Chapter 51 - Honey Tangerine Flavored Shadow Guard Gong (9): The loyal gong, he's very sweet~~

Ever since the old man had caught the fire toad, it was like he had received a tremendous treasure. He carried it with him everyday in his arms, refusing to set it down.

After the Mid Autumn Festival had passed, Gou Liang woke up one day and saw the old man with a black ball of flame on his head. He rubbed his eyes and took another look. Confirming that he wasn't seeing things, he said lightly, "Grandfather, in the next few days you should avoid flammable objects, especially the poisonous substances in your possession."

The old man agreed enthusiastically, but after having a couple drinks of wine, how could he still remember this warning? He brought the fire toad to watch the stars and moon and to talk about life, and what happened afterward was not very surprising—

The fire toad leapt out of the jar, wanting to escape. As the old man chased after it, he knocked over an oil lamp and a jar of alcohol. The air was dry, as was everything else in the surrounding area. A large fire was ignited easily. The house was burned down until only the charred stone frame was left. The old man's beloved fire toad, the one he waited two years to capture, also perished in the sea of fire.

No special methods were needed and the old man immediately became sober, but when he was stopped by Zhong Quan and was unable to save his fire toad, the old man plopped onto the ground and began to wail.

Gou Liang: "…"

He's afraid, even when the original's mother had died, this old man hadn't cried this heart wrenchingly.

Gou Liang sat on Zhong Quan's arm and helplessly divined the location of other fire toads. He then sent Zhong Quan to catch two back before ending this matter.

Originally, they had planned to wait until winter to head to Jiang Nan so Gou Liang could continue to allow his legs to heal there, but it seemed they now had no choice but to push forward the schedule.

Soon, they were on the road heading south.

In the horse carriage, the old man hugged the buy one get one free replacement fire toads, loving them so much he refused to let go. He stressed on whether he should fry them alive or sun-dry them so that the effect after pulverizing them and making them into medicine would be better. Expecting him to take care of Gou Liang was impossible. Thus, Zhong Quan specially brought over a Quan shadow guard to drive the carriage while he stayed inside the carriage to take care of Gou Liang. Gou Liang looked at the other, who had to stoop over and fold his legs to fit, and felt tired for him. Fortunately, they soon switched from the land route to the waterway.

The ship slowly glided through the water at a steady pace. On the mast was a black flag with a red word that read the character 'Lin'. It welcomed the violent gusts of wind as it billowed in the air.

When Zhong Quan entered the cabin, he reported, "Master, news came from the capital. Zhong Yue has divined that an earthquake would happen in a couple of days in the Yan Fief of XingTang province. He and Li Yan are planning to use this opportunity to overturn their current situation."

He passed the slip sent over by messenger pigeon to Gou Liang. The latter raised his hand, signaling for him to wait.

The brush in his hand moved briskly. After he finished writing down the entire medicinal manual from memory, he finally placed down his brush.

—Because the old man courted death, his many years of research and notes on medicine had all burnt with the house. Fortunately, Gou Liang had read his works during this time period and could rewrite them for him from his memory. Otherwise, they wouldn't be travelling on water right now, but on the old man's tears instead.

Rolling his sore wrist, Gou Liang took the slip of paper into his hand. After reading over it, he faintly furrowed his brows.

Ever since Zhang Tian had died in King An's Manor during the Mid Autumn Festival and Meng FengHe confessed Zhong Yue's name, Li Yan's reputation had fallen to an all time low.

Although no evidence could be found that it was he who incited Zhong Yue to kill Zhang Tian and blame it on King An, his relationship with Zhong Yue was real and could not be disputed. As the heir of a country, liking men wasn't anything good. The write-ups by the imperial censors piled up on the Emperor's desk, and through King An's meticulous dissemination of gossip, everyone in the capital knew of his highness the crown prince's love life.

For this matter, Emperor Wu berated Li Yan again. He forbade him from leaving the East Palace and ordered him to reflect upon himself. Not only did he not give a time limit to the punishment, Li Yan was also not allowed to attend court during this period of time.

