Chapter 469: 469. Be Honest
Chapter 469: 469. Be Honest
Su Liang found that the two little disciples were surrounding her all day, secretly watching her every move.
“Master’s wife is really fine.” Zhengzheng whispered.
“What if she’s pretending? She likes Master so much, and suddenly being apart from him must be difficult.” Ji Xiaoshu whispered, “I think it’s because she doesn’t want to make us worry, so she hasn’t shown it.”
“Even if that’s true, what can we do about it?” Zhengzheng asked.
“We can try to cheer her up!” Ji Xiaoshu said.
Zhengzheng thought about it and shook his head, “Master’s wife is usually happy when she sees us. Unless that big villain explodes on the spot and Master returns home immediately, it won’t solve anything.”
“Ah… that’s true. You’re right, big brother. Let’s not make a fuss about it, and let Master’s wife do whatever she wants to do.” Ji Xiaoshu sighed.
Su Liang listened and smiled. Actually, it wasn’t so bad. She was at home, with the child, and Gu Ling, who had to leave home to deal with the trouble, was even more tired. Their journey to today hasn’t been easy, but they’ve been lucky in some ways, especially in finding each other.
That day, Duanmu Chen brought Duanmu Zhen to Su Mansion for a meal. When they learned that Gu Ling had gone south, they comforted Su Liang, “With his strength, he can handle whatever monsters or ghosts are on Xingluo Island.”
Su Liang only smiled without speaking. Trusting is one thing, worrying is another. Sometimes they don’t conflict. It is because of concern that one becomes confused.
Yan Shiba had something to say, “Why didn’t you all call me to help? I’ve recovered quite well, you can’t just forget me when you have something to deal with. Do you want me to go after Gu Ling now?”
Weng Ran said, “The safety of our home is also important, so we need you to stay here to take care of it.”
Yan Shiba sighed, “That’s true! What if those bastards take advantage of Gu Ling’s absence and come to cause trouble at home? I have to protect little ghost girl and Nuannuan baby!”
Jiaye City.
Since Cheng Yun left, Qiao Cong, Qiao Jing, and Old Mu’s life had become even more uneventful. The coastal defense that Gu Ling had initially instructed them to set up had long been completed. Old Mu had also made enough explosives to store for backup use, and with time to spare, he even specifically improved the weapons for the Jiaye City army, and together with Qiao Cong, they built a boat.
It was not an ordinary boat made by Old Mu. There was a cannon on the boat that could fire explosives, and it was also equipped with other hidden mechanisms and weapons. This was to prepare for the appointment between Su Liang and Mo Yan on the first day of the third month.
“Why haven’t anyone from the capital city come yet?” Qiao Cong asked, looking eagerly for someone from his home to arrive.
Old Mu grinned, “If someone comes, it’ll be Xiaogu. Xiaoliang probably won’t come, because Nuannuan needs her to take care of her.”
“Then Nuannuan is even less likely to come.” Qiao Cong looked disappointed, “I can’t go back, Nuannuan can’t come either, life is really boring!”
Qiao Jing asked, “Does Grandpa think Nuannuan should come here?”
Qiao Cong slapped Qiao Jing, “Who said that? I just miss Nuannuan, that’s all. What would she do here? What if that Mo guy has his eyes set on her?”
Qiao Jing: …Grandpa is always so contradictory. He knows that Nuannuan cannot come, that she shouldn’t come, but every day he still talks about it as if she will…
Another day passed, and as usual in the evening, Qiao Jing received a report that the coastline was calm and there were no abnormalities.
Qiao Jing was having dinner with Qiao Cong and Old Mu when they heard a familiar voice outside, “Senior Qiao, Senior Mu.”
“Is the Little Monk back?!,” Qiao Cong’s face lit up, “There must be people from the capital city!” As soon as he said that, he threw down his chopsticks and rushed out.
In a short while, Gu Ling and Cheng Yun entered the door one after the other.
Qiao Jing and Old Mu instinctively looked behind them, but besides Qiao Cong who had just come in last, there was no one else.
Qiao Cong complained, “Just the two of you? Where are the others? Even if Xiaoliang didn’t come, old Bai is resting at home too? How can he be so comfortable!”
Cheng Yun seriously explained to Qiao Cong, “We need someone to protect the home.”
Qiao Jing pulled Cheng Yun to sit down and told him not to explain. Qiao Cong had always been at odds with old Bai and was now envious and jealous that old Bai could stay at home with the child, which was his dream. It’s not false that he has complaints about old Bai, but it’s just a matter of talking. It didn’t matter. When old Bai had an accident, Qiao Cong was very concerned about him. It didn’t prevent them from continuing to look at each other with displeasure after old Bai was better.
After Gu Ling and Cheng Yun rushed back day and night, Qiao Jing saw that they looked exhausted and quickly asked someone to add bowls and chopsticks, “Eat first, then rest well. We’ll talk about the important matters tomorrow.”
“There’s something to discuss tonight.” Gu Ling said calmly.
