Chapter 56: Endless Mountain Theory _1

The capital was in turmoil, and the ministers were shocked. Emperor Qi was in the palace, hiding in a secret chamber, gritting his teeth with curses spilling from his mouth. However, in the mansion of the Qi King, an atmosphere of joy and celebration prevailed. Only yesterday did he move into the mansion of the Qi King, and today Xu Yan arrived. Guo Rongshan’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He felt a great sense of relief. It wasn’t that Emperor Qi had lost his senses; it was just that his grandson was too formidable. At this moment, Xu Yan deemed Emperor Qi to be tolerable. Having sworn brotherhood with his paternal grandfather, he was bestowed the title of Qi King and appointed as Grand Elder and Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the whole of Qi Country, Emperor Qi was simply the nominal first person. His grandfather was the real first person! The more Guo Rongshan looked at his grandson, the more his joy overflowed, realizing his affection for him had not been misplaced! Ever since Xu Yan held the mighty dragon and soared across the heavens, his palm creating a dragon-shaped chasm in the palace square, the world view of the ministers has collapsed irretrievably. The world view of the citizens of the Qi capital had likewise collapsed. On this day, all the storybooks and legendary tales in the bookshops of the capital had sold out, with prices soaring nonstop. A down-on-his-luck scholar saw a business opportunity, selling his precious few storybooks that recounted the affairs of mythical beings for thousands of taels. He became wealthy overnight! On this day, the dissolute scions were not frequenting the red-light district nor bullying men and dominating women. They were all urged by their families to seek out sagely figures! The most adversely affected by this incident, the eldest prince, was even preparing to personally seek out a sage to apprentice under. A fever to seek out sages swept over the capital of Qi. The Third Prince came bearing gifts to the Qi King’s Mansion to pay respects to his mentor, Guo Rongshan. Several ministers almost wore out the doorstep of the Qi King with their visits. At last, Guo Rongshan used the pretext of a family feast celebrating his grandson, declining any outside visitors, thereby managing to hold off the visiting ministers. In the study of the Qi King’s Mansion. “Father, isn’t His Majesty afraid that our Guo Family will rebel?” Guo Yunkai voiced the doubt in his heart. Not only forging a sworn brotherhood and bestowing the Qi King title, but also the Grand Elder, and Teacher of the Crown Prince… isn’t Emperor Qi afraid that the Guo Family would rebel against him? Even the mighty and formidable army, which stabilises the country, was now under his command. Given the current strength of the Guo Family, staging a revolt would be easy. Xu Yan alone would be sufficient. Guo Rongshan remained calm as he said, “It is precisely because he fears our rebellion that he has bestowed upon us such unparalleled status.” “Why?” Guo Yunkai was confused. Guo Rongshan exhaled, saying, “What is my reputation outside? Rumours circulate that His Majesty respects the virtuous and pays great deference, even swearing brotherhood with me. “Additionally, he instructed the Third Prince to become my disciple – once a teacher, forever his father. “It circulates outside that I, Guo Rongshan, am loyal to the Emperor and love my country, wholeheartedly serving the people, of noble character, and a virtuous sage. “If you think about it, were I to rebel, how would the people perceive it? What would happen to my reputation?” Guo Rongshan chuckled lightly, saying, “If I rebel, I would inevitably be labelled ungrateful, hypocritical, scheming, and extremely reprehensible. “Our Emperor binds the Guo family using reputation. “Not rebelling would let us be remembered for generations as virtuous sages, but rebelling will see our good name ruined. “Such decisiveness from the Emperor! Even before news of Yan’er had reached him, he had already devised all the measures. An Emperor with this level of resolve isn’t to be underestimated!” Understanding dawned on Guo Yunkai. So this series of commendations, all these rumors outside, were all Emperor Qi’s doing, forcing the Guo Family to choose. Either they