It's not that Emperor Wu didn't know before that Li Yan liked men, but now that he had latched onto Zhong Yue, he was unable to tolerate it any longer.

Who was Zhong Yue?

He was someone who could offer him medicine to prolong his life, but was also someone with the best chance to feed him poison. Not only that, he was someone from the Tianji Mountain's Zhong Clan.

Be it his country or any other country, towards the Zhong Clan in Tianji Mountain, they all felt a deep reverence that came with a sense of fear. There was a saying among the people: To have the people of Tianji was like having the world.

—Wasn't the country's founding Emperor proof of this?

A person like this was entangled with the country's crown prince&#k2014; it was a blatant provocation and disrespect towards the Emperor. Not to mention, unlike how he viewed the Zhong Clan with disdain when he was young, the current Emperor Wu attached great importance to the mysterious arts of the Zhong Clan. He revered them to the point of being fearful. He was growing old and feared illness and death, however that was not the entire reason why he began to believe the supernatural. It was because a year ago, the secret medicine Zhong Gu's ancestor had left for the Li Family had brought him back from death's door.

So, even though he could tolerate what Li Yan did in his private life, he absolutely cannot allow him and Zhong Yu to stand on the same side.

Li Yan's confinement this time, on the surface, was for him to reflect on himself. In actuality, it was a purposeful move on the Emperor's part to take away power from him.

Li Yan had already lost many aides during this period of time, and since this time it was him who was in the wrong, he couldn't do anything even if the Emperor wanted to make things difficult for him. Every day, he was only able to practice calligraphy while idly staying in the East Palace. He could only hope in his heart that the Emperor would kick the bucket sooner.

Similarly, Zhong Yue also felt tortured being unable to see Li Yan.

The Minister of Justice had questioned Zhong Yue, but he didn't dare to actually punish Zhong Yue, so naturally nothing came out of the interrogation.

After walking out of the Justice Department, Zhong Yue angrily demanded to enter the palace, wanting to bargain with the Emperor. Because the Emperor had previously received a Longevity Pill from Zhong Yue, he didn't intend to make things difficult for the other, but when he mentioned Li Yan, Emperor Wu refused to relent no matter how much he insisted—clearly he had already steeled his heart to suppress the crown prince.

Zhong Yue racked his brain. Then last night, as he consulted the heavens, he divined that the Yan Fief would be met with a calamitous earthquake. He understood that this was a golden opportunity for him and Li Yan to overturn their current situation.

It wouldn't be accurate to say that Zhong Yue was doing this out of deep love for Li Yan. It was just that Zhong Yue, as the son of heaven, refused to accept the fact that Li Yan didn't love him madly. He could only be satisfied if he had completely conquered Li Yan. He was utterly obstinate in this goal, even if it meant treading on a narrow path. Not only did he submit his body to Li Yan again and again, this time he even pulled out the big cards!

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—He collected his heart's blood and used it to divine the specific time and location of the earthquake.

Even if Zhong Yue was the most talented amongst the Zhong Clan, in the end he was still too young. If he wanted to peek into a heavenly secret like this, he naturally had to pay an appropriate price.

Gou Liang watched as Zhong Yue vomited blood until his face had turned pale. The other had exchanged three years of his lifespan for the heavenly secret. Gou Liang couldn't help but sigh—sure enough, unrequited love can drive a person crazy.

Thinking this, Gou Liang then set the note aside containing the heavenly secret Zhong Yue had obtained with his heart blood. He looked at Zhong Quan, "Push me out."

Zhong Quan did as he commanded.

So that he could move unimpeded, the ship had been specially modified. All the cabin doors had been taken down. The wooden wheels of the wheelchair made rolling noises as they rolled over the surface of the ship.

The wind blew over the sea and occasionally seagulls cried over the sounds of waves. Gou Liang looked out into the vast sea and untied the Asking Heaven jade xiao hanging from his waist. He brought it to his lips and began to play.

The melody was melancholic and languid. Zhong Quan had never heard this tune before. It made one feel like they were one with nature, tranquil and full of warmth, invoking yearnings in a person's heart.