Qiao Cong frowned, “What is it? If you want to say it, say it now.”
Gu Ling shook his head, “I’m hungry and tired.”
As the bowls and chopsticks were brought over, Qiao Jing noticed that the table was full of meat dishes, even the vegetarian dishes were cooked with meat oil, and the porridge was meat porridge.
“I’ll have them cook another dish for you.” Qiao Jing said to Cheng Yun.
Cheng Yun shook his head, “No need to bother, I’ll just have some porridge.” He then scooped a spoonful of porridge and put it in his mouth.
“Um…” Qiao Jing saw that Cheng Yun thought it was plain porridge and hesitated to speak.
It was only after swallowing a mouthful of porridge that Cheng Yun realized it was exceptionally delicious and not the vegetarian mountain delicacy porridge he thought it was. Seeing the look on Qiao Jing’s face, he knew there was meat in it.
“Since it’s already eaten, might as well eat more.” Gu Ling said as he picked up a big chicken leg for Cheng Yun.
Old Mu grinned and encouraged Cheng Yun, “You’ve been secular for so long, don’t bother too much about the rules and precepts. If you can eat it, then it’s okay to eat.”
“If you don’t eat and starve, and someone comes to kill me, you’ll be too weak to help and let me get into trouble.” Gu Ling said.
Qiao Jing almost spat out the porridge he had just taken. Is this still Gu Ling? What kind of language is he using?
But it seemed very useful to Cheng Yun. Hearing what Gu Ling said, he was hesitant for a while, and then silently picked up the bowl and continued to drink the meat porridge.
After putting down the empty bowl, Cheng Yun said solemnly, “We left home together, we must go back together, and if only one of us can go back, it must be you.”
“Don’t talk about inauspicious things, just hurry up and eat. After all, Xiaogu still has important things to say.” Old Mu said.
After Cheng Yun frowned and ate the chicken leg, Qiao Cong asked, “How does it taste?”
Cheng Yun nodded, wanting to say something, but seemed unable to speak.
When everyone put down their chopsticks, Qiao Cong urged Gu Ling to hurry up and talk about the important matters.
Gu Ling got up to open the door, made sure no one was outside, and closed it again.
“What’s going on? You’ve made me a little nervous.” Old Mu rarely saw Gu Ling like this.
“It’s about Mo Yan.” Gu Ling sat back down, “He has a magic treasure.”
“What is it?” Qiao Cong’s expression became strange, “Magic, treasure?” In this world, this word was not used in reality.
Gu Ling nodded, “Do you all still remember how the food and grass given by Yin Country to Liang Country were transported?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Qiao Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Qiao Cong and Old Mu also straightened their bodies in an instant. They found that matter very strange at that time and also noticed that Gu Ling and Su Liang knew something but did not tell them actively. Now, Gu Ling was about to reveal the truth.
Cheng Yun was a bit puzzled. He had not experienced some matters, so he had no idea about them.
Gu Ling explained that Mo Yan had a miraculous portable space, which could hold a lot of things, such as the large amount of food and grass at that time.
Old Mu’s eyes widened, “Are you saying that there is a place… no, an object, the magic treasure you mentioned, which looks small but has a vast space inside?”
Qiao Cong frowned, “How can that be possible? How can there be such a thing in the world? If there is, does that mean there are gods as well?”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Jing looked at Gu Ling’s face.
Gu Ling’s expression was calm, “Haven’t you always believed that I can predict the future?”
Qiao Jing frowned, “So, were our guesses correct? Can you really predict the future?”
Gu Ling shook his head, “No. I can only sometimes see someone’s impending death.”
Upon hearing this, they thought of some past events and couldn’t help but feel shocked. It was completely different to hear it from Gu Ling’s mouth than to guess it themselves. Coupled with Mo Yan’s magic treasure, it was as if a door to a new world had been opened in front of them, and they felt somewhat surreal.
Cheng Yun spoke up, “Why does Mo Yan have a magic treasure? Is it innate?”
“Right, even if there is such a treasure, why would Heaven give it to such scum?” Qiao Cong felt it didn’t make sense, “How did you all find out?” Ordinary people couldn’t even think of such a thing.
Qiao Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly, “And also, I never understood, Mo Yan did not know Su Liang was his granddaughter before, and he didn’t seem to want to take over the world. Why did he never let you go?”
“That magic treasure was initially a guess, and later Min Rou and Sheng Yue also confirmed it.” Gu Ling said.
Old Mu couldn’t help but sigh, “Such a treasure is definitely not something humans can make; it must be a gift from Heaven.”
“Why would Heaven’s gift go to Mo Yan? Heaven is really blind!” Qiao Cong huffed.
“Let Gu Ling finish speaking.” Qiao Jing felt that Gu Ling hadn’t gotten to the main point yet.
Gu Ling then explained that Mo Yan was a transmigrator from another world, and the portable space he either already possessed before coming here or obtained because of transmigration, but it was unclear. All that Mo Yan had done was to get back, but he didn’t dare to return the same way, so he wanted to find a “fellow” to help explore the way.
