DWGL _ Chapter - 23

Chapter 23 - The Golden Mountain Outside the City 

Lan Ji at the Yan Hui Inn

Although the internal martial arts technique sent by Nan Mo Xie seemed absurd, it was quite useful. After practising it, Duan Bai Yue's body felt fresher and more relaxed, and his internal energy was also much more stable than before.

Duan Nian was relieved, as he had been worried all night that he might go off the rails.

There were still people coming and going into the Wu family's carriage house. Duan Bai Yue found a hidden treetop and kept an eye on the dilapidated courtyard. After two days in a row, another carriage came in, the same man as before, unloading the goods from the carriage and carrying them one by one, all of them wooden parts. All the wooden parts were not light, and he looked exhausted enough.

As he carried another box in, Duan Bai Yue took the opportunity to jump into the courtyard and look through the broken window grates to see that there was indeed a secret entrance on the ground, usually covered by a few broken planks of wood, which could easily be missed if one didn't pay more attention.

After roughly calculating the time it took for the guy to travel back and forth, Duan Bai Yue had an idea, planning to go down and see what was weird in it.

There were still the last three boxes left in the courtyard. The guy took a breath, carried the goods hard on his shoulders, and walked slowly down the steps of the dark road. Duan Bai Yue followed him silently, and it took about half a cup of tea before he reached the flat ground, and he didn't know how deep it had dug into the ground.

The tunnel was dark enough, and the man was carrying a big box on his shoulder, and he didn't look like he had martial arts skills, so he didn't notice anyone behind him. It was only after passing through the long tunnel that there was some light and the sound of talking and work.

When they saw the man coming, they greeted him one by one and then went back to their own business. Duan Bai Yue, hidden in the shadows, watched the situation inside and frowned slightly. There were at least a hundred people in the hall at the end of the tunnel, and near the wall, there were racks of wooden parts stacked neatly on top of each other. The craftsmen and artisans were clearly divided, sitting in three rows, working in perfect harmony, and had been working together for some time.

After the guy put the box down, he wiped his sweat and went out to carry the remaining two. Duan Bai Yue did not go out with him, but observed carefully for a while, and ensured that the final finished product was put in the wooden box, painted again, and piled up in the corner after it was dry, waiting to be shipped elsewhere.

There is a faint fragrance of flowers floating in the air and it is very familiar. Previously, Duan Yao often used it to refine poison when he was raising Gu. It was called Dieyilan, which can be regarded as having a medicinal effect. There was a sound of whispering from the other end of the tunnel. It was the guy who moved the last wooden box. Duan Bai Yue followed him as usual and left the dark room together.

Inside the courier house, Chu Yuan was reading a folding scroll when he heard Eunuch Si Xi announce outside that Duan Wanh Ye had arrived.

"It seems that something was found." Chu Yuan looked up at him, "Otherwise you wouldn't have come back so early."

"If I don't find it again, then Xu Zhiqiu is a bit too dripping with water." Duan Bai Yue sat down at the table, "Today a new batch of parts was sent to the deserted courtyard, so I followed them down the dark tunnel to have a look."

Chu Yuan was stunned, "You followed down the tunnel?"

"Couldn't follow?" Duan Bai Yue obviously didn't understand what he meant either.

Chu Yuan frowned but did not say anything.

Duan Bai Yue thought for a moment and then smiled again, "Worried about me?"

Chu Yuan's ears reddened, and there was some thin anger under his eyes - more like anger at himself, why he couldn't hold his temper as soon as he heard it.

"Since I dare to follow him down, I naturally have a sense of propriety." Duan Bai Yue didn't tease him any further and brought the topic back to the forefront, "That guy didn't seem to know kung fu and didn't notice anything. The underground chamber was dug deep, and as we thought earlier, there were about a hundred artisans inside, working together in an orderly manner, so I guess they are the ones who are supposedly 'going out to do big business' and making the neighbours jealous."

"A hundred or so, that many people?" Chu Yuan asked, "What are they doing?"

Duan Bai Yue said, "I don't know, it looks like some kind of mechanism, all contained in the wooden box we saw that day, and it seems to have a compulsion."

"So complicated?" Chu Yuan's brows were locked.

"I don't know what it is, but I have a good idea of the shape of the parts." Duan Bai Yue said, "Do you want to ask someone?"

"To whom?" Chu Yuan guessed, "Tian Yu?"

Duan Bai Yue nodded: "Although he is young, he is the best carpenter in the city, and he loves to listen to books and read stories, so he might really know."