The people on deck all stopped what they were doing, searching for the source of the melody. Even the old man who was engrossed with his fire toad came out of his cabin to take a look. Slowly, the sea quieted down as if it didn't want to disturb its visitor and the seagulls above flapped their wings as if to synchronize with the music, but even they soon grew quiet under the sound of the xiao.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed, Gou Liang put down the jade xiao.

There was a hint of worry between his brows. Seeing this, Zhong Quan knelt down and asked, "Master, was the divination result not favorable?"

Gou Liang handed the jade xiao to him and rubbed his throbbing forehead. Zhong Quan carefully tied the jade xiao back to his waist and heard him say, "The Yan Fief will indeed have an earthquake calamity, but it's not only in the XingTang province. The calamity this time is widespread. The earth dragon will rise in XingTang, and the area within 500 kilometers of the area will also receive damage. Even the Emperor in the faraway capital will feel its might when the time comes. What's even worse is, for the three days after, there will be consecutive aftershocks—no less than a hundred. If preventative measures are not taken beforehand, there will be countless casualties for the citizens of Yan Fief."

His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of concern.

Muttering to himself, Gou Liang said, "Send a messenger pigeon to the Qintian Supervisor Liu JianZheng, and have him report this calamity to the Emperor. Even if the court is unable to send troops to save civilians, they should still ready manpower and supplies for post-disaster relief. In addition, pass orders down to the Quan shadow guards stationed in the Yan Fief. Have them try to gain the trust of the officials and citizens there, and move them to a safe place before the afternoon of the twenty fourth of this month."

After he finished speaking, he reached his hands towards Zhong Quan. Zhong Quan tacitly lifted him up and carried him back to the room.

Gou Liang had comprehensively studied disaster relief in the last two worlds. He wrote down a few feasible relief plans and self-preservation methods and handed them to Zhong Quan, "Deliver this to the Yan Fief and the QinTian Supervisor, immediately!"

"Yes, Master!"

There were nearly ten million citizens living in the Yan Fief, but according to Gou Liang's divination, there were less than five days until the earthquake. Within such a tight timeframe, Zhong Quan didn't dare to tarry in the slightest.

By the time he returned to the cabin once again, Gou Liang was grinding ink. His movements were steady and relaxed as he ground the ink stick in a circular motion. The process was monotonous but it was suitable for calming the heart—this was a habit of the original owner whenever he was troubled. He wanted to separate himself from the country and its people and live unfettered, but in the end, he was still unable to steel his heart.

Zhong Quan understood this. He walked forward and asked quietly, "Master, this subordinate had already arranged things. The messenger pigeon will arrive at the Yan Fief by tomorrow. Master, please don't worry."

Gou Liang nodded and dipped a finger into the ink to test it. He then added more water before continuing to grind the ink stick. He responded softly, "That is good."

"The Zhong Clan, as the family that produced the State Teacher, was in charge of the Ministry of Ceremonies and wouldn't act unless it was for a state ceremony or national plight. Now ten years have passed by. The Ministry of Ceremonies was no longer as impressive as it had been previously, and even the QinTian Supervisor has been implicated. Liu JianZheng was grandfather's star pupil and was like a brother to father. If it weren't for the Liu Family's deep background, Emperor Wu would have long since banished him from the capital in anger. However, although he managed to keep his official hat, I believe it hasn't been easy for him these past years. This time, if the opportunity can be properly grasped—what are you doing?"

Zhong Quan had suddenly reached out his arm, causing Gou Liang to draw back in alarm. He stared at him.

Zhong Quan didn't retreat, rather he took two steps forward. His expression showed nothing out of the ordinary as he said, "There is a spot of ink on Master's face, this subordinate will wipe it clean for you."

Saying this, it was like Gou Liang had made a big fuss over nothing. He made an 'oh' sound, appearing not very willing but didn't reject him either.