“A fellow? You don’t mean you, do you?” Qiao Cong’s eyes on Gu Ling changed instantly, “You are also a transmigrator, discovered by Mo Yan, and that’s why he’s been watching you and wants to catch you!”
Old Mu’s face was surprised as he looked at Gu Ling, pinching his face, “No wonder you are extraordinarily intelligent and knowledgeable, you have lived two lifetimes.”
Qiao Jing felt something was wrong, “You and Su Liang…are both transmigrators, right?” He thought of where something didn’t seem right; he had always felt that Su Liang was more special than Gu Ling.
“She is, I’m not.” Gu Ling said bluntly.
Qiao Cong looked puzzled, “You’re not? Then why has Mo Yan been targeting you? Xiaoliang is actually…isn’t she a descendant of the Su Family?”
“We found out that someone was looking for the Transmigrator, so we deliberately misled them to believe that I am one.” Gu Ling explained.
Qiao Jing expressed his understanding, “It’s better this way. Letting the enemy make mistakes gives us more initiative.”
For a moment, the amount of information they received was overwhelming. Old Mu was a little dumbfounded, “Xiaoliang is…you are not…it’s right for you to keep this hidden from us before. But it must never be leaked. If it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences are unimaginable. However, now that it’s come to this, you should make things clear to us. Otherwise, when we confront Mo Yan, we won’t even know who he is or what abilities he possesses.”
Gu Ling nodded slightly. Many people on Xingluo Island knew that Mo Yan had a magic treasure. It would be dangerous if their own people didn’t know about it, thinking that martial arts and explosives could solve everything.
Cheng Yun sighed, “No wonder I felt that Su Liang was different from others when I first met her. Despite her young age, she seems to have experienced many things.”
Qiao Cong let out a long sigh, “I thought I had seen everything in my life, but I only realized tonight that I’ve seen too little.” If someone else said this, he would not have believed it. But Gu Ling’s words couldn’t be false. And many previous mysteries were now explained. Su Liang’s intelligence, medical skills, numerous abilities, and many brilliant ideas all had answers now.
Qiao Jing held his forehead, “If I had known earlier that the two of you were extraordinary, why would I have tried to compete with you?” One was a Transmigrator, and the other had special abilities, and they happened to be together. Qiao Jing felt it was normal that he had lost to Su Liang and Gu Ling in the past. It was sheer luck that he had survived until now.
Cheng Yun frowned and pondered, “Mo Yan wants to return to his original world. The path is on Xingluo Island. He wants to capture you and let you explore the way for him, but there’s a chance you could die…is that correct?”
Gu Ling nodded, “Yes.”
Cheng Yun asked again, “What if we tell him that Su Liang is his kind and she is his granddaughter? Will he give up?”
Qiao Cong snorted lightly, “You’re overthinking it. Mo Yan is a despicable person who has harmed countless people. He wouldn’t care who is his kin.”
Cheng Yun sighed, “It’s really sinful. Heaven has already given him a great chance to be reborn, yet he still attempts to act against fate. There’s not going to be any good outcome.”
Old Mu shook his head, “There are many cruel and evil people in this world, but we haven’t seen the heavens strike them dead with thunderbolts. The heavens are too busy to deal with so many. We still need to find our own way to solve our problems. Disciple, now that we know all of this, what plans do you and Xiaoliang have?”
“Before I set off, Su Liang thought of something,” Gu Ling said. “Mo Yan’s magic treasure might be able to capture a living person and then release them.”
At these words, everyone’s faces changed.
“We can’t meet with him! It’s better to blast him from afar!” Old Mu frowned, “It’s too dangerous to get close to him!”
Gu Ling looked at Qiao Jing, who immediately understood, “We’ll stick to the old plan. I’ll pretend to be you, and if something goes wrong, you can still save me.”
“I can do it too,” Cheng Yun hurriedly said.
“You can’t. If you suddenly blurt out ‘Amitābha,’ our cover will be blown,” Qiao Cong firmly objected. Although he cared about Qiao Jing, when needed, he never held Qiao Jing back. The home given by Su Liang and Gu Ling was the one they must protect together, not by being only sheltered by Su Liang and Gu Ling.
Gu Ling laid out a preliminary plan for Su Liang: split forces into two teams, one against Mo Yan, the other to destroy the forbidden area on Xingluo Island. He would discuss the specifics with Qiao Jing tonight, but much of it would depend on the situation since the enemy might not necessarily be waiting in a certain location as they had anticipated.
“Leave the mission on the island to us old folks!” Qiao Cong slapped Old Mu on the back and said, “You youngsters with brilliant minds, go deal with Mo Yan.”
Cheng Yun raised his hand, “I think there could be more than one body double. Another double would make the enemy more confused. What do you think?”
Qiao Jing couldn’t help but laugh, “It seems you really want to protect Gu Ling. We’ll discuss it and see if it’s possible.”