Gu Yun's expression did not change. He calmly took out an envelope from his bosom and handed it to Changgeng.
There was no letter in the envelope, only a cover. There was a cold smell that seemed to be a mixture of agarwood and fragrant incense.
The night before, Black Eagle found three envelopes from the captured incense master. This was one of the envelopes. The three envelopes had different smells. The incense master was rather stubborn. He refused to confess no matter how harsh the interrogation was. Of course, in such a short period of time, even if he confessed, Gu Yun might not dare to believe him.
Among the three envelopes, this was the only one that Gu Yun could clearly identify.
According to legend, this incense was produced by the previous dynasty's fatuous emperor who believed in evil spirits. He ordered the palace servants to make it to help him ascend to immortality. It was called "Imperial Incense". It was cold and unclear, graceful and luxurious. The previous emperor had secretly stored a little of it. One year, he lit it on a whim. The smell was really different from the incense commonly used in the palace.
The previous emperor secretly told him that although this item smelled good, it was also called "Perishing Incense". It was fine to light it once in private. If the imperial censors knew about it, they would explode. He must not disclose it.
Many years had passed, but Gu Yun still had a deep impression of this "Perishing Incense".
Changgeng tensed up just now. Gu Yun immediately sensed it. Without waiting for him to write, he began to think about the possibility of throwing this envelope out.
Gu Yun weighed it and thought, "One out of three. Alright, I'm quite confident. If I can't, I'll just have to deal with whatever comes my way."
Fortunately, he was the only one who knew about this "confidence". The others could only see that he was very confident on the surface and could only be calm along with him.
The middle-aged man's expression changed. He took the envelope and sniffed it a few times. His expression changed unpredictably.
Changgeng thought, "Do I have to make a move?"
However, Gu Yun calmly patted the back of his tense hand.
The middle-aged man raised his head to look at Gu Yun again. His expression was much more serious as he said, "I am Di Song, the captain of this group of merchant ships. May I know where Mister came from and where are you heading to?"
This was a slang. Changgeng was written in full detail in Gu Yun's hand.
Gu Yun was the first to speak. She said, "Come from the ground and go into the wormwood."
The middle-aged man who called himself Di Song seemed to be taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, his voice weakened slightly. "Then … then I'll have to trouble Mr. Xiang. Please."
Gu Yun stood motionless. He was completely deaf until Changgeng gently pulled him. Then, he was led forward by Changgeng expressionlessly. He was just like an eccentric "Mr. Xiang" who had lost his five senses.
Then, covered by Gu Yun's wide sleeves, Changgeng wrote in Gu Yun's palm, "How does Godfather know their slang?"
This was actually a conversation between two crew members that the Black Eagle overheard when he was ordered to spy on the merchant ship the night before. He reported everything to him in detail. Gu Yun actually didn't know what it meant at all. He was still deceiving people.
He boasted to Changgeng like a wolf, "I know everything."
Changgeng was speechless.
The group successfully boarded the Japanese merchant ship. Several Japanese popped their heads out and curiously sized up the legendary Mr. Xiang.
Japanese were influenced by Daliang. Gods and Buddhas were prevalent in Japan. Many people saw a monk following behind Gu Yun and came out to greet him.
Chang Geng sized up these Japanese without batting an eyelid. There were more of them than he had imagined. In the name of escorting a merchant ship, they were all equipped with long swords. Some of them even had iron wrist cuffs and strange darts on their wrists. When he got closer, he could smell the faint smell of blood on their bodies.
Suddenly, someone shouted behind him. A masked Japanese landed behind Gu Yun without anyone noticing. Without saying a word, he swung his scimitar at Gu Yun's back.
Changgeng's reaction was extremely fast. Before he unsheathed his sword, he had already blocked the other party's scimitar.
The Japanese screamed. His thin and small body twisted into a strange arc. He was like a boneless snake. The scimitar in his hand became an evil snake's tongue. He slashed at Changgeng seven times consecutively. At the same time, his left shoulder suddenly bloomed. A Japanese boomerang rushed towards Gu Yun without warning.