His hand was one that practiced the sword year round, his fingers covered in a thick layer of calluses. The rough fingers gently wiped away the spot of ink on Gou Liang's lips. Zhong Quan bent over and held Gou Liang's face with a concentrated expression. Between his sharp brows, unbeknown to himself, was a kind of solemn cautiousness. The ink was easily wiped away, but the fingers lingered on the soft lips. Even the gentlest caress caused the light pink lips to redden.

The time Zhong Quan spent wiping the ink was overly long.

However, Gou Liang wasn't aware of this. At some unknown time, his body had relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair. His head was raised as he gazed at Zhong Quan's handsome features in a daze.

Like always, his eyes were bright and brows sharp, making people unable to look at him straight. Zhong Quan's eyes were a light brown. Usually they seemed exceptionally stern and indifferent, but at present, they were full of nothing but overflowing gentleness. Gou Liang's heart sped up. The ink stick slipped his hand and caused a splash of dark ink as he regained his composure. "Zhong Quan…"

"Master, do you have any commands?"

Zhong Quan reverently lowered himself down even more, but still forgot to retract his hand.

Gou Liang's eyes flashed and for a moment, he forgot what he had wanted to say. Just as he was thinking what to do, the sound of an intense quarrel came from outside the room. The old man's enraged voice was distinct as always. Gou Liang hurriedly ordered, "Go and see what happened."

Zhong Quan didn't leave immediately. Rather, he looked down at his ink-stained hand .

Gou Liang felt like he was being burned by the other's gaze. He hid his hand and said, "I will clean it myself. You go ba, don't let anyone offend grandfather."

"This subordinate obeys."

After he headed out, Gou Liang quickly wiped his hand and patted his restless heart.

[Gou Liang: He's so handsome, I almost stopped breathing! Ao, the scent of the positive soul force was so dense and sweet, I really want to eat—why did you have to pick this pitfall of a body for me!! QwQ.]

[System: …Master, the mainframe had already given you a reply on this question, I'm also powerless ah.]

[Gou Liang: Hmph, an unknown element has interfered with the passageway left by the dormant Lord God, using such a excuse to brush me aside without even giving me an solution, what do I have the bunch of you for!]

[System: m( _ _ )m ]

Zhong Quan soon came back with the old man and the plump cook of the ship. He then explained the situation to Gou Liang.

It turns out, when Gou Liang played the Asking Heaven jade xiao, a few rarely seen deep sea fish had approached the ship and were caught by the shipmates. When the plump cook learned of this, he thought they would make great supplements. Treasures like these can't be eaten by even the Emperor. Thus, the cook cautiously raised the fish, planning to use them to nourish Gou Liang's body.

But little did he know the prowess of the old man's nose. He found his way to the kitchen, wanting to take those fish and refine them as medicine to feed his fire toads. The plump cook did not agree to this, causing a dispute to arise between the two.

Compared to the old man who was fuming with rage, the plump cook felt more wronged, "This subordinate didn't intentionally want to offend him. I had specifically asked Senior Jiang, since the medicine and fire toad he wants to refine wasn't for you, naturally this subordinate can't allow him to be so wasteful."

The old man said willfully, "No matter how much you nourish your family's master, all you'll accomplish is giving him nosebleeds and pimples, what use is there? Not to mention, with your poor skills that's truly being wasteful!"

The cook's old profession was a hired killer. His culinary skill wasn't anything great, but on a ship full of nothing but men, his skill was ranked just under Gou Liang and Zhong Quan's.

It was just that the old man was extraordinarily picky— he never showed a good face to the cook.

Gou Liang said, in order to soothe the other's prickled hair, "Grandfather, how about this? I'll have someone send over two-thirds of it to you, and the rest will be given to the brothers on board so they can have a taste. Will that be alright?"

The old man, however, did not agree, "Why leave some? Feeding it to these fatties, better to just feed it to a dog."

The plump cook was infuriated but didn't dare to speak up.

Gou Liang smiled and said, "Since there is nothing else to do, how about I cook a fish feast for grandfather as filial piety. What do you think, grandfather?"