Chu Yuan agreed: "Good."

"There are a lot of people in the daytime, so I'll go and bring him back at night." Duan Bai Yue said, "It's still early, there's a lantern show outside, do you want to go and see it?"

"Go out?" Chu Yuan hesitated, "What if people see me?"

"If they see you, they can see you. Who says the Emperor can't go out to watch the show?" Duan Bai Yue laughed at this, "I'll just disguise myself."

After staying in the chamber for a day, Chu Yuan was indeed a bit bored, so he did not refuse again.

Outside, the dew was heavy and the sky was cold. Before leaving the house, Duan Bai Yue fetched a cloak and gently put it over his shoulders.

Eunuch Si Xi cheerfully thought, Xinan Wang is really considerate, he even picked a thicker one on purpose.

The so-called lantern show is nothing more than the technique of folk artists coaxing little dolls, setting up a stage to pull the cloth, and Suona can play a heavenly fairy match with a blow of gongs and drums. The adults in the city have nothing to do after eating, and they will stop and take a few more glances when they pass by. There are many people and they are also lively.

The play is nothing to watch, but Chu Yuan likes to stand in the crowd. No one noticed that the emperor was by his side, and the big guys were talking and laughing and nibbling on melon seeds, with simple and sincere smiles.

So Chu Yuan's eyes were stained with a smile.

Duan Bai Yue bought a bag of fried melon seeds and handed it to him: “With Yanjin powder, it's sweet.”

Chu Yuan was amused and glanced at him.

“What are you afraid of, those old ministers in the court can't see it either.” Duan Bai Yue whispered in his ear, “No one will jump out and say that it is out of royal decency."

Chu Yuan grabbed a handful of melon seeds from his hand and slowly nibbled them leisurely.

Babbling on stage, singing in a hoarse voice. When a lover finally gets married, the applause in the audience is thunderous, and they all say it is a good story.

Chu Yuan also threw a small ingot of broken gold on the stage: “Let's go, go back.”

Duan Bai Yue tied his cloak for him, separated the crowd with his arms, and returned to the station hall with him.

Eunuch Si Xi smiled and opened the door for the two of them. He thought that it was rare to see the emperor like this, with light in his eyes.

“If you like it, I'll take you to see something else next time." Duan Bai Yue helped him put the cloak aside.

Chu Yuan nodded: "Okay.”

“It's almost time, I'll bring Tian Yu over." Duan Bai Yue said."

“Xiang Lie is here." Chu Yuan said, “Let him go."

Duan Bai Yue hesitated when he heard the words but turned to joy.

This seemed to be the first time that he took the initiative to keep himself by his side.

Chu Yuan turned his gaze away: “Just a little craftsman. He hasn't seen you before, so you don't have to shock him.”

“Yes.” Duan Bai Yue pulled a chair and sat next to him, “I'm so fierce, it's better not to run around." The tone is very serious.

Chu Yuan took it for granted and reached out to pour a cup of tea.

After about half an hour, Tian Yu was secretly brought to the courier house by Xiang Lie. The Emperor had already met him once before and knew that he was kind and not mean, so he was much more relaxed this time.

Chu Yuan took a pile of paper next to him and asked Si Xi to hand it to him: "Do you know what this is, Young Sir?"

Duan Bai Yue stood behind him as a guard before he disguised himself.

"This?" Tian Yu flipped through two pages and shook his head, "I don't remember anything."

"Don't panic." Chu Yuan said, "Take your time."

At his words, Tian Yu dared not slacken off and looked at it carefully for a long time before he was surprised and said, "Could it be Guimu Xia (a ghost wooden box) ?"

"What is Guimu Xia?" This was the first time Chu Yuan had heard these three words.

"This is a mechanical box that was expressly forbidden by the ancestors." Tian Yu was a little hesitant, "But I can't say whether it is or not, I've never seen it before, not even a picture, I've only heard the old man mention it when he was telling stories to the little children."

"Why is it explicitly forbidden?" Chu Yuan asked.

"This ......" Tian Yu knelt down on the ground, "The old man said that the ancestor only wanted to make a concealed weapon that could kill people invisibly and save his life in times of crisis. So he studied it for many years, but in the end, he became demonized and finally created Guimu Xia before he died. When the box was opened, it could be used to send out thousands of needles, with the needles hardened with poison and the holes containing compulsive insects. When the box is opened, even if there are 70 or 80 men on the other side, they will not be able to resist. No matter who is attacked by the compulsion, they will die in a moment."

"So poisonous?" Chu Yuan frowned.