As for Gu Yun, it was unknown whether he was acting or not. He actually stood there motionless, as if he didn't feel anything!
In a moment of desperation, Changgeng split the scabbard and sword in his hand into two. He threw the scabbard out fiercely. When the boomerang almost brushed past Gu Yun's chest, it was sent flying.
It wasn't the first time Changgeng had exchanged blows with someone, nor was it the first time he was surrounded by danger. However, it was the first time someone had actually almost hurt his adoptive father in front of him. A thin layer of red instantly appeared in his eyes. The Wu 'er bone in his body suddenly seemed to be ready to move.
He shouted in a low voice and suddenly moved his wrist downward. He used the move he usually used to deal with the sword puppet. The scimitar in the Japanese's hand trembled violently and was almost bent. Before the other party could withdraw his scimitar, Changgeng had already kicked his waist.
It was said that some Japanese had to be thinner than ordinary people in order to leap over roofs and vault over walls to ambush and assassinate. This snake-like man must be one of the best. Although he was indeed agile and treacherous, he really couldn't take a beating. Changgeng's kick almost kicked his intestines out. He couldn't hold the scimitar in his hand anymore and staggered away.
However, Changgeng didn't want to let him go. The tip of his foot picked up the scimitar on the ground and nailed it in front of the Japanese. The long sword in his hand curved and was about to split the Japanese in half.
This all happened in a flash. No one around, no matter if they were enemies or friends, could react. They saw Changgeng had already leaped up and was about to kill the Japanese. Three shouts of "Stop!" sounded at the same time.
A few Japanese long swords stretched out from all directions at the same time and hurriedly blocked Changgeng's unparalleled sword wind.
The stunned monk Liao Ran finally had time to wipe his sweat. Changgeng's threat of stabbing him to death the night before was actually true.
Changgeng said in a low voice, "Get out of the way."
Di Song hurried over and said, "It's a misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding. This is Mr. Shangchuan's first time in Daliang and doesn't know the rules. When he saw you carrying a sword, he wanted to make a joke. Little brother, please be magnanimous and don't lower yourself to his level."
Changgeng's slightly red eyes stared at the snake-man who retreated behind the crowd and squeezed out two words from between his teeth, "A joke?"
Di Song smiled and turned to Gu Yun who was standing at the side as if nothing had happened, "Mr. Zhang …"
Looking at the stupefied face, he remembered that these top incense masters couldn't see or hear. He could only take a step forward and wanted to reach out to pat Gu Yun's arm.
Before he could touch him, a strong wind suddenly came from behind. Fortunately, Di Song reacted quickly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to protect his wrist.
Changgeng, "Don't touch him!"
Di Song, "…"
In this group of people, one couldn't hear and one couldn't speak. They were a pair of half-grown children who were placed together like wooden sticks. Only one person could speak on behalf of them. The scabbard of the weapon in his hand hadn't been picked up yet.
The atmosphere was in a deadlock.
At this moment, Gu Yun finally opened his mouth, "Why are you still wasting time here? Don't miss the boat's departure time. "
He seemed to be completely unaware of the soul-stirring conflict just now.
Di Song hurriedly mediated, "That's right, that's right. We're all family …"
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yun had already raised his hand as if there was no one else around. Changgeng paused and used the tip of his sword to pick up the scabbard on the ground. He returned the sword to the scabbard and went forward to catch Gu Yun's hand, supporting him as they walked inside.
The monk Liao Ran had no choice but to bring up the rear. He politely bowed to the frightened Japanese people and took out a bunch of broken wooden Buddhist prayer beads from somewhere. He applied a layer of dark red paint on the outside of the beads to pretend that they were red sandalwood. The paint had been rubbed off by the monk for a long time, turning into a bunch of mottled red sandalwood.
The white-faced monk, who was also dressed in mottled clothes, smiled wholeheartedly and silently chanted sutras. As he sent the group of people in front of him off, he chased after Ge Pangxiao and Cao Niangzi.