For Li Yan, the original host had learned to wash his hands and make soup. His skills were much better than Zhong Quan, who boiled everything and poured in every seasoning without distinction. But still, when compared to Chef Gou, it was only at the level of a toddler who has yet to graduate nursery school.

However, Gou Liang's legs were inconvenienced right now so he could only instruct from the side while Zhong Quan carried out the actions.

The two were extremely well coordinated as they worked together.

When the rich aroma of fish soup drifted out from the kitchen, everyone on board, having eaten the plump cook's communal meals for days, smacked their lips.

The old man, who originally only went along with this because he didn't want to shoot down his grandson's filial heart, sucked back his saliva and slipped into the kitchen to sneak food. Gou Liang, seeing the other was not satisfied with just drinking the fish soup and was reaching towards the semi-finished fish karaages, smiled and said, "Grandfather, there will be even tastier dishes later on, if you ate yourself full now, what will you do later?"

The old man finally gave up after hearing this. However, before he left, he quickly shoved a piece of fish into his mouth before clasping his hands behind his back and walking away as if nothing had happened.

Gou Liang: Really want to toss this old man into the ocean to feed the fish! (｀皿)=凸

Today staple food was fish dumplings and the star dish was boiled live fish, along with crisp and fragrant fried fish, sour soup with fish slices, braised fish blocks, as well as an entire steamed fish.

Under Gou Liang's instruction, the dishes on the table all smelled, looked, and tasted great. The succulent and delicious meat of the deep sea fish was enhanced further, opening one's appetite, giving nothing but joy upon eating.

Since Gou Liang was still taking medicine and recuperating, the old man used the excuse that he still shouldn't eat spicy or greasy food to shamelessly seize the portion that belonged to him.

The appetite of a boatful of men was miraculous, they wolfed down the food and the three big tables of food were gone in an instant. Then they happily began to fight over plates to lick.

Under the moonlight, Gou Liang wore a white robe and sat on his wheelchair as he felt the ocean wind blow. His expression was desolate.

Returning to the cabin, he began grinding the ink stick again. His murderous gaze pretended the ink stick was the old man to relieve his anger.

As he grinded, his movements grew faster and more forceful. It was only when the system reminded him that the target was about to enter the door that he straightened his back and put on a Celestial-does-not-eating-mortal-food.jpg, as he grinded the ink stick in an unhurried manner.

As Zhong Quan walked in, a rich aroma of fish entered Gou Liang's nose. He looked over and saw the Zhong Quan was holding a platter in his hand—his sharp nose could identify them right away. There were three dishes underneath the bowl – a bowl of fish congee, a dish of fried fish blocks with salt and pepper, and a small serving of spicy boiled live fish!

His eyes lit up in an instant. He suppressed his delight and asked in a deadpan tone, "Is something the matter?"

With Zhong Quan's eyesight, how could not have not noticed the slight changes just now? Or, in other words, his sight had never left Gou Liang and he had long realized that he also wanted to eat.

Very considerately, Zhong Quan didn't expose the other. He only said, "Master, just now you only drank some soup and ate some dumplings, this subordinate was afraid that you would be hungry at night. Old Jiang said that this fish has calming properties, Master should eat more of it. If Master could sleep more peacefully at night, nothing could be better."

Gou Liang's soul was almost hooked away by the fragrance when the lid was taken off the food. He wasn't listening to him speak at all. He only nodded his head and made a few sounds of affirmation as he took the chopsticks that were handed to him.

The fish congee was freshly made, and although the portions of fried fish blocks and live boiled fish were very small, they were all from the best and most tender part of the fish. Evidently, Zhong Quan had specially set these apart for him when he was making them.

Gou Liang managed to suppress his smile, but his sparkling eyes and enthusiastic movements betrayed him.

Zhong Quan looked at him and felt the innermost place of his heart being tickled. His heart clenched and thumped loudly. The sharpness between his brows dissipated completely, his gaze fixed on Gou Liang became even softer than the moonlight reflecting on the ocean water.

[Ding, the target's favorability value has been updated. Current favorability value:+93!]

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