Chapter 49 - Honey Tangerine Flavored Shadow Guard Gong (7): Towards the Honey Tangerine Flavored Gong, Gou Liang can only say:I originally only wanted to quietly bullshit…

As the old man held his fingers above Gou Liang's pulse, his face became increasingly heavy.

Gou Liang's breathing was steady as he earnestly pretended to be asleep. He hid in his sea of consciousness and pointed the monitor eye at the host's body. He had never taken a good look at the host's face because of the upsetting scar, so he scrutinized it carefully during this time.

A finely shaped handsome face with almond eyes and a straight-edged nose. His small mouth was delicate and exquisite looking; when he smiled, a pair of shallow and gentle dimples appeared on his face that was pale from sickness. If it wasn't for the scar, even if he wasn't a devastating beauty who could ruin a nation, he was still like the warm jades and fragrant orchids. Taking a closer look, he saw that underneath the left eye, on the expanse of skin that hadn't been ruined by the scar, there was a tear-shaped mole…he would certainly look beautiful if he cried.

Gou Liang was a little excited.

The old man retracted his hand.

Zhong Quan hurriedly asked: "Old Jiang, how is Master?"

After being tormented the entire night, Gou Liang was now fast asleep. His face had gained some color only after much difficulties, but now it was deathly pale again. It really made a person's heart ache.

The old man said: "Perhaps it is because the bath was overly hot, causing the poison to erupt even more fiercely. However, this happening was only a matter of time. This poison in his body, unless I, this old man, act personally and create an antidote for it, it would be impossible to bring it under control. The only thing that counts as a cure is something with a rod, but given how obstinate he is…in the future each outbreak would only be worse than the last. By then, I'm afraid even the Lust Quelling Pill would have little effect."

"Do you have a solution for this?"

He was acting respectfully for a rare change but the old man wasn't eating it. He let out a grunt and said: "What solutions?"

"I made it clear from the start, I'll only treat one thing for him! Since he chose his legs and not his body, rather than wasting time here with me, you should hurry and find him a man instead—ah, how about this. Go find a tall and strong man who learns martial arts like yourself, then we'll seal the Zhong brat's acupuncture points to immobilize him so he can have a good time. After he had a taste of it, hehehe…"

As he got to the exciting part, his voice raised, causing Gou Liang to 'wake up'. Still drowsy, he called out: "Grandfather?"

The old man's laughter came to a dead stop. With a rare show of being uneasy, he stood up and coughed once before saying in a prim tone: "How are you feeling?"

Gou Liang felt a bit weak and 'that' behind was also aching, but other than that there was no big deal.

The old man nodded his head. He then repeated what he had just said to Zhong Quan to him. Of course, his words this time were much more prim and proper, but the main point remained the same: Accept a man ba, my good grandson.

Gou Liang pursed his lips and didn't respond.

Zhong Quan had already prepared himself to be beaten and punished, but his little master was unexpectedly well-behaved today. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he ate breakfast quietly, not making eye contact with him even once.

It seemed that he was truly angered.

Zhong Quan thought this, but felt that some things must be done.

A month passed, and Gou Liang really didn't talk to Zhong Quan this entire time. Even if Zhong Quan were to report the situation in the capital, he would only listen and occasionally nod his head to show that he heard. There seemed to be a shadow over his face and Zhong Quan was unable to tell what he was thinking.

Today it was also like this. However, after giving the report on the movements of their forces, Zhong Quan didn't retreat immediately like usual. Rather, he hesitated for a while before saying: "Master, tomorrow will be the full moon, you…"

Displeasure showed on Gou Liang's face. Finally, he opened his mouth and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Zhong Quan responded, "Everything will be done according to Master's command."

"According to my command?"Gou Liang laughed coldly, "I didn't know, in your eyes you still take me as your master?"

Zhong Quan was taken aback. He kneeled and confessed, "This subordinate has sinned, may Master impose punishment!"

Gou Liang gazed at him silently.

