Chapter 435: 435. On the way home
Translator: 549690339
Su Liang and Qi Jun were in the Marquis Changxin Mansion, which was previously granted to Gu Ling and is now the Regent King Mansion. However, Gu Ling only lived here for a short time before “marrying” into the Su Mansion. The place was the couple’s garden and also Gu Ling’s weapon-making workshop, usually deserted, making it a suitable place to set up the trap for Pu Cheng as it resembled an outdoor environment.
Su Liang and Qi Jun took Pu Cheng back to the Su Mansion, entering through the back door, which led to the garden.
As they were about to leave the forest, Qi Jun said, “Master, I won’t tell anyone about those things, not even Ren Dong.”
Su Liang nodded, “Hmm. Knowing such things is not necessarily a good thing. I had no choice but to tell you this time, and I only told you what you needed to know. You did a good job, and what Pu Cheng confessed is what I wanted to know. Gu Ling should be back soon, and we can still make it to your wedding with Ren Dong.”
Qi Jun laughed, “I hope Uncle will have a smooth journey.”
However, Qi Jun didn’t know that the Gu Ling he thought was a transmigrator was actually fake. The real transmigrator was Su Liang.
Su Liang didn’t intend to mislead Qi Jun. She only told him the necessary information to fulfill their current needs. The rest was not necessary for Qi Jun to know at the moment.
By the time the two reached the lakeside, the thick fog had cleared, and the sky was bright.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu came running out of Yuanming Pavilion, followed by Cheng Yun. All three of them were dressed in their exercise clothes, ready for morning practice.
“Master’s wife is back!” Ji Xiaoshu rushed over, followed closely by Zhengzheng, and Cheng Yun also ran over.
“How did it go?” Cheng Yun’s gaze turned to Pu Cheng, who was carried by Qi Jun unconscious, his expression much calmer than the day before.
Su Liang smiled, “It worked.”
Ji Xiaoshu gave a thumbs up, “With Master’s wife taking action, there’s no room for failure!”
Su Liang ruffled the heads of the two children, “Go practice your skills.”
Seeing that Su Liang had no intention of sharing the information she had obtained from Pu Cheng, Cheng Yun didn’t ask and went to train with the two children.
Qiao Cong did ask, but Su Liang didn’t say anything for the time being as it involved matters of transmigration. Other than her, only Qi Jun knew and just a rough idea.
Whether to share their biggest secret with the others at home, and who to tell and who not to tell, Su Liang decided to discuss with Gu Ling after his return. The more people who knew, the greater the uncontrollable risk. Some things are better kept secret.
If Gu Ling had been home last night, Su Liang wouldn’t have needed to tell Qi Jun about it, but would have had Gu Ling do it instead. Waiting a few more days might have been fine, but the sooner it was known, the better the precautions could be made, especially against Sheng Yue. Even though Su Liang predicted that he wouldn’t show up easily again, she feared any potential risk. And Gu Ling’s return was also just an estimate by Su Liang, not a guarantee.
After a while, Cheng Yun said he wanted to go back to Huguo Temple as he still had some belongings there and needed to inform Master Pu Hui about his return to secular life. He had lived at the Huguo Temple once, and Master Pu Hui had taken good care of him.
Ji Xiaoshu said he wanted to go with Cheng Yun to Huguo Temple, but was immediately stopped by Zhengzheng, “No, there’s a bad guy who escaped, and he might catch us and threaten Master’s wife!” Zhengzheng had experience with such things.
“Oh, well, then.” Ji Xiaoshu was naughty but never reckless, blinked and said, “Will the bad guy catch my dad as a hostage? Or is my dad no longer important?”
Su Liang smiled, “Not as important as you.”
Ji Xiaoshu was delighted, “When my dad comes back, I need to tell him that I’m the important one!”
Qiao Cong accompanied Cheng Yun to the Huguo Temple, returning near noon with Huguo Temple vegetarian dishes.
“Senior Pu Hui asked if I had made up my mind, and I said yes.” Cheng Yun sighed softly, “I thought he would persuade me not to return to secular life, but surprisingly he didn’t object.”
Su Liang wasn’t surprised. Cheng Yun hadn’t experienced the secular world, and becoming a monk was not his choice. The real monks should have a tolerant heart, not thinking that becoming a monk is the best and returning to secular life the wrong.
“You can grow your hair now.” Su Liang said, “Should I find you a hat? Or a wig?”
“No need to disguise.” Cheng Yun shook his head, “Let nature take its course.”