This time, the Japanese people they met along the way watched their backs as if they were facing a great enemy. For a moment, no one dared to go up and greet them.
Changgeng tensely sent Gu Yun to the room specially prepared for incense masters on the merchant ship. He cautiously glanced outside the door before closing it. Changgeng turned around, "Yi …"
Gu Yun turned around and put a finger to his mouth.
With Gu Yun's current hearing, unless someone shouted in his ear, he wouldn't be able to hear anything clearly.
The surroundings were so quiet that only whispers could be heard. However, he could tell from the airflow caused by Changgeng's rapid turn when he closed the door that the child might want to talk to him, so he stopped him first.
Gu Yun's special medicine was prescribed by an old subordinate of The Old Marquis when he was a little over ten years old. Before that, he had always endured the inconvenience of his ears and eyes.
The Old Marquis was iron-blooded for half his life. He was strict with himself, but he was stricter with his son. He didn't know how to write the word "doting". No matter whether Gu Yun could see or not, no matter how he felt in his heart, he had to practice what he needed to practice. The iron puppets would never show him any mercy just because of his inconvenience of hearing. They weren't the sword puppets that he used to coax Changgeng to play with. Although the sword puppets looked scary, they were specially adjusted so that when they fought with people, the swords in their hands wouldn't hurt people.
The real iron puppets were a group of inhumane iron beasts when they fought. Why would they care about this?
He had to deal with them through his weak sight and hearing, as well as the breeze that flowed around him. No matter how hard the young Gu Yun tried, he could never keep up with The Old Marquis' requirements for him. Every time he could adapt to a new speed and strength, it would immediately be increased.
The Old Marquis' original words were, "Either you stand up by yourself, or you find a beam and hang yourself. The Gu family would rather have no descendants than to keep a useless person."
This sentence was like a cold steel nail that was nailed into Gu Yun's bones when he was very young. It couldn't be removed for life. Even when The Old Marquis passed away and Gu Yun entered the palace, he didn't dare to relax for a day.
This kind of extreme senses that had been honed over the years could always help him cover up a little in some situations. This was also the reason why he didn't wear thick clothes until his mortal body couldn't withstand the cold.
This was because the thick fox fur coat and bloated cotton-padded clothes would affect his senses.
Gu Yun groped in the air for a moment and wrote on Changgeng's palm, "The person who fought with you just now was a Japanese ninja. Those people are very good at sneaking around. Be careful, the walls have ears."
Changgeng lowered his head and couldn't help but grab Gu Yun's calloused hand. Then, he let out a long breath of anger that was churning in his chest and shook his head in self-mockery. Gu Yun was always calm. The one who was scared half to death was always him.
Gu Yun was puzzled. He didn't know why he was sighing. He turned his head to "look" at him and raised one of his eyebrows.
Changgeng took advantage of the fact that he was blindfolded and stared at him impudently.
Gu Yun followed his arm to his head and patted his head.
Changgeng closed his eyes. He almost wanted to rub his head against Gu Yun's hand. Fortunately, he restrained himself.
He took off Gu Yun's hand and wrote, "This is the first time I've seen this kind of battle with my adoptive father. I'm a little uncertain and a little scared."
What he was most afraid of was the moment when the Japanese threw the boomerang at Gu Yun's chest.
Gu Yun seemed to have thought of something and suddenly laughed.
Changgeng asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"I've been too indulgent with you," Gu Yun wrote on his palm. "If I dared to say the word 'scared' in front of my father back then, I would have been beaten."
Changgeng thought silently, "Then why didn't you beat me?"
Not only did Gu Yun never beat him, but he also rarely spoke harshly. He was never fierce.
In the beginning, when he faced the sword puppet, he was afraid and couldn't get used to it. Gu Yun never showed too much disappointment or impatience. After more than a year, Changgeng recalled that gaze. He felt that it wasn't the gaze of a strict senior teaching a junior. It was more like he was smiling and watching a child play clumsily.