[Gou Liang: My heart hurts…]

[System: Dear Master, this is for the sake of the mission. Even if this is harsh on the little target, you must turn a blind eye to it. (｀ ん) ]

[Gou Liang: No, I was feeling bad for myself. Such a wonderful master-servant play, it's a pity I don't have a whip in my hand!]

[System:⊙﹏⊙ ]

After a long while, Gou Liang asked with an unfathomable expression, "What wrongs do you have?"

"This subordinate had repeatedly offended master. My wrongs are unpardonable."

"Any punishment, you're willing to accept it?"

"Willing."

Gou Liang quirked his lips and said: "Get up ba."

Zhong Quan was perplexed but stood immediately.

Gou Liang raised his head and looked at him. "I"ll ask you, who are the two people in the horse shed?"

Zhong Quan: "&#k2026;They are caught by this subordinate. Old Jiang that there were no problems with them, Master can use them assuredly."

"So grandfather said that." Gou Liang slowly nodded his head, "But strange, when did I ever order to do such a thing, I can't seem to remember."

Zhong Quan knelt again. "This subordinate acted without permission, may Master impose punishment!"

"You admit your wrong?"

"This subordinate knows his wrong."

"Very good." There was a trace of smile in Gou Liang's voice, but it made the person listening to it shiver. He ordered, "Come here."

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Zhong Quan raised his head. Seeing that the other had no intention for him to get up, he crawled over.

"A little closer."

Zhong Quan did as told.

Gou Liang looked at Zhong Quan up and down. Zhong Quan was unable to tell what he was thinking. After a while, like he had seen enough, Gou Liang opened his mouth and said, "You've been protecting me from the shadow since you were ten, and now nineteen years had passed already. I still remember, when grandfather brought you to meet me for the first time, you once said that alive you are Zhong Clan's person and dead you are Zhong Clan's ghost. Even if it means blocking a knife with your body, you will protect me, isn't that right?"

Zhong Quan didn't think he would still remember. Moved, he nodded his head and agreed, "Yes. Zhong Quan's aspiration remains unchanged. So long as I am alive for another day, I am willing to be a dog or a horse for Master."

"No, from today onward, that will no longer be the case."

Gou Liang said.

Zhong Quan's eyes widened. For the first time, he revealed an expression of shock and horror. He urgently pleaded, "This subordinate committed multiple offenses and was incompetent. Master can impose any punishment, but please don't expel Zhong Quan!"

Seeing how Gou Liang remained unmoved, Zhong Quan crawled forward again, "If Master is unable to forgive this subordinate, this subordinate is willing to die, but Master, please don't expel this subordinate!"

Gou Liang subconsciously moved backward. Seeing Zhong Quan stubbornly remaining here, he finally said: "You'd rather die than leave me?"

"Yes!"

Zhong Quan answered unwaveringly.

If it wasn't because Zhong Quan was agitated right now, he definitely would've been able to hear Gou Liang's heartbeat that had already lost control.

After calming his restless heart with much effort, Gou Liang smiled lightly. He didn't mean anything by it, but a pair of shallow dimples appeared, giving a false appearance of happiness.

He said: "When did I say I was going to expel you?"

Seeing how Zhong Quan was stupefied, a trace of amusement appeared in his eyes, but it soon faded.

"Do you know why the Zhong Clan's rule forbids seeking pleasure before the age of thirty?"

Not waiting for the other to answer, Gou Liang continued to say: "Other than attaining heavenly dao's approval, there is still another reason. The Zhong Clan peeks into the matters of the heavens. If you want longevity, you have to keep yourself clean and your internal force stable. It is only after a full thirty years that a person's fate would be solidified. After this time, an elder can perform a divination for the younger generation and accurately determine if the rest of their life will be smooth."

"But now, there is no one left to divine for me…I have no elders. Whether my later life will be good or bad, what does it matter?"