Su Liang chuckled softly, “True, real beauty doesn’t fear a hairstyle.”
Cheng Yun’s face turned slightly embarrassed, “My appearance is far inferior to Sister Gu’s.”
“Not much difference.” Su Liang teased, “Once your hair grows out, you’ll definitely be a handsome young man.”
Cheng Yun silently drifted away, physically stopping the embarrassing topic.
In the afternoon, while the children were sleeping, Su Liang sat by the window, taking out the papers she had recorded information on when Min Rou had first briefed her on the situation at Xingluo Island. Looking at the “forbidden area” in the City Lord Mansion’s layout, she could now be sure that it was the place where Mo Yan had transmigrated and had guarded for many years as the way back home, or so he thought.
Not only Mo Yan, but it was also discovered from Pu Cheng’s mouth that even his late wife was bent on returning. This brought new ideas to Su Liang: Could it be that only she was a soul transmigrator, while Mo Yan and Pu Cheng’s late wife were both physical transmigrators? Was that possible?
Su Liang pondered and thought, since soul transmigration exists, body transmigration should also be possible. Including Gu Ling’s special ability, these are mysterious phenomena that cannot be explained by science.
If so, Su Liang felt that Mo Yan and Pu Cheng’s deceased wife’s desire to return could also be somewhat understood. However, she still believed that she could not return, as she had settled down here and did not want to return.
Su Liang picked up a pen, wrote the word “road” in the forbidden area of Xingluo Island on the paper, and drew a big question mark. Then she put away everything, put it aside for the time being, and waited for Gu Ling to come back to discuss.
In the afternoon, Su Liang went to the underground secret chamber to see Pu Cheng again.
This time, Pu Cheng lost his calm when he saw Su Liang, because at dawn today, his true face was completely exposed to Su Liang. Putting on a fake mask would not only be meaningless, but would also make him appear even more ridiculous.
“What are you doing here?” Pu Cheng snorted.
Su Liang sat down with a faint expression, “It’s much better like this, there’s no need to pretend, it’s so tiring. Did Yan Shiba really say that Yan Shiba is alive and in Sheng Yue’s hands?”
“False!” Pu Cheng blurted out.
Su Liang nodded, “In that case, when your son uses Yan Shiba as a hostage to threaten me, I will know that the hostage in his hands is just like Nian Ruxue’s substitute, and I don’t need to worry about it.”
Pu Cheng’s face stiffened. Su Liang had got the answer she wanted from his reaction without him saying anything else.
“Where is she?” Su Liang asked, “Nian Ruxue has already confessed a location, whether you say it or not, I’ll send someone to look for her. If you tell me, things will be better for you.”
Pu Cheng sneered, “What, do you still want to torture me?”
Gu Ling wanted to go home immediately, but he knew that if Su Liang found out, she would definitely ask him to save the old man first.
Gu Ling suggested that Cen Man go ahead and report their safety at home, but after considering it, Cen Man decided to wait and accompany Gu Ling. Reporting safety wasn’t so urgent for one or two days, and she was more worried about losing Gu Ling.
So, Gu Ling and Cen Man “accidentally” met the old man and the young girl at the breakfast shop again.
The girl recognized them, and upon seeing Cen Man’s smile, she waved and laughed, “We meet again.”
At this point, Gu Ling had a backpack on his back that he had just found. He had heard that there was a mountain called Medicine King Mountain outside the city. The mountain was tall and said to have many rare medicinal materials. Many people would specifically enter the mountain to gather medicine. However, due to its treacherous topography, accidents often happened to those who ventured in to collect medicine.
“Are you also going to Medicine King Mountain to gather herbs, senior?” Gu Ling asked the old man.
The old man raised an eyebrow, looked at Gu Ling, and then glanced at Cen Man, “Which of you is the doctor?”
“I am,” Gu Ling nodded slightly.
With a mixture of surprise and delight at meeting a fellow professional, the old man laughed and said he was going to look for a rare herb. He might not be able to find it, but he wanted to give it a try while the weather was still nice.
“I’m also going to try my luck,” Gu Ling said.
The old man looked at Cen Man, who smiled, “I am his adoptive mother.”
After breakfast, the old man took the initiative to invite Gu Ling and Cen Man to join them, saying he knew the way.
The young girl furrowed her brow, pulling on the old man’s sleeve and whispering, “Grandpa, be careful, they might be herb robbers.” The Medicine King Mountain produced highly valuable rare medicinal herbs, and there were often bandits intercepting and robbing the herb collectors at the foot of the mountain.