Duan Bai Yue also shook his head in his heart, if Xu Zhiqiu was really making this object, he should really be killed.

"Guimu Xia was also popular for a while until the clan killed each other and caused several tragedies, then a respected ancestor ordered all Guimu Xia to be torched, and even the drawings were turned into ashes under the eyes of the whole clan." Tian Yu said, "After that, the city was revived and made all kinds of tables, chairs, benches, carriages and beds, gradually gaining a reputation as a carpenter's ancestor, and Guimu Xia became a rumour, never to be seen again."

"So that's how it was." Chu Yuan said, "So no one in the world has ever seen Guimu Xia."

"As it should be." Tian Yu nodded his head.

"Thank you, young sir." Chu Yuan gestured to Si Xi to take him down to receive his reward.

"Please don't worry, Eunuch." Tian Yu tucked the silver ticket into his sleeve, "I know what to say and what not to say."

Eunuch Si Xi smiled and sent Xiang Lie to send him back secretly.

Open-minded people are always liked wherever they go.

"Nine times out of ten, that's it." Duan Bai Yue said, "When I went to that underground darkroom today, I did smell a hint of the Butterfly Wing Orchid's fragrance.

"Bastard!" Chu Yuan's eyes were cold, obviously furious.

Duan Bai Yue sighed in his heart and gently patted his hand: "It's useless to be angry, now that things have come to a head, the most important thing to do is to find a solution to the problem."

Such a large number of wooden boxes would not have been bought by the Jianghu people. Even merchants in the South China Sea were clamouring for wooden goods in Dayan City, and it would have been easy to hide thousands or tens of thousands of wooden boxes in a normal shipment - just an ordinary mahogany wardrobe could have had hundreds of boxes stuffed inside it without anyone knowing.

And it is clear why other countries were willing to pay a lot of money for them.

A single wooden box could be the life of tens of Chu soldiers. Thinking of this, Chu Yuan could not wait to cut Xu Zhiqiu into a thousand pieces.

Duan Bai Yue stood behind him, his warm and dry hands gently covering his eyes.

Chu Yuan's body stiffened.

"Don't have a murderous aura under your eyes." Duan Bai Yue's voice was very low, "I'll do the killing."

"Xu Zhiqiu, where did he get the guts to do that?" Chu Yuan stood up fiercely.

"People die for wealth, birds die for food." Duan Bai Yue said, "It's not unusual to be tempted, that's a gold mountain."

Chu Yuan said, "No matter how much he sold earlier, from today onwards, this item will definitely not leave the city again."

Duan Bai Yue nodded, "Good."

While the two of them were talking, Eunuch Si Xi called outside again, saying that Commander Xiang had an important request to see him.

"Proclaim!" Chu Yuan sat back down at the table and instructed Duan Bai Yue to hide behind the screen for the time being.

"Your Majesty." Xiang Lie came in and saluted, "Something is going on at the government office."

"What's going on?" Chu Yuan asked.

"The Demon Cult's people have gone to Xu Zhiqiu once again and the two parties have reached an agreement to go to the Hunting Cliff Mountain tomorrow at noon to dig up a golden mountain," Xiang Lie said.

"Xu Zhiqiu is going in person?" Chu Yuan asked again.

Xiang Lie nodded, "Yes."

"Thank you for your hard work, Commander Xiang." Chu Yuan said, "Keep an eye on him and see how much gold there is in that mountain."

Xiang Lie led the way and left, but in his mind, he was still wondering.

Why is there someone behind the screen again?

Who the hell is this? Why does he stay in the Emperor's bedroom every day?

Duan Bai Yue asked, "Shall I go and keep an eye on him too?"

"There is no need to do so, Xiang Lie is enough, it is easy to scare the snake with more people." Chu Yuan said, "Let's see what's going on first."

"That's fine." Duan Bai Yue squatted in front of him, "It's getting late, rest?"

Chu Yuan shook his head, distracted.

“I knew it." Duan Bai Yue was helpless, “I haven't felt it just now. Seeing you like this at this time, I really want to kill Xu Zhiqiu."

“If he really violates the law, Dali Temple will handle him." Chu Yuan said, “The law of the country is greater than the sky, and no one can escape."

“You see, you know the truth, but you have to get along with yourself." Duan Bai Yue stood up and straightened his collar for him, “Even if you don't sleep all night, there seems to be no other purpose other than to get through the body."

Chu Yuan said, “I don't want to hear your reason.”

