants a family. Unfortunately, he’s too old, and can only make do with living with us.”
Gu Ling: … He was talking about himself, not Old Mu!
“Old Bai seems like a love-stricken man. There must be a story behind it, but unfortunately, he doesn’t want to talk about it,” Su Liang sighed softly, “His recovery is going well, and in a few days, I’ll start learning poison techniques from him. As for Old Mu teaching you, we’ll see after he’s had his fill of fun. It’s not very convenient on your side.”
When it was time for Gu Ling to leave, Su Liang said earnestly, “Great God, look at Old Mu, I think you should also change your mindset, and don’t wait until you’re old to want to get married.”
Su Liang’s words stirred Gu Ling’s heart, and he nodded calmly, “Thank you for your advice, I will consider it.”
“I wonder which fairy will catch the eye of the Great God like you?” Su Liang joked.
Gu Ling glanced at Su Liang and silently floated away.
Yao City, Liang Country.
Situ Xie and Situ Han both had been in a bad mood lately.
They thought that Su Liang and Gu Ling would definitely try to steal the secret scroll after leaving, but instead, they kept getting news of where Su Liang had gone until she left Liang Country and returned to Qian Country. The imperial palace hadn’t seen any thieves or assassins, and it was even more peaceful than before.
Now that Su Liang and Gu Ling have safely returned to the capital of Qian Country, Situ Xie and Situ Han each hold half of the identical secret scrolls, and the more they think about it, the more they feel that something is wrong, very wrong!
rne arawmgs on me secret scroll were Incomplete, ana cms was tne news released by the royal family of Liang Country. People who hadn’t seen the secret scroll should have doubted that they had lied about its use.
But no matter how hard the royals of Liang Country thought, they couldn’t figure out what was going on.
After the first month, Liang Country sent a delegation to Qian Country to marry off the crown prince, Situ Chao, to the princess of Qian Country. The leader of the delegation was Situ Xie’s grandson, Situ Jing.
When it was time for the Qian Country princess to get married, the people sent from Qian Country to Liang Country would marry off Situ Yao to Duanmu Chen. This had been decided last year.
The reason Su Liang entered the palace again was to return the books she had borrowed from the library. When she met Duanmu Yi, she found that Crown Prince Duanmu Chen, Duke Qin Kang, and Prime Minister Xiao were all present. Most strangely, Xing’s old lady and Xing Yusheng were also present.
Su Liang didn’t know what had happened, but considering this lineup, it must have something to do with Marquis Zhong Xin’s Mansion, otherwise, the Xing family’s grandmother and grandson wouldn’t have appeared here.
“I heard you’ve acknowledged Marquis Zhong Xin as your adoptive father? It’s just as well that you’re here, you can also listen to what’s going on today.” Duanmu Yi pointed to the seat next to Xing’s old lady and ordered Su Liang to sit down.
After sitting down, Su Liang quickly learned the whole story.
The marriage partner chosen last year was the Sixth Princess Duanmu Qianqian, but she was killed by Duanmu Che. The royal family had no other adult princess or even a princess.
Before going to Liang Country, Su Liang had thought about this matter, and she believed that Duanmu Yi would choose an eligible lady as his adoptive daughter to marry into Liang Country.
However, Su Liang didn’t expect the person chosen by Duanmu Yi was Xing Yuyan, the daughter of Xing Ji and Miao Family.
Today, when the Xing family went to the palace, they were informed about this “grace”.
When Madame Xing received the decree, she didn’t show any reluctance. Xing Yusheng just accompanied her throughout, saying nothing.
Su Liang could only listen. She knew that Xing Ji must be unwilling to let his daughter marry, and Madame Xing also didn’t want her granddaughter to marry far away. She didn’t want not to help, but firstly, she couldn’t help with this kind of thing. Secondly, if she tried to turn down Xing Yuyan’s marriage, there would inevitably be another lady who would have to marry far away.
Even if Xing Ji were present, he couldn’t refuse. Duanmu Yi was willing to let his own daughter marry into Liang Country. As a servant, why would Xing Ji be unwilling? If Duanmu Qianqian hadn’t died, this would not have happened to others.
When they left the palace, Su Liang supported Madame Xing, and Xing Yusheng followed behind.