"Master…"

Gou Liang ignored him and continued speaking: "Once, I only wanted to carry on grandfather's will, to take revenge and clear our clan's name, restoring the Zhong Clan to its former glory. I always thought I was doing the right thing, but in this last year, however, I reflected carefully and isn't so sure anymore. Does restoring the clan's glory mean I have to tread the old path and become the State Teacher? Even if I killed the masterminds from back then in revenge, so what? The hundreds of lost lives of my Zhong Clan, is it merely the Gao Clan that needs to pay for them?"

"Back then, grandfather clearly knew the Emperor Wu was the calamity star of the Zhong Clan, but because of a kindness from such a long time ago, he chose to stay by Emperor even though it was akin to accompanying a tiger. He chose not to uproot this future misfortune. Then, later on, as expected, the prediction came true. He didn't directly do the deed, but still indirectly caused it…"

"The Zhong Clan's misfortune, in the end, whose fault was it?"

He stopped for a moment, his eyes bleak.

"It has been peaceful recently. It gave me time to think and many things became clearer." He said, "The debt my ancestor owed to the founding Emperor has already been paid back in abundance. The karma has already been broken. It's just that when the ancestor was first expelled from his clan, despite the vastness of the world, he had no place to call home. After the founding Emperor urged him to stay in good faith, he decided to stay in the capital, binding him for the rest of his life as well as binding us, the later generations."

"Do we owe the Li family? Do the Li family owe us?"

"No."

Gou Liang shook his head, "Whether it is the debt or fate, the Zhong Clan and the Li Family should have parted ways long ago."

"Emperor Wu didn't trust the Zhong Clan and even banished us, but he wasn't wrong in this. The Zhong Clan had no relationship with him other than that of minister and ruler. The Zhong Clan served the Li Family, that also wasn't wrong. Since we ate the Emperor's salary, then we must also share his worries.The Gao Clan harming the Zhong Clan, this also isn't considered wrong…The Zhong Clan is already deeply involved with this game of chess. The minute they became a pawn, they were destined to be used and discarded. However, should the Zhong Clan willingly go die just because the Emperor said so? Is the Zhong Clan so loyal to the Emperor that we will gladly offer up our lives if told to do so?"

"After all these thoughts, I finally understood.. This dismal ending, it started with our Zhong Clan's mistake."

"Since no one owes each other anything, isn't it better to free oneself from this earlier? Taoists shouldn't stay long in the secular world. The country, the people's hearts and thoughts, they have nothing to do with us. Perhaps the clan's ancestor also understood this but was shackled by his sentiments or was bound by his loyalty. Now I understand it too…knowing you shouldn't do something but doing it anyway, say, isn't it hilarious?"

"Master, you…"

Tears pooled in Gou Liang's eyes, but his gaze was tranquil like stagnant water. Seeing this, a feeling of uneasiness arose in Zhong Quan's heart.

"But again, so what?" Gou Liang suddenly laughed. He proclaimed in a haughty and derisive voice: "Since Li Yan owes me karma, then I just have to go and cut it off. After that, who that world belongs to, who the common people trust, what does that have to do with me?"

Speaking up to this point, he suddenly stopped talking. Abruptly, his eyes widened.

There seemed to be a certain force going on a rampage inside of him. Gou Liang couldn't control himself and let out a lengthy moan as his face suddenly became red. Zhong Quan was alarmed.

"Master?!"

Seeing that there was no response, like the other couldn't hear him at all, Zhong Quan was frightened. He immediately rushed out and picked up the old man who was hiding outside, eavesdropping against the wall while hugging a jar containing the fire toad.

"What's happening to Master?"

Gou Lang had already closed his eyes, raising his head as he sat motionlessly in one spot. His face intermittently changed between red and white, but his expression looked strangely happy and satisfied.

The old man was also shocked, there was no problem at all when he took the other's pulse—it was steady and strong. From the pulse, Gou Liang appeared to be better than ever. But looking at his strange complexion, it would be weird if there was nothing wrong with him! However, at this moment, even the Jianghu doctor who was called a godly doctor was at a complete loss. He was unable to pinpoint the problem at all.

Fortunately, Gou Liang soon regained consciousness.

