The carriage passed by, and the crowd that had retreated to the two sides of the street returned to normal. Many people secretly pointed at Yuan Gang.
The stall owner and his wife, who were carrying the little girl, thanked Yuan Gang profusely. It was clear that they were more afraid than grateful.
Yuan Gang didn't say anything about it and returned to his stall to eat. He could faintly hear the words' Provincial Governor's Residence 'being mentioned in the whispers of the crowd. It seemed that the people who had passed by earlier were from the Provincial Governor's Residence. Yuan Gang looked in the direction the carriage had disappeared in.
Yuan Gang's appetite had always been large. After eating his fill, the stall owner and his wife refused to take his money when he paid the bill.
Yuan Gang didn't argue with the stall owner and his wife. He threw down a silver coin and left with Wei Duo.
After asking around, the two of them finally found the Provincial Governor's Residence. Naturally, they were stopped outside the residence.
Hai Ruyue had actually just returned from her patrol. She had just rested for a while when a servant girl came in with a box of jewelry for her to choose.
The butler, Zhu Shun, came to report, "Madam, Yuan Gang is here."
Hai Ruyue said, "Go and get the letter that Niu Youdao left for me."
Zhu Shun wasn't in a hurry to leave. He smiled and said, "Someone saw Yuan Gang just now and told this old servant that Yuan Gang had collided with Madam's carriage on the street."
"It's him?" Hai Ruyue raised her head in surprise. She put the jewelry back into the box. "He is Yuan Gang?"
Zhu Shun shook his head. "This old servant wasn't with him earlier and didn't see him. I'm not sure."
Hai Ruyue clicked her tongue and said with interest, "Birds of a feather flock together. They are all extraordinary people. What did you find out from your side? What is the relationship between this Yuan Gang and Niu Youdao? "
Zhu Shun said, "The two of them rarely show themselves outside. The people over there can't find out much either. However, they are certain that they are often by Niu Youdao's side. They are probably his trusted aides."
Hai Ruyue waved her hand. "Invite them in."
"Yes!" Zhu Shun walked to the door and instructed the people below.
Yuan Gang and Wei Duo, who had been stopped outside the residence, were allowed to enter. However, they were still searched according to the rules. Wei Duo's sword and Yuan Gang's dagger were temporarily taken away. Restrictions were also placed on their bodies.
The two of them were led to the living room to wait.
Not long after, Hai Ruyue arrived accompanied by Zhu Shun, and the host and guest met.
After knowing each other's identities, Yuan Gang was a little surprised. He did not expect the mistress of the Gold Province to come out and meet him in person.
Yuan Gang didn't have the habit of cupping his fists and bowing to greet others, not even when he saw Shang Chaozong and Shang Shuqing. He sized them up and asked, "Where is Niu Youdao?"
Hai Ruyue was also sizing him up. She felt that this person was quite interesting. Because of Yuan Gang's previous actions on the streets, she realized that Yuan Gang did not seem to have any sense of class.
To the people of this world, people were divided into different ranks. Officials were officials, and commoners were commoners. Yuan Gang did not care about officials, but he tried to curry favor with commoners. Furthermore, he even caused trouble on the streets. To Hai Ruyue, she could not understand Yuan Gang's actions.
Hai Ruyue, who was seated on the main seat, said indifferently: "Niu Youdao has left."
Yuan Gang frowned and asked, "Where did he go?" Seeing that the other party did not reply, he asked again, "The Ice and Snow Pavilion?"
Hai Ruyue chuckled and said, "Seems like you know quite a lot."
"Sorry for the disturbance. Goodbye!" Yuan Gang threw down these words and left.
Hai Ruyue felt angry and amused at the same time. She realized that this person really did not care about her at all. She shouted, "Stop! Do you think my place is a place where you can come and go as you please? "
Yuan Gang stopped and slowly turned around. He said, "I have no enmity with Princess Royal!"
Hai Ruyue said, "Stay in Jinzhou for the time being." She then added, "This is what Niu Youdao told me before he left." She tilted her head and gestured.
Zhu Shun took out a letter from his sleeve and walked forward to hand it to Yuan Gang.
Actually, there was no need for formalities here. He had already opened the letter and read it. However, he was a little confused as he could not understand it. After studying it for a long time, he still could not understand it.
Yuan Gang took out the letter and took a look at it. He knew that it was undoubtedly left by Daoye. It was written in simplified Chinese, and the handwriting was also Daoye's semi-cursive script.
Without reference, there was no pattern to follow. He reckoned that it was impossible to decipher the contents with just one letter.
The general meaning of the letter was that Niu Youdao guessed that he would come after hearing the news. He asked him to stay in Jinzhou and wait for Niu Youdao to return.
This was also Niu Youdao's painstaking effort. He knew that once things were settled here, a great battle would break out in the Green Mountain County. If Yuan Gang stayed by the Shang Dynasty's side, he would most likely participate in the battle. Yuan Gang's emotions were too strong. He was hot-blooded and unafraid of death. If he entered the battlefield, he would probably risk his life.
Niu Youdao did not think that the great undertaking of the Shang siblings was worth Yuan Gang's life.
This was the reason why Niu Youdao asked Shang Chaozong to publicly cut off relations with Qingshan County. He knew that Yuan Gang would definitely come, so he took the opportunity to transfer Yuan Gang away from Qingshan County until the situation in Qingshan County stabilized. If the Shang siblings succeeded, it did not matter if Yuan Gang returned. If the Shang siblings were defeated and their territory was occupied by others, there was naturally no need for him to return.
In short, he couldn't let Yuan Gang be in danger without doing anything.
