Nothing changed that night, but early the next morning, Chen Chuanshan led several Soldiers up the mountain.
"Young Master Gu, please refrain from leaving this courtyard for the next little while."
At the courtyard gate, Chen Chuanshan wore a solemn expression.
"General, has something happened?" Yuanqing asked.
"This is an Imperial Decree. I can tell you nothing else."
Chen Chuanshan gave that indifferent reply, then turned to the two Imperial Guard soldiers who had followed him and said sternly, "You two will stand guard at this gate. Anyone who speaks to the person inside without permission is to be executed! Anyone who leaves the courtyard without permission is to be executed!"
"Yes, sir!"
Then Chen Chuanshan turned and left.
Gu Yuanqing knew those words were meant for Yuanqing's ears, but he merely smiled faintly. If he truly wanted to leave, never mind these two soldiers—even Chen Chuanshan himself could not stop him.
By that afternoon, Gu Yuanqing finally understood why Yuanqing had been confined to the courtyard: a great crowd of craftsmen and servants had arrived on North Spring Mountain.
After ascending the mountain, some began repairing buildings, while others swept the paths and cleared moss and weeds from the stone paving.
Mighty Laborers had also been hired at the foot of the mountain, bringing up an endless stream of Wood, dressed stone, bricks, and tiles. In the blink of an eye, the whole of North Spring Mountain became a construction site.
The same continued for the next several days.
Although Gu Yuanqing stayed inside Yuanqing's courtyard, he knew all the changes taking place on the mountain.
Servants still delivered three meals a day to his courtyard. The Soldiers outside worked in two shifts, day and night, never leaving their posts.
Gu Yuanqing could not go out, but Yuanqing was not bored. He could use Mountain Observation and listen to the craftsmen chatting on the mountain, treating it as entertainment.
Most of these Craftsmen came from nearby counties and clearly had no idea what had happened here. All they knew was that early that morning, the local authorities had ordered them to put down their work and come to North Spring Mountain.
They had heard that this was forbidden ground. When they first arrived, they worried they might never return, but seeing so many others there, and finding that they were only repairing buildings, finally put their minds at ease.
Aside from village gossip, their most frequent topic was the Eldest Princess's wedding. Clearly, the news had already spread throughout Great Qian.
Of course, what Gu Yuanqing spent most of these days doing was still the Spiritual Mountain Trial. Yuanqing appeared to be lying in the courtyard, basking in the sun and sleeping soundly, but his mind had long since sunk into the Trial Grounds.
His opponents had now risen from the initial true martial sixth and seventh layers to the true martial eighth and ninth layers.
Most of them were stewards, elders, or sect leaders of the North Spring Sword Sect.
Their Swordsmanship was even more seasoned. Every move and form reached the perfection of a furnace flame burning pure blue in their hands, and some even bordered on the divine. Their swords struck at the most inconceivable moments.
Almost every one of them had a unique understanding of Swordsmanship. Ordinary sword moves became immeasurably more powerful in their hands, and with their varied Profound Martial Phenomena added to the mix, their battles had long since moved beyond the original patterns of their sword arts.
Gu Yuanqing ravenously absorbed the insights he gained in combat. Not even a sect's True Disciple could enjoy treatment like this.
Outside this trial, where could he possibly find so many different people in the High True Martial Realm to fight?
His progress in the Sword Dao covered a thousand miles a day, and his understanding of the Sword Dao changed with every passing day. Gu Yuanqing's horizons kept broadening, and feeling himself improve, he never tired of it!
The only thing that displeased him at present was that he could not freely stretch his limbs when practicing his sword in the courtyard.
If anyone learned how quickly his cultivation was progressing, it would likely stir up trouble. For him, time was what mattered most right now. Given a little longer, he would have nothing to fear even if a Grandmaster came.
On the fourth day, Gu Yuanqing was asked to leave the courtyard again so the craftsmen could repair the collapsed buildings inside.
As he made his way over, soldiers kept everyone apart, seemingly to prevent Gu Yuanqing from saying anything.