The old man shook his head. “That young man’s eyes are very clean, he must be a good person, I can’t be wrong about that.”
As the young girl tried to persuade him further, the old man shook his head with a smile, “Just wait, let me test him.”
The young girl didn’t say anything else. Since Gu Ling claimed to be a doctor, the test would reveal everything.
On their way out of town, the old man and Gu Ling started discussing medical skills, while the young girl and Cen Man followed behind them. They seemed to get along well. Gu Ling seemed calm, but the old man was very happy. While talking, the old man grabbed Gu Ling’s arm, “Young man, who did you learn your medical skills from?”
The young girl realized that she had been overthinking it. Judging by their interaction, Gu Ling’s medical skills must be very impressive.
Gu Ling shook his head, indicating that it was not convenient to say. The old man smiled and didn’t press further.
If it had been any other time, Gu Ling would have been happy to make friends with this skilled old doctor. He also enjoyed collecting herbs. However, at this moment, he hoped that those who wanted to cause trouble for the old man would hurry up and show themselves so he could kill them and go home. Although he had decided to wait, the three days felt very difficult for him to endure.
The old man introduced himself with the last name Wen, while Gu Ling introduced himself with the last name Gu.
When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, the distant, fog-shrouded peak looked far away as they looked up at it.
However, perhaps the heavens were listening to Gu Ling’s heartfelt wish. As soon as they entered the mountain, trouble arose.
Two masked men descended from the sky, drawing their swords and blocking their way.
One of the men’s gaze swept over Gu Ling and Cen Man, settling on the old Wen man, “I’ve long heard of the great name of the Divine Doctor Wen. Our master invites you over, please come with us!”
Old Wen pulled his granddaughter behind him protectively, his face calm, “I’m not a divine doctor, just an ordinary doctor. If your master is sick, he can go to the capital city to find the famous Divine Doctor Su.”
“Divine Doctor Wen is too modest. You don’t like fame and fortune, and you’ve been living in seclusion for so many years. It’s not easy to find you. If you don’t want your granddaughter to get hurt, please don’t make things difficult for us.”
“These two just happened to be passing by. Please don’t trouble them.” Old Wen looked apologetically at Gu Ling, “This has nothing to do with you. You should get going!”
“I’m in a hurry to get home.” Gu Ling nodded.
The next moment, Old Wen only felt a cold flash in front of his eyes. Gu Ling pulled a hoe from his back and rushed towards the black-clothed men blocking their path.
The two black-clothed men didn’t expect such a change. Their eyes were full of contempt and didn’t take Gu Ling seriously.
One of them had just said, “Looking for death,” when his head fell off before he could finish his sentence.
Old Wen and his granddaughter were both stunned!
Another black-clothed man began fighting with Gu Ling. His strength was much stronger than the one who had just died, but there was still a gap between him and Gu Ling. Moreover, Gu Ling was in a bad mood and showed no mercy towards the person who had prevented him from returning home to reunite with Su Liang>.
It didn’t take long for the black-clothed man to fall to the ground severely injured, but he was still alive.
Still carrying the basket on his back, Gu Ling threw the bloodstained hoe into it, bent down to remove the black cloth covering the man’s face, and asked coldly, “Who sent you?”
The black-clothed man spat out blood, his face pale, and didn’t answer Gu Ling’s question.
“Mo Yan? Did he order you to capture the Divine Doctor and bring him back to Xingluo Island?” Gu Ling asked.
The black-clothed man’s momentary shock did not escape Gu Ling’s eyes.
No need to ask more, Gu Ling reached out and twisted the black-clothed man’s neck, turning around to face Old Wen, his expression indifferent, “The medicinal herbs that Elder Wen is looking for, I have them at home. If it’s convenient, please give me an address, and I’ll have someone send them over after I get back.”
Old Wen was dumbfounded, “Who... who are you exactly?”
“Su Liang’s husband. My medical skills were taught by her.” Gu Ling revealed his identity directly.
The young girl’s eyes widened, “The legendary Gu Ling?”
“I just happened to pass through this area and accidentally learned that a scumbag was leading a group of people to capture skilled doctors and turn them into slaves. I just helped out along the way, no need to pay too much attention to it.” Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent.
“I was originally planning to find an opportunity to visit the capital city and pay my respects to Divine Doctor Su...”
Old Wen still seemed shell-shocked.
“Alright then, I’ll wait for you at home. Goodbye.” Gu Ling bowed his hand.
By the time Old Wen and his granddaughter came to their senses, Gu Ling and Cen Man had already disappeared.