There was an unprecedented aloofness in his gaze, completely untouched by even a smidgen of air of the mortal realm. His whole being was frigid without a hint of human emotions, making the people who saw him both reverent and fearful.

"Master, are you alright?"

Zhong Quan couldn't control his worry and asked in a soft voice.

A layer of sweat had formed over him, Gou Liang raised his head to wipe his forehead. He looked exhausted and was unable to even sit straight. Zhong Quan hurriedly sat down next to Gou Liang and let the other lean against his chest. He then worriedly looked at the old man, but the latter's expression was incomprehensible.

Gou Liang smiled. The coldness in his eyes dispersed and some warmth appeared. He spoke gently replying, "Grandfather, I'm fine."

The old man was skeptical.

Gou Liang: "Really, Grandfather, I have never felt as well as now."

The old man: "…"

He lifted a palm and pressed it against Gou Liang's drenched forehead while muttering: "Did this child's brain go bad from sickness?" He started to think back if he had misused any medicine that clashed against each other, causing this child to become dumb.

Zhong Quan's eyes were also full of worry.

Gou Liang relaxed his body and leaned against Zhong Quan. He asked the old man: "Has grandfather ever heard of Zhong Clan's heaven-fated body?"

"What's that?"

The old man liked straightforward things that gave clear results, like medicine and poison. He wasn't the slightest bit interested in the metaphysics where nothing was certain. Even though his adopted daughter married into the Zhong Clan, he had no interest towards these things and never delved into them.

Gou Liang said: "It is recorded in the ancient records of the Zhong Clan: Knowing life, knowing death, knowing rise, knowing end; knowing cause, knowing result, knowing possibilities, knowing what is not to be, such is a son of heaven."

Seeing the old man's baffled expression, Gou Liang patiently explained: "This sentence is saying, being able to foresee the life and death of the countless living creatures in this world, being able to peer into the origin of everything as well as the end, understanding clearly the karmas of others and oneself, knowing why events led to one conclusion and not another."

"These are the abilities of the son of heaven."

"You are aware that my ancestor was from the Zhong Clan of Tianji Mountain. The Zhong Clan has a thousand years of history and up until now, there were only four people who awakened the heaven-fated bloodline. Among these, two of them managed to become a son of heaven. Back then, they were powerful figures that could shake heaven and earth, and summon rain and wind—later on they disappeared in history. In the outside world, there isn't a single record of them, and even the details in the clan's record are scarce. No one remembers what they did, and no one knew why they vanished…"

"What are you trying to say?"

The old man was utterly confused as he listened, sweat covering his forehead.

Gou Liang quirked his lips and explained, "There is another important legend about the son of heaven, and that is they can ask the heavens to borrow lifespan. Originally, I too thought this was merely a legend, but unexpectedly…it's actually true. The reason their traces have been erased from history wasn't due to others, rather they didn't want to leave their marks for future generations. As for why they want to do so, that's because—they have simply lived for too long."

"One son of heaven appears every few hundred years. Only when the original son of heaven dies would the Zhong Clan bloodline be able to awaken a new one. In other words, the son of heaven before me had lived for nearly six hundred years."

The old man was astonished.

Compared to him, Zhong Quan was much calmer. He didn't doubt a single one of Gou Liang's words. At this moment, he asked: "Master, did you awaken the heaven-fated bloodline?"

"No." Gou Liang shook his head, "I have already become Zhong Clan's third son of heaven."

That's right, as he was thoroughly engrossed in having fun with his bullshit act just now, it was like his entire body had gained enlightenment! A mysterious power began to circulate inside of him and his consciousness seemed to have been pulled into another realm, letting him see all the inheritance of the Asking Heaven Secret Manual.

For Gou Liang, this was purely an unexpected surprise.

Although he wasn't willing for Zhong Yue, with his protagonist halo, to pass through his love ordeal with Li Yan and become the son of heaven, he never thought he would actually be able to substitute for this position instead.

The wording in the Zhong Clan's secret records limited his thinking, letting him have the strong impression that a heaven-fated person had unique defining characteristics from the moment they were born. For example, someone like Zhong Yue.