Seeing this, the craftsmen began guessing at Gu Yuanqing's identity and whispering among themselves. A soldier barked coldly, "North Spring Mountain is forbidden ground! If you want to keep your heads, stop looking around and making idle guesses!"
The aura of a True Martial Cultivator burst forth, its presence oppressive!
All the nearby craftsmen shuddered in fright and immediately fell silent. Some hurried away, while others lowered their heads and busied themselves with their work.
Gu Yuanqing did not know whether to laugh or cry. Was that really necessary?
Most of these Craftsmen had some cultivation. Though they were at most in body tempering or the early Origin Scholar stage, they worked deftly and had considerable strength.
Timber that would have required all sorts of equipment or several people to lift in his previous life could be carried onto the roof by just one of them.
In only a day, the collapsed buildings and courtyard wall were standing again, and Gu Yuanqing moved back in.
After nine days, apart from the few great halls that remained unrepaired, all the residential Courtyards looked brand-new. North Spring Mountain seemed to have recovered its former splendor, no longer resembling the ruins it had been.
"So this is the power of the Imperial Court. Looks like the dynasties in this world have the potential to become infrastructure maniacs too."
Lying in the courtyard, Gu Yuanqing felt rather impressed. Even now, however, he still did not know why they had suddenly done all this.
Early on the tenth morning, all the craftsmen left the mountain, and North Spring Mountain grew empty once more.
After so many bustling days, the sudden quiet left Gu Yuanqing feeling rather unaccustomed to it.
"Gentlemen, it looks like everyone on the mountain has left. Could you let me out for a stroll?"
The two men standing at the gate did not even turn their heads. Eyes lowered toward their noses, noses toward their hearts, they stood utterly motionless.
"If you don't answer, I'll take that as agreement."
With that, Gu Yuanqing stepped toward the courtyard exit.
Clang!
Both men drew the long sabers at their waists and turned at the same time, their gazes icy, as though saying that if he took another half step forward, they would strike.
Gu Yuanqing raised an eyebrow, but after a moment's thought, he drew his foot back. He returned to the courtyard, then carried a tea table in one hand and a chair in the other to the gate and set them down.
Next, he brought over a pot of tea and a teacup, took some dried fruit he had saved, and placed it on the table. He sat down brazenly at the courtyard entrance, saying, "Since I can't go out, surely there's no problem with sitting here at the gate and admiring the scenery? After more than ten days in the courtyard, I'm tired of looking at everything in there."
The two men outside remained silent. So long as he did not violate their orders, they naturally would not interfere. They simply stood quietly, circulating their cultivation methods to refine their vital energy.
But they had clearly underestimated Gu Yuanqing's enthusiasm.
"Hey, gentlemen, North Spring Mountain has been lying abandoned like this for decades. What do you suppose all this sudden construction is for?"
Naturally, no one answered him.
Gu Yuanqing took a sip of tea. "Has something big happened?"
Still, no one answered.
He popped a piece of dried fruit into his mouth. "Or is someone coming?"
The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of him eating.
"Can't talk about any of that? Then let's chat about something else. Have you ever been to the Yihong Courtesan House in the Capital City? I heard their star courtesan was called White Peony. Is she still the one?"
"I'd really love some Jade Nectar Brew from the Drunken Immortal Tower, and their Eight Great Dishes too. It's been more than a year since I had them. Especially that Honey Glazed Roast Duck—just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
"There's a little tune from the Western Jin Circuit called Peach Blossom Smile. It's so lovely. How about I sing it for you gentlemen? Hmm, the moon blooms in my hand, smiling with delight, the clouds are... forget it, I can't capture the right flavor. How about I sing you another song instead?"
"Ahem!" Gu Yuanqing cleared his throat. "A cup of parting sorrow stands lonely at the window, behind the door I pretend you haven't gone, the old place..."
He sang with great feeling, but clearly had no real awareness of his own singing ability. What had originally been a lovely song sounded like ghosts wailing and spirits howling.
As for people in this other world who had never heard such songs, it felt as though a knife were slicing into their bodies, the pain piercing their marrow, or as though a swarm of ants were crawling over the tips of their hearts, making them squirm all over.
The two Soldiers clenched their fists, their faces livid!
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