Gu Yun wrote again, "The Japanese are very troublesome when they fight. They have a lot of tricks, but there aren't many real experts. Look at how menacing his boomerang is. In fact, the trajectory is curved. It's just to test whether I'm really blind or not. There's nothing to be afraid of on this ship of Japanese. I'm worried about their destination."
Merchant ships had to slowly leave the inland through the passage between the sea and the canal. They would enter the sea and head east to send living creatures to the mainland of Japan. They would pass by several inspection stations.
There had to be a perfumer accompanying the spice ships. When they passed by the inspection stations, they had to hand in the samples that had been inspected. Therefore, no matter what the true purpose of these merchant ships was, there had to be a perfumer to cover it up.
After the ship traveled for more than ten days, Ge Pangxiao sneaked into Gu Yun's room, "Hou … Mr. Zhang, Brother Changgeng."
After saying that, he saw the eye mask on Marquis's face and muttered, "I forgot that he's deaf."
As he spoke, he began to take things out from his arms. First, it was two compasses. Then, it was a box that kept emitting white steam. This little fatty was very mysterious. His stomach seemed to be retractable. When it was retracted, it could store a lot of things in his arms. When he took things out … he didn't seem to "lose weight".
Changgeng, "What's this? Is there something burning inside? "
Ge Pangxiao laughed, "Hehe, Purple Gold."
Changgeng was surprised, "Don't you find it hot?"
Ge Pangxiao took off his clothes and saw a dark plate on his chest. It was used to insulate the area of the heavy armor where the short cannons were installed. He had cut it into a bellyband. Ge Pangxiao shamelessly patted his stomach, "Iron bellyband!"
Gu Yun took off the eye mask and fastened the glass mirror. She came over and carefully looked at Ge Pangxiao's masterpiece. She was very impressed. She felt that these brats usually didn't know anything and only knew how to play. However, when they were so young, they had the courage to leave Yanhui Town and follow Changgeng to the capital. Although they didn't seem to have a gully in their hearts, they definitely had a lot of ideas.
Ge Pangxiao imitated Liao Ran's sign language and gestured, "Who said that only women can wear bellybands?"
Gu Yun gave a thumbs up. That was right.
Changgeng, "…"
The two compasses on the table were spinning in circles facing each other. Ge Pangxiao gestured to the two of them to look. He gently knocked the table with his hand and gestured a three. The compasses had been messed up for at least three days.
Gu Yun often went out, so she understood with a glance. Feng Shui masters usually brought two compasses when they went out. If one of them failed, they could tell by looking at the other one that it was because the compass was broken or there was a problem with the location. There were often places in the sea or the desert where compasses would fail. Generally, merchant ships and fishing boats would avoid them. However, this group of Dongying people not only did not avoid them, but also deliberately drove in. There was no doubt that the route had deviated from the fixed destination.
"Come from the ground, go into the wormwood." What exactly did this wormwood refer to?
Ge Pangxiao, "Fortunately, I brought this."
As he spoke, he opened the small box that was emitting white steam. Inside, there was an extremely exquisite small object. In the middle, there was a small wheel that was spinning rapidly. It was connected to a shaft, and there were a few golden rings on the outer circle. In the corner, there was the word "Ling" engraved in seal script. It was actually a product of the Lingshu Temple.
"This is a mold made by the Lingshu Temple. When it spins, this shaft will always point in one direction." Ge Pangxiao stretched out his hand and pointed. "It's this one. It's more accurate than the compass, but it requires Purple Gold. The finished product was not produced. I heard that it was rejected by the higher-ups. Master and I secretly made one. Before we came, we removed a bowl of Purple Gold from the bottom of Big Brother's sword puppet."
Gu Yun carefully reached out and picked up the small object. It was too exquisite. He was afraid that he would break it if he used too much strength. "If Shen Yi saw this, he would devote himself to you."
Chang Geng's chest tightened when he heard his words.
Ge Pangxiao dug out a sheepskin map from somewhere and spread it on the table. His short and curly fingers gestured on the map for a long time before finally landing on a point.
"According to this direction, Master Liao Ran and I deduced that we will arrive at this place soon."
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