Duan Bai Yue smiled: “If you don't want to hear the truth, what can I say, can love words work?"

Chu Yuan was startled when he heard the words and felt like he had heard something wrong.

Duan Bai Yue looked at him with a smile in his eyes, and his eyebrows were full of tenderness under the candlelight.

Then Eunuch Si Xi heard a “clang” in the house.

A few moments later, Duan Bai Yue came out of his room and sat on the terrace looking at the moon calmly.

Eunuch Si Xi looked at him with a rather mean look.

The emperor's nature is such that he cannot be rushed, he cannot be rushed.

The next day after dinner, Xu Zhiqiu did sneak out of town in a carriage.

Although Xiang Lie is watching, Duan Bai Yue still follows all the way. The actual fact is that there's nothing to do in the courier house, so it's better to come out and solve the problem - to save someone from having to worry about it day and night and not eating anything.

The carriage pulled out of the city gates and stopped at the roadside. Xu Zhiqiu got down again and walked alone for a while, turning up and down hills before finally stopping at the bottom of a cliff.

Two women were waiting there. Duan Bai Yue looked familiar with them, they were both maids of Lan Ji and had robbed Duan Yao in the forest.

When she saw Xu Zhiqiu, one of the maids smiled and said, "Your Excellency is indeed a generous man."

Xu Zhiqiu was in no mood to laugh with her as his heart ached and he just threw the key away.

The servant girl was not bothered, she picked up the key and inserted it into the mechanism at the mountain rock, a booming sound came from the ground, and a gap slowly opened in the mountain wall which was originally covered with vines.

Duan Bai Yue shook his head in his heart, This is really a city of mechanisms, even the private treasury is so exquisitely designed.

The day is bright and shining, and from the direction of Duan Bai Yue, there is a bright and shining light inside, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a mountain of gold and silver.

Xiang Lie also tsked in his heart, he really pitied the old man, Xu, afraid that he would grow old and lose his son again. Ten heads are not enough for this kind of greed.

The girl went into the cave and inspected it, was extremely satisfied, and said to Xu Zhiqiu: "From now on, this place has nothing to do with you, after my master has taken the things away, I will return the key to you."

"I've given you the money, but what your master promised me, you'd better do it!" Xu Zhiqiu spat viciously.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, our sect has always been true to its word." The maid's voice was so crisp and clear that Duan Bai Yue laughed at the sound of her voice.

Xu Zhiqiu sighed repeatedly and did not want to stay any longer, so he turned around and returned to the government office, while Xiang Lie followed him all the way, fearing that someone might kill him halfway. Duan Bai Yue followed the two maids secretly and went back to the Yan Hui Inn in Da Yan City.

"Congratulations, Master, congratulations, Master." The servant girl said outside the door, "We have the goods."

Giggles came from inside the house, and Lan Ji opened the door herself, "Thank you both for your hard work."

Duan Bai Yue rubbed his chin in the dark, but he didn't expect that Lan Ji would come in person.

When he returned to the courier house, it was already completely dark, and Chu Yuan had just finished listening to Xiang Lie's report of today's events and was drinking tea inside the house.

"Wang Ye is a little late today." Eunuch Si Xi said quickly in a small voice, " His Majesty didn't even take the evening meal, he has been waiting for you."

Duan Bai Yue smiled and said thank you before reaching out and pushing open the door.

Chu Yuan put down the teapot in his hand: “Where did you go today?”

"The Yan Hui Inn." Duan Bai Yue replied, “Lan Ji lives there."

“The leader of the Tian Sha Sect?" Chu Yuan said, “Have you seen an old man Mu Chi, or the rest of the old people from Goodwill Hall?"

“I looked up and down, but there was nothing.” Duan Bai Yue shook his head.

Chu Yuan sighed when he heard this: “I don't know where people are hidden.”

“Since it is tied up or not killed, it means that there is still a purpose, and there will be no risk of life for the time being." Duan Bai Yue said, "Look for it slowly."

Chu Yuan said, "Hmm.”

“Do you still eat vegetables and tofu today?" Duan Bai Yue asked suddenly.

Chu Yuan: “......”

Hmm?

"For the sake of finding Gold Mountain, how about a nice meal?" Duan Bai Yue's eyes were sincere.

"First it belonged to Xu Zhiqiu, and now it belongs to the Tian Sha Sect, what does that have to do with you?" Chu Yuan said with a smile on his face and tapped his finger on the bridge of his nose, "At most, a bowl of vegetarian noodles, if you like it or not."

—— ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ ——ㄚ

Note: ...

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