It was only now that Gou Liang realized how misleading this was.

The truth was, every Zhong Clan descendent, no matter what line they're from, has the potential to awaken as a son of heaven! This was included in the legacy left behind by the Zhong Clan's founder, the first son of heaven, in the Asking Heaven Manual. It's just that talented and smart people had a higher chance of being enlightened by the Zhong Clan's techniques, hence the so-called unique characteristics.

And the thing about a heaven-fated person needing to go through a life and death ordeal to be recognized by the heaven, that was complete nonsense as well.

There are countless ordeals in a person's life and everyone had their own destiny, be it joyful or painful.

The so-called life and death ordeal wasn't anything special, however, only the Zhong Clan descendants who had truly lived through a life or death experience and broke free from the shackles that tie them to the secular realm would be able to gain the mental state of being one with heaven and earth and obtain the Asking Heaven Secret Manual that the founder had inscribed into their bloodline to assist future generations in overturning their fate.

Other than having the valor to fight to live when placed in a life-threatening situation and having an enlightened state of mind, there's only one other condition for a person from the Zhong Clan to become a son of heaven—the death of the previous son of heaven.

The Zhong Clan's understanding of the son of heaven was shallow to begin with, and the unclear records full of subjective guesses only further limited the future generation. Many people who could've become a son of heaven were given no opportunities because of it.

As for the finer details, there was no need for Gou Liang to explain it all to them. The old man checked him over. Seeing that he was fine, he didn't want to waste any more brain cells to think about the Zhong Clan's business.

The old man rose. He held his sleeves and placed his hands behind his back, giving the appearance of an otherworldly expert. He looked down arrogantly and said: "It sounds pretty amazing, but can it heal your wounds or cure your poison? Did you become this son of heaven so you could be a handicapped old man for a couple of centuries?"

Gou Liang was speechless.

"What grandfather said is right." Gou Liang could only say, "What grandfather studies are medicine, naturally it would be more practical than the art of divination. His grandson's latter life will have to rely on your godly hands."

Only then did the old man reveal a satisfied expression and walked out with his fire toad.

Zhong Quan, however, didn't dare to relax. Gou Liang said to him: "Grandfather had once secretly told me something, he divined that within my lifetime, a heaven-fated person will definitely appear. Back then when I first saw Zhong Yue, I thought that person would be him, but who would've known…heh."

His voice was full of derision but was obviously elated.

Zhong Quan naturally held no doubts about his words. When he heard this, he hurriedly said: "Congratulations Master. Master's understanding of the heaven naturally surpasses that of Zhong Yue's."

Gou Liang leaned over and lifted the other's chin, asking him: "Do you know why I was able to break through?"

Zhong Quan naturally didn't know, but Gou Liang didn't need his response. He answered himself: "It's because I have let go. The mortal world is ever moving, the deepest grudge and gratitude, the deepest love and hate, in the end they all go by like passing clouds. Li Yan was my fate but now I have no love or hate left for him, only the desire to break our karma…after he tastes some hardship, we'll be even."

Zhong Quan saw the calm depth in the other's eyes, full of unprecedented ease and clearheadedness, and felt happy for him.

As he was about to congratulate the other again, he heard Gou Liang continue to say, "Just now, I haven't finished speaking to you yet." Zhong Quan's mind immediately tensed.

Gou Liang continued, "Grandfather's words, I have thought them over, if I really need someone to detoxify the poison…I can think of no better choice than you. If you are willing to help me with the poison, then from today onward, you are no longer the head of the Quan Ya, or the Zhong Clan's property. You are only mine, Zhong Gu's person. If I want you to be my ghost, then you will be my ghost, if I want you to be my dog, then you can only be my dog—you have nothing to do with the Zhong Clan and are mine alone. Are you willing?"

Zhong Quan was stunned for a moment. He saw that in Gou Liang's eyes, amidst his calm gaze there was a hint of gentleness. His throat swallowed fiercely. He hurriedly knelt down again and said solemnly:

"Zhong Quan is willing."

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