He kept his promise and went to the Ice and Snow Pavilion to get the Crimson Sun Fruit. It was also to stabilize Hai Ruyue. Just like what he told Yuan Fang, he would use Jinzhou as a retreat. No one knew what would happen in the future. At least for now, Yuan Gang would have a place to settle down.
However, when Yuan Gang saw the contents of the letter, he immediately realized that it was dangerous for Daoye to go. Otherwise, Daoye would have let him follow.
"Goodbye!" Yuan Gang said and turned to leave again.
However, two cultivators appeared at the door and stopped the two of them.
Hai Ruyue said indifferently, "Bring him to Liufang House!"
Wu Calendar!
Even though every country had introduced a calendar with year numbers, they were all based on the foundation of the Wu Dynasty. Every country used their own calendars to communicate with each other, so it was somewhat chaotic. Thus, the calendar that was truly used by every country to calculate the years was still the Wu Calendar.
This also made the rulers of every country feel regretful. The Wu Dynasty was still dead. All ambitious people wished to unify the calendar one day. When their wish was fulfilled, it would naturally be the time to unify the world.
Year 523 of the Wu Calendar.
Yan's envoy, Song Long, was assassinated in Zhao's Jinzhou. The Jinzhou found out that Song Long ignored the laws of Jinzhou because of a personal grudge and acted recklessly in Jinzhou. This could not be tolerated, so they demanded an explanation from Yan. Yan refused to negotiate with Jinzhou on the grounds that they were not on equal footing. He only communicated with the Zhao imperial court. The Jinzhou provincial governor was furious and gathered a large number of troops to attack Yan's Nanzhou, ready to attack at any time.
This move made the Yan imperial court uneasy. The Nanzhou provincial governor Zhou Shouxian urgently mobilized a large number of troops to defend Nanzhou. But the Yan imperial court had to be wary of the feudal lords internally and guard against the hostile countries externally, so they could not provide much help to Zhou Shouxian.
At the end of spring, when Nanzhou's internal defense was weak, the former Marshal of the Yan King Ning Shang Jianbo's son, Shang Chaozong, used the excuse that the previous assassination was done by the Nanzhou provincial governor Zhou Shouxian. He submitted a petition to the imperial court to punish Zhou Shouxian. The imperial court refused because they had no evidence. In a rage, Shang Chaozong borrowed fifty thousand elite troops from his father-in-law, Feng Lingbo, to attack Zhou Shouxian. Along the way, they were unstoppable. The whole Yan was shocked!
The vast Gobi Desert was boundless.
When a faint mountain finally appeared in sight, Yuan Fang pointed excitedly, "Daoye, we've arrived. We've arrived at Zhaixing City."
Niu Youdao, who was riding leisurely on his horse, gazed into the distance, "The mountain looks like a dead horse. I guess we'll only arrive after dark."
Zhaixing City was an ancient city. Legend had it that it was the capital of a country. Later, it was destroyed by Wu's emperor, Shang Song. Now, it was one of the places where cultivators gathered to trade.
It was not without a master. The master behind it was one of the few Yuanying experts in the cultivation world. The situation was similar to Ice and Snow Pavilion and Demon Ridge. For example, Ice and Snow Pavilion was backed by Granny Snow.
The purpose of coming here was to take a look. As for going to Ice and Snow Pavilion to get the Crimson Sun Fruit, it was not urgent. Even Hai Ruyue's forces could not get it, so Niu Youdao did not think he would be able to get it. Some things could not be rushed. It would be more beneficial to have a good understanding of the cultivation world.
Yuan Fang was excited because he had never been here before. He only knew about this place after hearing about it from Niu Youdao.
The Gobi Desert was desolate, but it was not uninhabited. Horses could be seen running back and forth from time to time.
As Niu Youdao expected, when the two of them arrived at the foot of the mountain, it was already dusk.
There were no trees on the mountain here. Not even a blade of grass grew.
The horses that the two of them rode could not go up the mountain. There was a stable at the foot of the mountain where many horses were kept.
After asking around, they found out that this was a place where horses were kept. The horses would be fed here, but it was expensive. It cost one gold coin a day.
The two of them could only leave the horses here and then dashed up the mountain.
When they reached the top of the mountain, they still did not reach their destination. The place in front of them was a place with lights.
After crossing mountains and ridges, they finally saw a dilapidated ancient city.
The two of them entered the city. There were many people coming and going in the city. They were obviously cultivators. When it was night time, the lighting in the city was not very good. Every family was in charge of their own business. It was said that only those who had the right to set up fireplaces at the entrance were merchants. Thus, most people had butterflies flying above their heads.
There were too many unknown people in this place, which meant unknown risks. The two of them went straight to the famous Moon Inviting Inn in the city. It was said that it was opened by the city lord's family. They had a powerful background and could guarantee their safety. The two of them did not know much about this place, so naturally, safety was their top priority.
The Moon Inviting Inn was located on a higher terrain. It was halfway up the main peak. It was a good location and could overlook the whole city. It was the only place in the whole city that had the right to open an inn here. It could be seen how powerful its background was. It was said that the location of the Moon Inviting Inn was originally the ancient city's imperial palace. After arriving, Niu Youdao believed it. This was clearly the scale of the imperial palace.
When he ascended the steps of the inn's entrance, Niu Youdao suddenly stopped and turned around to look behind him. He noticed that many people lingering outside the inn were staring at the two of them, and their gazes were like they were looking at two pieces of fat meat.
However, these people obviously did not dare to cause trouble here. They only dared to watch from the bottom of the steps.
After the two of them entered the inn, they could feel the luxury of the Moon Inviting Inn. The lobby was spacious and bright. There was no need to mention how luxurious it was. A waiter came over to greet them warmly. After confirming that it was their accommodation, he led the two of them to register.
The two of them asked for a room. The fee was ten gold coins a day. It was ridiculously expensive.
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