rebel, take over the Qi Country, and ruin their name. Or they become the supreme power behind the throne, safeguarding Qi Country and its lands, while Guo Rongshan would be remembered in history with honor as a sage of virtue. Now that these rumors had deeply penetrated the populace, it was too late to change their course. “So Father, what’s your thinking?” Guo Yunkai’s breath grew slightly heavier. Guo Rongshan flashed a small smile, saying, “A saintly, virtuous self! That’s good! Your Majesty, you’re on the hunt for a powerful person. Once you find one, if they can suppress Yan’er, they will surely strike like a lightning bolt. “If their abilities are somewhat equal, then it would maintain a balance. “Your Majesty also told me that if the royal family found a powerful person, due to my reputation of sainthood and virtue, they would not resort to murder and sully the face of the royal family.” In his heart, Guo Yunkai understood but worriedly said, “What if Your Majesty finds a powerful person…” Guo Rongshan laughed and said, “Is that so easy? As we have a head start with Yan’er, we’ll always be ahead. Trying to suppress someone isn’t that simple. “Yunkai, don’t be shortsighted. A worldly dynasty like ours doesn’t count for much. “Go, ask Yan’er what she needs for her cultivation. Use the power of our Qi King’s mansion to find it for her!” “Yes, father, I understand!” Guo Yunkai’s eyes lit up, and he excitedly said. Yunshan County. Li Xuan took Meng Chong back to his residence and asked him to choose a guest room to live in. “You should get to know the surroundings first. Can you cook? Can you make chicken soup? Can you? That’s good, go cook then!” The first thing Meng Chong had to do after becoming an apprentice was to cook! “Senior, I brought the things!” Shi’er respectfully arrived. “Put them down.” Li Xuan gave a nod. Shi’er placed five boxes on the table. Li Xuan did not move, but as his breath shifted, all five boxes opened. This sight made Shi’er tremble in fear and bow even lower. Two nine-leafed ginseng plants and three thousand-year-old mountain ginsengs. Li Xuan was rather surprised, This Heavenly Mother Sect was pretty rich. “Nine-leafed ginseng and thousand-year-old mountain ginseng, how unusual. Your Heavenly Mother Sect, to have such treasures, is quite extraordinary.” It was because of the nine-leafed ginseng and thousand-year-old mountain ginseng that Xu Yan was deeply moved to become a disciple. “Senior, while the nine-leafed ginseng and thousand-year-old mountain ginseng are rare, they can still be found in the Great Mountains. Our Heavenly Mother Sect managed to gather these treasures while being hunted down and hiding in the mountains multiple times.” Shi’er respectfully responded. “The Great Mountains?” A thought crossed Li Xuan’s mind. “Senior, just 200 miles from here is the edge of the Great Mountains. They are called the Endless Mountains because no one can pass through them. Nobody has reached the other end of these mountains.” Shi’er pointed in the direction outside Yunshan County. Li Xuan wondered, “The small village I came through is neighboring the Great Mountains. The Evil Forest seemed to extend to the Great Mountains. Could the Wolfsbane Wolf have come from there?” Some suspicions arose in his heart. Of course, whether it was so remained uncertain. “Continue! Li Xuan picked up a nine-leafed ginseng and motioned for Shi’er to continue. “Senior, the Endless Mountains are named so because they seem to go on forever. Rumor has it that the deepest anyone has ever ventured into the mountains was a few thousand miles by martial arts masters. See, they had to stop because of the rampant poisonous miasma. “No one who entered the Endless Mountains has returned if they ventured further than that. As for those who didn’t come back, they likely died in the mountains as no word was ever heard from them again.” Shi’er spoke respectfully, but inside, he was wondering if the senior didn’t originate from the Endless Mountains. After hearing this, Li Xuan was increasingly suspicious about the Endless Mountains. The Wolfsbane Wolf is not a common beast, and by this reasoning, the martial strength of this world should not be so lacking. Could the truth be on the other side of the Endless Mountains? Again, all these are just suspicions, and their validity is unknown..