As they stepped out of the palace gate, Madam Xing patted Su Liang’s hand, “Don’t worry. I’m fine. This is her fate, the fate of being born into the Xing family.”
Madame Xing came from a noble family in the capital city, but there were not many people left in her maternal family. She married the former Bei Jingvvang, and later her son inherited the throne. Last year, the Bei Jingwang Mansion was nearly abolished in the turmoil of cutting down the nobility. They barely survived and had the current stable days. She had experienced many ups and downs and didn’t need any consolation or intend to push away her granddaughter’s marriage. The reason was simple: the overall situation and the family’s interests were paramount.
When they parted ways, Madam Xing said solemnly to Su Liang, “Liang girl, no matter how capable you are, you will have to marry sooner or later. While the emperor values you so much and you can still speak for yourself, if you really like Marquis Chang Xin, let him marry you as soon as possible to avoid any nrnhlprne IAThnt IATill hnnnpn in thp flltllrp?”
When Su Liang returned home, she saw both Elder Mu and Elder Bai sitting in the Yuanming Pavilion.
“Xiaobai, I’ll teach you poison techniques starting tomorrow,” said Elder Bai.
Elder Mu scoffed, “My dear disciple, I’ll teach you your senior starting tomorrow.”
Su Liang smiled lightly, “That’s great. Is there anything I need to prepare?”
Elder Bai gave Su Liang a piece of paper, “Send someone to this place to find something.”
Su Liang’s eyes lit up, “Is that where you keep your treasures?”
Elder Bai nodded, “Yes, if it wasn’t found and robbed by that crazy woman.” Su Liang: …So, it’s possible to find the place but find nothing there? Fine…
Elder Mu mocked Elder Bai, “You can’t even take care of your own things!” He then took out a book from his embrace and casually tossed it to Su Liang, “Take
Su Liang saw that it was the complete secret scroll of the organics that the royal families of the Three Kingdoms had been longing for.
Su Liang was overjoyed, “Thank you, master. I’ll give it to my senior.”
Upon hearing Gu Ling’s name, Elder Bai frowned, “What’s wrong with that kid? Is he incapable or planning to become a monk? Let him give you a definite answer, or just accept you earlier!”
Su Liang laughed, “Alright, I’ll ask him.”
That night, Gu Ling appeared in the Yuanming Pavilion as scheduled. Su Liang handed him the secret scroll of the mechanics, “My master gave this to me.
Now you won’t be bored.”
Gu Ling took it and began to flip through it.
As Su Liang watched him, she recalled the conversation with Madam Xing earlier that day. She didn’t take Elder Bails sarcasm to heart.
Over a year since her transmigration, most of the women Su Liang knew were already married. Su Liang didn’t agree with the view that women must be married, which was possible in her previous life and not impossible here, but difficult. Especially as she was getting closer to the whirlpool of power struggle, it would not be easy to extricate herself and absolutely impossible to stay out of it.
Moreover, Su Liang knew that Duanmu Yi had obtained a giant meteorite related to her. Although he had not done anything out of line for now, there was no guarantee that he would not in the future.
Previously, Lin Xueqing was almost forced to marry Duanmu Chen. If Qin Yujin hadn’t settled on marrying Lin Bojun earlier, she would have been among Duanmu Chen’s choices for crown princess as well.
Today, the sudden arrangement for Xing Ji’s daughter to become the marrying princess and soon be married to the Liang Country as crown princess reminded Su Liang again that she had to be careful when dealing with the Royal Family and never be overly confident.
What if she were the one arranged for the marriage today… Su Liang thought. Of course, she could say that she liked Gu Ling and didn’t want to marry someone else. However, Duanmu Yi would definitely say that Gu Ling didn’t accept her, and as a servant of Qian Country, she should put the overall situation first and refusing would be going against the emperor’s will.
Although Su Liang believed that she would not be sent for a political marriage, as she was a talent in Duanmu Yi’s eyes, this does not mean she would not be arranged for one.
After thinking it through, Su Liang felt that her marriage would sooner or later become a hidden danger she couldn’t overlook.
So, Su Liang looked at Gu Ling and said, “Great God, let’s get married, after all!”
The secret scroll in Gu Ling’s hands fell to the ground.. He bent down to pick it up, closed it, put it on the table, and then looked at Su Liang with a calm face,
“What did you just say?”